redfromtubebar

Agreed. Man City weren't a Champions League club when they were taken over but they were able to attract the likes of Toure and Aguero because they were willing to spend megabucks on their wages. That in turn ensures they won the league twice and, at worst, finish in the top 4 every single year. Why is this concept so hard for some to understand? If you're on the outside looking in then you have to cough up. As ever under FSG we try and cheat the system and fall flat on our fucking faces.

Think I'm going to have a nervous breakdown if FSG don't shift their policy to signing players in the prime of their careers. We're crying out for an alternative to Mane and we're after that Gray lad at Leicester who's 19 and can't even get into their first-team. Just what the fuck is going on at our club?

https://www.theanfieldwrap.com/2017/02/liverpool-and-the-league-title-a-question-of-the-owners-ambition/ How apt that this latest defeat occurred just after Groundhog Day in the United States, writes David Tully. The reds, it's fair to say, have been hiding in their own burrow ever since December 31st. Here we are, just a little over a month since George blared "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" over the tannoy after the reds defeated Man City to go within six points of Chelsea and clear in second place, and the feel-good factor has well and truly eroded. A quick glance on social media after a poor result will tell you that a lot of Liverpool supporters have, not so much thrown, but positively launched the baby from the bathwater and its landed squarely in front of two banks of four playing a low block. To many a neutral, it's an overreaction. Liverpool are only four points away from second place. Only one point away from fourth place. Most of us would have taken this situation back in August. But there's a strong feeling amongst those that have been here before. A strong feeling that Liverpool have let a huge opportunity slip. A strong feeling that Champions League qualification, something a lot of us talked about as clear cut back in November, looks to be slipping away. So, why has the mood among the fanbase sunk so low? Well, one is recent history. We've become conditioned to finishing behind the teams currently occupying the other positions in the top six. One almost-glorious season apart, we’ve been absolutely hopeless in the league since 2009. Considering our recent diabolical form, it's not going to be a tremendous surprise if we were to slump to sixth place again. In fairness, sixth is where the realists amongst us believed we were heading once we checked out of the transfer market with a negative net spend back in August. Say what you want, but clubs that aspire to win the division do not come into the season showing a tidy profit from transfers. When you consider that this team is coming off of an eighth place finish the season before, then this would suggest bigger surgery was required than was actually performed. The wildcard in all of this was Klopp. Only a fool would suggest that he's not a world class manager, and the very best Liverpool could hope to get. Klopp made us all believe that we could do the impossible with this squad of players. After the initial heart palpitations rescinded, we got behind James Milner as a left back. We got behind Jordan Henderson at the base of the midfield. And it worked for a while. The first murmurings of discontent with Klopp has now begun. It’s not reflected in the ground as yet, though it was disconcerting to see Klopp arguing with a fan the other week, but social media, as it’s want to do, is tearing him apart after every defeat. The frustration is beginning to rise and the voices are getting louder. Some well-known voices in the media are beginning to question the wonder of giving him a six-year contract back in the summer. It’s not fair. Klopp is doing the best that he can with the players he has at his disposal. Like everyone who’s reading this article, I’m frustrated by our recent blunt instrument approach to games and I’m in the corner of those that want Klopp to shake things up, either by personnel or tactical means. But I have no doubt that he’s the right man for the job. However, the real problem at this club is not on the training pitch. The problem is found on the other side of the Atlantic. Nothing will truly change at this club while Fenway Sports Group have the reins. Fenway invokes a shrug of the shoulders to many supporters. They’re not a divisive ownership group and strong voices for and against them are pretty rare. They’re middle of the road owners who like to run a steady ship. A steady ship is sixth place. A steady ship is one 30m player every summer, while your nearest rivals spends double on the next grade up of player. We, the supporters, are ambitious. A lot more ambitious than those in Boston. I’m thirty-three years old and I do not remember Liverpool winning the league. I’ve seen just three serious title challenges in my twenty-seven years watching the team. But I’m ambitious because I know that this was once a club that was used to winning. And I’m fed up because I want ambition at the very top of this club. Deep down we all know that Fenway have decent intentions, but will not do what is necessary to bring back number nineteen. The latest domestic and overseas television deals are so huge that owners like Fenway have zero need to speculate to accumulate. I can imagine what their business instincts are telling them; why spend big going for the title when the current status quo is doing just fine? The ground sells out every week. The line is only going up in revenue streams across the football club. They’re managing the club logically and sensibly. But football supporters don’t want logic all the time. Football supporters want to dream. We want to feel as though our club is doing everything possible to win on AND off the field. Everybody at the club, from the cooks in the canteen to the board of directors should be doing everything in their power to get this club challenging for the league. And for that to happen, we need to behave a little less than sensibly when it comes to recruitment. Look, every transfer carries a risk element to it. There’s no guarantee that you’ll be successful by spending big money, but it does carry with it the increased likelihood that you have a stronger chance with what, in theory, should be a better standard of player in your first eleven. Some will tell you that for every John Stones, there’s a Joel Matip. That’s a good point, but also bear in mind that for for every Alexis Sanchez, there’s also a Mario Balotelli. FSG are a sports investment company. They don’t need to take any risks when the guaranteed television deals are reward enough. Their asset, purchased for just 300m back in 2010, is now being talked about at being worth 1 billion just seven years later. It’s appreciating nicely, and all FSG has to do is just about enough to keep the club where it’s already at. The Premier League financial juggernaut doesn’t show signs of slowing down, and now there’s serious players from the Far East getting involved. FSG can quite easily walk away with a 700m profit from a rather modest investment. As luck would have it for John Henry and co, it’s the raised profile of the Premier League and the mammoth revenue that television provides, rather than Liverpool’s on-pitch performances, which have been mediocre, is what accounts for their potential windfall. Football clubs are becoming globalised. Liverpool are fortunate to have passionate fans around the globe, but there’s a growing problem; there’s not enough of them. Football watchers in the the United States and Far East want to support winning teams. Winning teams are what sells. Take a look around any college campus in the United States and you might see the odd Liverpool shirt, but you’ll see a lot more wearing the shirts of the teams currently fighting it out for the Premier League title. Ultimately that support leads to revenue by way of overseas tours, sponsorship, and merchandise. So, while we try to find this mythic different way of winning, and look down our noses at our rivals spending mega money to attract the best, bear in mind that their fan bases will continue to grow and grow, and their revenue streams will get larger, and ultimately the gap between them and us will get wider. That is unless we finally get our act together. Now, what was Griezmann’s release clause again?

