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We are definitely signing this player. I've never seen him but I've read he can do stepovers and run at an above average speed.

Downing: I'm here to stay - Liverpool FC

Does anybody know whether Voronin has been training over the past few weeks? He hasn't featured in the last 4 squads so we have not had a direct replacement for Ngog on the bench in recent weeks. Plan B seems to have been to bring on Yossi and switch Kuyt up front as required. Voronin has fallen behind "young" Nabil El Zhar in the pecking order by the look of things. Is it down to injury, Rafa losing faith, a bust up or gigging with Status Quo??? If it keeps up like this he is nailed on to be sent packing in January...

There's been mounting speculation that Andy Carroll's time at the club may be about to come to an end this summer. He's been linked with West Ham, Fulham, Newcastle and errr.. AC Milan. New boss Brendan Rodgers has refused to rule out a move for the big number nine and has even spoken of possibly being prepared to let him go on loan. With this in mind, a selection of TLW's finest share their thoughts on the big man's future. Articles by Julian Richards, Paul, John Gallagher, Steve Horton, Ian Brown, Liverpool Lad, Stu Montagu and Alex Woo. First up is Julian.. I feel like I’m covering old ground here as I wrote a fairly lengthy piece on the merits of keeping Andy Carroll for a recent issue of the fanzine. The club finds itself in the same place as before as the big man’s presence at the club is in doubt and there’s a split between those supporters who want to keep him and those who want to get out while we still can. Once again with Carroll every discussion on him comes back to one thing; his price. It will always define his career whether he, or the club, likes it or not. When a club pays out as much money as Liverpool did then the end result better be pretty spectacular or the merits of the transfer are going to be analysed until all that’s left is the anal. With the change of manager there seems to be even more doubt about whether Carroll can find his place in the new Liverpool team. Carroll being of the “old fashioned English centre forward” mould, doesn’t seem to fit into most people’s ideas of a Brendan Rodgers team, and when I say Brendan Rodgers team, I obviously mean Swansea last year, let’s not all pretend we’re experts on South Wales football and the career of Rodgers prior to last season. Rodgers’ Swansea was all about possession football; keep it on the ground and short intricate passes. Apparently Carroll doesn’t fit this ideal because he’s tall, and can head a ball; therefore he fails any requirement for the system Brendan Rodgers would apparently like to play. The look of Andy Carroll, the stereotype of the English centre forward is condemning him before he’s even got back from his holidays. Just because you have a player up front who’s tall, doesn’t mean you have to play long balls up to him. It also doesn’t mean that the player will be useless with the ball at his feet, the phrase “good feet for a big man” is as big a back handed compliment as you can find in football. Sure Carroll isn’t as mobile as Suarez, and sure when he runs he looks like Liam Neeson slogging round Berlin in Unknown but Carroll has something to offer this team. The Liverpool team of last season was a disjointed mess that only got worse as the season wore on. Injuries, suspensions, suspect tactical plans that changed too often, they all contributed to us being unable to field a team with a settled line up and style of play. Carroll suffered from this more than most, but as the season wore on and he became more used to playing with Suarez, we started to see a lot more from him. The game at Newcastle where Carroll was routinely booed by his former fans was probably the slap in the face he needed that once and for all, he needed to make it here because they did not want him back there. He finished the season in much better form when selected, he gave trouble to any defence he faced and he looked leaner, angrier and more settled. He was demanding the ball from his weak supporting cast (looking at you, Stewart Downing) and he was more assertive with them if they failed to deliver (still looking at you, Stewart Downing. God, I hope he gets sold). I still don’t feel that he’s had a good run in the side. More often than not he’d score and be dropped, now it looks like he’ll be dropped before he has a chance. The problem is with Carroll is what I stated at the beginning; the fee. People are more willing to cut him loose so that we can make money on him “while we still can”. If he cost much less then he would be a viable option as a squad player but the new manager obviously seems him as an asset that can appreciate no more value. Does he fit Rodgers’ system? Who knows, I’d certainly like to see him be given a chance, far more than rumoured transfer target Clint Dempsey. Carroll showed me enough from the games from April on last year that he can make a meaningful contribution to this team. Is Carroll being singled out for sale because he doesn’t fit or is it because we want as much of our outlay back as possible? Sadly for Andy Carroll, it always comes down to price. Julian Richards (Redknight) In many ways my view of Andy Carroll the player is a little bit moot in response to this burning question because my general default position in transfer dealings is to back the manager and, as it seems that Rodgers doesn’t see a place for Carroll in his system, his departure is surely both inevitable and in everyone’s best interests. That said, I will see him leave with many feelings of regret because I still think that