13 May 2015

Barca genius raves: 'Formidable' €20m Liverpool star is a 'great player' and it's 'not been easy' for him

As many fans will have noticed, Reds forward Mario Balotelli is one of the most maligned players to ever pull on the fabled Red shirt. Indeed, prior to his signing, a whole host of ex-Reds lined-up to gleefully stick the knife into the Italian, with labels such as 'disgrace'; 'nutcase', and 'destructive influence' thrown around with gleeful abandon. The excoriation has continued apace this season, with the likes of Aldo and Lawro continually slating Balotelli, so it's almost refreshing to see Luis Suarez deviate from the same tedious narrative.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo this week, Suarez enthused:

“Mario has played for big clubs, proving himself to be a formidable player. It is not easy to place himself at Manchester City and return to England. It has not been easy for him but he is still a great player.”

Hmmm. Balotelli may have the potential to be a 'great player' (which he's totally wasting), but his form at Liverpool this season is the polar opposite of 'formidable'.

Additionally, the only thing Balotelli is 'proving himself to be' this year is gargantuan waste of money.

Like Balotelli, Suarez received rough treatment at the hands of the British media, and this defence of the striker smacks of empathetic solidarity rather than a genuinely sincere appraisal of his talents.

To be fair, Brendan Rodgers has totally failed to get the best out of €20m Balotelli, and that will sting as his raging hubris dictated the move.

Rodgers knew exactly what he was doing when he signed Balotelli; he clearly believed he could succeed where the likes of Mancini and Mourinho failed.

Indeed, after signing the striker, Rodgers - ever the self-appointed father-figure - triumphantly claimed that he could 'improve' Balotelli and 'help him mature'.

Rodgers wanted the glory of being 'the man who changed Balotelli!', but so far, he has resoundingly failed to achieve either of those stated goals.

If Rodgers gets the red card this summer, Balotelli may be handed yet another chance to prove himself by whoever takes over at Anfield, but will a new manager (Klopp?) finally be able to harness the Italian's talent and help him become a 'formidable' player?

Doubtful. After all, if a manager like Jose Mourinho can't get anything out of Balotelli, who can?

Author: Jaimie K



157 comments:

  1. Rohan Anderson5:43 pm, May 13, 2015

    I'd keep him. On his day he is absolutely unplayable. Bring Pirlo! He can get the best out of Mario, someone who understands him and rates him. Just look at Euro 2012 against Germany, one of the worlds best teams. He destroyed them with pace, power and deadly finishing. Balotelli is a confidence player, who thrives off moral support but at the minuite the press is destroying him. Unfortunately I don't think Mario has the ability to do anything about it, for now at least.

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  2. If the manager insists on not playing to Balotelli's strengths, he should sell him. It is unfair on the player and unproductive for the team. For the same reason, we should forget about Benteke. Another good player whose strengths won't be catered for.

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  3. For whatever reason it just never happened for Balotelli. People were wondering about his temperament and if he could be controlled but that doesn't seem to be an issue now. He simply hasn't scored enough and maybe is just not good enough

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  4. When Balotelli has played with a strike partner he has shown some flashes of his quality but Rodgers has more often than not played him as lone striker and he has struggled in that role.
    IMO Rodgers never really wanted to sign him and to prove his point he has not used him right.

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  5. That's why I don't think he was punished.

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  6. You have a very valid point but my perception is £210m + spent by Rodgers with very little to really show for it makes me question Rodgers ability to work the transfer market. Surely the final decision to sign a player lays at the feet of Rodgers, I appreciate he has tried to stretch these funds and work according to FSG's restrictive transfer policy when it comes to a players age but £25m Lallana for an example raises a lot of questions about this supposed value for money approach this is the same price paid by the Mancs for Memphis Depay. Klopp's team that beat Real Madrid 4-1 a few seasons ago was built on mostly players he spent less than £5m on as well as a number of free transfers with the exception of last season and buying Reus many of the team cost less than £5m and the value of players like Hummels, Picszcek, Lewandowki, Gotze, Bender and Subotic all cost under £5m and there market value is at least 4 times the price they cost so Klopp has had to work within a tight budget and done so effectively for many seasons. I agree with you that the perception that Klopp can do better is merely a perception that potentially may not work but appointing any manager who has not worked in the premiere league carries a risk but it could prove to be a risk worth taking.

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  7. He is unplayable, unfortunately. Neither Liverpool or Italy want to play him

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  8. Jose couldn't do anything with sturridge either.what's that prove.yes the Mario deal has failed miserably but that's as much BR's fault as Balottelli's.it's simple play to his strengths or sell him.for my money try him as he should be played.the gamble could yet pay off.if it works then we've already got a great striker.even if you sell him at that point at least we will make good money on the deal.

