The OFFICIAL Liverpool FC thread - Jurgen walks - Stallion vindicated

[stevo-08]

If Torres would be 'gone in a heartbeat' if you fail to qualify for the CL does that not nail the myth then that he is a dyed-in-the-wool Pool fan?

Doogie, while I do believe Torres does have a love for the club, I think the days of players staying loyal to clubs are long gone (bar the few exceptions). And at the end of the day, Torres is a gifted player with ambition, and if he thinks Liverpool cant meet his expectations he'll be gone, and that includes playing in the CL every year and competing for the PL. Sure didnt a CL win just about convince Gerrard to stay. And wasnt it the lure of CL football that initially made Villa's captain Gareth Barry go elsewhere.

[Doogie Browser]

If Torres would be 'gone in a heartbeat' if you fail to qualify for the CL does that not nail the myth then that he is a dyed-in-the-wool Pool fan?

Doogie, while I do believe Torres does have a love for the club, I think the days of players staying loyal to clubs are long gone (bar the few exceptions). And at the end of the day, Torres is a gifted player with ambition, and if he thinks Liverpool cant meet his expectations he'll be gone, and that includes playing in the CL every year and competing for the PL. Sure didnt a CL win just about convince Gerrard to stay. And wasnt it the lure of CL football that initially made Villa's captain Gareth Barry go elsewhere.

So it appeared but he then went with the lure of the green to City, I would have respected him more if he had went to Liverpool as at the time they had better prospects for CL football.
Re Torres I see what you are saying and it is in his own career interests to be playing at the top tier, you would like to think at his age he would give you another season rather than running off at first sign of trouble though.

[Olly]

l to the o to the s to the s to the e to the r to the s

[Doogie Browser]

lossers   

[mackers]

Can Liverpool afford to pay off Rafa and employ either Hiddink or Mourinho?? There's only one answer there I'm afraid.

Always was a Rafa fan but his actions are getting harder to defend, N'gog should've partnered Torres, and if he has to keep playing a left back on the wing to cover Insua we have WAY too many defenders on the pitch against bottom teams in the league.......I thought he learnt his lesson on this at the end of last season.

I would be a Rafa fan too but for the sake of the club something has to give.  The Yanks have money intheir pockets from the sale of their Ice Hockey teams, at the minute they are owners of an asset that is depreciating in value each week.  £15m might seem like small change if they lose £50m in the value of their asset and the club doesn't qualify for next seasons CL.  If, as Boots says, Hiddink is out of favour with the Ruskie tehn I would beat the door down and offer him a short term contract to the end of the season, give him the incentive that if they qualify for for CL that he will get a contract for say 5 years on x amount of money and I'd say you would see things improving under him.  Look what he did with Chelsea last season, and as I said above the players have not become bad players over night and as Armagh, Kerry and Tyrone showed the new manager effect works wonders

Alan Hansen hit the nail on the head on MOTD when he said last year Liverpool had a spine of quality players playing to near enough the top of their game and the rest were merely fillers......the spine has been below par this year for a variety of reasons and the cracks are no longer being papered over. Unless this "spine" of Reina, Carragher, Agger, Aqualini, Masch, Gerrard and Torres have a super second half of the season we're in sh1t street.

[Olly]

well you can lose an s or exchange the l for a t.

Liverpool fans need to awaken up and smell the sunshine. They have almost gone through 2 decades without winning a league title. In any other country you would be forgotton. Blackburn have even on it in between and even Leeds and look at them now. What you need to do is go back to your routes. Forgetabout the silly manager and his silly buys of players nonone has heard of. Liverpool had Barnes, Beardsley, Rush, Whelen, Hansen, Johnstone - all the best of the local talent but now they all go to the champions in Rooney, Carrick, Ferdinand, Giggs, or to Chelsea in Cole, Terry, Cole, Lampard and the rest. Stop buying cheap foregin products. Thats not the liverpool i liked as a kid.

[brokencrossbar1]

Can Liverpool afford to pay off Rafa and employ either Hiddink or Mourinho?? There's only one answer there I'm afraid.

Always was a Rafa fan but his actions are getting harder to defend, N'gog should've partnered Torres, and if he has to keep playing a left back on the wing to cover Insua we have WAY too many defenders on the pitch against bottom teams in the league.......I thought he learnt his lesson on this at the end of last season.

