In what is surely the most improbable transfer news of the summer, it appears that Liverpool are reportedly interested in re-signing Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano.
According to reports in Italy and England this weekend, Liverpool are monitoring the Argentinean's situation at the Nou camp.
When asked last night about his future, Mascherano made it clear that he is happy to move on if Barcelona no longer need him. He told El Pais:
"You never know. In football, you have to be prepared for anything.
"There were calls from somewhere else, but no offers.
"There are always doubts. If Barca tell me they don't need me, I will be off within a minute."
Liverpool (arguably) still need a defensive midfielder to challenge Lucas, and Mascherano would fit the bill, despite the fact he continues to be played out of position at Barca.
Additionally, the World Cup is only a year away, and Mascherano will want to play regularly to ensure he doesn't miss out, so a move away at this stage could be the best thing for him.
However, at the age of 29, he doesn't fit FSG's infernal transfer template, and with three years still left on his current contract, Mascherano - who has a €100m buyout clause (!) - would probably be prohibitively expensive.
All of this should be moot anyway. Why would Rodgers want to bring back a player who massively disrespected Liverpool during his first spell at the club? In a bid to push through his €24m move to Barcelona, Mascherano effectively went on strike in 2010, and refused to turn out for a game against Manchester City. At the time, Roy Hodgson tried his best to put a diplomatic spin on things. He told reporters:
"He [Mascherano] is not here tonight because there is some speculation about his future and his mind is not right, so it was not correct to select him"
In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, Reds legend Phil Thompson slated Mascherano for his actions. He raged:
"He let the side down, the club down and the Kop down. Big time. It's a dream come true to pull on the red shirt, and he turns his back on it.
"Ok so he wants away, but to refuse to play while he remains a Liverpool player is totally unacceptable and frankly sickening".
In my view, Mascherano is a traitor (in the football sense of the word).
After his disgraceful antics in 2010, he does not deserve to wear the red shirt again, and if Liverpool are genuinely interested in re-signing him, it is yet another example of the club selling out and subjugating it's values and principles in the pursuit of quality.
After being constantly disrespected by Luis Suarez (largely self-inflicted due to the club's enabling behaviour), Liverpool must regain its self-respect, and bringing Mascherano back would be a massive sign of weakness.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
According to reports in Italy and England this weekend, Liverpool are monitoring the Argentinean's situation at the Nou camp.
When asked last night about his future, Mascherano made it clear that he is happy to move on if Barcelona no longer need him. He told El Pais:
"You never know. In football, you have to be prepared for anything.
"There were calls from somewhere else, but no offers.
"There are always doubts. If Barca tell me they don't need me, I will be off within a minute."
Liverpool (arguably) still need a defensive midfielder to challenge Lucas, and Mascherano would fit the bill, despite the fact he continues to be played out of position at Barca.
Additionally, the World Cup is only a year away, and Mascherano will want to play regularly to ensure he doesn't miss out, so a move away at this stage could be the best thing for him.
However, at the age of 29, he doesn't fit FSG's infernal transfer template, and with three years still left on his current contract, Mascherano - who has a €100m buyout clause (!) - would probably be prohibitively expensive.
All of this should be moot anyway. Why would Rodgers want to bring back a player who massively disrespected Liverpool during his first spell at the club? In a bid to push through his €24m move to Barcelona, Mascherano effectively went on strike in 2010, and refused to turn out for a game against Manchester City. At the time, Roy Hodgson tried his best to put a diplomatic spin on things. He told reporters:
"He [Mascherano] is not here tonight because there is some speculation about his future and his mind is not right, so it was not correct to select him"
In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, Reds legend Phil Thompson slated Mascherano for his actions. He raged:
"He let the side down, the club down and the Kop down. Big time. It's a dream come true to pull on the red shirt, and he turns his back on it.
"Ok so he wants away, but to refuse to play while he remains a Liverpool player is totally unacceptable and frankly sickening".
In my view, Mascherano is a traitor (in the football sense of the word).
After his disgraceful antics in 2010, he does not deserve to wear the red shirt again, and if Liverpool are genuinely interested in re-signing him, it is yet another example of the club selling out and subjugating it's values and principles in the pursuit of quality.
After being constantly disrespected by Luis Suarez (largely self-inflicted due to the club's enabling behaviour), Liverpool must regain its self-respect, and bringing Mascherano back would be a massive sign of weakness.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
LFC wouldn't pay 100m for Ronaldo, so why would they for Mascherano. I loved him when he played for LFC but its been a few years and don't know what he has left in tank......
ReplyDeleteWouldn't want him back. Another player who forced his way out of the club.
ReplyDeleteEnough with players like these!
Let Luis go!
ReplyDeleteNo way,
ReplyDeleteHe wants to go :-)
ReplyDeleteanother smokesreen we have as much chance as signing mascherano,as we did hk ,and anyof the big players we have been linked to this summer
ReplyDeleteThe simple fact remains that he left in a disgusting way and further more he hasn't exactly been an outstanding player over at Barcelona, I know he has been playing out of position but who cares tbh, I don't feel sorry for him look what's happened to Alex Song prime example he was one of the best and now fades into mediocrity. We do need proven players but like Jk said not by selling our souls and dignity.
ReplyDeleteWe will let him go for sure. We as a club are very concerned about the well-being of our players. Little Luis has publicly stated that he NEEDS TO LEAVE ENGLAND, because of the press. Unfortunately we have not received ANY offer from a club outside England. It would be cruel to sell him to another club in England only to get rid of him. This would damage the reputation of our club. We care, we will help Luis to fulfil his wish to leave England altogether.
