Liverpool Football Club 08/09

Parks lives wrote:

Batman wrote:Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard flattens Lucas Leiva during Melwood training session
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/3546584/Liverpool-captain-Steven-Gerrard-flattens-Lucas-Leiva-during-Melwood-training-session-Football.html

Also have you heard the interview of Rafa calling Liverpool fans contes for critising Lucas and if you think he is a bad player then you don't know much about football? Not my words but Rafa's.

Who is Lucas biggest critic? CotR isn't it?

I'm sure many of my fellow liverpool fans will be disgusted that I am being given the title of Lucas' biggest critic. They would all equally like to share in such an accolade.

I'm sure rafa knows deep down what he has bought

Graeme Souness had some horrible favourite players, Bjornebye

Roy Evans' Spice boys weren't much better, superstars in defence Scales, Babb and Ruddock

and who can forget Houllier's love child, Djimi Traore

Lucas is 21. He might get better


cue Batman..........

He's worse than Anderson and you wouldnt want him!

If Lucas is happy with his current situation then great, i'm sure hes not commanding a huge contract, and if content with playing a bit part role... whats the problem? if we got rid of him, we'd need to replace him, i'm sure we'd all agree needs to be spent other than yet another central midfielder.

I'd prefer to give him some time, a few years of gentle progression, than look to fork out a fortune (Barry) for a replacement, when with Masc, Alonso and Gerrard... we've got good options already.

Festive Genius wrote:If Lucas is happy with his current situation then great, i'm sure hes not commanding a huge contract, and if content with playing a bit part role... whats the problem? if we got rid of him, we'd need to replace him, i'm sure we'd all agree needs to be spent other than yet another central midfielder.

I'd prefer to give him some time, a few years of gentle progression, than look to fork out a fortune (Barry) for a replacement, when with Masc, Alonso and Gerrard... we've got good options already.

Thankfully due to MON's persistence we won't have to fork out a fortune for barry

We may have to beat arsenal and chelsea in a bidding war however we surely have the advantage after all those bids in the summer and his declaration of love for liverpool

Blackburn away today!!!

we never really do too well at Ewood but today we simply have to get back to winning ways.

The main question is whether he will stick with Keane up front because if he doesn't then it will be even worse for his confidence and it will be an admittance that Rafa doesn't feel Keane can last at this club IMO

A lot of people have been saying start Babel for this one but I don't concur. In this type of game, Blackburn are likely to try and get at us, make it hard to find space and that means we will have to work hard - something Babel isn't quite capeable of doing. But then the problem is that Riera looks burnt out lately, having said that he generally does seem to better away from home...

I'd go for:

------------------------------Reina---------------------------------------

-----Arbeloa-----------Carra-----------Agger---------Dossena--------

------------------------Masch------------Alonso------------------------

--------Kuyt---------------------Gerrard--------------Riera-------------

--------------------------------Keane-------------------------------------

An early goal would be brilliant, that's our problem, the longer we go without a goal the more our fans become nervous and it's brought on to the players who start to make mistakes like giving the ball away and being afraid to have a pop at goal.

The first doubts will creep in for me if we don't win this one today because this match is surely tailor made for the current setup of our team

We are $h!t at breaking down buses due to our forwards being slow and pondersome but when the other team is forced to play a bit the midfield has a chance to show it's class

Babel makes things happen, keane and kuyt don't, however I have given up hope of rafa surprising us by playing him

Blackburn just conceded 5 to Manchester United's bench, I can't see them doing anything but park the bus. Good news is Rafa has had plenty of time and practise so he should have a Plan B by now.

http://www.eatsleepsport.com/tottenham-hotspur/redknapp-keane-robbie-return-823464.html

Robbie Keane could reportedly rejoin Spurs in January for a cut-price fee following a dismal first six months at Liverpool.

The striker was an unused substitute in the Premier League leaders' 3-1 win at Blackburn on Saturday and it is thought boss Rafa Benitez has already run out of patience with the Republic of Ireland ace, who has managed just two league goals - both against West Brom - since his £20m summer move.

Keane has started all but three of the Reds' 16 Premier League games so far this season, but has been substituted 10 times after struggling to make an impact.

And now with the January transfer window looming, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is said to be ready to test Liverpool's resolve to keep Keane by launching a bid in the region of £10million.

That could tempt the Reds to sell as they still owe Spurs that amount in instalments following the agreement put in place during the 28-year-old's big-money transfer in the summer.

Keane himself, despite his frustrations at being regularly substituted, is desperate to make the move a success and does not want to leave, while Benitez still believes he can regain his form and help fire Liverpool to the title in the new season.

However, any serious bids from Spurs, and several other Premier League clubs monitoring Keane's situation, would reportedly be considered in the new year.

SPURS TO LAUNCH CUT-PRICE BID



By CHRIS BASCOMBE, 06/12/2008

SPURS are trying to re-sign Liverpool’s Robbie Keane.

And a bid anywhere near the £20m the league leaders paid in July could see the Irishman make a January return to White Hart Lane.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp wants to test how much patience Rafa Benitez has lost with the striker, who was an unused sub during yesterday’s 3-1 win at Blackburn.

