17 Jul 2015

Surprise Transfer: Liverpool pushing to sign 'incredible' £15m attacker. Contact made with Chelsea already

Well, here's a blast from the past: Liverpool are reportedly back in for 'incredible' Chelsea outcast Mohamed Salah, who in 2014 rejected Anfield in favour of a an ill-fated move to Stamford Bridge.

On Thursday, the Liverpool Echo claimed:

"Liverpool have moved to bring Mohamed Salah to Anfield from Chelsea. The Reds have sounded out the Premier League champions over the Egyptian international winger"

This is a prime example of a 'be careful what you wish for' scenario. Salah rejected Liverpool (and almost certainly regular game time) for the bright lights of London, and very quickly ended up on the Premier League scrapheap.

You reap what you sow, and Salah - who cost Chelsea £15m - has paid the price for making the wrong move, but is it entirely the player's fault?

When asked about the failure of the deal in 2014, Ian Ayre told reporters:

“We haven’t been held back by finances. The player [Salah] decided he didn’t want to come to Liverpool. We won’t overpay for players, but when the right player is available for the right deal and wants to come here, they will come here”

Salah's agent, Sascha Empacher, spun a different tale, though, and claimed it wasn't about money:

“It was a long and fair negotiation with Liverpool, but it lasted two-and-a-half months - too long.

"Both clubs [LFC and Basel] could not agree on terms. When Chelsea contacted Basel, he was happy and took his chance. It was no financial matter.”


Based on Empacher's comments, Liverpool began negotiations for Salah in November 2013, which gave the club a massive head-start on Chelsea, yet a deal could still not be concluded. Why? Possible options:

* LFC tried to lowball Basel into accepting a lower fee. Empacher states it wasn't financial, but he possibly referred to Salah's salary demands there, rather than the actual transfer fee.

* Non-financial contract terms could not be agreed (Length of deal; image rights etc).

* Ayre et al couldn't sell the club effectively to Salah.

* LFC endlessly negotiated, and failed to make an actual offer.


If, as Empacher suggests, 'it was no financial matter', then why did LFC's negotiations fail? If Ayre et al spend two-and-a-half-months negotiating, it clearly meant that Salah was a priority for the club, but Chelsea turned up at the eleventh hour, and seemingly negotiated a deal in a couple of days. Amateur hour.

Salah recently rejected a return to Fiorentina next season, and with seemingly no future at Chelsea, he's currently looking for a new club (with) Inter Milan are also reportedly interested. Be that as it may, Liverpool should steer clear IMO.

The ship has sailed on this particular transfer. Salah had his chance, and rejected the opportunity to sign for Liverpool, so that should (IMO) preclude any further deal.

Plus, there are better options out there, such as Andriy Yarmolenko. I just can't understand why Liverpool are pulling out all the stops to sign the Ukrainian, who recently confirmed he wants to leave this summer.

Yarmolenko is tall, strong, perfectly suited to the Premier League, and has consistently scored/created lots of goals throughout his career. He also offers something different to the likes of Coutinho, Firminho, and Lallana, all of whom are smaller players.

Forget Salah. Sign Yarmolenko.

EDIT: Stoke City are reportedly in talks with Yarmolenko *shoots self*

Author: Jaimie K


138 comments:

  1. ...and in my view it's a problem that's about as real as the tooth fairy is.

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  2. But he just... was outstanding in that game. Anyone who watched it would feel the same. He stood out from the others. That's all it means, really. The commentators, every fan who watched the game, every journalist who covered it, everyone is going to agree that Joe Gomez's performance stood out from the others, because it did. It just... did.

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  3. You know what, I for one would want him to redirect those type of questions towards team praise. "The entire team played well, I know its early in the season, but I saw good movement, short direct passes, etc...".




    This way when they ask him about individual mistakes/failures he can also redirect them towards the team by saying "We are a team and I don't want to blame anyone. we win together as a team and lose as a team"




    Basically his public praise and judgement should not be directed towards an individual player. He should leave it up to the fans. He can certainly talk to them privately about their performances.