ReplyDeleteAm i the only one who thinks we ain't buying anyone and that business is done. For the season.
ReplyDeleteLFC have made a complete hash of it on Suarez and most fans are sick of him and the owners - we are weaker than last year because we have lost more than we gained. OWNERS WANT TO SELL BUT WONT ADMIT IT
ReplyDeleteRubbish.
ReplyDeletenot at all m8 ,and if we do sign anyone it will be another bench warmer
ReplyDeleteFSG, Rodgers and the club have dealt with the Suarez situation perfectly.
ReplyDeleteSuarez is not getting his way. We are seeing the same thing that happened with Torres only difference is that Torres did not go cry to the media every minute and handed in a transfer request.
Unfortunately the media will be the eventual winners as whatever happens will ensure that they sell papers.
completely agree m8 and until someone gives them a fat profit we are going nowhere,if anything this transfer window as confirmed the total lack of ambition by our owners more interested in showing profits than success,no doubt the fsg brigade will be on saying how much they have done for the club ,and how they are our savours ,i am sure they employ people to come on sites and show them in a good light,depressing really knowing we are standing still whilst our rivals forge on
ReplyDeleteI actually can understand the stance of the owners. Coming out publicly stating that we want to sell him would reduce his value significantly. They probably don't want to sell to Arsenal either and I am fine with that.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that, with our net spend close to zero so far, I, too, am not happy with our owners right now. Don't want to condemn them entirely, but they surely must realise that we need reinforcements to fulfil our potential.
ReplyDeletesometimes people say it best when they say nothing at all.as far as i am concerned john henry will lose all credability if suarez is sold ,so we may keep him to jan
ReplyDeletewe are in profit m8 ,which i do not really care about ,we had a chance to push on this summer and did nothing,can anyone really blame suarez for wanting to leave ,we were a big club ,but are now happy to make the numbers up
ReplyDeleteno business is far from over we will more than likely release/sell another 2 or 3 players.....pick any 2 from these 4 for certain downing,skirtal,aggerr,suarez and dont be surprised if all 4 go without adequate replacements being bought in
ReplyDeleteat this moment arsenal are not are competitors in the prem
ReplyDeleteeverton,wba.and Swansea are.
fsg would sign jack the ripper if the price was right
ReplyDeleteplus torres was actually playing and training with the first team,,,that's a big difference ...plus Torres wasn't calling kenny a liar in the papers....i can see your point max but the two situations are poles apart
ReplyDeleteDon't think we are in profit concerning this window's transfers. Consider stuff like signing on fees, agent fees and such. Even giving Gerrard a contract extension cost us significantly more than his wages. Having said that, we are close to no net spend and given that there is quite some income from shirt deal and shirt sponsor, I, too, wonder where that money goes right now. While you seem to know that FSG are taking that money away from the club, I don't know that. It is possible that they put money aside to finance the extension of our stadium. In dubio pro reo.
ReplyDeleteI also find it a bit harsh to claim that we did nothing. We did something, but I don't think that it was enough.
Gilstrap it does not matter who you think are our rivals .
ReplyDeleteliverpool are targeting 4th place remember that
who is in 4th place?
oh yeah , it is arsernal
There you go , andgoing up 3 places is not massive teams have gone up 5 or 7
Gilstrap your lack of ambition is suprising ,
im being realistic m8...city utd Chelsea.....spurs,arsenal..............Liverpool,everton.Swansea and whoever that's how i see it ..in mini leagues....there maybe a few surprises like one of the top teams does bad but also a lesser team may go on a run like Southampton or someone...
ReplyDeletecavani clearly thinks Rodgers is a liar and Suarez doesn't seem like an idiot to me despite his antics. What i'm getting it at, if i was a Costa or Muriel etc i wouldn't be sure if i could trust Rodgers.
ReplyDeleteYeah your right but which owner wouldn't if it means earning more money for them... They are all greedy bastard tbh
ReplyDeleteAmerican owners aren't here cos they love 'soccer', that's for sure...
ReplyDeleteI agree geezer no chance of bringing anyone else in now I think the Costa speculation was just that nothing serious probably just to show to the fans that they wanted to bring in proven quality, but not actually going through with a concrete deal, wenger style.
ReplyDeleteInstead Why don't we try getting some good defensive mid from their b team on loan????
ReplyDeleteOff the current topic yesterday's match against Celtic showed that Allen is just a square wooden cog in a round metal gear...... lightweight bereft of ideas and extremely poor shot taking .........also coutinho in the left is a waste he tends to drift in the centre too much leaving Enrique the only player in the left....... aspas Looks to be a player in Suarez mold but shouldn't lead the line...... sturridge in the centre aspas on the right coutinho behind sturridge and allen /henderson on the left seems to be a better bet...... and glen Johnson was appalling.... his mindless runs and woeful crosses are on par with downing......... Kelly should get the rb slot from him pretty easily
Luis is not exactly "little "our welsh xavi is. ;)
ReplyDeleteOr a kid
ReplyDeleteA traitor remains a traitor... No soul is bigger Dan d club.. So screw u mascherano
ReplyDeleteI think fsg made it quite clear a season or two ago that their 'model' for us is to turn us into 'another' Arsenal - which means buy players on the cheap and then sell them on when they attract attention from the filthy rich. That's why I'm not surprised with all the transfers since then. Almost every player is 'young', 'potential' and cheap. You get the occasional Toure to 'mix' things up a bit.
ReplyDeleteNo the situations are slightly different Torres was willing to give up his loyalty bonus and did not leave on his terms.