But even if Rafa looked to cash in, the Anfield board would need convincing of the merits, as the Merseysiders’ would inevitably have to accept a loss.

They agreed to pay Spurs £20m in instalments, which means Redknapp could offer part of the summer fee and waive the estimated £10m still owed.

Keane’s dream move to Merseyside has gone sour just five months into his Anfield career as he’s struggled with confidence and form.

He effectively has until the end of the month to convince his manager Spurs’ interest should be rebuffed as Rafa plots a radical shake-up of his squad in January.

Opportunity

Benitez wants funds to remedy summer transfer mistakes, none of whom started at Ewood Park.

Liverpool’s recent signings have failed to have an impact, with only Albert Riera acquitting himself reasonably well.

Left back Andrea Dossena, who cost £7m from Udinese, will be offloaded back to Italy at the first opportunity.

Right-back Phillip Degen, who was given a £2m signing on fee and £38,000-a-week salary when he joined from Borussia Dortmund, hasn’t featured in the Premier League due to a succession of injuries.

Rafa wants to bring Emile Heskey back to Anfield for £3m, as well as two full-backs to compete with Fabio Aurelio and Alvaro Arbeloa.

Lure

There are those at Anfield who still hope Rafa can be convinced into a rethink on Michael Owen at the right price, especially if Keane is sold, but the manager opposes the idea.

Keane grew up as a Liverpool fan and always wanted to become a idol on the Kop.

After starting at Wolves, he had spells at Coventry, Inter Milan and Leeds before finally settling at Spurs, where he became club captain.

Last season he formed one of best partnerships in the Premier League with Dimitar Berbatov but could not resist the lure of Anfield.

But he has only scored four goals for the Reds, has played 90 minutes just three times and been substituted 15 times.

Yeah that is in most of the papers today

I would take anything around 10 million and just cut our loses. It's an expensive mistake from rafa. I think he intended to go 4-4-2 this season with gerrard in the middle and torres and keane as a pairing but with alonso staying and suddenly turning into a player of the year candidate and keane being utterly hopless, his plans have changed very quickly

Get rid and sign a quick, powerful striker to both supplement torres and replace when he is injured.

Adriano will suffice

can we sell him in January? I guess there may be a loophole that lets us sell him back to Spurs but I thought there were rules about selling players the same season you sign them.

The sooner we recall Voronin the better

Christmas Hysén Obama PhD wrote:can we sell him in January? I guess there may be a loophole that lets us sell him back to Spurs but I thought there were rules about selling players the same season you sign them.

The sooner we recall Voronin the better

I think the rule is you are not allowed to move more than twice in one season so hopefully we can get rid

Whether we can actually persuade him to get out is another matter and I doubt the spurs fans would be too happy to take him back

Bring back Pongolle

and Owen, Heskey, Guthrie and Warnock

A swap deal with Pavlychenko, would you be happy with that?

Batman wrote:A swap deal with Pavlychenko, would you be happy with that?

Go away please

I asked nicely

Batman wrote:A swap deal with Pavlychenko, would you be happy with that?

Yes.

Go away please.

Why can't we all just be friends?

Aaron Lennon and Jamie O'Hara have emerged as the two players Sppppppppppppuuuuuuuuuuuurs could use to tempt Liverpool into selling Robbie Keane.

Tottenham chief Harry Redknapp is a huge admirer of the hard - working Irishman, whose Anfield future was in doubt even before he was dropped for Saturday's win at Blackburn.

Reds boss Rafa Benitez and Anfield chief executive Rick Parry insisted last night that the league leaders want to hold on to the striker.

But Sppppppppppppppppppppppppppppuuuuuuuuuuuuurs hope a £5m cash offer, plus £10m rated Lennon and £5m-rated O'Hara could see Keane make a dramatic return.

£5m cash plus Lennon plus us not paying the remaining £10m we still owe on Keane - that looks like a deal. We could use a right winger.

So all said and done (if I understand correctly), it would end up being Liverpool buying Lennon and O'Hara for 5m from Spurs? Decent deal, even if Lennon is overrated. At least Benitez can continue his love of collecting central midfielders with O'Hara included in the deal.

It would be an excellent deal - I don't think Lennon is a brilliant player, but you would expect to pay more than £5million for him if you were to bid. I think he's much better than Pennant anyway.

It's just a paper story so it's probably made up, but if it's real we should definitely accept. Keane has been shocking.

To be fair to Keane he is playing for a new club AND in a foreign country. I'd give him at least until the end of the season if I were Rafa to see if he can adapt to the Liverpool system.

O'Hara is $h!t.

Will Gerrard start in the CL game?

yes, definitely

Can we expect to see one of your young hopefuls ?

DS wrote:Can we expect to see one of your young hopefuls ?

Insua possibly will start again though I wouldn't bet on it with of course it being Rafa.

Depends on how Rafa sees the game. Will he follow what he said after the last matchday, ie: couldn't care about finishing 1st or 2nd.

If it is the latter, maybe Darby will also start.

So long as it's not Plessis, all is good.

"Coming up on 60, gotta think about taking Robbie off"

erm, isn't that Keane sitting behind him Ade