Liverpool FC Forum

by **bigmick** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:41 pm

O'Neill said the other day that he thinks City are now genuine title contenders, and whilst I think he might be going a bit far to give himself an excuse for next season, they must surely be getting there.

If you keep buying good players, you must improve and in what is looking to me like another sub standard Premiership this coming season, they'll never have a better chance to make an impact. They now have a good keeper, a couple of good centre halves (I like that young kid they have with the African name as well as Toure and Dunne), a top left back, I forget the right back, they have good central midfielders and a bunch of strikers, as well as decent wingers and strikers who can play there.

the Mancs are weaker, we might well be weaker if alonso fecks off over the next couple of days, and Arsenal must surely be weaker if richer after selling City their striker snd centre half for 42 million quid.

I note that Chelsea have edged into favouritism for the Prem, probably given the fact they've kept Terry and added the Russian full-back. The Mancs are slightly second faves, while we we are right in there. Citeh are around 14/1 on Betfair, and at the very least repesent trading possibilities. Like the Mancs, their first couple of matches are penalty kicks, whereas we have a tricky opener at White Hart Lane where it wouldn't be the biggest surprise in the World if we didn't win.

City though are now good enough to challenge for the title if not win it given the fact they don't have Eurpean competition to contend with. If they don't manage to at the very least make the top four, and if I was Chairman make some sort of fleeting challenge for the title, then they need a new manager. If that happens, Hughes can have no complaints. Needless to say I think if Mourinho were there, with this bunch of players and without playing in Europe, I think they'd go extremely close.

by **stmichael** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:48 pm

They've bid £19m for Lescott now aswell which is complete madness. The thing is, I don't think Everton can afford to turn that sort of money down.

Amazing to think that with Toure now gone, not one single player of the 2003/4 invincibles team is still at Arsenal less than five years on.

by **Dundalk** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:57 pm

stmichael wrote:They've bid £19m for Lescott now aswell which is complete madness. The thing is, I don't think Everton can afford to turn that sort of money down.

But they are going to

28 Million? were in the name of god did they get that figure from

by **bigmick** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:58 pm

stmichael wrote:Amazing to think that with Toure now gone, not one single player of the 2003/4 invincibles team is still at Arsenal less than five years on.

Yes Wenger is best left out of any "spend comparison" arguments for a while as he distorts the whole fecking argument. In all the time I've been watching football, his talent for buying players for feck all then making them top performers before flicking them on for a profit is a mile in front of anyone else I've ever seen. he has though lost the knack of winning trophies while he's at it, they are four years to our three years without a trophy, and both him and Rafa will need to rectify that soon.

As for City, it's just a bit of a gutter that we didn't have any players who they wanted other than our top performers. 19 million for Lescott is fecking ridiculous, and it's just a shame that Hughes didn't see Agger as his new footballing centre half and we could have got 32 mill for him or something daft. I disagree with some on here visa vis Alonso as well. If City wanted him and were prepared to pay 35 million quid as opposed to Madrids 23 million, I'd take their money in a flash.

Tell you one thing, O'Neill must be kicking himself re gareth Barry. Even though he only had a year on his deal, he looks just about the best value along with Tevez of all the signings. Particularly given we wanted him as well, I reckon Villa could have squeezed another 3 or 4 mill out of City. Particularly if they're prepared to go to 19 for Lescott feck me.

Not saying he aint a good player by the way because he is, but not for 19 mill. If I was Hughes, I'd stick with the kid they've already got with the African name.

by **stmichael** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 12:03 am

bigmick wrote:Yes Wenger is best left out of any "spend comparison" arguments for a while as he distorts the whole fecking argument. In all the time I've been watching football, his talent for buying players for feck all then making them top performers before flicking them on for a profit is a mile in front of anyone else I've ever seen. he has though lost the knack of winning trophies while he's at it, they are four years to our three years without a trophy, and both him and Rafa will need to rectify that soon.

