Summer Transfers 2014

[Iceman]

From flying high last season, to hoping for Bony this season because we can't find anyone else. It's us all over.

[aws]

Next stage is we're dreaming of Bony. Then we don't sign anybody. Then we say missing Bony might be good news and we'll buy someone really good in January.

[TheHowieLama]

Then we hold off buying til the end in January, get gazumped and have another run at the title.

[Iceman]

I love the collective mindfuck that takes place. Fact is no one wanted Bony when the season ended and we shouldn't want him now. It's a huge disappointment after the heights we reached.

[Trumo]

Not sure whether this belongs here on in the letdowns thread but I didn't really want to start another thread. 

 

For a long time I've felt that when we sign players, we don't seem to do enough to make them think they're part of a big club. In their first interviews, they'll all give the usual platitudes about how big and great this club is, but they don't really seem to see it for themselves until they get thrown in at the deep end when the season starts.

 

When the club announce a signing, we'll get plenty of pictures of the player at Melwood, on the training pitch, outside the front entrance leaning against a wall, in the physio room having Dr Zaf shove a gloved thumb up their arse, in the foyer next to No5, in the boot room, and sat next to Ayre signing the contract. We'll get a video showing all of this (bar the thumb of course!) and the obligatory first interview which usually reads as if drafted by someone at the club.

 

I'm not saying we should do things in the style of Real Madrid and have thousands of knobheads come to the stadium for a photoshoot (though I'm sure that brings in some money at the gate and makes for more shirts flying off the shelves), but I think Anfield rather than Melwood should be used more when presenting the new players. Last year, the new players in particular got a sense of the size of the club when we had massive turnouts in our games in the Far East and Australia but otherwise it just seems as though they're told we're a big club and that's it.

 

As trivial as the above might seem, I can't help but think how much more motivating for the new players it could be, and make them hungrier from the get go.

[Bjornebye]

you know what tgdwpd a l dtajgmg pmddappgmmajp and they will end the job and if the gadddp reckons so then they have to make it sounds or fuckd f and get b job at west ham and dta it it it's mmj w wdmmtaajj and ppddgatatd on aa mixed aussie agg mere phone. super dry.r and r. fuck3he loT of jgdm.

 

10 to 4 in the afternoon and already nutted. Good going. repped. 

[Trumo]

you know what tgdwpd a l dtajgmg pmddappgmmajp and they will end the job and if the gadddp reckons so then they have to make it sounds or fuckd f and get b job at west ham and dta it it it's mmj w wdmmtaajj and ppddgatatd on aa mixed aussie agg mere phone. super dry.r and r. fuck3he loT of jgdm.

 

Sent from my My First Computer using my sausage fingers.

 

Quite.

[Iceman]

you know what tgdwpd a l dtajgmg pmddappgmmajp and they will end the job and if the gadddp reckons so then they have to make it sounds or fuckd f and get b job at west ham and dta it it it's mmj w wdmmtaajj and ppddgatatd on aa mixed aussie agg mere phone. super dry.r and r. fuck3he loT of jgdm.

 

Don't Bogart that thing James, pass it over here.

[ZonkoVille77]

you know what tgdwpd a l dtajgmg pmddappgmmajp and they will end the job and if the gadddp reckons so then they have to make it sounds or fuckd f and get b job at west ham and dta it it it's mmj w wdmmtaajj and ppddgatatd on aa mixed aussie agg mere phone. super dry.r and r. fuck3he loT of jgdm.

Fuckin brilliant stuff.

[TheHowieLama]

I believe Jim has just posted the last scouting report from the "committee".

[Bjornebye]

the more I read that the more I piss myself. 

[cuppatea]

I would be very surprised if Lovren doesn't start, probably in place of Skrtel. Also, based on what I've seen of him so far, Can is ahead of Allen. So for me there's at least two changes to be made with that team. 

 

Then the fullbacks are up in the air. Flanagan should be ahead of Johnson based on last season. Kelly should be ahead of Johnson based on pre-season. And if Manquillo is anything like what we hope, he should start to factor in. 

 

If we sign Moreno I expect him to be eased into the team and take Enrique's place. Depending on Enrique's form and how fast Moreno settles, it might happen sooner, or a bit later, but I expect to see that this season too. 

 

Lallana and Markovic to add competition to Coutinho and Sterling should see us right in those spots. Ibe might stick around too as he's growing as a player. 

 

We clearly need another striker, as the gap between Sturridge and Lambert is too great. That's the glaring weakness for me, assuming the fullbacks sign soon. 

 

If we take the 2 players you named then the difference between the strongest XI now and at the end of last season is Lovren in for Skrtel (a minor uprade at best) and Can in for Suarez (a massive downgrade).

 

With almost £150m to spend and Champions League football on offer, I think we've mostly signed players who would have jumped at the chance to join regardless of where we finished last year, to add depth to the squad as a whole, whilst the first XI, as it currently stands, is weaker than a few months ago.

 

Manquillo is a 20 year old with virtually no experience of first team football and will be another squad player and if we sign a striker it looks likely be someone to play second fiddle to Sturridge, rather than a genuine upgrade to any area of the first team. As it stands, left back looks to be the only position in which we'll sign a player better than anything we already had, and thank fucking Christ Chelsea rejected our bid for Bertrand for that one.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Yes, I remember a few of us saying that at the time.

