The OFFICIAL Liverpool Supporters thread

[Norf Tyrone]

It's referance to their 'efforts' at the UEFA Cup final this year...remember?

[stevo-08]

N'Gog

http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/7X4TLVDSDZGY70L4


Torres

http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/VVY7J3H4600MKC2T

Great result.  Rangers are obviously ahead of Liverpool in their preseason as they start earlier.  A run of Clean sheets for the new guy Caviliri(sp?) and at last some goals.  With the Barry deal nearly done with Finnan going the other way and no word of Xavi leaving, I am confident for the first time on years.

From the sound of things, looks like we are shaping up well. However I am a bit worried about our full backs. Looks like Finnan & maybe Arbeloa could go and that might leave us a bit exposed in these positions with alot of responsibility resting on new arrivals Degen & Dossena. Hopefully Aurelio will stay injury free and we might see the best of him, but I would still worry that we're fairly weak in these areas and will get caught out against the stronger teams. However, we're certainly stronger in every other area of the pitch.

[Hound]

Arbeloa is definitely not going. His wife doesnt like the north of England but has been told to suck it up.

Not sure why Aurelio hasnt featured more in pre-season. Maybe he has a niggle?

Darby and Insua are genuine options too. And with experience, they will lose the naiviety they sometimes show.

Plus any of the centre backs bar Sami are capable of filling in at full back, so I think what we have will do well enough.

The biggest concern I have is missing Mascherano for the first few weeks. In my view he is one of our most important players, we have nobody who does what he does nearly as well as he does it.

[brokencrossbar1]

Hound I agree what you say that Masch is the best at what he does but I don't think he will  be the lose that he would be later in the season.  The first 3 games in the PL are not going to be earth shattering games and Liverpool should win them.  The Olympics is over on the 24th August and that means he will physically only miss two games as the Villa game is on the 31st, and that is presuming that Argentina go the whole way.


The big game he will be needed for is on the 13th Sept against United, he will be well rested and will also have had good quality game time under his playing for the argies, as will Lucas and Babel.  I actually think the Olympics could work in Liverpool's favour this year.

[stiff breeze]

benitez issued a statement this evening saying he is not looking to sell alonso in order to buy barry. happy days

[GalwayBayBoy]

By Ian Herbert
Monday, 4 August 2008

Gareth Barry is likely to complete his £18m move from Aston Villa to Liverpool this week


Liverpool will secure Gareth Barry's signature this week, following the concession of defeat by the Aston Villa manager, Martin O'Neill, in his summer-long battle to persuade the midfielder to stay.


Liverpool's manager, Rafael Benitez, is keen to wrap up an £18m cash deal – the valuation Villa have always placed on the player – as quickly as possible. He may have the England international at his disposal within 72 hours, provided there are no hitches with the cash advance which Liverpool's owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, are understood to have agreed to make.

Benitez had been told that he had to sell to buy and the chances of securing Barry's services seemed to have receded with the £19m purchase of the striker Robbie Keane from Tottenham Hotspur last week. But Hicks and Gillett are understood to have provided the £18m needed to buy Barry ahead of possible further sales, and may be willing to write off any shortfall remaining after the transfer window closes.

Liverpool's major hope of helping to recoup the full sum receded further yesterday, however, when the Juventus manager, Claudio Ranieri, said after a 3-0 defeat to Hamburg in London that he was no longer considering a move for Xabi Alonso. The Italian club had never tabled a firm offer for the Spain midfielder.

Benitez can still hope that Jermaine Pennant will bring in £4m, should Blackburn Rovers develop their known interest in the winger. Andrei Voronin could bring in £6m and Steve Finnan £2m. Alvaro Arbeloa's departure has also been anticipated, though Benitez last week dismissed suggestions that the Spaniard might be unhappy at the club.

Liverpool remained hopeful of signing Barry after the drama of last Wednesday, when Villa made an unexpected declaration that the England player was to stay, minutes after the conclusion of a deadline they had imposed. Liverpool made no progress on the matter on Friday but Barry had actually persuaded O'Neill to give up on his services on Thursday morning. O'Neill, who has never been short of public proclamations on the issue, revealed as much after Villa's 1-1 draw at Reading in a friendly on Saturday.

O'Neill said that Barry and his agent, Alex Black, had felt that Liverpool could still do the deal. The Villa manager had hoped a £60,000-a-week offer might tempt the midfielder to stay.

