Comolli smokescreen or your fears realized?

[g.red]

Tony Evans was on Talksports a minute ago and when he was asked about Cissokho he said it is possible but unlikely.

He thinks we will be shipping the deadwood out and not sign anybody in last 6 weeks of this transfer window.

Then he corrected himself and he thinks that shopping is not completely finished and it may come down to value.

He also thinks Flanagan and Robinson (I think he said Robinson) will see lot of playing time this year..

The same Tony Evans that said the Chinese were buying us!

Where's the salt...

[RichC]

so Tony Evans hasn't got a clue about what we'll be doing the rest of this transfer window, shock and horror!

Too many hacks out there these days making out they know whats going on and generally know sweet fa, all he's done there is cover his basis - we sign someone it's good value, we don't well he told us we wouldn't be signing anyone else!

I am sure he's right that we probably need to move a few out and off the wage bill, thank god for us fans we've got this kind of insight, where would we be otherwise!

[willa1975]

I think we need a CB more than anything else. Another striker would be nice, but anyone we sign is going to be 3rd choice at best, and I think Kuyt could fill that role as he and Suarez look to have clicked nicely. That leaves N'Gog as our 4th-choice striker, and I don't see us signing anyone much better than him to be our 4th-choice striker.

A new left-back would be helpful, but Johnson filled in admirably in that position last season, and we've got Insua and Robinson as well. At right back, even if Johnson is played at LB, we've got Kelly and Flanagan.

However, CB is my major worry. Carragher's getting old, Agger can't stay fit, Skrtel isn't consistent enough, Kyrgiakos isn't good enough, and Wilson, at best, isn't ready yet. Overall, just too many things that can go wrong with our current crop of CBs for me to feel comfortable.

[kemm1]

Interesting article:

Dalglish spends big and buys British, but are they worth it?
Liverpool manager has clear policy as he rebuilds club with capture of Villa winger – taking spending to £100m

By Tim Rich in Kuala Lumpur


Friday, 15 July 2011

Stewart Downing arrives at Liverpool's Melwood training ground yesterday. Kenny Dalglish is flying back to tie up the deal


Kenny Dalglish's last public act on Liverpool's tour of Asia was to engage in some public banter with Phil Thompson in front of 38,000 fans who had come to see his players engage in a little light training.


It proved that, however firm their place is in Anfield's pantheon, Thompson and Dalglish have a limited future as a comedy double act, although the reception they received would have flattered Morecambe and Wise. Then, the Liverpool manager was driven to the airport for a 6,000 mile overnight flight to Merseyside to meet his newest signing, Stewart Downing.

The chance to welcome the 26-year-old winger, who has never quite fulfilled the early promise he showed at Middlesbrough, was not the reason for Dalglish's journey. There was a family engagement to fulfil but, as a player and a manager, Dalglish has never been slow to seize an opportunity.

Since his return to Anfield in what was a bleak if emotional January, Dalglish has moved swiftly. The £20m fee Liverpool will pay Aston Villa brings his total spending to £100m in seven months.

Looking at the footballers he has brought to Liverpool, it is not hard to see where he imagined the deep fault lines that undermined his predecessor, Roy Hodgson, lay. There have been two very different centre-forwards in Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez and now three midfielders. If Charlie Adam has been recruited to provide the telling through ball for Suarez, then Downing's role is to deliver the crosses that were often absent in the narrow teams Hodgson and, in his last season, Rafael Benitez oversaw.

At Blackburn and Newcastle, two clubs where Dalglish also spent big with differing results, the most common cry on the training pitches of Brockhall and Chester-le-Street would be Alan Shearer's voice demanding crosses into the box. At Melwood the Geordie accent is similar but it belongs to Carroll.

Jamie Carragher, for one, understood that this is something Liverpool have long lacked. "It's a terrific signing, there's no doubt about that whatsoever," said the man who has flung himself into the role of pressing the flesh in China and in Malaysia.

"He's been a top player in the Premier League for the last six or seven years and he will make a difference, with his ability to go outside and down the line to get quality crosses in.

"He was Aston Villa's player of the year and he will give us something that we have been lacking, genuine quality on the left hand side. Every team looking to compete needs quality players in each position and that is what we are getting back towards."

Suarez apart, the one common link in Dalglish's spending is that it has been focused on British footballers, which underpinned his success at Blackburn. In his brief, sometimes tortured, tenure at St James' Park he often shopped abroad with mixed results.

