The Liverpool discussion thread 07/08

COTR wrote:Dirk is fantastic, I like him. He works very hard in every game and every training session. He has class and is technically good – a fantastic player, for me.

Fey will like that!

Even the Liverpool players say "Kuyt works hard"

Liverpool's proposed debts may spark alarm
By David Bond
Last Updated: 1:48am BST 06/09/2007Page 1 of 3

When Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr bought Liverpool in a £174 million deal in February, contrasts were immediately drawn with the Glazer family's takeover almost two years earlier at Manchester United.

Here was another of English football's most revered institutions falling into the hands of American raiders. But unlike the Glazers, there was no campaign to try to stop Hicks and Gillett from acquiring Anfield. Instead, they were welcomed with open arms, as saviours of an underperforming club, who despite winning the Champions League in 2005, were desperate for new investment to help them win the Premiership.

However, the differences with the Glazers may be more difficult to spot in the future. Hicks and Gillett are now seeking to borrow at least £500 million to refinance the original loan used to buy the club, and to pay for the move to a new 76,000-seat stadium at Stanley Park.

When the Glazers borrowed a similar amount to purchase United - much of it from punitive hedge funds - the level of debt was used against them by their critics.

But the initial £298 million borrowing by Hicks and Gillett, split imto £185 million to buy Liverpool and £113 million as working capital, passed without too much comment.

"We have purchased the club with no debt on the club, so I think in that regard it is different [to Manchester United]," Gillett said when asked about comparisons with the Glazers following the takeover.

The original loan from the Royal Bank of Scotland, which was personally guaranteed by the Americans, has to be repaid in Feb 2009 and currently attracts a hefty £21.5 million in annual interest.

Liverpool's owners now want to refinance those borrowings over a much longer term - secured, crucially, against the club's assets - and to roll that debt into the loans being used to pay for the stadium.

Given their ambitious business plans for the new ground and English football's booming television rights values, raising the money should have posed few difficulties. But that was before the global credit crunch started to bite, forcing banks to pull in their horns.

Liverpool, guided by their financial adviser Robert Tilliss from New York-based Inner Circle Sports, were close to approving a proposal from Goldman Sachs.

However, it is understood that in the last month Goldmans reviewed their offer, asking Hicks and Gillett to put in much more of their own money, thought to be around £100 million.

And although Goldmans have not yet been ruled out, a re-think is now under way, with Tilliss in talks with a number of other financial institutions including Wachovia, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and RBS. In an attempt to calm any fears over the club's long-term business plans, Hicks told Inside Sport yesterday that the refinancing remained on track. But it is understood that Liverpool must provide assurances on the funding for their new stadium before plans go before Liverpool City Council on Oct 18.

Failure to do so could mean the project, which is due to start in the New Year and is supposed to be finished in 2010, is delayed.

Hicks said: "The lead on this is being handled by Inner Circle Sports. Through them we have been talking with a number of financial institutions including Goldman Sachs on the stadium financing.

"We have not reached any definitive conclusions yet but we are looking at a number of alternatives.

The time-line for obtaining the final stadium finance package and our ability to commence construction, following approval by Liverpool City Council, calls for us to get started by early next year.Everything will be finalised long before then."

Tilliss said the club were considering long-term loans secured against future ticket revenue as well as shorter deals designed simply to pay for the construction of the new stadium. "The primary objective is the stadium planning," Tilliss said. "But we are also looking to put the acquisition debt on a more permanent footing. We are looking for the most innovative and flexible proposal."

With the clock ticking, Hicks, who owns Dallas Stars ice hockey team and is the financial muscle in the partnership with Gillett, must make a decision in the next 30 days.

A lot will depend on just how much he is prepared to put into the Liverpool project. But even if he does eventually agree to put in a large chunk of his own considerable fortune, Liverpool supporters are likely to react with alarm at the levels of debt now being piled onto their club.

A £500 million loan is 16 times Liverpool's operating profits for 2007, which are expected to reach the £30 million mark, thanks to their run to last season's Champions League final. In comparison, Manchester United's borrowings are eight times their operating profits, while Arsenal's are four times.

"Even by football's debt levels that is a heady figure," said one City analyst. Tilliss dismissed those calculations, saying the borrowings must be placed in the context of the revenues and operating profits that will be generated by the new stadium.

