Liverpool Thread 2013/14 (continued)

[mcmanus]

Got to keep finding the players with a point to prove, which you've done pretty well (Suarez, Sturridge, Coutinho etc.), your only downside is that if you don't win trophies then those who have stepped up will want to go and win those trophies, especially as they're all brought in and not home grown with loyalties in the local vicinity like Gerrard. I suppose if you torment and scare them into staying then they'll hang around in fear.

It's what we do well, buy players with a point to prove and potential and win trophies, good model to follow.

Which players have you bought with a point to prove? I suppose Toure did have being a bench warmer for Barca but who else?

We'll win trophies, need to remember we're right at the begining of quite a big rebuilding job. The fact we're only a year in and we're challenging for the league is a massive achievement. Anfield will be getting expanded and there's a 20k waiting list for season tickets...rammed full every week whilst keeping it's historic roots. On the up - I imagine we'll be having some pretty titanic battles over the next few years, can't wait.

Rebuilding? Check
Massive? Check
Waiting list for season tickets? Check
History? Check

You taking the piss?

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Got to keep finding the players with a point to prove, which you've done pretty well (Suarez, Sturridge, Coutinho etc.), your only downside is that if you don't win trophies then those who have stepped up will want to go and win those trophies, especially as they're all brought in and not home grown with loyalties in the local vicinity like Gerrard. I suppose if you torment and scare them into staying then they'll hang around in fear.

It's what we do well, buy players with a point to prove and potential and win trophies, good model to follow.

Which players have you bought with a point to prove? I suppose Toure did have being a bench warmer for Barca but who else?

We'll win trophies, need to remember we're right at the begining of quite a big rebuilding job. The fact we're only a year in and we're challenging for the league is a massive achievement. Anfield will be getting expanded and there's a 20k waiting list for season tickets...rammed full every week whilst keeping it's historic roots. On the up - I imagine we'll be having some pretty titanic battles over the next few years, can't wait.

Rebuilding? Check
Massive? Check
Waiting list for season tickets? Check
History? Check

You taking the piss?

Haha! Good too see you're still being vigilant, mate, even at this late hour ;-)

 

[ake_stan]

First, I thought if we don't win the league I'd rather they did. God please no.
They've ALL come crawling out now, haven't seen em for a good few years.

 

[NICKS BACK]

Up to a point, yes. At least in relation to our immediate competetors. It's the inevitable price of dining at the top table. To fans of all the other 'top' clubs we are seen as arriviste upstarts. The nouveau riche have always had trouble fitting in for a little while, but they don't stay 'nouveau' for ever. That is what is so delicious about all this. The plans for our club are so well conceived, so well resourced that within a few years we'll be seen as an establishment club with....errrr.....class who do things 'the right way'. A club that others....errrr....aspire to.

Anyone who can't see that doesn't know what's coming.

What about the media though? You see the only difference I see compared to the fantastic coverage we were getting when we were tearing teams apart, is that there are old pro's of Liverpool being interviewed, and they are all faces people recognise. We didn't really have anyone like that, so as far as romanticising goes, as suggested by jay, I think that is about the only difference.

I think there is an innate desire within the sports media for a Liverpool title win, which now supersedes all other considerations: for three reasons.

The first is commercial. This point has been advanced at length on here and there is little I can add to that debate tbh.

The second relates to the media's love of a good narrative. Liverpool winning the league, in this year of all years, satisfies a prevailing yearning to tell a story with a happy ending.

The third is demographic. Those who played for Liverpool in their playing peak are now in their peak years in the media. The same goes for journalists. Many of those with power in the media had their loyalties forged a generation ago, when Liverpool were imperious. The journalism students of the late 80's are now sports editors.

Furthermore there is a romantasism attached to the club,which is not without some merit, which acts as a catalyst to all the above.

For those reasons they certainly punch above their weight in the media. To suggest otherwise is utterly deluded.

You know, Liverpool this season have been the only other club I have wanted to see this year. They have been fantastic, and all season, they have been treated like an entertaining side show in the fight for Fourth.

They have gone about their business, setting targets week by week, with a number of English footballers in very key positions.

I think Henderson has leapfrogged at least 6 players, who at the beginning of the year, were fancied ahead of him. Wilshire (so average this season) Cleverley, Milner, Lampard and possibly Townsend on current form.

I have bought into the role that Gerrard is playing, its where he should have been playing for the last 14 years in my opinion, in this position he really is a top top player.

Sturridge? What might have been, he could have been the Jewel in the Crown for us, a homegrown player wearing the No 9. It will be along time before we have that opportunity.

The game at Anfield is going to be a corker. Possibly both teams trying to outgun each other, if Liverpool have a go. I still think we will win the Prem, the two games I thought we might drop points to were Liverpool and Arsenal. 5 years ago, we would not have expected anything from those two fixtures.

Liverpool would be worthy Champions this year.

 

[JoeMercer'sWay]

Got to keep finding the players with a point to prove, which you've done pretty well (Suarez, Sturridge, Coutinho etc.), your only downside is that if you don't win trophies then those who have stepped up will want to go and win those trophies, especially as they're all brought in and not home grown with loyalties in the local vicinity like Gerrard. I suppose if you torment and scare them into staying then they'll hang around in fear.

It's what we do well, buy players with a point to prove and potential and win trophies, good model to follow.

Which players have you bought with a point to prove? I suppose Toure did have being a bench warmer for Barca but who else?

We'll win trophies, need to remember we're right at the begining of quite a big rebuilding job. The fact we're only a year in and we're challenging for the league is a massive achievement. Anfield will be getting expanded and there's a 20k waiting list for season tickets...rammed full every week whilst keeping it's historic roots. On the up - I imagine we'll be having some pretty titanic battles over the next few years, can't wait.

all of them?

