The mighty Lucas Leiva.

[Juan Galonso]

Year younger than Milner, who won the national award.

 

Which was another farce by the way.

 

Who were the alternatives to Lucas in our squad for Young Player of the Year? Wasn't much competition for a supposed young team was there?

[Jose Jones]

Year younger than Milner, who won the national award.

 

Yeah that’s a joke as well, didn’t Milner make his debut at 16? He’s been a regular in the prem for 7 years and still wins young player of the year...

 

We are sparse in quality young players though, which is a bit of a worry. We’ve got a good load of mid twenties – Pepe, Masch, Torres, then Agger and Skrtel I suppose. Obviously Carra and Gerrard around thirty. We haven’t really got anyone who looks like they could step up if we lose Gerrard and/or Torres.

[BexBissel]

Grafite being picked is an odd one.

He doesn't like the physical side of the game. The writing was on the wall for him long ago.

[Jose Jones]

Which was another farce by the way.

 

Who were the alternatives to Lucas in our squad for Young Player of the Year? Wasn't much competition for a supposed young team was there?

 

Insua and N'Gog really. Enough said.

If Kelly hadn't got injured he should have played a lot more and may have been in there. Shame he seems to be a bit injury prone.

[Juan Galonso]

To paraphrase Peter Kenyon: The Young Player of the Year will come from a group of one.

[BexBissel]

Jay Spearing?

[Hermes]

To paraphrase Peter Kenyon: The Young Player of the Year will come from a group of one.

 

Give it time -"we have only been in control of the academy for one year".

[Jose Jones]

Give it time -"we have only been in control of the academy for one year".

 

It’s an issue though isn’t it Hermes, no matter how much you take the piss.

 

A club either needs to have a definite policy on youth running through the club, like Ajax previously or Barca now, which we didn’t have in place. Or the only chance kids get if they are obviously world class, which happens only rarely.

[Hermes]

It’s an issue though isn’t it Hermes, no matter how much you take the piss.

 

A club either needs to have a definite policy on youth running through the club, like Ajax previously or Barca now, which we didn’t have in place. Or the only chance kids get if they are obviously world class, which happens only rarely.

 

Ajax are the only club who have done it consistently. Barca now and Man U before them just struck lucky at a particular time. We haven't done too bad in the last 15 years or so with Carragher, Gerrard, Fowler, McManaman, Warnock all playing for England having come through.

 

I wouldn't, and I said it at the time have a manager running the academy. The academy is long term the manager isn't. Having sacked all and sundry and appointed his own men the manager may not be here soon. That shows what a massive mistake it is to have a manager running the academy.

[Jose Jones]

Ajax are the only club who have done it consistently. Barca now and Man U before them just struck lucky at a particular time. We haven't done too bad in the last 15 years or so with Carragher, Gerrard, Fowler, McManaman, Warnock all playing for England having come through.

 

I wouldn't, and I said it at the time have a manager running the academy. The academy is long term the manager isn't. Having sacked all and sundry and appointed his own men the manager may not be here soon. That shows what a massive mistake it is to have a manager running the academy.

 

I agree.

Thing is prior to Rafa (a man who had worked in youth football at one of the biggest clubs in the world) appointing his own men, we had Parry appointing his son and his mate and his dodgy wife.

[razor]

Judging by that Tony Barrett (?) article (More Grim Reading : Soccer Blogs) Lucas is going to be playing in Liverpool's midfield for a few years yet.

 

Maybe that's why Rafa played him: he knows there will be no alternative as we can't buy one, so let's blood him asap, ie this season.

 

Lucas is the future of LFC's team. Not a comforting thought, I know.

[Code]

Ajax are the only club who have done it consistently. Barca now and Man U before them just struck lucky at a particular time. We haven't done too bad in the last 15 years or so with Carragher, Gerrard, Fowler, McManaman, Warnock all playing for England having come through.

 

I wouldn't, and I said it at the time have a manager running the academy. The academy is long term the manager isn't. Having sacked all and sundry and appointed his own men the manager may not be here soon. That shows what a massive mistake it is to have a manager running the academy.

 

Thats spot on and you would have thought someone who only have the club in mind, allegedly, would have a deep understanding on this issue.

[Ted]

That idiot John Bradley said Lucas had a 'wonderful season.' Sorry, but fuck off. If that was wonderful, I would seriously fucking hate to see him have a shite one.

[silverlining]

 

Lucas is the future of LFC's team. Not a comforting thought, I know.

 

 

I jokingly predicted he'd be Liverpool Captain one day.

 

Jesus Fuck.

 

If he's still playing regularly in our midfield next season, I'm going to give up football for a while. I can't maintain the required level of hate anymore.

[Troubadour]

As far as I'm concerned, if you take Pepe out of the equation, there's an argument Lucas has been our best player this season.

 

And it's absolutely fucking disgusting that the fact he's not going to the World Cup is greeted with the sneering disdain a lot of you are showing. He's a fucking Liverpool player. He has his limitations, and he may never develop beyond what he is now, which is a perfectly good third-choice midfielder, but he's still a Liverpool player, and he still (very obviously) tries his heart out whenever he puts on that shirt.