ReplyDeleteSuarez on the other hand is greedy and wants the club to be held ransom.
Toure 32, Aspas 26, Mignolet 25...
ReplyDeleteSo much for your almost every player is young comment.
He behaves like a spoilt brat. That is why I referred to him as "little". And I am in excess of 6 feet tall. To me he is little. And so is Allen.
ReplyDeleteLuis Alberto £6.8m
ReplyDeleteSimon Mignolet £10m
Iago Aspas £7m
Fabio Borini £10m
Joe Allen £15m
Daniel Sturridge £12m
Philippe Coutinho £8.5m
Jordan Henderson £16m
Charlie Adam £7m (sold for a loss since)
Stewart Downing £20m
Sebastian Coates £7m
Jose Enrique £6.3m
Raul Meireles £11.5m (sold for almost the same)
Luis Suaréz £23m
Andrew Carroll £35m (sold, losing about £20m doing so)
So much for your "buy players on the cheap". None of these were cheap. We've made a few cheap signings though:
Kolo Toure free
Oussama Assaidi £2.3m
Samed Yesil £1m
Danny Ward £100k
Craig Bellamy free
Alexander Doni free
To me it rather seems that we don't make that many cheap signings and as things stand we rather sell at a loss than at a profit.
Now it is your turn to come up with some facts to back your claim.
Bought:
ReplyDeleteLuis Alberto 6.8m
Iago Aspas 7m
Simon Mignolet 10m
Sum: 23.8m
Sold:
Andy Carroll 15.5m
Jonjo Shelvey 5m
Sum 20.5m
Net spend: 3.3m -> no profit at all, mate. Add to that agent fees and the other stuff I have mentioned, we are further in the red. At least be fair, Jason. I, too, am not happy with the number and quality of signings made so far, apart from Mignolet, but we didn't make a profit.
I always thought anteaters were about 4 :p
ReplyDeleteToure was free and 25 is young for a keeper. If Aspas remains the only exception to the transfer policy of FSG then wouldn't you be a tiny bit disappointed?
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with the players we've signed so far or the logic behind it. I just think given we were 7th last year we probably do need to bite the bullet and add at least one 'star' player, and more if Suarez goes....
Sorry for having you confused. I actually am a human being. Anteater is only my user-name :-)
ReplyDeletespearing ?
ReplyDeleteand they were the chance of a profit
ReplyDeletecome on down the price is right
ReplyDeleteok then m8 we did very little
ReplyDeletesoccer it says it all
ReplyDeletein jaimies poll i had us down for finishing 6th,i fear i was being to optimistic ,looking at what we and other clubs have done in the summer ,we could finish anywhere between6th and 12th
ReplyDeletejc i find you lack of ambition surprising
ReplyDeletefsg have you all kidded if you think our squad is top 4....tino or toure get injured we are struggling big time
ReplyDeleteWhere did you get you evidence /sources from in regards to the calls etc, how can you activate a release an not push it doesn't seem sensible to me. Especially as he wasn't that expensive.
ReplyDeleteHow does Mascherano saying he might leave Barcelona translates that he might be joining Liverpool?
ReplyDeleteSo many internet based articles have jumped onto this like it's big news when it is not even related to Liverpool football club
Lol I know. ;)
ReplyDeleteWe need at least three more (i would like Papa, Diame and "Marquee" signing) and if we can get over this Suarez crap, then we won't be too far away.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment it doesn't look like any of this will be happening, particularly if potential signings agree with Suarez and Cavani and see Rodgers and Liverpool as untrustworthy...
or agger or lucas
ReplyDeletehow could any signings see rodgers and liverpool untrustworthy ,rodgers never promised anything ,i have been told numerous times ,and suarez must be lying ;-)
ReplyDeletewhats even more surprising is i actually thought we had a great shout of top four this season if we kept suarez ,and pushed on and made a few good signing,but we have done nothing ,and i still do not know if suarez will be here next season,because i do not believe a word they say,
ReplyDeletewe like to dream its the nearest we get to marquee signings
ReplyDeletemust be :-)
ReplyDeleteno-one has exactly covered themselves in glory this summer that's for sure.
Ah, sorry, forgot about him. Still he didn't go for 3.3m or more, so we still didn't make any profit. But be assured that I, too, am not pleased with the lack of spending this window. Our squad doesn't seem to be stronger than this time last year.
ReplyDeleteIt's a short form for "association football" compared to "rugby union football". The wording isn't wrong.
ReplyDeletei hate to admit it cos of the way he left, but i'd love to have Mascherano back. mind you i'm clearly stuck in the past cos i can see us doing a lot worse than re-signing Torres the way things are looking. I'll stop short of including Robbie (for now anyway...).
ReplyDeleteexactly m8 if any two of what i call best players get injured or are suspended we will struggle...and when you look at it all our best players are either get injured a lot or are coming back from injury
ReplyDeleteits what happens when you have amateurs * in footballing terms* running a big club
ReplyDeleteI think you're spot on
ReplyDelete@gilstrap suarez,sturridge,coutinho and gerrad are as good as any attack in the pl, as mourinho said you need workhorses as well we have that with henderson,downing and luacs. And we have depth now with aspas,sterling,alberto and allen,.We have enough in attack, lets not forget we scored more than anyone in secondhalf of the season.
ReplyDeleteIm sure , rodgers could not have better defneders then johnson and agger for his style from anywhere in the pl, toure cant do any worse then carra and we have promising defneders in kelly and wisdom .We just need a new left back to challenge enrique , then we are done
the word should be banned its an insult to the memory of legends in the sport....imagine Jh saying paisley was a great soccer manager..its just not right
ReplyDeleteHaha was he spotted house hunting in liverpool?