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  4. So you agree that it's evil? That this website is controlled by an evil robot?

    INTERESTING.

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  5. This is just an excuse. It might wash if Rodgers didn't have a long history of overpraising players, but he does.

    Plus, Gomez is 18. Even if he performs well, Rodgers needs to be more responsible with his public comments. There's no need to label him as 'outstanding' (twice), especially in a meaningless pre-season friendly against inferior opposition.

    It doesn't help anyone, and runs the risk of prematurely inflating Gomez's ego.

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  6. Yeah.. I know where your coming from.


    In front of the camera's.. United Front supporting all the team, behind closed doors, tear their bollocks off.


    For me he just needs to dial it back a little. Not as bad as Rafa but a nice middle ground

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  7. Ok question for Jaimie. Reading all this endless criticism of Rodgers and of course you (and everybody else) is entitled to their opinion. But I (and many others) probably find it a bit over the top. Nevertheless what I'd be interested in is how you think the so called "perfect" post match interview should be conducted? If a reporter is perhaps specifically asking him questions about many of his new signings I'd rather he praised them then said "yeah they were ok". There is no RIGHT way to motivate players. Some respond better to having smoke blown up their proverbial and others don't care. But publicly critiquing your players is probably not a winning strategy.
    I do tend to agree with you that Rodgers is somewhat OTT with his praise but perhaps no more so than you are OTT with your criticism.
    Interesting read and rather read something somewhat controversial than a boring report of the news.

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  8. Playworld Nantwich?

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  9. at times last season I really feel a bit insulted thinking to myself. Was he watching the same game I was?

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  10. I don't want them to sign any more wingers apart from maybe Pedro, because that would stunt the growth of Ibe or Texeira(who I'm really looking forward to in the first team!). I hope BR fancies Texeira, he's similar to Coutinho!

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  11. I must say that he has to broaden his vocabulary beyond "outstanding". Never heard that word used so much

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  12. I totally agree with regards to signing Yarmolenko, he is an amazing winger capable of goals and assists, he is strong and quick with great contro, he has a great eye for a goal as well, whats not to like about Yarmolenko! Benteke is looking pretty much like a done deal and if we are truly going for some one like Salah as well then Yarmolenko would be my top choice then failing that Menez would be a great signing.

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  13. In an effort to maintain a fair an open mind, a genuine enquiry - What evidence are you basing the 'damaging' part of your argument on?
    A doff of the cap towards Stuart C who recently mentioned we could now use Sterling as a good test case, to see who was right and wrong in all of this, but until that becomes conclusive either way:
    As far as I know you believe (and I appreciate it's factually based) that BR's mention of Sterling being the best in Europe was thrown back at him by the sewer rat, in an effort to drive a harder bargain, although I think it's now clear Raheem was going to do the off-ski no matter what.
    But your view of this damaging hyperbole seems so strong, that I just wonder and assume you must have a lot more to go on than the above. Otherwise it seems more the case that his choice of words just grate with you and you probably wouldn't want to share a pint with him - doesn't mean it's detrimental to our team or players though.

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  14. I've already given an example of what Rodgers' could've said in his post match interview. Generally:

    * There is absolutely no need *ever* to resort to hyperbolic labelling (outstanding, amazing, fantastic, terrific etc). These labels should be reserved for performances at the most crucial moments (big games, cup finals etc)

    * Praise should be specific, and refer to specific incidents/aspects of a player's game. Just using the catch-all 'outstanding' is pointless and counter-productive.

    I could go on, but this is all self-explanatory, and there are copious studies out there that:

    a) Prove that overpraise is damaging

    b) General praise is useless, and people only really respond to specific praise.