I would be a Rafa fan too but for the sake of the club something has to give.  The Yanks have money intheir pockets from the sale of their Ice Hockey teams, at the minute they are owners of an asset that is depreciating in value each week.  £15m might seem like small change if they lose £50m in the value of their asset and the club doesn't qualify for next seasons CL.  If, as Boots says, Hiddink is out of favour with the Ruskie tehn I would beat the door down and offer him a short term contract to the end of the season, give him the incentive that if they qualify for for CL that he will get a contract for say 5 years on x amount of money and I'd say you would see things improving under him.  Look what he did with Chelsea last season, and as I said above the players have not become bad players over night and as Armagh, Kerry and Tyrone showed the new manager effect works wonders

Alan Hansen hit the nail on the head on MOTD when he said last year Liverpool had a spine of quality players playing to near enough the top of their game and the rest were merely fillers......the spine has been below par this year for a variety of reasons and the cracks are no longer being papered over. Unless this "spine" of Reina, Carragher, Agger, Aqualini, Masch, Gerrard and Torres have a super second half of the season we're in sh1t street.

True but the thing is you have named our 7 best players there, if any team didn't have their 7 best players playing well then they would struggle.  The strange thing is though that no one is setting the League alight and over the last 5 games as poor as Liverpool have been the have Arsenal have only gained 2 points more, Manure 3 and Chelsea 4. 

I am so torn because I do rate Rafa as a manager but sometimes you need a change to ruffle things up.  There is a deadness about the way they play at the minute as if they are bored with what is being said in the dressing room.  Maybe even just a new first team coach, or team pyschologist along with a decent 2 signings in the transfer window.  I really don't know.  Do the owners take the risk and give Rafa the £15 million they would have to pay him off and tell him to get a new player in along with van Horse Mouth on a free?  Try to ship Babel back to Holland, he needs games to get into Dutch squad for SA so send him to PSV or somewhere on loan to give him game time.  I don't know the answers at the minute but something needs to happen soon or the house will fall.

As for Torres I reckon he would give a full season to Liverpool if Benetiz left.  In some respects with the World Cup coming up this summer this will be a big focus for him.  Should Rafa go now or in the summer I reckon that Torres would be loyal enough to give a new manager a season so that he could see what his intentions are. 

[EC Unique]

Is it possible that Rafa is fed up with the owners and is trying to get fired with the big payout?

If top 4 is not made maybe Torres will have to go for financial reasons regardless of what he wants!

[stevo-08]

EC, I think it's more likely Mascherano will be sold for financial reasons rather than torres. Masch has stalled on negotiations on new contract and will be sold next summer if he doesnt sign. No way will they let that contract run down. But whatever about mascherano, there's no way the owners could sell torres IF he wants to stay.

As for Torres I reckon he would give a full season to Liverpool if Benetiz left.  In some respects with the World Cup coming up this summer this will be a big focus for him.  Should Rafa go now or in the summer I reckon that Torres would be loyal enough to give a new manager a season so that he could see what his intentions are. 

Yea, torres would probably wait and see if a new manager arrives, before making up his mind. But CL qualification will definitely be a factor also.

[Silky]

Just got a text from a friend saying Mascherano is going to City for £20m in January.

If the board are going tio stick with Rafa they need to get him some funds for January. Selling Mascherano to City (who have more money than sense) could be good business if the proceeds are used to freshen up the squad rather than paying off the debt.

4th place is a must this year or we could end up with a fire sale to pay the debt. That's why we need to spend in January. Waiting until the summer may be too late.

If we don't make 4th place - and to be honest they way we are playing at the minute I can't see it happening - the whole club is in big trouble. Rafa will be sacked but with no money to buy new players and no champions league football none of the top managers will want the job. We could end up with the likes of Mark Hughes and the title will be further away than ever!

This January's transfer window could be the most important ever. The future of the club is in the balence and decisions made over the next few weeks will determine weather we stay in the Big 4 or slip towards mid table - not just this season but for years to come. It really is that important.

[bingobus]

Just got a text from a friend saying Mascherano is going to City for £20m in January.

Doesn't make sense, wouldn't believe it. He may get shedloads of cash but Barca would pay a right amount and the whole "unsettled wife" story we've heard in past.

[Silky]

I like Mascherano when he gives 100% but if City are willing to pay big money I'd let him go.

I suppose there'll be loads of rumours about City now that they have a new man in charge.

[bingobus]

I like Mascherano when he gives 100% but if City are willing to pay big money I'd let him go.

I suppose there'll be loads of rumours about City now that they have a new man in charge.

They'll spend another 200m and buy about 4 players. There'll be a man city price and a price for everyone else!

Masch would be one of 7/8 players I'd keep at all costs is we are realistic about not been shit.

[EC Unique]

http://www.koptalk.co.uk/200912201799/Liverpool-FC-News/liverpool-players-call-for-benitez-to-be-sacked.html

Bull or the start of the end?

[GalwayBayBoy]

http://www.koptalk.co.uk/200912201799/Liverpool-FC-News/liverpool-players-call-for-benitez-to-be-sacked.html

Bull or the start of the end?

Koptalk is known amongst Liverpool fans to be full of shite and regularly comes up with outlandish stories to try and entice people into paying for membership. Guy that runs it is a pure scam artist.