But, inevitably, Liverpool fans will begin to wonder whether Hicks and Gillett may have to bow to financial pressure and reverse their pledge not to copy the most hated Glazer innovation of them all - massive hikes in ticket prices.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mai.../sfnbon106.xml

Lrd the financial expert





Im guessing you have not got a clue what the article contains


these men are experienced businessmen with tonnes of cash. im sure they will find an acceptable solution

If I was a Liverpool fan the only aspect that would concern me would be the claim that the loan would be secured against the club and not the owners, Hicks and Gillett. In other words the the financial deal was to take a turn for the worse, the clubs assets would be at risk. However these two obviously have experience with this in the American field, with their past teams. They should know what they are doing

I can actually see Liverpool going down the same avenue as we did by coming up with initiatives to significanty help service the loan. Maybe Hicks and Gillett will sell the naming rights of the new stadium to a major company, remember this is common practice in America, so the owners won't rule this out. £30m a season is still a healthy profit for a football club, its just up to the club to make sure that they keep the operating profits healthy year after year. It may sound simple, but the only way to achieve that is success on the pitch. Liverpool have a sustainable team for the present and the future so I don't see a problem from that side.

COTR wrote:Lrd the financial expert





Im guessing you have not got a clue what the article contains


these men are experienced businessmen with tonnes of cash. im sure they will find an acceptable solution

Don't be so naive and ignore the article just because lrd has posted it...they may be experienced and have tonnes of cash, but don't think for one second that they actually have some emotional attachment to Liverpool that will influence them - if taking a loan secured against the club is the best way to protect their fortune, then that's what they will do. Just like the Glazers.

Mike IRON Tysen is back after a number of days in solitary confinment!



I'll be posting more later regarding the article after i'm back from work

COTR wrote:Lrd the financial expert





Im guessing you have not got a clue what the article contains


these men are experienced businessmen with tonnes of cash. im sure they will find an acceptable solution

wow pretty ignorant as usual mr kneejerk, the way you wish to dismiss such articles is not getting any better.


I read the article of course I understand what it contains. My point for posting it…..is basically when they took over the reaction of you and your little welsh friend at the time. I said at that point that you were all being very gullable and were deluded into thinking these were more like Roman than the Glazers. Liverpool’s net spend is barely more than what it has been in past seasons. They claimed there would be no debt passed onto the club and low and behold what do we have here.

They are experienced businessmen sure, but they are also persuasive charismatic guys who have clearly fooled the majority of Liverpool supporters. This will turn out to be no different from the Glazers.

As for financial expert mr kneejerk, not really but i have worked in the bank of England before for your information matey, being surrounded by stressed up clowns who needed to snort coke to be on top of things wasn’t my cup of tea. So deal with that

As far as i can make out, the article is more speculative than factual.

Borrowing against the club doesn't particularly bother me, it is more to do with cash flow than not being able to neccesarily afford.

Although selling the rights to the stadium to raise instant revenue might be an idea, in the long run the name Anfield is commercially more valuable than for example 'the emirates'

IF the loan figure is accurate, the borrowing will not be 16 times our operating profit, as quite rightly pointed out, the operating profit on the new stadium will be signifcantly higher, with gate receipts, season tickets and the outsourcing of the venue for events.

At the moment, a nothing article.

L.r.d wrote:
i have worked in the bank of England before for your information matey

I'm sure you have.

kas wrote:

COTR wrote:Lrd the financial expert





Im guessing you have not got a clue what the article contains


these men are experienced businessmen with tonnes of cash. im sure they will find an acceptable solution

Don't be so naive and ignore the article just because lrd has posted it...they may be experienced and have tonnes of cash, but don't think for one second that they actually have some emotional attachment to Liverpool that will influence them - if taking a loan secured against the club is the best way to protect their fortune, then that's what they will do. Just like the Glazers.

kas there is actually very little negative value to be found in the article if you actually read what it is saying

did any liverpool fan think they were going to pay for a new stadium outright out of their own money ??? I really don't think so

the only negative in the article as far as I am concerned is the fact that the funding remains unresolved and this could delay the start of the building plans for a short period.. however it is reiterated that getting the stadium underway is the number one priority so it will be sorted. the article evens suggests that goldman actually want hick's and gillet's money instead of secured debt so this means a significant proportion of the 'debt' may be from their money

Most businesses operate on a certain debt to equity ratio because debt is often the cheapest form of financing (apart from profits obviously). plus we always have the fallback position of gillett and hicks being cash rich. call me naive if you wish but the club will not be under any risk from this. it is actually a move to provide a more beneficial future, rather than a negative one


besides the article is mostly speculation anyhow

L.r.d wrote:

COTR wrote:Lrd the financial expert





Im guessing you have not got a clue what the article contains


these men are experienced businessmen with tonnes of cash. im sure they will find an acceptable solution

wow pretty ignorant as usual mr kneejerk, the way you wish to dismiss such articles is not getting any better.