Hart-Stepping up from Shrewsbury, and then came back from loan to Brum to prove himself as our #1 and become England's #1.
Zaba-Stepping up from mid-table Spain w/Espanyol to become a top RB.
Vinnie-DM come CB at Hamburg, came and stepped it up to become the best CB in the world.
Demi-Fair enough, but still proving himself in the prem after all these years.
Lescott-Moved up to us from Everton to win trophies.
Kolarov-Moved from Lazio to the Prem to win trophies.
Clichy-Moved from Le Arse because they weren't winning trophies and selling their best players so came to win trophies.
Yaya-Moved to prove a point to Barca and to prove it in the Prem.
Fern-Came to prove a point to Brazil and win trophies.
Milner-Stepped up from Villa and win trophies.
Barry-See Milner.
Rodwell-See Lescott.
Nasri-See Clichy.
Silva-Moved up from Valencia who had little hope of success to join the hunt for trophies.
Navas-See Silva.
Garcia-See Silva.
Aguero-See Silva.
Negredo-See Silva.
Dzeko-Again, with a good club but not a title challenger every year in Wolfsburg and came to win trophies and prove himself on the top stage regularly.
Jovetic-Moved from La Viola to step up to the next level like everyone else I've already mentioned.

We've bought usually young, talented and hungry players who want to step up and prove themselves to be a level above their current standing, most have come from good clubs who for whatever reason aren't able to have a tilt to sustained success and have come here to do just that. So erm...you're wrong, badly. We've bought very, very few players who have already done it all elsewhere and are here just for the perceived paycheck, the few we did (Maicon, Tevez) ended up moving on.

 

[TGR]

Liverpool are currently on an 8 game winning streak.
They will need to win their last 6 games on the bounce to win the title.
That equates a straight 14 game winning streak!
Not impossible but improbable (and if they do it then fair do's they would be more than worthy champions)
They will drop at least 4 points between us & Chelsea.
The talk of open top celebration buses through the City of Liverpool is just a tad premature...

 

[aguero93:20]

Liverpool are currently on an 8 game winning streak.
They will need to win their last 6 games on the bounce to win the title.
That equates a straight 14 game winning streak!
Not impossible but improbable (and if they do it then fair do's they would be more than worthy champions)
They will drop at least 4 points between us & Chelsea.
The talk of open top celebration buses through the City of Liverpool is just a tad premature...

Unless they're celebrating top 4 and if they heap to much pressure on themselves that might end up being the other dippers parade.

 

[supercity88]

Got to keep finding the players with a point to prove, which you've done pretty well (Suarez, Sturridge, Coutinho etc.), your only downside is that if you don't win trophies then those who have stepped up will want to go and win those trophies, especially as they're all brought in and not home grown with loyalties in the local vicinity like Gerrard. I suppose if you torment and scare them into staying then they'll hang around in fear.

It's what we do well, buy players with a point to prove and potential and win trophies, good model to follow.

Which players have you bought with a point to prove? I suppose Toure did have being a bench warmer for Barca but who else?

We'll win trophies, need to remember we're right at the begining of quite a big rebuilding job. The fact we're only a year in and we're challenging for the league is a massive achievement. Anfield will be getting expanded and there's a 20k waiting list for season tickets...rammed full every week whilst keeping it's historic roots. On the up - I imagine we'll be having some pretty titanic battles over the next few years, can't wait.

How are you right at the beginning of quite a big rebuilding job? You were right at the beginning of that in the early 90s! You've had one season prior to this one where winning the title was within reach (in the prem era). But you've spent a hell of a lot on established and younger players and had a hell of a lot of different managers attempt to take Liverpool back to the promised land (yawn). Whilst Benitez won trophies, the league was the one that he needed to win... so I would question how you are at the beginning of a rebuild. The rags are... you've been "rebuilding" for decades. Challenging for the league is not a massive achievement either - you've spent a lot. It is a minimum expectation. Previous seasons it hasn't happened and those seasons are failures. If you win it then that will be an incredible achievement but the fact is you should be challenging considering some of the money spent. We've spent a lot, don't get me wrong. We had to. But we have spent money pretty well in the grand scheme of things. You can say that you earned the money to go and buy Downing and Carroll but it doesn't matter where the money comes from, you wasted it all by yourselves. Only now does it look like the right signings have been made... it's been a long time coming. Ramming Anfield full of another 20,000 people will not keep those historic roots. Unless there is a Liverpool candle lit seminar you have to go to before you can enter the stadium. Anfield's been near enough full every time I have gone, and I can tell you now there aren't all that many scousers around, and unless by historic roots you mean "we support Liverpool because they used to win things" then that is a load of nonsense. You're just another club, like all the rest. Even in these years of "failure" you've not been relegated and had to face really grim times down the leagues. The history and soul of a club comes as much with losing games and being relegated as it does with winning. Look at Palace, never won a thing but you cannot call their supporters soulless and the club lacking in history because of it. Even though a lot have come out the woodwork since they were promoted.

 

[The Fat el Hombre]

Which players have you bought with a point to prove? I suppose Toure did have being a bench warmer for Barca but who else?

Imbecile

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story, eh?

Liverpool are challenging on a shoestring and have been since signing Torres for £25m, a British record £8.5m on Stan Collymore or £35m on Andy Carroll.

Mingolet £10m

Johnson - £18m

Henderson - £20m

Suarez £25m

Sturridge £12m

Allen £15m

Coutinho £8.5m

Aspas £14m



Skrtel £6m

Agger £6m