Brendan Rodgers

[RedReet]

This thread has been great today.

[Gazzla]

He sanctioned the deals but his negotiating team has failed so far to deliver players that will strengthen the areas were we are weak.

In what instance? The Armenian wouldn't even meet with us and Costa had no intention of leaving and got a big pay rise out of it?

[G]

The 'perhaps too ambitious' comment to me means we were ambitious in going for CL quality players without having CL to offer them therefore it may have been considering too ambitious given that we got none of them.

Maybe some at the club felt the name Liverpool would be enough to attract those players and have now had a reality check.

[Sarb]

If we genuinely cant attract the players, why dont we go and sign Will Hughes who imo will be ready for first team footy next season

[Fosterbloke]

For everyone whinging about the 'lack' of a marquee signing, just remember we signed this guy not long ago ->

[Chazza]

And he couldn't even put up a marquee. gazebo.

[G]

We'll have to go for players who are on the cusp of CL ability but who haven't quite made it for whatever reason. Coutinho was one such player who's career was stalling, Munian is another who hasn't hit the heights he looked like reaching.

That said if Spurs can convince Lamela to join them there's no reason why we couldn't, and we could have gotten Willian if it wasn't for his greedy club/agent.

Maybe one reason, money.

[MrMichael]

So you are happy with this transfer window, we signed squad players and have not strengthened the required areas of the first team.

Im not 100% happy with it, no.

I feel we have improved the squad and we need players to improve the first team, which we are actively trying to do. I dont think the blame of this not happening yet can be placed at FSG's door though.

Gibbo

Seems to me that our real issue this summer has been matching attempts to buy top class talent with not being in a hugely attractive position for that exact same group of players.

We could quite easily have gone and spent £50m on more Downings and Adams, but we already know they aren't going to improve our first team (which by the end of last season was not that far off where we're aiming to be really). We only want to bring in players, after doing a certain necessary amount of squad reshaping, who will obviously improve us but those are the same guys turning us down. Moment 22

I'm happy that FSG and the team are aware what we need to do and have been trying to do it, and also that they are aware what we don't need. Too often in the past have LFC failed to make the step up by signing more average players and then really suffered for it later on. Think Houllier failing on Duff and bringing in Diouf, Diao and Cheyrou with the money. Rafa buying people like Pennant (yes be didn't have the money but still, should have kept the cash) and Comolli/Dalglish with, well, everyone but Suarez.

Honestly Souliv I would have thought that despite the understandable frustration that those couple more top players haven't arrived you would actually be very encouraged by our strategy, as it ultimately, when we do find the players, should mean we don't have another false dawn and then another 2 years of trying to shift overpaid mediocrity from our squad?

[marcus50bucks]

Gibbo

Seems to me that our real issue this summer has been matching attempts to buy top class talent with not being in a hugely attractive position for that exact same group of players.

We could quite easily have gone and spent £50m on more Downings and Adams, but we already know they aren't going to improve our first team (which by the end of last season was not that far off where we're aiming to be really). We only want to bring in players, after doing a certain necessary amount of squad reshaping, who will obviously improve us but those are the same guys turning us down. Moment 22

I'm happy that FSG and the team are aware what we need to do and have been trying to do it, and also that they are aware what we don't need. Too often in the past have LFC failed to make the step up by signing more average players and then really suffered for it later on. Think Houllier failing on Duff and bringing in Diouf, Diao and Cheyrou with the money. Rafa buying people like Pennant (yes be didn't have the money but still, should have kept the cash) and Comolli/Dalglish with, well, everyone but Suarez.

Honestly Souliv I would have thought that despite the understandable frustration that those couple more top players haven't arrived you would actually be very encouraged by our strategy, as it ultimately, when we do find the players, should mean we don't have another false dawn and then another 2 years of trying to shift overpaid mediocrity from our squad?

I said on ST that I don't think we'll be bringing in an attacking player that Rodgers wants and I truly believe that. It certainly won't be a marquee signing that's for sure and that's because we are very late in the window now. It's quite clear that players don't see us as an attractive proposition and we are being used to secure better deals elsewhere.

If we do bring in someone it will be a player with a low profile who may feel he has something to prove and needs to push on ala Sturridge. I'm not talking Muniain either because even though he's had a very poor season, if he becomes available I'd expect other teams to get involved which could make it difficult for us to close the deal. We can't afford another situation like we've already been through with so little time of the window to go.

