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Soccer Thread : 2004-05 (6 Viewers)

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Constip8edSkunk

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yeah, chelsea still looks the team to beat... the only thing i reckon is they should stop chasing after players that their clubs will never sell to chelsea with inflated cheque books ... like etoo, sheva and adriano, or even 45 mil for trezeguet ... and go for some decent strikers with potential like Iaquita , baptiste etc
 

HeCtic

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matt#1 said:
maybe selling Gerrard might help them to buy a premiership winning squad?
Yeah, they might as well get their "Let's sell our best player" fix, over and done with for the year.
 

Crazy Horse

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HeCtic said:
I'm not baiting any Liverpool fans till they are knocked out of the Champions League next season.
Good. That way you can save yourself the embarrassment when we lift the CL again ;)

Constip8edSkunk said:
lol yeh ...especially if gerrard comes to man utd.... :D

it'll be funny if he leaves it to the final day to go tho...

oh yeah and happy bday diana
Nah – I don’t think many of us Pool fans will be laughing…
Thanks. :)

HeCtic said:
Chelsea are still a mile ahead of you as far as having a League winning squad is concerned. Bolo Zenden, Reina and a few kids aren't going to close a 37 point gap.
matt#1 said:
i think that if they have a less horrific run with injuries next season they will be able to close that 37 point gap to some extent
HeCtic said:
Not a Premiership winning squad anyhow.
As for the League – Like Matt#1 stated – if we don’t have as many run-ins with injuries then we will preform a great deal better. I doubt the “few kids” are meant to win us the league. They’ll be there to learn and improve themselves for the future. I don’t know if we’ll win the League next year but I do know that we’re on our way to the top again but that takes time…
 

Crazy Horse

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HeCtic said:
Yeah, yeah. Blame the injuries, not the lack of depth in your squad.
I'll admit we have a lack of depth but that is what makes the fact we not only are European Champions but also placed 5th in the EPL crazy. We had many new additions to the squad and numerous injuries that disrupted the settling of the new members into the team. The amount of media scrutiny that Pool has received is more than any other club yet we STILL after all this became Champions of Europe. I would like to see Arsenal have to deal with the amount of injuries, new members, the lack of depth that Liverpool have and do better both in Europe and EPL– after that you can dismiss the club.
 

HeCtic

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Alwayz Diana said:
I'll admit we have a lack of depth but that is what makes the fact we not only are European Champions but also placed 5th in the EPL crazy. We had many new additions to the squad and numerous injuries that disrupted the settling of the new members into the team. The amount of media scrutiny that Pool has received is more than any other club yet we STILL after all this became Champions of Europe. I would like to see Arsenal have to deal with the amount of injuries, new members, the lack of depth that Liverpool have and do better both in Europe and EPL– after that you can dismiss the club.

We've always injuries and suspensions.

In our Invincible season we had Campbell, Vieira, Ljungberg, Pires, Lauren, Bergkamp miss at least 20 games each that season. We made the quarters of the CL, semi's of the FA Cup and finished 11 points clear of 2nd place that season.

As for media scrutiny, you're off your rocks on that one. All the top clubs are targetted by the tabloids, Liverpool are nothing special in that regards.

Winning a cup competition is different to winning a League competition and your squad just won't cut it next season.
 

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HeCtic said:
Yeah, yeah. Blame the injuries, not the lack of depth in your squad.
Come on now they've got Neill Mellor, you remember him quite fondly don't you...? :cool:

So Gerrard followin the Beckham trail...?
 

Crazy Horse

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HeCtic said:
We've always injuries and suspensions.

In our Invincible season we had Campbell, Vieira, Ljungberg, Pires, Lauren, Bergkamp miss at least 20 games each that season. We made the quarters of the CL, semi's of the FA Cup and finished 11 points clear of 2nd place that season.

As for media scrutiny, you're off your rocks on that one. All the top clubs are targetted by the tabloids, Liverpool are nothing special in that regards.

Winning a cup competition is different to winning a League competition and your squad just won't cut it next season.
Arsenal's injuries - fair enough - I don't follow them too closely.

Even you will have to admit that we have had more than any other club this season when it comes to the media.

I was saying from the beginning of last season that we would win the CL (I’m boasting here! :D) but I'm aware there is a difference between a cup competition and a League. I stated in a previous post that I did not know if we had it in us to win. I don't know if we can play consistently for an entire season but I definitely do believe we will be much greater competition for the big 3 – Rafa’s had a taste of the EPL and understands it better now. I’m pretty sure we’ll be giving your CK models, Man U and Chelski a run for their money…
 

matt#1

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Alwayz Diana said:
I’m pretty sure we’ll be giving your CK models, Man U and Chelski a run for their money…
...lets hope so...the more competetition the better. It should be a pretty HeCtic fight between Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and 'Pool for the premier league title next season. I'm just hoping that we don't go another season without lifting a trophy :p
 

Benny_

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Rafa wants Gerrard to stay for life

Well now...if what Rafa says is true.. the fault for this whole charade can own fall to Gerrard or SFX, his agent company. Frankly I'm not sure if we want to keep him anymore. On the one hand his leaving would cause widespread discontent amongst Liverpool fans, but on the other with another 30million at his disposal Rafa can still get a damn good replacement ala Ballack/Essien, and maybe another top class RM/ST/LB.

I wonder who the other 2-3 guys Rafa said we'd sign will be. For the sake of keeping the doomsayers in the kop quiet I hope there's at least 1 really impressive name amongst the lot.
 

copious

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Gerrard is invaluable, looking beyond his skill. He lifts his players it would be tragic to lose him for livo fans.