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  15. Unfortunately I have no Idea what that is so can't agree or disagree ;)

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  16. I agree the overpraise is getting outstandingly bad but it's never beyond a joke

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  17. Footballers' egos don't generally need much help inflating! Anyway I hope and expect that Rodgers teaches his players humility in training -- I'd hate for him to do that in public without significant cause. But PR is just PR -- his job in front of the cameras is just to say... nothing, as politely and as quotably as possible. He's pretty good at it.

    My problem with his dealings with the press arises when he says too much: he sometimes answers questions that don't need answering, or rambles on and gives plans or intentions away.

    Anyway I enjoy your articles on this, because you always unleash the most outrageous and creative oratory imaginable in order to castigate Rodgers's relatively generic little puffs of rhetorical perfume. It's funny and a bit mad and I like it.

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  18. I've posted countless arguments outlining my views on this, including links to University studies that show how damaging overpraise can be. I don't have the time to repeat myself here.

    As for Sterling: it is already conclusive. Rodgers' constant deification inflated Sterling's ego to a ridiculous extent, and that emboldened him in his zeal to quit LFC. After being repeatedly told he was 'outstanding' and the 'best in Europe', he clearly started thinking he could do better, and then sought to leave.

    If Rodgers had kept Sterling grounded, things might've turned out differently.

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  19. 'Stoke their fires of enragement'.I like it...

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  20. How did you get the N word through?

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  21. I've finally made something of myself, an 'enabler' - it's a tough job but somebodies got to do it, hope it pays well though ;)

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  22. It was a one and a half liner ;-)

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  23. I would have called that a two liner...

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  24. He looked good enough when he played against us but with Lallana, Ibe, Firmino, Origi, Markovic and Coutinho at the club I think the money should go to other positions.

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  25. He did "stand out" from the others though - just saying.....

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  26. If Rodgers doesn't get slapped down for wasting 200 million and losing 6-1 to Stoke, it sure won't happen because of something else he's been doing wrong for over three years.

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  27. Wenger hasn't brought through a player from his youth set-up for years though has he. Jack Wilshere was the last... that was six years ago. He's just poached from Southampton, same as us :)

    If he bigged up his homegrown guys a bit more, as Rodgers supposedly does, maybe they would learn to view themselves as the potential equals of the guys they've got to compete with...

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  28. In theory praise builds confidence but when it is used so easily it looses substance and just becomes words!

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  29. because he likes me !

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  30. Fair point, I do remember you mentioning the studies but guess where we really differ is in how we quantify overpraise and where it crosses the lines between harmless, helpful and damaging and the Re the Sterling saga, again, I can say it conclusively made us a small fortune on a player who ultimately was not living up to the hype.
    But then we're back to agreeing and disagreeing etc and yes it's time wasting to further the discussion - I wanted to give your side fair consideration though and think that's now done.

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  31. You're right, all's well that ends well re the Sterling saga (in terms of money), but I'm sure if asked, many LFC fans probably would've preferred to keep Sterling, and that may have been a possibility if Rodgers' hadn't created an ego-inflated monster with his incessant deification.

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  32. Good points. What you've suggested is the ideal, and is the way it should be.

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  33. the overpraise is unneeded. its pre-season, all BR had to say is well done to the boys who contributed and lets move on and be ready for the season. if he wants to praise them he can do that behind the scenes or in training, not in the media where they will put pressure on the player.

    so far we look on the up, especially with the top qulaity weve bought in with Benteke, Clyne, Firmino and Milner, all top class players, and even if Rodgers were to be sacked the manager who comes in will sure have a brilliant squad to choose from.

    next season our starting 11 will be

    -----------------------Mingolet
    Clyne----------Skrtel------------Sakho------Gomez
    ---------------------------Lucas
    -----------Milner---------------------Hendo
    -------------------------Coutinho
    ---------------Firmino
    ----------------------------------------Benteke

    in big games i expect this line up, Firmino playing second striker just off benteke and Coutinho in his normal number 10 role. Milner and Hendo will provide the energy and width from midfield and lucas will cover and hopefully can will challenge for a spot. but that will be our most experienced side.

    with sturridge back FULLY fit (or else pointless and should be sold as we cant afford to pay £150k in wages to a bench warmer)

    ------------------------Mingolet
    Clyne-----------Skrtel----------Sakho------Gomez
    ---------------------------Milner
    ----------Coutinho-----------------Hendo
    -------------------------Firmino
    ------------Benteke------------Sturridge

    but as few star players such Phillpe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Emre Can have not been with the team yet for pre season, and played in tournaments, they should be eased in to Stoke game at half time and the ones who are here now and playing should start that game in top condition.

