Liverpool FC Forum

[account deleted by request]

I was thinking about how few players that Liverpool have bought "for the future" have actually become stars or have even made the step up to becoming a first team regular over the last few years.

Rafa has bought a few with the potential to be stars, with Nabil el Zhar and Anderson the latest, but only Momo ,and Agger have of yet made a real impact and at £5million+ probably cant really be included. To be fair its probably much too early to pass judgement on Rafas crop of potential stars. Gonzales looking most likely to be Rafa's first.

Houllier bought loads with potential, from Frode Kippe right through to Pongolle but only Hyppia was an undoubted success . He had much greater success with his freebie established stars such as Gary Mac, Babbel, Anelka,Litmenan etc.

Evans didnt actually buy much potential apart from maybe Murphy, but instead seemed to concentrated more on the missing link theory of one great buy would make us champions again

Souness bought Rob Jones a true gem, bought from the lower divisions. at a cheapish price, who was an instant success. Apart from Rob he mainly bought cr@p for big money.

Dalglish was reasonably successful at buying potential with Steve Staunton,Don Hutchison, Jamie Rednapp(dear for potential but good)

Fagan seemed content to buy quality players rather than potential ,with Gillespie,Wark,Walsh,and Molby being the pick.

Paisley and Shankly are the undesputed masters at buying potential from Phil Neal to J. Beglin , from Emlyn Hughes to Keegan and Case they had the magic touch.

Maybe its harder to take the gamble today with the huge contracts that even players with gimpses of potential want, and clubs more savvy to the money they can make down the line if they can just hang on to their youngsters. Yet the bargains are still out there, Dean Ashton when at Crewe being a good example.

Should Liverpool forget about buying potential and just stick to buying established players ,thereby saving on contracts and transfers for players that may never make the step up or should they continue spashing out, in the hope one or two make it?

[red37]

good observations m8. and while the sharks fester around the pool containing all the 'A' list-pickings (much of which are Media Ramped beyond all hope of redemption once the hammer falls and the reality sets in for them)  the coast remains clear for a thourough scan of the ocean for the few gems that, imo truly are out there for the taking. and always will be. let the mega-bucks 'sales before soul' brigade have their whim. this club will continue to fashion our own through the shrewd eyes of its manager. he's already secured enough rough stones to form the brightest jewels...now its up to the established rocks to embrace them and turn this club back on track.

[Lando_Griffin]

I was thinking about how few players that Liverpool have bought "for the future" have actually become stars or have even made the step up to becoming a first team regular over the last few years.

Rafa has bought a few with the potential to be stars, with Nabil el Zhar and Anderson the latest, but only Momo ,and Agger have of yet made a real impact and at £5million+ probably cant really be included. To be fair its probably much too early to pass judgement on Rafas crop of potential stars. Gonzales looking most likely to be Rafa's first.

Houllier bought loads with potential, from Frode Kippe right through to Pongolle but only Hyppia was an undoubted success . He had much greater success with his freebie established stars such as Gary Mac, Babbel, Anelka,Litmenan etc.

Evans didnt actually buy much potential apart from maybe Murphy, but instead seemed to concentrated more on the missing link theory of one great buy would make us champions again

Souness bought Rob Jones a true gem, bought from the lower divisions. at a cheapish price, who was an instant success. Apart from Rob he mainly bought cr@p for big money.

Dalglish was reasonably successful at buying potential with Steve Staunton,Don Hutchison, Jamie Rednapp(dear for potential but good)

Fagan seemed content to buy quality players rather than potential ,with Gillespie,Wark,Walsh,and Molby being the pick.

Paisley and Shankly are the undesputed masters at buying potential from Phil Neal to J. Beglin , from Emlyn Hughes to Keegan and Case they had the magic touch.

Maybe its harder to take the gamble today with the huge contracts that even players with gimpses of potential want, and clubs more savvy to the money they can make down the line if they can just hang on to their youngsters. Yet the bargains are still out there, Dean Ashton when at Crewe being a good example.

Should Liverpool forget about buying potential and just stick to buying established players ,thereby saving on contracts and transfers for players that may never make the step up or should they continue spashing out, in the hope one or two make it?

It's true that few of the "potential" signings actually make it in this era, but that could easily be due to the fact that at most clubs, the manager is sacked before the players are suitably developed.

Houllier as we all know made absolutely shocking buys, with his assertion that Traore was the next Thuram being an adequate barameter of his scouting talent.

Rafa, however, seems set for the long haul (I hope), and the young players he has signed do indeed look like true prospects.

I went to the Lincoln friendly just before the Sheff Utd game, and that was basically our reserve/youth team, with the exception of Fowler, Kromkamp (who you could argue WAS a reserve), Aurelio and Gonzalez.

From what I can remember, the following Benitez signings played and shone:

Anderson,
Antwi,
Roque,
Martin (I think),
Hobbs (The game was part of the deal when we signed him),
and Idrizaj, who scored one of the 2 goals in the 2-1 victory. (Gonzalez netting the other.)


