Topic: Re: John Henry's open letter to fans

[B0151?]

Hmmm so the flogging of Carroll may have been an attempt to just force the release of money for Dempsey? Like 'look at our attacking options, we need him'. Really sorry for posting speculation like, I don't usually, but it really is a problem if we've got some 'chess-moves' from club level to boardroom level going on already at this stage.

[grahamlfc]

Talk is cheap...................where is the action by signing top class players of the calibre needed at a world club like Liverpool Football Club.  If Henry and his cohorts at FSG do not have the necessary funding then they need to sell up and head back to the USA.  We need owners who are deadly serious about bringing LFC back to where this club belongs, if they want to mess around penny pinching then they are wasting the fans time, their own time and more importantly, the time of Liverpool Football Club.  Money talks in football.

[lancashirelad]

The news headlines today talk of our demise, our inability to pay the asking price for strikers, the condemnation that a top 4 place is now out of reach. Truth be told, the management and senior management of Liverpool football club is something I am not proud of as a Liverpool fan, but I will underline that FSG and Ian Ayre must fully accept that the constructive criticism in the media, blogs and various web sites is justified and yet rarely, if ever, addressed. There have been too many instances where FSG has left us fans scratching our heads in disbelief. Such moments fall under three categories, that is, tactics, transfer policy and club intent. An open letter to the fans does nothing for our hearts and our hope after the fact.

[Aaron Cross]

I'm surprised people are still shocked at FSG's recruitment policy. To be honest our last few managers over the last 20 years have been very hit and miss in the transfer market. We change managers time after time and each time there's a cull of the previous manger's players and the cycle goes on again. It has to stop. We've overpaid both in transfer fees and wages for a shitload of players and this has to stop too. The club have invested a lot of money in Dave Fallows and his team from City, isn't it obvious they will be providing Rodgers will a pool of players to choose from based on FSG's criteria and the analytics provided? This was always going to be the case

Mate I'm hearing ya and I'm all for that but there also needs to be a balance somewhere, it's great having these savings on wages and all but you also have to keep the squad competitive and provide your manager with OPTIONS, our squad now is so paper thin it's left us in a very precarious position, a couple or key injuries and we're fucked, we have no plan B, Suarez is a winger/AM and its unfair to load it all on him if its not his natural position, hes a creator, then Borini is just starting off, Morgan is still a kid.. this isn't good enough! But nice one Mr Henry you really taught Fulham a lesson there, Fuck thinking about your own team and how it leaves us. 

[decky]

Talk is cheap...................where is the action by signing top class players of the calibre needed at a world club like Liverpool Football Club.  If Henry and his cohorts at FSG do not have the necessary funding then they need to sell up and head back to the USA.  We need owners who are deadly serious about bringing LFC back to where this club belongs, if they want to mess around penny pinching then they are wasting the fans time, their own time and more importantly, the time of Liverpool Football Club.  Money talks in football.

You're living in a dream world mate. I'd rather we got back to the top by being financially sensible and clever in the transfer market. This sugar daddy bullshit is ruining football. If Abramovich ever walks away from Chelsea they are fucked, finished! Same at City. I want our club to stand on it's own two feet and be successful as well while doing it. FSG have the right mindset for doing this, their implementation has been awful so far though and they've got to fix things fast but the club is heading in the right direction albeit with a few wrong turns along the way

[fowlermagic]

To get to the point where they have to write an open letter (not for the first time either) due to mismanagement and short sightness is a statement in itself. A poor one at that. Allowing us to start the season with fluff as back up to a young starting attack while allowing a thousand plus senior starts to leave the club in Kuyt, Maxi, Bellamy n co is worrying as I think you can see the shoulders drop already in fans n worse players. Expectations are slim already and its barely September. I hope the team surprises us all but we are already looking ahead to the next transfer window which says it all.

[Cid]

I notice their principles only seem to matter when they're being used to prevent money spent... We're hardly targeting the world's top youngsters are we?

Things is, they don't want young players,  they want cheap young players whose value can be recouped. Big fucking difference. There are many cheap players and many young ones, very few fall into both categories.

[Aaron Cross]

Hmmm so the flogging of Carroll may have been an attempt to just force the release of money for Dempsey? Like 'look at our attacking options, we need him'. Really sorry for posting speculation like, I don't usually, but it really is a problem if we've got some 'chess-moves' from club level to boardroom level going on already at this stage.