    -------------------------Mingolet
    Clyne-----------Skrtel------------Sakho------Gomez
    ----------------------------Lucas
    -------------Milner-------------------Hendo
    -------------------------Lallana
    ----------------Ings---------------Benteke

    subs on Coutinho for Lallana at 70mins, Firmino for Ings at 70mins and Ibe for Benteke at 80 mins



    to be fair we dont need anymore players and theres good balance in the squad. i wouldnt mind maybe purchasing a Pedro(£20M), Reus(£40M), Son Heung Min(£15m) or Yarmolenko (£15M).


    we have to sell Balotelli, Borini, Lambert and possibly Markovic who is not better than Jordan Ibe, Ryan Kent, Joao Texeria or Rossiter. absolute waste of £20m and he should be banished, he has good visoion and could be deployed as a number 10 in the di miria mould, but he is not better than Coutinho who is a number 10. for £20m we could have simply looked to our academy instead of buying MArkovic

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  34. Good points. I think fans find it hard to wrap their heads around the fact that Liverpool are no longer a top-tier club (in terms of trophies/CL performance).

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  35. As Stanley Unwin would say - Deep joy!

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  36. WOW. Your not going to believe this Jaimie. But i actually agree with you!!
    I'm not convinced by Salah at all. Even disregarding our previous failed attempt to sign him (which i also agree with...he missed the boat, there's no getting on late) Judging him on his Europa league performances only, he reminds me of Aaron Lennon.....looks good, but no end product. ( Bit like Sterling actually!!)
    Yermolenko looks a much better player! Both physically and technically, but he also looks like he's a more intelligent player too. He picks the right options more often then Salah.

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  37. I'm now glowing with self esteem thanks to your top class comment.

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  38. I don't disagree that the 3 strikers go and we will get a total of around £15-£20m, but to then sell Lovren, Allen & Markovic for £20m when they cost us £60m doesn't make sense, also it removes a lot of cover from other important parts of the team.


    Our focus needs to be on a striker, quality central midfielder and a left back to challenge/cover Moreno.

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  39. Sign Pedro, sign a DM, sell Lambert, Borini, Balotelli, Enrique, Lucas and (if get a decent price) Allen. Then shut up shop for the summer.

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  40. 'sell Lambert, Borini, Balotelli, Enrique, Lucas and (if get a decent price) Allen'

    Honestly mate, that is a task the size of The Manhattan Project.

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  41. Cant argue with that, 5th highest turnover, 5th highest wage bill. Its sad but true, its where were at the minute

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  42. That is a very heart warming story, Sad ending though when his Dad whispered watch out for that bus Son......

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  43. I'd like to see Texeira come good too. Hopefully he can at least be given a fair chance, then its up to him to produce the goods. He looks like he could be a good player....but then so does luis Alberto...they both look like they "could" or "should" be good players. It's whether they have the right attitude and character that will ultimately define what level they end up playing at.

