English Football Thread 2013/14

[El Loco]

Someone needs to affix a rule on diving. I mean that was just appalling. Dion Dublin mentioned something about awarding a penalty to the other side. Whatever it takes to stamp it out.
On the bright side, last night showed that Lambert is capable of getting it right tactically and hopefully he realises that is the kind of performance and style we need on a weekly basis and he'll win us back over that he is the right man to lead us forward. Great debut from Bertrand, kept Sterling quiet all game, great replacement for the abysmal Luna. Although Holt does look like he's a bit past it but at least it looks the like the competition is keeping Weimann on his toes.

 

[Champagnepapi]

I think Man Utd are actually having a good season, just look at the injuries they have faced thus far.

And Suarez didn't actually dive, I also thought he dived at the first glimpse but when I watched Match of the Day, the replay clearly showed a little contact, but it wasn't that much that Luis have to over react that much but just a little div would have made it a pen anyway. Aly Cissoko, just hate him just 2 or 3 good games he had so far, he literally wasted too much of valuable time against Villa which really cost us.

 

[SpitfiresKent]

Haha you are the only one who thinks that Man U are having a ''good'' season.

 

[thedon5]

Haha you are the only one who thinks that Man U are having a ''good'' season.

I wouldn't argue that they've come back well and are challenging for CL spots. Face it, their whole team is injured (Rooney and van Persie), they are barely mid-table otherwise.

@War: I though Norwich prided themselves on their youth tournament that they won.

 

[Haarithan]

Gerrard in the deeper role clearly backfired against Stoke, so what does Brendan do? Play him there again against Villa in the first half! Will always stick by my opinion that he's a very limited tactician, with Suarez, Sturridge & Henderson saving his blushes this season. Call it kneejerk, I don't care, but these are the fixtures you really should be winning! No top four => No Suarez next season => Back to mediocrity! Lambert has now tactically schooled Rodgers twice at Anfield!

Btw I still have no idea why Rodgers spent 21m on Aspas, Alberto and Ilori, while Spurs got Eriksen for 10m. Aspas makes me miss Borini, which's really saying something, considering I rate Fabio very badly, while Alberto just doesn't look like starting a game at the moment. Ilori has now been loaned out to Spanish outfit, Granada, making him the most pointless signing of the summer.

Oh, and don't even remind me about our loan duo in Victor Moses & Aly Cissokho.. The latter made my blood boil to intolerable levels against Villa.. Bloody hopeless excuse for a footballer, stealing a living here at Liverpool!

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Apparently Lucas could be out for the reminder of the season as well, so get a DM, LB and a goalscoring midfielder/winger already ffs...

 

[thedon5]

No top four => No Suarez next season => Back to mediocrity!

I don't agree. If the money is spent well, Liverpool would be a much better side than now. I think Suarez needs to be sold either way, top four or not.

 

[Haarithan]

"If the money is spent well" being the operative word, Don. Big 'if' that, when you look at Rodgers' track record on transfers since becoming our manager. What is it? 4-5 quality players (off his 14 signings) we've attaracted since his arrival? Sahin (wasted him), Mignolet, Sakho, Sturridge and Coutinho?

Top players from other clubs would want to play for a Liverpool side that is in the Champions League and features Suarez in it's XI. Not the other way around. I can only really see Borini/Allen-esque signings (11mil/15 mil) if Suarez leaves and we don't make the CL next year. Atleast with our current transfer comittee, that is..

 

[thedon5]

I feel getting risky players like Coutinho who could be brilliant or crap is what he needs to be doing, not guys like Aspas who are just crap. Trying to get proven talent is not something you can do unless you have bundles of money and are title-challenging. I think Rodgers has maybe learnt a bit what he should be doing on the TM, he is at Liverpool not Swansea with a non-existent budget. Give him another chance. Otherwise he needs to leave the club if he keeps wasting money.

 

[Lee1981]

Suarez needs to be sold either way, top four or not.

How is this going to help?

When does selling your best player become something that needs to be done?

Liverpool without him are nothing

 

[thedon5]

How is this going to help?

When does selling your best player become something that needs to be done?

Liverpool without him are nothing

They could use the money to build the other areas of the team. Relying on Suarez is not a long-term option, and as we saw, even with ?100 m Spurs couldn't easily deal with the loss of Bale. Suarez won't sell for ?100 m. It's better they get the money now and buy young players to replace him rather than waiting for him to fade in a couple of years with the squad unable to cope with his decline. The guy is 27 in a few days, he will demand a huge fee in the summer and that'll be the most he'll sell for.

 

[Haarithan]

and as we saw, even with ?100 m Spurs couldn't easily deal with the loss of Bale. Suarez won't sell for ?100 m.

You're contradicting your own point here. As in the case of Spurs with Bale, we won't cope with the loss of Suarez easily either. So it'd be a huge mistake to sell him this summer.

Btw Luis apparently has a ?100m release clause, so I can't see Liverpool selling him otherwise (regardless of his will to leave/stay at the club). Let's hope we make top four though.

 

[barmyarmy]

This thread is pretty quiet now all the Utd fans have abandoned it...

 

[Skater]

@War: I though Norwich prided themselves on their youth tournament that they won.

Yes we do thank you very much! It's not to be sniffed at.

 

[thedon5]

You're contradicting your own point here. As in the case of Spurs with Bale, we won't cope with the loss of Suarez easily either. So it'd be a huge mistake to sell him this summer.

Btw Luis apparently has a ?100m release clause, so I can't see Liverpool selling him otherwise (regardless of his will to leave/stay at the club). Let's hope we make top four though.

That's the whole point, when he does leave, there will be a problem.

Spurs didn't spend their money well, blowing it all in one window on dogturd players like Capoue and Chadli won't get them anywhere.

I think ?60 m is a very fair offer and if they receive that they have to sell, it could be more I guess. That money can be slowly reinvested into the team, and it's better that Suarez is replaced now rather than later with a maximised transfer fee, and the longer he is a one-man team, the more it will hurt Liverpool in the long-run. The long-run is what is important.

 

[Haarithan]

We won't be a one man team if we make the CL next season though. Top class players WILL want to come here in that case, wanting to play alongside Suarez. That's the whole point.

If we don't make it though, yeah, fair enough, your point holds good in that it'll hurt us being a one man team in the long run. Suarez will almost certainly leave for a hefty sum anyway in that case, which Rodgers needs to spend on either 3-4 worldies (which's very unlikely), or 6-7 Coutinho-esque signings as you mentioned earlier. (Of course there's also the outside chance of Rodgers facing the axe if we don't make top four). Let's see.