I hate to say but I reckon that's exactly what is happening, Rodgers has done this to force a move and they didnt back him even tho they had the cash, I'm glad Rodgers did what he did, this has exposed FSG for what they are, and it's not like it's much of a test is it, we were not asking for Cavani, our manager was asking for fucking 3mil to get a player that could really help him out and they turned him down, even knowing the embarrassment it would cause him, they just didn't care. My anger grows daily with FSG, no different to the last lot. 

[Resurrected]

Reports are suggesting that Henry has said that there will be no further loan signings.

So having stated that he has confidence in Rodgers, Henry is now telling the manager what he does and doesn't need.

I can see 2 scenario's here. Either we struggle without another forward, which could make Rodgers position near untenable, or we backtrack, make another loan signing and look totally incompetent.

Once again.

[Trendisnotdestiny]

Red Sox and Liverpool shed payroll

Fact Pattern #1: They know something about the macro-economy that we do not (causing immediate cuts)
Fact Pattern #2: Aligning with the Fair Funding (revenue stream and payroll ) argument
Fact Pattern #3: Claiming to be mystified about the outcomes of the transfer window
Fact Pattern #4: Had someone make a major mistake with FSG website (stating that Dempsey had been signed)
Fact Pattern #5: Nouriel Roubini (NYU Economist predicting a larger financial event after election) - having predicted 5yrs earlier
Fact Pattern #6: Europe is fragile, in debt and has as many insolvencies as uncertainties
Fact Pattern #7: US media monopolies choose to cover more Tom Cruise divorce or Wayne Rooney leaving Old Trafford than LIBOR
Fact Pattern #8: 6% increase in food inflation (mostly from huge increases in corn and soy losses causing a 23% rise in price)
Fact Pattern #9: J Henry says it is not about making money
Fact Pattern #10:  When you hear something from fact pattern #9 - It is ALWAYS about making money (hello, free-market neoliberal capitalism)

YNWA

 

[BEAST]

Interesting to see that a Brendan rival Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas was splashing the cash and making all the headlines on deadline day and through out the transfer window

They backed him with Sigursson, Adebayour, Dembele, Dempsey and Lloris

Lloris, Gnomes, Fridel and Cudicini

They even went for Lloris when they had 3 senior keepers on there books... No sell to buy there no loans etc

Fine they sold Modric and Van Der Varrt but they kept Bale and added alot of quality all over the field

what was their net spend?

Would you be ok if Rodgers was given the go ahead to sell Suarez and Agger for 60m if it meant he could spend the 60m on his targets?  Essentially that's what they let AVB do

[decky]

After reading and listening to tonnes of articles, tweets, podcasts on what happened on Friday I'm going to take a guess as to what I think might have happened

The owners have said to Ayre that they have a £20m budget to sign a striker including wages but they'd prefer a young player with potential and resale value
Ayre may have not explained to Rodgers about the inclusion of wages in his budget and he tells him Dempsey is unlikely due to his age
Rodgers on this knowledge loans out Carroll and orders Ayre to pursue 2 targets
On discovering that wages are actually included in the budget, he abandons one of the targets and pushes for Dempsey
After mostly communicating with Ayre, Rodgers talks to FSG and builds his case for Dempsey
Fulham raise their price for him, higher than offered to Spurs and Villa due to the club's ridiculous behaviour towards the potential transfer during the summer
FSG, wary of being ripped off the previous season and also taking into account his age pull out of the deal. A near £20m investment including wages
Dempsey gives up and heads to Spurs' training ground
With no other alternatives lined up bar Sturridge (£15m fee + 5 year deal say at 80k = £30m investment) Rodgers would probably prefer to use that cash on a more suitable player in the next window(s) - he doesn't want to panic buy.
Everyone goes home
Rodgers goes mental and kicks the cat and drinks s bottle of Bushmills
Everyone's depressed and we get done by Arsenal
The media lick their lips and blame the owners
The fans go mental and regurgitate what the media says
Henry apologises (kind of)
He then sacks someone
We move on, hoping communication is clearer in future
Life continues and nobody dies because of it


...sorry I couldn't stop myself there

[Paul-LFC]

Talk is cheap...................where is the action by signing top class players of the calibre needed at a world club like Liverpool Football Club.  If Henry and his cohorts at FSG do not have the necessary funding then they need to sell up and head back to the USA.  We need owners who are deadly serious about bringing LFC back to where this club belongs, if they want to mess around penny pinching then they are wasting the fans time, their own time and more importantly, the time of Liverpool Football Club.  Money talks in football.

