Summer Transfers 2014

[Major Tom]

I watched an interview with Brendan about the new signings yesterday, he was talking about the character of the players being a main factor in whether we sign them or not.

 

I don't really buy that. We've bought a number of lemons under Rodgers. Character is obviously important, but the main ingredient?

[skend04]

I hate all this character and hunger bollocks that's trotted out incessantly. Top players have got where they are because of hunger and character. The club just hides behind these words because they can't close a big name deal. Its as simple as that.

[Bjornebye]

I don't really buy that. We've bought a number of lemons under Rodgers. Character is obviously important, but the main ingredient?

 

Fuck you 

 

 

[Bjornebye]

I hate all this character and hunger bollocks that's trotted out incessantly. Top players have got where they are because of hunger and character. The club just hides behind these words because they can't close a big name deal. Its as simple as that.

 

Its not bollocks at all. 

[Major Tom]

Fuck you 

 

 

Stig, you lout, go throw something at someone.

[billypilgrimnz]

as it stands....

 

.................................Mignolet

Flanagan .......Lovren...........Sakho..........Enrique

.................................Gerrard

..............Hendo...........................Lallana

 

.....Sterling...............Sturridge.................Coutinho

 

Reina

Johnson

Toure

Skrtel

Agger

Markovic

Can

Lambert

 

 

I'm happy.

 

Add Reus, Messi, Turdseye's maa and Jonah Lomu to that squad and we are fucking rocking

That starting lineup is not winning anything this season. Featherweight midfield and forward line, two average fullbacks. At least the bench looks solid though, right?

[Major Tom]

I hate all this character and hunger bollocks that's trotted out incessantly. Top players have got where they are because of hunger and character. The club just hides behind these words because they can't close a big name deal. Its as simple as that.

 

I don't agree with your last bit, but I definitely agree with the bolded bit.

[Major Tom]

That starting lineup is not winning anything this season. Featherweight midfield and forward line, two average fullbacks. At least the bench looks solid though, right?

 

You're having a fine summer, billy. On the money again.

[Gym Beglin]

Sometimes I shit on shits. I just walk around streets in Mogadishu and find cold shits and then squat over them and lay an insulating layer of warm shit. I also piss on hard shits to soften them up.

[Jairzinho]

True, but that's the state of our defence, it's a domino effect of factoring in weaknesses. On the other hand, if Johnson assumes there might be someone behind him covering there's the slimmest chance he could just find his ability to tackle again. Like the cowardly lion, it was in him all along.

 

I'm still straw clutching.

 

Just lock him in a fucking cupboard until his contract finishes.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

Just lock him in a fucking cupboard until his contract finishes.

 

I'd rather lock him in a cellar and use the cupboard at RB.

[aRdja]

I'm a long way from comfortable with our full backs, Enrique was an ordinary full back before his injury and after almost a season out at his age, I would be amazed if he came back at that level. I would be staggered if we went into the season with just him as a recognised left back. Flanno will have ups and downs, he's a kid learning his trade, and he needs to improve a number of aspects to his game. And as for glen Johnson, he's done. You mention martin Kelly, but I genuinely don't remember the last time he was able to put in a performance. It must have been under the early part of kennys time as manager, I don't even consider Kelly as a credible member of the squad.

 

Flanagan is good enough for a top four team I think either as a LB or RB. He managed to shut down some of the most dangerous wide players in the league last season e.g. Cazorla, Lennon, etc. He struggled against the bigger bodies, but he'll get better again. Enrique is a decent enough player. Martin Kelly if he could get back to the level pre injury, he would be more than good enough.

 

I don't really subscribe to the current trend of super attacking full backs. I said this before there are many ways to play a position. If you're good enough at what you do, then you'll play. Barca played Abidal as their starting LB for many years, and he was quite average going forward. 

[Jairzinho]

There are obvious exceptions, but I think a new country and a new culture - footballing and otherwise - can weigh heavily on a lot of young players. And at 20 years of age, they're both still pretty raw and will make mistakes. And even though they've come from reasonably big clubs, I don't think either of them will have experienced anything quite like the bearpit that the derby is, or, at the risk of falling into cliche, a horrible trip to Hull or Palace two or three days after a European game. It's a steep learning curve.

 

Moreover, the expectation and scrutiny that our colossal fanbase and resulting media attention impose can add a few extra pounds to a young player's shirt. It's easy to bottle it, overthink things or just try to hard. It took somebody like Jordan Henderson a long time to get the balance right.

 

I hope you're more right than me, and it would appear Rodgers is gifted in iinstilling confidence and focus in younger players, but I think there's a chance they'll struggle initially. That's not to say they won't improve rapidly and play a major part before the season ends.

 

The second paragraph I agree with, and that's why, for me, it has nothing to do with coming from abroad.

