3 Jun 2013

€5m Back-Up: LFC to bid for 'outstanding' Real Madrid star if €8m deal fails.

Last week, Victor Valdes confirmed that he will stay at Barcelona for another year, which would seem to rule out a summer move to the Nou Camp for Liverpool stopper Pepe Reina. Liverpool, however, are still on the lookout for another goalkeeper, and the latest name to enter the fray is Real Madrid's Diego Lopez.

Reports over the weekend suggest that Simon Mignolet is the Reds' first choice to replace Reina, but according to The Mirror:

"Liverpool have a back-up plan in case they're turned down [over Mignolet]

"Real Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez, 31, has been Jose Mourinho’s first choice at the Bernabeu, but Rodgers would like to entice him [to Anfield] if the Mignolet move falls through".


With Mourinho no longer at Madrid, it seems likely that Iker Casillas will return to the starting line-up under the new manager, and if that happens, will Lopez really want to go back to warming the bench?

Mourinho certainly seems to think that Lopez is the better goalkeeper. In May, he told Eurosport:

"For me, I like Diego Lopez better as a goalkeeper than Iker Casillas. I don't do it to harm anyone. I accept it if someone says that Casillas is better than Diego Lopez but you have to accept that I am the coach of Real Madrid."

Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque seems to hold the opposite view, and last week, he hinted that Casillas will continue to be Spain's number one goalkeeper for the foreseeable future. He told Marca:

"The fact that he [Casillas] hasn't played for some months isn't significant. He is in good shape. He [Lopez] has had an outstanding season, but we have a lot of faith in Iker"

When asked last week about his future at Madrid, Lopez told reporters:

"It's in my plans to continue. I think that competition between goalkeepers is positive. I've always tried to do things as well as possible. I've already said that every minute at Real Madrid is golden and that's what I want to do, take advantage of every opportunity I have to play".

After the Valdes announcement, Reina's Barca move could end up on hold for another year, but in my view, another goalkeeper should still be brought in. Reina has repeatedly touted himself to the Catalans, and his heart is clearly not in it anymore, so why should he continue to be the Reds' number one?

Bring in another top goalkeeper, stick Reina on the bench and make him fight for his place. Only players who are in it 110% deserve to be regulars in the first team, and we all know that the Reina speculation will continue in January, and again next summer.

Lopez cost Madrid £3.5 million in January, which means his transfer fee shouldn't be that prohibitive if he decides to move on. A viable option...?





NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)


105 comments:

  1. If Reina isn't leaving, then what is the point in signing a 31 year old? We have all seen how much game time Doni and Jones have got.
    If we are going to sign a new keeper, then we may as well sign a younger one, who can then be the future no1, and use the next season or 2 to bed them in, with a good amount of game time. Maybe 50/50 with Reina.

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  2. 31 is young in goalkeeping terms. Reina leaving is (IMO) inevitable; whether it's this summer, January, or next summer, he will go, so the club should make someone else number one and get them settled into the team.

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  3. McCarthy looks a good back up for any first team Goalie we must buy from. Courtious, Begovic, Mignolet, Stegen, Zieler, Adler, Lopez, Mandanda, Vorm, Valdes et al.

    So many goalies to chose from. There was a time when finding a good goalkeeper was equal to finding a needle in the desert

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  4. He has a tendency of blocking it back to the box and that will be a good rebound in EPL..

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  5. Not that it would ever happen - but lets humour it!!
    Please god no! Surely everyone knows Mourinho only brought him in as cover while Casillas was injured?! He wasnt even first choice at Sevilla! The only reason he's been given so much game time since is due to issues between the Special one and Casillas (Did JM do a John Terry on Ikers wife?) Lopez is a half season wonder lol!! Yes he made some good saves but so does every GK at some point so youtube clips not a true reflection! We have a mature and settled Brad Jones in Reina's absence - if Reina goes then lets sign Mignolet or Begovic (prem experience) not a 32 year old political puppet!! With JM gone I'm sure Lopez will be 3rd choice at Real next year...

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  6. Quite a big difference in quality between the ones you mention though.