What are they supposed to do now? The transfer window's closed. All they can do right now is talk, they can't do anything even if they wanted to. January will be the time to see if they put their money where their mouth is and back Rodgers.

[quasimodo]

To compete you have to spend. It always has been that way. Not sure how Henry can seriously think otherwise. Nobody is talking about Man City/Chelsea level but it has to better than this.

Even in Sir Bob's day, other than MU we spent more than anyone. Oldies like me will remember the failures of Richard Money, David Hodgson, etc. Not all of Sir Bob's transfers worked either and sometimes the money got wasted. That is football. There's a lot of luck and human judgement good and bad.

All this analysis of today is way overdone. Pretty clear they thought Rodgers wouldn't rock the boat.

We're a generation away from competing at the top level again.

[Cruiser]

There are a couple of points which Tony doesn't examine. Why did the pursuit of Dempsey, which had been ongoing for 3 months keep going on till 8pm on Friday evening? If it was all about Henry's "vision" for the club did they not once sit down and discuss this earlier in the summer? Doesn't wash with me that it's all down to that. Did he just decide to keep it quiet for 3 months? If Ayre was leading the negotiations why did it take till so late on deadline day to realise Fulham wouldn't accept anything less than £4m and considering we did our last bit of major business the week before with Sahin why did it take till so late for us to table a bid of £4m? Was it simply a case of waiting to convince Carroll to take the West Ham offer? If we wanted Sturridge on loan could we not have sounded out the possibility earlier and worked out, even 24 hours earlier, that Sturridge only wanted a permanent move and not a loan? Why on earth did we not have ANY contingency plans in place? Why is neither Rodgers or Ayre's role in it mentioned at all? Strange article that.

I'd like the answers to this too. Surely we would have had a valuation on Dempsey long before Friday, giving Ayre and Rodgers enough time to convince JH to cough up the extra 2m as well as knowing Henderson's input on the matter as a swap deal is being purported? And surely we would have spoken to Chelsea about Sturridge well in advance and have a draft in place ready to action once the Dempsey deal was out the window?

Some of the information being released is very worrying about the way we are doing business right now. We just don't seem to have a core team of individuals/experts capable of drawing up plans and negotiating effectively.

This building for the future with vision is all very well but football is a fast moving and results business and by the time your youngsters and signings for the future have become stars they'll probably have moved on to bigger clubs by then. Why? Because those clubs are constantly bringing in quality that is keeping them at the top and an attractive destination for players. To remain competitive an injection of quality is needed to supplement the younger core and that means reaching for the cheque book, not holding back on 2m.

[Dave D]

Brendan can't sign off on player sales or loans, that's left to Ayre, who probably has to then discuss it with his masters. Are people saying that Brendan and Ayre hatched a cunning plan between them to loan out Andy Carroll behind the owners back just so he could get Dempsey?

And where the fuck has this 'Dempsey was Brendan's target not FSG's' come from?

May 3rd, when Kenny was still in charge and Brendan was still managing Swansea, our chairman, our very own version of Dave Whelan, gave this quote about a player still on contract with another club.

"We never talk publicly about our transfer targets, however, any team would be lucky to have Clint Dempsey playing on their squad."

[harleydanger]

I notice their principles only seem to matter when they're being used to prevent money spent... We're hardly targeting the world's top youngsters are we?

Things is, they don't want young players,  they want cheap young players whose value can be recouped. Big fucking difference. There are many cheap players and many young ones, very few fall into both categories. 

Allen and Henderson were two of the top talents coming through the country, Yesil is 18 and said to be the top of his age bracket in Germany, Coates was one of the brighter kids coming out of South America. Borini is 21, we've had 5 kids from the academy getting games over the last 12 months. If you can't see what the actual aim of all this is I'm doubtful you've got any idea at all.

If it was about profiteering, at the very least, Danny or Skrtel would be gone and probably Johnson as well.

But it's not, it's a plan in place to fill a squad with young quality so the money we spend each window isn't plugging gaps but getting the best value out there. The budget doesn't change because we're signing kids.