 

Yet those of you who have an axe to grind with the manager decide that the news that he won't, as I imagine he hoped he would, be going to the World Cup is something that can be used as leverage, as a stick to beat him, or Rafa, or whoever with. It's truly, tragically pathetic. You're Liverpool fans. You support your players. You do not mock them or belittle them because they're not going to the World Cup.

[razor]

I jokingly predicted he'd be Liverpool Captain one day.

 

Jesus Fuck.

 

If he's still playing regularly in our midfield next season, I'm going to give up football for a while. I can't maintain the required level of hate anymore.

 

I don't know if a) that blog was written by Tony Barrett, or b) has already been posted on here, but it really is sobering reading about just how bad our financial situation is.

 

People talking about Maureen as a possible candidate to replace Rafa is so wide of the mark it's laughable.

 

Liverpool won't be buying anyone next year, and could possibly lose our best players to service debt.

 

Lucas Leiva will be playing midfield for Liverpool next year. Who will be alongside him is all that is debatable.

 

(More Grim Reading : Soccer Blogs)

[Hooch]

I'd like to hope the academy set up and staff etc. would stay and carry on even if Benitez goes. I want Benitez to go but the work hes done on revamping the academy is one aspect of his tenure he's been brilliant in. Fair play.

[NelCarra]

Valencia's Ever Banega close to £8.5m Liverpool switch with four-year contract on the table

 

Skilful and energetic Argentine lined up as belated Alonso replacement

[Hermes]

That idiot John Bradley said Lucas had a 'wonderful season.'

 

Summer.

[Guest PurpleNose]

That idiot John Bradley said Lucas had a 'wonderful season.' Sorry, but fuck off. If that was wonderful, I would seriously fucking hate to see him have a shite one.

 

I get the feeling he exaggerates how good Lucas is purely out of annoyance at how so many exaggerate how bad Lucas is, and also how often he seems to be the fall guy, even if everyone else has been shite as well.

 

I don't really agree with his slightly childish method of responding, but can see why he's fucked off.

 

A lot of people, very few here mind, will just listen to one media source and if they say someone has been, or is, shite that is good enough for them. Basically a lot of people's opinion on a player is based on very little of their own empirical evidence. Its this that annoys John I think.

[Ted]

He's threw a titty lip on over Lucas loads. Pulling the 'it's cos he's not Xabi Alonso' shite and then calling people "idiots and clowns" because they don't think he's any good.

 

He's just not very good, that's why people have a problem with him. Not because he's not Xabi or Stevie or whoever.

[silverlining]

He's threw a titty lip on over Lucas loads. Pulling the 'it's cos he's not Xabi Alonso' shite and then calling people "idiots and clowns" because they don't think he's any good.

 

He's just not very good, that's why people have a problem with him. Not because he's not Xabi or Stevie or whoever.

 

Yep

[HornsOfJericho]

As far as I'm concerned, if you take Pepe out of the equation, there's an argument Lucas has been our best player this season.

In a season we finished seventh and played probably the worst football seen in the last 15 years.

And it's absolutely fucking disgusting that the fact he's not going to the World Cup is greeted with the sneering disdain a lot of you are showing. He's a fucking Liverpool player. He has his limitations, and he may never develop beyond what he is now, which is a perfectly good third-choice midfielder, but he's still a Liverpool player, and he still (very obviously) tries his heart out whenever he puts on that shirt.

I don't care that he's a Liverpool player. Players come and go. Also, if I throw the shirt on and play like shite, does that mean I get a pat on the back as well?

Yet those of you who have an axe to grind with the manager decide that the news that he won't, as I imagine he hoped he would, be going to the World Cup is something that can be used as leverage, as a stick to beat him, or Rafa, or whoever with. It's truly, tragically pathetic. You're Liverpool fans. You support your players. You do not mock them or belittle them because they're not going to the World Cup.

Again, no. Like I've said, players come and go. I don't have to support the players at all. If that was the case, then the irony is, you are having a go at Benitez as he tends to ship out the shite if they aren't good enough sharpish.

 

I'll say it one last time. It's about Liverpool football club; not the players, managers, owners or the fucking kit man. If someone isn't performing, they will be removed from the club.

[The Dude Abides]

It’s an issue though isn’t it Hermes, no matter how much you take the piss.

 

A club either needs to have a definite policy on youth running through the club, like Ajax previously or Barca now, which we didn’t have in place. Or the only chance kids get if they are obviously world class, which happens only rarely.

 

That's the goal surely. But what worries me there is, Barca, Ajax and Arsenal too now, have an ethos, a very clear idea of how they want to play their football, and teach that all the way down their youth teams. It's why Arsenal can bring in young players and a lot of the time slot right in. Same with Barca.

 

Us? The first team has no style, no footballing philosophy to speak of. So it's always going to be more of a struggle for us to integrate young players into the side.

[ngogswilly]

Christ as usual people jumping all over this thread basically telling us if we dont rate Lucas we may aswell be calling him a cunt.

 

The only person who was taking the piss out of him on this thread was Code. And all he did was make a snidey fucking thread title and make a few snidey digs no worse than some other shite u'd see on here.

 

I'm sick and tired of people getting grief for stating the obvious.

Hes not good enough.