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  7. I do agree with you, I just don't think a 31 year old is the right choice.

    Its just that any other keeper we have signed recently hasn't played a lot, and if Reina is staying then they probably still wouldn't play much, so a 31 year old, may be 33-34 by the time he has the chance to "get the no1" we would probably be looking for another replacement.
    I would rather we signed a 20-25 year old, who, if he doesn't start as no1 straight away, will still have number of years, when they do get the chance.

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  8. why are we looking for a new keeper we have one of the best keep him its simple

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  9. It would be great to get Mignolet and then get the pair Benteke and lukaku together at least they wont get home sick. Suarez wont go to Real Madrid . My bet is Germany cause his agent brother is manager .that's where the money would come from for all three

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  10. I quite like Courtois and Mignolet, as well as ter Stegen, but the latter is very young and raw. He might just be not the answer for us yet. Made quite a few avoidable mistakes this season, including last weekend's international. Adler is also a good option, so is Vorm, but Zieler? I don't think so.

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  11. We may as well use 23-year-old Gulacsi, who's on our books already. And if he is not good enough, then let him go for his own career's sake.

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  12. Because he wants to leave, by the sounds of it.

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  13. My bet would be that, should Bayern make another big money signing after Götze, it won't be Suarez. The media in Munich is a real circus and Bayern probably know everything about Suaréz already. They've had their fingers burnt with arsonist Breno, already, who now is doing time in prison.

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  14. That sound has been there for at least the last three years, and Reina is still with us.

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  15. Reina has been making too much noise lately... We don't need blabbermouths... Begovic, mignolet, lopez... We do have nice options out there...

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  16. Ter stegen has not made many fans with his keeping of late esp the international friendly.

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  17. Yep, he is a great prospect, but not at all an established first class keeper.

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  18. Mr. Point Of View2:29 pm, June 03, 2013

    Doesnt matter who buy LS. Hope his agent can find us the highest bidder.

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  19. You could be right I want to ask one Question. If suarez did what he did to Ivanovic in Germany or spain does he think the media would treat him in much better way .look at Jose and Spanish media ? The worst thing in all this we stuck buy him with evra evidence was zero . terry yes he is right The FA are looking after English players . But the bite was wrong and to go out and bitch about it put the focus on himself more his management must be stupid. wouldn't he be more of a risk to other clubs ? just asking he wants out torres said he made a mistake leaving.

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  20. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Pepe's "heart isn't in it" anymore for Liverpool.


    I think that's a bit unfair, as no one could really question his efforts for the club.


    I believe that he shouldn't talk so much, but I also understand where he's coming from.


    Someone asks if he'd be open to the idea of going to Barca, which is arguably one of the top 5 teams in the entire world every year.


    Only an insane person would say "no" without hearing more.

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  21. Maybe if the media stop making up stories about Reina leaving then there will be no speculation? On another note, please show my the evidence that Reina's heart is no longer in it?


    For sure Reina will leave, as some point he has to stop playing

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  22. It's not his agent's job to find the highest bidder for us, but the club where he can earn the highest wages.

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  23. Well, he wouldn't be treated better by the media elsewhere in the world, but they would probably let go of a topic quicker. In Germany for instance is only one paper like the S*n/Daily Mail/Daily Star and so on. There are a lot more papers in the UK whose main job does not seem to be unbiased information of the public, but headline grabbing. I also think that in Germany Suaréz would be treated no different to anyone else and I have that feeling that, in a certain way, parts of the English media focus pretty much on him. This may have to do with the tight market they are in with so many poor papers to compete with. I might be wrong, though.

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  24. Yes, setting your house on fire and biting someone are exactly the same thing...Suarez wants to go to Spain. To make his wife and kid happy and be close to her family.Bayern is just as far as Liverpool. Albeit with better weather and less racism. How things have changed in the last 70 years...

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  25. I don't get the impression that Suarez was upset that he was punished for his actions with Ivanovic.


    I think he was upset because he was punished more severely than those who had similar situations in the past, and the feeling is that the media had a lot to do with driving that punishment.


