In the next 5 years could we have a Scouse Spine?

[mersey86]

Agreed, besides it's a bit of a myth about us having a team made up of local lads in the past isn't it!? Even when the team was made up of mostly British players there were loads of 'non-scouse' players. As with us fans the case should be that you give your all for the club, regardless of race, colour or creed.

FA Cup 1986 - not an Englishman in the team. I can't see there being much Scouse post-Stevie unless things change.

[Rocket]

i think it's about time we had a new first choice starter through the youth set up, we're due one now.

[Kopite_Colin]

Let me clear about this - the players for LFC have to be good enough - that's all.

But Tommo, Sammy Lee, McDermott, Case, Callaghan, Smith, Lawler, Byrne etc were all from Liverpool. Our better, most famous players were non-Scouse but there was a presence.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

CMS's comment earlier on got me thinking.....In the next 3-5 years the team could look like this: with a strong Scouse flavour if the're good enough:


--------------------------Reina-------------------------

Darby-------------Skrtel-------------Agger-------Threlfall

RW---------------Spearing-----------Lucas-------Hammill

------------------Striker-------------Torres--------------

Subs: Lindfield, Anderson, Peltier, Putterill

Add 5-6 top class players to that and we could have a perfect balance. Given we have some outstanding foreign youngsters as well (Nemeth, Ajdarevic etc.), the fututre could look bright for a local flavour.

It's a big IF, but IF these lads are good enough, it could restore a local feel to the club, even if we have foreign ownership.

This is exactly what I was on about mate.

None of the locally produced lads look good enough to cut it.

Either that or they just aren't being allowed the chance to develop because we're signing so many lads at 14/15/16 from overseas. It's not just a few Scots/Irish/Welsh anymore, it's from all 4 corners of the globe.

It's a sad indictment, but a player like Carragher wouldn't get through the system anymore. It's a big worry, having a scouse influence in the team IMO is vital to holding onto the clubs indentity, no matter how small it is. The last local players to come through were Gerrard and Owen 10 years ago.

Let's be honest here, apart from Gerrard and Carragher, the fans, especially the locals just have no connection with our players, and why should they?

Yes longevity does make a foreign player one of our own, Hamann and Sami being two examples, but most players aren't here that long and we are seen, by them, as just another club that they can win trophies with.

It's a big problem IMO, the club's fast losing it's identity, foreign owners who are only in us to make money, few scousers/LFC people left in the running of the club, coaching or playing staff, soon we'll be leaving Anfield, and once Stevie and Jamie retire any connection with the LFC we all grew up with will be gone.

It was a sad day when David Moores sold the club, we're just another cash cow corporate business type on somebody’s CV, and to be fair we're not the only ones, the scum are going the same way, and Arsenal have absolutely no connection with North London anymore, everything's foreign in a soulless stadium, and as for the Chavs, they make me want to vomit. Football's sold out and it's a ****ing disgrace.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

Let me clear about this - the players for LFC have to be good enough - that's all.

But Tommo, Sammy Lee, McDermott, Case, Callaghan, Smith, Lawler, Byrne etc were all from Liverpool. Our better, most famous players were non-Scouse but there was a presence.

Yeah but they we're British and understood the culture of football in this country, what it meant to play for LFC.

It's dying on it's arse and it makes me sad.

[Kopite_Colin]

Me too mate - probably a sign of age!

[StevieG08]

FA Cup 1986 - not an Englishman in the team. I can't see there being much Scouse post-Stevie unless things change.

Don't get me wrong, i would love to see us bring through more home grown players who 'die for the shirt' and understand the more physical side of the English game but no top club can do that anymore. Not just the so called big 4 but all premier league clubs are finding better players from abroad now than the ones here.

[red g]

CMS's comment earlier on got me thinking.....In the next 3-5 years the team could look like this: with a strong Scouse flavour if the're good enough:


--------------------------Reina-------------------------

Darby-------------Skrtel-------------Agger-------Threlfall

RW---------------Spearing-----------Lucas-------Hammill

------------------Striker-------------Torres--------------

Subs: Lindfield, Anderson, Peltier, Putterill

Add 5-6 top class players to that and we could have a perfect balance. Given we have some outstanding foreign youngsters as well (Nemeth, Ajdarevic etc.), the fututre could look bright for a local flavour.

