Seemann

Echo saying that Arbeloa might be back in 10 days:) Not what I hope, but think we might see something like this: Reina Carragher Hyypia Skrtel Dossena Mascherano Lucas Alonso Benayoun Babel Kuyt 1-0 win freom Gerrard coming of the bench to safe the day

done...good luck

Back in November, when Agger expected the deal to be done quickly, he was happy and playing regularly due to Skrtels injury. I think a deal could have been agreed fairly easy back then. Now Agger's become frustrated by the lack of first team action and negotiations are on hold until he knows his position in the summer. I think its fair to say the deal could and should have been done and dusted back when Agger was happy and playing. I'm naive enough to beleive that it means more to Agger to play regularly than a couple of extra bugs. In his book Carragher says he would be looking for first team action as long as he feels he got the legs for it also if it meant leaving Liverpool. If Agger was only interested in the money I don't even think we would have a thread about this. He could fuck right off then. But it's not just about money cause now he really isn't playing enough and that's become and issue. Agger think he's good enough for a place in the first team and so does a fair share of people on here. I just think we could have stuck a deal already, but yet again we don't know when or how to do good bussiness.

Wouldn't that be easy/helpful for the club or Rafa to say that in public if that was the case? Agger is still to be offered a new contract. Maybe his agent and the club have talked a little about their different ideas for his new wage and maybe they are far from eachother in their valuation, but that really just me speculating. Still I would think the club would send an offer and if Agger refused it the club would go public with it instead of having Agger telling the media that nothing is going on.

The thing is we need more than 2 central defenders no matter if it's Carra/Skrtel or Carra/Agger. Hyypia is a fantastic back up, but I would expect everyone of Skrtel, Agger and Carragher to request more time on the field than Agger is currently getting. All these players think they should start every match and I suppose that's the mentality Rafa's is looking fore? I don't think Agger is being unfair in wanting to play more, but I also think he'll have a hard time at the moment breaking up the Carra-Skrtel partnership.

I suppose it's the danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet?

Yeah, I'm Danish, but that's besides the point. I'm a Liverpool supporter and because of that I'm interested in Agger's situation. The Danish national side is of very little interest to me. Of course the Gerrard situation was different because we need Gerrard a lot more than Agger. My point was only that we seem to let contracts run to low and with the palyers in the dark that it will eventually hurt us. I don't know if Agger is holding Liverpool for ransom, but I think the suggestion is a bit unfair as he is yet to decline a new offer. Rumours might say he wants dobbelt his current salary, but so far its more or less speculation. I have no doubt his agent, Per Steffensen, is eager to move Agger on and that is not helping our situation, but Liverpool, Parry or Rafa needs to act on this. Rafa's said he wanted the Agger situation resolved meaning doing a new deal. That leads me to think that its on Parry's to-do-list? Its clear that the current situation isn't helping the club or Rafa getting a good price for Agger if they decide to sell him in the summer. Even the suggestion of Agger buying himself out of his contract is a bad sign. My point is that the club isn't doing a good enough job on this and it's far from the first time we've let contracts run too low costing us money. I'm not biased just because Agger is a Dane too. I'm thinking of what's in Liverpools best interest and that should be to tie up Agger on a new deal sooner rather than later. If I was concerned about Agger or the Danish national side I might be inclined to supporting Agger leaving the club in order to play more? Agger is clearly unsure about his own situation and Liverpool isn't doing anything to suggest he's part of our longterm plans. I think the agent and the press are more successful in their attempts to unsettle the player while we're doing nothing. I've absolute no problem in accepting a decision of selling Agger in the summer if that's the case, but I just don't think that decision is made. Instead I fear we might risk loosing yet another player on the cheap and at the moment I can only blame ourselves.

Agger probably just feels he deserves a spot in the starting 11? I'm sure Skrtel and Carragher think they should play aswell. Nothing wrong with that, but it does give the manager a dilemma. The danish media is very interested in this because a lot of the danish international players are lacking first team action for their clubs around Europe. Been that way for a long time so its a problem (for the national team and their followers). On international weeks the danish press have a change to talk to Agger who is normally pretty media shy. He's a key player for the national team so they expect him to be the same for Liverpool, so maybe the danish press have a little agenda too? I don't think he'll buy out his contract, but clearly he wants to play more and if that isn't possible for Liverpool who can blame him for wanting to leave. I hope he stays and he should be more involved as it is, but I think he'll end up leaving in the summer. One reason is he's not playing enough another reason being that the club doesn't really seems interested in keeping him. Reminds me a bit of Parry going on holiday after promising Gerrard a new deal right after Istanbul. It isn't likely that Arbeloa or Kuyt would be out of the team any time soon, but if they are they could find themselves in a simelar situation as Agger. Come summer they too have only 1 year left of their contract. This way we might end up selling players on the cheap. We have limited ressources and aren't looking out for them that well, but no news in that. I think it will cost us yet again and it could so easily be avoided.