    Same as the Evra incident. This is not me defending Suarez for his actions. But the fact that he got 8 games for that and Terry got 4 when there was concrete, conclusive evidence that Terry actually said something (and exactly what he said).


    Suarez was held to a different standard and punished more severely than his counterparts. That's where the media and the FA have been ridiculous in this whole saga.


    Again, that's not to absolve his actions. That's merely to say that he should be held to the same standard as others for his bad behavior.

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  26. I think setting your house on fire is much worse.
    Munich has a bigger airport with more direct flights to, for instance, Madrid.

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  27. Yes, like Moyes is capable of managing Man U. Poor gollumn, he's going to believe it one day and the fall will be even harder than it's going to be anyway.

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  28. just wondering if reina will revert back to his normal piss poor form he has showen over the last 3 years now he knows he not moving. he upped his game towards the end of the season with barca watching .but me thinks normal service will be resumed ie getting beat at the near post flappin at crosses .so it looks like we will be stuck with( pepe no saves) for another season jeez when are we goin to get some good news

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  29. maybe ant for the last 3 years he has been p"ss poor and no one wants him and were stuck with him

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  30. So we agree!

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  31. Off topic again, I would like to add to my new series "How exactly does a waterlogged pitch look like". Today, Stadium of Friendship in Gera, Germany:

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  32. Great pic. Driving around Munich yesterday, a lot of the streets in certain areas of Munich they are flooded to the point were the roads, schools and places of work are closed. But i have been told that summer will start Wednesday

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  33. Thanks for mentioning Munich. My parents live by the river...

    Summer by Wednesday? Probably not temperature-wise, but there will be less rain from tomorrow on.

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  34. 22 and upwards till Saturday then it gets a little worse. Apart from the shit weather Munich is a great place to live and watch football!

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  35. That's so true, if a YouTube video had been done of some of the 'keepers in matches against us in '11/'12 most of them would look world class

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  36. if he was desperate to leave he could quite easely go

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  37. 23, max, on Sunday. Shit weather in Munich? Where have you lived before? Spain?

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  38. Somewhat off-topic but has there been a rise in hooliganism in Germany? Any possible reasons why? Or is it just the same usual groups but now getting more attention?

    I came across an article reporting an incident a couple of months back (see link below). Wondered about why has it alleged gone on the rise as . I had a look at the article again and funnily enough, those guys were supporters of one of the clubs you mention, Dresden. Read in another article that it had reached a 12 year high, in terms of hooliganism although not sure how true that is, and in the same article, fans were worried about losing the atmosphere which maybe a result of possible measures that clubs are taking to fight hooliganism (obviously the piece predictably embarrassingly ended with a line to do with how it illustrates German football wasn't getting everything right or wasn't perfect. Nothing bloody is! A silly tone to the article which I didn't like. Poor article in general but have used bits of it to help get my wondering about German hooliganism across).

    With Bundesliga being one of the fashionable leagues at the moment, I was just thinking whether in some warped way the rise in popularity has had some negative effects too. I don't necessarily think that but would like some input, as its strange. Maybe it has always been there to this level but maybe because of jealousy of the popularity of German football, it has been highlighted. I don't know, I'm simply musing between different reasons.

    http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/02/27/hooliganism-takes-centre-stage-in-the-bundesliga/

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  39. With Jose back, it makes it more conveniently palatable and more excusable if Moyes doesn't do well. So that avenue of spin is available to the media & co if Moyes fail. I can see why they brought in Moyes, to an extent, and it is a different environment to what is at City and Chelsea. To be honest, I expect Chelsea to win the title next season, with Man United in second or third. I'm expecting big things from the three amigos at Chelsea, especially behind a very competent front man. Cavani in front of them would be potentially brilliant.

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  40. Lopez's distribution is suspect.. Saw him play over 10 games, he's very good keeper though, one of the best shot blockers. But, rodgers style dictates a goalie that is really good with his feet.

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  41. I'll hand in my predictions as soon as the rich clubs can't buy any more players. Not sure whether or not Jose still is the special one, or has lost something on his journey, but, on paper, Chelsea probably have the best team right now. I, too, would be surprised if ManU can continue their relentless winning without being very good. They may drop out of the top four.