British players are relatively expensive – the £35m that took Carroll from Tyneside to the shores of the Mersey was enough for Barcelona to bring Alexis Sanchez to the Nou Camp. However, they bring with them a certain togetherness.

"I know him, so does Stevie; he knows Andy Carroll and Johnno from playing for England, so he is not going to be walking into a dressing room and be on his own," said Carragher. "He will get a great welcome because he's a good lad and a top player as well."

It is easy to feel optimistic when you are a Premier League footballer in Asia. At last night's training session Dalglish's squad were cheered and the flashbulbs glittered when they passed into an empty net. Their manager's every press conference was book ended by the kind of applause Dalglish does not expect in England, not even among his own journalists at Anfield.

Nevertheless, Dirk Kuyt, who 12 months ago was toying with a move to Internazionale, said he felt the kind of genuine optimism missing when he returned to Melwood from the World Cup. And it was not just because, for the first time in five years, he had been able to have a proper holiday.

"When I arrived at Liverpool, five or six years ago, we seemed to have two very good players for almost every position," said Kuyt. "I have just got a feeling we are getting back there. There is more rivalry, more competition but it gets the best out of you.

"The start of pre-season last year was very strange for all of us. We didn't know where the club was going with the owners but since they [Tom Hicks and George Gillett] have gone, there has been a lot of change. A change of manager and a couple of good signings like Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll.

"It all looks very positive. It is what I want and what the players want. We have to challenge with the best and it looks like we are getting there."

Canny Kenny: Will his Famous Five prove good value?

Luis Suarez

Bought from: Ajax

Fee: £22 million

Verdict: A forward obviously from the top bracket, and a bargain at £22m.

Andy Carroll

From: Newcastle United

Fee: £35m

Verdict: An inflated price which Carroll (two goals so far) will struggle to match.

Jordan Henderson

From: Sunderland

Fee: £16m

Verdict: Expensive given his experience, will have to grow into role at Anfield.

Charlie Adam

From: Blackpool

Fee: £7m

Verdict: Given Adam's technical quality, a good fee, if he can step up to a big club.

Stewart Downing

From: Aston Villa

Fee: £20m

Verdict: Perhaps £5m more than market value, Downing will have to produce at Anfield next season to justify it.

[Mostar]

so Tony Evans hasn't got a clue about what we'll be doing the rest of this transfer window, shock and horror!

Too many hacks out there these days making out they know whats going on and generally know sweet fa, all he's done there is cover his basis - we sign someone it's good value, we don't well he told us we wouldn't be signing anyone else!

I am sure he's right that we probably need to move a few out and off the wage bill, thank god for us fans we've got this kind of insight, where would we be otherwise!

The way he was speaking it really sounded that he was totally clueless and kept in dark.

I was under the impression that was the guess work at its best.

[Roboklopp]

Choice of football club aside, it's rare I agree with Charly about anything, but as I've said elsewhere, I do worry without Suarez we lack unpredictability and that little extra game-changing mercurial genius. I can see why we have done things the way we have- and that we might well add the icing on the cake next summer -but I'm just not convinced the squad we have bought will guarantee us the top 4.

(De-aging Stevie and Cole 3-years would make a huge difference mind).

[Neil Young]

Choice of football club aside, it's rare I agree with Charly about anything, but as I've said elsewhere, I do worry without Suarez we lack unpredictability and that little extra game-changing mercurial genius. I can see why we have done things the way we have- and that we might well add the icing on the cake next summer -but I'm just not convinced the squad we have bought will guarantee us the top 4.

(De-aging Stevie and Cole 3-years would make a huge difference mind).

A guarantee is virtually impossible - Man City spent several trillion last summer and still Champions League qualification was in doubt until the last couple of weeks of the season.

A general point/rant (not aimed at you, Constable):

I think there's too much pessimism and, if not too little faith, then certainly too much of a rush to judgement. Obviously the management could be mistaken but do we really think they haven't identified where we most need to strengthen, not considered other players and not tried to get the best they can? We all know that without Champions League football we're not that attractive to the very best players, and even those, like Ashley Young, who are not exactly at the Messi level, yet somehow we should be signing players who are better than Downing (who apparently is average) and people are underwhelmed.

How many ways would you all like it?

