Liverpool FC Official Thread

http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/905301-joe-allen-transfer-liverpool-tell-swansea-to-name-their-price#ixzz20pZcCK5R

However, tearing Allen away from his boyhood club is not likely to be an easy feat, with Swansea likely to ask in excess of £20million.

Where have I heard this one before?

Here's an idea. We have Torres Masch and Alonso putting in transfer requests....I think it's time one of our targets does.

Is adding Allen and Dempsey really how we see our way back into the top 4? Cmon now.

11 mill for Dempsey, last year of his contract? Piss of, how's 5-6 mill. Allen, I am unaware of his contractual situation, however 20 mill is insane.

"Allen deal very close...

Cheers

Macca"

He is an exceptional ITK, I have heard.

Mustangt125 wrote:Is adding Allen and Dempsey really how we see our way back into the top 4? Cmon now.

Top 6 should be our priority.

We should try to win every game we play.

Who is this Macca and where did you get that info? He on twatter?

Glen, what are your thoughts on Allen? What's his contract sitch and how much will he cost in your opinion?

Mustangt125 wrote:We should try to win every game we play.

Agreed, but I like the signings that Rodgers is making. We are
not paying ridiculous prices just for the sake of buying the obvious
player.

Mustangt125 wrote:Who is this Macca and where did you get that info? He on twatter?

He is a guy on some rumours website that is apparently well respected and has a good track record, I have never seen him before, though.

Mustangt125 wrote:Glen, what are your thoughts on Allen? What's his contract sitch and how much will he cost in your opinion?

He is a decent player from what I have seen, and is far more gifted than Henderson/Adam/Spearing/Gerrard even. He is much more capable of passing a ball than any of our current players bar maybe Lucas. He is pretty athletic for a small guy as well. I have no idea what his contract situation, I am guessing he has 2/3 years left and will cost 12m at a guess?

Adam and Spearing seem the obvious ones to move on then with another midfielder coming in.

Spearing is our only backup for Lucas. Adam does seem likely though.

Play Aquliani deeper if Lucas is out, sorted.

Aquilani should start the season as a starter to give him a chance, unless we buy someone in midfield (which seems likely)

Next to who though, Gerrard? The midfield would be over run.

Is that Coady thug any good? The only video I could really find of him was him squaring up to a United youth player and getting himself sent off.

Who is that addressed to Sean?

Ted wrote:Next to who though, Gerrard? The midfield would be over run.

Is this to me?

I don't know man, I just said it. Lucas probably.

Glen Damon wrote:Is that Coady thug any good? The only video I could really find of him was him squaring up to a United youth player and getting himself sent off.

A taller, less mobile and arguably less talented Jay Spearing.

Aquilani could not play in the role Lucas does. He can play as a deep lying midfielder but he will never break up attacks as effectively as Lucas or Spearing, he's a very static player and drifts around the pitch rather than running box to box. It especially wouldn't work against the bigger clubs. Like Sean said, we would get torn apart.

Swansea rarely got overrun in midfield who was their deepest lying midfielder? Leon Britton.

Jord wrote:Aquilani could not player in the role Lucas does. He can play as a deep lying midfielder but he will never break up attacks as effectively as Lucas or Spearing, he's a very static player and drifts around the pitch rather than running box to box. It especially wouldn't work against the bigger clubs. Like Sean said, we would get torn apart.

The idea that Spearing breaks up attacks effectively is a myth, his positioning and passing under pressure are horrendous.

If we're playing a 4-3-3 then our midfielders should be Lucas at the back, Gerrard, and then somebody else.

Spearing should not play. Other midfielders can be backup for Lucas, Spearing was pathetic in the cup final.

Glen Damon wrote:

Jord wrote:Aquilani could not player in the role Lucas does. He can play as a deep lying midfielder but he will never break up attacks as effectively as Lucas or Spearing, he's a very static player and drifts around the pitch rather than running box to box. It especially wouldn't work against the bigger clubs. Like Sean said, we would get torn apart.

The idea that Spearing breaks up attacks effectively is a myth, his positioning and passing under pressure are horrendous.

What a joke he was.

Glen Damon wrote:

Jord wrote:Aquilani could not player in the role Lucas does. He can play as a deep lying midfielder but he will never break up attacks as effectively as Lucas or Spearing, he's a very static player and drifts around the pitch rather than running box to box. It especially wouldn't work against the bigger clubs. Like Sean said, we would get torn apart.

The idea that Spearing breaks up attacks effectively is a myth, his positioning and passing under pressure are horrendous.

It's no myth Glen. Spearing has few qualities, but one thing he is good at is getting around the pitch. He doesn't even have to make decent tackle, as long as he gets in the way he will essentially break up and attack. His passing has nothing to do with defending since a simple hoof can clear everything up, Carragher has effectively done this for years. It's a shit way to go about things but if it's a lot more safer than Aquilani hoping for Gerrard to run back and clean up the mess for him.

Gerrard should be nowhere near that central midfield position, I was presuming Liverpool had signed Allen.

Jord wrote:

Glen Damon wrote:The idea that Spearing breaks up attacks effectively is a myth, his positioning and passing under pressure are horrendous.

It's no myth Glen. Spearing has few qualities, but one thing he is good at is getting around the pitch. He doesn't even have to make decent tackle, as long as he gets in the way he will essentially break up and attack. His passing has nothing to do with defending since a simple hoof can clear everything up, Carragher has effectively done this for years. It's a shit way to go about things but if it's a lot more safer than Aquilani hoping for Gerrard to run back and clean up the mess for him.

Like Theo suggested, smart players are able to play the holding role effectively. Spearing runs around, but I would say that that is a demerit rather than a quality. Ball retention is exceptionally important, it is one thing for a defender to hoof it clear, but for one of our central midfielders to continuously hoof it nowhere...it simply will not do.

Theo Filippo wrote:Gerrard should be nowhere near that central midfield position, I was presuming Liverpool had signed Allen.

We haven't signed him, if we do it means we have to essentially drop one of Lucas, Gerrard or Aquilani.

Lucas is vital and should be the first name on the team sheet
Gerrard being dropped would cause an uproar amongst the Scousers
Aquilani has more technical ability than our entire squad bar Suarez

The fans should not decide who is picked each match. If Rodgers lets that happen just like a few previous managers, I will lose a lot of faith in him.

He can just say Gerrard is being saved for the big games, the fans on LFCTV seem to be happy with that role for him.

You watch LFCTV?

I only watch it after we've lost or done really shit so I can watch the presenters have to calm down angry fans.

Sometimes, they had 3 guys talking about Liverpool on the sofa, one of them does Liverpool's most successful podcast. They were quite sensible actually, apart from the claims that Gerrard could be the best winger in the world or the best full-back in the world if he wanted to be and that if Pirlo can play the deep lying playmaker role, Gerrard can

Well of course, he is the most complete midfielder of his generation.

I think Gerrard can still function properly as the furthest midfielder forward in a 4-3-3. Rodgers just has to alert him to be more responsible in possession. If Aquilani and Lucas are behind him and they're keeping the ball well then I don't see why he couldn't do a job as an attacking midfielder.