[Resurrected]

Allen and Henderson were two of the top talents coming through the country, Yesil is 18 and said to be the top of his age bracket in Germany, Coates was one of the brighter kids coming out of South America. Borini is 21, we've had 5 kids from the academy getting games over the last 12 months. If you can't see what the actual aim of all this is I'm doubtful you've got any idea at all.

If it was about profiteering, at the very least, Danny or Skrtel would be gone and probably Johnson as well.

But it's not, it's a plan in place to fill a squad with young quality so the money we spend each window isn't plugging gaps but getting the best value out there. The budget doesn't change because we're signing kids.

Question; If he's that highly rated, why did we only pay £1 million. More often than not, you get exactly what you pay for.

[shelovesyou]

Henry goes on about retaining Agger in the open letter ?

National team captain could have been one of the world's five most expensive defenders if Liverpool and Manchester City had agreed on a price.

Liverpool and Manchester City were huge negotiations on Daniel Agger this summer. National team captain was, however, in Liverpool, and it's Daniel Agger happy.

"I will do everything for the club," said Agger.

It was close to being different. Jyllands-Posten learns that Daniel Agger this summer was close to being sold to Manchester City against his wish and become one of the most expensive traded defensive players ever.

Manchester City has repeatedly raised its bid, and it was FC Barcelona to give up to buy Daniel Agger, although the Spanish club was interested. Instead ended the now former Arsenal player Alexandre Song in the Catalan club.

As Manchester City's bid was higher and higher, there were not many million. AUD between champion club bid and Liverpool's requirements in relation to the total price.

Had Liverpool got what the club wanted, or were the two clubs ended up somewhere in between, was Daniel Agger swept into a place on the list of the five most expensive traded defensive players in football history. A list with names like Rio Ferdinand, Alessandro Nesta and Liliam Thuram.

The small, elite club, Daniel Agger not want to be a part of. He would rather play for Liverpool than Manchester City.

"If you know a bit about football and my attitude to history and tradition, so it is not just letting go of something because it has gone downhill," says Daniel Agger on the grounds that Liverpool has become the number six, seven and eight in the Premier League over the past three seasons.

"Then you know what I mean when I have the attitude that Liverpool remains one of the world's biggest clubs. When I think that the club can get up there again, it's not something I just leave because there is something on the other side. Did I do it, I would feel that I had not done my work done, and I can not relate to me, "he continues.

The stories of Daniel Agger's possible future have been many in Danish, English and Spanish media this summer. However, it has not shaken Daniel Agger.

"I have stood where I stood, and it has been firmly planted in Liverpool. So I said to myself that if there was something I had to look at it. Not that i would say to Liverpool that I wanted to get away, but if Liverpool asking for anything, I had to look at it. Personally, I prefer however to be. "

Compared to travel to the club?

"Any."

So there are no clubs in the world, you would rather to than Liverpool?

"Not as things stand now. No, it's not there. "

There has also been much said and written about whether Daniel Agger extends his contract with Liverpool, which expires in 2014. Both Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez and Martin Skrtel have extended their, but Agger does not expect anything.

"I do not expect anything. It learns quickly in this industry. You have to be focused on football and then we take the second along the way. "

Have you got a proposal for a new contract?

"No, I have not."

http://jyllands-posten.dk/sport/fodbold/intfodbold/premier_league/article4827645.ece

[B0151?]

Brendan can't sign off on player sales or loans, that's left to Ayre, who probably has to then discuss it with his masters. Are people saying that Brendan and Ayre hatched a cunning plan between them to loan out Andy Carroll behind the owners back just so he could get Dempsey?

And where the fuck has this 'Dempsey was Brendan's target not FSG's' come from?

May 3rd, when Kenny was still in charge and Brendan was still managing Swansea, our chairman, our very own version of Dave Whelan, gave this quote about a player still on contract with another club.

Regardless of that quote it's pretty clear that Rodgers wanted Dempsey but the owners ultimately never, or not for above a certain price. Otherwise they would have stumped up the cash.

Regarding the Carroll loan, I would usually never suggest anything like that but it's just really weird to me. Rodgers said he wouldn't loan Andy Carroll as it would make no sense. The second day before the window closes, Andy Carroll is loaned. Que scramble for Dempsey. Seems very much an attempt to force their hand. Either that or someone was misleading Rodgers.

