Liverpool FC Forum

by **maguskwt** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 2:06 am

If we get a transfer kitty summer of let's say 15 million. Which position will be the top priority? Here are some choices:

1. Striker/ Forward because we can't always rely on Torres

2. Another CM because Lucas sucks and Aqualani might still be a sick note

3. LB because Insua is not good enough

4. A winger (least of my priority now because we already got Benny, Maxi, Babel, Kuyt and Riera who could play there)

5. RB because we got an always-smiling-but-never-really-performing Swiss when Johnson is injured

6. CB because Carragher is aging, Skrtel is suspect and Agger is a bit of a sick note himself

7. No one because "our squad is good enough"!

by **Greavesie** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 2:11 am

Jesus you've highlighted a bit there. A winger is a must because Riera is off, hopefully Rafa will get this FIRST time of asking, we need a left back cos I don't think Insua will improve much greater than he already has and a striker to cover Torres.

Maybe we do need a hefty wedge of cash invested in the squad - at least rafa knows one thing eh?

I dont think we need a centre mid because we shouldn't be playing with two DMs

We may be better off getting a centre back rather than a left back on second thoughts, Agger looks a competent left back and like you say, Carras getting on

So either a centre back or a left back
a striker
and a winger

by **Reg** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 2:57 am

The priorities are, in order of imprtance: a striker, a striker and a striker. After that, we can begin thinking about another striker.

by **LFC2007** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 3:06 am

Our goalkeeping situation is not an issue. Our RB situation may not be ideal - but a position rarely is - Johnson with Kelly to cover, Carragher when necesary means the position is anything but a pressing issue. At CB we have two - going on three - players 'capable' of forming a good partnership, and another who is a prime candidate to be sold in order to raise funds. We could do with one CB, especially when the LB situation is considered. There we have a crocked Brazilian (contract running out?), an inadequate Argie, and an emerging candidate in Agger who certainly appears to me be the way forward, but he is also one of our three good CBs. So we could do with a LB and we could do with a CB or we could do with another CB capable of playing at LB. Either way, we really could do with a good defender.

In midfield we have the CMs who can do a good enough job if they're played in that position. We have decent RW options in Maxi, Kuyt and Benayoun. We have a proper LW in Riera but he is miffed, we also have a good player in Benayoun, as well as Babel who is another prime candidate to be sold in order to raise funds.

Up front we have one out-and-out striker who is good enough and two/three others who are far from being good enough. Therefore, to state the bleedin' obvious, it's essential that we sign at least one striker capable of playing alongside or in the absence of Torres.

The next priority after that can be the midfield or it can be the defence. The manager has to work out how best to manage the resources currently have available to him. If he thinks (whoever the manager is) we can go through another season predominantly with a Masch-Lucas partnership, new signings virtually go out of the window. If he thinks we can manage with a Masch-Gerrard or Masch-Aquilani mainstay, I would be pleased as we could then start prioritising other areas.

I'd rather we approached it with a loose impression of the team's exact requirements (with the exception of a stiker), first and foremost thinking about getting good attackers, midfielders and defenders in. If they're sh!te it doesn't matter where they play.

by **eds** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 3:17 am

What's the priority this summer? Just 2 things:

1. New owners / investment into the club
2. New manager

It's that simple, outside of all the jibba-jabba that happens on this forum, we won't go anywhere except mid-table mediocrity next season if these 2 things don't happen.

Forget spending 15 million or 10 million with Rafa in charge, everything needs to be washed and hosed out NOW. The cancer has spread everywhere and it stems from the owners. If we don't get new investment (or owners) expect the same of what we saw this season, only probably worse.

