the players we're being linked with...

[G Richards]

I'm not sure a sporting director, with veto power over Rafa's signings, would work. A sporting director who had the job of reeling them in, once Rafa had indicated he wanted said player, would possibly work, especially if the CEO didn't get involved in this sort of thing (obviously on the basis that Rafa had 100% trust in the man).

 

But a sporting director with veto power over the manager's planned signings? No way. I'm of the view that you need one man at the top. He lives and dies by his decisions. We've had joint managers and joint owners. This sort of thing doesn't work.

 

One man at the top putting together his team is the best way.

 

PS - for those who feel that this is risky, becasue a manager could waste millions on players, is it not also true that a Sporting Director could waste millions on players?!

 

One man, and you back his judgement.

[WaltonRed]

We will never have a sporting director, it is not the Liverpool way, end of story.

[rebel23]

a) How many times do you need to make the same point, by starting a new thread? I've lost count of your 'transfer analysis' threads, at the very least why not just find an old one and add to it? Its not like your central point has changed?

 

b) There is no magic answer to winning football matches. No matter how much you think transfers alone will win you the league, it aint so. There are a thousand factors which add up to a successful team, buying the right players is just one of them.

 

c) You're basic premise of not buying English players is shite. I'd make an educated guess that there are English players who join clubs and don't make it, and there are foreign players who join clubs and don't make it. Equally, there are English players who are successful, and there are foreign players who are successful. Because you think you know a magic formula for guaranteed success in a player doesn't make it fact.

 

The truth is, lots of transfers are risky. Its a gamble: will the cheaper player do as well as the more expensive player? Will the foreign player do as well in a different league in a different country? Will the homegrown player do as well at another club? Will the expensive player deliver on his high price tag?

<snipped for brevity>

 

that's a long post weeksie, i do think transfers are important, we have a shocking transfer record especially in attacking positions, we have consistantly failed for many, many years to sign right and left sided players who are among the best in the league

 

I am not against signing English players, especially young English players but you must realise they have to be a good deal, in a position we need and bedded in over time, you don't buy Johnson for an inflated £12m and expect him to contribute to a title bid next season, it aint gonna happen.

 

it comes down to this:

 

what do we need on the pitch, what do we need in the starting XI?

 

we cannot sign players the calibre of Ronaldo, Kaka, Messi, etc. these are quality players, they're certainly good enough for LFC and what we should be aiming for but they're unobtainable, i prefer to find the next one of those rather than have Bentley who isn't going to reach that level, do you understand this point?

 

it's really not hard to understand, we're strong in midfield, we're weak on the right and the left, our resources should be used to acquire players who have the potential to be "great" (maybe in a year, or two or three, or maybe never as I agree you can never get right all the time), rather than those who can come in and do a job keeping us at 4th place, then need replacing or upgrading in 2 years time while we watch the Mancs and Chelsea battle it out for the title

[Xabi D]

Whys everyone giving rebel23 grief? he's talking a lot of sense, is it wrong for some of us to expect ambition in th transfer market? the players we are being linked are simply not good enough, its not an issue about nationality its about finding the best possible players for Liverpool. I for one am sick of groaning about signing a player rather than dancing for joy.

[zigackly]

How many players have we been linked with in the last four years who we've actually signed? How many of these current links come from believable sources? I hate the transfer window for the absolute hysteria which surrounds it, often for months before it even opens. I never believe a transfer rumour until I see the player in a Liverpool shirt with the manager on the official website. Anything else has a massive bullshit potential and is frankly a waste of time. I still get sucked in to an extent, as there are always players everyone would like to sign, but why generate so much angst over players who we are UNLIKELY to sign? I don't really get it.

[Heighway]

Whys everyone giving rebel23 grief? he's talking a lot of sense, is it wrong for some of us to expect ambition in th transfer market? the players we are being linked are simply not good enough, its not an issue about nationality its about finding the best possible players for Liverpool. I for one am sick of groaning about signing a player rather than dancing for joy.

 

He's talking unrealistic, football manager nonsense. We're not Chelsea and can't just buy 20 million quid superstars in every position, and need to pad the squad out with cheaper players. Some work, some don't, just the way it is.

[Joe Strummer]

I'm pretty sure we will sign at least one of Barry, Bentley or Johnson. I would say Barry would be the best option at the moment although Johnson has more potential. We could use Riise and cash to sign Barry from Villa who wouldn't want to sell but would he be happy coming if perhaps Rafa wants him for the left?

 

I am not fussed about Bentley and would hope we get Modric and another striker instead.

[rebel23]

but chelsea don't though, how I laugh when they bought SWP for £24m, how I pray they pay the same for Bentley!

 

they can afford it though, they can keep throwing darts and one will stick eventually, we can't, we have to be careful with our resources.

 

we don't need to pad out our squad, we dont need any CBs or CMs or an expensive striker, we should be focused on left and right sided attacking players as well as fullbacks but as soon as we do, we seem to want to buy another midfielder or defender, it's wrong.

[Heighway]

but chelsea don't though, how I laugh when they bought SWP for £24m, how I pray they pay the same for Bentley!

 

If Chelsea bought Bentley for 24 million, you'd criticise us for not doing the same.

[rebel23]

If Chelsea bought Bentley for 24 million, you'd criticise us for not doing the same.

 

i wouldn't, i would be delighted if they did that and i'd wish Bentley every success with his new club

[neopulian]

Whys everyone giving rebel23 grief? he's talking a lot of sense, is it wrong for some of us to expect ambition in th transfer market? the players we are being linked are simply not good enough, its not an issue about nationality its about finding the best possible players for Liverpool. I for one am sick of groaning about signing a player rather than dancing for joy.

