The Official Liverpool FC Thread [Vol 10]

[Harbuzi]

desolate said:

anyone else think FSG may sell if FFP goes out of the window?

Well apparently it was the existence of FFP that was one of the factors as to why they bought the club. However, I am not sure they would now leave part way through the project of rebuilding squad, expanding stadium and so on.

The season is not over yet, and although some results have been disappointing when you look at the teams above us and their squads/budgets, then BR has done an acceptable job. I'm sure he did not plan to be without Suarez and Sturridge for the season and once Suarez was sold and we missed out on Sanchez we were clearly short of decent options. Remy not getting through the medical was another blow and I think it's obvious from his early interviews last summer Rodgers did not want Ballotelli. Whether used correctly or not, in the style Rodgers plays with strikers pressing and closing down, Mario was never going to fit in.

It's a unique situation to have Bornin, Lambert and Ballotelli all surplus to requirements - I mean what is it 5/6 league goals between them this season? Difficult to sign the top tier players without being in the Champions League, but we landed a cracker in Suarez before so let's hope we find another one (or two) like him - minus the biting!

We were close to the league title last year - two cup semi finals this year. My personal opinion is he deserves more time to get it right, but having said that, if we mess up against Stoke and finish behind Spurs/Southampton then I do think he has some difficult questions to answer. 5th and 7th are worlds apart even though neither would represent where any of us want the club to be.

[DuncanM]

The way BR has treated Borini and Lambert this year has disappointed me a lot.

Neither player had a really good run in the team to try and prove themselves.

[RWD cossie wil]

DuncanM said:

The way BR has treated Borini and Lambert this year has disappointed me a lot.

Neither player had a really good run in the team to try and prove themselves.

That would be my major criticism of the season, why not play them up front with a conventional set up behind them? Lambert especially is prove PL quality & would be in the mix for scoring most games.. But as it is, none of us know why they didn't get selected, Borini might be because he refused to be sold?

Certainly this is a critical transfer window for us that will affect the next 3-4 years if we don't get it right.

On another note, would it really be a big loss if results conspired for us to finish 7th? Ok it's "nice" to be in Europe, but it really does seem to kill teams league form playing Europa?

[London424]

This is a tough one for Liverpool. It would appear that from now his transfer value is only going in one direction. I guess the main thing is how much can you make out of it, and who can you sell him to that will do the least damage to Liverpools chances.

[type-r]

RWD cossie wil said:

On another note, would it really be a big loss if results conspired for us to finish 7th? Ok it's "nice" to be in Europe, but it really does seem to kill teams league form playing Europa?

It looks likely that if you finish 7th, we still will be playing in the Europa League

Talk Sport said:

If Arsenal win the FA Cup: The fifth, sixth and seventh placed Premier League sides

If Aston Villa win the FA Cup: The fifth and sixth placed Premier League sides, plus Aston Villa.

There could also be another Premier League side in the competition if England earn an extra spot through the UEFA Respect Fair Play league.

[RedTrident]

Sterling Mario Borini
Coutinho
Henderson Lucas

We'd have got top 4 I'm certain. Mr Rodgers froze out Borini unnecessarily I think. If he was here, he should have been played. Mario clearly needed someone next to him.

As for FFP. FSG only cared for this as it would increase their profit margin when they sold imo. In the meantime they used it as an excuse to tick the club over whilst they increased income. Their end game is selling at the biggest profit possible. I don't really think they're much different that the previous owners, their pr machine is just better and of course they are more sophisticated operators.

[DuncanM]

RedTrident said:

Sterling Mario Borini
Coutinho
Henderson Lucas

We'd have got top 4 I'm certain. Mr Rodgers froze out Borini unnecessarily I think. If he was here, he should have been played. Mario clearly needed someone next to him.

I agree with this.

If BR goes then he's brought a lot of it on himself.

[type-r]

RedTrident said:

Sterling Mario Borini
Coutinho
Henderson Lucas

We'd have got top 4 I'm certain. Mr Rodgers froze out Borini unnecessarily I think. If he was here, he should have been played. Mario clearly needed someone next to him.

I don't agree with this. Borini even at Sunderland and throughtout his career has had an extremely poor return for a striker. A striker that has played at Chelsea, Roma and Liverpool, he has only scored 24 league goals in SIX years. You do the math.

RedTrident said:

As for FFP. FSG only cared for this as it would increase their profit margin when they sold imo. In the meantime they used it as an excuse to tick the club over whilst they increased income. Their end game is selling at the biggest profit possible. I don't really think they're much different that the previous owners, their pr machine is just better and of course they are more sophisticated operators.

