Martin Skrtel

[Kenneth]

But then that message will be understood by any player anyway as long as we aren't challenging for the same trophies as the others.

[Vermilion]

But then that message will be understood by any player anyway as long as we aren't challenging for the same trophies as the others.

Not necessarily, it all depends on how players percieve what the club is trying to do, make it easy for our better players to leave everytime someone flashes a wad, and they'll think we are'nt really serious about the top honours and are more of a selling club, a stepping stone to better.

[danperkins]

Yeah, Raul looks hard as nails alright.

What does this have to do with Meireles mate?

[Ams12]

Cant sell Skrtel we have to keep our better players to be able to build a stronger squad and have the opportunity to compete.
We have far too often sold our better players and not replaced them with equal or better quality...wuld hate to be a selling club!

[Exiled_red]

When you think about it, £20m covers what we've paid for the rest of our defence for the past 12 years. £20m could have bought us Agger, Coates, Carra, Sami, Henchoz and Soto. Is Skrtel really that irreplaceable?

I'm not sure how serious you are being but I don't think that arguement holds, we signed Hyypia and Henchoz 13 years ago, and the financial situation in football was very different. Carragher came through the youth system so doesn't really count. Kyriakos if we're honest wasn't very good. Agger in fairness was a bargain and Coates is still unproven. In an era where the likes of Roger Johnson costs £7m and Christopher Samba costs £12m, I don't think it would be easy to replace Skrtel for less than £20m (unless we are after someone who is close to the end of their contract or unhappy at their current club).

[RedReet]

I'm not sure how serious you are being but I don't think that arguement holds, we signed Hyypia and Henchoz 13 years ago, and the financial situation in football was very different. Carragher came through the youth system so doesn't really count. Kyriakos if we're honest wasn't very good. Agger in fairness was a bargain and Coates is still unproven. In an era where the likes of Roger Johnson costs £7m and Christopher Samba costs £12m, I don't think it would be easy to replace Skrtel for less than £20m (unless we are after someone who is close to the end of their contract or unhappy at their current club).

It wasn't a serious point as such.I was just merely pointing out that we've replaced better players in his position and over the years we have picked up some bargains at CB. Grouping them together was just a bit of fun, highlighting the fact that £20m is a lot for one defender.


For continuity purposes I think we should keep Skrtel, but if he left I would like to hope we could pick up an adequate replacement for a fraction of the price.

[Kenneth]

Lets be honest, being a CB in English football is not rocket science. Just buy another eastern European brute and we'll be fine after a big of coaching.

[Vermilion]

It wasn't a serious point as such.I was just merely pointing out that we've replaced better players in his position and over the years we have picked up some bargains at CB. Grouping them together was just a bit of fun, highlighting the fact that £20m is a lot for one defender.


For continuity purposes I think we should keep Skrtel, but if he left I would like to hope we could pick up an adequate replacement for a fraction of the price.

Lets be honest, being a CB in English football is not rocket science. Just buy another eastern European brute and we'll be fine after a big of coaching.

It takes time for these players to become solid and generally dependable defenders though, imo.

If we then just sell them on to clubs like City and Chelsea, we'll never compete.

[Exiled_red]

It wasn't a serious point as such.I was just merely pointing out that we've replaced better players in his position and over the years we have picked up some bargains at CB. Grouping them together was just a bit of fun, highlighting the fact that £20m is a lot for one defender.


For continuity purposes I think we should keep Skrtel, but if he left I would like to hope we could pick up an adequate replacement for a fraction of the price.

We have had some bargains but players have also taken time to settle last year was probably the first year we were at the point where we didn't miss Big Sami and he left in 2009.

Players take time to settle into a system, with Carragher reaching a point where he is unlikely to play regularly, Agger still having question marks over his fitness/injury record and Coates still with very little experience of the British game, I would be really nervous about selling Skrtel as he has been the mainstay of our defence for the last couple of seasons.

[dww]

At the minute I'm feeling like selling Skrtel would be symbolic of a real problem - season after season selling players and seeking a new solution/direction to save the club. The thing is though that such impressions leave quickly depending on incoming signings and the way that a new team gels and gets results.

We have a squad with a lot of odd players who feel like loose ends from previous eras. I think I'd rather that at least we got rid of those and made a few positive signings first if we are going to end up selling any of our best players.

[Kenneth]

At the minute I'm feeling like selling Skrtel would be symbolic of a real problem - season after season selling players and seeking a new solution/direction to save the club. The thing is though that such impressions leave quickly depending on incoming signings and the way that a new team gels and gets results.

We have a squad with a lot of odd players who feel like loose ends from previous eras. I think I'd rather that at least we got rid of those and made a few positive signings first if we are going to end up selling any of our best players.

Symbolic or not, it's only the potential sale of Skrtel we're talking about. The point seems a little melodramatic. Clubs who aren't fighting it out at the top lose a couple of players every year to the teams that are. Its hardly atypical. Look at arsenal last summer. They mitigate the loss by selling for a good price where they can.

We'd all love to get rid of players deemed surplus to requirements by us, and hopefully we will. But if Skrtel or another first team wants away for a better chance of success, you've got to shrug your shoulders and move on, it happens.

[Exiled_red]

At the minute I'm feeling like selling Skrtel would be symbolic of a real problem - season after season selling players and seeking a new solution/direction to save the club. The thing is though that such impressions leave quickly depending on incoming signings and the way that a new team gels and gets results.

We have a squad with a lot of odd players who feel like loose ends from previous eras. I think I'd rather that at least we got rid of those and made a few positive signings first if we are going to end up selling any of our best players.