ReplyDeleteTotal BS, there's no way this is happening.
Don't want him.
The 08/09 attck was torres,keane,kuyt and babel
ReplyDeleteI think suarez,sturridge,aspas and sterling are as good if not superior.
the wingers in 08/09 were benayoun,riera and elzhar
Are henderson,downing and assaidi millon times worse
and finally in midfield coutinho,gerrard,lucas and allen compared to gerrard,alonso,masch and lucas
Coutino based on 2013 could have simmilar stats to gerrard in 08/09 and gerrard is doing alonso role better then alonso only lucas is a concern.
top scorers in 2o13 Lfc
the problem with your statement m8 is most of the players you mention either want out or we are trying to flog ...throw in the mix that the other half are unproven in the prem and rogers doesnt fancy and theres not a whole lot going on
ReplyDelete@gilstrap Who wouldve thought at 09/10 we would go down 5 places and spurs who were bottom of the leuge for the first 7 games in 08/09 would replace us.
ReplyDeleteit doesn't work like that though if the teams around you are improving by a greater amount.....you have the likes of swansea buying bony and Southampton buying waty..plus spurs sitting on a potential 80m windfall...city and Chelsea spending big...arsenal looking to spend big ...don't write utd off yet either
ReplyDeleteand who would have thought that forest wouldn't be in the prem after winning two European cups ...im unsure of the relavancy of your point
ReplyDelete@gilstrap
ReplyDeletedont use last season as an index for the next , chelsea went up 3 places from 11/12 and newcastle went down 11 places never use last years table as an index , the only team which normally knows its fate is man u under fergie and arsnal , fergie is gone and arsernal are slipping every year and have just managed top 4 , so every place is up for grabs
who wouldve thought real solecidad would get top 4 or juventus who finished 7th in 10/11 would go unbeaten the net year.
you can never know what will happen gilstrap.
agreed. the '08-09 team was only denied the league through the brilliance of Ronaldo and maybe a bit of mid season negativity from Rafa. i personally don't think this team is close to where we were 5 years ago, and as you say the competition is now more fierce than ever.
ReplyDeleteour ambition was 1st place back then, now it's 4th.
Only suarez has asked for a transfer liverpool have said no.
ReplyDeleteagger is commited to lfc
only downing might leave out of the players mentioned
I honestly believe Capoue would be a better signing, even ignoring any water under the bridge with Mascherano.
ReplyDeleteLFC need to hurry up, pull their finger out, start moving on those senior players that have no real future at the club (i.e. Skrtel, Suarez & hopefully Downing too) and get in some new top 4 first team calibre replacements asap!
One year loan !
ReplyDeleteWhat you've said is the same for any of the teams in the top half of the table? Spurs lose Bale and one other C'put, the same goes for Arsenal losing Cazorla + 1, United and RVP + 1, the list goes on. ANY team losing 2 star players would suffer..
ReplyDeleteSuarez not an idiot? He still thinks the clause in his contract allows him to leave but lawyers and the FA have gone over it and said that LFC only have to make him aware of the bid if somebody offers 40 million.
ReplyDeleteHe still has not had the decency to hand in a transfer request either. It is all about the money for Suarez i.e. his loyalty bonus and LFC will not I REPEAT will not let Suarez leave on his terms.
Suarez not an i d i o t? He still thinks the clause in his contract allows him to leave but lawyers and the FA have gone over it and said that LFC only have to make him aware of the bid if somebody offers 40 million.
ReplyDeleteHe still has not had the decency to hand in a transfer request either. It is all about the money for Suarez i.e. his loyalty bonus and LFC will not allow Suarez to leave on his terms.
I think the comment you made, the same could be said about MKHITARYAN.This is a player who apparently was our number 1 target.He was on the market for weeks until DORTMUND decided to picked him up.
ReplyDeleteBut BR "didn't get a chance to speak to the player".I thought top targets were supposed to take priority over others, not be left hanging to wait for another club to swoop in.
THEONE you make a valid point but CHELSEA, JUVENTUS and SPURS improved their first teams to move up the table.We've improved our bench.We still need a 2 or 3 first team players to get top 4 IMO.
ReplyDeleteJohnny i am sure you will be fine. There is no way we are going to sign anyone off great use to us ,
ReplyDeleteThe Suarez thing is giving the FSG a great diversion in taking away the focus from transfers . Simple
and thats the bottom line
ReplyDeleteyts an american thing a call it football;-)
ReplyDeleteyour right m8 it dose not sound right
ReplyDeletewhen you consider rodgers has spent 70 million are we any better than we was
ReplyDeletewe will be ok if allen gets injured ,we have loads who can play is roles
ReplyDeletei reckon robbie would outscore allen and borrini combined if he got enough game time;-)
ReplyDeletei just don't see how our squad is better than last year...and without Suarez are first 11 is inferior to last year that's about the crux of my point nothing more nothing less....now if the teams around us have improved how will we finish above them
ReplyDeletenothing is guaranteed but buying class players stacks the odds in your favour
ReplyDeletepotentially suarez,downing,agger and skirtal and coates could all leave ..ive not a problem with any of them leaving as long as we bring in better
ReplyDeletealright he's back on my wanted list :-)
ReplyDeleteI think i've worked out by now you're not a fan of these two (!) but i hope, if they stay injury free, at least one of them can do the business - it doesn't look like we're gonna get much else...