If you were to run through our current squad it doesn't look pretty at the moment:

Goalkeepers

Reina (must keep)
Diego (keep)

Defenders

Agger (keep)
Carragher (keep)
Johnson (must keep)
Kyrgiakos (keep as back-up)
Insua (get rid of)
Skrtel (get rid of)
Aurelio (get rid of immediately)
Deggen (get rid of immediately)

Wingers

Kuyt (keep)
Benayoun (possibly keep)
Maxi (get rid of)
El Zhar (get rid of)
Riera (get rid of immediately)
Babel (get rid of immadiately)

Central Midfielders

Gerrard (must keep)
Mascherano (must keep)
Aquilani (get rid of)
Plessis (get rid of)
Lucas (immediately get rid of)

Strikers

Torres (must keep)
Ngog (get rid of)

* That's it, unbelievably we have played a whole season with just TWO recognisable stikers, what a JOKE!

As you can see there are only five players that we would be devastated if they left, the rest would just be a shrug of the shoulders if we were to see the back of them (except for Carra of course).

To bring in another 2-3 world class players we will need 50-60 million alone. Squad players to fill our squad can come for another 30-40 million, but the million dollar criteria question is "that are they better then our current crop?". What's the point of Rafa selling an Insua, Aurelio or Riera just to bring in another Lucas, Babel, Deggen or "4-5 million" bargain buy?

We need investment, new players and a new manager. We won't go anywhere with the current squad and the same stubborn manager we have now.

by **Penguins** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 4:31 am

Last season I thought Kuyt was the weak link in our team as he offered nothing in our buildup play and just terrible skillwise.

But then this season Lucas, Insua and Ngog have been introduced into the team and now Kuyt(even though I think he isn't good enough) look ok in comparison to those 3.

I am sorry, but that isn't even mid table quality, let alone top quality.

We do need alot of improvements.

We need a real good defender, either a lb or cb.
I must say we haven't got a stalwart back there at all anymore as Manure and Chelski have.

And our midfield is a mess.
I am still waiting for that quality winger and have been waiting for 10 years now at least. I don't think we have any real class winger and no left winger at all.
If, and that is a big if, Aquilani is 100% fit next season I think we could get by fine in cm with him Masch and Gerrard.¨

And then we do need a striker, who at least is capable of producing. But strikers are very expensive...

All this would cost over 50 million....

Better rob a bank...

by **Octsky** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 4:53 am

Lost faith in Rafa, change Rafa first.
the statement of Abeloa confirmed our worst fear.

Football is a game played by 22++ humans, and humans can be inspired or belittled.
and Rafa is just not the kind of manager that inspire people, he will fare very well playing Football management games but not in real life. Rafa do not take in the psychological aspects of the game.

I always believe that Redknapp and Fergie are not great tacticians but they are great motivators, the later through fear, the former thorogh inspiration.
No matter whomever stars we buy, Rafa will turn them into robots.

Rafa, just shut up, play your best 11 and let them enjoy playing football once again.

by **maguskwt** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 7:14 am

Interesting takes guys. But let's not try to turn this thread into a moaning thread on rafa and the owners. We have plenty of other threads to do that. This thread is about what our squad ( ie playing staff) needs. If the manager (rafa or whoever) has a few millions to spend, around 15 millions which is the area we should prioritize is the question.

by **Owzat** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 7:22 am

The problem is he comes out with such cr ap in the media :

"Meanwhile, manager Rafael Benitez has hinted he needs £60m to bring in new players next season - but he conceded he will have to offload some players to raise funds.

He said: "The cost of a top-class player is about £20m. I think we need three."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8613774.stm

"Top-class players" cost a lot more than £20m, the problem is Rafa spends £20m on players who aren't near that quality, even ones who are 28 or injured ffs - even then he won't play them! And how does he think we'll raise £60m from selling players, unless he is thinking of selling the "top-class players" because we wouldn't have much of a squad left if he sold the rest to make £60m. We've been down this road before, sell off some squad players and raise funds for a player like Keane before coming up short of squad players. The biggest single problem is that even with some of our best players in the team we can't ordinary sides, or does he think beating pompey away, brum home or away, Blackburn and Stoke away etc can only be done if you have a team full of £20m players?

