Liverpool FC 2013-14: Pride Restored

[SoxFanInCali]

Suarez will miss the first few games, but at least this season Sturridge and Coutinho are available.  What will become of Andy Carroll?  Can Borini play 3 games in a row without getting hurt?
 
Carra is off to TV punditry, Agger may be a target for other clubs, Skrtel is still insane, and we still don't know what we have in Coates.  Needless to say, center backs will be a priority in the transfer market.
 
Gerrard had a good season until needing shoulder surgery and missing the last 2 games.  Lucas struggled in his return from knee surgery, but improved as the season went on.  Downing and Henderson came back from the dead to contribute, can Joe Allen?
 
Reina may go to Barca, he may stay.  Jones is a capable backup, but who will come in if Reina leaves?
 
Will the kids (Sterling, Ibe, Wisnom, Kelly, etc.) contribute more?  Will they get the chance?
 
Oh, and we might buy every player on earth, and every one of our players might be sold.
 
Discuss.

 

[DLew On Roids]

The Guardian is reporting that a free transfer for Kolo Toure (he's out of contract) is all but done. Medical coming after City return from the US tour.

It seems like a logical fit for a couple of years as Liverpool look for a long term solution. He's built like Coates, too, so maybe he can teach the kid.

 

[JayMags71]

Addressing the thread title: is there any chance Henry has any interest in investing enough to make the CL? Or are the logistics too complicated, seeing as we have six teams competing over four slots? I'd really like to hope Man U plummets in quality, but that doesn't seem realistic.

 

[PedroSpecialK]

Touré is a decent enough start on a free, provided his wages are well below Joe Cole levels. 
 
Would really like to see at least one more CB brought in though, someone like Papadopolous who can emulate pre-brain AIDS Skrtel and grow long-term alongside Agger. Skrtel and Touré provide experienced cover and Coates/Kelly/Wisdom/Coady duke it out for the remaining minutes.
 
In all probability, we'll primarily see Kelly/Wisdom at that RCB spot when Rodgers switches to three at the back with two wing-backs. If a guy like Papadopolous is brought in, I don't see a need for Skrtel.
 
Other things on the wish list:
 
-a more experienced left back to provide cover for Enrique. I know Johnson's very solid there as well, but he's at his best cutting in from the right and overlapping with Downing IMO.
-young goalkeeper
-Big Andeh

 

[OilCanCoulter]

When is Rodgers going to open the three envelopes?

 

[DLew On Roids]

When is Rodgers going to open the three envelopes?

 
If you say "steady" one more time you'll be on the first plane back!

 

[PedroSpecialK]

Ben Smith ‏@BenSmithBBC
#LFC & West Ham agree fee in region of £15m for Andy Carroll. Player yet to decide if he wants the move. More on @BBCSport
 
I'd take it. I'm fairly certain Rodgers will too.

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

It was inevitable, but a 20m loss on the Carroll deal....ouch. Time to put it in the past.

 

[DLew On Roids]

If you'd told me last summer that Liverpool weren't going to write another paycheck to him and get 17M from West Ham (they paid a 2M loan fee), I'd have been giddy.

Good luck to him. It seems like he's maturing into a responsible professional and an excellent finisher, albeit one whose skill set doesn't match what's needed at Liverpool. I'd bet that a couple of times over the next decade we wish we had him around.

 

[OilCanCoulter]

Time to offload some of the rest of Commolli's turds.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

I don't wish for anyone to be beaten, no matter how much of an asshole he is, but it's not tough to believe that he did something to deserve this.
 
El Hadji Diouf Beaten in Dakar Restaurant Toilet

 

[DLew On Roids]

You mean like:

A witness who saw Diouf's bodyguards - reportedly Senegalese wrestlers - come to his aid, said Diouf was drunk and shouting, "You're all zero, you're poor, you're not connected".

Sounds pretty accurate. Haven't there been a couple of incidents that were denied by his handlers with something like, "He couldn't have been drink, he's Muslim"?

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

So, a little comparison chart of Reina, Begovic and Vorm.
 
 

 

[DLew On Roids]

Danny Wilson has been released and has signed a three-year deal at Hearts.

 

[Zomp]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr-UQRYnb24&feature=youtu.be

 

[SoxFanInCali]

He should have been wearing a Uruguay shirt for the keeper part.

 

[Nick Kaufman]

If you say "steady" one more time you'll be on the first plane back!

 
ok?

 

[Nick Kaufman]

Also, for all future reference -and I suspect there will be many- it's papadopoulos. Also? Stephanopoulos.

 

[PedroSpecialK]

ok?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wujTSELwsPA

 

[Nick Kaufman]

I don't know why you put the video, but I did get the reference and I was adding to it, because Rodgers says "ok?" every second sentence. Ok? :buddy:

 

[PedroSpecialK]

:rex:

 

[teddykgb]

You have apparently signed Kolo Toure.  Hope your fans can learn their half of the Yaya/Kolo toure song so it can live on at least twice a year.

 

[cjdmadcow]

You have apparently signed Kolo Toure.  Hope your fans can learn their half of the Yaya/Kolo toure song so it can live on at least twice a year.

 
Twice a year is roughly the number of times I expect him to be playing next season, unless there's a major fuck-up with our summer targets. This is a squad signing at best, filling in when injuries or suspensions occur. 

 

[teddykgb]

Twice a year is roughly the number of times I expect him to be playing next season, unless there's a major fuck-up with our summer targets. This is a squad signing at best, filling in when injuries or suspensions occur. 