he is a talented player as well as, more importantly, a player who is beginning to realise his potential after an extended period of struggles due to injury and adaptation to a new club. His goal at the European Championships showed what he’s capable of when deployed with the right service around him. However, his vastly improved showings in the latter stages of last season also give the lie to the notion that he can only play one way. He played with purpose, energy and improving touch and awareness for Liverpool in a role that was far more often about good footwork and passing than simply getting on the end of aerial balls. However, as I said, if Brendan Rodgers doesn’t see him fitting in to his system or believes that, on balance, it’s better to recoup what we can now and reinvest it in more appropriate players rather than continue to try and get Carroll to adapt, then a departure seems inevitable. However, I would suggest that a loan is absolutely the wrong way to go. There is an argument that a loan move can rehabilitate both a player’s form and value, but I don’t see much evidence of that. Loans tend to be successful for clubs when they send out youngsters to gain experience that is not possible in their own first team. Big money, high-profile players being loaned out automatically carry the whiff of failure with them and no amount of improved minutes on the pitch for, say, Fat Sam’s West Ham (a team which will undoubtedly be set up to get the best out of a player like Carroll) will allow us to recoup £35m or make him suitable for Rodgers’ system. So, if we are going to let Andy Carroll go, it should definitely be on a permanent move while he still carries a Euro 2012-related hint of untapped potential about him. Of course we’d be lucky to recoup even half of his cost to us but, assuming Rodgers doesn’t see him playing here, that process of devaluation can only accelerate. The only logical conclusion therefore is to sell him before he depreciates further. It could be argued that we should keep him as a Plan B, but his talent and cost do not justify such a deployment. So, in short, Carroll probably has to go. I do say that with a degree of regret though as I still believe that, while he will never be as prolific as Alan Shearer, he has the potential to be a modern day equivalent in many other aspects of his game. Paul If you had asked me if I think Carroll should have been sold a few short months ago I would have said absolutely, in a heartbeat. Cut our losses and see what we can get as it quite clearly wasn't working out for him here for a variety of reasons. Not all his fault by any means but he did look like a total busted flush and totally lost here. There were sporadic glimpses here and there of the player he should be but for the outlay and the reputation he had gained with some domineering, outstanding performances for Newcastle United, they really were too few and far between here. Now however, the reality of whether we should sell him*is a lot more difficult than it was. He did improve towards the back end of last season but not enough to make me think he would be worth persevering with - until that three day period from May 5th-8th when we played Chelsea twice in three days when it seemed he finally came of age as a Liverpool player with two towering performances, albeit one as a sub in the FA Cup Final when he came within an ants dick of forcing the game to extra time with the goal that wasn't. He followed it up on the Tuesday with a staggering performance against the same team and I remember coming out of Anfield that night thinking he looks fitter and leaner than he had done in his previous season and a half here. A year earlier I came out of the last home game (the Spurs 0-2) thinking he looked a stone overweight, his movement was terrible as was his balance and his overall game was really poor. The difference with him in a year was the proverbial chalk and cheese. He followed up his great form with a brilliant headed goal made in Liverpool during the Euros v Sweden and it whetted the appetite for the new season even more seeing him in that kind of form at the high level football competition that was the Euros. Theoretically, this should be the season his Liverpool career really kicks into gear, but sadly it isn't as simple as that. I will say now that I do like Andy Carroll, yes I probably called him a useless so and so at times last season but I didn't say it lightly, I hated saying it because I was delighted when he signed and thought we could have potentially the nation’s best centre-forward at our disposal for a number of years and felt almost cheated watching him lumber through games at times last season. Should he leave us, he could be a tremendous asset for someone else and our loss may well and truly prove to be somebody else’s gain in the long run. However despite the above, I think if the new manager thinks he could be a saleable asset who we could still get decent money for (with his stock being relatively high at present), which would in turn allow the new manager to bring in the player/s he thinks can improve us in other areas and help him implement his ideas of how he wants us to play next season, then I would back the manager every time with him being new to the job and transfer funds probably not being anything to brag about. I would probably feel differently about it if Rodgers had been here a number of years and had a revolving door policy where players are concerned but that’s not the case so if he doesn't see how Carroll can fit into his plans for the team then I back him 100% to get the players he thinks can do. He as a new manager of Liverpool deserves that support. Despite all this, if