I read the article of course I understand what it contains. My point for posting it…..is basically when they took over the reaction of you and your little welsh friend at the time. I said at that point that you were all being very gullable and were deluded into thinking these were more like Roman than the Glazers. Liverpool’s net spend is barely more than what it has been in past seasons. They claimed there would be no debt passed onto the club and low and behold what do we have here.

They are experienced businessmen sure, but they are also persuasive charismatic guys who have clearly fooled the majority of Liverpool supporters. This will turn out to be no different from the Glazers.

As for financial expert mr kneejerk, not really but i have worked in the bank of England before for your information matey, being surrounded by stressed up clowns who needed to snort coke to be on top of things wasn’t my cup of tea. So deal with that

Deal with what lrd


you have not added anything useful to the debate here. all I am reading is more of your anti liverpool jargon

LFC TV - JUST 11 MORE DAYS TO WAIT

With the launch of LFC TV now just eleven days away, make sure you stay tuned to the official website over the next week when we'll be bringing you more information about the club's brand new channel. Launching on September 20 on Setanta Sports, LFC TV will have every Anfield angle covered and will be bringing you closer to the Reds than ever before with exclusive interviews, news and analysis direct from the heart of the club.

Over the coming days we'll be revealing some of the programmes you'll be able to enjoy on LFC TV and speaking to those who have played instrumental roles in the creation of the brand new channel.

We'll also be introducing you to the three members of our presenting team and talking exclusively to each one as they discuss their hopes and ambitions for their new careers working for LFC TV.

It's already been an excellent season for the Reds with Rafael Benitez's men sitting on top of the Barclays Premier League, and you can rest assured that off the pitch the LFC TV staff are working around the clock to make sure you'll have a channel - as well as a football team - to be proud of in less than two weeks time.

Keep in touch with Liverpoolfc.tv each day over the next week for the latest news on the launch of the first dedicated channel for British football's most successful club.
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Anyone getting this ? Would love to get it but I doubt it with all my damn uni fees and money going towards a car

GARY MAC: VORONIN COULD BE BEST SIGNING -

Former Red Gary McAllister believes Rafael Benitez could have secured one of the signings of the season in Ukrainian striker Andriy Voronin. Voronin has made an immediate impression at Anfield since his free transfer switch in the summer from Bayer Leverkusen and already has three goals to his name from four games played.

"Sometimes when you bring in a player on a Bosman they turn out to be worth their weight in gold," said McAllister, who also excelled at Liverpool after signing on a free.

"To get a player like Andriy Voronin for free, we could be looking at one of the best signings of the season.

"Rafa won't need to spend a lot of time telling someone like Voronin what to do. A player of his experience and ability knows instinctively when to move and where to run to.

"You can tell just from a few performances already that he is very assured and knows exactly what he is doing. He reminds me a bit of Teddy Sheringham with his eye for a pass and the positions he takes up.

KENNY: BABEL THE TERROR

Kenny Dalglish believes new boy Ryan Babel has the potential to terrify defenders up and down the country.

The club's greatest ever player has liked what he's seen from the Dutchman since his arrival from Ajax in July – especially his corker against Derby last Saturday.

"Babel's goal was a cracker and I think we will really see him push on now," Dalglish told LFC Magazine.

"He'd made a decent start to life in this country but he took his goal superbly and then looked like he really, really wanted the ball.

"He will terrify players in the Premier League now, I hope. He's quick, strong and you can't guess what he's going to do next because he's a bag of tricks."

Babel is currently with the Dutch squad preparing for Euro qualifiers against Bulgaria and Albania.

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BABEL: RAFA HAS ALREADY IMPROVED ME

Despite only signing for Liverpool last month, Dutch winger Ryan Babel insists Rafael Benitez has already made him a better player. Babel, who opened his scoring account for the Reds with a goal against Derby County last weekend, admits he was once prone to being influenced by the reaction from opposition crowds - but that problem is now a thing of the past thanks to his new boss.

"Rafa knows everything about me, down to the fine details," the Dutchman said. "Not just about my style of play, but my character too.

"He told me he had watched me play in an away game for Ajax, and it had struck him how easily I was influenced by the crowd.

