Shopping list 2010-11.

[Gary Mac Legend]

Don't Brazil currently operate with two anchors?? Melo and Silva? What do you all make of that? They're still Brazil, they still score plenty of goals, how does Dunga make it work?

[MLB]

Mascherano is our most saleable asset if (which is likely) we have very little to spend. Given the players we need, it would make sense to sell him and replace him with a cheaper alternative. We could then strengthen other weaker areas with the money and make the team/squad stronger overall.

[Guest LFD]

i'm just saying that if the circumstances were right then i'd sell him.

 

What circumstances would they be?

 

If circumstances were right, surely we wouldn't sell him, as he is the best at what he does.

[Iantn]

Hargreaves has played about 3 games yet they've still won leagues without a holding player as such. Spain did play with Senna 2 years ago but that was then and i'm talking about now - as you said yourself, Busquets is nothing like Mascherano, he's more of a footballer.

 

Germany are open at the back, and I used that as an example of how teams play in different ways. I could list a lot of extremely successful sides who didn't have a holding player at all, or in the same class of Mascherano but I couldn't name many who didn't have players in the same league as Gerrard and Torres.

 

It's about priorities for me. If we lose Mascherano and replace him with a 7/10 holding midfielder for £8M and then spend about £20M on a world class attacker, then that's better for the team, in my view.

 

This is all hypothetical obviously, i'm just saying that if the circumstances were right then i'd sell him.

 

Fair do's. I get the point you are coming from. I just, without him wanting to go, don't see much benefit in moving on a player who gives you exceptional balance. Due to his abilty and the role he plays.

 

As said above by GC, The Argies commit men because they know how good he is. A side next year for me with 2 attacking full backs, Maxi, someone on the left, Gerrard, Kuyt and Torres with Mascherano holding would be better than say a lesser version of Mascherano and a better version than Kuyt, for arguments sake.

[rafarubbish]

as long as were not playing lucas and mascherano at the same time i dont mind, its far too defensive for a team like liverpool, but benitez was a man that would rather avoid defeat than try to win, hopefully hodgson will be more adventerous in attack, for me there was nothing more disapointing than seeing both lads playing at anfield against a bottom 10 side it lacks creativity and quick counter attacking football with neither of them the best at defence splitting passes thats mainly the reason i think stephan ireland would be a good addition to the pool, as well as seeing 2 up front would be a welcome change was getting fed up watching fernando getting lumps kicked out of him by 2 centre halfs whenever he was fit but when challenged with that its no wonder he wasnt

[Guest LFD]

Mascherano is our most saleable asset if (which is likely) we have very little to spend. Given the players we need, it would make sense to sell him and replace him with a cheaper alternative. We could then strengthen other weaker areas with the money and make the team/squad stronger overall.

 

Would it not be better to sell the weaker players, such as Lucas, Kuyt, Babel and Riera to raise funds, rather than a proven player like Mascherano?

 

I think it would.

 

If he wants to go, then sure sell him, but otherwise we should look to keep our best players.

[MLB]

Would it not be better to sell the weaker players, such as Lucas, Kuyt, Babel and Riera to raise funds, rather than a proven player like Mascherano?

 

I think it would.

 

If he wants to go, then sure sell him, but otherwise we should look to keep our best players.

 

 

Selling those players probably wouldn't generate the money we need. If we sold Mascherano for £30 million and brought in Gilberto Silva for £2 million I don't think we would be significantly weaker and we would (hopefully) have a good pot of money to strengthen other areas.

[Moschops II]

Don't Brazil currently operate with two anchors?? Melo and Silva? What do you all make of that? They're still Brazil, they still score plenty of goals, how does Dunga make it work?

 

They score an awful lot from set pieces, something we clearly decided was a bit unfashionable some time ago.

[Redzacy]

I agree why sell our best players we need Javier his passion, power whether he wants to stay is another story.yes we could get a cheaper alternative however could we get a player with such a strong psycological pressence? A real terrier in every way bar goals and precision passes? Sell babbel, Riera get rid of Degen, El Zhar we dont want any psycological pansies anýmore it cost us badly last year IMO

[Il Fenomeno]

Sell Mascherano and buy Gilberto Silva

 

We aren't that fucked, there are plenty of better options than a 33 year old past it player who can hardly run and that has nothing special about his passing.

[Unrighteous]

Buying Journeymen is a bad idea for that buying Gilberto Silva thing... he looked off the pace in his last season of Arsenal.

[Manny]

I'd take that with a huge pinch of salt mate.

 

I've heard it all before. All of this hanging on to journalists views on radio shows and twitter is starting to annoy the fuck out of me (not having a go at you there).

 

They all know fuck all.

 

This. I'm not convinced anyone at the club knows what the fuck is going on. How can anyone outside know?