It's a big IF, but IF these lads are good enough, it could restore a local feel to the club, even if we have foreign ownership.

well taking into account you have reina, agger, lucas and torres the team those 5/6 top class players you will bringin will replace the scousers

lets face it, if we have 2 scousers in the team in 2 years i think thats a terrific return

[Charlie_B]

I'd take A spine at the moment, we're presently lacking one.

[Nic83]

Where's gerrard? He'll be going till he's 38

[thekop]

This is exactly what I was on about mate.

None of the locally produced lads look good enough to cut it.

Either that or they just aren't being allowed the chance to develop because we're signing so many lads at 14/15/16 from overseas. It's not just a few Scots/Irish/Welsh anymore, it's from all 4 corners of the globe.

It's a sad indictment, but a player like Carragher wouldn't get through the system anymore. It's a big worry, having a scouse influence in the team IMO is vital to holding onto the clubs indentity, no matter how small it is. The last local players to come through were Gerrard and Owen 10 years ago.

Let's be honest here, apart from Gerrard and Carragher, the fans, especially the locals just have no connection with our players, and why should they?

Yes longevity does make a foreign player one of our own, Hamann and Sami being two examples, but most players aren't here that long and we are seen, by them, as just another club that they can win trophies with.

It's a big problem IMO, the club's fast losing it's identity, foreign owners who are only in us to make money, few scousers/LFC people left in the running of the club, coaching or playing staff, soon we'll be leaving Anfield, and once Stevie and Jamie retire any connection with the LFC we all grew up with will be gone.

It was a sad day when David Moores sold the club, we're just another cash cow corporate business type on somebody’s CV, and to be fair we're not the only ones, the scum are going the same way, and Arsenal have absolutely no connection with North London anymore, everything's foreign in a soulless stadium, and as for the Chavs, they make me want to vomit. Football's sold out and it's a ****ing disgrace.

Well said Nial mate

[andyinswinton]

Yeah but they we're British and understood the culture of football in this country, what it meant to play for LFC.

It's dying on it's arse and it makes me sad.

It is dying on its arse but I'd take a squad like Arsenals today in terms of foreign players, english ones and local lads who would actually win the league.

[PaulLinehan]

No they probably wouldn't get into this starting 11 - but you can't say they won;t continue to develop under Rafa.

The point of this thread was not to say we SHOULD have a heavy Scouse influence, but that we COULD, IF the local lads are good enough.

not a great comment to be fair colin....we also COULD have a team full of Ukrainians IF they were good enough.....

lets be totally honest and put things into perspective - i think that if we got 3 FIRST CHOICE players out of the academy in the next 3 years, then we'll be doing well. I'd love to see a few players coming through the youth set up though. People have been saying, maybe correctly, that Rafa has totally re-organised the youth structure of the club for the better but at the end of the day, the youth system wont be judged on hw many youth cups we win, but on how many first team players we produce.

Personally, i think we are still miles behind arsenal. I think you could take a team of players that didn't make it through their youth team and they would hold their own in the premiership (for example, sidwell, harper, larsson, muamba, moritz volz, pennant, bentley, stokes, upson) ....

i really hope that pacheco, bruna et al become as important for us as fabregas for arsenal but until lfc put trust in their young players, then that's not going to happen...... maybe the way forward for us is to build up a relationship with a cc championship team and get our young players more first team experience that way..... like arsenal did last season with bendtnar, larsson going to birmingham........

[dww]

i really hope that pacheco, bruna et al become as important for us as fabregas for arsenal but until lfc put trust in their young players, then that's not going to happen...... maybe the way forward for us is to build up a relationship with a cc championship team and get our young players more first team experience that way..... like arsenal did last season with bendtnar, larsson going to birmingham........

I agree with your last point - would link up with Norwich (although the geography is an arse) at the minute as Roeder is a good youth coach who is looking to rebuild a team. They will also almost certainly be in the championship again next season due to their shocking start to the season which would give us the opportunity of stability in the system.

[Red_Polo]

ALet me clarify this though - you only get in the side / squad if you're good enough.

For me a strong Scouse feel would be a welcome addition to the squad if it is at all possible.

I totally agree with you, but I really can't see it happening I'm afraid. Definitely not in our first choice team.