"He saw how I was struggling when the fans turned against me.

"He could tell from my body language - I had unknowingly let my shoulders drop.

"But he told me that the abuse ought to make me stronger, saying the more the opposing fans swore at me, the more afraid of me they were."

I think it will be critcal to how well we do in the league that players such as Babel really do make an impact, hes just one of the attacking players we purchased, but is possibly one of the most important, his explosiveness can break a team of any quality down, and making something out of nothing will be essential when we need to grind out results, there are always games during a season which need grinding out, and a bit of individual flair sometimes is enough.

Cesc wrote:If I was a Liverpool fan the only aspect that would concern me would be the claim that the loan would be secured against the club and not the owners,

because if they don't keep up the payments the bank will burn down the stadium and kill all the players?

Atletico Madrid are reported to have set their sights on luring Jose Reina away from Liverpool and back to La Liga.

Spanish daily AS claims Atletico have made the former Villarreal goalkeeper one of their top transfer targets.

Atletico are searching for a new goalkeeper with Leo Franco failing to perform on a consistent basis and Christian Abbiati only being on loan until the end of the season.

The capital club are believed to have sounded out Reina's representatives to find out if the keeper would be interested in a move back to Spain.

However, Liverpool are unlikely to entertain any move for Reina who is firmly established as the No 1 at Anfield.

Reina has previously expressed his happiness at Anfield and he signed a new deal earlier in the summer to keep him at the club until 2012.

Crouching Tiger wrote:Atletico Madrid are reported to have set their sights on luring Jose Reina away from Liverpool and back to La Liga.

Spanish daily AS claims Atletico have made the former Villarreal goalkeeper one of their top transfer targets.

Atletico are searching for a new goalkeeper with Leo Franco failing to perform on a consistent basis and Christian Abbiati only being on loan until the end of the season.

The capital club are believed to have sounded out Reina's representatives to find out if the keeper would be interested in a move back to Spain.

However, Liverpool are unlikely to entertain any move for Reina who is firmly established as the No 1 at Anfield.

Reina has previously expressed his happiness at Anfield and he signed a new deal earlier in the summer to keep him at the club until 2012.

that will be 200 million please

££££££££££££££££££££££

££££££££££££££££££££££

££££££££££££££££££££££

££££££££££££££££££££££

They've not a chance.

Reina is our established number one, and we are up there with the most established clubs in Europe in terms of opportunity to wins big trophies regualarly.

Even if they were interested, its a pointless question to ask, Liverpool wouldn't be interested in selling and Reina as far as anyone is aware he is very happy on merseyside.

Well said FG

I don't know what ppl views on Chris Bascombe giving up writing for the Echo for the NOTW but..........
this was a piece written by Bascombe to the main guy at a Liverpool website (TLW)
==================
LIVERPOOL likes to describe itself as a radical city, but it isn't.

Conservativism thrives here.

Not the party political right wing stereotype of Thatcherism. This is more an entrenched belief in the permanent righteousness of the past. Preferences and dislikes have been set in an imaginary stone by our unofficial ministers of truth. Their scouse law dictates which city, football clubs, comedians, musicians, politicians and writers are to be loved and hated. It's a mentality which - taken to the extreme - effectively ensures future generations have no free will on a whole range of issues. They must accept what the superscouse superiors say or be damned.

Those who try to challenge this lack of logic or find virtue in change are ridiculed, accused of betrayal or, in some cases, threatened.

I've always thought of myself as of a more liberal mind, and I'd say I belong to a generation of scousers proud of this city's past, aching to see it advance, but more often than not frustrated.

Some of us are fortunate enough to be in a position to try to demand such change, often with very limited success. This brings responsibility, certainly in a job such as the one I'm giving up, but you hope the people who inspired you along the way mean you get more right than wrong.

You get influenced by your heroes and, until a certain age, believe everything they say is right. Mine were Brian Reade, Mrs Fay (my sociology teacher at SFX), Roddy Frame and my parents. They still are.

As you get older, more aware of yourself and the city around you, you finally settle on a set of beliefs which you're comfortable with. The heroic voices become guides from memory rather than the absolute reference points for all knowledge. That's where I am now and have been for many years. Aware enough to hear and understand different points of view, but experienced and intelligent enough to recognise in life, nothing is ever black or white.