 

It's probably worse, though.

[WaltonRed]

Since when did we believe the papers?

 

It says we want Silva it also says we want Murphy but Roy's dampened that second one.

 

Its a joke.

 

We'll see what happens boys

[Faustus]

Since when did we believe the papers?

 

It says we want Silva it also says we want Murphy but Roy's dampened that second one.

 

Its a joke.

 

We'll see what happens boys

 

Exactly. Nowt more to add really.

[Gary Mac Legend]

do we reckon Roy will buy from abroad? Or stick to Britain? Or mix it up

[WaltonRed]

Mix it up.

[Il Fenomeno]

He'll buy the most suitable players for the team, won't buy on nationality.

[Guest LFD]

Selling those players probably wouldn't generate the money we need. If we sold Mascherano for £30 million and brought in Gilberto Silva for £2 million I don't think we would be significantly weaker and we would (hopefully) have a good pot of money to strengthen other areas.

 

In theory that is fine.

 

But I'd rather have someone who we know is proven to be top quality, as Mascherano clearly is - rather than buying someone who is a risk.

 

I don't think we need numerous changes, if we keep Torres, Gerrard and Mascherano.

 

Just upgrading on left wing, left back and striker. Think we can raise enough funds through Kuyt, Babel, Riera and Benayoun (although I would be tempted to keep Yossi).

 

Shrewd signings far than expensive ones. For example Jovanovic won't have to do much to improve on Riera and Babel last season.

[Jose Jones]

Taking the optimistic route that we don’t need to sell anyone to pay off the debts just yet, I think it really depends on which clubs come in for them as to whether we lose Gerrard, Torres and Mascherano.

We’ve probably got a bit lucky in that Real spent ridiculous amounts last year, Barca spent stupidly on Zlatan, and then just bought Villa.

Also that Torres and Gerrard both have had poor world cups for a variety of reasons.

I think if Real make a decent bid for Gerrard he will go, also if Barca decided they wanted Torres and managed to offload Zlatan for 40 million odd, he’d go there. I don’t think either will got to another English team. Likewise Masch will go if any of the big Spanish or Italian teams offer 25 mill for him – but doesn’t look like Inter will pay that and Barca are more concerned with Fabregas at this stage.

 

So that could leave Roy with having to do very little emergency work. You’d then need to look at what type of formation he’ll want to play. If it’s majority 442 we can get by with Masch and Gerrard in the middle (don’t think that works too well against top teams mind) with Lucas as back up. Maxi on the right then Riera/Babel/Jovanovic for the left. Kuyt and Torres up front (Babel and N’Gog as back up). In defence you’ve got Johnson at right back with Kelly as reserve, Skrtel, Carra, Agger and Krygiakos with Ayala challenging. It’s only left back in defence that’s desperately in need of improvement.

 

I think Babel, Riera, Aquilani are all expendable – I’d also sell Insua if the 4 million from Fiorentina is anywhere near the mark.

See if we can get a good left back and another striker. If we’re looking to play 4-2-3-1 then I think we need another top class midfielder – likewise if we lose Mascherano.

 

No to Danny Murphy (sorry superdan), Gilberto Silva, Charles N’Zogbia, Paul Konchesky, Kevin Bloody Doyle and all the other midtable crapsters that have been suggested – you know who they are.

[Mbrownrigg]

Whats the story with Jonjo Shelvey?

 

Should he not have signed today?

[kopite1989]

Whats the story with Jonjo Shelvey?

 

Should he not have signed today?

 

He was at training yesterday and has been for over a week now, strange isn't it?

 

Don't remember him ever signing ...

 

He's on the video clip on Hodgson over seeing training too. So he's defo there already

[lawrie]

That Kia Jooraakchbian (sp) was on TalkSport earlier saying Masch hasn't been learning Italian and he will be here next season if the club show they are progressing.

 

This is an intersesting post as it highlights how ITKs and the like can get info wrong. You heard this first hand on the radio and yet you report it incorrectly. That Kia chap said Masch wasnt learning Italian because he was going to Inter - ie he is still learning Italian but we dont know why he is learning Italian

[Guest LFD]

Whats the story with Jonjo Shelvey?

 

Should he not have signed today?

 

He signed at the end of last season.

[Irishlad]

Wonder if Shelvey will be straight into the 1st team squad. Was speaking to a charlton fan a while back, and he reckoned shelvey was stilll very raw but had potential.

[Gary Mac Legend]

Wonder if Shelvey will be straight into the 1st team squad. Was speaking to a charlton fan a while back, and he reckoned shelvey was stilll very raw but had potential.

 

Shelvey can be the real deal, he will be a class above Lucas and lightyears ahead of Spearing, I've seen the lad play for Charlton a few times.