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  42. Id still love for us to sign him...He will be a top keeper in the next few seasons

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  43. Mourinho actually said that one regret he had was not signing Lopez earlier, which means he really rates him highly. Reading between the lines he was trying hard to use Casillas but just felt Lopez was better which is why he used Adan even before Casillas was injured.

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  44. Lopez should be a good choice plus he won't cost much. The other choices are good too so it depends on who Rodgers rates higher. The problem with Reina is he is discontented with the results of liverpool and no CL football. Like all top players he wants to play in the top competitions and win stuff. When that doesn't happen and you've been working your socks off for years while others don't perform up to standards, it will result in him becoming more vocal. We all can see from his passion he wants liverpool to succeed and the fact he's still here means he believes in the project. However one or two more seasons of underachieving players like him and Suarez will want to go to CL teams to play at the highest level simple as that. Remember even someone like gerrard wanted to leave for a "better" team why not the rest?

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  45. Lol come on!! He had beef with Casillas & his mates and was winding him up lol! If hes so good how comes no one else has notices him til now!! 1 cap for spain - part timer for past 2 years - lets see if he takes him to chelsea!!!

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  46. Lets be honest, this whole Reina story has been blown out of proportion buy the media and other JK-esque type bog sites. He has now come out and said he is staying for the countless time over the period he has been with us, but people still say he is looking for a move? What's worse is that he is being blamed for wanting to move when all he has said is Barce is a good team and he would like to play for them one day. Guess what, I would like to play for LFC one day but it doesn't mean my current employer should get upset about it. Saying that I do love reading this site, for a nice chuckle and sometime outrage!

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  47. Believe me the last .... Months in Munich have been poor. But now it is getting better. All my mates back home have been enjoying BBQs while I have been stuck inside hiding from the rain. I've lived in Holland before and Munich is defo an upgrade :-)

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  48. Why do you give precedent to Reina's latest comments over the *many* times in the past he's hinted at moving? Last week, he said it would 'hard to say no to Barcelona', and he's said similar things in the past. Those comments don't just suddenly vanish just because of what he's said today.

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  49. I agree, but why do you ignore when he says he will stay?

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  50. What jose did is like us picking carroll up top putting the legend that is GOD in his prime on the bench and then buying carlton cole in jan window and making him 1st choice striker

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  51. Not at all.

    Honigstein, well, he covers Germany for the Guardian and a famous German paper, too. Both are pretty much on the quality side of papers, but to be honest, I have never ever read one piece he has written. Generally I use other channels for information about German football, but, as two quality papers employ him, he probably is a good journalist.


    Well, I got the impression that you weren't impressed with the articles you mentioned, so I guess I wouldn't be impressed either.

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  52. I don't ignore it, I just don't give it any real credence. Reina has *repeatedly* touted himself over the last few years, so I take anything he says about staying with a pinch of salt. He wants to leave, and he will leave within the next year.

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  53. Of course it has been blown out of proportion. Ask any kid playing football whether or not they would like to play for the most famous team they know. Why would a professional footballer, or a professional anything, not like to work at the most famous, most successful club/company their ability permits. My guess would be that those quotes, that he wants to play for Barcelona, were taken out of context. When a journo asks him whether he would like to play for Barca one day, should he say "no, they stink"? I personally never understood the pull of Barca, and Real in particular, but I am biased towards the club I support.

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  54. That's the truth for most players, isn't it. They would find it hard to say no, should Barca/Real ever ask them to play for them. The UK media tend to publish the players reply, and it only. Never in context, never the question that was asked. Bit like 42, eh.

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  55. Wow someone talking sense!

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  56. I've said something like that two years ago, and last year, too. And Reina is still with us.


    I for one would find it interesting indeed what all players in the Prem would reply if asked the question, whether or not they would be interested in playing for Barcelona or Real, should the chance arise.

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  57. The whether wasn't always like that in Munich, believe you me. Back in the old days...

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  58. Lol!!! Who was that spanish dude that almost took Spurs down??! Im praying for a repeat from Gollum!!