Eighteen years ago, my absolute faith in everything 'scouse' was probably embarrassing. To call it parochialism would be generous, but it bordered on regional prejudice. The years have sorted me out, and I can now put much of what I said, did or wrote down to immaturity. Having the good fortune to go to University in Liverpool and later Cornwall College for my post-grad journalism course - where none of my best friends were scousers and some were, shock horror, cockneys and Mancs - brought more wisdom than any books or lectures.

That said, put me in bar down south with a load of cockneys wearing Harry Enfield wigs today (even worse when they wearing Liverpool shirts), and my temperature still makes my face beetroot red. I'm consistently appalled by how our city and its people are misrepresented across the country. Nothing angers me more. That's one of the reasons I became a journalist and it remains the case.

But the rose-tinted spectacles also went a long time ago. The more I've travelled, the more examples I've seen of people who claim to be 'our own' degrading our reputation, and making me want to avoid places where I know the wrong type will be. The 'conservatives' never like to dwell on this, of course.

There are those who insist to magnify our blemishes is an act of treason. Dare to mention the Munich chants at Old Trafford as I did last season, and you're hit with 'what about their Heysel songs?' as if responding to toe-rags by acting like one is a justification. My response to that argument was always the same. It's not my job to investigate the Mancunian psyche. It doesn't embarrass me, my friends or family.

There are times I've lost faith with being a Liverpool lad, but only for a millisecond. I'm swiftly pulled back in by the honesty, generosity and humanity of my friends, family, and hundreds of others I may have only met briefly but whose company is a permanent reminder of where I'm from and why I'll never forget it.

It's those people and the thousands I've never met but I know are out there who I've always considered my audience during my time at the Liverpool ECHO.

The overwhelming majority of people in Liverpool are intelligent; thoughtful; generous of heart and spirit, and of like mind. They just get out-shouted a lot by our mob or out-manoeuvred by the more incompetent of our politicians or civic leaders.

The biggest compliments I've ever enjoyed as an ECHO writer have come from strangers who've said 'you write how I think'.

Now I'm leaving the ECHO, I don't see why such people will feel any differently. I guess it's those people, if they're concerned about where I'm heading next, I'm addressing now.

I've spoken to other sports editors from national newspapers in the past, all of whom asked me how I'd change my approach to the job. The blank, or perhaps it was hostile look, I gave them may explain why offers never materialised.

When the News of the World asked me to write for them, it was made clear they wanted to me to do the same job I've been doing for ten years but even better. That's what I intend to do.

I don't need to justify my decision, but for those peddling falsehoods since the shock news a tabloid football reporter has decided to join another tabloid newspaper, I'll say this. It's not a question of conscience. The News of the World is not The Sun, never has been and never will be. There's never been a Merseyside boycott of the News of the World. Liverpool Football Club has never changed its policy of co-operation with the News of the World.

At Anfield, it's treated the same as every other national newspaper, except one.

I won't be working in an office in London alongside Sun journalists. I'll be working on Merseyside doing my damned hardest to beating them to stories, the same way I've always done.

Will they use my best interviews and exclusives a day after they've appeared in the News of the World? I hope so. They've done so with every ECHO interview and exclusive story in the last ten years, so why should anyone care if that changes now? It will mean my articles are worth stealing. Every paper and website does it, not just The Sun.

The fact The Sun has no Sunday paper does not mean it's The Sun on Sunday, in the same way the The Sunday People has no equivalent daily paper. It's a different paper run by the same organisation, just like The Times, SKY TV and hundreds of other media outlets.

I've been working for the Liverpool ECHO, and no-one's ever said I'm effectively a Daily Post reporter too. These papers are far more connected in terms of commercial crossover and advertising, but I never heard anyone claim the Post is the Morning ECHO, or the ECHO is the Evening Post.

I'm joining a newspaper which is read by around 3 million people a week, which I thought might please those who think there's an anti-Merseyside agenda in the national Press.

Instead of sitting on the sidelines spitting venom at how unjust the treatment of Merseyside is, there's an opportunity to focus on the positives.

The editor is a scouser, the new chief football writer is a scouser, and contrary to ten years of internet lies, so am I.

Of course, the conservatives won't like this. Far better to have something to despise and hate for the next 100 years rather than embrace the possibility of making a newspaper they don't like better in the short-term, even if it's just a miniscule percentage because an unknown local sports reporter has signed up.

To those people (on other sites) who've condemned my decision, issued threats and written lies about my situation, I say thank you. In attempting to damage a reputation without having the decency to check your facts, or approach me for an explanation of my decision, you've behaved like the gutter journalists you claim to be on a moral crusade against.