Yep, and being ridiculed for it.

[Anubis]

We go again.

 

 

I cringe when people say this.

 

I go again. 

 

 

 

 

 

To the toilet. 

 

 

 

 

 

Back in five.

[Boss]

How did a highly paid committee of internationally recognised scouts come to the conclusion that the only seamless replacement for a world class 31 goal a season striker, is this guy?

 

[Mojo]

How did a highly paid committee of internationally recognised scouts come to the conclusion that the only seamless replacement for a world class 31 goal a season striker, is this guy?

 

 

 

Come on, we all know he is a squad player for plan B. Still waiting for that replacement..

[Bjornebye]

How did a highly paid committee of internationally recognised scouts come to the conclusion that the only seamless replacement for a world class 31 goal a season striker, is this guy?

 

 

Mate of course he wasn't signed as the replacement for Suarez

 

Suarez is irreplaceable unless it is Messi or Samaras we bring in

[Denny Crane]

Not sure whether this belongs here on in the letdowns thread but I didn't really want to start another thread. 

 

For a long time I've felt that when we sign players, we don't seem to do enough to make them think they're part of a big club. In their first interviews, they'll all give the usual platitudes about how big and great this club is, but they don't really seem to see it for themselves until they get thrown in at the deep end when the season starts.

 

When the club announce a signing, we'll get plenty of pictures of the player at Melwood, on the training pitch, outside the front entrance leaning against a wall, in the physio room having Dr Zaf shove a gloved thumb up their arse, in the foyer next to No5, in the boot room, and sat next to Ayre signing the contract. We'll get a video showing all of this (bar the thumb of course!) and the obligatory first interview which usually reads as if drafted by someone at the club.

 

I'm not saying we should do things in the style of Real Madrid and have thousands of knobheads come to the stadium for a photoshoot (though I'm sure that brings in some money at the gate and makes for more shirts flying off the shelves), but I think Anfield rather than Melwood should be used more when presenting the new players. Last year, the new players in particular got a sense of the size of the club when we had massive turnouts in our games in the Far East and Australia but otherwise it just seems as though they're told we're a big club and that's it.

 

As trivial as the above might seem, I can't help but think how much more motivating for the new players it could be, and make them hungrier from the get go.

 

I think this whole who is a big club is more relevant to fans than players. Players just want to win and play with good players and earn good money in most cases. If they can do it at City or Liverpool or United and Chelsea it rarely matters. Some South American players might want a Spanish speaking country as a lifestyle choice rather than Real Madrid or Barca.

 

In some cases players do not even know where they are. Was it Robinho who said he was happy to be at Chelsea as he was unveiled at Manchester and a lot of players do not know if Liverpool is close to London or Manchester until they arrive. Most would not recognise Alan Hansen from Gary Linekar. You often hear some player’s especially when they turn up at Newcastle thinking it was in London. Often something trivial like Lovren adoring Igor Biscan changes the view of a club. Or Henry and Fabregas raving about Arsenal to Sanchez in the past.

 

Markovic dream was to play for Chelsea. But we offered him a huge increase on his current wages and a chance to compete at a high level.Before he could rip down his Lampard poster he had added Gerrard on twitter. Often players fall in love with a league or worship a player as much as a club. Lucas and Coutinho especially have prob done more for our chance of getting good Brazilian players than some of our titles in the 80’s. No laughing at the mention of Lucas at the back please. I would also add more young players know and care more about Istanbul than Bob and Bills epic legacy.

 

There are prob a handful of players like Suarez, Ronaldo and Messi  who can pick where they play. The rest in most instances do not have the choice. Players are often impressed with the history but good players want to be part of making history.

[Kevin D]

Yep, and being ridiculed for it.

Are you sure about that, because I'm fairly certain you were in favour of the Downing deal.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

How did a highly paid committee of internationally recognised scouts come to the conclusion that the only seamless replacement for a world class 31 goal a season striker, is this guy?

 

 

Simple. They didn't.

[Jay86]

Bad news for us selling Agger if Barcelona sign Vermaelen as Barca are the only realistic link I've read for him. They won't sign 2 left footed centre backs.

[Ne Moe Imya]

Listening to some of you whinge about the fact that we've only bought (or are going to have bought by the end of the window, including Moreno and another striker) 5 players in the £20 million range this summer reminds me of this:

 

 

Chins up.  We still have one of the best young managers in the business in charge and scored 101 league goals last season and we have Champion's League football returning to Anfield.  Even with Suarez gone we will see success this season most football fans could only dream of.

[Major Tom]

Saying that with hindsight, though. At the time, we were all happy with Downing.

 

er..no.

[Trucker Paddy]

Bad news for us selling Agger if Barcelona sign Vermaelen as Barca are the only realistic link I've read for him. They won't sign 2 left footed centre backs.

Vermalen going to united, told arsenal that's who he wants a to join anyway.

[Jay86]

Vermalen going to united, told arsenal that's who he wants a to join anyway.

Some Manc told me they are 100% definitely signing Hummels so you must be wrong mate!

 

Seriously though I'd be glad if they signed him, they seem

Intent on playing 3 at the back, the 3 they already have are all shit. They could go out and buy Hummels and another world class centre back with the mythical "£200m" transfer budget they have but instead they are going after a crock who hasn't played much football for the best part of 2 years and even when fit Arsenal chose not to play him.