I totally agree and the same is happening again in regards to the Ajax duo Eriksen and Toby A, we have watched these guys for months and they have been heavily linked with us but we haven't finalised the deals or spoken to them as usual. Tbh Ian Ayre doesn't seem like he can get a high profile deal done and dusted in fact he can't even get in the door.
ReplyDeleteME DAD could outscore this pair with enough playing time
ReplyDeleteyou just make the club thats us the fans love the club its not hard to. except when people start shitting on everything which i call a ship with a new captain on board.its sound bite culture but have fucking patience will yis .no ne knows how the ne w signings are sureaz is gonna be there he will play and youll all be loving him and we might with improvment finish 5th with the stadium closer .its our club they just own it for a while our managers a think as a donkkey paddy he wont let luis take the piss relax we are going in the right direction just give it time with respect YNWA
ReplyDeleteLUIS ALBERTO has looked decent and ASPAS as a 3rd choice striker will be useful coming off the bench.Everything else you said GILSTRAP your preaching to the converted.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you read the article properly? it clearly states that reports in the UK and Spain claim that LFC are after Mascherano. I'm not making a judgement about whether it's true or not - the press can be hit and miss with transfer rumours, but the idea that newspapers etc are always wrong, and thus not to be trusted is complete nonsense.
ReplyDeleteThere you go again, indirectly trashing Rodgers based on nothing but your own obvious hatred for the man. There is NO EVIDENCE whatsoever that he has lied about anything related to Suarez. If there is, please outline it.
ReplyDeleteWith respect, you're becoming a parody of yourself. Are you incapable of ever looking at things fairly? To say that LFC 'have done nothing' is just categorically untrue. IMO, only someone prodigiously blinkered could hold that particular view.
ReplyDeleteWhy would he lose credibility? That makes no sense, but it fits your FSG-hating agenda to say this. The only way Henry would lose credibility re Suarez is if he *rejects* a ridiculous £50m+ offer before the end of the transfer window. Who cares if he said Suarez wouldn't be sold. Things change. Henry might change his mind next week (based on what's happening behind the scenes), and he has every right to do so.
ReplyDeleteWith the squad we currently have realistically we will finish in the same position as last year maybe 6th. Potentially we could finish 4th if we get lucky as Arsenal did last season. The squad is very thin and like many fans have stated if we lose a few players to injury (which we will with the record of our star players) then we will be lucky to finish 7th again. I can understand why FSG are being cautious but there are players we could attract in the £10-£15 million bracket that would improve the team and would give us the much needed cover in depth. I personally am a big fan of Rodgers and he is slowly improving the team (don't ever forget the mess he was left) but he needs support in the transfer market. If FSG have the confidence they say they have in him then back him! because the teams above/below are improving more than us. I'm optimistic we will sign at least two more players this window which will give us a better chance of achieving our targets but the quality of whom they may be will decide our season. To have a serious chance of securing our targets and not to rely on luck we need four new signing. FSG put your money where your mouth is.... Please!!
ReplyDelete'Total lack of ambition'? Any fair-minded person can see that's not true in the slightest.
ReplyDelete* Liverpool have spent £180m+ in the three years of FSG's reign.
* In their first year, they showed massive ambition by sanctioning massive bids for Carroll, Downing, Suarez etc.
* They've (correctly) reigned it now because of Dalglish and Comolli's catastrophic handling of the funds made available (FSG need to take some of the blame for sanctioning the cash, but they were new to football - if they couldn't trust Dalglish, who could they trust?)
* This is the 4th year that LFC are out of the CL, which has cost the club tens of millions. Only an idiot would sanction massive transfer bids for a club that has hovered around 6-8 in the league over the last 4 years.
It is clearly a lie to say FSG lack ambition after spending £180m. Net spend is irrelevant - at the end of the day, what matters is that £180m has been made available to various managers for transfers.
Yes, LFC are much better off after spending that money. It just takes time to see the fruits of that investment.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but why does this matter? What matters is *how* the money is spent, and the benefit LFC get for that outlay. If Aspas and Alberto both score/create 10-15 goals each this season it will be money well spent. The unqualified success of Coutinho and Sturridge shows that Rodgers is getting it right with transfers.
ReplyDeleteWho cares what Cavani thinks? His entire knowledge of the situation is based on what Suarez tells him, so he clearly has no relevant insight into the matter.
ReplyDeleteI didn't say LFC would pay that much; I merely pointed out that Mascherano's buyout clause is €100m
ReplyDeleteI'm interested, even if it is second hand. I'd like to know what's really been going on. It sounded like it was something cavani had been aware of for a while, so unless he is a liar too, it seems at least Suarez genuinely believed he would be allowed to leave.
ReplyDeleteas i said earlier, potential targets might be interested in his words too and deterred from signing for us. only one or two people know what's been said between Rodgers and Suarez - i just hope the whole mess gets sorted out asap, because it's damaging the club.
I personally don't think we need Mascherano. We need a player like Wilshere. A player full of energy, who likes to get forward and is effective in the final third. The problem with our midfield trio is there all basically the same player. Gerrard, Allen and Lucas should be competing for the two deeper roles of the midfield and Coutinho and another signing should be competing for the advanced role.
ReplyDeleteThe point here is that anything Cavani knows must have come from Suarez, so it's unreliable. Was Cavani in the room when LFC negotiated Suarez's contract? No, thus anything he says on the subject has no real merit.
ReplyDeleteAlso, why would potential targets be deterred? Do you really think other players care? The only thing that's damaging to the club is Suarez, and the sooner he leaves, the better.
Totally agree, Darren. Allen and Lucas in the same team is (or should be) a non-starter. Coutinho should definitely be part of that three as it's clearly his most effective position.