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  59. Many players may find it hard to say no those clubs, but not all players say so in public. It's a trite thing to say anyway - obviously, most players would find it hard to say no to two of world's biggest clubs.

    It amazes me how you try and put all the blame on the media. Are Suarez and Reina puppets on a string, with their vocal chords controlled by the media?! No. They have their own minds, and if they're asked about Madrid/Barca, they have the choice to give a non-committal reply, i.e. like Griezmann.

    They haven't, however. They have deliberately chosen to tout themselves, and the reason is obvious: both want to move to these big clubs, and by saying these things in public, it alerts RM and Barca to the fact they'd be amenable to a move.

    Reina saying he wants to stay today is meaningless - he's already achieved the goal of letting Barca know he'd consider a move.

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  60. I do the utmost I can to keep up the critical realism thing this site is/once was famed for.

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  61. Why is that relevant? Why does it matter what other players would do? The fact remains that when asked about RM and Barca, Reina and Suarez could've been respectful with their comments. It's a false argument (IMO) to suggest that they somehow have no choice but to respond this way just because they're being asked about two of the world's biggest clubs.

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  62. Yes, it's always someone else's fault. Quotes are always taken out of context and blah blah blah. Of course, I forgot - in modern football, players are never responsible for their own actions; the enabling fans make sure of that. Whenever anything happens, everyone else it to blame, and collective fan defence league springs into action to divert attention away to something else.

    If someone asks an LFC player if he wants to play for Barcelona, he could say exactly what Griezmann said in the article: 'I'm happy at LFC. I have a contract etc etc.

    Is that so difficult? No. Reina/Suarez do not *have* to say they would find it 'hard to say no'. They are mature adults with the ability to think before they speak.

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  63. Anteater always talks sense. As a general point though, it's funny how people are always deemed to be 'talking sense' when they say stuff you agree with.

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  64. JK- what do you think of stekelenburg to Fulham for £4m? Personally I would have had him over Lopez...great deal for Fulham - full international strong competition for Schwarzer at a bargain price ...why was he not on our radar FFS!!!

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  65. To me it's Guy Roux leaving Auxerre all over again. I don't even remember who the poor sod was who took over from him that's how horrible that was to witness. With Ferguson still at the club, at the first sign of trouble supporters and players will be looking at him again to fix things. This could only have worked had Ferguson gone fishing and let a coach with pedigree like Ancelloti take over. Moyes getting his big break is romantic and all but he'll have to go from playing not to lose to playing to win the big matches now. He'll have to make pounds count when he spends them and whenever he's bought big at Everton it hasn't worked out. Not sure why everyone is so in love with Fellaini either but I don't see how he needs to be playing at a big club. Meulensteen left because Moyes wants to be on the training field again training players. He won't have bloody time! That shows me he has no clue what he's in for. It's a shame because I hate the fact that they will have an excuse when we take their title from them next May :-)

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  66. I don't try to put all the blame on the media, but why do you attack me and not the argument? You did this yesterday, too, but I know that you can do a lot better.

    Seems as if I haven't brought my point across properly. No, Suaréz, Reina, and no other player are puppets on a string. My point was that usually the media publish a headline like "Reina off to Barcelona", then take a single sentence out of a long interview, something like "Barcelona is a top club and I would find it hard to not moving there". In the real world that sentence might have gone on along the lines of "...should they ever try to lure me away from my club, where I am really happy and have a contract that still runs 5 years". What they also take out of the equation is the question that was asked. All of this gives ever word a footballer says an entirely different spin, a different meaning.

    I don't blame the media for that. They have to create headlines, and would sell their mothers to do so. We as readers have the choice. We either believe ever drivel that is published, or we try to investigate ourselves how much truth there is behind a story. I am sceptical with media stories. They once were the fourth force within a country, their task was to inform people, educate them, but that is not what they do anymore (at least most of them). It's all about headline creating, shit-stirring, story-creating, and ENTERTAINING people. I would consider this view as critical realism.

    It would make a big difference, though, would any player stage a press conference himself, or use his personal website. Do you expect a footballer to lie when a journo asks him a direct question. Or do you think they are diplomatic enough to give a well thought out reply, that doesn't give away anything?

