Burning Question: Rickie Lambert - Are you on board with it?

[skend04]

Great touch, scores goals, creates goals, cracking lad, supports Liverpool, £4 Million. Shrewd signing. We have a boss starting 11. Time to build a squad now.

We are forever squad building. Howsabout we improve our starting 11 first. I'm then assuming as one of the posts above says our squad will coincidentally improve.

[dave u]

You aren't getting it. Chelsea have massive quality throughout the rest of their team. They shit on us with their quality and depth in defense, and therefore don't need to score as many goals. If we do strengthen the rest of our team with top quality players we will also be less reliant on goal scoring. So why waste money and wages on a squad player that Rodger's clearly stated we weren't going to focus on, instead of what we really need?

 

Later down the track if we really want to sustain our ability to compete then I think we ought to spend big money on a 3rd striker who is at a level on or close to our first choicers in order to maintain quality when we rotate as City can do. That will remain a big advantage to City, as we are basically relying on Suarez and Sturridge to not have to spend too much time on the sidelines or we are fucked. City are sitting pretty in that regard.

 

Not really sure where you're coming from with this?

 

If signing Lambert meant we couldn't get the first team players we need, then you'd be right. But it's a bit of a leap to be suggesting that because we're signing Lambert as back up it means we won't have the cash to fill the positions that need filling, surely?

 

You used the word 'instead' of what we really need. If it is instead then I'm with you, but there's nothing to suggest Lambert won't be brought in as well as what we really need. We've got a £16m bid in for a left back for example.

 

You've said we shouldn't spend big on a 3rd striker until other areas have been addressed, and I completely agree. It would be pretty daft. That would be a complete luxury signing at this moment in time. Maybe next year once we've filled the areas of real need, but not now.

 

Even with Borini coming back, it makes sense to add another. I would have been ok with us going into next season with Sturridge, Suarez and Borini as long as we bought a couple of top drawer wide attackers to compliment them, but having Lambert as well is a good insurance policy and the more I think about it we probably need four strikers.

 

Last year we were basically only playing league games, yet Suarez was completely goosed in the last month of the season. Next year we'll have loads more games so he'll need to be managed more, especially coming off a World Cup and an injury.

 

Sturridge has been quite injury prone and is unlikely to play an entire season without missing games, so yeah, we probably do need four.

 

Signing Lambert for the fee quoted is not going to eat into the budget much at all, so I don't see it as being relevant to us buying other players.

 

If you just don't think he's good enough then that's a different matter of course.

[Stickman]

Give it time and we'll all be doing the Lambert walk

[Bad Red Bull]

Not really sure where you're coming from with this?

 

If signing Lambert meant we couldn't get the first team players we need, then you'd be right. But it's a bit of a leap to be suggesting that because we're signing Lambert as back up it means we won't have the cash to fill the positions that need filling, surely?

 

You used the word 'instead' of what we really need. If it is instead then I'm with you, but there's nothing to suggest Lambert won't be brought in as well as what we really need. We've got a £16m bid in for a left back for example.

 

You've said we shouldn't spend big on a 3rd striker until other areas have been addressed, and I completely agree. It would be pretty daft. That would be a complete luxury signing at this moment in time. Maybe next year once we've filled the areas of real need, but not now.

 

Even with Borini coming back, it makes sense to add another. I would have been ok with us going into next season with Sturridge, Suarez and Borini as long as we bought a couple of top drawer wide attackers to compliment them, but having Lambert as well is a good insurance policy and the more I think about it we probably need four strikers.

 

Last year we were basically only playing league games, yet Suarez was completely goosed in the last month of the season. Next year we'll have loads more games so he'll need to be managed more, especially coming off a World Cup and an injury.

 

Sturridge has been quite injury prone and is unlikely to play an entire season without missing games, so yeah, we probably do need four.

 

Signing Lambert for the fee quoted is not going to eat into the budget much at all, so I don't see it as being relevant to us buying other players.

 

If you just don't think he's good enough then that's a different matter of course.

 

You nailed it Dave! 

[dave u]

If we sign Lallana and Lambert that would give us seven of England's WC squad. If most of them are playing then I may find it difficult to root against them this time!

[Babb'sBurstNad]

I understand some of the disappointment with this deal. I didn't want us to touch squad players until obvious first team players or those capable of ousting someone from the starting eleven were signed.

 

However, this deal smacks of opportunism. We're locked in negotiations over another player, Southampton lose their manager and this just seems to tick the right boxes.

 

If it affects other deals, then it's poor business, but by the looks of it we're pressing ahead for first team candidates as we speak.

[The Golden Eel]

If we sign Lallana and Lambert that would give us seven of England's WC squad. If most of them are playing then I may find it difficult to root against them this time!

 

It's becoming a bit of a concern that.

[an tha]

We could have all 11 starting for them, but if they are wearing that FA and Ingerlund badge rather than a Liverbird then it means nothing to me.

[Hand Shandy]

Last summer we spent £8m on Aspas, and people are moaning about spending £4m on Lambert?

 

Baffling...

[Cardie]

If we sign Lallana and Lambert that would give us seven of England's WC squad. If most of them are playing then I may find it difficult to root against them this time!

