Summer 2011

[Trucker Paddy]

 

Do you not think Elmander is like Dirk Kuyt without the mental strength? If Dirk is getting a new deal then I don't see much need for Elmander, especially as he's just a confidence player and seems to lose confidence easily. He's a decent goalscorer and would be a better option than our past back up strikers like Ngog and Voronin though...

 

I think elmander is a better finisher and target man, Dirk is a different type of player, I just think he'd be a decent back up to Carroll as we wouldn't have to change our shape. I'd like us to aim higher but if we spend most in summer in other areas, we could do worse than Elmander, as I said hopefully we clear alot of shit first

[WrongIslander]

Right now, for me here are the nailed on starters for next year:

 

Gerrard

Carroll

Suarez

Reina

Kelly

Merieles

 

Any and all other positions should be looked at in terms of first team starters. These players I would accept as first team starters IF it was only one or two of them, and the rest had been upgraded:

 

Johnson

Agger (would be in the previous group bar for injuries)

Lucas

Carragher

 

These players I'd accept as squad players - starters if in a purple patch of form, or as cover for injuries:

 

Kuyt (STRIKER ONLY - RW never again!)

Cole (..maybe)

Skrtel

Kyriagkos

 

These players I'd kept for future potential and as squad players:

Wilson

Pacheco

Shelvey

 

These players are best let leave:

 

Maxi

Poulsen

Ngog

Spearing

Konchesky

Aurelio

Jovanovic

 

Agree with all of that other than I'd like Lucas as squad player at the very least and have no problem with him starting as a holding midfielder, a role he has continued to grow in.

 

Spearing isn't close to being good enough for our future no matter how much people will try and kid themselves, if we can't do better than him in our CM then we may as well not bother.

[Cantrell20]

I'd get:

 

Taye Taiwo,Thiago Alcantara and Reto Ziegler on a free transfer as they deals expire this summer

 

Gary Cahill,Arda Turan,Ashley Young, Kevin Gameiro and Jeremy Menez with one year on their respective deals

 

And invest some cashi in N'Zgobia and Lass or Inler to resolve holding midfield problems. Wigan are most likely to go down and someone to fill the British qouta is welcome.

[coop]

Priority number 1 before signing any other players is to get a quality left back in.

 

Also we need to sort out the lack of width which has haunted us for many a year.

 

We need at least one pacey player who can play out wide with the ability to beat the full back and deliver a quality cross for Carroll to attack.

 

Then we need to look at the centre half position as we can not rely on Carra all the time now and need to slowly ease him out of the first team and probably into a coaching role within the club.

 

After doing that we need to look at centre midfield as i would love to see a player like Moussa Sissoko arrive who is not only a destroyer but can get forward as well.

 

For me the striker situation is well down the list as Kuyt can do a job as 3rd choice striker rather then spend any money that can be used is more urgent area's.

[Aldonose]

Lack of pace throughout the team (particularly from wide midfield areas) is killing us. Countless times this season we've broken an attack down and the opportunity to counter-attack teams is lost because we simply haven't got players in those areas who are quick enough to exploit teams. So frustrating.

[MLB]

Order of priority:

 

Left winger

Right winger

Central midfielder

Left back

Central defender

Striker

[Unrighteous]

Agreed that Elmander is a decent target man for the bench.

[Trucker Paddy]

Agreed that Elmander is a decent target man for the bench.

 

If we signed him and Taiwo who some rate and it's obvious we've scouted, on Bosmans it would mean we could spend big on winger, centre half and centre midfielder. I don't know much about taiwo myself, but I know you and woo rate him.

Crucial we clear out at least 5 players though

[Guest simon]

Mexes supposed to expire end of the season hes allot stronger than anyone in our defence.

[Trucker Paddy]

Mexes supposed to expire end of the season hes allot stronger than anyone in our defence.

 

Mexes is fuckin shit Simon I mean proper shit. He's worse by some distance than any centre half at the club, I'd even put Ayala ahead of him.

Mexes has been shit for over 5 years

[dirk grout]

Mexes supposed to expire end of the season hes allot stronger than anyone in our defence.

 

Mexes is genuinely awful.

[dirk grout]

Mexes is fuckin shit Simon I mean proper shit.

 

Beat me to it but you're quite right.

[silverlining]

Right now, for me here are the nailed on starters for next year:

 

Gerrard

Carroll

Suarez

Reina

Kelly

Merieles

 

 

I'd add Magic to that list, Carra and Agger too, although age and injury have lessened them.

 

But yeah, that's the size of it. A huge task for the club in summer

[Tyler Durden]

Why are people even mentioning a striker, we now have carrol, Suarez , ngog and Kuyt plus some of the kids coming through. We shouldn't need one until at least next summer unless we can get a young upcoming understudy to the seniors

[Royal Family]

There are a lot of assumptions about NESV throwing the money around this summer. That very much remains to be seen, and i suspect there will be a lot of disappointed people on here - as ever - come the 1st of September if they think we're going to be buying half a team.

[Wor Horse]

And there are a lot of assumptions they're not going to spend money.

 

No one knows fuck all.

[RoyHodgeGone]

First thing is to bring back Insua. Should be the easiest decision of the post-season for Kenny(?) Secondly we could try and get someone like Santon on loan. He can play left back and right back, so it would give us more opportunities to play Glen right midfield sometimes. I can't help but think when we look toothless in attack like on thursday, we need Glen on the right. Centreback - I can't think of an ideal candidate. People seem to be talking silly money for Cahill, so I'd be wary. A central midfielder - Lass Diarra could be available. Not sure about other options in that position but I still think we need another ballwinner. And of course another forward, ideally with pace. Ashley Young might start a bidding war - and is he THAT good really? If Menez has only a year left on his contract then he could be worth a look. Definitely a form player.