The difference is, journalists have to put their names and a point of contact behind their allegations rather than hide behind alter-egos or pseudonyms.

You've reinforced the belief I've had from day one that this was the right move because if I'd ever thought I'd worked for you for the last ten years, and owed some weird debt to do so for the next 30, I'd give up on the spot.

For different reasons, I also thank those who've responded on my behalf or jumped to my defence. I hope you'll continue to read my work, but if you don't want to, that's up to you.

Will I look at myself in the mirror with comfort when I start my new job? You can count on it.

Most importantly, the people who are closest to me - friends, family and work colleagues past and future - have all looked me in the eye and told me I'm absolutely doing the right thing. Three of my heroes were the first to congratulate me and tell me I'd earned my opportunity.

The fundamental decency which runs through their core means no-one will convince me otherwise.

Fair play to him as well for writing an intelligent and heartfelt response. He's right he doesn't have to justify his decision to anybody but he has tried.

Some of the idiots who spouted nasty $h!t and issued threats are just maggots - they really are. Wankers who probably shout 'Shooooooot' whenever Momo gets the ball be it from 20 yards to 45 yards.

I'm sure (at least I'd hope) Chris can at least see the point of those who don't necessarily agree with his points raised below.

I'm sure he's not stupid enough to believe we're all going to start reading it now cos he's there and a scouser is also the Chief Football Writer. It's a fucking rag, he knows it but if he thinks he can improve the quality of writing then good luck. He's certainly got the ability and I guess I look forward to reading his match reports a day earlier now

I was speaking to my gf's bro whose a bluenose about this and his response was "Why are you lot so bothered?
He's only a fucking journalist anyway and what did you expect? It's not like he owes you red bastards anything anyway."

It pains me to admit but the bluenose c**t lol may have a point there.

I hope it works out for him. Have to say that I have my doubts.

How's everyone feeling about Pompey? A nasty fixture to come back to after an international break I think... they're a good side (beat us last season) but if we win it'll be 'you should be winning those sort of games'.

I think the players will come back on a high, no matter what the results midweek, they know they are coming back into a winning team, there will be a lot of banter and the morale will be high.

Pompey are a good outfit, but i expect all 3 points this season due to the way we have been performing anything less would be a failure.

Providing all things go well midweek, Gerrard may be back in contention for a starting berth.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_2719257,00.htmlLiverpool are reported to be lining up a move for Italian Pasquale Foggia.



Reports emanating from Italy suggest Liverpool are keeping tabs on the exciting midfielder and could make a move for him when the transfer window reopens in January.


Foggia is currently on-loan at Cagliari from Lazio, but the player has signalled his intention not to return to the capital at the end of his loan stint.



The 24-year-old has been earning rave reviews in Serie A and he recently earned his first call-up to the Italian national team.


Liverpool scouts are believed to have watched Foggia in the first two weeks of the Italian season as they keep continued tabs on his progress.


A number of clubs are also thought to be watching Foggia, but Liverpool are believed to be at the head of the queue for the playmaker.


I must admit i've not seen anything of Foggia, anyone have any info on him?

Is he a central midfield playmaker? that for me would be a waste of money currently, no matter how highly rated his is.

I would agree - more central midfielders?

I wonder if Rafa has always secretly yearned for another Aimar to allow us to play the way his Valencia side did.

There was some paper talk at the weekend about a potential bid for Steven Taylor who's allegedly turned down a contract offer at Newcastle because it's not enough money.

We could do with another CB. He wouldn't be first choice ahead of Carra and Agger though.

Roger Hunt wrote:There was some paper talk at the weekend about a potential bid for Steven Taylor who's allegedly turned down a contract offer at Newcastle because it's not enough money.

We could do with another CB. He wouldn't be first choice ahead of Carra and Agger though.

£5m apparently.

The only reason he is "linked" is because Houllier tried to sign him when he was 16 before he signed a contract with us, and Tottenham because he is young and English. Fucking press.

Kimbo wrote:

Roger Hunt wrote:There was some paper talk at the weekend about a potential bid for Steven Taylor who's allegedly turned down a contract offer at Newcastle because it's not enough money.

We could do with another CB. He wouldn't be first choice ahead of Carra and Agger though.

£5m apparently.

The only reason he is "linked" is because Houllier tried to sign him when he was 16 before he signed a contract with us, and Tottenham because he is young and English. Fucking press.

if he wants a fast track to the english squad he knows what to do

a bid from the most successful team in england will be hard to resist kimmy

I hope the 5 million secures him