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  44. Ghost of Suarez7:55 pm, July 17, 2015

    The fact he has been out so long, having returned 2 months before expected, is likely the reason that he has not been asked to play two games in a week no? Far more likely than the (IMO) tenuous conspiracy theory that Rodgers is not willing to push any players that he didn't sign....he didn't sign Sterling or Flanagan, or Henderson for that matter they have all been pushed by Rodgers (and I am quite sure they have been 'dropped' from one friendly to the next in pre-season at some point)

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  45. wow, just read that roma are in talks to sign moreno for £8m. now this really does p*ss me right off! for one; we spent a hell of a lot of money on him last season. secondly; why is it again that BR does not give players time? he came to the UK last season, not speaking a word of English. he has had to adapt to a new country, new league, new culture, and new pressure. the lads only 23, and clearly has many years still to develop before his late twenties and prime. thirdly; this guy has buckets of talent as was evident last season. ok, he didn't have the greatest season in terms of defensive errors, but going forward, he was a real threat. to add to that, he ran his socks off for us. I just can't believe that with all points considered that BR would sell a young player with huge potential, speedy, attacking fullback for a £13m loss!!


    I sincerely hope the report was utter BS, or otherwise, yet again, we overspend and sell at a loss without giving the guy a chance. I think most players (especially foreign ones adapting to a new country) deserve a second season to prove themselves (of course, there are exceptions, however, I firmly believe that Moreno isn't one of them!).


    I just cannot make sense of our transfer dealing sanymore...

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  46. Why are Liverpool fans so proud?! it was our fault that he didn't come. At that time he was much better then Sterling. Maybe he was a missing link for winning the title, an extra option. From where comes that story about Yarmolenko? Only Jamie and other fans in this forum insist on this one. I never saw any article where he was linked with us.

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  47. Salah? We should buy Eden Hazard if we want Champions League.

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  48. Go home Pablo, you're drunk

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  49. If we were able to get 49M from Man City, then anything is possible. =)

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  50. Cheers bud :)

    I just read that roma are in talks to sign moreno for £8m. now this really does p*ss me right off! for one; we spent a hell of a lot of money on him last season. secondly; why is it again that BR does not give players time? he came to the UK last season, not speaking a word of English. he has had to adapt to a new country, new league, new culture, and new pressure. the lads only 23, and clearly has many years still to develop before his late twenties and prime. thirdly; this guy has buckets of talent as was evident last season. ok, he didn't have the greatest season in terms of defensive errors, but going forward, he was a real threat. to add to that, he ran his socks off for us. I just can't believe that with all points considered that BR would sell a young player with huge potential, speedy, attacking fullback for a £13m loss!!

    I sincerely hope the report was utter BS, or otherwise, yet again, we overspend and sell at a loss without giving the guy a chance. I think most players (especially foreign ones adapting to a new country) deserve a second season to prove themselves (of course, there are exceptions, however, I firmly believe that Moreno isn't one of them!).

    I just cannot make sense of our transfer dealings anymore...

    Source: Daily Express

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  51. Not entirely sure, but I do know his loan was supposed to be 18 months and after 6 he wants to jump ship from Fiorentina. Inter want him because of his good performances, so I'm assuming he dissed them too.

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  52. challenge/cover/replace Moreno......

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  53. Please tell me we're not only going to have been gazumped by chelski in the first place but are now going to hand them a profit on the same player.
    If the above happens, I'm really going to be jolly cross about the whole thing.

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  54. Well, Borini is as good as gone, Lambert has been eyed by various clubs (right now West Brom seems keen) and Enrique is pretty much a non factor anyway since he hasn't played in like 18 months. Lucas is our only DM, so we should keep, and while Allen is ineffective at times, I'm hard pressed to find another decent midfielder content with being 6th choice. Not needed, but keeping him sin't the end of the world. Balo will be the difficult sale.

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  55. Really getting annoyed by Chelsea in terms of wingers... First Moses, then Willian, Salah, Cuadrado... heck, even Mata and De Bruyne. They buy them so no one else does, then drops them to the curb when they prove to be "not good enough" anyway (with the exception of Willian).

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  56. Elvis the koppite8:34 pm, July 17, 2015

    As a junior for Rapido de Bouzas! Hard to believe but true.......

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  57. Yep, obviously it will come across as biased but I genuinely think the powers that be should take a closer look at exactly what you describe and ideally stop them from doing it.
    Any other walk of life it would be seen as foul play and not only that but it's not fair on the young upcoming players they do it to; peoples careers being jeopardised and of course their greedy agents are only too happy to play along, whole thing stinks IMO.