 
Well he had that role at City and chose to leave, so I'd suspect he's moving for playing time if he's leaving the team his brother is on.  Not suggesting he'll be a regular starter, but I have to think he expects more regular time.

 

[DLew On Roids]

Then I guess we know one of the names in Rodgers's 2013-14 envelopes.

 

[TheJodyReedExperience]

Guillem Balague is reporting Iago Aspas to LFC for £7.7. That strikes me as a bit of good business and will certainly give them more finishing from the wing/depth up front. Scoring 12 goals for a Celta side that's likely to go down to the Segunda is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[PedroSpecialK]

Liverpool apparently close to signing striker Iago Aspas from Celta Vigo for €9m 
 
 

Liverpool are close to agreeing a deal to bring Spanish striker Iago Aspas to Anfield this summer.
 
The Celta Vigo forward was wanted by Chelsea and Reading in January, but only the relegation-bound Royals made an official bid and Celta refused to sell their man for less than his €10million release clause.
 
However, with rock-bottom Celta now looking set for relegation from La Liga, the Anfield giants want to take advantage of his clause dropping to €7m and have offered him a £45,000-a-week deal.
 
The 25-year-old, who has been linked with Swansea recently, has been a rare shining light in an otherwise disappointing season for Celta, scoring 11 goals and setting up six more.
 
The 5ft 9in tall Aspas can play off the front-line or in a wider position, and would slot neatly into Brendan Rodgers' mobile attacking trio.

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XuLktUtoCxE

 

[PedroSpecialK]

On cue, with the Iago news, a story on Suarez's supposedly imminent departure.
 
 

In a Spanish-language interview with a radio station in his native Uruguay, the controversial striker is said to have talked about how difficult he is finding life in England.
 
He also reportedly explained that he has already made his wishes plain to the Anfield giants' manager, Brendan Rodgers.
 
Suarez is said to have told Sport890 radio: "I have a contract with Liverpool. I am happy in Liverpool. I love Liverpool, but this year was very difficult for me, my wife and my daughter."
 
 
 
If correctly translated, Suarez went on to say: "I've already talked with Brendan Rodgers, he knows what I want. He understands my situation.
 
"I have a family, a daughter, and I am not prepared to keep enduring the English press."
 
The 26-year-old, who is a target for new Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola and was linked with Real Madrid earlier this week, added: "I talked with my agent. To say no to Real Madrid is difficult."
 
The quotes emerged only an hour or two after Liverpool reportedly agreed a deal to buy Celta Vigo forward Iago Aspas.

 

[Nick Kaufman]

I think Suarez is going to be irreplaceable for a long while. Pity, because his partnership with Sturridge could be one for the ages.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Sturridge hurt himself in England's friendly against Ireland, and it looks like ankle ligament damage.  The club is worried he may not be ready for the Suarez-less start to the season.
 
Great...

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

Sturridge hurt himself in England's friendly against Ireland, and it looks like ankle ligament damage.  The club is worried he may not be ready for the Suarez-less start to the season.
 
Great...

 
Can't tell you how much I hate international duty. Seems we always lose a first team player whenever these matches happen.

 

[PedroSpecialK]

Hope they've got Aspas signed/sealed/delivered in that case.

With Coutinho all but guaranteed the 10 spot, maybe this opens the door for Sterling/Assaidi on the wings.

Silverest of linings, that.

 

[DLew On Roids]

Hope they've got Aspas signed/sealed/delivered in that case.

 
And perhaps Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Someone alert DotB--there may be an Armenian at Anfield.

 

[soxfaninyankeeland]

Maybe he can loan Jonjo some hair.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Warrior sucks at away kits.
 

 

[PedroSpecialK]

 

[Seven Costanza]

That is positively abhorrent. 

 

[PedroSpecialK]

Spoiler

 

[cjdmadcow]

I don't have a good enough command of the English language to find the words to describe how much I detest the two new away kits. It's all very well to criticise Warrior for coming up with those designs, but I'd like to know who the fucker at the club is that signed off on them?

 

[MiracleOfO2704]

There were kits in the 90s that looked better, and that was the era that nearly killed sports design.

 

[saintnick912]

Especially for a club with tradition.  This is expansion Devil Rays/Diamondbacks bad (sorry I don't have the background to present the football equivalents).

 

[soxfan121]

Especially for a club with tradition.  This is expansion Devil Rays/Diamondbacks bad (sorry I don't have the background to present the football equivalents).

 
They look like MLS kits. From the early seasons of MLS.
 
Awful. PSK's spoiler is hilarious, though.

 

[Zomp]

I LIKE IT

 

[DLew On Roids]

I don't have a good enough command of the English language 

 
DOMINATE!
 
WE COME NOT TO PLAY!
 
If I were the Snake of Liverpool, I could explain to you how these are actually cutting-edge design and you are all Philistines for failing to appreciate them.

 

[mascho]

Somewhere the University of Maryland Football team is looking at those and laughing.  

 

[CPT Neuron]

That black/red/white design is a poor, poor rip-off of the sterotyped Native American/Navajo/Southwestern art pattern that can induce spontaneous blleding from the eyes......lose that, and the plain black, white, red design with the golden liverbird is pretty nice.  At the very least it is less offensive, and that is better.

 

[PedroSpecialK]

Somewhere the University of Maryland Football team is looking at those and laughing.  

In Maryland, perhaps

 

[JayMags71]

They look like Phil Knight puked, and that puke designed those shirts.

 

[The Talented Allen Ripley]

Meanwhile dirtynine toils in unpaid obscurity. So unfair.

 

[Infield Infidel]

I LIKE IT

 
Says the guy who enjoys white capri pants