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  9. When exactly in his career has he been formidable? Euro 2012 he had a DECENT competition and that's about it. He's had the same problems and same accusations levelled at him at every club he's been at.
    As for Rodgers hubris dictating the transfer... Stevie Wonder can see Rodgers didn't want Balotelli. To suggest his ego was the main factor in us signing him is ridiculous

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  10. Agree about Benteke, also very worrying is the Ings story seems to be gathering pace, unlike Balo.

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  11. Example of Rodgers raging hubris in the Balotelli move " he will categorically not sign for us" and "he was a last minute gamble". I'm paraphrasing but you get the point. The only hubris I can see here is presuming to know the thoughts and feelings of those we talk aboutwithout having any actual evidence for those presumptions. There is plenty to criticise without making up nonsense.

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  12. Nice of Luis to say but if he played alongside him I don't think it would be long before they took chunks out of each other.
    I really wanted Balo to succeed with us but I just don't see it happening now, no matter who the manager is. Unfortunately he just doesn't seem to quite gel with the rest of the squad and we can't afford to risk any disruption, especially having a young contingent who may be more easily influenced and put off their game.

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  13. Begins with B and ends with S

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  14. Rohan Anderson6:34 pm, May 13, 2015

    Give it rest mate. Someone doesn't play for City, Inter, Ac and Liverpool for nothing.

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  15. If it was for nothing I would keep him.

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  16. I think you could be right

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  17. undoubtedly he has or had talent but lately no one seems to be able to get him to perform consistently


    He is not being selected for Italy either so he has issues outside of Liverpool and BR and he had them even before joined,


    Despite being in the last chance saloon he doesn't seem to be very thirsty.

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  18. Someone doesn't get moved on from those clubs for decreasing prices despite nearing his prime for no reason either.

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  19. I could be wrong, but I think Logan rates BR as highly as he does Mourinho.

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  20. I think Rodgers own job security is more important to him that politicking. Mario plays himself in to playmaker positions but we have a better playmaker at the club. I think Rodgers hoped we would get the lad who can play up top on his own like he has for Italy. Seems Mario doesn't like that much as an idea.

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  21. Mike Aitcheson6:45 pm, May 13, 2015

    Thats a very comprehensive knowledge of European football you have there. Have you seen all those players play cos the last guy I read with that depth of knowledge got his from FIFA and FM

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  22. Absolutely mate.

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  23. Well, Burnley are saying they're financially ok and don't have to sell I pray this is true!). We need to set our sights higher.


    Some reports state Ings will cost between £3M - £5M, whilst a report today suggested he could cost as much as £6.5M. This is the kind of player that LFC should refuse to budge their evaluation for, if they're hell-bent on acquiring his services, but I fear it will turn out like the Downing or Lallana fiascos where they pay too much for average players. They will then decide not to spend an extra few million to get a quality player.

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  24. Where's the fun in having rationale and known facts when slating people? Better to make things up to suit your argument. ;)

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  25. Enough about Balotelli - we need more articles on Sterling. I'm starting to think he may be a raging mercenary ;)

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  26. Actually he's out of contract and I doubt very much ings will be happy playing in the championship again, it's not about Burnleys finances.
    He would still cost something as he's under the age of 24...
    Paying 5m for Ings is quite a reasonable price if you ask me, and as long as we sign another quality striker he would be a good piece if business imo

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  27. Good post mate, not sure where to start but I'll jump in with my support for Lallana's acquisition and say I'm happy with that and the price too. As far as BR's others signings, some have IMO, already come good and probably the division between our opinions is where we sit re the others - for me - some duds but many more still with the potential to do well and with plenty of years to do it.
    With Klopp, although his current season hasn't gone well and as you say he's unproven in the prem, - do I think he's a better manager than BR - yes, I don't really see how anyone can argue different at this stage. I think though you've nailed it when you talk about risk and that is where we all differ, I just feel at the moment there is less risk staying with BR than changing, yet again, to a new manager who may or may not do a better overall job, in partnership with FSG.
    There is for certain also an amount of principle involved for me - with the season we had last time, I just feel BR deserves a bit longer - you do make a ruddy good case for Klopp though!

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  28. Sorry to disappoint you but I don't think we'll hear anything nore about young Raheem from JK

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  29. I agree that BR fails to get the best out of most players but I won't say anything more. Had enough for the day ;-)

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  30. While I understand your overall concept of comparison to Downing/Lallana, the truth is that for 5m or so, that's comparatively less than either Downing (20m) or Lallana (25m)

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  31. Call a press conference and say Sterling has declined a new contract and there is nothing much we could do.

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  32. The press isn't even mentioning him. No excuses for the lad, he didn't make the grade. So it goes.

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  33. Do you seriously think that Adam Lallana is comparable to Stewart Downing? Seriously?

    I find that baffling.

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  34. Is Ibe still cup tied?

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  35. If you COULD be wrong, doesn't that by default mean that you COULD be right?