ReplyDeleteborrini is not even getting a chance anymore
ReplyDeleteNo manager of Liverpool would tell a star player that he could leave next year if we don't reach the CL. Like we already know we said we would consider offers of over £40 million if we fail to do so. I beleive we have considered and came to the conclusion that it doesn't make sense to sell to Arsenal. The facts are out there you just need to see it :)
ReplyDeletei didn't mean Suarez' interpretation was correct - i just meant Suarez genuinely believed he would be allowed to go.
ReplyDeleteAlso, i think for a 'marquee' signing to join us (which is what we all want) it's already a bit of a leap of faith, so any increased uncertainty won't help imo.
The mud isn't just going to stick on Suarez.
i would like to think not, especially as I like Rodgers, but at the very least there has been a huge mis-understanding here...
ReplyDeletehow can net spend be irrelevant ,you could spend 200 million and sell all the good ones off and have spent nothing and still have a poor team
ReplyDeleteeveryone with half a brain can see that but it means dropping Allen...Ive said numerous times that rogers persistence with sticking with Allen will cost him his job...tino isn't a winger that's for sure
ReplyDeletehe would lose credibility ,it would prove he his not a man of his word ,he may well sell suarez ,imo he probably will hes just letting the transfer window deadline get nearer ,so we will not have time to reinvest the suarez money
ReplyDeleteCHRISTIAN ERIKSEN is a player i'd love us to sign but i'm not sure how serious our interest is.
ReplyDeleteWe sent scouts to watch him many times last season as you said but it looks like we've got cold feet over the idea of bringing him in.
Or we've approached his agent and had the door shut in our face.Maybe he's waiting as long as possible to see who comes in for him and has us on standby.
Whatever the reason it's dragging along at a snails pace.I'm amazed he's still available.Quality players usually go like food at a buffet with a fat person in attendance.
The only concern i have with Coutinho is, will he track back when needed? With the current squad available i think that position is best suited for him. Next year I would love to see him on the left of the attacking three. He makes things happen, scares the hell out of defenders and i believe he would create and score a lot more in that position.
ReplyDeletebut by the same token Jamie there is no evidence Suarez has lied....from a neutral perspective its a mexican standoff
ReplyDeletei hope he doesn't track back :-)
ReplyDeletehes not in the game enough out wide...ideally you would play him in front of two mor defensive minded midfielders if you like a 4 2 3 1 formation
ReplyDeletehave we strenghened the starting 11 imo no
ReplyDeleteits only what you have done to suarez fot the last few seasons,and they is no evidence to say suarez lied about what rodgers said,but because you choose to believe ,rodgers side of the argument it his gospel,and reason i point out a lot of the (maybe bad points about rodgers )is that you have been so blinkered in your hatred of suarez,that you cannot comprend ,that they may be two sides to the arguement
ReplyDeleteso that leaves nowhere for allen hendo on the left jobs a good one
ReplyDeleteHow could you have spent nothing when the team you have cost you 200 million?
ReplyDeleteLet me guess, the value of each player you have is nil?
because you sold all the players who came good for more than 2oomillion and just bought more youngster to replace them,and do not try and belittle me m8 because your Bs dose not wash with me ,go find someone else to try it on with,your options are getting low thou m8 as most posters have cottened on to you ,max
ReplyDeleteWhat nonsense. Your repeated criticism of Rodgers is based on NO evidence and NO facts. My criticism of Suarez is is backed up with factual evidence. Not once have I ever criticised Suarez without having a solid basis to do so. Your criticisms of Rodgers are totally baseless. There is no comparison whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteYou are entitled to criticise Rodgers, but just once it would be refreshing if you actually had a supportable point.
Please post the line from any comment/article I've posted where I said Suarez lied. I haven't. I've merely stated that I believe Rodgers version of events more than Suarez's.
ReplyDeleteBut all the players you still have in your squad will have a value.
ReplyDeleteYou did not get those players for free.
You would have had to spend money to replace all the "good ones".
but there is evidence suarez as lied rodgers has said they was no agreement ,therefore suarez must have lied,normally they are two sides to an argument ,but if suarez is involved the other person must be right
ReplyDeleteyou know what i mean do not play dumb
ReplyDeleteThis is just pure fantasy. Things change quickly in football, and what you are advocating is a counter-productive inflexibility of mind. Yes, let's have an owner who makes a decision and then refuses to change his mind at all costs, even if changing his stance is actually to the ultimate benefit of the club.
ReplyDeleteNo I do not know what you mean.
ReplyDeleteIf you have sold your squad for 20 million and bought a new squad for 15 million?
How much did the new squad cost you?
Ideally in a 4-3-3 formation like Chelsea in Mourinho's first season. I think he do a job like Robben did if not better. Coutinho scares the hell out of me just watching him :-) just hope we don't lose him if we keep failing to qualify for the CL because that's the only thing that scares me more haha.
ReplyDeleteIf you're going to use an example, why don't you choose something that has some reference to actual reality.
ReplyDeleteThat is not *evidence* that Suarez lied. it's possible that he genuinely misinterpreted the terms of the agreement.
ReplyDeleteThat's my point :-) When we don't have possession he would need to took in
ReplyDeleteYou can't make that judgment until you see the players in action in proper competitive games.
ReplyDeleteCoutinho and Sturridge undoubtedly strengthened the first team in January, and I'm sure back then you were probably making the same argument.