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  58. What the hell?

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  59. Despite what most translation sites tell you, I'm 99% sure that means "Yes I'm drunk"

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  60. What the heck got into them? First Bojan was a surprise last year, and now Shaqiri and Yarmo are linked?

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  61. Did he play well though? Altho that doesn't usually change BRs opinion of a players performance..

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  62. If Liverpool signs Benteke, that will most likely be it for players. This is all media generated rumor.

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  63. Gomez will only start if Moreno can't go. The boy played one preseason game, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

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  64. Those numbers and formation don't make any sense..

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  65. Emmanuel obanor9:00 pm, July 17, 2015

    Jaimie I think you forget Ukrainians are notoriously bad travelers! I have no doubt he's a good player, this yarmolenko guy, but I am scratching my head to remember the last Ukrainian to really do well in Western Europe, save Andriy Shevchenko. Even he struggled to adapt to the premier league... So #justmythougths

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  66. Yes, I made a similar point about millenials and this need for praise for wiping their arse. It is a well documented topic that younger generations, the 20 something, need constant praise. As annoying as it is, I think Rodgers is following the advice of the sports psychologists. So, get used to it.

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  67. There are also copious studies that underline the millenials need and require constant praise. This subject is front and center at most company HE departments. I agree it is annoying - as I am well beyond a 20 something, but overpriced is fast becoming the status quo now.

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  68. Crikey, good spot, yes that would be quite ridiculous and I agree with all you say, Moreno looks like he has huge potential and hopefully it is complete BS.
    Two of my favourite moments from Moreno last season were his length of the pitch run and goal, and his robo-celebration with Studge, I think he can really improve this season on the defensive side too.

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  69. i was gonna say on my phone it's two but that would be pointless ;-)

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  70. Very good! like it :)

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  71. Or constantly overpraising...

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  72. If they can't stand the heat created by a little overpraise then they are not going to respond well to the pressure of playing for Liverpool or the competition for places which you usually promote.

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  73. That's what I thought the little back and forth between you guys was getting at, although I'm still not sure, if nobody's listening in then I saw a poster called Jay Blindside the other day.

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  74. Sorry force of habit ;-/

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  75. So, (tip of the hat to Wayne for the heads up) Moreno to Roma, seems a bit of an odd one to say the least.

    Also a little interest in Balo coming our way, reportedly.

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  76. A few years ago Spurs overachieved and had a chance to kick on. Lost VDV, Modric and sold Bale. That was the their chance to cement themselves. We then overachieved and had we kept Suarez (albeit that appeared somewhat untenable after the bite) and added 1-2 world class players we would have kicked on. Sadly we didn't either. Utd were always going to invest big so we are back at the stage where one of the top 4 has to have a bad year (like Utd did under Moyes) and coincide that with us over overachieving and we might do it again. But that feels like it will be the exception rather than the norm. Compared to 10 years ago there is the Chelsea and City factor and that's just a fact of life.

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  77. Not sure it's true, but if it is, it better be for more than the 8M reported... and the replacement has to be better too. Digne and Augustinsson aren't going to cut it.

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  78. May as well go for Bertrand ;-)

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  79. Benjamin Ziege Chanda9:58 pm, July 17, 2015

    I disagree with most who are calling for Marko to be sold because last season he was slightly above average I think he has settled enough to have a great season. Ibe is a good player but still needs to mature watching the two games so far he still has the same problem as last season picking out players in the box and burying chances. Lets give him a chance

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  80. Its funny when you read through peoples team selections there is no one picking lallana as 26m

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  81. I thought about trying to tag you in the post but was afraid it would mess things up.


    Glad you caught the reference! :)

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  82. Calm down dear...

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  83. Sick as a dog ;-)

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  84. The player is in a bad position this time of year.


    Either he plays well and it's attributed to the competition, and that's just what he was supposed to do.


