Liverpool Fc @ Anfield - Reds Supporters Gatherings

[NZL97]

Originally Posted by Xgenre

Degen's contract got terminated. http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/lates...en-leaves-reds Read somewhere that he was in talks with QPR? Bellamy is back although I hoped we would have signed or loaned Adebayor. Wonder if Adebayor is even in the list of 25 for Man City. Not surprised Meireles left. We had tried to sell him earlier in the season, according to reports.

Gone are these deadwood players, Poulsen, Cole, Deegen, Ngog. No more deadwood right? Our squad is stronger in quality and depth.

actually if u think abt it, is our squad still strong in quality & depth after aquilani, meireles, cole & poulsen left?? who do we have remaining in the midfield cover, less the 1st team regulars of gerrard, adam, lucas & downing, we only have henderson, spearing, shelvey & maxi which are not players that can seriously influence the game if we are losing............juz dont understand why we couldn't get a cash + player deal wif chelsea, either sturridge, kalou or malouda would be nice to have.
Even though meireles hand in a trf req, we still have a right not to sell as we are not desperate & the player still have along term contract wif us...................

u r rt abt the balance thinggy...however in the present case, i think the balance is abit too off for my liking...oh n Rafa's time is now in the past...anyways the real test shall be agst the Big 3...i hope the back 4 shall be abit more balanced n settled by then...also look fwd to the return of Stevie G...

dont think the performance against the big 3 is the real test, we have beaten the top 4 teams last season but still finish almost 20 pts behind man u, the real test IMHO are the games against the lesser teams in the league which we have to beat home & away...........which we often dont do in prev seasons..............tat to me is the key for us to return to the top 4 tis season.............

btw, i m excited by the signing of coates & bellamy, cant wait 2 see them in action soon.................come on u reds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rahl]

Originally Posted by NZL97

Even though meireles hand in a trf req, we still have a right not to sell as we are not desperate & the player still have along term contract wif us.

Don't be silly, no team will want a player who has submitted a transfer request. If the game is on the line, I won't want to send Meireles out there.

It's happened, we got to move on. Henderson is maybe for the future, let's hope Stevie can keep fit.

[SH149]

Guys read this article


Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish completes a summer of bloodletting at Anfield with a leaner meaner squad

New blood: Kenny Dalglish (centre) with just some of Liverpool's new signings
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Rory Smith
Last Updated: 10:10PM BST 01/09/2011
At the last, Liverpool's bloodletting was complete. This has been a summer of revolution at Anfield, a great leap forward of unprecedented proportions.

Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli, at the behest of the club's owners, have ushered 19 players out of Liverpool's doors. The final two, Raul Meireles and Philipp Degen, departed with just minutes of the transfer window to spare. The past is finished. Let the future begin.

Fourteen players have been sold or released, and a further five dismissed temporarily, on loan, most notably Joe Cole and Alberto Aquilani.

An astounding £30 million has been wiped from the wage chitty, and a little over £20 million raised in funds.

The phrase "trimming of the squad" does not quite fit; this has been all-out attack on the errors of the past. Only Brad Jones and Danny Wilson remain of Roy Hodgson's signings, and only three of the 14 signed by Rafael Benítez in his final two years at the club. Less than a year after the putsch which brought Fenway Sports Group to Anfield, Liverpool have undergone a second Night of the Long Knives. This one, though, has lasted all summer.

Some were rather more willing than others to stand aside. Paul Konchesky accepted a wage cut to join Leicester. Nabil El Zhar, Emiliano Insua, Milan Jovanovic and, eventually, Degen agreed to cancel their contracts, albeit for lucrative settlements.

Liverpool will continue to pay for the mistakes that have gone before. Lille insist Liverpool will continue to supply 60 per cent of Cole's £80,000-a-week wages, meaning Anfield's finances will be drained to the tune of £2.5 million for a season in which the 29 year-old plays in France.

Christian Poulsen’s move to Evian has been subsidised, too, but that is rather the point: FSG see their glass as half-full, not half-empty. At least the £2.5 million paid to Cole while he is in France is a saving of £1.65 million. That is the ruthlessness that has pervaded Liverpool’s summer.

FSG were determined to build a more cost-effective squad, and were prepared to withstand the short-term financial cost to do so. Hence their decision to spend big and spend early, regardless of the knock-on effects later in the summer.

