I'll be there with a few of my cousins, also in the Liverpool section. I think row 4 right by the triangle
Liverpool 2014-15: Now Is Time On Merseyside When We Dance
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Somehow, Ayre managed to turn a potential profit on Borini
https://twitter.com/tonybarrettimes/status/490222221248716800
https://twitter.com/tonybarrettimes/status/490222221248716800
http://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-transfer-news/2014/7/18/5916677/report-liverpool-prepared-trigger-loic-remy-release-clause-transfer-rumor-qpr
Looks like Liverpool is going to sign Loic Remy to add more depth to the attack.
Also reported by Liverpool Offside, the Ross/Rachel like relationship/negotiation between Sevilla and Liverpool for Alberto Moreno is back on again.
Looks like Liverpool is going to sign Loic Remy to add more depth to the attack.
Also reported by Liverpool Offside, the Ross/Rachel like relationship/negotiation between Sevilla and Liverpool for Alberto Moreno is back on again.
I know it is preseason and that we're playing Preston North End but Ibe looks spectacular. 2 assists and quality play all around.
I'm in the Liverpool section as well. Let me know if anyone wants to meet up for some pre-gaming.
They rightly think they need to replace 30 goals along with adding CL squad depth.
If they keep Ilori/Kelly/Robinson on the squad and can secure Lovren/Moreno they'll be OK. It's looking more like Johnson will still be RB though, which is pretty concerning.
If they keep Ilori/Kelly/Robinson on the squad and can secure Lovren/Moreno they'll be OK. It's looking more like Johnson will still be RB though, which is pretty concerning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh1yu6KMUO4
That's a link to the recent 1hr documentary on Alan Hansen, called 'Alan Hansen, PLayer and Pundit' - Hansen retired from BBC punditry after the World Cup FInal after 22 years. It's a a great documentary, nothing flashy, just lots of contributions from: Souness, Dalglish, Robbie Fowler; Jamies, Redknapp and Carragher, Gary and Phil Neville, Ian Wright, amongst others. Lovely moment right at the end when gary Lineker says to Hansen, 'I think you were the real class of 92'...and Hansen, quickly wipes a tear from his face then makes a glib retort, masking his emotion.
I don't care what anyone says, Hansen was for me always a pleasure to listen to and the documentary touches on his innovative ideas regarding that much maligned art. he was the guy who upon Match of the Day's return said, he didn't want to just do the goals...he wanted the show to go a little deeper...show more of the nuances of the match...tactics, formations, key battles, where it was one and lost, that's the norm now. Also nice to see Hansen, Dalglish and Souness in the bar after a round of golf, taking the piss out of each other and talking about the old days...when Liverpool won everything. Still can't get over Fergie leaving him out of the World Cup Squad.
That's a link to the recent 1hr documentary on Alan Hansen, called 'Alan Hansen, PLayer and Pundit' - Hansen retired from BBC punditry after the World Cup FInal after 22 years. It's a a great documentary, nothing flashy, just lots of contributions from: Souness, Dalglish, Robbie Fowler; Jamies, Redknapp and Carragher, Gary and Phil Neville, Ian Wright, amongst others. Lovely moment right at the end when gary Lineker says to Hansen, 'I think you were the real class of 92'...and Hansen, quickly wipes a tear from his face then makes a glib retort, masking his emotion.
I don't care what anyone says, Hansen was for me always a pleasure to listen to and the documentary touches on his innovative ideas regarding that much maligned art. he was the guy who upon Match of the Day's return said, he didn't want to just do the goals...he wanted the show to go a little deeper...show more of the nuances of the match...tactics, formations, key battles, where it was one and lost, that's the norm now. Also nice to see Hansen, Dalglish and Souness in the bar after a round of golf, taking the piss out of each other and talking about the old days...when Liverpool won everything. Still can't get over Fergie leaving him out of the World Cup Squad.