 

Henderson struggled to start with, but fought through it. Downing struggled to even replicate his fairly mediocre form at Villa and Middlesborough. The difference is in mentalities. A strong mentality from Germany, Serbia, or Suriname, is more likely to handle the step up than a shit one from Croydon or Coventry.

 

Look at Thomas Muller. Would you have any doubts at all that he'd been anything other than fucking brilliant in England?

[aRdja]

The second paragraph I agree with, and that's why, for me, it has nothing to do with coming from abroad.

 

Henderson struggled to start with, but fought through it. Downing struggled to even replicate his fairly mediocre form at Villa and Middlesborough. The difference is in mentalities. A strong mentality from Germany, Serbia, or Suriname, is more likely to handle the step up than a shit one from Croydon or Coventry.

 

Look at Thomas Muller. Would you have any doubts at all that he'd been anything other than fucking brilliant in England?

 

Is this a hint? Do you know something?

[Gym Beglin]

Markovic insisted the staff member took his first class seat as he sat in economy class. Thats just one example of what he's talking about, Can donated £50,000 to Alder Hay as well in his first week here.

Is this correct, where did you hear the £50k Alder Hay thing? I think £5k would be closer to the truth, if any. It would be a magnificent gesture, and I hope it wasn't forced on him as a PR exercise. If it was, it didn't work because it's the first I've heard about it.

 

But I applaud the theory and the value of 'good people' at the club and not just mercenaries. I got the impression that Remy was a mercenary, so am quite glad we swerved him. Why else would you join QPR?

 

 

Back on point, I think we'll see a new striker in the next week or so, I'm 92% confident of that. And when that happens, I think we'll have a squad capable of doing great things. Can't wait to get pre-season over with, it's just a formality really. I mean, Lambert has done fuck all so far but I know, for a fact, that when the season starts, he'll be a different player. The confident and experienced senior member of the squad that he is.

 

We coule get hammered by City tonight though, but I hope people don't overreact. It's a glorified kickabout after a hard days training. If City want to put more stock in it then that's upto them, but I'd rather the players were hitting their distance markers and getting the heart-rate up in pre-season rather than playing possession football and eeking out a 1-0 win in a game that isn't meant to have a winner.

[Ne Moe Imya]

I'm sort of coming around to the idea of waiting for January to see where we're at rather than wasting 35 million on a player that doesn't really fit us, just to get a "marquee signing."

 

I thought we were absolutely nuts last January when we didn't get a new fullback or two, but we didn't even get a single player and then Rodgers went and put together a team that could challenge for the league title anyway.  Off that experience I can see the sense in holding off and seeing where we are in January.  By that time it will be pretty obvious if one of the new signings just isn't settling (at least one of them won't, and who can say for sure which one/two it will be?).  That would give us the option to go after a player to cover at that point.

 

Or, alternately, the perfect player might just come available (like Sturridge did) in January and we're there with an opening in the squad and the money to get him.  Maybe Isco will be tired of coming off the bench by then, or Dortmund get desperate to get some cash for Reus before his clause kicks in, or whatever.  Who knows what will happen between now and then?

 

Obviously, my first choice would have been to bring in a Sanchez or Reus now, but seeing as that's not going to happen, I'd much rather hold off than waste half of that money just to bring in someone like Balotelli because we want to make a "statement."  We have the money and the time to wait a bit at this point and see what shakes out at the end of the transfer market, and if no one comes onto the market in the last week, then just get a Lacazette-type with potential and hold fire until we see where we are in January.

[INTORRESTING]

It will have bite though and maybe unnecessary bite for a friendly?

[Jairzinho]

Is this a hint? Do you know something?

 

[Jose Jones]

as it stands....

 

.................................Mignolet

Flanagan .......Lovren...........Skrtel..........Enrique

.................................Gerrard

..............Hendo...........................Can

 

.....Sterling...............Sturridge.................Lallana

 

 

 

That's Brendan's idea for first team I reckon. Markovic will come in for Lallana now.

[aRdja]

I think Max Kruse is a player worth looking at. I saw him play a couple of times and he looked really good.

[cloggypop]

I think Max Kruse is a player worth looking at. I saw him play a couple of times and he looked really good.

 

He sounds like a gay porn star.

[Major Tom]

I think Max Kruse is a player worth looking at. I saw him play a couple of times and he looked really good.

 

He went to Madrid last week.

[DanDanShaw]

Surly Gerrard isn't an instant starter this season.  Even die hard scousers must see that he's well into decline.

[Major Tom]

Surly Gerrard isn't an instant starter this season.  Even die hard scousers must see that he's well into decline.

 

Who would be your starters, Dan?

[DanDanShaw]

Who would be your starters, Dan?

 

Everybody being fit and well...

 

Mignolet

Flano

Lovren

Sakho

Enrique/Johno

 

Can

Hendo

Lallana

 

Sterling

Markovic

Sturridge

 

 

With Coutinho rotating at any given time for either one of Lallana, Sterling or Markovic.