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  36. We won't see any substantial change in the finance levels until we start selling the extra tickets from the stadium reconstruction. That revenue will certainly help.


    The revenue from the new TV deal won't help as much since our league competitors will also be receiving the money from there.


    Could help us in Europe though.

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  37. Be interested to discuss this article with anyone:

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2255325-mario-balotellis-contract-and-the-real-reason-liverpool-signed-him-from-milan

    Seems a bit more persuasive, and a bit more worrying, than Jaimie's "raging hubris" argument. Still. "Raging hubris". Hehe.

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  38. (Not aimed at Banoog) but it's strange how fickle people can be, - midway through this season I had a mate who supports the Irons banging on at me about how silly we were to let Downing go and he couldn't understand that I didn't suddenly share his opinion.
    I could also see after about three goals he was winding up to rattle off the same spiel re Carroll!!... and then it all went the way of the pear.

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  39. I'm not going to reply but I think he did ok with Suarez ;-)

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  40. ...must... resist....

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  41. Really not concerned. Do

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  42. At the moment I think his biggest problem is confidence, but when you're so unable to motivate yourself to perform to a decent standard consistently, that's not much of an excuse.

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  43. Resistance is futile :)

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  44. If it is just that I would have some sympathy because that can affect anyone. The trouble is he's had a few managers with different management styles and I wonder now if he is capable of turning things around either at Liverpool or elsewhere

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  45. Other way around, bud ; )

    (Suarez did ok in spite of Brenny boy)

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  46. They are hugely comparable in, and I'm going to use one of your terms here, in their respective 'profiles'.

    Almost identical, in fact.

    Middle aged (in footy terms), high priced, unproven at the highest level, England squadders/occasional starters.

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  47. Rohan Anderson7:37 pm, May 13, 2015

    Totally agree. Thats what I summed up in the last sentence.

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  48. Oh, I absolutely agree that the fact he has problems wherever is more than just confidence, I just I reckon the reason he has been so very bad for us specifically is largely confidence.

    I'm confident he'll do significantly better wherever he goes next. I doubt he'll reach his potential at his next club, but I'd be very surprised if his form for us this season represented anything more than a blip.

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  49. May the road rise with you...

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  50. I've commented rather legnthily about dear Mario previously, so will paraphrase here:

    He did some amazing stuff at a young age, so, starving for stories, the lazy press annoited him as a legend in the making.

    Similar to the Jack Wilshere situation.

    A few dazzling moves as a yonungster, and some journos were actually saying that Wilshere is the greatest midfielder England have ever produced.

    Overwhelming, undeserved hyperbole has tricked too many people into thinking they are super talented but just need the right management.

    Balotelli is half the player he everyone thinks he is and Wilshere, well, he's on his backside approximately 50% of the game.

    Fools gold, both.

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  51. B-b-b-b... but Stewart Dowing... he's Stewart Downing.

    And, Adam Lallana... he's.... he's Adam Lallana! I mean... Adam! Lallana! I.... I LOVE him!

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  52. Lol, thats ironic, as I was beginning to forget this (as we haven't had it rammed down our throats for a while)

    : )

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  53. So do I, and not just because of the beautiful brown locks to which I alluded earlier.

    He's got Glen Hoddle legs ; )

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  54. Then he should have told the TC a resounding No thank you. I would rather play without strikers than sign Balotelli.

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  55. Slightly off topic, but I've been listening to a lot of Brian Regan lately. Not usually a fan of Americans, even less so American stand-up comics, but man, this guy is as funny as it gets!

    Check it out if you're in need of a laugh, yt has tons of vids : )

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  56. Maybe but it is by no means a certainty.

    At the moment we are always going to struggle to break into the top 4. We are no different to Spurs truth be told.

    Both Liverpool and Spurs lack both the financial strength and recent competition history that those above us have

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  57. In regards to finance levels we are governed by FFP. We have to increase our revenue before FSG will be able to invest more in player transfers and wages.


    So far FSG have done an amazing job in regards to this and hopefully they can continue their work

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  58. Hahahahahaha, got me, got me goooooooood! ; )

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  59. I still compare Sterling to Shaun Wright Philips.


    SWP had the same potential if not more at the same age. He ruined his career by taking the money and moving to Chelsea.


    I suspect that the same will happen to Sterling if he decides to take a big money move.


    Let be honest here, would sterling get into Chelsea's, Arsenals or Man City's starting 11.. not a chance in hell.


    They all have far better players in his position.

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  60. Not in my church, BR is almighty ;-)

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  61. Be ye not baffled. I am not comparing the players, but the fact that we overpaid for what they provide and were made complete fools of.


    I was in as much disbelief at the thought of paying £20M for Downing as I was when we paid £25M for Lallana (they are both worth no more than half of what we paid!). I doubt that any other club would have shelled out what we paid.


    The Lallana situation is particularly because it blatantly showed that we hadn't learnt from our past mistakes.