    Or he plays poorly and the flames and pitchforks come out

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  85. Benjamin Ziege Chanda10:19 pm, July 17, 2015

    We need proven players and a striker is most important not so much a fun of benteke but if Rodgers gets him well and good but higuin would have done us proud

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  86. Benjamin Ziege Chanda10:24 pm, July 17, 2015

    Why sell Lucas? Still don't understand

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  87. We all knew Lallana was at best a 15m player.


    But with the English premium combined with the sell on clause that Soton owed, it all got inflated on us.


    He's a nice player. But it's shocking the club was willing to extend itself so much for him.

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  88. Wouldn't make any sense from LFC's standpoint. We'd need to bring in another replacement then for a guy who's only been here for a year.

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  89. Agree, seems like madness to me.

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  90. BR made RS in to a great young player, its his agent that turned him in to a dickhead. Also you listen to most managers, they do exactly the same as BR, so does that mean that they are all doing it wrong.

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  91. How many times did you hear Fergie, Mourinho or Wenger say their teams were Rubbish....almost never, do you think that meant they never got criticised internally? What do you think the hairdryer was referring to? You protect your team in public as far as you can and deal with problems internally. Managers have been doing this since the dawn of time (or footy at least)...it didn't hurt the names I have mentioned above did it?

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  92. What a load of nitpicking tosh. The 'Raheem Sterling fiasco' was the result of Rodgers calling him 'outstanding'? Really?


    Are managers not allowed to praise and encourage and work with younger members of his squad in the hope they gain confidence and develop into better players? ( this is arguably Rodgers strongest trait as a manager btw)


    I am not sure how fan over expectation which was apparently caused by Rodgers heaping praise on Sterling has held him back? ?


    Or perhaps he could do the same for every teenager in the ranks = endless pot of gold. Who needs a new stadium or a some rich arab owners when Rodgers can turn a crock a shit into £50 million merely with the wave of his tongue.

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  93. Nice use of veneer

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  94. That hype got us 49m for Sterling sooooooo....

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  95. I think given time he could become world class

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  96. No need *ever* is an opinion BR doesn't share. So hyperventilating about is equally unnecessary.

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  97. Yeah but saying he was outstanding was quicker...on to the next question.

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  98. Injury history, no further upside and better options available in the market

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  99. Nobody is twice as good as Balo...2 x 0 is still 0

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  100. I think Ings will turn out to be the diamond in the rough. He has been right in the midst and made 4 'outstanding' shots in two games. He makes things happen. I expect great things from him.

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  101. Perhaps just because he is returning from injury?

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  102. One can only hope about the last comment.

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  103. Yes, everyone can't be outstanding or the word loses its meaning. There were 11 players out standing on the pitch. It's either a verbal tick he can't help or he is trying to use a term that essentially means nothing so he can answer questions without actually saying anything on purpose, as you wrote earlier. Either way the end result is a meaningless word.

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  104. Andy Carroll couldn't fit in because Andy Carroll is s***. I don't know why people compare Benteke to Carroll when Benteke is clearly a lot better.

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  105. Your second reasoning makes sense but not the first one. What (hasn't) happened at Liverpool in the past IMO doesn't set a precedent for Rodgers and his brand new coaching staff.

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  106. That`s a contrastically supamazing idearical, well said.

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  107. OK... third rate? Actually I thought Brisbane looked OK in some respects, decent in terms of basics, certainly: everyone could trap and pass the ball, and as you'd expect from Aussies in any sport the effort was 100%. But they were lacking physically, and lacked quality in the technical positions, though the playmaker with floppy dark hair, forget his name, and I'm a bit the worse for wear at this moment, he looked OK in the first half. It's hard to draw comparisons but they looked in some respects like an OK Championship team, in others like a mid-table League 2 side. So somewhere between second and fourth rate :)

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  108. It's very important to be fair when it comes to football. To be fair.