Is this guy showing up to work on Saturday?

Can't imagine we'll spend a lot in January. I think we'll bring in a goalkeeper if there's a good deal to be made, but that's probably it. I'd like to see how we defend with a different type of goalkeeper than Mignolet. We desperately need cover in the full-back positions but hopefully Flanagan can be that player. A striker would be nice too to provide competition to Benteke but can't see any players of that quality being available mid-season. I'm going to assume Sturridge will be out for the rest of the season because his availability is abnormal.

Just imagine what a world-class manager working with, not against, a transfer committee could have done with the Lovren, Lallana, Balotelli and Markovic money. 80m right there.

I remember reading (Bascombe) that the scouts were absolutely buzzing about Dele Alli but Rodgers didn't want him. Apparently the club scouts couldn't believe we weren't moving heaven and earth to sign him.

The standard demographic at the match is not ideal. Too many long-term season ticket holders who are middle aged and sick to the back teeth of years of underachievement. They go out of habit and renew because they have no choice as tickets are otherwise hard to come by. Then you've got a load of one game a season tourists who want to take as many selfies as possible and don't know how to build an atmosphere. They're not moany bastards - that's the season ticket holders, but they're happy just to sit on their hands. There's hardly any kids going to the game. The club doesn't seem to care about what happens 10 years from now. Probably because the current owners know they won't be here anyway. It also doesn't help that it's probably a long time since we scored a late winning goal at Anfield. Supporters know what to expect once we're down to the last ten.

New goalkeeper. One that talks to the defence would be nice.

This is something else. I can't believe Sturridge is happy to pocket 150k a week and feel that he doesn't have to show up to work. Sure, he's probably got a knock. Think that would have kept Suarez out?

Only Liverpool could spend 20m on a player, never play him in his position and then loan him out without a recall clause. Couldn't make it up. Markovic hasn't done that much but certainly looks to have a bigger upside than Lallana given their respective ages.

Do like the Anfield Wrap but the number of shows they do is bordering on overkill. That being said, nobody is forcing me to have a subscription. There are some excellent contributors like Gareth Roberts and Andy Heaton and Neil Atkinson is obviously a good host. Agree with an earlier comment about Melissa Reddy. I think she absolutely ruins any show that she's on and I'll move along to something else if she's announced at the beginning. Her voice and her 'ultra-slow so even us mere mortals can grasp her wisdom' delivery grates with me. She's often not shedding any new light on anything but comes across as though she thinks she is. I'm sure she's a good laugh away from the studio and it's good to mix the pod up with different voices but unsure why they keep inviting her back. TLW, for what it's worth, is an excellent pod too. Dave doesn't seem as hesitant to rip into the players, manager and club as some do on TAW. Numbers does a good job also.

Raheem Sterling has accused Brendan Rodgers of leaking his phone number on Twitter. Apparently he received over 2000 abusive messages.

Apparently, current under 16's coach Pepjin Lijnders is about to be announced as the new first-team coach.

Yep. Pelosi too.