the rumours of a loan move are true then it wouldn't be a good start for Rodgers and he may alienate fans from the off with such a move which would be a terrible shame given the charm offensive positive vibe he has given so far about how he feels managing Liverpool. It either needs to be a sale or maybe reluctantly from the managers point of view keep him and see if he can get Carroll to fit in the system and style of play which will obviously be based on patient, calm, probing possession football. I can see why he thinks Carroll may not figure into that and I trust his judgement for him to do what he thinks is best for the club. Better Liverpool players than Andy Carroll have been sold before they should have been in the past so while it will be disappointing to see him go it will also be totally understandable in my opinion. Selling him may come back to bite us in the arse one day who knows but it is a chance I am willing to take. Goodbye and Good Luck Andy. John Gallagher (Juan Galonso). On the one hand I think it sounds madness to sell Andy Carroll given he has finally started showing signs of why we paid £35 million for him. On the other I’m leaning towards the stance that it’s too little too late and he remains too much of a liability to keep hold of and we should now get back as much as we can for him whilst his stock is high. Carroll spent fifteen months lumbering around the pitch, failing to get into danger positions, missing sitters and giving the outward impression he didn’t want to come to Anfield in the first place. So he has got going since April, but then again what’s to say he didn’t start pulling his weight when he sniffed a medal, or a chance to get into the England Euro 2012 squad. Ultimately speaking we are talking of a goal against Everton in the semi final (which came after he missed a much easier chance earlier in the game), a late goal against Blackburn, a cup final goal and near miss, and outstanding display against a weakened Chelsea side that exposed John Terry for how shit he is when he has to take responsibility. Add to that one goal in the European Championships, where he didn’t put himself forward to take a penalty and suddenly we have everyone saying he is coming good. But how many other shit strikers have had false starts or short bursts of form – El Hajdi Diouf scored twice on his debut then a few seasons later went a whole season without scoring. Stan Collymore netted on his debut but soon became a liability who wasn’t prepared to muck in when the chips were down. There’s every chance Carroll will go back to his old self when the season starts, leaving us with an even bigger burden to carry than before. His goal return is bad enough as it is, before you start to consider many of those he did manage were against sides such as Exeter and Brighton. Brendan Rodgers has had his chat with him and made it known what is expected, if Carroll doesn’t want to fit in with that ethic then perhaps now is the time to get rid, while a sizeable fee can be recouped and we work with players who will fit in and adapt with the way Rodgers wants to play. Steve Horton (Steve) I’ll nail my colours to the mast pretty early with this one and explain why I think we should sell Andy Carroll. My opinion of him now is far higher than it was about six months ago and I don’t think he’s a poor player by any means, I just don’t think he suits the way we want to play. I was pretty excited when he first arrived, the astronomical fee notwithstanding, because he was a player who had bullied our own center halves not long before we signed him. I had visions of his partnership with Suarez being reminiscent of Toshack and Keegan but it just never worked out like that. He’s shown glimpses of his undoubted potential but at the same time he’s also produced a catalogue of ineffective displays which have harmed the team at times, in my opinion. For a big man he’s actually a decent footballer but his mere presence in the side just provides too much of a temptation to resort to playing aimless balls forward. The modern game, as brilliantly demonstrated by the Spanish, is all about technically gifted players and the ability to keep hold of the ball for long periods. There are obvious exceptions to the rule (Drogba for example) but by and large, the top strikers in the world are categorised as such by their movement, mobility and flair. These are all traits that Carroll just doesn’t possess. The appointment of Brendan Rodgers only exacerbates the dilemma we have with Carroll because he has a clear vision of how he wants him teams to play, with the Spanish style as a loose blueprint. Carroll just doesn’t suit that style. He’s a player who can be incredibly effective in the right environment, with two wide men supplying a stream of consistent crosses into the box. Having said that, there was plenty of games last season when he had just that but he either fluffed his lines in front of goal or wasn’t even up with play to be in a position to benefit. There’s no doubting the fact that his performances improved in the second half of last season but even then, despite his clear determination and efforts, his goal return was disappointing. There’s probably an element of personal preference with regards to style of play but I like the notion of us trying to play football in the right way, with the emphasis on ball retention. When you have a big man up front, the temptation is too hard to resist getting the ball forward quickly and a lot of the time it just serves to give the opposition the ball back. If we’re going to be promoting the idea of possession being king, we need to furnish the side with players who have the strengths suited to it. One thing