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  67. That's clearly a psychological thing.

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  68. Diego Lopez is a much better 'keeper than Reina. Absolutely no contest. He isn't better than Casillas, though. Mourinho got that wrong as he got so many things wrong in this last year.

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  69. Most of the time he seems to have stopped playing already.

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  70. Anteater - with the greatest respect, get a grip. I have not attacked you in any way, shape or form. I've focused solely on your argument; there is absolutely no personal element to my response, and it's kind of amazing that you would suggest that. Just because I mention the word 'you' doesn't mean I'm having a go at you. I'm clearly referring to your argument.

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  71. You said that I try to put all the blame on the media. Yet in reality, albeit my subjective perception of reality, I've tried to highlight that things may just not be as clear cut and one-sided as they appear to be in the media. My aim is, as most of the time, to see the bigger picture and maybe to encourage others to question the opinion-making media (amongst other things), too. When it comes to Suaréz, I find that you have lost at least a bit of the critical realism that is meant to distinguish your site from other blogs. I simply am not at all used to your opinion, which you express on here, being very similar to that of, say, the Daily Mail.

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  72. Meulesteen is apparently still there, according to dutch media (which Sky have picked up on today).

    As to training duties, all speculation at the moment. Ferguson did training duties before he started delegating, although that doesn't mean he was totally hands off. Moyes will learn and adapt or at least have to, just like Ferguson did...over time. Only question is whether he will be given the time to do so, which is likely as its a different environment to City and Chelsea, as well as being given quite a long contract. Didn't Moyes have that Jimmy fella and Round as first team coach and assistant at Everton. The same officials roles that Meulesteen and Phelan had under Ferguson. Anyhoo, I'm sure there are examples of big clubs who have had managers who have overlooked heavily over training. There is nothing conclusive or concrete out there that illustrates what Moyes will do in terms of training. Far too early. Even if he does things differently, it is by no means an indicator he will fail. Again, far too early to judge.

    I know its Moyes, I know its Everton ex-manager, I know its Man United, so too right I know we hope he and they fail, thus putting the appropriate doom and gloom spin on it ;)

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  73. Saying that you put the blame on the media is no wat 'attacking' you - it is my perception of your opinion, and based on your comments, it's close to the truth.

    From where I'm standing, your views on how the media treat Suarez are pretty baseless, and you're so set on believing there's some kind of media agenda against him that you're not seeing things clearly.

    As for your point about critical realism. Sorry, but I disagree. My views on Suarez epitomise exactly what this site is about, and nothing I write about him is 'similar to the Daily Mail'. Provide a specific example. What specific opinion are you referring to? Or is it like the translation thing where you basically generalise?

    You seem to forget that I have been critiquing Suarez since before he even signed for the club (five months before, to be exact), and I've remained entirely consistent in my views throughout the last 2.5 years.

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  74. Where you seem to get it wrong is when you say that you think that there is some kind of media agenda against Suaréz specifically. I don't think that. I think the media crave for headlines, in general. Suaréz is just one person, who is making it easy for them to create headlines. Unfortunately he seems to be too thick to play their game and make the have egg on their faces. But then, he's not trained at psychological warfare and probably has not personal media consultant. But it is not Suaréz only they are doing it. They would do it with the two of us, too, if we were famous enough and would give them fodder.

    I didn't use the term "similar" to say it is exactly the same, but that there are similarities. Do you still understand some German. I meant "ähnlich" not "gleich".

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  75. Jacques Santini.


    Well, they may well implode. I quite like the optimism in your very last sentence.

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  76. No, it is not always someone else's fault. Quotes are not always taken out of context. Of course footballers should be responsible for their own actions, but we have to keep in mind that the average football player is good at one thing. Playing football. Often they are not the brightest bunch and in case of Suaréz, well, I am still torn between a stupid kid in a man's body or a nutter or something entirely different. At least some of these guys need guidance. They are mature on paper, but Suaréz, for all that I have seen, is not a mature grown up, considering that a certain amount of wisdom and knowledge come with maturity. And I don't blame him, because I've come across people who were even older than him and weren't farther in their personal development. No, this is not meant to be an excuse. Stupidity should never be an excuse.