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  62. And imagine the criticism he'd have received if the only striker he'd signed was Lambert. People would have been screaming that we could've signed Balotelli and chose not to

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  63. I might pencil that in for some weekend viewing but may wait to hear some confirmation first. Is he a side splitter straight out the box or are vast amounts of alcohol a prerequisite?

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  64. I totally get what you're saying about them having similar profiles. I do think Lallana is a far superior player though

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  65. Hahaha, there've been some seriously funny, laugh out loud moments on this site today, with your 'Edit' being as good as anything.

    (Stuart C's comment earlier also had me in stitches.)

    Lol, it's not Colins legs that I admire - thought they certainly are admirable - it's that beautiful head of hair and no white whiskers thing he's got going on that impresses me ; )

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  66. Every time we spend £5M or £7M (Aspas/Alberto) on very average, 'low-risk' players, we reduce the funds available to buy real quality. I appreciate that we have had difficulty attracting top players in recent years, but if you can't even afford them, then you can't approach the table.


    The point is, we haggled and dithered over a few million when attempting to get our top targets, but were happy to spend in excess of £7M on players like Aspas, Alberto and Ilori, all 3 of which are on loan.

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  67. Stan Dinaround8:15 pm, May 13, 2015

    Oh! well if Carra has said it, it must be true.... Don't be swayed, he said some dumb stuff too..

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  68. Good question, though you should really be a leader and not a follower (and inspire everyone else to watch it, rather than waiting for them to second my rec lol) ; )

    To sum him up, he's not one of these ramble on for hours type comedians, he has his bits and delivers them brilliantly.

    His delivery is better than his material, so the opposite of a Joe rogan (who i've follwed manily coz of his UFC work and podcasts).

    You can listen to/watch Brian Regan over and over, even knowing whats coming, because the way he talks/performs is funny.

    He does simple things that make you laugh, absolutely no smut or c*ck gags like most dumb Americans, and his acting/expressions are spot on.

    Buy hey, thats just my opinion, he won'[t be for everyone : )

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  69. OK I'm the wrong person to argue about this because at this point I would pay all the money in the world for Adam Lallana, just for one match, just to see him Cruyff turn another hundred times in that one match, for no real reason, no matter the situation or his position on the pitch. Because he's Adam Lallana!

    Anyway I don't see how we could have got him for less. I mean, if Villa had been signing him, or maybe even Spurs, fine, £15m. But we're Liverpool, we'd just qualified for the CL, it's not exactly a secret that we had a bit of cash to spend. I'd rather we got him for £18m, that seems more like a fair price. But what can you do, really? Plus his wages are relatively rubbish, so the fee is offset by that.

    Still, picture the scene:

    AYRES: [Gleam in his eye] So, how about £18m for Adam Lallana, that seems a fair price.
    KOEMAN: [Icily, like an ice wizard]: No mister Ayres, it is not a fair price. I require an extra five million pounds in order to keep little Tadic in beta blockers. He can get... a little angry... when he forgets his medications... [far-away look in his eye].
    AYRES: [With great cunning] An extra 5 million? Hmm well. [feels pockets] I'm not sure... might have an extra [looks shrewd]... *two* million?"
    KOEMAN: [Robotically, like a robot] Five million pounds mister Ayres.
    AYRES: .... But I haven't *got* five million pou --
    KOEMAN: What's that in your leather jacket there mister Ayres?
    AYRES: This? Oh, this? Ha! How did those get... how did those get in there? How much is that! It looks like, hmm, how much is that...?
    KOEMAN: It's one hundred million UEFA pounds mister Ayres.
    AYRES Hmm yes, I suppose it is.

    KOEMAN LOOKS EXPECTANTLY AT AYRES. FROM OUTSIDE, WE HEAR THE SOUND OF SOMEONE PRACTISING CRUYFF TURNS AT THE RATE OF ONE PER SECOND, GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER.

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  70. Good comments dude

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  71. Only time will tell whether it would be a good piece of business. But if the rumours are true, then our summer transfer activity will suspiciously mirror last summer's transfer activity. That is, first through the door is an average, English footballer for little money, thus deemed 'low-risk'. Not the top player that Rodgers has been asking the owners for.

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  72. Holy comedic interlude, that was awesome!

    Who needs Brian Regab when there are a bunch of in-house comedians providing the entertainment!

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  73. Stan Dinaround8:29 pm, May 13, 2015

    Balotelli gets a mild defend, even though he has contributed next to nothing all season, and Sterling gets hung out to dry.....

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  74. I understand and appreciate your affection for AL. Don't get me wrong, he is a good player. My problems with him include his relative lack of pace, but even more grating is what you pointed out yourself, the fact that he does that turn for no apparent reason whatsoever and then proceeds to keep turning back on himself time and time again. Anyway, I digress...