[harleydanger]

Question; If he's that highly rated, why did we only pay £1 million. More often than not, you get exactly what you pay for.

He's the u/19 captain of Germany.

And no, I don't buy that you get exactly what you pay for, or else Andy Carroll would be the best British footballer in history

[slimbo]

Mr Henry has stated fairly plainly that this is a five year plan. In fact I read somewhere him mention 15years. There is no doubt this is a very steep learning curve for the owners.

On top of that Liverpool Football Club is a very big ship to turn around. We were almost another Portsmouth financially, we have a huge fan base with high expectations, no Champions League football which impacts on players wanting to come here and finances, and players on high earning contracts who are at the twilight of their careers. Add to that complicated stadium issues and you might begin to see the magnitude of the problems which need to be resolved. They are not going to fixed over a few transfer windows and throwing a bit of cash around to keep fans happy.

Clearly, we need someone based in the City to be our Director with the power to make decisions and liase between the owners and our manager. We need to move forward on the stadium issue. There are good signs though which show we are heading in the right direction.

1. Our financial situation is much better than it was and we are spending what we earn.
2. Our commercial earnings are increasing
3. I think we have appointed a good manager. He knows what he wants but it will take time to change the culture and the squad to make it efficient. Again, mistakes will be made by management and by players along the way as they adjust to a new system.

My own view is that it will take this season and next before we start to really see what we are building. I think this season and next will see us around position 5-8 at seasons end. That's because players and contracts take time to resolve to get what you want, but the signs are there. Is anyone else thrilled at the performances of Joe Allen? Some of our play has been exciting and it's been some poor passing that has let us down, but I think players like Joe will be our future. Borini has a way to go, Assaldi we're yet to see, Sahin yet to settle, but they are in the mold of where we are heading. The managers willingness to play Sterling reinforces this. Our rate of advancement will probably depend on our ability to move players on that struggle with the system. Enrique, Kelly, Spearing, Downing?, dare I say Gerrard who was outperformed by Shelvey on Sunday. They all take up wages, they all need to be replaced and we need extra players to give squad depth. An enormous task.

We are yet to know how FFP will impact clubs but I am happy that we are taking it into consideration and will be in a good position if it starts to bite. My hope is that in 3-5 years time we will be back in CL, in a strong responsible financial position, attracting top players due to a long term vision and sensible financial stewardship. Just got to go through a bit of pain to get there.

One of my favourite quotes may be applicable here.

"You overestimate what you can achieve in one year but underestimate what you can achieve in 5 years".

[Max_powers]

They are doing the same thing with Red sox where they are getting rid of Large contracts. I think they have accepted that Liverpool won't challenge for top 4 this year and want to build a sustainable squad to challenge for that spot in next 2-3 years. Mid table mediocrity won't benefit them at all since they already have so much invested in this club. They want to be top 4 the Arsenal way not the the Chelsea or Man city way and Rodgers is the right man to do so. I am just hoping they show patience with him because otherwise we will have to start all over again next year

[belfast-connection]

Regardless of the ins, outs, nuances, figures and intrigue, FSG fucked up. They're the ones in charge. And it's not the first time that this has happened either. Too much power-play bullshit going on.

on the alternate view of course we actually did some marvellous interim work and will be bagging walcott and strurridge for relative peanuts in the january market given that they both will only have 6 months left on their contract

unlikely but you never know

[TheCharlatan]

Question; If he's that highly rated, why did we only pay £1 million. More often than not, you get exactly what you pay for.

What a load of rubbish. You think ability alone is the sole determinant of a price tag? How much of a fee do you think an 18 year old should command for him to be highly rated in your book?

There is a plethora of world stars present and past who did not cost an exorbitant amount. The lack of any substance or factual accuracy in what you have just said deems you unworthy and incapable of redeeming any semblance of football intellect you think you possess.

[juan1001]

They are doing the same thing with Red sox where they are getting rid of Large contracts. I think they have accepted that Liverpool won't challenge for top 4 this year and want to build a sustainable squad to challenge for that spot in next 2-3 years. Mid table mediocrity won't benefit them at all since they already have so much invested in this club. They want to be top 4 the Arsenal way not the the Chelsea or Man city way and Rodgers is the right man to do so. I am just hoping they show patience with him because otherwise we will have to start all over again next year

I'm a little concerned that after four months on the job there can be such a major breakdown in communication between Rogers and Henry. Doesn't bode well for a long term working relationship (unless Rogers turns into a yes man).