    I like the way Suaréz plays football, I really like it. But then, if we get a huge amount of money, I have no problem with selling him. I am way beyond the age where I adore the individual so much that I don't see the club anymore. But after all, in all walks of life, I have a strong sense for justice, and I don't think that he is always treated fairly. Fighting for the weaker is one of my traits.

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  77. exactly - some ppl forget sooo quickly!


    Reina has been a MASSIVE part of our failing the last few years. If we can get £10m for him, we'll be ripping off whoever buys him off us.

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  78. That's strange, I read in Voetbal International last week that he said he was leaving because he got no clarity from Moyes about his role. They're usually right when they write something. We'll see how they fare under Moyes. To be fair to him,he's managed to calm down Fellaini quite a bit which can't be said about Dalglish and Rodgers in respect to Suarez. I just can't him succeed though. His approach to the game will have to change dramatically and he'll have to deal with the media and supporters looking to Ferguson constantly. Not that I'm worried though. We did them a favour by letting Moores and Souness ruin our club, paving the way for them to take over, so now it's time they did something in return.

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  79. If we can finish fourth, we can finish first too. The PL has got a quality injection with Pellegrini and Mourinho and I fully expect it to become a very very exciting season. (with Spurs and Arsenal empty handed at the end of it)

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  80. 'They're usually right when they write something'

    If its the ELF Voetbal you are talking about, well it is them who have received the comments from Meulesteen, where he said he hasn't been sacked and he hasn't resigned, that he is still due to report to the club on July 1st.

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  81. I try to keep my expectations down, though.

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  82. It's not that I'll be terribly surprised if we don't win the league next season. It's just that we need to at least have a go to be able to have the slightest chance. When managers say they're aiming for top four it gets on my nerves. You're in it to win it when you're at Liverpool. If you want to be happy with a top four finish you need to lower your ambition and manager Everton, Villa or Swansea or something :-)

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  83. Why not? Man United do it. Marseille do it. Lyon do it. Dortmund do it.

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  84. Do what? Come out and say "we can win the league" amidst a rebuilding process? Dortmund didn't do that. They rebuilt for a few years and then simply won the league. Action speaks louder than words. I don't really think we are ready to win the league and would be pleased if we could challenge for fourth again next.

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  85. What i am trying to say and what Anteater is trying to say is, that maybe these players to say these things, is just that we are not outraged that they do. Personally, Reina in my eyes hasn't done anything wrong, he just answers a question honestly and as far as i know he is still a LFC player. Of course he has come out and said he is staying for sure now he knows the Barce door is closed. But in my eyes that just proves he is loyal. There are many clubs out there in a better position than us that would probably love to have Reina in their team, but he would only think about leaving us for Barcelona and I for one can not begrudge him that.

    Suarez on the other hand is whoring himself out in my opinion, even though i'm not sure the quotes have been translated correctly, as people are translating them and interpreting them in different says. I don't speak Spanish so I can not really comment. If he goes or stays I will be happy. If he goes then that means we have gotten rid of a player that doesn't want to play for us and that can only be a good thing, if he stays then we still have his great talent at our club and that can only be a good thing. Either way, after reading the LFC news today, I feel happy and excited for the new season. I'm not sure why, but I can wait for August!

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  86. Compete against teams with more money. In a sense, even Barcelona do that. Sure they spend money sometimes but not nearly the amounts Real, Citeh or PSG spend. A team is always rebuilding. Every summer there will be transfers, that's only natural. Look at Bayern, just won everything you can possibly win and they sign Götze and want Lewandowski. They're even linked to Koscielny and they have Javi Martinez! IMO we have a squad now that is three or four players away from being as strong as anything out there. So I hope we don't see another summer of a lot of players arriving on low fees to replace players with the same quality but a couple of quality injections to the first team right away in the first week of July and then focus on pre-season and fine-tuning the system. Then everything is possible.

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  87. consistent or stubborn?