"I was obviously very disappointed that that was still part of the scenario going forward," O'Neill said. "I gave it some thought and realised that at the end of it all there was little point in pretending. Gareth would want to join Liverpool and therefore there would be no deadline.

"I have agreed with Gareth now that Liverpool have got all the time in the world if they want to raise the money. That's the case. That's it. The ball is firmly in Liverpool's court, that's fine, not a problem."

For a manager who has railed against Liverpool and Benitez all summer, such a change of course and tone is surprising. But O'Neill can show that his club have earned every penny they were demanding for Barry, with a considerable amount payable immediately. It is understood Liverpool have accepted Villa's demand that the £18m be delivered in two instalments.

At Liverpool, Hicks' role in the move provides the biggest boost to his reputation since he arrived at the club in February 2007. Though the biggest concern at Anfield has always been the two American owners' capacity to get a new stadium built, two top-bracket signings and Saturday's 4-0 friendly win at Rangers provide a sense at last that the club is moving forward.

[heganboy]

Xabi to Arsenal?

Arsène Wenger wants Xabi Alonso to form a Spanish midfield axis with Cesc Fábregas at Arsenal next season, provided Liverpool dramatically lower their £18m price for the marginalised playmaker.

Arsenal have made an initial approach for the 26-year-old Alonso, who has been told he can leave Anfield for the right price. His first-team prospects are threatened by the imminent arrival of Gareth Barry; Liverpool's manager, Rafael Benítez, hopes finally to complete the saga of Barry's £18m transfer from Aston Villa this week, after Martin O'Neill was forced to make a U-turn over his captain's future, and has insisted on a similar fee for Alonso as he attempts to balance the books.

Benítez's price tag, however, has deterred Arsenal from returning with a firm offer for a player they value at closer to the £10.5m Liverpool paid Real Sociedad for him four years ago. The deal will remain only a remote possibility unless Arsenal revise their stance or, despite Benítez's insistence that Alonso and Barry can operate in his already crowded central midfield, the Liverpool manager's need to raise funds forces a compromise.

"I don't think it will be easy [for him to leave]," admitted Benítez in Glasgow on Saturday. "The value of Alonso in the market will be really high. We are really pleased with him and we don't want him to go unless we get a very good price."

Liverpool had intended to sell Alonso to Juventus to finance Barry's transfer but, despite the collapse of that deal and a lack of suitors apart from Arsenal, Benítez will sign Villa's captain provided Liverpool's co-owners underwrite a loan to conclude the £18m deal. Tom Hicks and George Gillett promised the money before Villa's deadline to complete the transfer last week, only for a revised payment structure to cause Liverpool to miss the cut-off point - whereupon Villa issued a statement insisting, farcically, that the deal was off.

Liverpool's willingness to meet Villa's asking price led Barry and his agent, Alex Black, to insist again on the move on Friday morning. O'Neill and Randy Lerner, Villa's owner, then ended their resistance and put the onus back on Liverpool to come up with the package they had promised last week. "I gave it some thought and realised there is little point in pretending," said the Villa manager. "Gareth would want to join Liverpool and therefore there would be no deadline. I have agreed with Gareth now. That's it, no problem: Liverpool have all the time in the world to do it if they want to raise the money."

[Minus15]

Xabi must stay. Find the money for barry another way!

[Mentalman]

Fookin' disaster if Liverpool sell Xabi to Arsenal, especially at a lowered price. Is this what Liverpool are reduced too, selling good players to their rivals? And for what? So they can land Gareth Barry? Talk about being through the looking glass, this period under the Americans is turning into a nightmare.

[Hound]

Fookin' disaster if Liverpool sell Xabi to Arsenal, especially at a lowered price. Is this what Liverpool are reduced too, selling good players to their rivals? And for what? So they can land Gareth Barry? Talk about being through the looking glass, this period under the Americans is turning into a nightmare.

FFS, Benitez preferring Barry to Alonso has absolutely nothing to do with the Americans!!

If Barry is signed, then Alonso will evenutally want to go because he'll be getting feck all games, so it'll make sense to sell him sooner rather than later to get a bigger fee.

Though of course everyone would much sooner see him playing with Atletico Madrid or similar rather than Arsenal!

And from what I've seen and read, about 20% of Liverpool supporters agree with Benitez that Barry is better than Alonso, but that's beside the point.

