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Sakho


Pureblood
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Selling Sakho  

143 members have voted

  1. 1. Would it be a mistake to sell him?



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Any ban Sakho gets will ultimately be backdated to today. The minimum suspension he faces is 6 months and the maximum is two years. I suspect he will put forward an argument in mitigation and end up with a one year ban but that is more in hope than anything else.

 

There are some products on the market containing the substance he allegedly took - Oxilofrine - which do not list it on the label. If he made checks with his physician etc. before consuming whatever he took, there is an outside chance he will receive a six month suspension as per Kolo Toure as it would be a broadly similar argument to the one advanced in that case.  

 

The problem with a 12 month suspension is it is more or less tantamount to a 15 month suspension from the club's perspective; he would not be eligible to play until this time next season and the club would need to cover his wages during two summer breaks where he is not contributing anything on the playing side. That would equate to £5m in wages without any productivity (less any fine by the club).

 

Bizarrely, I suspect FFP will convince the club not to cancel his contract. If it was terminated for gross misconduct, Sakho's asset value would need to be written down on the clubs books. With a contract for a further 4 years his value is probably in the region of £20m. Writing that off would have a significant impact on our ability to spend on new players as the club would still be required to operate within the rules on player dealings. 

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Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell, the two fastest sprinters in the world this year, have both tested positive for the banned amphetamine oxilofrine. Both have insisted they are not cheats. Here's our guide to the banned substance.

 

What is oxilofrine?

Oxilofrine is a stimulant of the amphetamine class that was developed to treat hypotension (low blood pressure) in people who do not respond to conventional treatment. Oxilofrine is the prescription name for methylsynephrine, hydroxyephrine and oxyephrine. It is not widely used in the UK and is not a licensed drug in the US. Some firms use oxilofrine, in the form of synephrine, in so-called sports nutritional supplements as it is thought to allow people to burn fat faster and lose weight. Synephrine is a natural component of Citrus aurantium, otherwise known as bitter orange, but it can also be synthesised or extracted from plant sources.

 

What are its effects?

Oxilofrine is thought to increase adrenaline production, boosting endurance, focus, alertness and heart rate and increasing oxygenation of the blood.

 

Is it dangerous?

Long-term abuse of a drug such as oxilofrine could put result in tachycardias (very high heart rate), cardiac dysrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and haemorrhagic stroke. It could also cause hypertension (high blood pressure) if taken by people with normal blood pressure.

 

How do you take it?

If not supplied on prescription, oxilofrine (methylsynephrine) would most commonly be taken as a sports nutrition supplement, mixed with other supplements, in liquid capsule form.

 

Why is it banned?

It is considered a performance enhancing drug, and is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of banned substances.

 

What does Wada say?

Oxilofrine is found in its anti-doping code in "stimulants: section S6" in section "b: specified stimulants". Wada states: "A specified substance is a substance which allows, under defined conditions, for a greater reduction of a two-year sanction when an athlete tests positive for that particular substance."

 

It goes on to say: "Specified substances are not necessarily less serious agents for the purpose of doping than other prohibited substances, and nor do they relieve athletes of the strict liability rule that makes them responsible for all substances that enter his or her body.

 

However, there is a greater likelihood that these substances could be susceptible to a credible non-doping explanation."

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Bizarrely, I suspect FFP will convince the club not to cancel his contract. If it was terminated for gross misconduct, Sakho's asset value would need to be written down on the clubs books. With a contract for a further 4 years his value is probably in the region of £20m. Writing that off would have a significant impact on our ability to spend on new players as the club would still be required to operate within the rules on player dealings. 

 

I guess this is the part where giving a player a long term contract over the manager's head can bite you on the balls.  

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Given that defensive stalwarts such as Curtis Davies, Damien Delaney, Steven Caulker and Ryan Shawcross rounded out the top 5 in most clearances in 2013/14, I would say that they aren't the greatest tool to determine the quality and performance of a central defender, wouldn't you?

 

And then, in 2014/15 it was Jason Shackell of Burnley who led the way in clearances. Another absolute brick-wall at the back.

 

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/index.php/articles.html/_/fe/misc-articles/fireman-skrtel-setting-a-high-bar-by-stu-montagu-r621

 

Just looked for that as I know I looked into that at the time.

 

"To state that he had the most clearances in the league last season isn’t really doing justice to just how far ahead of everyone else he was. His 423 clearances puts him 74 ahead of a small pack headed by Damien Delaney’s 349 in second place, with only 8 players in the whole league hitting 300. It should be noted none of the other seven of that eight played for a side that finished in the top seven - which makes sense given they generally have more of the ball and do less defending. When it comes to shots blocked he ranked third in the league, with only Caulker and Shawcross above him, and you have to scroll down to 14th place before you find someone from a team in the top eight in the league."

 

To do what he did in a team that were so high in the league, dominating so many games and playing so much football was actually quite exceptional.

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http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/index.php/articles.html/_/fe/misc-articles/fireman-skrtel-setting-a-high-bar-by-stu-montagu-r621

 

Just looked for that as I know I looked into that at the time.

 

"To state that he had the most clearances in the league last season isn’t really doing justice to just how far ahead of everyone else he was. His 423 clearances puts him 74 ahead of a small pack headed by Damien Delaney’s 349 in second place, with only 8 players in the whole league hitting 300. It should be noted none of the other seven of that eight played for a side that finished in the top seven - which makes sense given they generally have more of the ball and do less defending. When it comes to shots blocked he ranked third in the league, with only Caulker and Shawcross above him, and you have to scroll down to 14th place before you find someone from a team in the top eight in the league."

 

To do what he did in a team that were so high in the league, dominating so many games and playing so much football was actually quite exceptional.

 

That's fine but I've never rated Skrtel and find his methods of defending amateurish. I fully understand that Rodgers' setup did not help any of our defenders but I don't think anything can convince me he was good that season or in any of his others. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Left out of France's Euro 16 squad.

They had no choice, given the current circumstances. Don't forget they've already had to deal with the Benzema issue too. The last thing they'd want is an unsettled squad when they've a very good chance of winning it in front of their own countrymen.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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