Where do we go from here?

[PaulMcC]

Not Barnes and Beardsley, that was all Kenny.

 

In fact Bob became quite bitter about it when people started talking about "the greatest Liverpool team ever" and seemed to have a peculiar distaste for Aldridge.

 

It was often put down to the beginnings of his illness.

 

Don't forget Ronnie and Roy, it was definitely a collective effort. It's only with the last two managers that it's been perceived as a one-man band. Bob was there to help and he definitely did, especially when Kenny took the 7 shirt back form Walsh for the run-in.

 

McMahon had always been a Liverpool target, but had to spend two years at Villa before arriving. The blues never forgave him anyway but it was less heated as a result, and of course we didn't 'need' him in 83. So he was certainly a Paisley target.

 

We changed the fullbacks for younger models, and the Molby-McMahon partnership clicked immediately. Could have been luck, could have been Bob, but I don't think too much credit should be taken away from Dalglish.

 

He's one of the few managers to win league titles with two different clubs so he obviously learned something from the best!

 

Did you write that Dalglish book?

[goatboy59]

No.

 

It had sentences and spelling and facts and everything!

 

My next door neighbour asked me to sign it, though.

[PaulMcC]

No.

 

It had sentences and spelling and facts and everything!

 

My next door neighbour asked me to sign it, though.

 

Bet that fella is gutted who've the same name as him.

 

The F doesn't really stop people thinking it was you.

[goatboy59]

If they know what the F stands for, they always think it's me! ;)

[StevieH]

............fucked if I know.

 

But it is time for a huge cull. Hicks, Gillett and Rafa all need to go and the sooner the better.

[Red Nick]

Peice of piss this one.

 

1 New Owners

2 New Manager

3 Create Premiership History and win the title after finishing 7th the previous season.

 

Easy Peasy

[CWD82]

I'd get rid of Aurelio, Insua, Skrtel, The Greek, Degen, Aquilani, Yossi, Kuyt, Babel, Riera, Ngog. Not one of them good enough or consistent enough

 

Leaves us needing a leftback, a centre back, a right winger, a left winger and at least one centre forward.

 

Promote Pacheco and use Shelvey and Wilson as squad depth.

 

Oh, a new owner and manager as well.

 

Should be a nice quiet summer.

[Trucker Paddy]

I'd get rid of Aurelio, Insua, Skrtel, The Greek, Degen, Aquilani, Yossi, Kuyt, Babel, Riera, Ngog. Not one of them good enough or consistent enough

 

Leaves us needing a leftback, a centre back, a right winger, a left winger and at least one centre forward.

 

Promote Pacheco and use Shelvey and Wilson as squad depth.

 

Oh, a new owner and manager as well.

 

Should be a nice quiet summer.

 

Keep aqualani and the greek, the rest you say i agree with, I agree with the requirments also but if we get a decent left winger I think Maxi will do a decent job on the right, but I would'nt trust Rafa. not going from 2nd to 1st is down to the Yanks but going from 2nd to 7th is the managers fault and has to go.

Edited May 9, 2010 by Trucker Paddy

[sir roger]

On the pitch, I agree with the excellent earlier poster about shrewd cheap buys as lets face it we will be very lucky if the owner situation changes quickly enough to get us away from Lidl-style deals.

 

I would like Capdevila/Altintop/Jovanovic all on frees & make money with the usual suspects.

 

One element that has not cropped up yet that could be vital, is the close-season. To me the last close-season was an absolute disgrace and one of the main reasons that the season never took off. We just criss-crossed the globe with no sense of acceleration towards the start of the season.

 

I was interested to hear Rafa say they might have to tweak the plans now we have a July Europa League game as I hadn't heard any rumours as to what we had planned.With the extra logistical problems inherent in the late return of World Cup players we must be really on the ball to get a good start next season.

[Squabblefest]

The deficiencies in our squad can be overcome despite our financial handicap. I think our biggest problem is a lack of balance rather than the perceived lack of quality. We have a number of decent options in certain positions and are threadbare in others. When injuries / suspensions arise in our weaker areas we struggle to cope and are forced to drastically change the team to compensate. A better balanced squad would address this.

 

By way of example, on the right wing we could conceivably play any of Maxi, Benayoun, Kuyt, Babel, Gerrard, El Zhar, Johnson or Degen (at a stretch) whereas Insua was our only available left back for pretty much the whole season. On the left wing we have no option but to play naturally right footed players as Riera has been ostracised. Trying to put square pegs in round holes is far from ideal. Presumably we are picking up Jovanovic on a free to replace Riera but what about also signing somebody like Martin Petrov or Morten Gamst Pedersen on a Bosman to provide some competition and cover? Similarly Capdevilla is available on a free and could offer something at left back with Insua as understudy.

 

We could certainly generate a decent war chest by selling some of the fringe players in the squad. Cavalieri (£4m) could be replaced by Gulacsi. We no longer need Degen (£1m) as cover for right back as Carra / Kelly can fill in if needed. Babel (£9m) has flattered to deceive and has never established himself in the team. Aurelio’s contract is about to expire and he just can’t stay fit enough to warrant an extension. Riera (£6m) and Itandje have signed their own death warrants. Maxi looks like he is going to nail down right wing so we could cash in on either Kuyt (£7m) or Benayoun (£6m) if we needed extra funds to strengthen our problem positions. Even one of Skrtel (£6m) or Agger (£8m) could be sold if we wanted to acquire a pacey centre back who is commanding in the air.

 

Without getting all FM, if we replaced Aurelio, Riera, El Zhar, Degen, Babel, Cavalieri, Itandje and Kuyt / Benayoun with Capdevilla, Jovanovic, Pedersen, Shelvey and used the balance of the funds to purchase a quality striker and centre back I honestly believe we would sail back into the Top 4. I do not accept that we need £100m to get our house in order and I think this is a total cop out. Maxi and Kyrgiakos cost a total of £3m and prove that there are modestly priced players out there that can improve our squad. We may not win the league but there is no excuse for not challenging again next year. This is Rafa’s squad and if he is not prepared to take drastic action we need to find somebody that will…

 

Repped.

(Although with a positive attitude like that; are you sure you're in the right fucking place?)

[Original202]

Where do we go from here?

 

Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the 3rd qualifying round of the Europa League.