[corn02]

I agree. Last year plenty of Pool fans were getting stuck into Xabi and all of a sudden it would be a disaster? Barry has been excellent in a mediocre team this last few years. He coulf flourish at Liverpool.

[Mentalman]

Fookin' disaster if Liverpool sell Xabi to Arsenal, especially at a lowered price. Is this what Liverpool are reduced too, selling good players to their rivals? And for what? So they can land Gareth Barry? Talk about being through the looking glass, this period under the Americans is turning into a nightmare.

FFS, Benitez preferring Barry to Alonso has absolutely nothing to do with the Americans!!

If Barry is signed, then Alonso will evenutally want to go because he'll be getting feck all games, so it'll make sense to sell him sooner rather than later to get a bigger fee.

Though of course everyone would much sooner see him playing with Atletico Madrid or similar rather than Arsenal!

And from what I've seen and read, about 20% of Liverpool supporters agree with Benitez that Barry is better than Alonso, but that's beside the point.

I didn't say it was, but it seems since their takeover, other than signing Torres, very little has gone right - perhaps that's coincidence. Right now Liverpool are in the situation that they have to sell to complete the purchases they want - i.e. finance is an issue. Far from the golden age promised by the spetics when they came in. I wonder if Sir Alex wanted to sign Barry, would he have to sell Carrick first? Is Liverpool's midfield so strong and invincibly fit that we can't facilitate a player of Xabi's undoubted ability? I mean we are shorn of a number of players for the styart of the season, and if we out Alonso and in Barry, we're getting rid of one quality midfielder with a full preseason, and bringing in a decent to good player who missed the majority of preseason becuase he wasn't professional enough to keep his mouth shut. Listen I think Barry is a good player, and can fill a number of positions, and great if Liverpool sign him - but with all the fuss and at the cost of Alonso? I'm not convinced. It's no mistake that Wenger wants him.

[Mentalman]

Leto signs Olympiakos loan deal 

Liverpool midfielder Sebastian Leto has agreed a two-year loan deal with Olympiakos after being denied a work permit to play in England next season.

The 21-year-old Argentine, who joined the Reds from Lanus for around £2m in 2007, was granted an Italian passport last summer but it was later revoked.

That left Leto needing a work permit but Liverpool's application was refused by the Department of Work and Pensions.

And he arrived in Greece on Monday to complete his medical with Olympiakos.

"Olympiakos is a challenge for me. I know I will be here for two years," Leto told the club's official website.

"I've had two weeks of pre-season training with Liverpool and I believe I will be ready to do whatever I have to.

"Olympiakos are a great team who challenge for every honour in Greece and in the Champions League.

"The team has some good players, a well known coach and fanatical supporters which always inspires them."

On Monday, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez expressed his belief that the decision not to give Leto a work permit was unfair.

"I am disappointed and it was a surprise because this is a player who has played in the Champions League and been in the Argentina squad for the Olympic Games," Benitez told Liverpool's website.

"You have managers talking about how good he is, so I think the system needs to change.

"We have maybe eight or 10 teams in Spain, Italy and Greece asking about him. When you have eight or 10 teams asking about a player and he's not playing, it means that he is good."

Benitez remains confident that Leto still has a future at Anfield, however, adding: "He has a long contract, and I think he can impress and next year will be a different situation."

Leto played four times for Liverpool last season in the Champions League and Carling Cup but is yet to make his Premier League debut for the club.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/7540678.stm

[stevo-08]

I didn't say it was, but it seems since their takeover, other than signing Torres, very little has gone right - perhaps that's coincidence. Right now Liverpool are in the situation that they have to sell to complete the purchases they want - i.e. finance is an issue. Far from the golden age promised by the spetics when they came in. I wonder if Sir Alex wanted to sign Barry, would he have to sell Carrick first? Is Liverpool's midfield so strong and invincibly fit that we can't facilitate a player of Xabi's undoubted ability? I mean we are shorn of a number of players for the styart of the season, and if we out Alonso and in Barry, we're getting rid of one quality midfielder with a full preseason, and bringing in a decent to good player who missed the majority of preseason becuase he wasn't professional enough to keep his mouth shut. Listen I think Barry is a good player, and can fill a number of positions, and great if Liverpool sign him - but with all the fuss and at the cost of Alonso? I'm not convinced. It's no mistake that Wenger wants him.

