drobbo12 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 [video=youtube;8yqgbc5biN0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yqgbc5biN0&feature=player_embedded Sam Gainford was in my class at primary school and left to move to Liverpool when we were 10. I couldn't understand it at the time because he wasn't even the best in our year. Semes to have developed into a class player though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunstablesucks Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 we're back! Just watched the highlights of the friendly. Looked hot. Pretty much the only conclusion you can draw really. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Sky+'d the game. Worth a watch? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
drobbo12 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Yeah. Good match. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Half an hour in so far, Shelvey does look like he has something about him. Think he'd progress a lot with some regular playing time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_cote_kid Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Apparently the no.10 in that u 18's game was a trialist named Nacho, scored a nice goal and looked good. On the Guangdong game, players looked ****ed come the end and N'Gog's goal was unbelievably scrappily taken. On Gerrard, DP's been bashing him for years, i'm hopeful of a renaissance year for him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafalution Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 scored 2 goals (and hit the post twice) any highlight video of the guangdong game around Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Gerrard is going to be great this season. I've never been more certain of anything in my life. He won't be GEEERRRARRRRRDDDDD. He'll be, "Oh Steven". Much more reserved and disciplined. That United game at Anfield was a glimpse into the future for him. With a playmaker next to him, some energy in Henderson and hopefully Downing to make a menace out of Carroll, Gerrard won't have to be as explosive as he always has been. He can just shrewdly go about his work with the ocassional burst of what he does best. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Not to mention he's barely played with Suarez. Had too many niggles last year and was playing mainly in a Roy Hodgson team. Hopefully this time off will have done him good and he'll be fit for the majority of the season. More opportunity to rest him now that's for sure. Just so unbelievably stupid to write a player of this quality off like this. I have full faith. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshyboy1984 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/reds-agree-downing-fee Downing fee agreed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 I give up predicting our starting 11 now Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 The balance of our midfield and attack looks really good now. In midfield we have industrious players like Lucas, Kuyt and Spearing. Quality ball players in Adam, Aquilani/Meirreles and (hopefully) Henderson. Width from Downing, Gerrard's er, everything, and then upfront Kuyt, Suarez and Carroll tick all the boxes. Pace, power, height, trickery, work rate, big goals, versatility. It's quite exciting. There's question marks over a few of those players and it's a job in itself getting them all working together, but it's nice to see a strategy. We have a really broad skill set across the squad with that lot. Just need some pace in the backline and to clear some deadwood. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Adam and Aquilani both looked sharp in the friendly, wasn't expecting to see them lined up together but they linked up well. Aquilani especially impressed me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafalution Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Glad to see Downing fee agreed. Now let's get sorted a CB and LB. Agree with Ben about the squad (and Gerrard too). It really is a 'the sum is greater than its parts' squad, much rather go down this route that the City/Madrid buy everyone with a bit of flair one(though we could still do with another). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Good point Rafalution. Rather than being overloaded with superstars we really are just identifying needs within the squad and addressing them. If we get a first choice left back and a really promising centre back i'll be really confident about our squad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 £100m in 6 months Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martplfc1 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 £100m in 6 months Isn't it just a great position to be in though, rather than the dregs we've had to put up with over the past few years! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
why? Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Happy with Downing, think he'll do very well for us if he brings his Villa form and hits the ground running. Got to echo the calls for a LB and CB too. Really won't feel comfortable going into the new season with the current options. Fill those gaps and I'll be quietly optimistic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martplfc1 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 I don't think we'd have sold Konch if we didn't have a LB lined up. Just a massive no to Bridge though; hoping for Cissokho. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 £100m in 6 months Is that figure accurate? Thought it was more like £75m? And Torres brought in £50m? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafalution Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 By that logic we wouldn't have sent him out on loan for half a season either, not to mention Insua is back. Hope we get someone new but we do have Aurelio, Insua, Johnson, Robinson still Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafalution Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Is that figure accurate? Thought it was more like £75m? And Torres brought in £50m? Carroll + Suarez was about £56m, Henderson, £16m, Adam £9m, Downing maybe £19m = £100m. SOme of those figures might be wildly off though, not to mention how much of them are add ons Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Just going on Suarez - £23m, Carroll - £35m, Henderson - £16m, Adam - £7.5m and Downing - £20m It's not net spend obviously, but still looks more impressive than we've seen for a while having made a net loss for the previous 5(?) transfer windows in a row. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Oh yeah I forgot Suarez. The 75 figure is a stick i've seen used to beat us for signing silly players for silly money, but obviously there can be no doubt over Suarez. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamjerome Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 is it commolli or dalgish driving your transfer targets? because it seems strange to me that commolli would decide to follow his worst tendency at spurs (overpaying for english talent: bentley, bent) rather than his best of plucking the best from the 'rest' of europe who are ready to step up to the next level (berbatov, modric). thought it was going to be the latter with suarez and you can even 'understand' buying carroll even if the price is twice what it should be because it was a statement after losing torres but henderson, adam and downing? although £9m isn't really that crazy a price and maybe £20m isn't either for downing (who has impressed me a lot this season after always thinking of him as decidedly average- now a bit better than that..) in this day and age but for a club who are already spending 70% of your expenditure on your wages surely a bigger net should be cast rather than er, the north of england? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Think some in the know Liverpool journalists have said we'll be signing a CB from abroad as the value isn't there in the PL, and we're heavily linked with Aly Cissokho. So maybe they just really fancy Adam, Henderson and Downing. Adam is quite a rare type of player really. I'm totally unsold on him generally but there's not many of his type I don't think. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 I wouldn't call buying Bale or Bent overpaying for English talent. And Bentley had showed enough glimpses to warrant a big money move, but obviously shows the inherent risk of paying for potential. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafalution Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 yeah Bent was easily worth what they paid, they just didn't play to his strengths, or play him enough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeafParrot Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Just me thats underwhelmed by every signing we've made besides Suarez then? Think its a massive waste of £100m. I understand its going to be incredibly tough to sign top players with no european football, so why do we seem to be shackling ourselves to buying players from midtable clubs for way over their value in order to attempt to close the gap on the top 4? It doesn't seem a sound strategy to me. At least Downing is proven to be good, we know what we're getting with him. By some way he'll be our best bit of business so far this summer. Even then though, I don't particularly rate him. Like I said earlier, I don't see much chance of us finishing any higher than 4th at best this season, and thats mainly because Arsenal and Spurs are currently in shambles. Will there be another £100m-£150m to spend on us next season to kick on again? Because the likes of Carroll, Henderson, Adam and Downing won't get us where we all want to be. I really hope I'm proven wrong ofc, I just can't see us doing much this year. Feel free to slag me off as a pessimistic ****, I can't help but think its realism though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafalution Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Didn't we finish 2nd in the second half of the season table with Kenny? (or 3rd maybe?). Yet somehow having a fit Carroll, a decent winger, and another central playmaker is gonna make us worse. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamjerome Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 i'm not sure how the world seems to have forgotten laughing collectively at the transfer at the time because here are two very important facts to consider in terms of context: 1. £16.5m for darren bent was THE highest transfer involving any english club(ingoing or outgoing) in the summer of 2007. 2. £16.5m for a player from a relegated team. easily the highest transfer involving a player from a relegated team ever i'm pretty sure. slightly less relevant but more a testament to how stupid it was to pay £16.5m for bent when we had two strikers who were arguably the best strike partnership in england at the time and also had jermain defoe who was certainly as good as bent at the time. spending £5m on a punt on a young striker to develop alongside who we had is one thing, but £16.5m of our not-limitless budget on darren bent was just madness. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafalution Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 it looked stupid at the time, but if you'd played him to his strengths i've no doubt we'd be looking back on him as a decent buy. hopefully the same will happen with Carroll and Henderson. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powlay Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Am utterly dissapointed now, mainly because i only hate arsenal more than you lot of dirty Zeige stealing scumbags. Downing should do really well for LFC, last season was his first as a fully fit villa player (because they signed him as a crock from us after Petrov injured him ironically against Villa!) and he had a really good season. No doubt he will do well and in 6 months time everyone will say how much he has improved when in reality he will be playing the same just more people will have noticed it. HE is a no frills kinda player, no step overs, no drag backs, reverse foot flicks. Not even immensley pacey. But he can pass, he has a footballing brain, and oh can the kid cross. Most of the boro goals back when we have Viduka, JFH, Yakubu and Maccarone et al were set up from out left side. Dont expect him to tackle, he will help out the LB by being a body, but no 50/50 tackles, hell no 60/40 tackles. Cant head either, buthe isnt really asked to do any of that stuff overly much. Please make me wring, ruin him and allow us to sign him in a couple of years and nurse him back to greatness! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Kenny and Commoli seem to be working a lot closer than Jol and Commoli though. Like Adam, Downing, Carroll, Suarez- they all really do fill gaping holes in our squad in terms of the skill sets they bring. God knows re Henderson but an England international, aged 20 must bring some class. At Spurs he seemed to be just buying players and dumping them on the manager and telling him to deal. It seems like they're working together here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 i'm not sure how the world seems to have forgotten laughing collectively at the transfer at the time because here are two very important facts to consider in terms of context:1. £16.5m for darren bent was THE highest transfer involving any english club(ingoing or outgoing) in the summer of 2007. 2. £16.5m for a player from a relegated team. easily the highest transfer involving a player from a relegated team ever i'm pretty sure. And now Spurs are desperate for a goalscorer and Bent is scoring for fun regardless of the team he's in, is worth more than £16.5 and is England's starting striker. Clearly no potential there to warrant the price. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aston_martin Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Powlay, you'll have more knowledge on Downing than me, as he only had 1 fully fit season with us, but is/was Downing consistently as good as he was for us last season, because I did buy into the whole he's average lark, but he was brilliant last season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamjerome Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Kenny and Commoli seem to be working a lot closer than Jol and Commoli though. Like Adam, Downing, Carroll, Suarez- they all really do fill gaping holes in our squads in terms of the skill set the bring. God knows re Henderson but an England international, aged 20 must bring some class.At Spurs he seemed to be just buying players and dumping them on the manager and telling him to deal. It seems like they're working together here. yeah that's a fair point.And now Spurs are desperate for a goalscorer and Bent is scoring for fun regardless of the team he's in, is worth more than £16.5 and is England's starting striker.Clearly no potential there to warrant the price. not denying he'd be worth the money now but i'm pretty sure none of that refutes the points i made. the equivalent would be if charlie adam after blackpool got relegated went to us (eg a team with plenty of playmaker types already) for £16.5m for example. would be ludicrous. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powlay Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 He isnt average. People just claim he is average because whey they saw him for England he struggled, well whoopdy bloody do, 99% of players in an England shirt have been average over the last 10 years. He doesnt do flash things, so people think he must only be average. He is a good standard English PL player, one who will do a specific job. He isnt a nasri, a Nani, a ronaldo etc isnt a beat a man through dribbling kinda player. He has good control, and when he gets the chance makes a bit of room and gets the ball in. Him and Andy Carroll has the potential to be very good at this level (i dont think Downing will ever be an England regular he isnt good enough but is a squad player) add in Downing being able to pass suarez could also find himself benefitting also. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeafParrot Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Didn't we finish 2nd in the second half of the season table with Kenny? (or 3rd maybe?). Yet somehow having a fit Carroll, a decent winger, and another central playmaker is gonna make us worse. I thought you were better than to be as simplistic as that. fwiw, the only top half sides we played away in the final 5 months of last season were Chelsea, Arsenal and Sunderland, all 3 of them smack bang in the middle of horrific runs of form. Kenny did well lifting the spirits of a poor team with the help of an easy run-in. To do well over an entire 38 game period requires us having quality, not a massive squad full of average players. We've been there with Houllier and Benitez. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
knapp... Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 very happy with downing. like has been said we look such a different animal now then what we did a couple of seasons ago where we relied massively on torres and gerrard to win us games. so many options both formation wise and playing style now. carroll, suarez, gerrard, downing, adam, kuyt, raul/aquilani (expect one of them to be sold tbh) are all attacking threats who offer alot of different qualities. wtf is going on at villa though? bet bent is well happy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 On a related note, I'm so happy about the way we're conducting business at the moment. Just feels so much more professional than it has been in the past. Apart from rejected bids and media gossip there's nothing coming out of the club or press conferences about potential transfers and no news other than when something has actually officially happened. I'm thoroughly enjoying it, even if a little underwhelmed with some of the signings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeafParrot Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 On a related note, I'm so happy about the way we're conducting business at the moment. Just feels so much more professional than it has been in the past. Apart from rejected bids and media gossip there's nothing coming out of the club or press conferences about potential transfers and no news other than when something has actually officially happened.I'm thoroughly enjoying it, even if a little underwhelmed with some of the signings. Yeah I agree with this. The way everyone connected with the club deals with the media atm is something to be applauded. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_cote_kid Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Wasn't there talk earlier in the summer that Maxi would be leaving? Hope he sticks around, will be a very useful squad player, for a season at least. And why the **** does this take so long to display what i'm typing? Shambles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
knapp... Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 he said he'd like to go back to argentina http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13777390.stm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_cote_kid Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Hmmm, that was a month ago, heard nothing since. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRJ Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Wasn't there talk earlier in the summer that Maxi would be leaving? Hope he sticks around, will be a very useful squad player, for a season at least.And why the **** does this take so long to display what i'm typing? Shambles. Been doing this to me aswell at times, I put it down to that auto-save thing it does on your posts now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divinity Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Must admit I'm surprised by any Downing hate. When Villa last played us (last game of the season, 1-0 to them) he was the best player on the park, by a country mile. In a free role he excelled. Not sure he'll get that same freedom here, but on the basis of that I'd snap their arm off at 20M (reported fee) if that was his average for last season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunstablesucks Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 yep, just a pacy CB in, all the regular unmentionables out that and would be decent summer of business Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 If we do buy a LB, I really don't know if I'd rather have Kelly or Johnson starting RB. It's great having options available Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
drobbo12 Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Apparently the Spanish media are linking us with Higuian. Maxi has been given #11 so it looks likely that he could stay. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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