[MrMichael]

I said on ST that I don't think we'll be bringing in an attacking player that Rodgers wants and I truly believe that. It certainly won't be a marquee signing that's for sure and that's because we are very late in the window now. It's quite clear that players don't see us as an attractive proposition and we are being used to secure better deals elsewhere.

If we do bring in someone it will be a player with a low profile who may feel he has something to prove and needs to push on ala Sturridge. I'm not talking Muniain either because even though he's had a very poor season, if he becomes available I'd expect other teams to get involved which could make it difficult for us to close the deal. We can't afford another situation like we've already been through with so little time of the window to go.

I wouldn't be upset with another Sturridge

I agree with you in the main, but I also don't think we're quite in the same situation as this time last year.

We went into a season 12 months ago, when we had to play in Europe, with only Suarez and Borini as recognised strikers. That was verging on the insane. Our squad is much better rounded now. If the transfer window closed right now, other than laughing at Arsenal I'd think most fans should be a bit deflated but hardly in furious uproar. Of course this being the internet that is wildly optimistic but still, I do see a difference between not improving quite as much as we ideally wanted and leaving ourselves criminally short.

[marcus50bucks]

I wouldn't be upset with another Sturridge

I agree with you in the main, but I also don't think we're quite in the same situation as this time last year.

We went into a season 12 months ago, when we had to play in Europe, with only Suarez and Borini as recognised strikers. That was verging on the insane. Our squad is much better rounded now. If the transfer window closed right now, other than laughing at Arsenal I'd think most fans should be a bit deflated but hardly in furious uproar. Of course this being the internet that is wildly optimistic but still, I do see a difference between not improving quite as much as we ideally wanted and leaving ourselves criminally short.

Sorry not sure if you misunderstood me but when I said "We can't afford another situation like we've already been through with so little time of the window to go" I was referring to the difficulties we've had in securing our targets this summer because of other clubs getting involved. With very little time left we don't want another drawn out process so I think we'll be targetting low profile players who we'll have a better chance of securing imo.

[Imy]

Agree with others about the window (thus far)
1) Got rid of deadwood
2) Strengthen the squad
3) Reduced the wage bill

But the lack of signings that will have a direct impact on the first team is what is annoying.

What i can't fathom is surely they build a list of players they want, they then sound out agents to see if they are interested and from their make the moves.

We've either been played like right mugs or we have the most stupid negotiating team. The other thing is, yes we missed out on Mhiki who was very obviously number 1 choice, so wheres plan b, c, d, e etc? Willian was an opportunity that just presented itself, Costa i was never convinced we were really in for (think his agents played a blinder and got him a pay rise). Last season we had no scouts, whats the excuses this summer?

[Bender]

[~LFCHistory~]

I wouldn't be upset with another Sturridge

I agree with you in the main, but I also don't think we're quite in the same situation as this time last year.

We went into a season 12 months ago, when we had to play in Europe, with only Suarez and Borini as recognised strikers. That was verging on the insane. Our squad is much better rounded now. If the transfer window closed right now, other than laughing at Arsenal I'd think most fans should be a bit deflated but hardly in furious uproar. Of course this being the internet that is wildly optimistic but still, I do see a difference between not improving quite as much as we ideally wanted and leaving ourselves criminally short.

We're in a better position than last year but we still don't have enough to get 4th I'm afraid and that is a massive problem. If we finish outside the top 4 again then Suarez will be off and I don't believe we could replace him properly, we've demonstrated again this summer that our negotiation team is not good. Aside from Suarez I would expect murmurings next summer about the futures of Coutinho, Sturridge, Agger and Johnson. Gerrard will also be a year older.
Quite simply we have to get CL's football this season or we're in big trouble IMO, we're not a million miles off it but what we need now is 2 first class players who will go straight into the first 11 - a CB and forward/LW. What's holding us back from that is FSG's obsession with wages and not overpaying by even a few million. The players we need are there and I believe that if we offered big wages we could get them. The good news is that there's still time left in the window, the bad news is that I have zero confidence in our negotiators.

[el matador]

looking much trimmer these days BR - and those teeth would put a camel to shame.