I would say, however, is that a deal should only be made if it suits the club. I wouldn’t loan Carroll out under any circumstances as I fail to see the benefit. Only a permanent deal, with a fee of £15M+ should be considered and that’s also a reason why I would sell now because his stock is relatively high after a decent finish to last season and a brilliant goal in the Euro’s. In many ways it would be sad to see Carroll go because he clearly wants to be a success here and he has the potential to be a really effective player; it’s just the wrong place at the wrong time for me, I’m afraid. Ian Brown (Brownie) Andy Carroll is one player who is on a hiding to nothing, burdened with a £35 million price tag and it is the first thing people seem to mention when they talk about him. It is hard to see his stock falling any lower after the past 18 months. He is a 22 year old still learning his trade, and whatever Liverpool decides to do with him there will be massive media attention because he is at a big club as well as the fee paid for him. Stories have been mooted regarding loan deals; countless young players go on loan to further their careers and comeback a better player, but again with Carroll it is all about the fee, a fee he didn’t ask to be put on him. It is fair to say the move to Liverpool came too soon for the striker and any loan deal or transfer will see the club massively down on the deal. Carroll signed for Liverpool back in January 2011 on the back of some impressive performances for Newcastle, including one against Liverpool at St James Park when we just couldn’t deal with him. The goal aside, the statistics from the game showed just how difficult he was to deal with and the difference he made to that Newcastle side. After signing for us, the Manchester City game aside, he did not seem to get going for us with his season marred by injury. He failed to get going again last season, with a poor goal return and a couple of calamitous moments that seemed to sum up his season, the Newcastle incident where he only had to knock the ball home and Manchester City away where he was running down the wing without and just fell over unchallenged. He became somewhat of a whipping boy for fans and the media. Towards the backend of last season, he looked leaner and looking more like the player that we signed. Performances such as the one at Blackburn last season showed what he was capable of; playing the lone striker in a team down to ten men for the majority of the game, his hold up play and work for the team was like what he shown against Liverpool back playing for Newcastle, with very similar statistics. The FA Cup Final and his summer with England giving us a further glimpse of what he is capable of. Much has been made of how he will fit in to Rodgers’ philosophy, we are all familiar with what Rodgers believes in and it was clear how Andy Carroll could change a team’s dynamic even under Dalglish. I think that if Carroll can add some consistency to those glimpses of quality he has shown, where he is threatening to look like the player we signed then I believe he can adapt and become an asset for the team. With a lack of striking options and implementation of Rodger’s philosophy likely to take time, Andy Carroll should stay and given the chance to improve his stock. With all this in mind; we have been this patient with him so far, another season won’t hurt. ‘Liverpool Lad’ The crux of the issue of whether Andy Carroll should remain at Liverpool Football Club is whether or not Brendan Rodgers feels that the young Geordie has it within him to fulfil the role that the manager requires. If the new gaffer cannot see in Carroll a player that can play the sort of possession football and high intensity pressing that many are expecting to be on offer then the question of whether he is a good or bad player is irrelevant, for he will be the wrong player for the system. Comparing his statistics to those of the man tasked with leading the line for Swansea last season, Danny Graham, does not, as many might imagine, make a particularly strong case that he could not perform a similar role. He passed the ball 25% more often than Graham did (despite Liverpool having less of the ball over the season than Swansea) but did have a worse success rate. It would be interesting to see if that was down to Carroll generally being worse at bringing others into play successfully or if Graham was attempting less risky passes and with less urgency to go forward. Even on the defensive side of the game, which saw Swansea press furiously in the final third, Graham didn’t outperform Carroll on tackles and interceptions. Whilst accepting that Liverpool’s ambitions are larger than Swansea’s the raw stats hint at the idea that suggesting Carroll could play in a possession based Liverpool side aren’t crazy. One major doubt would be whether he has the mobility to carry out a new role. Whether it be dynamic movement when in possession or quick pressing without it there are question marks over Carroll’s ability to carry them out well. Away from the data crunching it is hard not to think that Carroll would very probably be an unwanted disruption to the envisioned effort to try and get us playing how Rodgers desires. One of the recurring sights of last season was that of our frustrated number nine bollocking a winger for not getting the ball into the box quick enough so that he could hurl his immense frame in its general direction. How long into a game featuring Liverpool attempting to get a goal through patient possession would it take before the urge to throw the ball up to the big man would take over? How long before the crowd start with the vocal suggestions that the