    Whilst I agree that it was not possible to buy him for less, it shows our amateurish, confused approach to transfers when we won't be pushed on the price of better players, even cheaper players, whilst overpaying for others. In that category I would also include Markovic and Lovren who are also good players, but I don't understand our decision to overspend on them.

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  75. Yeah. I rolled my eyes at the Lovren one, honestly. With Markovic, I'm not sure how much we paid, or how many people needed paying, or what the structure of the deal is. It all looked a bit fishy to me at the time. Tried not to think about it too much. I'm still pretty optimistic that we'll at least not lose much on him if he doesn't work out. I can't blame the club for gambling on him, either -- the kind of player he is, in the unlikely event that he fulfills his promise, and comes good, then he could be really, really special. Sometimes you've got to take a chance.

    But yes, the Lovren one was a poor bit of business, really, although there are virtually *no* good CBs around at the moment, especially not in the premier league. That's just making excuses, I guess, but even so, because of the market conditions, I don't know if the club's recruitment is amateurish and confused, or just inconsistent, in a sense because it has to be. We get some good deals done (Coutinho, Sturridge, Can, Moreno, Sakho) and also conduct some questionable business (Manquillo, Lallana, Markovic), and make some plain bad deals (Balotelli, Lovren).

    I think that's just the nature of the beast considering where we're at in terms of development. Overall I'd say Liverpool have the hardest task in the premier league in terms of transfers. There's a tiny pool of players we are competing for, and the big fish can come in any time and just destroy our bids. So it's not easy. But even so, paricularly given the standards of our coaching (very high), finance (world class) and our playing staff (above average to middling) at the moment, well the transfer people (possibly deranged) do seem to be the weak link.

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  76. Sorry, that was a boring post. Half time in the CL semi final.

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  77. Er, how is your, "raging hubris" comment deemed acceptable...

    ,,,when my: "thrust, what a great word!" comment from earlier was moderated into oblivion?

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  78. I have a *great* agent.

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  79. I'm detecting a slight misreckoning here, my error, I should have added 'justifiably' in front of FSG and finance levels.
    To be clear I'm wholeheartedly in support of FSG and everything they've done for the club thus far, including steadying the ship financially.
    I have no complaint at all regards the funds they've invested, in fact quite the opposite, rescuing us from the brink and now investing in Anfield, absolute top draw.
    I merely meant that as they would likely (sensibly) be continuing to balance the books, would Klopp do any better than Brendan given a similar kitty to work with.

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  80. Lol,

    Talking of which I clicked on the Bleacher report article you linked to and started reading it, but man, it's a long old piece that requires some digestion, so will return to that in ze morning when there are less "happy vibes" coarsing through my bloodstream...

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  81. I agree on a lot of points here. I hope Markovic will come good. He is apparently highly rated across Europe, and while I stand by my point that he probably isn't worth £20M, I would rather we overspend on a highly-rated player than one we know is bang average.


    I wonder however, if Chelsea was privy to some information that was withheld from us. They like to buy players to prevent competitors from getting them, but decided to not purchase Markovic for half of what we paid. Suspicious....


    I do feel sorry for Rodgers. It would be interesting to know his dream list of transfer targets.But he is being hampered partly by himself (no pull), but to a large extent by FSG's policies and the transfer committee.

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  82. *looks serious*

    *nods*

    *suddenly does Cruyff turn and runs away*

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  83. You could be right, though sometimes the sheeple route, is just a quicker way to get where you're going and I thought with the international audience here, I might gauge the amount of following he already had.
    Actually you are right... I'll shout it from the rooftops right now -
    EVERYONE GET YOURSELVES OVER TO THE TUBE AND CHECK OUT BRI REG
    and then let me know if he's any good :)

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  84. If your reading Hug, you may wish to re-think your stance on 'most Americans' I'm sure you meant some other of their comedians and of course that's not exclusive to them either, not sure, maybe I'm being overly sensitive on their behalf ;-)

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  85. That's what I find so amusing about the whole situation...


    Sterling says he wants to win trophies. If he leaves, the only place he'll win a trophy in the near future is from the bench.

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  86. Without the need for sarcasim, I watch a lot of football whenever I can and up until last season I was a season ticket holder at Anfield, I wouldn't call it a comprehensive knowledge of football I just watch a lot of it when I can you can watch the Bundesliga Highlights on ITV4 and seen snippets of all the players mentioned. I do not proclaim anything with regards to being some genius they all look decent players and have built up a good reputation in there leagues and I read a lot of football websites and magazines just like everyone on here would.

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  87. "Pot Kettle Black" might take the best finishing line thus far.


    Much better than "Case Closed"

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  88. I wish I could upvote this with a multiplier

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  89. Valid points.

    Let's just say for the sake of the argument that we have 30m to spend this summer, and we decide that we need three players to fill out the team (I'm not saying it is the case; I'm just using round numbers)

    So here's the question we need to ask:

    Are we better off spending 20m on one player, and divvying up the remaining 10m on the other two required?