I'm not sure the club have even offered him a new deal yet? Recently he said that he had heard nothing from the club about his contract since november. I think we have every chance of getting Agger to sign a new contract, but for some reason nothing happens. If this drags on into the summer I think we will lose him one way or the other.

Agger was asked yesterday by danish journalists if he was close to signing a new deal and he said no. Also said he didn't expect to any time soon.

Legend!

I doubt that, but then again every top team seems to get a little less points this year. I think the last 4 years have seen the champions win with less and less point, so that would probably mean that we won't get more than 82 this season unless we win it:whistle:

The article states that: "Parry will now be asked to concentrate on the club's commercial side." I doubt Parry will be happy about this, but he's gone soon anyway if the yanks sells, so maybe he don't bother too much? Now there can be no doubt who the villan is if we fail with transfers. That's got to be positive no matter whos side you've taken.

Alonso have been great this season, but I think question could be asked about him in the summer based on last seasons performance hence Rafa was right to look somewhere else. In the end the price wasn't right and I'm glad the deals didn't happen. Having said that I still think Alonso could improve as most players. He's had a very good season so fare, but in all fairness so have Aston Villa and I suspect Barry to have played his part in that? I don't know too much about these calculations, but according to actim stats Barry is doing really well. Maybe Rafa wasn't insane when he wanted Barry instead of Alonso. He always goes on about "the balance of the team" and maybe a left footed central midfielder was in his plans or maybe just another domestic player for the CL-squad. Who knows. The fact is the price went well above expected and Rafa should have backed down. However £20 mill for Keane is just as insane as the fee Villa wanted for Barry. Actim Index | Official Site of the Premier League - Barclays Premier League News, Fixtures and Results | Statistics

Is Parry on holiday?

Man city in exchange for Micah Richards! It will mean Degen can remain injured and Sami can replace him in the CL-squad:)

It would be very funny if Everton scored and their supporters didn't celebrate it as it would help us. Talk about small club attitude...

We have to focus about our own results. Sadly no help tonight, but then again what did you expect. We have no chance of getting near the title if we continue our recent form, so it really doesn't matter wether United batter a very poor WBA side or not. We needed to beat Wigan before today and we need at least a point against Chelsea. We're under pressure now and quite frankly it suits us better than Rafa and the boys going into games thinking a draw will do just because we're in a good position or other teams fail. The fact that United are now sitting comfortably on top is as much down to our mistakes as their good fortune. If our titel challenge were ever going to last we always needed to do better than recently. With Torres showing positive signs and an injury free squad I think we can put a good run together.

A lot of people have been impressed with Martin O'neill and even wanted him as manager for Liverpool. He has done a great job at Villa and maybe this will be a good signing for them. But logic would dictate that he is as crazy as Rafa for wanting Heskey?

Finally some of the useless "young prospects" are leaving. Can only hope it makes way for some with actual talent?

I believe there was a deal that Rafa wouldn't go for any Valencia players. Might be wrong? Aurelio was free.

Surely Balague (or Rafa) goes to far in that article when "they" are naming players who will leave if Rafa isn't here. However, that's is also the weakness of the spin since it's quite easy for either the players themselves or informed people like Dave or the few good journalists to dismiss it. I think Balague has a point. Some players will leave, but I'm really not worried about it cause if the only reason they are here in the first place is because of one man, the manager. That's just wrong. At the same time I'm dissapointed if Agger or any other player are throwing in the towel just because they aren't the flavour of the month. I believe Bascombe wrote something on the subject last week. As I remember he said that some player could leave with the manager, but it didn't get a lot of attention as I recall? You can never rule out that any player won't leave. The club could be in an even bigger mess next summer, with or without Rafa, so I'm not rulling anything out. Furthermore its only logical that there will be plenty of speculation surrounding Rafa's top signings future IF he left. This wasn't a strong card from Rafa's camp, and that is where it comes from wether Rafa is in on the article or not, but one thing it did accomplish is keeping the discussion about Rafa's contract on the plate. Clearly the ambition was to add pressure on the owners and Parry.

Its incredible how much a difference Torres does for us. If he played alone on top with Gerrard supporting him we'd have a far more positive feeling. Maybe we don't need Mascherano for these games, but the fact he is in there in his usually defensive role should make it possible for Dossena and Arbeloa to get more forward. I don't see it as being more defensive just because we use 3 men in the middle with Mascherano clearly on a defensive duty. I expect Dossena and Arbeloa to get plenty of crosses into the box and hopefully Kuyt will be at the end of them. I like the formation and as I said if Torres played I'd feel very comfortable. I'd like to see Alonso going forward from the beginning, but I suspect it won't happen until the last 30 min. if we're in need of goals?

He's actually a left back. Think he's even played for Spain in that position. Even though we could, and should, improve on our back positions I don´t think he is the answer. We need much better attacking fullback espescially when Dirk is playing on the right.

DT wrote the piece. Talking about Kraft to buy a "minor" stake in the club. Apperantly its Hicks who wants Kraft in. He doesn't want to sell to the Arabs. To me its bad news all around. If the two cunts can't agree why should it be any better with three?