"The owners were happy to take risks and happy for us to spend money," reflected Comolli. "A lot of owners would have said the squad is too big, so you need to reduce, and then when you have done that, bring some players in, but that was never the approach. I told them we would need to buy first and they were very, very brave to accept that."

Nowhere was that cut-throat approach better witnessed than with Meireles. The Portuguese was not desperate to leave Anfield, but was left with no choice after seeing Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam recruited in midfield and a promise to augment his £35,000-a-week wage, should his first season be a success, broken.

Discussions over a pay rise never started. In the end, he had to hand in a transfer request and forego a loyalty payment to smooth his escape to Chelsea.

Few Liverpool fans would have sold Meireles, particularly not to a bitter foe and especially not for £12 million, roughly what Hodgson paid for the Portugal international last summer. That is the measure of the new Liverpool, though. Those who are not required will be cast aside. Dalglish wants only those soldiers he deems necessary; a bloated squadron is a cumbersome one.

"For me, the players they have signed have largely been British, which takes me back to when I started watching Liverpool," said Craig Bellamy, the final piece of incoming business carried out by Dalglish. "It looks so familiar to me, so to be part of it is such a huge honour."

Dalglish has built the squad he wanted: young, energetic, mostly home-grown, and with a passion for the club – but it fits FSG's vision, too. The squad is streamlined – 22 senior players, supported by youth – with this summer's six signings, Bellamy apart, earning a combined, and relatively modest, £13 million-a-season in wages.

That is a saving of £17 million-a-season. FSG are no asset-strippers, though. They have spent £114 million on players in eight months, plus wages, with £75 million regained in transfer fees. This is not a rerun of Liverpool's recent past. This is the start of the future.

Key Anfield departures: Raul Meireles (Chelsea) £12m, David Ngog (Bolton Wanderers) £4m, Paul Konchesky (Leicester City) £1.5m, Daniel Ayala (Norwich City) £800,000, Gerardo Bruna (Blackpool) £750,000,Joe Cole (Lille) loan, Emiliano Insua (Sporting Lisbon) undisclosed, Chris Mavinga (Rennes) undisclosed, Sotirios Kyrgiakos (Wolfsburg) undisclosed, Christian Poulsen (Evian) undisclosed, Alberto Aquilani (AC Milan) undisclosed, Milan Jovanovic (Anderlecht) undisclosed, Tom Ince (Blackpool) undisclosed, Nabil El Zhar (Levante) undisclosed.

RELATED ARTICLES
Craig Bellamy: it's an honour to be back at Liverpool under manager Kenny Dalglish
Raul Meireles signs for Chelsea, Craig Bellamy rejoins Liverpool and Joe Cole channel hops to Lille
Liverpool striker David Ngog agrees to Bolton Wanderers move
Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole signs season-long loan deal with French club Lille
Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole considers Lille but gives Tottenham and Queens Park Rangers time to bid

[bochapsing]

Originally Posted by SH149

Guys read this article

thx for sharing...!!!

[Alkano]

Now the new look Liverpool Revolution has started....

[asspanker]

we cleared all the deadwoods!! how good is that??.. now the real project to regain our past starts!!!

[The Milk Man]

Originally Posted by SH149

Few Liverpool fans would have sold Meireles, particularly not to a bitter foe and especially not for £12 million, roughly what Hodgson paid for the Portugal international last summer.

No doubt RM is a talented footballer but his constitution is just not up to par for the BPL...... even at his fittest he cannot last the full 90 mins of a game.

Modern soccer tactics has made the last 10 mins of a game the most crucial...... games are won or lost in that 10 mins so having a player that cannot go all out for the full game is a liability no matter how talented he is...... RM had to go for the good of the team.

[joew2005]

feet firmly on the ground ... & do not get carried away,becos the season has jz started only.

3 games gone, 7 points out of a possible 9.
it's a lost of 2 points.

35 games 2 go in the EPL season.

focus on the next game away against Stoke City on Sept 10. (Next Sat)

[omnia]

hope the reds can get eden hazard in return...hopefully in the nxt transfer window if not nxt summer?...

Originally Posted by HokkienPeng

Accordingly to reliable souces, we are still paying 60% of Joe Cole weekly salary of 100k. .

[omnia]

yup u gotta pt...

however i am still curious to c how this 'new' look reds team performs agst the big 3 particularly defence wise...

