LOLiverpooLOL - Next Season

[Svlad Cjelli]

Let's be honest - the spending is as much about being seen to be spending money and showing ambition as it is about getting the best and most appropriate players.

[Royal Rother]

It's the combined £75m on Carroll, Henderson and Downing that really makes me

[Hoop Blah]

Let's be honest - the spending is as much about being seen to be spending money and showing ambition as it is about getting the best and most appropriate players.

Who would've been the best and most appropriate players for Dalgleish to sign then Dirk?

I think he's addressed their main weaknesses over the last couple of seasons (probably still needs a proper right winger) and they've needed to raise the bar quite a bit because of the number of average foreign players padding out the squad.

He's bought some real quality in Suarez and he's adding an English spine to the team which the successful teams in our league always have (Gerrard and Carragher are getting on and if they'd got Jones as well they'd have decent long term replacements for the pair of them).

[Hoop Blah]

It's the combined £75m on Carroll, Henderson and Downing that really makes me

The two fee's for Henderson and Downing are surprisingly high but they're obviously concentrating more on getting the players they want than how much they have to pay for them.

Carroll is an odd one because apparently the deal was all about the fee they could get for Torres than how much Carroll was going to be (Torres ££ - £15m).

As I said above, if they'd beaten Utd to sign Jones (and Ashley Young for that matter) the squad would have a nice balance to it, especially if they manage to clear out some of the deadwood too.

[Svlad Cjelli]

It was Carroll in particular I was thinking of. If they'd lost Torres the way they did and not replaced him in that window then there'd have been real pressure and criticism, so they had to replace him with someone expensive and high-profile to show ambition.

As there wasn't anyone available they effectively turned a player who wasn't particularly expensive and high-profile into one who was by the simple expedient of paying lots and lots of money for him

[Hoop Blah]

What they apparently did though was get an agreement to secure the hottest English centre forward for £15m less than they sold their want away Torres.

In effect they turned a non-scoring injury prone centre forward who didn't want to be there into quite an exciting partnership for just £7-8m. That seems like decent business to me (unless you just don't rate Carroll - who was on the face of it overpriced at £35m).

[Wax Jacket]

What they apparently did though was get an agreement to secure the hottest English centre forward for £15m less than they sold their want away Torres.

In effect they turned a non-scoring injury prone centre forward who didn't want to be there into quite an exciting partnership for just £7-8m.

they got halfway there and then bought Carroll

[Svlad Cjelli]

You forgot the anger-management and off-the field issues they bought as part of the package.

[Hoop Blah]

You forgot the anger-management and off-the field issues they bought as part of the package.

Still a good player though and the makings of a very effective partnership as well.

It might well go wrong but I don't think you can just say they've been buying players for loads of money to make themselves look good to the Sky viewing punter.

[BR2]

It's also to do with the new rules about home-grown players in European football.
Liverpool obviously want to be competing in Europe again (wouldn't any club with such a good record?) so they are building a team with a number of home-grown players but they are overpriced.
Just like Fergie buying Smalling ,Young and Jones for the same reason who you might also think were overpriced.

The best part so far of the Suarez/Carroll deal so far has been Suarez-what a class act.
With some very good young defenders coming through such as Flanagan and Kelly it does look as though they will (without the distraction of Europe)be making the best challenge for honours for some years.
Who says so?
Not just me and cmonurz but the manager of Man Utd.
Chelsea on the other hand don't seem to have heard of the new rule and their English players Cole,Terry and Lampard are now 30 somethings so they could well have problems unless Abramovich goes out and spends much more than Liverpool have spent.

[Svlad Cjelli]

You forgot the anger-management and off-the field issues they bought as part of the package.

Still a good player though and the makings of a very effective partnership as well.

It might well go wrong but I don't think you can just say they've been buying players for loads of money to make themselves look good to the Sky viewing punter.

I don't think they have - they've been buying players for loads of money to make themselves look good to their own supporters. A tinpot championship team can get away with cutting the cloth and ignoring cries of "where's the ambition" - a so-called "Big Four" team can't.

[No Fixed Abode]

Thing is, if Henderson, Adam and Downing had signed for the big four we'd all be a bit

[who are ya?]

They've signed for a club whos year it is coming up!!

[cmonurz]

Thing is, if Henderson, Adam and Downing had signed for the big four we'd all be a bit

Not really. We'd be a bit that way if they had signed for Chelsea or City, because it's not their style to buy young English players with a view to long-term success. Few eyebrows would have been raised if they had gone to United, who were interested in Henderson, and who also signed a Villa winger in Young, and now have two still developing English centre-backs. Likewise, seeing young players with lots of potential going to Arsenal wouldn't have been much of a surprise.

You seem rattled Harold.

[sheshnu]

Adam and Downing are 25 and 26 respectively, they're decent players but hardly 'young'. Torres was what, 27 when Chelsea bought him? Not much difference there. And potential imminent signings Lukaku and Aguero are about as English as Adam (and younger...) Never really noticed Henderson before, hope it goes well for him up there and I see no reason why it shouldn't.

Agree with you cmonurz that it would have been a surprise to see any of these players sign for the top 3 teams in the country.

[cmonurz]

It's just a different approach, governed to an extent by the short/long-term approach each club takes to success. United don't make many front page signings - Dalglish is taking a similar approach to United, but United's recent success means they have attracted the likes of Jones and Young, Liverpool have had to 'make do' with Downing and Henderson (although I'm surprised United didn't follow up their interest, they are potentially weak in Henderson's position).

For Chelsea and City it's a different approach. Who is making the news right now, who is the talk of Europe? Well it's Lukaku isn't it. So Chelsea want him. Now Tevez is on his way, which South American is making the most noise on the continent? Well it's Aguero (his come and get me plea is cringe-worthy), so he goes to City.

Neither approach is 'wrong', Chelsea and City have signed some of the world's best players in the last few years. But United keep winning the league. I just find it strange that Liverpool get criticised for over-spending to secure players with lots of potential in positions where they needed to improve. Better to spend nothing, or bid up players like Aguero and ultimately lose out anyway?

[southbank1871]

United's recent success means they have attracted the likes of Jones and Young

I'd say they've had a bit more than just 'recent' success.

[cmonurz]

United's recent success means they have attracted the likes of Jones and Young

I'd say they've had a bit more than just 'recent' success.

Literal man is literal.

[southbank1871]

It just read as though you were saying, because they've won the league the last two seasons, that those players now want to join United. I'd suggest there's a bit more to it than that.

[cmonurz]

I deserve a bit more credit than that, for gawd's sake. You're putting me at Spacey kind of level here.