Anyway go West Ham, rumours of us signing Javier Portillo from Real , fingers crossed.
 

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MESSY DIVORCE FOR GERRARD AND RAFA
It has all the hallmarks of a seemingly perfect marriage very publicly hitting the rocks and with a messy divorce looming.

For it would appear that unless Liverpool kiss and make up by showing Steven Gerrard just how much they love him, the England international is about to walk out of Anfield for good.

Just as when any relationship starts to become frayed around the edges, the blame game has seemingly begun, leaving the likes of Chelsea, AC Milan, Manchester United and Real Madrid circling as would-be suitors.

Exactly what Gerrard wants is so far unclear. Liverpool maintain that wages are not an issue, while they have already signed four new players this summer, even if only keeper Jose Reina may be an automatic first-choice.

However, the recruitment of wingers Bolo Zenden and Mark Gonzalez hints at a more attack-minded approach, while young defender Antonio Barragan shows planning for the future.

Other arrivals are also set to come to a club that has won the right to defend the Champions League trophy, albeit through the qualifying rounds.

So for a player to whom Liverpool means so much and who demonstrates such pride in wearing the captain's armband, what more is there?

Well, perhaps it is about progressing his career amid a fresh challenge. Or maybe it does all come down to love, possibly even respect, in the end.

Liverpool hardly seem to have been rushing to secure Gerrard's future, with several of those in the know at Anfield pouring doubts on where the midfielder truly fits into Rafael Benitez's long-term priorities.

For all of the positive public words, urging him to stay at Liverpool for life, the Liverpool skipper seems to doubt - rightly or wrongly - just how much Benitez truly wants him at Anfield.

Just contrast that uncertainty to the reaction at Stamford Bridge when there was even the semblance of any doubt over Frank Lampard's future last season.

The rush to sign a new contract on improved terms was immediate and, since then, there has never been a second's doubt as to his future intentions.

Gerrard, one presumes, watched and learned.

He may also have read Jose Mourinho's comments to the Premier League tribunal set up to consider the Ashley Cole case, which itself only arose due to another instance of a club refusing to fall over backwards for a leading player.

If not, then he should. According to Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, Mourinho was asked how he would have reacted if John Terry had been found talking to Arsenal.

Buck revealed: "He said he would call the player in and ask him what was the problem. If it was a football issue, he would have gone out of his way to resolve it.

"If it was a financial one, he would have gone to Peter Kenyon and the board and told them to resolve it."

That was exactly what Arsenal failed to do with Cole, seemingly managing to alienate a passionately committed player over the issue of just £5,000 a week - and it seems to be exactly what Liverpool have failed to do with Gerrard.

Either the Reds have matched Arsenal's foolhardy attempts at negotiation or Benitez does not really want Gerrard as much as he says - and he cannot admit it in public for fear of alienating the fans.

It is hard to imagine Mourinho committing the same cardinal sin for such an integral player and perhaps that is why Gerrard may be persuaded to move to Stamford Bridge after coming so close last summer only to back out at the last minute.

For while the lure of moving abroad may also be enticing, it is not just Chelsea's financial power which has allowed them to keep their key players happy over the past year.

It also stems from a feeling of being wanted, loved even, by their manager and board. Something which Gerrard seems to be lacking right now.

So what if he did go to Stamford Bridge?

It would certainly give Chelsea a midfield to make the rest of Europe envious, with Claude Makelele allowing both Lampard and Gerrard to rampage forward, while Damien Duff and Arjen Robben could attack down the wings outside them.

The key question-mark would still remain over Mourinho's side - the continuing lack of a proven goalscorer up front.

However, they won the league with Didier Drogba in the side and, with Gerrard added to the squad, it is hard to imagine any team stopping them in the Premiership at least.

Indeed, perhaps Gerrard's unhappiness is a test of the resolve of Manchester United's new owners as anything else. For if ever there was a ready-made long-term replacement for Roy Keane, Gerrard is that man.

For all of the rumours surrounding a possible deal for Michael Essien, United need Gerrard far more than Chelsea do. The question is who wants him the most - and whether that is still Liverpool.


Interestin read.
It would be great if Man U can successfully swoop Gerrard, hez definitely the midfielder we need. I'm sure the Glazerz can win a lot of fanz over if he can help brin Gerrard over.
 

Benny_

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Too bad that's just plain impossible. Chelsea has had a £32 bid rejected, so even if Glazer has the muscle to match that bid, I imagine Chelsea still has plenty in reserve to jack it up even further. Aside from that, even if Gerrard has decided to turn his back on Liverpool, I doubt he'd go to our no.1 rivals and become the no.1 most hated player in Liverpool history.
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I know I said something similar when Owen went to Madrid, but United is an entirely different matter. Owen was at worst a mercenary. If Gerrard goes to United he would be Judas.
 

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hahaha

i reckon Man utd have the financial power to lure Gerrard, even if it means to waste the next two yr's transfer kitty

although it is more feasible for us to buy Ballack (again he stated he wants to leave) and use the rest of the kitty for young players
 

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If Ballack wantz to move to the Premiership, I can only see him joinin either Man U or Chelsea. Well Chelsea are linked to everyone, if they are successful wit Gerrard then we will get Ballack. However Liverpool have just rejected a 32mil offer from Chelsea overnight. Thatz just Liverpool tryin to salvage somethin, itz all up to Gerrard now.
 
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