Originally Posted by NZL97

dont think the performance against the big 3 is the real test, we have beaten the top 4 teams last season but still finish almost 20 pts behind man u, the real test IMHO are the games against the lesser teams in the league which we have to beat home & away...........which we often dont do in prev seasons..............tat to me is the key for us to return to the top 4 tis season.............

[omnia]

sounds promising...

any idea on how it is going on viz the new stadium?...the new stadium is the final piece to ensure liverpool's long term financial sustainability...

Originally Posted by SH149

Dalglish has built the squad he wanted: young, energetic, mostly home-grown, and with a passion for the club – but it fits FSG's vision, too. The squad is streamlined – 22 senior players, supported by youth – with this summer's six signings, Bellamy apart, earning a combined, and relatively modest, £13 million-a-season in wages.

That is a saving of £17 million-a-season. FSG are no asset-strippers, though. They have spent £114 million on players in eight months, plus wages, with £75 million regained in transfer fees. This is not a rerun of Liverpool's recent past. This is the start of the future.

[naemlo]

Originally Posted by welcomemdc

Ask yourself how much have your lost in the casino already. Whats $9.90 more? But at least u get something out of the $9.90

Ask yourself, if your chances of winning are good. Why will u bother to earn 9.9?

I dun mind giving u 9.9 but u have to let me win 9.9 mil USD first.

[beck7777]

Originally Posted by SH149

I checked football365.com saying Raul was sold for 12m but goal.com report as 15m wondering how come so much difference

There are clauses in the contract to increase the fees to 15mil depending on appearance etc..

[joew2005]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature...erpool?cc=4716

A revolution in red
September 3, 2011

Comolli has clearly been pegged as Liverpool's own Epstein - himself the Sox's answer 2 Beane. Comparisons with 2 revolutionary thinkers may confuse any Spurs fans tat remember Comolli's time @ the club (although he was crucial in the signings of Gareth Bale & Luka Modric), but those who hv worked with both insist they r incredibly similar.

"There is no question tat Damien Comolli is cut fr the same cloth as Theo Epstein," Werner noted recently. Football, however, is harder 2 statistically analyse with any great insight than baseball. "Determining wat goes in2 a goal is much more complicated than determining wat goes in2 a home run," Henry himself recently told the Wall Street Journal. But, while the data acquired can never be as easily applied as in baseball, basic assessments can still be made.

Fr their initial research, it seems the club hv employed a 2-fold approach - using statistics as an indicator of which players 2 target, & the level of 'risk' involved as a barometer 4 who they should actually go ahead & buy.

Beane may be the subject of Moneyball but most of his ideas were adopted fr others. But 1 of his strictest rules was never 2 draft a player out of high school, but instead 2 always go 4 those with a few seasons of college experience under their belt.

Regular college action produced trustworthy data 4 each player, data tat Beane could then sort 4 the particular statistical strengths he coveted. High school action only hinted @ potential - & potential 2 Beane was just another word 4 'risk'.

Tat is 1 example tat Liverpool seem 2 be following. It's interesting 2 see the sums they paid 4 Adam, Downing & Henderson - all players with impressive (& recent) full seasons in the Premier League under their belt - while avoiding entering the race 4 Football League (& high school age) starlets like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (£12 million to Arsenal) or Connor Wickham (£7 million 2 Sunderland).

"Every1 seemed 2 think tat Liverpool was over-valuing British players tis summer. But when there is a substantial homegrown rule, British players r going 2 be highly valued," Henry told the Telegraph. "Look @ the prices paid tis year 4 Wickham & Oxlade-Chamberlain. At Liverpool we hv purchased each player 4 a different reason."

Tat reason appears 2 be based predominantly on chance creation. If stats r being employed, tis is the area they r 1st being followed. There is a clear correlation betw the top scoring teams & the highest finishing teams each season in the Premier League, so goals clearly r the game's most valuable commodity (a fundamentally obvious point, perhaps, but nevertheless 1 tat is worth being reminded in an era where teams hv trended 2wards being more defensive).

Goals r created fr opportunities; so it's logical tat the more the team can create each match, the better the chance they hv of winning games.