We have a go at the likes of SSN and the Press for hyping things up, making everything black and white, either "best thing ever" or "we're all doomed" and yet I think there's a danger of us doing exactly the same.

I specifically exclude dww from that.

[RichC]

A guarantee is virtually impossible - Man City spent several trillion last summer and still Champions League qualification was in doubt until the last couple of weeks of the season.

A general point/rant (not aimed at you, Constable):

I think there's too much pessimism and, if not too little faith, then certainly too much of a rush to judgement. Obviously the management could be mistaken but do we really think they haven't identified where we most need to strengthen, not considered other players and not tried to get the best they can? We all know that without Champions League football we're not that attractive to the very best players, and even those, like Ashley Young, who are not exactly at the Messi level, yet somehow we should be signing players who are better than Downing (who apparently is average) and people are underwhelmed.

How many ways would you all like it?

We have a go at the likes of SSN and the Press for hyping things up, making everything black and white, either "best thing ever" or "we're all doomed" and yet I think there's a danger of us doing exactly the same.

I specifically exclude dww from that.

[Norbs]

Although I take your point, is it possible to make a case for Downing to be a marquee signing if he consistently lands the ball on Carroll's head in the opposing penalty area next season?

A-****ing-men! Still chuckling to myself that peeps don't see the bigger picture. North East lad is signed up to provide for North East lad who might be having a bit of trouble settling in. Downing's a massively important addition to the squad

[little dave hedgehog]

shut up neil.

[Roboklopp]

Neil, I know it's not guaranteed but you know what I mean. All other things being equal.

[Charly]

Choice of football club aside, it's rare I agree with Charly about anything...

Yeah, you and the rest of the world.

Cheers man.

Ill put you on my Christmas list. Its a very short list...

I think all we have to do is finish above Arsenal. That will be enough for 4th. And looking at how bad Shtty City were last year, we could even realistically go for 3rd. Any more I think would be a pipe dream.

[BrooklynRed]

Charly-- what about Chelsea? Essien out, Lampard a shade of his old self, Torres a mess, Drogba and possibly Anelka on the way out, Parker and maybe Modric in... ? I dunno. They don't strike fear in the heart of me...

If we get consistent against the bottom 16, we are in with a shout, no?

[Mostar]

what about Chelsea? Essien out, Lampard a shade of his old self, Torres a mess, Drogba and possibly Anelka on the way out, Parker and maybe Modric in... ? I dunno. They don't strike fear in the heart of me...

If we get consistent against the bottom 16, we are in with a shout, no?

Plenty of time for them buy some players.

In addition to regular speculations linking them with Lukaku, Modric and Parker (on a loan) they have been also linked with Neymar (that went cold but who knows), Cahill, De Rossi and now Tiote + bunch of players from Porto (Falcao, Moutinho, Hulk and Rolando).

They will be challenging for the title imo and I wouldn't rule them out.

[Charly]

Charly-- what about Chelsea? Essien out, Lampard a shade of his old self, Torres a mess, Drogba and possibly Anelka on the way out, Parker and maybe Modric in... ? I dunno. They don't strike fear in the heart of me...

If we get consistent against the bottom 16, we are in with a shout, no?

They are a team that I would call solid. I dont think they will drop many points. Still plenty of time to strengthen. I will be surprised if we finish above them.

Problem we may have is getting the midfield to gel. I have no idea who is the best mix out of Gerrard Lucas Adam and Henderson, and Aquilani is looking good, and we still have Meireles and Cole. We have options, but I think a team needs to have a settled core. It may be a three of Lucas Gerrard and Adam, but that leaves a lot of competition which could work against us if we over rotate. Also, I think we will be relying on Carroll to be fit the whole season, and to be able to thrive in the system Kenny plumps for. If we lose him, then I dont think we have enough power and pace up front. I dont really rate Kuyt as a striker, as he is too slow, and cant dribble. He works best running into the box late, not leading the line.

Arsenal seem to me to be in a bit of disarray, with their two best players looking at leaving. The squad must be feeling that the team is in decline. I think Spurs may finish above them.

If City sell their best player (Tevez), then the are building from scratch again. Chances are they wont gel. They were pretty poor last year, with many of their signings not performing. Although they did catch Chelsea, so you never know. We may be able to give Chelsea a run for their money. I just think they have the potential to step it up a gear.