clangers

Decent work out against a team that have already got competitive games under their belt even if it was their reserves. Thought we we're comfortably the better side. Not bothered by the scoreline. Still worried that we can't effectively take advantage of purple patches in a match and that in truth we haven't really strengthened our first eleven over the summer. We've added some decent prospects and filled out the squad but we still look like a side fighting for 6th place to me.

We're playing well, I suspect us being 1-0 down but bossing the game might be a familiar experience this season again?

Women decide within the first six minutes of meeting a man whether they're going to sleep with them apparently.

Nah they'll give him longer than that, the whole point of bringing him in was to build another dynasty without recognising that the likes of Ferguson are the exception rather than the rule. Signs are not good so far, they're struggling the transfer market. Part of the problem is that that both Ferguson along with his backroom staff and critically Gill have all gone at the same time. Gill's replacement has no experience of operating in the transfer market backed up by a manager who has no experience of buying from the top table. They still have a squad that knows how to win the Premiership on autopilot. I'm hoping for a gradual decline over a few seasons, Moyes changes the way they play, they can't quite recruit the same calibre of players plus Moyes brings in the wrong sort. All the while the club buying into the stability and continuity line giving Moyes far too long. This season I suspect they'll be a lot more vulnerable but it'll all be passed off as a transitional year with them probably finishing 3rd. Enough to keep Moyes in place, however slip outside the top four and all bets are off.

That's an important point, Cook is getting a lot of stick for being too conservative but how much input does he actually have? It doesn't look like a traditional captains role. Flower is probably pulling all the strings.

Arsenal 'should' win it, but early in the season form goes out of the windows before teams establish themselves, they've not been great early on over the last couple of seasons either.

That's spot on, I've thought that for quite a while. We're not dealing with an inherently nasty or calculating piece of work here just a very juvenile one throwing his toys out of the pram. Showing a bit of parental authority might actually do the trick with him. Much of his behaviour on the pitch points towards this, adults biting is a real sign of a child like lack of impulse control.

I know what you mean, too many of the current side are just out of form and dare I suggest a bit of complacency with the selection. I know consistency is great but there has to be a balance, there does need to be competition for places. We're making a workman like Australia look very good at the moment.

Well that's how to draw a line under the matter. Impressive from Rodgers and Henry over the last couple of days. I half expect to see Suarez go into reverse gear now as intimated in his Marca interview.

Well that's how to draw a line under the matter. Impressive from Rodgers and Henry over the last couple of days. I half expect to see Suarez go into reverse gear now as intimated in his Marca interview.

Just think it's very unlikely, apart from the potential loss in transfer fee, paying a salary for a player who will clearly go out of his way to put himself out of consideration for selection (transfer requests, talking to the media, arbitration, legal action etc), the disruption and distraction he'll be. He won't actually need to refuse to play, he's busily engineering a complete breakdown in the relationship. Having him around stinking the place out, harping on about his betrayal and bid for freedom him will actually highlight our position even more. Quietly and quickly get rid. Given his non attendance of Gerrard's testimonial dinner only a few days ago and clearly knowing what was coming down the line, Suarez today effectively ceased to be a Liverpool player as far as I'm concerned. Just get rid asap.

I wouldn't be too concerned about him going to Arsenal to be honest, he's clearly headed south. They'd get 12 months out of him and we can pretty much guarentee this time next year he'll be agitating for a move to Spain. I doubt Madrid would pass him over next summer if they don't make a move this summer. He'll have undoubtedly spent at least 25% of the upcoming season banned, £40 million+ is a lot for a Premiership club to gamble on a player who agitates for a move on average every two seasons, has thoroughly bought into the 'Tevez' school of footballers commitement and who is one bite away from a six month ban. What we don't want to happen is for him to be on the books come January, at that point we'll be accepting bargain basement offers. Get rid of him for whatever we can asap and move on. The club is bigger than any player.

Cheeky little... I doubt he'll need to refuse to play because he's going driving a wedge between himself and the club publicly and very effectively. I'd suggest that even if a verbal promise through a 'gentleman's agreement' was made last summer I'd very much it extended to 'Suarez can leave to a club of his choosing, he can dictate terms and even dictate the fee'? This is in effect how Suarez is interpreting the alledged verbal agreement, it's a effectively free for all in his favour. Even if the agreement exists it appears perfectly reasonable for the club to have a say in who they sell him too and the fee they agree. This seems lost on Suarez. Whether we can actually trust Suarez's view of events is another matter. He has form for this sort of behaviour agitating for a move to Ajax. He's already lied about the circumstances of a move when he though he was Madrid bound to apparently escape the awful media he's quite happily pouring his heart out too now. By continuing this behaviour right thought the summer leading to todays statement and I assume transfer request later this week he's deliberately destroying a working relationship with the club whilst at the same time driving down his value. We'll have probably sold him to Arsenal by the weekend for £40 million plus £2!

Did the rapture finally happen? I missed it all.

A bitter twat.

I know it's a testimonial, but I keep forgetting we do actually have a few decent players.

3-4 years I think is more likely. You don't have to like them but personally I still think they're much better owners than G&H. If they do leave at some point I suspect the club structurally will be in much better shape, whether that will be reflected in our league position is another matter.

If he is planning legal action I'd be curious to know on what grounds if there isn't as it seems a release clause? What were the grounds he tried this last time? Something about being in the interests of football?

Well that was shit from England, well played Australia. They've upped their game. Unfortunately for Australia, this may well be a 3 day test as there is a fair chance it's going to piss it down for the last two days. England are at the point already where they need the weather to intervene.

Because they're ahead of us at the moment and are perceived as genuine champions league qualifiers. They've finished in the top four for two out of the last three seasons, missed out the season before last because Chelsea won it and narrowly missed out last season. We're at present no longer perceived as top four contenders. Being located in London doesn't hurt either when trying to attract overseas players. Spurs progress should give us hope though, I genuinely don't believe that we're that far behind them and they've managed to establish themselves without spending megabucks like City or Chelsea. If we can just keep spending our available funds more effectively (like we did in January) we'll make progress.

Good post, was just about to point out the repressive regime Mansour and his family are running. The whole City operation is to build respectability for the state. Same goes for the Russian and the way he acquired his billions. For that matter do you really think he chose to set himself up in London in a profile position by buying a Premiership club a decade ago purely for sporting reasons? It had more to do with a deal the oligarchs cut with the Kremlin and to protect themselves.

Exactly, a real victims mentality. They're ideally placed to be able to make a genuine challenge for trophies if they go for it. Stadium largely paid down and one of only a handful of clubs with a sustainable £300 million+ turnover. They really do need to grow a pair.

I'm impressed he's being so supportive of one of Rafa's purchases.

Agreed, it's a concern, as we all know transfer sagas of this nature often derail the selling clubs transfer window. I'd hope we'd lined up our transfer targets but given that it might be a substantially different list given an extra £50 million or so, who knows? We haven't got that much time left now, we're reaching the point where we need to make a choice whether we're open to selling him or he stays where is (with the risk of how Suarez reacts). Point I'm hopelessly trying to make is that it is Liverpool that needs to remain in control here, not Suarez and certainly not whichever club is interested in him.

The Liverpool Word | Liverpool FC’s Recent Accounts: Reading Beyond the Numbers A pretty detailed breakdown of recent accounts, net spending, wages etc. a bit out of date now, but it does supprt the position that FSG are unlikely to be selling us in the near future.