In tat light, the midfield buys suddenly don't appear 2 be any coincidence. All 3 were in the top 8 chance-creators of last season, according 2 Opta, & all had healthy assist totals 4 the season. Indeed, only 4 players hv provided more chances than Downing in the Premier League in the last 6 years ("the stats prove he is much more than a winger," says Comolli).

Tis is a risky strategy in many ways - many 'experts' remain 2 be convinced tat any of the 3 r truly top level players, while if Carroll was bought 2 finish all those created chances then the fact Suarez, a mercurial talent with a genuine X-Factor, is currently keeping him out of the side might be an early warning tat you can't try & analyse everything in football.

Similarly, all 3 midfield buys also took a great number of their previous side's set pieces last season, a stats-inflating benefit tat self-evidently not all will be able 2 experience tis season - not 2 mention the fact tat putting all 3 in 1 midfield leaves alot of defensive work 4 1 man (so far, Lucas Leiva) tat could be exploited by better or more tactically savvy sides.

Yet, the Enrique & Coates signings r an attempt 2 counter tat weakness by reinforcing the backline - again signing players of notable pedigree 4 a very reasonable price - while other players, fr David Ngog 2 Alberto Aquilani, hv been offloaded. Craig Bellamy's late addition is cost-effective, while the last-min departure of Raul Meireles was by no means a blow - considering the sum received (a fee rising to £15 million) & midfield options tat still remain.

Henry, 4 all his cheque-signing so far, is adamant the club will not "deficit spend". The American has been a vocal campaigner in favour of UEFA's proposed Financial Fair Play rules, making clear @ every opportunity hw important it is 4 the European game's governing body 2 enforce their rules 2 the maximum. Tis is grandstanding 2 an extent - Henry is 2 savvy 2 realistically expect hard-line implementation - but he 1s 2 ensure rules r not allowed 2 be so lax tat certain clubs can run riot.

Tat is the environment Henry is used 2, aft all. MLB doesn't hv a salary cap but a luxury tax, meaning wealthy clubs r penalised 4 spending beyond a set amount but not prohibited fr doing so - curbing differences in spending but not completely restricting it.

That's the scenario Henry needs again. If Liverpool can then increase revenues as the Red Sox did 2 a point where they r @ least in the same ball-park as the New York Yankee-esque clubs like ManU & ManC, then they hope a more attuned transfer policy can make the difference on the pitch.

"We need time 2 build the football operation & we need 2 build our revenues," Henry acknowledges. "We did tat in Boston & we still cannot come close 2 matching the revenues of the Yankees. But we match them competitively."

Prices will rise @ Anfield - just as they did @ Fenway Park - but fans will find it easier 2 stomach if the club r achieving 2 things; winning, & playing attractive football. Tat's where Dalglish comes back in.

"The way he 1s us 2 play is pass & move & with a high tempo," defender Daniel Agger said aft the Bolton display. "It is not just 1 thing - it is a combination: a strong squad, a good manager, good coaches around him. Results r the most important thing, but if you can get them playing like tis, tat is a bonus."

With Dalglish energising the team, Comolli searching 4 advantages in the statistics & Henry masterminding the business, Liverpool r rightly setting their sights on a return 2 football's top table.

Part 2 of 2

[joew2005]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature...erpool?cc=4716

A revolution in red
September 3, 2011

12 months ago - b4 his friend & business partner Joe Januszewski emailed him abt the plight of his fav club - John W Henry knew very little abt football, let alone Liverpool FC.

The contrast with Kenny Dalglish, a man who has had a passion 4 the Anfield club running thru his veins ever since he arrived as a player in 1977 (& a love 4 football much longer than tat) could hardly be starker. Yet 2gether, in a partnership forged as much thru coincidence as judgment, the 2 hv been instrumental in reviving 1 of the England's most successful sides.

Fr the darkest days of Tom Hicks, George Gillett & Roy Hodgson, Henry & Dalglish hv yanked the club out of reverse 2 such an extent the fans tat 1s feared oblivion now believe Champions League football, or even a title challenge, could be back in the offing.

Early performances tis season hv only bolstered expectations & anticipation. An opening draw with Sunderland (1-1) was a disappointment, but subsequent victories away 2 Arsenal (2-0) & then @ home 2 Bolton Wanderers (3-1, in swaggering fashion) hv sparked hopes tat a return 2 the top 4 is a genuine prospect 4 tis season, aft 2 years in the relative wilderness.