Only slight issue with that is when you stick 11 English men on the pitch together they tend to be monumentally shit.

 

hopefully only having 7 mixed with 4 from elsewhere will be enough to negate whatever curse befalls the England team (and not having Hodgson as manager will help).

 

 

[ZonkoVille77]

A football team is the sum of all it's parts. We will likely sign 5-6 more players that will help the entire squad. A mix of youth and experience is essential when challenging for honours.

We could sign C Ronaldo but it wouldn't necessarily make us a great team. Too many fuckin hysterical fannies having a shit freak over nothing. If we haven't strengthened come end of August then by all means have a pop.

[FrenchEyeGlass]

Last summer we spent £8m on Aspas, and people are moaning about spending £4m on Lambert?

 

Baffling...

It truly is fucking baffling.

 

The good news here folks is that I knew Aspas was going to be a shit signing. I also think Lambert will be a decent, bellamy esque player for us in that he will get us circa 10 goals.

 

Im nearly always right so you can all rest assured.

[RazorBack]

Good in the context if we sign the likes of Moreno, Rakitić, Alexis (Pedro) and Song. Not as good if we sign Lovren, Lallana and Lambert..

[Furmedge]

Roy Evans should never have released him in the first place...

 

Not sure I agree with that one. He was 15 when he was released and didn't play in the Premier League until he touching 30.  In those 15 years he played in the Championship for one season, the rest of them in League 1 & 2.  I'd put this one down to Rickie Lambert working his socks off than the oversight of a manager. I don't think any club, Southampton included, had Lambert down as a Premier League player and England international when they signed him in League 1, approaching his 28th birthday.

[Furmedge]

I think Lambert will be an excellent signing.  His motivation to do well will be infectious to the rest of the team.  He'll walk out of the tunnel at Anfield feeling 10 feet tall and will run himself into the ground for us.

[Jairzinho]

I think this transfer has to be seen in isolation, it clearly isn't the "policy". We've got two of the best forwards in the world, with absolute shite backing them up. We weren't going to spend two thirds of the total transfer budget trying to sign someone as good as Sturridge, and we can't sign anyone as good as Suarez.

 

Even if its just for one season I reckon this makes sense. Lambert will be absolutely buzzing, and he knows he may only get one season as well. I'd much prefer this to someone like Remy, who I think is very overrated, and one dimensional, but also a complete knob. Average work rate, big wages, agent driven, mercenary cunt, who will spend his whole career talking shit in the media and moving clubs every season. A short, poor man's Adebayor. He'll be in Qatar or China by 30.

 

In other areas of the pitch we need first team players, or at the very least, players of a similar ability to what we have, to rotate. So we need most of the budget spent there.

[Dr. J]

I think Lambert will be an excellent signing.  His motivation to do well will be infectious to the rest of the team.  He'll walk out of the tunnel at Anfield feeling 10 feet tall and will run himself into the ground for us.

 

Ditto.

[jaris mullet]

He will be decent but we should have got him in jan as when danny s got injured it was way off it.

cult hero in waiting.doesnt miss penos. and a true red.

im mad for lambert

[PestiRed]

If we sign Lallana and Lambert that would give us seven of England's WC squad. If most of them are playing then I may find it difficult to root against them this time!

It'll be seven of our players poisoned by that owl - faced dinosaur. Hopefully they'll get knocked out early so Brendan has plenty of time to administer the antidote

[Jairzinho]

Firth

Flanagan Wisdom Kelly Johnson

Gerrard

Henderson Lallana

Sterling

Sturridge Lambert

[magicrat]

Not over excited by Lambert but would be happy with him and Borini as back up and bin off Aspas. Had hoped by now we could have had a couple more strategic signings in the can .

The Lallana saga is starting to piss me off .

[PestiRed]

Guardian saying we have agreed 4.5m subject to medical. He's either going to score a hat trick or break his leg tonight

[VladimirIlyich]

Im ok with it.

 

Reminds me of the John Aldridge transfer in that he is a boyhood Red in the twilight of his career(Aldridge wasnt as old as Lambert but they are similar types of players) and they both offered us that different option of an aerial threat with the option of holding the ball up when necessary. Both better on the ground than given credit for too.

If we werent able to compete for a Dzeko style transfer then Lambert is a very capable compromise.

Nice to see Brendan admits we need another option so now lets get this defence sorted out.

[moof]

Love how so many supporters are so accepting of signings like these. Small time mentality after so many years of being also rans? Chelsea and City will be laughing if this is the type of signing we make to supposedly have a chance of competing with them with the addition of continental competition.

 

It seems like supporters expect our managers style of play to carry us to glory. Rodgers style and management abilities will take us a ways, but a style of play can only take you so far when your rivals are buying the best players each window, while we continue to shop out of the bargain bin.

What shall we do then? Spunk our entire load on someone like Benzema to sit on the bench and not be able to sign an attacking midfielder, left back, centre back or defensive midfielder? Sounds ace.

[Adebisi]

Happy with this. He's actually a really good player Lambert and for 4 million a steal. Shame he's not a few years younger, but I think he'll get 15-20 goals for us next season. Boyhood red too. I'll be amazed if this doesn't turn out to be excellent business.