And where has his spending got us?

£20.3m Keane - played a fair few games, but was gone in just six months
£20m Aquilani - bought injured, used less often than you might think under the circumstances
£17.5m Johnson - English, decent attacking RB but worth £17.5m considering his defending is just about ok?!?!?
£11.5m Babel - a signing that typifies Rafa spending, young with talent but never fulfilled and rare starter
£8m Riera - everyone thought he was great at first, then he became fringe and now he's become frozen out
£7m Dossena - attacking LB who couldn't defend, quickly became fringe and now gone
£3m Cavalieri - expensive for a keeper to be benchwarming, not great in games he's played

Yes we have bought to sell, yes there are cheaper players that have come in (keeper included simply because it is a lot for a sub goalie) but the gems are where? He's raised money and not bought well, hiding behind the lack of funds won't cover up poor spending on replacements. At best his record is hit and miss, with Mascherano WYSIWYG and Torres was undoubtedly class so it wasn't a question of Rafa being a genius signing him as much as how the hell did he only cost what we paid for him which meant Rafa could sign him??!?!

by **RedSi35** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 7:44 am

We don't need your 15million. Rafa can get them all on free's

by **eds** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 7:47 am

maguskwt wrote:Interesting takes guys. But let's not try to turn this thread into a moaning thread on rafa and the owners. We have plenty of other threads to do that. This thread is about what our squad ( ie playing staff) needs. If the manager (rafa or whoever) has a few millions to spend, around 15 millions which is the area we should prioritize is the question.

In this day and age 10-15 million won't even be able to buy you a pack of Smith's crisps in the transfer market let alone a quality player who will solve any of our current problems.

You tell me one single "star" player who will come here knowing that we have no champions league, no further money to invest in our squad and uncertainty on who will be managing the club at season's end???

I think the thread as a whole is redundant as the problem we face as a club is now completely and utterly dependent on what twiddle dee and twiddle dum do in the next few months.

I fear that if the loan to re-finance our club's debt goes through, things are going to get very, very grim for us as it could take years to rebuild our debt-ridden pillaged club. Selling Gerrard and Torres will be only the tip of the iceburg.

by **maguskwt** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 7:54 am

Ok then let's just have the Take Over thread open and close all other threads shall we?

by **maguskwt** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 7:57 am

RedSi35 wrote:We don't need your 15million. Rafa can get them all on free's

Really? Damn I was really gonna give him 15 million and was already talking to my bank executive so that you people can stop moaning for a bit... :glare:

by **LiverpoolMadman** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 8:04 am

Change MUST be done from the TOP ( the owners ) first , then to the Manager , after that we can talk about sell or buy new players .... total Overhaul of the club ....

by **Well Red** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 10:36 am

eds wrote:
maguskwt wrote:Interesting takes guys. But let's not try to turn this thread into a moaning thread on rafa and the owners. We have plenty of other threads to do that. This thread is about what our squad ( ie playing staff) needs. If the manager (rafa or whoever) has a few millions to spend, around 15 millions which is the area we should prioritize is the question.

In this day and age 10-15 million won't even be able to buy you a pack of Smith's crisps in the transfer market let alone a quality player who will solve any of our current problems.

You tell me one single "star" player who will come here knowing that we have no champions league, no further money to invest in our squad and uncertainty on who will be managing the club at season's end???

I think the thread as a whole is redundant as the problem we face as a club is now completely and utterly dependent on what twiddle dee and twiddle dum do in the next few months.

I fear that if the loan to re-finance our club's debt goes through, things are going to get very, very grim for us as it could take years to rebuild our debt-ridden pillaged club. Selling Gerrard and Torres will be only the tip of the iceburg.

so we don't want the Bank to give us an extension on the loan? :kungfu:

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Strengthening the squad - Wha'ts the priority in the summer?

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