Other youth players also played, but obviously Benitez didn't "sign" trainees.

Anderson looked very, very good, without actually achieving much. Very busy, extremely quick, but wasn't helped by the striker he was aiming for (Mellor, who seemed unfit.)

Antwi and Hobbs were very classy, and despite Hobbs' mistakes in the higher-profile friendlies, they both looked like good investments. Antwi particularly is a beast. 17, and built like a 30 year old.
Martin, unless I am very much mistaken, played the first half, and looked every bit the top young goalie. He didn't let the Lincoln goal in, his half-time replacement did.

Roque replaced Antwi (I believe) at half time, and looked very assured in the air. He and Godwin could easily be our future CB pairing if their showing in that game was any indication of their true ability. I am sure they normally play together for the reserves, but being as this was a sort of Testimonial for Hobbs, he played the 90 minutes.
Idrizaj played his 45 minutes up the other end, so other than the goal, I can't really comment too much. Looked industrious and quite big, from what I remember.

Add to these Benitez signings the name Adam Hammill, and we've got one heck of a youth team.

Hammill, as some of you already know, is a local lad. He is also a f*cking genius on the ball, and I am not overreacting to say that we have one of the game's future masters in our Youth team.

The one criticism is that he's just too small at the moment, but when he gains that extra strength all footballers get, he will be in the first team every single week. Trust me.

He is like Garcia, but not as wasteful with the ball. The entire team was looking for him, and whenever he got the ball, you got the feeling something was going to happen. I think he created about 5 chances in 4 minutes, but once the Lincoln players woke up to his amazing skill, they man-marked him, and his lack of strength showed.

Give him time and an injury-free season, and I think we'll have the best player to come out of our youth system on our hands.

And I include Gerrard, Fowler, Owen, etc in that.

The lad is f*cking brilliant. 

[khan01]

good

[account deleted by request]

As you say Lando we seem to have some of the most talented youth players we have had for a long time, and hopefully a few will make the transition to the first team over the next few years.

Yet our policy of buying potential hasn't really paid off for a long time. Considering in the same period over the last few years our youth teams have given us stars such as Mcmanaman, Fowler, Carragher,Owen, Gerrard. All incredibly talented home grown players, which proves our youth system works.

The question is why can we not seem to buy potential that matches our home grown talent or at least become regular first team players. On paper it would seem easier to spot potential at 17/18 rather than at 8/9 yet something is going wrong. For schools football we have an area of only about 50miles in which we are allowed to sign players, at 17 we can sign them from all over the world!

I wonder if its in part down to such things as homesickness, a new and strange enviroment, or maybe they think they have made it just by signing for a big club ,whereas the local lads live at home, know the club and know that they have to keep progressing if they are to make the grade.

[Lando_Griffin]

As you say Lando we seem to have some of the most talented youth players we have had for a long time, and hopefully a few will make the transition to the first team over the next few years.

Yet our policy of buying potential hasn't really paid off for a long time. Considering in the same period over the last few years our youth teams have given us stars such as Mcmanaman, Fowler, Carragher,Owen, Gerrard. All incredibly talented home grown players, which proves our youth system works.

The question is why can we not seem to buy potential that matches our home grown talent or at least become regular first team players. On paper it would seem easier to spot potential at 17/18 rather than at 8/9 yet something is going wrong. For schools football we have an area of only about 50miles in which we are allowed to sign players, at 17 we can sign them from all over the world!

I wonder if its in part down to such things as homesickness, a new and strange enviroment, or maybe they think they have made it just by signing for a big club ,whereas the local lads live at home, know the club and know that they have to keep progressing if they are to make the grade.

I see your point mate, but to be fair, Fowler, Macca, Stevie, Owen, etc were just the cream of a very large crop.

If you look at it in terms of numbers, the academy probably has at least 100 students at any one time, with countless lads being picked up/shipped out throughout the year.

Statistically, you're 10x more likely to get a first team regular from 100 trainees, than 10 trainee-age signings.

I know it doesn't work exactly that way, in as much as the signings made should be of a higher standard, but as we all know - it's not always about ability on the pitch. Ability to settle is a massive factor.

[account deleted by request]

I think that what you said about ability to settle may be a key consideration. Le Tallec and Pongole two of the brightest stars of the French youth system both failed at Liverpool overall. Perhaps if we are to continue to buy potential we should look to develop a system that looks after the players better off the training pitch as well as it does on it.

In the old days players were boarded with families in the area who looked after them as if they were their own. Today, the young players have the money to buy their own houses  and live alone, and maybe thats where the trouble lies. If they have a problem who can they turn to if they have moved away from their family and friends and in a lot of cases to a different country etc.

[Lando_Griffin]

Yup.

I know Barragan was boarded with a family in Liverpool, so I can only assume the same is true for the other lads.

Until our culture is regulated with those of the Continental countries, I fear we will always struggle.