Also nice to see Hansen, Dalglish and Souness in the bar after a round of golf, taking the piss out of each other and talking about the old days...when Liverpool won everything. Still can't get over Fergie leaving him out of the World Cup Squad.[/quote]
That section surprised me a little as I wasn't sure the relationship between Hansen/Dalglish & Souness was that strong. Souness gets a lot of stick from Liverpool fans of an age that only really remember him from his time as manager, but those of us old enough to remember Souness the player still think he's one of the greatest midfield players of all time. A combination of great passing ability, goal scoring and hard as fuck, some of the Souness stories are legendary. My favourite is when he broke the jaw of a Steau Bucharest player.
As for Ferguson, you could see it still hurts Hansen but there's no way he'd say anything in public.
That section surprised me a little as I wasn't sure the relationship between Hansen/Dalglish & Souness was that strong. Souness gets a lot of stick from Liverpool fans of an age that only really remember him from his time as manager, but those of us old enough to remember Souness the player still think he's one of the greatest midfield players of all time. A combination of great passing ability, goal scoring and hard as fuck, some of the Souness stories are legendary. My favourite is when he broke the jaw of a Steau Bucharest player.
As for Ferguson, you could see it still hurts Hansen but there's no way he'd say anything in public.
PedroSpecialK said:
I think you're right. I didn't see a lot of problems last year that could be put up to bad players. Johnson's getting old and should be replaced in the next 12 months, and Skrtel has a touch of the Luiz to his judgment, but Skrtel, Agger and Sakho fit the bill physically, Agger's shown himself to be a smart defender, and Sakho had captained PSG and is regarded in France as a future national captain. Jose Enrique was playing well until he got hurt, too.
All this is a long way of saying I think that with the right coaching and DM cover, the defense doesn't have to be a weakness. So many of the goals Liverpool gave up were down to the exploitation of space between the two CBs. One would be pushed up and the attacker ran into space behind him or an attacker gets inside the far CB on a cross and the near CB can't reach the ball. Players should know better, but they need to be coached up, too. And a DM who doesn't force a CB to push up would be a big help--that's where their biggest defensive buy might be Emre Can.
That section surprised me a little as I wasn't sure the relationship between Hansen/Dalglish & Souness was that strong. Souness gets a lot of stick from Liverpool fans of an age that only really remember him from his time as manager, but those of us old enough to remember Souness the player still think he's one of the greatest midfield players of all time. A combination of great passing ability, goal scoring and hard as fuck, some of the Souness stories are legendary. My favourite is when he broke the jaw of a Steau Bucharest player.cjdmadcow said:
As for Ferguson, you could see it still hurts Hansen but there's no way he'd say anything in public.
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Hansen, Souness and Dalglish are sort of three of a kind. Scottish, spine of a team that enjoyed continued sucess. It's them and no one else. It saddens me to no end that we (Scotland) still hasn't produced players as good as those three. I thought it was normal to have Scottish players playing for the big teams and them not just making up the numbers.
I'm still not over Fergie leaving Hansen out.
Lovren appears to be a done deal
Hearing rumors of a bid for Isco, too. I'd really prefer a final answer on Moreno.
Hearing rumors of a bid for Isco, too. I'd really prefer a final answer on Moreno.
Is Liverpool trying to follow Tottenham's transfer playbook from last summer or what? Sell your best player and then splash loads of cash on multiple decent players in the hope that quantity adequately replaces quality. LFC fans had better hope the players Rogers has chosen are better than the players Villas-Boas (or whoever else in the THFC hierarchy was responsible) chose last summer...and that it proves easier for Rogers than it proved to Villas-Boas to incorporate so many new players into one's squad at once.
Sorry, but I just don't see it, unless it's a very broad "reinvest Viejo Firma silly money in the squad" strategy you're talking about. I think Spurs tried to use the Bale money to build a Top Four XI, while Liverpool are trying to use the Suarez money to consolidate (Lovren, Moreno, Can), build a CL-sized squad (Lambert, Remy), and invest for the future (Origi). Case in point: Except for Chadli, every player Spurs bought last summer cost more than both Lambert and Remy.
Part of the difference could be that Liverpool probably perceive themselves as having more money to spend than Spurs did, since they know they have CL group money coming in, while Spurs only had Bale + Europa League money (translation: Bale money). That may also be feeding a perception at Liverpool that they have more talent in their squad than Spurs did last summer, too, which makes it easier to go for depth over buying for the first XI.