 

I think the key is being flexible. If you are absolutely set on getting a certain player or two, you'll never get good value. And unless you're Chavs/City, that matters.

[MLB]

Why are people even mentioning a striker, we now have carrol, Suarez , ngog and Kuyt plus some of the kids coming through. We shouldn't need one until at least next summer unless we can get a young upcoming understudy to the seniors

 

 

N'Gog isn't very good and will hopefully be sold. Kuyt has only played there a handful of times in the last few years.

 

It's not a high priority by any means, but bringing in someone else - if only on a free - would be a good idea. Our rivals all have more depth of quality in the position than us.

[Tyler Durden]

N'Gog isn't very good and will hopefully be sold. Kuyt has only played there a handful of times in the last few years.

 

It's not a high priority by any means, but bringing in someone else - if only on a free - would be a good idea. Our rivals all have more depth of quality in the position than us.

 

We are probably outmatched in terms of squad depth upfront very slightly but not by the first teamers on the evidence of Carrol and Suarez, Your not going to keep 3 top class forward happy and we could possibly do with someone like Hernandez for Utd but we are far more outmatched in other areas to be worryin about forwards

[MLB]

We are probably outmatched in terms of squad depth upfront very slightly but not by the first teamers on the evidence of Carrol and Suarez, Your not going to keep 3 top class forward happy and we could possibly do with someone like Hernandez for Utd but we are far more outmatched in other areas to be worryin about forwards

 

 

This is a line of thinking I've never understood. The same thing happens when there's a discussion about getting rid of people. You suggest selling, say, Skrtel, because he's not good enough, and there is always someone who says "There are six or seven players we should sell before Skrtel!" Yeah... and? Does that mean that he's actually good enough, or that we shouldn't sell him? Obviously we have to have a list of priorities, but we don't have to adhere to it slavishly. If a position needs strengthening then it needs strengthening, irrespective of which other positions may need strengthening more. The Mancs have Berbatov, Rooney, Hernandez and Owen; Chelsea have Drogba, Anelka, Torres and Sturridge; Spurs have Crouch, Defoe, Pavyluchenko and whoever they spunk £20 million on in the summer; City have Tevez, Balotelli and Dzeko, etc. etc. We need a better option up front than Kuyt and N'Gog.

 

Sorry, that sounded like a rant but I'm just making a general point. Just because something is a lesser priority doesn't mean that it shouldn't be given as much consideration.

[Cantrell20]

Ranger,Van Wolfswinkel,Gameiro,Abel Hernandez,Osvaldo,Vossen,Falcao - a finisher like one of above-mentioned would bolster attacking options and add more firepower to our squad. We have a deep-lying striker, if I can say so,in Suarez, a target man in Carroll - we need someone clever in the box,quick and prolific. United have Chicharito and we need someone in his mould. Gameiro or Van Wolfswinkel, who entered last 18 months on their contracts,are best shouts for me.

[Guest simon]

Why is he always linked with big clubs then? I havent seen him play in a very long time. Is he,shit in a Ibra way? I just find it hard to believe why he would always be linked with big clubs if he was shit.

[MLB]

Ranger,Van Wolfswinkel,Gameiro,Abel Hernandez,Osvaldo,Vossen,Falcao - a finisher like one of above-mentioned would bolster attacking options and add more firepower to our squad. We have a deep-lying striker, if I can say so,in Suarez, a target man in Carroll - we need someone clever in the box,quick and prolific. United have Chicharito and we need someone in his mould. Gameiro or Van Wolfswinkel, who entered last 18 months on their contracts,are best shouts for me.

 

 

We've definitely been looking at that Van Wolfswinkel, haven't we? Someone like that would be spot on if we could get them relatively cheaply.

[Monster Masch]

If Dalglish is in charge and he better fucking be, there are few who are sure of their place.

 

Fill in the gaps:

 

------------------------Reina---------------------------

 

Kelly----------Carragher---------???????----------???????

 

---------------Gerrard-----------???????----------------

 

???????-------------------------------------------???????

 

----------------Carroll-----------Suarez-----------------

 

I know Gerrard's more disciplined performance against the mancs last week was down to injury more than instruction but I feel we will see a more disciplined Gerrard over the next few seasons, starting next season. Like a holding playmaker if you like.

 

That leaves Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Lucas, Meireles, Kuyt who are all heavily involved at the moment out of the team but I'd like to see most of them kept to have a strong squad for a change.

 

Maxi, Cole, Jovanovic, N'Gog, Insua, Konchesky, Poulsen, Aurelio, Jones, Aquilani should all be moved on.

[Cantrell20]

MLB

 

We scouted him quite a few times this term as he scored 21 goals in all comps despite some lay-off in the winter. I think a bid for Sturridge would be welcome as he has it all - pace,skill,strength,close control - in his locker and might find first team football chances limited at Chelscum. RVW will cost around 6-7 mln pounds I guess. Gameiro scored 11 goals two years ago,17 a season ago and already has 16 in a very average defensive-minded Lorient side. Still 23 and will come on a cheap,although Valencia are rumoured to have a bid of 7.5 mln euro accepted. Less talented than Ricky, but has an eye for a goal - reminds me a bit of Villa,has something from Gekas/Pantelic, too.