The problem is by selling our best players we are sending out a message that we can't compete with the teams we are selling to. This isn't attractive to perspective players and gives the players who are currently here an excuse for underperforming, while the players who do perform will be the next ones looking to move on. We don't want to become a stepping stone club for players, we want to get back to the top.

While some will no doubt argue that Skrtel isn't in the same league as the likes of Xabi, Mascherano and Torres who have left in recent years, it's still the same principle and I feel we need to stop the rot of selling a first team player every year because they want to move on to somewhere that they feel they have a better chance of success.

[Bari]

Another player that MAY want to leave after one great season and a couple of consistently average seasons. Sami, Hamman, Babbel were a rare breed compared to these lot.

Crouch
Alonso
Mascherano
Arebeola
Torres

Its a shame Murphy and Heskey did not want to leave straight away after their one great season.

We are now entering what is arguably our 4th season of uncertainty and upheaval for many players. It is hardly a recipe of success and I am not in the slightest surprised many are seeking clarification or looking at moving.

[RedReet]

We have had some bargains but players have also taken time to settle last year was probably the first year we were at the point where we didn't miss Big Sami and he left in 2009.

I know it’s a bit too simplistic, but ironically we had a better defensive record immediately after Sami left (09/10) than in the past two years when Skrtel has arguably been at his best.

Players take time to settle into a system, with Carragher reaching a point where he is unlikely to play regularly, Agger still having question marks over his fitness/injury record and Coates still with very little experience of the British game, I would be really nervous about selling Skrtel as he has been the mainstay of our defence for the last couple of seasons.

That’s fair enough, as I’ve said before my preference would be to keep Skrtel if he wants to be here. The way I see it, there are plenty of pro’s and con’s for keeping and selling, I see positives in both and wouldn’t be too concerned if a big bid came in.

Say Rodgers was still at Swansea and he had 20m to spend on any CB (assuming they could attract the same caliber of player as us), does anyone think Skrtel would be high on his shortlist? I’m not so sure, so this could be an opportunity for him to get in a player he genuinely rates and thinks would be perfect for his system.

At the minute I'm feeling like selling Skrtel would be symbolic of a real problem - season after season selling players and seeking a new solution/direction to save the club. The thing is though that such impressions leave quickly depending on incoming signings and the way that a new team gels and gets results.

We have a squad with a lot of odd players who feel like loose ends from previous eras. I think I'd rather that at least we got rid of those and made a few positive signings first if we are going to end up selling any of our best players.

[QUOTE=Exiled_red;2344579]

The problem is by selling our best players we are sending out a message that we can't compete with the teams we are selling to. This isn't attractive to perspective players and gives the players who are currently here an excuse for underperforming, while the players who do perform will be the next ones looking to move on. We don't want to become a stepping stone club for players, we want to get back to the top.

While some will no doubt argue that Skrtel isn't in the same league as the likes of Xabi, Mascherano and Torres who have left in recent years, it's still the same principle and I feel we need to stop the rot of selling a first team player every year because they want to move on to somewhere that they feel they have a better chance of success.[/QUOTE

Have to say, I’m tending to sway towards Kenneth’s way of thinking in this one.

Personally I don’t think we are seen as a selling club, but I don’t think it would be too hard for a new manager to put a positive spin on selling a player who didn’t really want to be at the club for an offer that was too good to turn down in order to help get in his own players. Players were sold and not replaced under G&H, but FGS sold Torres and replaced him with Suarez and Carroll. Players will understand the difference and if we do the same again here, why would any player be put off signing?

Let’s not forget, Skrtel also showed his best form under Kenny and seemed to improve after the appointment of Clarke. They are no longer at the club and Rodgers is going to play a different system so although the risk is probably a lot less there is still the chance that Skrtel mightn’t perform as well in the new system as much a new player may or may not.

[Exiled_red]

Say Rodgers was still at Swansea and he had 20m to spend on any CB (assuming they could attract the same caliber of player as us), does anyone think Skrtel would be high on his shortlist? I’m not so sure, so this could be an opportunity for him to get in a player he genuinely rates and thinks would be perfect for his system.

Probably not. But it's a difficult situation to evaluate.

Have to say, I’m tending to sway towards Kenneth’s way of thinking in this one.

Personally I don’t think we are seen as a selling club, but I don’t think it would be too hard for a new manager to put a positive spin on selling a player who didn’t really want to be at the club for an offer that was too good to turn down in order to help get in his own players. Players were sold and not replaced under G&H, but FGS sold Torres and replaced him with Suarez and Carroll. Players will understand the difference and if we do the same again here, why would any player be put off signing?

Let’s not forget, Skrtel also showed his best form under Kenny and seemed to improve after the appointment of Clarke. They are no longer at the club and Rodgers is going to play a different system so although the risk is probably a lot less there is still the chance that Skrtel mightn’t perform as well in the new system as much a new player may or may not.

Perhaps this is a negative way of thinking but to me if you sell one of your best players even if you replace them well you've still probably lost ground as the new signing will probably take time to settle. Also it send out negative signals about the way we operate. If you don't replace them well then you've certainly gone backwards, it's a huge gamble! We mention that under H&G we didn't replace players we sold. Aquilani was the replacement for Alonso, he cost us ~2/3 of the money we got for Alonso, on paper (putting aside the injury) it looked like it could be a good signing - he turned out to be a waste of nearly £20m. Of course it could go the other way Newcastle are an example of this, but as a big club there is less value in players for us than there is for a club like Newcastle - if we are in for a player his price goes up. I'd rather stick with what we've got than take this kind of gamble again.