    Are we better off splitting the 30m relatively evenly across the 3 players?

    What about 15m for one player, 10m for player 2, and 5m for the third?

    There are many ways to skin the cat here.

    A larger issue that we have in my opinion is that we are not willing to match the wage demands of the real quality that we need.

    In my opinion, the majority of folks here think the transfer fees are all that goes into the financial part of the transaction. Whereas the real crux of the situation for us comes down to the fact that we don't want to pay the wages required to get the players we need.


    So many reference 120m or 210m, without taking into account the wages we offer.


    (I'm not lumping you into that group I'm referencing as I haven't seen you here much before)

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  90. Stuart and others crack me up too but I wouldn't tell him that, tried it before and he didn't take it at all well.

    "Funny how? I mean, funny like I'm a clown? I amuse you? I make you laugh?..."
    I don't ask questions now, just up vote.

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  91. BlatherSkite
    (- Don't know how to get the appropriate symbol but - copyright Ash)

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  92. I hate to be serious here but I don't think I would have said anything like that or if I did say something similar trust me it would have been meant as a joke.


    I try not to get too wound up and prefer to use humour even if someone is rude to me though I sometimes make a small exception for JK ;-)



    I would not want too much praise though as it might adversely affect my performance or make me want to do an interview with the BBC and start demanding 4x my current salary.

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  93. If we're going to talk about Stirling not stepping up when he's needed, let not forget him not having the balls to take a penalty when we needed him!

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  94. No bones about it.
    (Still waiting for that one.)

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  95. I think this is an excellent question. Some months ago, I read an article on the Tomkin Times website about the money we spend per head on transfers. I can't remember the number but it was low.


    I think we should spend more per head. You can't always get it right, but if you buy someone who is 'truly' worth £20M (I emphasize the word truly) then you're hopefully getting someone who is quality, has a decent injury record and has the attitude of a winner - that's what you pay your money for. You can get this for less eg Coutinho, Sturridge & Can. However, Coutinho was bought on the cheap because he was, and still is inconsistent. Sturridge, because of injuries and there being more expensive players in his position whilst at Chelsea.


    As for the remaining £10M does it need to be spent? At a time when we needed bodies (eg 4 & 5 transfer windows ago), BR bought the likes of Ilori, Aspas, Alberto and Assaidi and they all ultimately ended up on loan. Did we need them? We made do, even though we did need the bodies. Now we don't need the bodies. Most positions are filled, we just need a quality upgrade. So definitely bring in 1 or 2 players with a higher price per head rather than filling up the squad with average quantity.


    Regarding wages, you can pool the funds available for wages in the same way you pool the fees. Rather than buying 3 £10M players and pay them £40K per week each, buy one £30M player and pay him £120K per week. Admittedly this only works if you can attract that quality player and still limits us because other clubs still offer more. But it puts us in a better position to compete for top players.

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  96. Forgive me friend, my sleepy time pills are currently at war with the my daily intake of caffeine and may explain how I've missed the mark above:-
    Twas merely a poor attempt at working the infamous lines of a certain Joe Pesci of Goodfellas fame into a post in a semi-jolly manor.
    I may have over-estimated the popularity of the film somewhat - assumptions...

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  97. Doh I must get out more...... and watch some films ;-)

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  98. I was wondering if you had indeed seen the film and I was on the receiving end of exactly the 'pretending to be serious' Pesci like wind up I was quoting, so difficult to get a read of people online.
    Like Ray Lolita though, I couldn't take the risk.

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  99. I'm probably the only person alive who has not seen it but now I wish I had so I could have led you on - double fail


    I'm off now


    Cheers

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  100. It was a genuine question David I don't know a lot of those players, I just wanted to know where you got your knowledge from, upon which your recommendations were based

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  101. You're worse than Ayre then.

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  102. Then pay him £300k pw?

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  103. Fair weather supporter. Weeks later he's his biggest critic

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  104. Obsessed. Absolutely obsessed.


    Whatever the topic, whatever the question, Whoever you discuss-








    The answer is 'Sack Rodgers'

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  105. Too busy being a trainee 'raging mercenary' apparently..

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  106. BlatherSkite ends with an 'e'?

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  107. Even though it was completely misused- Sterling didn't call Ibe anything, so how can it be the pot calling the kettle black?


    As usual, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing...

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  108. Well please accept my apologies for jumping the gun Mike. Have a look at some of the players mentioned the Bundesliga has some amazing players at the moment coming through. I just read about or see players on TV, the internet or footie rumour sites like most people and just have a nose at them on youtube.

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  109. I am stuck on John Oliver's show..

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  110. I'm sorry you're wrong. Thierry Henry was just a fast winger till Wenger bought him and told him he would play him as a striker. I think he was 22 or 23.


    That said, his skill levels were way above Sterlings. But you said you don't learn to be a striker at 20....