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  88. Lucky for me I live in Munich, where FC Bayern win everything and everyone is happy (lets just ignore the other team in blue). I have been to many games over the last 2 years and i have never seen anything remotely resembling a hooligan action. Saying that getting the U Bahn to the stadium full of FC Basle fans was an experience

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  89. Just go to a Barcelona match just once and you'll get it right away :-) I'm loyal to the club I support too but I could see how someone would like to experience that every some 25 times a year. That said, same goes for Athletic Bilbao. It's the very same thing that draws players to Liverpool too. The best PR this club has had in the last decade was what the fans did in Istanbul. Even more so than what the team did.

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  90. I agree 99%. I do think the British media have some players or teams they cut more slack than others so that would be the 1% remaining.

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  91. So I'm in the pub right and I'm no Ryan Giggs. (money and famewise that is - I am of course much better looking). Anyway, I'm in the pub and Imogen Thomas walks up to me and says::"Let's go home and have some fun". Thing is, I have a girl and kids so I won't because I'm loyal to them. But would I enjoy saying no? Not quite. Would it be difficult right there and then? Quite.

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  92. I think there is a big difference between "rebuilding" an already winning squad and rebuilding a side that finish 8th and 7th in the past two season to move further up the table again.



    Personally I think that, while our first eleven can beat anyone, our squad is thin with many youngsters in it. Not sure whether three or four additional players change my opinion. Anything is possible, of course, and I am in favour of the thinking that the impossible should be tried to be achieved.

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  93. I found the other team much more sympathetic when I lived in Munich. But that is a question of taste of course. Like the Spice Girls or the Pixies. My best friend is a season ticket holder at Bayern, though.

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  94. I think I know what you are talking about. The passion of the fans, or/and the sheer mass of them, can take one away. I would like to go to South America at some stage in my life to experience their passion!

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  95. And you may be right about that.

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  96. Both.




    Sent from Samsung Galaxy Note

    -------- Original message --------

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  97. I lived about 100 yards down the road from San Mames about ten years ago. That place on matchday was just insane. South America is a different ballgame alltogether I reckon. I'd love to be in one of those commentator boots for a match that ends 5-5 or something :-)

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  98. How is your Spanish then?

    Yes, the South American commentators alone are worth watching our games with their commentary whilst not understanding anything else but throw-in, corner and goal. That passion is enviable.

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  99. Not very good I'm afraid. :-) I haven't spoken it much since other than ordering at a restaurant or things like that when I'm in Madrid.

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  100. No, Voetbal International, is a different magazine. The guy who owns it has been running it for ages now and he's really tied in with pretty much all clubs in Holland. Usually when he says something will happen, it will happen. So they would usually not print something without knowing it for sure. I guess the end result will be the same for Meulensteen. He doesn't know what Moyes has in store for him but he doesn't expect it to be something he wants to do or maybe it's just a case of not wanting to be the assistent anymore and wanting to take another chance at management if he gets the chance. Rumours are Wigan are considering him.

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  101. When Mourinho came to Chelsea they hadn't won a title in years and he did it right away. Same as Wenger at Arsenal. Obviously Mourinho had funds available but he's gone to other clubs and has been succeful there as well. Again with funds but every time with different players. Now, for us to win the league next year everything would have to work for us and seeing as we'll already be without Sturridge and Suarez come opening day, it doesn't look like it will but here's hoping. As for our squad, imagine how much stronger it will become if you replace Downing, Enrique, Lucas in the first team and add a quality CB. That would make our first 11 incredibly strong and at the same time strengthen our squad because Enrique, Lucas and Downing are by no means poor players to have on your bench.I really believe we'd have a squad to challenge then but it then comes down to the manager. Picking the right players, sticking to your system, dealing with media frenzies and transfer rumours, motivating the ones that don't play etc. And that's when we'll find out if Rodgers is really the guy to bring us the title or not.

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  102. I'm sure he is rather reputable going by you've said but I always take anything from the media with a pinch of salt, especially in terms of what respective people are planning to do, regardless of reputation of the source. It is mostly massive speculation.

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  103. Your optimism is commendable, though I try to keep my expectations just a bit lower.

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  104. You're entitled to :-)

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