And it's Rodgers, not Rogers. That's something I have to tell people almost every day, so it's a sore point.
Part of the difference could be that Liverpool probably perceive themselves as having more money to spend than Spurs did, since they know they have CL group money coming in, while Spurs only had Bale + Europa League money (translation: Bale money). That may also be feeding a perception at Liverpool that they have more talent in their squad than Spurs did last summer, too, which makes it easier to go for depth over buying for the first XI.
And it's Rodgers, not Rogers. That's something I have to tell people almost every day, so it's a sore point.
That wasn't what Spurs strategy was.ConigliarosPotential said:
Spurs strategy was to build squad depth at positions where we took on significant injuries in the past few years (Chirches, Capoue, and Chadli), lock in young potential superstar players (Lamela, Eriksen), and players that established themselves as very good players elsewhere (Paulinho, and Soldado).
They misfired on Paulinho a bit, and Soldado a lot. But Eriksen is a star, three of the players took on serious injury (Capoue, Chiriches, and Lamela) and Chadli was perfectly fine for what he is.
To take the DLew example, if Lallana performs as expected and takes a big leap forward, but Lovren, Moreno, and Orgi all miss 20 games with injury. Lambert is exactly as advertized, Can doesn't adjust well, and Remy kinda sucks...is that a failure for Liverpool this offseason? I say no it's not...I say their year didn't work as well as expected, and you need to give it time to see how it shakes out.
Independent of the quality of players being purchased, I think there's a risk any time you buy this many players in one transfer window when it comes to integrating them into an existing pool of players, particularly when there are far more players coming in than going out. I mean, it's fine to say that players like Lambert and Remy (and presumably Origi) have been purchased to build squad depth ahead of a Champions League campaign...but are they expecting to be bit-part players, or will they have been promised more? I suspect Rodgers' man-management skills may be pushed rather more this season than they were last season.
By way of comparison, this list is quite interesting:
http://www.barriesview.com/2013/05/sir-alex-fergusons-104-manchester-united-transfers
Only once did Alex Ferguson buy as many as six players in a single transfer window - that was the summer of 1989, and that list includes Mark Bosnich (the first time round, as a youth player) along with a pretty decent cast of characters in Mike Phelan, Neil Webb, Gary Pallister, Paul Ince and Danny Wallace. Otherwise, he almost never made more than three signings who would be obviously competing for first-team football within a single window. Obviously he had a pretty good base to start from, not to mention a well-oiled youth system, but presumably this isn't a coincidence.
By way of comparison, this list is quite interesting:
http://www.barriesview.com/2013/05/sir-alex-fergusons-104-manchester-united-transfers
Only once did Alex Ferguson buy as many as six players in a single transfer window - that was the summer of 1989, and that list includes Mark Bosnich (the first time round, as a youth player) along with a pretty decent cast of characters in Mike Phelan, Neil Webb, Gary Pallister, Paul Ince and Danny Wallace. Otherwise, he almost never made more than three signings who would be obviously competing for first-team football within a single window. Obviously he had a pretty good base to start from, not to mention a well-oiled youth system, but presumably this isn't a coincidence.
URI said:
And you guys only finished three points worse than the previous year, with a fair amount of that due to the managerial instability/suckiness.
I think its actually kind of amazing that you could have a couple pretty large misfires (at least in the short term, maybe Soldado and Lamela improve) and still basically tread water. If anything, it tends to show that the importance of one superstar player is overrated.
URI said:
It's not really that relevant to you point, but I think the assumption is that Origi will be loaned back to Lille for 2014-15.
Your point about the quantity of players is dead on, I think. Individuals take time to work into any system; Jordan Henderson is a solid example of that at Liverpool. I do think there's less adjustment time/system issues for defenders, so while I'd expect Lovren and Moreno to be fine right away (maybe Moreno needs to work out timing of runs, overlaps, etc), I'd expect Lallana to need some time to mesh with the attack.
