Liverpool FC Forum

[tubby]

Rafa has to continue playing Lucas now and again till end of season so he can at least generate some interest. Hopefully Lucas will get a few more games and a buyer will make an offer. I would like to see Spearing play more though.

[Zidane]

Like Ace said he only works well with time on the ball and that isn't something you'll find here that often.  I still dont understand the bashing on him though to me he was sound in quite a few games and I had mentioned it before that when he had good games you hardly even noticed what he was doing but the team would play well and I doubt it had nothing to do with him.

So I can't really explain what he is good at honestly aside from being a really good ball winner when it comes to headers and not being afraid to put a foot in if needed.  He had his moments with good passes when he had the time for it but it wasn't often enough to say he excels at it.

He isn't great at anything YET but he is a solid all around midfielder who knows if he can adjust to the premiership I still think he can but he makes you wonder sometimes.

[DrPepe]

Totally agreed that Spearing can do the same as Lucas. Lucas has had the most opportunity to play (amoung all of our young players). The fact that he played more bad games than good must have indicated something right? He did played a couple of good games for us but what about the mistake he had made in the bad ones. I mean this kind of mistake are keep happening. This is what worries me that I don't think he can cut it in EPL. The pace is simply too fast for him. He would play better somewhere in the Italian league. If Fafa could find someone interested in him, i would say sell him as he is not hard to replace. If in fact we could get Barry for 8 million, you all have to agree that he is an upgrade over Lucas for sure.

Saying that Barry would be a better option is really just stating the bleeding obvious as GB is a seasoned international and LL is still wet behind the ears - the price difference last summer would have been 12m+ quid FFS

Lucas  IS a decent/good all round midfielder, which means he can come in and "do a job" when any of our 3 main CMs is missing for whatever reason - and he has the potential to get better (in fact i doubt anyone older / better would be happy to play the bit-part like Lucas does)

[Sabre]

Totally agreed that Spearing can do the same as Lucas. Lucas has had the most opportunity to play (amoung all of our young players). The fact that he played more bad games than good must have indicated something right? He did played a couple of good games for us but what about the mistake he had made in the bad ones. I mean this kind of mistake are keep happening. This is what worries me that I don't think he can cut it in EPL. The pace is simply too fast for him. He would play better somewhere in the Italian league. If Fafa could find someone interested in him, i would say sell him as he is not hard to replace. If in fact we could get Barry for 8 million, you all have to agree that he is an upgrade over Lucas for sure.

Saying that Barry would be a better option is really just stating the bleeding obvious as GB is a seasoned international and LL is still wet behind the ears - the price difference last summer would have been 12m+ quid FFS

Lucas  IS a decent/good all round midfielder, which means he can come in and "do a job" when any of our 3 main CMs is missing for whatever reason - and he has the potential to get better (in fact i doubt anyone older / better would be happy to play the bit-part like Lucas does)

Will a stablished english international accept a secondary role, that is, to play the same game amount Lucas plays?

I'm concerned about that since the Crouch and Keane cases.

If we bring a player with international status like Barry it must be for playing him regularly, not only for one of the Alonso-Mascherano-Gerrard triangle is not available.

Of course, if the lad accepts that, then bring him, because I like him as a footballer, he's a good one.

I think Barry will eventually come to Liverpool. And I'm afraid that will mean Xabi leaving, for a Madridesque (ridiculously high) offer. But I think that with that money and bringing Barry and a top quality striker probably the team as a whole would be stronger. That is I think Rafa could use the Madridesque money to fill the few remaining gaps the team lacks to be even stronger. Because with Barry-Mascherano and Gerrard the CM would be more than well covered.


And all that despite I rate Xabi much more than Barry.

[tubby]

Barry will end up playing on the right.

[woof woof !]

How do you arrive at that conclusion Sabre ? All we would have done in that scenario would be to exchange Alonso for Barry and maybe have a bit of cash left over to buy another past their sell by date striker.

I don't see how selling Alonso and buying Barry would improve our midfield , we'd still be stuck with Lucas.

Now, if we could hang on to Alonso, sell Lucas and buy Barry, then I'd agree that the midfield would  definitely be improved.

[Sabre]

I reach that conclussion from different points.

The Madrid offer it will exist. And it will be ridiculously high. Now forget Xabi's ability for a moment and remember what has done Real Madrid every time they had an institutional crisis. Florentino's back, and Florentino knows how he must be back, with top names for the club. And Everybody from Butragueño to the last pundit is telling Florentino to sign Alonso.

Then I think Rafa considered to sell Xabi last summer, but even then Rafa commented Xabi was a quality player when he explained why 14M weren't enough to sell him.

If he did, it's because he had a plan for a Liverpool without Xabi. And if he had it last season, he'll have it this season too, regardless how much Alonso has excelled this season. Rafa is a stubborn one.

So, while I agree all what you say and I don't want Xabi in Madrid, I think that the Real Madrid politics and the 4-0 at Anfield will make Liverpool one of the targets of Real Madrid this summer. When it's about recovering the greatness, Real Madrid doesn't doubt to put all their machinery, they did in Manchester in Turin, they'll do it in Liverpool.