players should stop messing around with it and chuck it at him? And then, if the team is viewed to be better off without him, how long before he becomes as much of a distraction off the field as he could be on it? Working under the presumption that Rodgers doesn’t see him as part of the future, the decision is whether you sell him immediately or consider loaning him out. It would be preferable to sell him immediately but if a good offer is not forthcoming then a loan may have to be weighed up. If Fulham could be convinced to bring a little more than the rumoured £10m and Clint Dempsey then that might be good value. If not then I fail to see how a season of letting putty-faced alleged brown-envelope enthusiast, Sam Allardyce, pay his wages and increase his value for a year (which I’m sure he would in a team set up to launch it at him from any angle) would be a terrible compromise. And as I sign off the article with that last sentence, somewhere in East London a glacial shiver has just shot down the spine of Kevin Nolan’s wife. Stu Montagu (Stu Monty) I should start by saying that I have no qualms if Brendan Rodgers thinks that Andy Carroll still has a future at Liverpool - and for the club's sake, I think that would be the best thing. But if Carroll is going to be no more than a back up player, then it would be in our best interests to let him go, be it temporarily or permanently. I was against the signing of Carroll from day one, not because I'm not a fan of the player - I have no problem with a player holding a distinct physical advantage over the opponent and being able to exert that dominance - but because, regardless of when we bought him or how much we got for Fernando Torres, the fee was scandalous; the cons outweighed the pros, and I feared we'd be in the situation we're in now. In Borini we have a forward who is a far better fit in Rodgers’ tiki-taka system and knows exactly what is expected - and one who can play out wide as well as through the middle - I think players interchanging will be a big part of our attacking play - whereas to get the most out of Carroll we need to play a certain way, which is a polar opposite of the style of play that Rodgers has implemented throughout his career. With Andy in the side the temptation to knock it long will always be there, particularly if things aren't going to plan. As harsh as it may seem, for me, the Andy Carroll situation is all about damage limitation (presuming he's not part of our plans). If we sell him now I think we'd get around £10m, which would represent a massive loss on a player who has not reached prime. However, if we were to let him go on loan to a club he will be first choice, and he goes on to have a great season, then we're in a much stronger position to negotiate from. With four years left on his contract, it's unlikely that his value would depreciate any further should he go out on loan as he would be playing regularly, whereas if he is sat on our bench most of the season then his value will plummet. I'd be cautious about who we send him on loan to, though. I wouldn't send him to Newcastle unless, as AC Milan did with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, they had to buy him at the end of the loan spell for a reasonable fee. Speaking of Milan, after the stunt they pulled with not signing Aquilani permanently, I'd tell them where to go if they enquired about Carroll. If Fulham are interested in signing him in a part/ex deal with Clint Dempsey, I'd be open to that. On paper, though, a move to West Ham would be the best fit. Big Sam likes a powerful target man to lead the line, and the more direct style of play would suit Carroll down to the ground (coincidentally, the place where the ball spends the least time for a Big Sam side). I can understand why some people want Big Andy to stay, but I'd rather we try and get rid of him and draw a line under this sorry affair. Alex Woo twitter: @woolfc

PFA Union representative Gordon Taylor, a true fat cat who earns a salary of £450,000 per year and the highest paid union official in this country, condemned Luis Suarez almost from the onset, even though he is supposed to represent ALL professional footballers in this country. What many people do not know is that Taylor is also a boyhood Manchester United supporter and also a personal friend of United manager Ferguson & former PFA Union representative Gary Neville. Hardly going to represent Suarez in the correct manner was he?? Liverpool FC have been well & truly shafted from a great height by a kangaroo court who convicted Suarez on the grounds of probability. It is now imperative the LFC heirarchy employ a top legal brain, in case any other issues arise in the future, and not be represented by some small time legal non-entity that resulted in LFC losing the Suarez case almost from the word go.

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | L | Liverpool Liverpool's owners are considering whether to sack manager Roy Hodgson following the 3-1 defeat at Blackburn but no decision has yet been taken, BBC Sport understands. Stop dragging it out and do the deed.

Just on SSN Been removed from United's CL squad Doesn't look paticularly good for him long term injury wise, despite who he plays for it's hard not to feel for him

Can somebody please tell me why the fuck is Voro with his bitch as a headliner on this webpage?? If there was a need to ship Alonso off why to give there this couple?? Next could be Stevie´s photos at the court.

In reality that is the choice for all Liverpool fans long term. Short term they may make up till January but it the long term sheme of things one has to go Who do you choose to Stay I pick Rafa but it was a very close call