This I completely agree with. FSG are simply in it to make money - plain and simple. They saw an opportunity of a level playing field (FFP) and potential of a new stadium to increase revenues to sell on - however to their credit they did this by putting up their own money rather than borrowing money and placing Liverpool into debt. Trophies are not their priority; monetising Liverpool as much as possible is and will always be their key aim. With so much money now in the CL, it will be interesting to see how much money they put up especially if Sterling does stay. Last year was about Suarez money + PL prize money - no way they will spend another £120m.

[DSLiverpool]

m3sye said:

I cant believe that was only 8/9 for Kenny - what makes you think its 17m?

Bren and the Brendettes total £16m unless the new manager wants to keep them all.

[pinchmeimdreamin]

I hate to say it but GN makes a very good point, I have followed LFC for 40 yrs and I may be guilty to an extent of living a bit in the past too.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/9860...

[RedTrident]

What's the point he's making?

[pinchmeimdreamin]

RedTrident said:

What's the point he's making?

Well to me it's fairly obvious.

[RedTrident]

I'm not sure what it is. That we can't keep top players? Neither can Utd.

[pinchmeimdreamin]

RedTrident said:

I'm not sure what it is. That we can't keep top players? Neither can Utd.

Then maybe you need to read it again.

[phil_cardiff]

It's not just RT, I can't understand Neville's argument either.

Maybe we've not marketed ourselves as well as other clubs? Is that his point?

[Pommygranite]

RedTrident said:

Sterling Mario Borini
Coutinho
Henderson Lucas

We'd have got top 4 I'm certain. Mr Rodgers froze out Borini unnecessarily I think. If he was here, he should have been played. Mario clearly needed someone next to him.

As for FFP. FSG only cared for this as it would increase their profit margin when they sold imo. In the meantime they used it as an excuse to tick the club over whilst they increased income. Their end game is selling at the biggest profit possible. I don't really think they're much different that the previous owners, their pr machine is just better and of course they are more sophisticated operators.

You posted many times how rubbish you thought Borini was and in no way good enough.

[GloverMart]

phil_cardiff said:

Maybe we've not marketed ourselves as well as other clubs? Is that his point?

IMO, yes, spot on.

Instead of coming into the 21st century and moving with the times, the club seem to have spent too much time cultivating this image of a "club of the people", a club true to its working class roots and a proud institution that is strong and unchanging.

In fact, "strong" is good but "unchanging" is bad. Being seen as inflexible is not good in the modern era of social media and new technology. The whole boot room stuff was clever and was an emotional tug but it doesn't belong in the new world nowadays. MUFC, Chelsea, Arsenal and to a lesser extent, Man City have all overtaken you now in terms of marketing the club as a 21st century club should do. Three of those four clubs have hundreds of thousands (in one case, 1.5 million) more followers than you on Twitter and they are seen outside these shores as modern thinking clubs that use their history in the right way.

Neville used the word "provincial". He could have also used the word "parochial" too.

[phil_cardiff]

We've got ground to make up commercially. But even that won't help us attract and keep top players if FFP is removed.

[type-r]

GloverMart said:

IMO, yes, spot on.

Instead of coming into the 21st century and moving with the times, the club seem to have spent too much time cultivating this image of a "club of the people", a club true to its working class roots and a proud institution that is strong and unchanging.

In fact, "strong" is good but "unchanging" is bad. Being seen as inflexible is not good in the modern era of social media and new technology. The whole boot room stuff was clever and was an emotional tug but it doesn't belong in the new world nowadays. MUFC, Chelsea, Arsenal and to a lesser extent, Man City have all overtaken you now in terms of marketing the club as a 21st century club should do. Three of those four clubs have hundreds of thousands (in one case, 1.5 million) more followers than you on Twitter and they are seen outside these shores as modern thinking clubs that use their history in the right way.

Neville used the word "provincial". He could have also used the word "parochial" too.

This. We have been living in the past and have been overtaken. When United and Arsenal were improving their stadiums, Rick Parry believed in 2003 we would have started the building of a new stadium. 12 years on, we are no where near.

http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/rick-p...

In the 90's there was a clear "strategy" that if we just follow the same old and promote from "within" then the good times will just keep on continuing. Today with Liverpool's huge worldwide fanbase, it is shocking that we have less Twitter followers than say Chelsea or Man City. The commercial side is improving but without the new stadium the gap between the top 4 is only going to get wider in future.

[Pommygranite]

Bit of balance chaps - twitters lovely and all that but not sure Arsenal or even Man City would sell out 95,000 like Liverpool did when they came to Australia - Liverpools global stretch is vast.