Metalman, Im no fan of the yanks but in fairness we've made the 3 most expensive signings in the history of the club since they took control - Torres, Keane & Mascherano. And when we buy Barry, it'll make it 4. Plus we've signed the most expensive defender in the club's history - Skrtel, & closely behind him in price is Dossena.

Yes the fuss about Barry has been embarrassing but we need to start pointing the finger at the likes of Rick Parry before blaming the yanks for this. And from what I hear, the yanks have agreed to "loan" Rafa the money to buy Barry based on future sales. Cant ask for more than that.

And Yes, we need to sell in order to buy, but that was always the situation. When the yanks took over, either the wool was pulled over our eyes in relation to the finances or else we were too gullible & believed they were the knights in shining armour we needed to compete with utd & chelsea. But bottomline is that we are now a club hugely in debt and until we get the new stadium built and get a huge increase in gate receipts, or else get somebody like abramovich to take over, then we'll never be in a position to financially compete with utd or chelsea. And after rafa finishes selling the deadwood this summer, it's going to be extremely difficult to raise funds for big name signings in the future. I think Rafa knows he needs to deliver this season and is going for broke. Lets just hope it pays off.

By the way, regarding the Alonso situation my preference is to hold him if possible and put him in a midfield three along with Barry & Mascherano. If we have to sell him, then fair enough but it has to be back to spain - no way should we sell him to link up with fabregas in arsenal.

[Mentalman]

I didn't say it was, but it seems since their takeover, other than signing Torres, very little has gone right - perhaps that's coincidence. Right now Liverpool are in the situation that they have to sell to complete the purchases they want - i.e. finance is an issue. Far from the golden age promised by the spetics when they came in. I wonder if Sir Alex wanted to sign Barry, would he have to sell Carrick first? Is Liverpool's midfield so strong and invincibly fit that we can't facilitate a player of Xabi's undoubted ability? I mean we are shorn of a number of players for the styart of the season, and if we out Alonso and in Barry, we're getting rid of one quality midfielder with a full preseason, and bringing in a decent to good player who missed the majority of preseason becuase he wasn't professional enough to keep his mouth shut. Listen I think Barry is a good player, and can fill a number of positions, and great if Liverpool sign him - but with all the fuss and at the cost of Alonso? I'm not convinced. It's no mistake that Wenger wants him.

Metalman, Im no fan of the yanks but in fairness we've made the 3 most expensive signings in the history of the club since they took control - Torres, Keane & Mascherano. And when we buy Barry, it'll make it 4. Plus we've signed the most expensive defender in the club's history - Skrtel, & closely behind him in price is Dossena.

Yes the fuss about Barry has been embarrassing but we need to start pointing the finger at the likes of Rick Parry before blaming the yanks for this. And from what I hear, the yanks have agreed to "loan" Rafa the money to buy Barry based on future sales. Cant ask for more than that.

And Yes, we need to sell in order to buy, but that was always the situation. When the yanks took over, either the wool was pulled over our eyes in relation to the finances or else we were too gullible & believed they were the knights in shining armour we needed to compete with utd & chelsea. But bottomline is that we are now a club hugely in debt and until we get the new stadium built and get a huge increase in gate receipts, or else get somebody like abramovich to take over, then we'll never be in a position to financially compete with utd or chelsea. And after rafa finishes selling the deadwood this summer, it's going to be extremely difficult to raise funds for big name signings in the future. I think Rafa knows he needs to deliver this season and is going for broke. Lets just hope it pays off.

By the way, regarding the Alonso situation my preference is to hold him if possible and put him in a midfield three along with Barry & Mascherano. If we have to sell him, then fair enough but it has to be back to spain - no way should we sell him to link up with fabregas in arsenal.

All good points Stevo, taken on board. I think though the record signings of defenders is more a product of how low the previous records were, the prices paid for Skrtlel & Dossena are more indicative of the current market. You're probably right about the Yanks, but we seem to have suffered one embarrasement after another - be it the stadium fiasco, talking to Klinsman behind Rafa's back, the public bickering between the partners or the apparent unwillingness to back Rafa in the transfer market in Janurary - under their tenure. You are correct about Torres, Mascher and Keane, but we have to be honest with ourselves, Liverpool need to make about 3 big signings over the next 2 or 3 seasons to have any hope of getting closer to a league title, otherwise the club are just threading water and fighting with Spurs or Everton for fourth. If the yanks can't facilitate that, then I wish they would agree a price with DIC and make room for someone who will. A lot of frustration here on my behalf