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  111. No worries David.


    Beware YouTube though- I remember Assaidi looking fantastic on there...

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  112. I remember Paul Ince doing the same....

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  113. Haha! That's true but we made a tidy profit on him maybe they watched the same video?

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  114. Balotelli has been on his best ever behavior at Liverpool and Rodgers can take some credit for that. In terms of on the pitch performance, Balotelli has failed not only because he's an average player, but because Rodgers has consistently played him on his own upfront. It's brainless!

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  115. You made some good choices but you dont need a 35 year old for experience what about Milner.

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  116. I dont have much faith in Phil after he came out and said we had 2 players signed sealed and delivered and that he had inside knowledge who incidently never came.
    But Phil is on the money here Sterling is off and whenever ive seen him in interviews he doesnt seem real genuine i dont care if he leaves.
    I just hope we fleece the club that takes him because he is a mile off the big star he is talked up to become and has not improved this season.

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  117. Ibes going to sign a bit soon on that 1 Logan say when do we see your ins and outs for next season oh transfer expert.

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  118. Good idea. Let's get another 36 year old and put him in the now famed quarterback role. Pirlo would get murdered in the prem

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  119. If he performs like Rooney, why not?

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  120. When did I say anything bout those being the only guys to negotiate? Don't put words in mouth son.And if u wanna take stick from 20 yr old players who HAVEN'T YET PROVED THEMSELVES at the club, you're more than welcome to. Just don't expect me to rolling out the red carpet for them.

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  121. All those players and their fees are widely known.

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  122. Agreed, Rohan Anderson. He's been pilloried by Liverpool supporters since the moment he signed, too. And Suarez is right, as is Pirlo; he has proven himself to be a formidable player. He did the business at Inter, at Citeh (initially) and then at Milan. It's not his fault that Silvio Berlusconi is a right-wing so-and-so who couldn't wait to get rid of the 'not Italian enough' Balotelli-Barwuah.

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  123. If I got pfferd the poat at Liverpool I'd sign!!!! :) If Mourinho was offered the job he would take half an hour to stop laughing. We don't sign his level of player, we make them.

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  124. Exactly. Depay went for 25. DEPAY!!!! The guy is a fantastic talent, has done it on the highest possible stage already at the World Cup and is a better all round player with better stats. People who think clubs are queuing up to pay 50 million for him are delusional.

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  125. It is also not fair to put most of the scoring pressure on a mediocre, developing winger. So perhaps it's win-win for club and player to move on from there!!

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  126. Isitmeordosomejusttrytoohard?7:49 am, May 14, 2015

    ??????

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  127. The press was spouting about a "behaviour clause" since he was traveling to Melwood, which the club then denied, but added that "every player is expected to abide by a code of conduct". Way to make him feel small. I don't recall anyone at the club mentioning the code of conduct when Sturridge signed for us. Then there was a headline akin to "Mario feasts on cakes at hotel" soon after he signed. Was he the only player that had cake in a restaurant that year? Because there wasn't another article like it. Then there's the hatred on social media - no footballer gets more hate mail, and roughly half that is steeped in racism. His manager also warned him on his first day that "there is no room for egos here" - hardly rolling out the welcome mat. Don't sign the guy if you think his ego is too big. Good for Liverpool that there is no space for egos, and thank goodness our captain is not known as 'Stevie Me' (oh, wait). The press asks about Balotelli all the time, and Rodgers is not shy to tell them about how he is not working hard or playing poorly. Not saying Rodgers shouldn't say that, but to say that the press isn't mentioning him is untrue, and that's atypical to his usual "outstanding" rhetoric. BR euphemises for some players, for example Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson, but with Balo there's no holding back. His right to do so but the special treatment is clear. Then there's the issue of the altercation with the woman which was more prominently covered than the allegations of assault against Steven Gerrard late last year. We probably give Stevie the benefit of the doubt on that one. Would we afford that courtesy to Balo? Jordan Henderson constantly swears and yells at referees. Not a peep from the press. I'd wager there'd be a a few gifs doing the rounds if Balo were ever filmed doing that. What were his misdemeanors while at AC Milan, exactly? None. Oh, right, it was his fault that the fans constantly booed and racially abused him even when we was one of their very few players that were playing well. And at Inter? He was never accepted by the Inter fans, being subjected to racist abuse constantly, so he defiantly wears an AC Milan shirt. Then he's the bad guy? I'm not having it. Ill-advised move, obviously. He pulled some pranks at City, but only the dart one was terrible.

    Sorry, but if all one reads is the English football media, one would think that Balotelli is more toxic than Joey Barton and Malky Mackay.

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  128. Lol.

    Er, did he quote the Pesci line, or is that you?

    Either way, respect, any Goodfellas quote is quality!

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  129. I tried John Oliver, but, and this is going to make me sound a bit arrogant, I didn't see/hear much there that I can't do almost as well myself. What I mean is, I found it a little obvious (IIRC, been a while).