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  109. Brenda needs to stop over praising I agree, but like we all live in hope that he will bring in a world class defensive midfielder, it`s never going to happen, so until he either leaves or gets Santas big bag, it`s a forgone conclusion we just have to put up with all his c&ap.

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  110. WIthout BR overpraising ,can Sterling become who he is today as an excellent player &has been improved significantly fast at his young age..? Who knows .. don't judge solely by ur own view as u r not the manager &for me i really don't care what he say as long can bring out the potential best of the players.

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  111. I sure hope so.


    Admittedly, I think he and Origi can fit in nicely here... provided they aren't the main striker and that they are partnered with either Benteke, Sturridge, Lambert, or Balotelli up top.


    I think of those players, Benteke and Sturridge are the only ones who can carry the load as a lone striker.

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  112. Nope Case u think too highly of me :)

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  113. Not sure if there are any highlights packages out there on YT or something but you'd be genuinely surprised of the football they sustained which ultimately lead them to three titles. I can't really overstate it more, it was as explosive as when the club finished 2nd under Rodgers, or equal to the play Barca produced several seasons ago, or even this most recent season.


    I agree about the physical aspect though. Even in the tunnel, Henderson stood like a mountain above the whole Brisbane team. More competitive leagues have bigger, stronger, taller, faster etc players.

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  114. apart from Pedro a humble world class player that won most of the prestigious trophys I don't see any point signing others, would rather see Ryan Kent given the opportunity to flourish like sterling.

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  115. We have strikers, wingers and MF s coming out of our ears now. We need one solid dm and close the checkbook.

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  116. Lucas didn't look great vs Brisbane.

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  117. Neither player is good enough for our first team. When Suso gets called up to the Spain squad then we can look back and say we may have made a mistake.
    Shelvey has found his level and will not play for a bigger club than Liverpool. Do you really think he should be competing for a place in our midfield?

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  118. I think the imminent departure of Benteke probably convinced him that Villa won't be competitive this season. He was the main factor in them staying up and having signed no one so far, it looks like another relegation battle for them.

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  119. It is a lazy comparison. Anyone who has seen Benteke play more than once should be able to see that he is far better and far more mobile than the players he is likened to.

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  120. The QMII is better at close quarters than Carroll.

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  121. Menez much like Balotelli doesn't seem to be able to hold down a club. I've had enough of controversial characters at the club for a while. I want to see some industrious professionals who want to win next season

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  122. Yeah he's massively overhyped by lots of fans. Brisbane first goal he was nowhere to be seen, which a good DM would've prevented

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  123. Still don't understand what he offers to the team and why he's any better than Allen

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  124. Now then, this could be a case of the penny it dropth quite slowly but after seeing another defender agreement related quip - I'm thinking it could of been you that's been Spartacus all along!

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  125. I think the owners should stay out of the coaching department unless they are replacing them. Owners shouldnt get involved in how the managers coach. BR can say what he likes until his time is up.

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  126. I may be getting soft in my old age but I would give him a second season. It must be hard for a young player to move countries and adapt to a different style of play without taking a dip in form. This season will be telling for him and us.

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  127. Can't understand why Allen isnstill here.. Maybe no one would buy him.. And also If borini is given 3 seasons then I would like to see balo get one more..and also salah seems to be liverpools top option as we won't pay Pedro's wages

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  128. Why humble? I still screaming on him not to pass the ball to Torres in World Cup 2010 final, when Nando was still our player.
    If he is world class why they sell him aniway, especially in this transfer window when they can't registrate new signings, like Turan.

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  129. every manager have their preference players, probably you hated him for not passing to Torres but you gotta admit he's good dude.

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  130. For our standard he is class player, but why do you think he's good dude? Also don't forget who is the guy who took his plays in Barca team. It's our ex player and that one is real world class. They sold Sanchez because of Suarez who is much better player then Pedro dude.

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  131. My Ukrainian friend (it's a he, not a girl working the top floor), says Yarmolenko is very inconsistent. Salah not good enough for chelski means not good enough for us.

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