[shelovesyou]

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-edwards/17/89b/478

Head of Analytics
Liverpool Football Club
Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Sports industry
November 2011 – Present (11 months)

Head of Performance Analysis
Tottenham Hotspur FC
Privately Held; 1001-5000 employees; Sports industry
November 2009 – October 2011 (2 years)

Head of Performance Analysis
Portsmouth FC
December 2003 – October 2009 (5 years 11 months)

[Red Cez]

January will be the time to see if they put their money where their mouth is and back Rodgers.

No mate, the window just past was the time to see what FSG are made of.

Personally I've seen enough over the last two years (knee-jerk sackings, ridiculously poor spending, dilly-dallying over the stadium issue etc) to have serious doubts about their ability to get this club back where we want it to be, that bullshit letter has finally convinced me that FSG are not right for us.

Not in it for profit? Do they really think we're that stupid? Who invests in a company without wanting to see a profit of some sort? For what its worth, I don't give a shit if FSG make money from owning us as long as the club benefits at the same time in terms of on the pitch success and financial stability, trying to make out like FSG are some sort of philanthropic entity is insulting my intelligence.

I want this club to succeed, that is all there is to it. If FSG can't help us do that then I think its best for everyone if they start looking for potential buyers.

[Resurrected]

What a load of rubbish. You think ability alone is the sole determinant of a price tag? How much of a fee do you think an 18 year old should command for him to be highly rated in your book?

There is a plethora of world stars present and past who did not cost an exorbitant amount. The lack of any substance or factual accuracy in what you have just said deems you unworthy and incapable of redeeming any semblance of football intellect you think you possess.

Question; Should i give an answer to some-one who cannot tell the difference between a statement and a question asked?

Statement: Don't make assessments on my intellect or intelligence. To think you can do so from one post on a forum marks you out as a bit of a pompous git, frankly.

[juan1001]

Not in it for profit? Do they really think we're that stupid? Who invests in a company without wanting to see a profit of some sort? For what its worth, I don't give a shit if FSG make money from owning us as long as the club benefits at the same time in terms of on the pitch success and financial stability, trying to make out like FSG are some sort of philanthropic entity is insulting my intelligence.

Exactly.

[Max_powers]

I'm a little concerned that after four months on the job there can be such a major breakdown in communication between Rogers and Henry. Doesn't bode well for a long term working relationship (unless Rogers turns into a yes man).

Hopefully the owners understand the situation and realize that Brendan only has a limited squad and have reasonable expectations.   

[Cid]

Allen and Henderson were two of the top talents coming through the country, Yesil is 18 and said to be the top of his age bracket in Germany, Coates was one of the brighter kids coming out of South America. Borini is 21, we've had 5 kids from the academy getting games over the last 12 months. If you can't see what the actual aim of all this is I'm doubtful you've got any idea at all.

If it was about profiteering, at the very least, Danny or Skrtel would be gone and probably Johnson as well.

But it's not, it's a plan in place to fill a squad with young quality so the money we spend each window isn't plugging gaps but getting the best value out there. The budget doesn't change because we're signing kids.

As many have pointed out above, it will not work unless you do it from a position of strength. We are not going to be the next arsenal with top youngsters constantly coming in. We're far more likely to go the way of Aston villa who had a squad full of young talent and lost them to bigger, more successful teams.

By refusing to fill gaping holes in the squad we're cementing our place in mid table.

And what if the unspeakable happens and we get sacked into a scrap at the bottom?  I bet many teams thought it was impossible before it happened to them. We can't ignore the present in the hope that a bunch of bargain priced youngsters will turn into world beaters.

And the world's top youngsters,  the hummels, the neymars, the munains will not come cheap. Unless we are successful we'll never even be in contention for that sort of player.

Spending within our means I can get behind,  so long as those funds are released to a manager... Tying his hands on the players he can target will get us nowhere.

IF we get a young player at a bargain price its because someone else decided they weren't good enough. Top quality young players are expensive because many others clubs hit upon our master plan years ago.

I fear for our future I really do. Fsg haven't got a clue.

[TheCharlatan]

Question; Should i give an answer to some-one who cannot tell the difference between a statement and a question asked?