    With Brian Regan, he does stuff I don't think of or can't do. Like the Leg of Lamb bit he does. It's such a simple bit, but the way he says, "Leg of Lamb" just kills me, everytime lol.

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  130. Stan Dinaround8:32 am, May 14, 2015

    Ibe has agreed a new 5 year deal, giving the fans loads of stick.....in the process... shame on him.

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  131. Easy to use sarcasm after the fact. I need not remind you what form of wit it's seen as though.

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  132. To be fair, Henry had been touted as the future of French football when he burst onto the Ligue 1 scene, scored some beauties and had already made a high-profile transfer to Juventus, and as you say his skill levels were way above Sterling's. Just trying to say that Henry was a lot more than just a fast winger when Wenger signed him.

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  133. Who ate all Depay? :-(



    Sorry; sorry.

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  134. To be fair Logan went to bat for Rodgers when the manager was under fire from many quarters; it wasn't just when when we finished 2nd.

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  135. He needs to perform like Messi to dream about that fortune.

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  136. Phil Thompson lots to talk as well, his another one. He made some sure claims last season about players and he was absolutely wrong.

    But I do not mind if he leaves if we get a big enough fee. Overhyped, overplayed, overpraised and now he wants to be overpaid. Ship him out.

    I'm starting to lose patience with BR constant nauseating over praise for every little thing. He needs to stop, it's not working. Maybe it worked when he was a coach to encourage players but this is the big boys.

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  137. Maybe not. I don't really want Benítez as I think he had his time, Klopp is the only name out there really that has my interest but even he done poorly this season with a far superior squad.

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  138. True. But both Spurs and is have spent a lot of money on rubbish in recent season, specially us.

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  139. Yes indeed, was getting late and I thought Stuart was pitching an altogether different response, one which ended in 't'
    To be honest I just saw a post from Logan and then an invitation for guesses for BS.

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  140. for sure we will miss him occasionally. but mainly so because our beloved BR's scouting network isnt as effective as his stubborness, Im afraid

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  141. Stan Dinaround4:14 pm, May 14, 2015

    Only by those who too slow to keep up.... FYI.. I was in his corner before the fact.... Some just love to whine though, especially when it comes to players of the club they claim to support....

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  142. But here's the thing. He WILL go for 40m. He is young, english and hyped.


    Who would have thought that Luke Shaw would sell for 31m? And what has he done so far for Man Utd? Absolutely nothing, he has dealt with injuries the whole time.

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  143. On contrary to your perception, fans do have a right to whine if they feel the need. Its the fans that keep any club alive. Especially LFC.


    It's been a frustrating season for all involved with the club so is it so inconceivable that fans are rocky after all that's gone down this season??


    For you to sit on your high horse and question my support is complete nonsense which I won't tolerate so please take your arrogance elsewhere guy.


    You can be in whoever's corner you wanna be in bro, I really don't care at all but don't make it out to that you're the model of how fans should be.

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  144. Stan Dinaround2:04 pm, May 15, 2015

    It's not my place to question your support, that's for you to think about, all I know is,, LFC are the club I love, good, bad or depressing, I will be supporting them 100%.....
    But if you think support is jumping up waving your arms in outrage because you assume from the media that a child has turned down his first contract offer, and start calling his loyalty into question, well, that says more about the sort of fan you are...

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  145. He still hasn't signed btw.


    We each have our own views and opinions and of course, ways of expressing them. All in the best interest of our club I hope.


    You're free to categorize me as a particular type of fan based on my initial comment on a single situation, via one specific thread, on a single subject, on a particular player despite my years of unwavering support.


    It's your liberal right to do so as it's my right to lash out at players who haven't yet proved themselves yet are keen to hold us at ransom caz they have the hot card.


    Any wonder it's the spoiled British lads doing this and not the humble South American who has embraced LFC despite him being our top performer.


    I have a right to be frustrated, speak my mind and call a spade, a freakin spade.


    No hard feelings.It's pointless fighting amongst each other as we both want the best for our club.

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  146. Stan Dinaround3:26 pm, May 15, 2015

    I don't mean to offend you, ever. And if i have, I apologise. I am extremely tired of some of the venom squirted in the clubs and Brendans direction at the moment, and all from people claiming to be doing so because they love the club... If I have read you wrong, then apologises.....
    I think alot of people have forgotten what it is to be a fan of this club, and think themselves above other fans because of the knowledge that LFC fans are seen as something more than most clubs... I think they think this gives them some right to rip the very heart and soul out of the club in claims of it's defense... I just think it's sinking the whole fanbase into the realms of laughing stock, and to be honest, I'm embarrassed to be associated with them....

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  147. Fair enough. No worries guy...I know what you mean though. It's been a tough spell for all of us. Take it easy man...enjoy the weekend Anfield send off of our legend.

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