That's what I don't get about Arsenal fans. At the end of the day what good is it going to be getting £40m for Adebayor and Toure if they win nothing again this season? I don't think he'll have the majority of that money to spend anyway.

by **Bad Bob** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:25 am

City simply have to be considered top 4 contenders now and I think Arsenal have seriously shot themselves in the foot with these moves (provide Wenger does his usual sit on the cash routine). Whether they'll just bump Arsenal off for fourth or push further up the table remains to be seen but I think it's fair to say that there will be two more clashes with a Manchester side that we need to be wary of this season.

by **Ben Patrick** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:32 am

I also cant understand wtf Arsenal are upto.
They only just held onto fourth for two seasons running and then sell two of there better players to the team most people think will be their biggest obstacle to staying in the champions league positions this season.

They should be trying to stabilise not selling key players. I would be fuming if i was a fan and more than a little worried.
Makes you wonder what Fabregas will be thinking about all this, he'll probably be gone next summer for 30 million or something.

by **JamCar05** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:45 am

Ben Patrick wrote:I also cant understand wtf Arsenal are upto.
They only just held onto fourth for two seasons running and then sell two of there better players to the team most people think will be their biggest obstacle to staying in the champions league positions this season.

They should be trying to stabilise not selling key players. I would be fuming if i was a fan and more than a little worried.
Makes you wonder what Fabregas will be thinking about all this, he'll probably be gone next summer for 30 million or something.

Surely they most have something up their sleeve (though I don't know what exactly)

. Otherwise I would be extremely mystified as yourself, as it does seem somewhat risky to just rely on the youngsters having matured a bit more and a couple of players coming back from injury (Eduardo/Rosicky), when they were already so much adrift last season. That being said their squad really ain't all that bad, but imo they desperately need a good cm to partner Fabregas and another cb (maybe Wenger will for once splash some cash seeing as they have just made about 40 million?). Time will tell I guess.

(sorry for making this entirely about Arsenal, but I really don't know what to say or think about City anymore

)

by **Dundalk** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 12:40 pm

Hughes rings Terry

by **Ola Mr Benitez** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 12:51 pm

If we sell Alonso.. which looks pretty nailed on, I think we should make a cheeky £30 mill offier for Fabregas.. Wenger seems to want to sell all his top players so why not.. would love to see Fabregas in a Liverpool shirt!!

by **Bad Bob** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 12:56 pm

Ola Mr Benitez wrote:If we sell Alonso.. which looks pretty nailed on, I think we should make a cheeky £30 mill offier for Fabregas.. Wenger seems to want to sell all his top players so why not.. would love to see Fabregas in a Liverpool shirt!!

Not a bad shout, actually. Wenger seems intent on proving to the world that he can compete for the league despite selling his best defender and most prolific striker. Maybe he thinks he can manage without his best midfielder as well?

by **Fauxy** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:01 pm

Dundalk wrote:Hughes rings Terry

hahahah

what a legend 'see you in hell john!' :bowdown

by **account deleted by request** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:07 pm

Wenger admits Gunners are a selling club

July 6, 2008
Arsene Wenger has admitted Arsenal will probably have to sell their star players every year for nearly another two decades.

The Arsenal boss is currently trying to persuade Emmanuel Adebayor and Alexander Hleb not to follow Mathieu Flamini out of the club.

Adebayor has made it clear only a huge wage increase will persuade him to stay, but Wenger has revealed the ongoing cost of the move to the Emirates Stadium two years ago means, financially, his hands are tied.

'The strategy of the club is to sell every year and to buy less expensive players,' he told the News of the World.

'We manage at Arsenal to maintain all our football ambitions - national and European - while having to free up - for 17 more years - an annual surplus of £24million to pay for our stadium.

'The club's strategy is to favour the policy of youngsters ahead of stars and to count on the collective quality of our game.'

Wenger is frustrated by the financial power players have over clubs.

'If I had the power to change anything basic in football, it would be the transfer system which makes mercenaries of players,' he

'If they are bad ones, they stay and, if they are good, they think only of leaving.

'I have fought for them to earn a very good living, but I impose respect for their contract upon them.'

espn

It seems Wenger hasn't had much choice in the matter.

by **bigmick** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 12:31 am

So he has to GENERATE 24 million quid a year, yet still compete. Kind of puts it into focus when people say on here "but what about Arsenal, they've won feck all either".

by **Madmax** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 12:49 am

Arsenal will finnish 5th this season... could see city taking their place... Thats if they are consistent!

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