Statement: Don't make assessments on my intellect or intelligence. To think you can do so from one post on a forum marks you out as a bit of a pompous git, frankly.

I said don't even bother responding, nothing you can say now can make what you just said valid. Because whether it was a question or a statement, the fact that you question the ability of an 18 year old based on his price tag shows everyone how little you know.

[Paul-LFC]

No mate, the window just past was the time to see what FSG are made of.


Personally I've seen enough over the last two years (knee-jerk sackings, ridiculously poor spending, dilly-dallying over the stadium issue etc) to have serious doubts about their ability to get this club back where we want it to be, that bullshit letter has finally convinced me that FSG are not right for us.


Not in it for profit? Do they really think we're that stupid? Who invests in a company without wanting to see a profit of some sort? For what its worth, I don't give a shit if FSG make money from owning us as long as the club benefits at the same time in terms of on the pitch success and financial stability, trying to make out like FSG are some sort of philanthropic entity is insulting my intelligence.


I want this club to succeed, that is all there is to it. If FSG can't help us do that then I think its best for everyone if they start looking for potential buyers.

But that was exactly my point - we all would have preferred them to sort it this window - but that's gone. It's closed. They can't do anything. So the next time they can do something is January, and we'll see then if they fix the problems.


As for the stadium, there's evidence that they're buying up houses and moving towards redeveloping Anfield, but they can't just announce it overnight when they don't have the necessary properties and permissions. It's all in the new stadium forum.

[Resurrected]

I said don't even bother responding, nothing you can say now can make what you just said valid. Because whether it was a question or a statement, the fact that you question the ability of an 18 year old based on his price tag shows everyone how little you know.

Really? Was i questioning his ability?

Perhaps i was questioning his fitness? His injury record? His attitude?

But i didn't say, did i? You just assumed, didn't you?

Anyway, i don't post on these boards to have an argument with some jumped up little 12 year old whose had a bad day at school. In future, i suggest you read the post before responding, and if you must respond, learn some respect and manners.

[TheCharlatan]

Really? Was i questioning his ability?

Perhaps i was questioning his fitness? His injury record? His attitude?

But i didn't say, did i? You just assumed, didn't you?

Anyway, i don't post on these boards to have an argument with some jumped up little 12 year old whose had a bad day at school. In future, i suggest you read the post before responding, and if you must respond, learn some respect and manners.

You asked "if he was so highly-rated why was he only value at 1m"

No mention of injuries, attitude, or fitness there. Being "rated" has nothing to do with such things. All I did was question your rationale and method of thinking, had I called you a "jumped up little 12 year old" then you can give me the respect and manners speech, which now I suggest you heed.

[reds88]

Spending is not merely about buying talent. Our ambitions do not lie in cementing a mid-table place with expensive, short-term quick fixes that will only contribute for a couple of years. Our emphasis will be on developing our own players using the skills of an increasingly impressive coaching team. Much thought and investment already have gone into developing a self-sustaining pool of youngsters imbued in the club's traditions.
That ethos is to win. We will invest to succeed. But we will not mortgage the future with risky spending.

I think FSG are still reeling from the poor investments of last season.  Any big money signing in the future would be a big surprise to me. 

It's a big risk either way to spend money which could go to waste or to rely on youngsters.  Getting the balance right would be critical for the club to balance the books and create and maintain a decent team which for Liverpool means winning things.  It's a big bet FSG is placing on BR. 

[Eeyore]

I have never thought Dempsey was a Rodgers signing I think FSG wanted him but Rodgers thought hecwa another body he could use. I think Rodgers clearly wanted Sturridge but with no one meeting FSGs valuation of Agger or Car roll then there was no money available for anyone and Carroll was off loaded to balance the books. It would certainly explain there being no money available for an out of contract player.

[Aaron Cross]

Question; If he's that highly rated, why did we only pay £1 million. More often than not, you get exactly what you pay for.

He's only 18 isn't he? I have to disagree with that, its not always the price tag that makes a player, the kid is highly rated in Germany at that age level, his clubs fans were furious he left, I guess it's the same if another club took Stirling now, we wouldn't be happy about it, theres loads of bargains out there, just don't look in England for them..

[Yiannis]

(, ridiculously poor spending, )

Beggars belief really.I mean it's well documented that Henry called Comolli and Kenny and said:"Listen chaps,you're gonna sign Downing,Henderson and Carroll for inflated price tags."