So I think there will be a massive offer, and with the offer, Rafa will be tempted . Because he had a plan for a Liverpool without Xabi the last summer and that Madridesque offer could allow him to buy the player he really wants in some other position(s). Florentino is back and he must come with names. And when that happens they don't have problems to splash ridiculous amounts of money. Of course Woof, if they come with a 22M offer they'll be shown the door. I'm talking about a big one, a election times offer (Figo, Beckhams, Zidane, Pepe (30M for a CB)).

It's a speculation, I fear I have because I know how Madrid will knock at our door. But I hope you're right and Alonso stays.

[ignorance is bliss]

lucas is so very poor, a massive mistake to shell out for such dross

he needs too much time on the ball, this league dosen't afford him this

[tubby]

It also depends on Rafas budget in the summer. If it turns out that he may need to raise some cash then he could well look to take up any big offer from Madrid, buy Barry on the cheap and use the money to spend big on another position that needs strengthening. Personally I would prefer if Rafa found a way to keep Alonso and still get Barry. We would have a boss midfield and we could re use that best midfield in the world song. I was thinking..

oooooo we got the best midfield in the world
Xabi Alonso
Garry Bazza,
Gerrard and Mascherano o o Ignore me I am just getting carried away now.

[RedBlood]

its mad that some people use that hes not as good as alonso gerrard and masch (3 of the best midfielders in the world) as stick to beat the him with

seriously do people suggest we go out and buy a world class midfielder for 20 million to replace him as 4th choice or get in the team and put alonso or masch on the bench, how would that improve us??

hes 22 years old and he does have talent anyway who cant see that is a clown, hes fourth choice give him a chance to develope his talent and get off his back, like someone said on here if he didnt give away that pen and free kick he wouldnt be getting anywhere near the stick hes getting

are things going that well that a kid has become the whipping boy??

[Bam]

I don't believe that Rafa will look to get Barry in the summer, and I don't believe the speculation mentioned on here is true, regarding the sale of Alonso to Madrid.

It's nice to here the xperts on here can read Rafa's mind and know what Madrid are going to summer.

[Sabre]

I don't believe that Rafa will look to get Barry in the summer, and I don't believe the speculation mentioned on here is true, regarding the sale of Alonso to Madrid.

It's nice to here the xperts on here can read Rafa's mind and know what Madrid are going to summer.

The concept of speculation is not compatible with the concept of knowing something for sure.

By definition, if I was able to read Rafa's mind, I wouldn't need to speculate at all.

So once that incongruence is sorted out, you're free of course to be skeptical about it.

I'm simply letting the boards know what the media is saying around here, what's the atmosphere like, and it looks like they're going to knock at Anfield's door.

I'd be interested to know though, why you think Rafa won't look to get Barry. Barry hasn't renewed his contract in his current club, and that's surely because he thinks he can continue his career better elsewhere? I reckon that being his team captain that move must be important in order he leaves.

Plus, Rafa seemed very píssed off when he Barry wasn't eventually signed, so I don't see why he wouldn't be interested one year later.

[heimdall]

its mad that some people use that hes not as good as alonso gerrard and masch (3 of the best midfielders in the world) as stick to beat the him with

seriously do people suggest we go out and buy a world class midfielder for 20 million to replace him as 4th choice or get in the team and put alonso or masch on the bench, how would that improve us??

hes 22 years old and he does have talent anyway who cant see that is a clown, hes fourth choice give him a chance to develope his talent and get off his back, like someone said on here if he didnt give away that pen and free kick he wouldnt be getting anywhere near the stick hes getting

are things going that well that a kid has become the whipping boy??

No of course he is not as good and no one is expecting him to be yet but is he better than Spearing or any of the other many many youngsters in the aquad, in my opinions, and that of many others he is not and it's not fair that he is preventing Spearing et all from getting more opportunities. Lucas is not showing enough despite beign given a very decent amount of games to play in.

[tubby]

I stopped my e season ticket a few years ago so don't get to see the ressies play any more but I thought Spearing handled himself well when he played against Madrid.

And imo Insua is a better all round player than Dossena and he came up through the reserves so what is to say that Spearing cannot take Lucas' place in the squad. If we had not been in with a shout of the league no we would probably be seeing more of Spearing in the first team.

[GYBS]

its mad that some people use that hes not as good as alonso gerrard and masch (3 of the best midfielders in the world) as stick to beat the him with

seriously do people suggest we go out and buy a world class midfielder for 20 million to replace him as 4th choice or get in the team and put alonso or masch on the bench, how would that improve us??

hes 22 years old and he does have talent anyway who cant see that is a clown, hes fourth choice give him a chance to develope his talent and get off his back, like someone said on here if he didnt give away that pen and free kick he wouldnt be getting anywhere near the stick hes getting

are things going that well that a kid has become the whipping boy??

No of course he is not as good and no one is expecting him to be yet but is he better than Spearing or any of the other many many youngsters in the aquad, in my opinions, and that of many others he is not and it's not fair that he is preventing Spearing et all from getting more opportunities. Lucas is not showing enough despite beign given a very decent amount of games to play in.

How do you know spearing is better in the prem than lucas ?