 

YES11!!!! THE CLUB NEVER SIGNED MEGASTARS LIKE RONALDINHO OR KAKA OR IBRAHIMOVIC JUST TO PISS US OFF, MAAAAAAN!!!!!1111111!!!! FUUUUUUUUCK!!!!

[Moschops II]

I'm very happy with the kinds of players we're being linked with at the moment, although let's remember:

 

a) A link means precisely fuck all in the real world anyway.

 

b) Given our current financial situation, pretty much any player we bring in is a nail in the coffin of the club's long term future.

[Heighway]

Given our current financial situation, pretty much any player we bring in is a nail in the coffin of the club's long term future.

 

As long as they're attacking full backs or wide players I don't mind that.

 

They've got to be wide players!!

[Xabi D]

YES11!!!! THE CLUB NEVER SIGNED MEGASTARS LIKE RONALDINHO OR KAKA OR IBRAHIMOVIC JUST TO PISS US OFF, MAAAAAAN!!!!!1111111!!!! FUUUUUUUUCK!!!!

 

Are you retarded? i was making a sensible point that too many times over the last few years we've signed players who clearly do not belong at Liverpool and will be nothing more than squad-fillers. Instead of coming back at me with an articulate response you come back with that bullshit, retard.

[WaltonRed]

Barry can play left full back remember, good engine and a good passer.

[Red Mist]

No crap British players please. Barry is okay but do we need another central midfielder? Bentley is overrated. He's doing well in a poor team - just like Pennant did before we signed him for a ridiculously inflated fee. Bentley would probably cost twice as much, and lacks the essential quality needed to be a really top winger in the Premiership - pace.

As for Johnson and Cattermole...give me strength, please. Rafa would have to be losing the plot completely to be contemplating signing them.

[Crazyhorse7778]

I would be quite happy if we signed Johnson provided our problem positions are solved first. He reminds me a lot of a young Stevie.

[Red Jersey]

How many of us were a bit hesitant of Torres when we got him in the summer? Be honest, he was not most peoples' number one choice. Boy has he proved me wrong!!!

[RAOScotland]

To be honest i'm very sceptical of the media anyway, I won't believe it till I see it tied up.

I don't think, tho that a lot of the players we are being linked with would improve us, especially as we want to be making a push for the title next year.

I rate Barry, but who would he replace in the team. He certainly isn't better than Xabi and we've also got Lucas who I feel is improving so I don't think improving midfield is a priority.

[Heighway]

I think he and Gerrard would make a good central partnership, with Masch sitting behind them. Left and right foot means a good balance, and Barry can get about the pitch a bit more than Xabi.

[bobhorse]

Rafa's first choices must also be the club's first choices. If I was sporting director I'd have veto'd the signings of Lucas, Benayoun and Voronin last summer on the grounds of quality in the cases of the latter two and to sign Lucas he would have had to sell someone first/prove he is better than Sissoko etc.

 

I think it is a dangerous game allowing one person to do whatever they want, the club has to pay the money remember and give them contracts usually for periods that will long surpass the managers time here. I am also uncomfortable with Rafa doing contract negotiations. I heard his agent does a lot of work for Liverpool in contacting players and I am not comfy with that either.

 

Rash if you where Sporting Director i would Tar and feather the man who Employed you

 

If i have employed a man to Manage then i expect him to Manage and that means all football matters

He will live and die by his results and that includes his signings

He would identify who he wants to sign and if the money is within the budget that i have set him then the player would be signed simple as that

this rule by commitee shite doesnt work someone always has to make a decision and if i am paying a manager then i expect him to be the man making them how he comes to them decisions is up to him why i would need another person to approve the appointments the manager wants to make is just plain fucking stupid

 

If you ran a production line and people where picking out bad apples from a convayor belt would you employ another person to ensure that the apple is bad or would you trust the person to get it right and if he cant employ someone else who can

 

Sporting director my arse what would Shanks have said to that

[Paco]

Pennant and Crouch were linked with us for at least 6 months before we signed them and nobody would have made those signings up as they are not the most fashionable of players but we ended up signing them.

 

I think we are defo after Bentley whether he signs or not is up to him and the clubs.

 

Barry may be getting fed up with villa.

 

Cattermole is a good young talent at Boro and who wouldn't want to leave them (apart from Downing apparently)

 

Johnson is another good young english midfielder and I'd rather we bought him than mahmadou diarra.

 

the other thing is that maybe this limit on foreign players that uefa are threatening to bring in is closer than we think.

[Rashid]

Sporting director my arse what would Shanks have said to that

 

What do you think he would have said about defensive football? hat would he have made of players who can't "pass and move"?

 

Times have changed mate.

 

Players bought into the club should be an investment the business is happy with not only the manager. E.g. When you have Spearing coming through, Guthrie on loan playing well, Lucas on board, Plessis doing well in addition to Mascherano, Alonso and Gerrard - the manager should not be allowed to go after Cattermole and Johnson - he and the scouts would be told to identify a top class winger.

 

It's like recruiting 6 telephone operators when you only have 4 phones.

[Bert]

What do you think he would have said about defensive football? hat would he have made of players who can't "pass and move"?

 

Times have changed mate.

 

Players bought into the club should be an investment the business is happy with not only the manager. E.g. When you have Spearing coming through, Guthrie on loan playing well, Lucas on board, Plessis doing well in addition to Mascherano, Alonso and Gerrard - the manager should not be allowed to go after Cattermole and Johnson - he and the scouts would be told to identify a top class winger.

 

It's like recruiting 6 telephone operators when you only have 4 phones.

 

Or 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife

[Lapskaus]

Rash, you always have a go at Rafa. It's getting ridiculous. This thread is about transfers, and yet you manage to start talking shite about "Defensive football".