If Aspas et al have a similar impact, they will have strengthened the first XI.
when the suarez issue broke the 1st thing i said was that if he went we would drag it out so that fsg could get away without reinvesting in the squad ,john henrys statement about not selling suarez ,had the line in it that we cannot sell him because they would not be time to replace him,now if we sell him we have already had the excuse as to why we signed no one ,and suarez will be the scapegoat taking the pressure of fsg,have spurs sat on there behinds waiting to find out what will happen with bale ,no they have invested on good players to cover him and if he stays its happy days for them
ReplyDeleteIt's August 11. There is still plenty of time to sign more players. You're view is predicated on the idea that LFC won't sign anyone else. If LFC sign one or two quality players before the transfer window closes, this whole Suarez argument becomes irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteWhat worries me is everyone is putting their hopes on Coutinho if he doesn't shine as much or gets injured we have zero creative force in terms of midfielders. Your right about our interest though and it seems crazy we could let those two slip through our fingers at such a low price point especially as they will /potentially have a ridiculous high resale value. All the time teams have shown zero interest in the pair as that means development I believe it would be a real coup if we bagged and tagged those two.
ReplyDeleteFood at a buffet quality statement lol
mignolet or pepe carragher or toure even stevens aspas may come good but imo he looked lost against celtic and will get bullied out of games ,same as borini ,so imo we have not strengthened the team
ReplyDeletebut john henry made a big point in his statement that we would NOT have time to sign players capable of replacing him,and the players that we could have got have now moved on
ReplyDeleteWhat would be perfect for me is if Allen and Lucas could become one player :-) Lucas is there to stop attacks and Allen is there to keep the flow in attack. They need to learn each others game in my opinion
ReplyDeletebye bye max
ReplyDeleteMignolet is a better prospect at this stage than Reina. Toure is arguably on a par with Carragher, and is a better option now due to Carra's age. Aspas had ONE quiet game - why does that define his pre-season? Simple: you'd rather focus on one quiet game than all the others, where he's scored 4 goals and got several assists.
ReplyDeleteYip, do not play dumb.
ReplyDeleteWho said anything about replacing Suarez? Liverpool might buy a defender and a goalscoring midfielder, which would improve the squad again. We already have Sturridge up front to take over from Suarez (for now)
ReplyDeleteSo i guess your answer is 5 million!
ReplyDeleteBravo, when can I appoint you as my accountant?
right i buy lfc tomorrow ,i spend an initial 20 million on players i sell any player that comes good ,ilets say 40 million ,i then invest another ten million ,then sell again for 20 million and so on the squad gets worse because i am buying players to make a profit ,young and cheap ,and selling as soon as a big club comes knocking ,net spend is at a minimum ,meanwhile all the tv money and sponsership stays in my wallet
ReplyDeleteCheckmate.
ReplyDeleteand what if he is injuried please do not say we are going to rely on borini ,because if thats the case ,i mite as well give up any hope for next season now
ReplyDeleteand how many goalscoring midfielder do we need ,and as for a defender ,we do not do defence the defence is fine according to rodgers
ReplyDeletebut that is the the nature of the beast (celtic)that aspas is going to be playing week in week out ,not singapore ,or a team from australia ,and he did not like it up him at imo
ReplyDeletei have come with loads of valid points about rodgers ,his lying over the pepe saga for one ,you just choose to cast them aside
ReplyDeleteso could mine and hes sadly no longer with us ,but i bet he would still be sharper in the box;-)
ReplyDeletemust say i chuckled writing that one
ReplyDeleteI totally understood him wanting to leave us, what would tou expect from the captain of Argentina...
ReplyDeleteTo accept Barca's overtures or refuse then and stay lambing under Roy Hodgson? It's an absolute no brainer
Stay *playing* under Roy Hodgson, SHEESH predictive text!!!
ReplyDeleteTypical, aspas has looked good also he had a knock at the start of the warm up which *may* have affected his performance, but we've seen how good he is, with Sturridge and coutinho that's a good upfront, also Allen is being more involved in the attacking sense, with a few more additions to the squad we will be fine.
ReplyDeleteA response which has a made up line "the defence is fine according to Rodgers" STOP making things up, he has said he wants to add to the defence.
ReplyDeleteThe players have the pfa the clubs should have one where they all stick together. If a player does what swarez (lol) kick him out of top football until they respect the clubs. If i have a contract at work i have to see it through. Why not these money grabbers with no loyalty< He has had loads from everybody even now!!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't get where your coming from. If in the next ten years we do sell our best players and keep buying young cheap players to sell at a profit when a big club come knocking then your point will be relevant.
ReplyDeleteWhat you fail to grasp about FSG transfer policy is that they wasted a lot of money early on by trusting the wrong people with it. For me they need to take some responsibility because they knew little about football.
For the reason above they now want to buy cheap young players with potential. The sense of it is this; you buy a player young and cheap and improve him and if he doesn't fill out his potential to your standards then you let him go and because you bought him young + cheap and improved him you make a profit or break even and in the worst case you lose a few bob.