If those were the last of the signings, I'd say the season really hinges on Remy's adjustment. Can he be a plug-and-play goal scorer? If he can get 20 goals in the league, they should finish Top Four again. If he struggles, they'd have trouble. However, Liverpool may have 50m left to spend, so it's too early to say.
URI said:
Yeah, bumping Remy up to 8.5m instead of the originally reported 8m puts them on the same level.
I actually think Ayre has done a pretty good job of conducting business this summer, but I guess if he misses out on one or both of those guys, his reputation of not being the best deal closer stands, right? We're about 2/3rds through the summer with the disruption of the World Cup in the middle of it and Liverpool has already completed several deals...That's where I'm getting the "pretty good job" from.soxfan121 said:
I think the biggest problem for Liverpool is not necessarily that their signings won't be able to replace Suarez in aggregate, but that their primary competitors are all strengthening. Plus they have to play in Europe.
Put otherwise, they might end up about as good as last year but still in a dogfight to scrape into the CL.
Put otherwise, they might end up about as good as last year but still in a dogfight to scrape into the CL.
sachmoney said:
No worries. It ought to be compulsory viewing for anyone with a love of the game. I used to be part of the brigade that would happily be ruled by Sean Connery...but now, i think, like Lawro, if Hansen told me to dig a hole with a toothpick...i would imagine it was the right thing to do. He'd be a great James Bond.
Old people like thinking about the past. Old Liverpool fans especially like thinking about the past (beat you to it, Snake). To that end I thought I'd begin an irregular feature that involved me posting some pics of programmes from games I went to. Think of it as introductory course on British social history during the late 70's and early 80's.
Let's begin with a nice, simple programme from the Christmas fixtures of 1980. A typical LFC team for the time vs a shite Leeds Utd that was a pale shadow of their former selves. Just looking at it now a name caught my eye at #8. Well, hello there Alex Sabella or should I say, Alejandro Sabella national manager of Argentina.
And if that wasn't remarkable enough, it was a 3pm kick-off as well. On a Saturday. Remarkable, indeed, Jeff.
Let's begin with a nice, simple programme from the Christmas fixtures of 1980. A typical LFC team for the time vs a shite Leeds Utd that was a pale shadow of their former selves. Just looking at it now a name caught my eye at #8. Well, hello there Alex Sabella or should I say, Alejandro Sabella national manager of Argentina.
And if that wasn't remarkable enough, it was a 3pm kick-off as well. On a Saturday. Remarkable, indeed, Jeff.
Before the Premier League was created in the early 1990's, pretty much all matches kicked off at 3pm on Saturday (there was one televised match on a Sunday). Now, with the EPL and Sky, matches get moved to Saturday lunchtime, Saturday evening, Sunday, and Monday evening for TV (since by law, 3pm Saturday matches cannot be televised in the UK).JayMags71 said:
JayMags71 said:
Since time began, all professional football matches in every division kicked off at 3pm on a Saturday. Saturday's were ritualistic, depending on whether you were playing at home or away and had a 5 hour coach journey to some god-forsaken corner of this wonderful tiny island (or Manchester).
Then TV took over and extended it's dark, slimy fingers into everything that was good about the game and decided on our behalf that playing at 11.30am on a Sunday morning away at Newcastle was a good idea to the extent that its now reached the point that game times are changed just a week or so before the fixture is due to be played. For TV purposes. Bastards.
And as an example, LFC have 13 EPL fixtures from the start of the season to the beginning of December. 1 is at 3pm on a Saturday. 1. That's 1/3 of the entire season and i only went upto early December because that's how far the TV schedules have been organised, so far. Expect more to come.
Linda (I hope you don't mind me calling you that :wub: ) looking mighty fine as she greets the LFC squad on their first morning training at Harvard.
I will be in attendance with my brood. I have been informed I will not be allowed to purchase a road kit, as it would, and I quote, "make (me) look like Big Bird."5050HindSight said:
I suggested to an Arsenal-loving friend (idiot?) earlier that we should just wait for the first game of the season and do a bulk-medical on the Southampton squad when they turn up at Anfield, as it would save money.
Be interesting to see which dressing-room they walk into when they arrive.
Be interesting to see which dressing-room they walk into when they arrive.
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