2 an extent, some of tat revival cannot be credited 2 much more than the mere fact the old regime was kicked out. The way Hicks & Gillett ran the club, with Hodgson also out of his depth, almost any change would hv been an improvement.

But Henry has gone further than tat, impressing with his sensible observations in the press & unifying the club in pursuit of a common goal (a return 2 former glories), while also showing no reluctance 2 invest in the playing staff in the pursuit of tat target. Charlie Adam (£7 million), Jordan Henderson (£16 million), Stewart Downing (£20 million), Jose Enrique (£6 million) & Sebastian Coates (£8 million) hv all been added 2 the squad, building on the combined £55 million purchases of Luis Suarez & Andy Carroll tat Henry sanctioned in January.

Henry made his personal fortune by exploiting the imbalances in the futures market 4 soya beans & followed similar principles 2 turn around his ML Baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, in2 a perennial contender 1s again.

It was the later overhaul, noted in Michael Lewis' book Moneyball, tat led predictions of similar activity - exploiting statistical areas tat other clubs undervalue 2 pick bargains in the market & turn the club around without breaking the bank - in his new venture on Merseyside. Aft 2 completed transfer windows, however, tat evidently has not been the case.

Indeed, much has been made of Henry's arrival & overhaul of the fabled Red Sox, but b4 tat he actually owned another MLB franchise, the rather less storied or successful Florida Marlins. Interestingly, he was a devout follower of the Moneyballprinciples even then - using them 2 great effect in his fantasy leagues with friends - but never really had the courage 2 implement them on the team he now owned.

"4 a man who had never played professional baseball 2 impose upon even a pathetic major league franchise an entirely new way of doing things meant alienating the baseball insiders he employed," Lewis noted in his tome. "In the end, he would hv been ostracized by his own organisation. And wat was the point of being in baseball if you weren't in baseball?"

Having made little impact, Henry soon flipped the Marlins in a swap deal tat eventually saw him own Boston's storied franchise in 2002. Determined not 2 make the same mistake, he recruited the forefathers of the 'sabermetrics' principle as advisors & hired a 28-year-old Yale graduate with a view of the game tat chimed with his own, Theo Epstein, as general manager. 2 years later, the Red Sox won their 1st World Series in nearly 100 years.

Some might fear tat we r witnessing a repeat of the failed Marlins experience & not the Red Sox revolution, with Henry reluctant 2 stamp his authority in a sporting world he knows little abt - but in reality he appears simply 2 be tempering his approach 2 suit the particular intricacies of football.

"I 1 2 know why we r doing wat we r doing on the pitch & with regard 2 player acquisition," he told the Telegraph recently. "I wouldn't be doing my job in allocating resources if I wasn't able 2 make sense of the individual steps we r taking within the context of our overall philosophy."

Dalglish, partly thru good fortune, & Damien Comolli, aft calculated research, r @ the core of tat. The board hv had nothing but praise 4 Dalglish - perhaps originally out of a quick realisation tat 2 do otherwise would not endear them 2 the fans, but more recently out of genuine admiration - but it is perhaps revealing tat they hv focused more on his leadership skills & football brain than his transfer market acumen.

"I can't think of somebody who embodies the relentlessness,the drive & the attitude of excellence better than Kenny," Tom Werner, a part owner in both Liverpool & the Red Sox, said recently. "I think he is a natural leader. I think he's been able 2 instil a sense of purpose in2 the club; & when he says something, I think people listen."

When Hodgson received his P45 in January, a host of young managers (notably Andre Villas-Boas) were linked by the media, but they would hv wanted control over aspects of the club Henry had already commandeered.

Dalglish, out of the game's sharp end 4 a decade, could be trusted 2 marshal the 1st team but perhaps persuaded 2 leave some aspects of recruitment & transfer policy 2 others.

Tat primary 'other' has become Comolli. The Frenchman's appointment - 1st as director of football strategy, then simply director of football - was even recommended 2 Henry by the primary subject of Moneyball, Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane. Despite the sporting divide, the 2 r friends.

"He [Beane] loves football as I love baseball," Comolli said back in 2010, of the relationship he shares with the man who made the As a MLB heavyweight on a fraction of the budget of his rivals. "Everything I hv been doing has come fr wat the As hv been doing in terms of collecting & using data."


Part 1 of 2