If he does fill out his potential then you have one hell of a player that you bought cheap and will be around for awhile because you bought him young :-) Surely better than paying £20 million plus for average players. Have some faith man :-)
p.s i'm not having a go and pretty sure you already understand what i'm saying it's just you keep bringing it up. I've been a fan of this site for awhile now but never really posted and you make this site what it is by challenging people's sometimes one sided view but now again you do the same especially with FSG and Rodgers. peace man :-)
FSG haven't made a profit through? When they pumped more money into Liverpool in the last year, then their the stadium cost which will be around 150-200 million plus the 300 million when they brought the club that's 500 million their then 180 million on transfers then the 50 million interest free loan to liverpool. Jason facts on the table
ReplyDeleteA little information on the pepe saga for you. Rodgers was made aware that he would be leaving for barca this summer so he made plans for an replacement. The fact that valdes decided to stay meant pepe was stuck in limbo. The problem with pepe is that he wants be the number one goalkeeper for the slimiest of chances he will be Spain's number one so whether he decided to go to barca or stay at us he was never guaranteed a starting place. In came napoli and i could bet my life it was pepe pushing for the move and us trying to get him of the wage bill (probably 50/50). Rodgers is out to protect liverpool hence why he bought a new keeper in and when pepe's deal didn't happen there was no chance he was going to fight for his position so rodgers had to back track on the competition statement and use the wage bill statement so both parties came out looking imo
ReplyDeleteRodgers is a good man!
well they could trust kenny to win something and get us into europe
ReplyDelete*came out looking good.
ReplyDeletecalm down jc cissoko the benchwarmer has yet to arrive
ReplyDeleteWe fans need to get allen out o the club, boo him , cuss him do everything to get that sorry excuse for a footballer out , it is obvious liverpools best perfomrmances have been when he was out .
ReplyDeleteant believe rodgers sacrifices coutinho for tis guy , rodgers loves him and this will cost him his job
#
Jamie can you start a get joe allen out fan club please whatever it takes this guy is theworst lfc player ever
so who should we have when rodgers gets sacked because of his love in with joe allen.
ReplyDeleteSami hyypia is a fantastic young manager, Maybe give jamie carragher a chance im sure he woul leave sky right away to join.
or maybe micheal laudrup or being ambitious jupp heyckeyns or johan cruyff
sack joe allen and rodgers
All liverpoolfans do all you can to gt allen out , boo him as much as you can in the games , make a petition because trust me this guy will ruin our season
ReplyDeleteand rodgers will let him so sack rodgers as well .
no joe allen at lfc and no brendan rodgers hopeully we get laudrup, rodgers goes back to his level and takes boini and allen with him.
what do you think @Jaimie K and @gilstrap
I would like to play for liverpool but not under RH.
ReplyDeleteNot liking the manner is not a justification for refusing to play games.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a no-brainer to prefer Barca, but that doesn't mean he had the right to refuse to play, and basically go on strike.
ReplyDeleteFor all those who r not really reds macherano signed an extension to contract with us al parties knowing this exactly not to force a move and went to the best club in the world he won the European cup final not surprisingly and dedicated it to all liverpool supporters live in sky and Neville had to watch that ,so welcome back any day a true warrior
ReplyDeleteRodgers did not lie about Reina. That's your interpretation, and there's no evidence to back it up.
ReplyDeleteWinning the pointless Crapital One Cup (on penalties) does not justify £100m+ outlay on transfers.
ReplyDeletethat pointless cup got us into europe
ReplyDeletei never suggested you did...i just stated a fact that there is no evidence Suarez lied just as there is no evidence rogers lied...hence the phrase Mexican standoff
ReplyDeleterogers spend isnt far off that and as of now we have no cups no europe and our star player wanting out,,,,rogers is now demanding an apology.....there is no way suarez will apologize...i hope rogers has took legal advice because you cannot demand apologies over an unproven incident the last time i looked we where in a democarcy with a statute of rights
ReplyDeleteTraitor or not i remember i forgave him after his interview in the CL final. 30 sec. After Winning the biggest trophy in club football, he dedicates it to the Liverpool fans and hoped that preventing Man. Utd Winning CL World mean the forgave him a little. Shows he has Liverpool in his blood. He Was desperate to Go to Barca and things went wrong. I'd take him back Any Day. He is a Lion ..
ReplyDeleteJC dont get into a net spend debate m8 most on here will be happy with midtable as long as we are in profit...whats hilarious is are accepting its all over we are mid table....m8 and thats not gonna change anytime soon..in a couple of years when we are happy finishing above relegation and fsg f8ck off they will say remember the days we used to be in europe
ReplyDeleteI am in total agreement here. He can sod off!
ReplyDeleteRodgers has spent money on better players :) and for the money he spent he signed more players, but this is a project. Which takes time,
ReplyDeletere your job offer i would not work for you for all the money in the world ,infact i would tell you were to shove your job,but i have to respect the comments policy
ReplyDeleteAin't we all been a traitor at one point in life or the other? be it in a friendship, at work to name a few. Look if he is good enough and at the right price and wants to come back we should accept him with open arms. Foolish Pride shouldn't hold us back.
ReplyDeleteGilstrap, you have to balance the books it part of football. Also there still time to go before the windows closes.
ReplyDeletefair enough i respect your opinion and fair play to you
ReplyDeleteno we have not i am very loyal it is my best personal trait
ReplyDeleteAllen has done well in preseason. He deserves his chance.
ReplyDeletebrainwashed i blame the documentary ,subliminal messages good job i am deaf,and blind
ReplyDeleteknocked at the start of warm up i have heard it all now,what the f"ck was he doing on the pitch then
ReplyDeletehave you changed your name
ReplyDeleteso he never said he was competition
ReplyDeleteTrue £uarez said he needed to leave the UK because of the media mainly based in London so it makes perfect sense he wants to go to that quintessential Continental club Arsenal or maybe its South American variant that plays in the European Champions league.
ReplyDeleteWell the manager asks if he okay to carry on then obviously if he says yeah them he plays? he still made decent movement and looks like money well spent by Rodgers again :-)
ReplyDeleteThat does not mean he's a liar! Things might have changed after that to the extent that it necessitated Reina's move.
ReplyDelete