Let's go shopping...

[Peter R]

if you're Liverpool it will be the "window" variety...

X, Paul...anything here we can realistically pick up? From what I read it looks like MU wants to buy everything.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/5...d-more#page/27

[Sir X]

Liverpool better nuh gi da man deh money fi buy quatty .

[Paul Marin]

if you're Liverpool it will be the "window" variety...

X, Paul...anything here we can realistically pick up? From what I read it looks like MU wants to buy everything.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/5...d-more#page/27

Pedro - it all depends on what the new regime are going to give Roy to spend and on where we are in the table by January. If the team is in a realistic position to challenge for a top 4 spot when the window opens, then we can get better players. If not, we are wasting our money as we need top class players and no top class players are going to come our way if there is no realistic chance of champions league ball.

To give you specific names is hard because I'm still trying to figure out what kind of football Roy wants to play. In the game yesterday, they kept the ball on the ground... but earlier in the season there was too much long ball business. If I had my way, I would be going for PACE, PACE, PACE. The one thing Rafa used to stress was high tempo, but he never had the players to do it.

That said, here are some names that may come into play, not that I consider these the kinds of targets we need to have for ourselves, but they may be available in January:

1. Roque Santa Cruz - we can get him cheap and he is a decent backup to Torres; I suspect though that he wants regular first team football

2. Krancjar - he has become a permanent fixture on the bench at Spurs; their standard line up has huddlestone, modric, bale and lennon as the starters in midfield. With the Euros coming up, he must be craving first team football and could be a better option for us than Poulsen or Lucas. At least he can score goals.

3. David Bentley - when is the last time you see him play for Spurs? Another player who must be craving first team football and could be a better option for us on the right wing - move Joe Cole to left and see what happens.

4. Carlton Cole - Avram Grant seems to be favouring Piquionne over him, so he may be vex enough to be tempted. He's big, which comes in handy for set pieces, one of the only ways the team seems to be able to score under Roy.

5. Bosingwa - if you really want to make Johnson into a midfielder, then buy this youth. Ivanovic lock down the right back spot at Chelski, so who knows...this is a class player though, so him nah go wan' come play if we are not in the UCL. Ancelotti might sell wi Ferriera instead...an' if you listen to X, Roy might be fool-fool enough to buy him!!

6. Adebeyor - doubt he would come our way, but you never know. He is having his problems at City.

I have only listed names from the Prem and I'm not sure of their contract status,so they may not be realistic. And there are others too. There are a number of names in Italy, Holland, Spain and Germany that would be good as well, like Suarez from Ajax, but it is probably better to wait for summer.

To me, we need a heep of speed in the middle of the pitch and we need width. Our big problem is UCL, we have to be in the running for that to attract the right names. Winning the Europa league may help, but it still won't mean Champions League football which is what the big boys want.

No matter how you slice it, we're in a rough position. Not to put too much into this, but consider that 2 years ago, we had Xabi and Masch as starters in our squad...50M pounds worth of footballers that Rafa bought for less than 30M. Do you see NESV going out there and spending 50M on two players of that quality? Do the replacements we have now have that kind of quality? It gets even tougher because NESV seem to want to emulate the Arsenal model, but I don't think we have "a Wenger" in the manager's position who can pull that magic trick off. In truth, there ain't many managers out there that can pull off Wenger's model - Rafa certainly couldn't. So this is shaping up very oddly, but we'll see.

Poor Roy, I hope him have a good severance package as I don't think John Henry and NESV look like the patient types. I have to check the bookies' odds on him being fired by January to see if mi can mek a likkle money.

YNWA

[Sir X]

Our Hope is Damien Comolli..I would not want him to be coach though..the Yank has a plan.....Roy out by christmas ..no way he is spending any money unless approved by Camolli and then when he screws it up (unable to coach them ) he is out.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Damien Comolli (born 1972) is the Director of Football Strategy with Liverpool. He is French and has previously worked as a football coach and scout, with AS Monaco, AS Saint-Étienne, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur[1]. He speaks fluent English, Spanish and French.
He was born in Béziers, France, and played as a youth team player at AS Monaco. In 1992, he began a successful three-year coaching job with Monaco, where he looked after the club's Under-16 squads and won the state championship at that level. Comolli completed a law degree in 1995 and gained his French coaching licence.
In 1996 he joined Arsenal and spent seven seasons as a European scout and is credited with the discovery of several of Arsenal's players such as Kolo Touré, Emmanuel Eboué[2] and Gaël Clichy.[3] Between 2004 and 2005 he was technical director of AS Saint-Étienne.[4] The club went through a successful period, finishing sixth in the league and reaching the semi-finals of the Coupe de France. During his time there he also oversaw a number of important first team signings and developed partnerships with junior and amateur clubs, locally, nationally and internationally.
In 2005 he became director of football at Tottenham Hotspur, with overall responsibility for the medical, academy, scouting and club secretarial departments, replacing the outgoing Frank Arnesen.[2]. During his time there he had several disagreements with coach Martin Jol, who after his departure from Spurs complained several players had been signed by Comolli without his agreement.[5] He spent three years in the job but with Tottenham performing poorly in 2008-09 and some of Comolli's signings coming in for criticism,[6] he was dismissed in October 2008, along with manager Juande Ramos, assistant Gus Poyet and first team coach Marcos Álvarez.[7] During his time at Tottenham, Comolli was responsible for Tottenham's policy of signing some of the world's brightest young talents, bringing young players such as Gareth Bale, Alan Hutton, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Giovanni dos Santos, Adel Taarabt and Younes Kaboul to the club.[8] Comolli was also responsible for the signings current Tottenham squad members Luka Modrić, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Heurelho Gomes, David Bentley, Vedran Ćorluka and Roman Pavlyuchenko, as well as Dimitar Berbatov (now at Manchester United.)[9]
On 9th November 2008, it was announced that he would return to Saint-Étienne as sporting director.[10] His appointment led to the departure of manager Laurent Roussey.[11]
On 3 November 2010 his appointment as Director of Football Strategy at Liverpool F.C. was announced, with part of his remit being to oversee the recruitment of new players to the club.[12]
[edit]References

[Sir X]

We cannot pull of Wenger/Arsenal model , 1st we want titles now ! waiting 5 years wont do , 2nd to find a coach who has the eyes for talent like Wenger (meaning young inexpensive talent ) is one in a million , we came close with Rafa , lets be homest finishing 2nd to Man U and going up as Runners up in C.L under Rafa with a youngish squad was damm good, I think we were the 2nd youngestr squad in the Prem then .

The best we can hope for is Camolli and a good coach by January ,Lets see if Hiddink changes his mind , or The King , Now is the time for the German Klinsman to grab his chance.We have suitors better than ROY dying for that chance and we know they are already knocking .

[Sir X]

John Henry tells star players to commit to the Liverpool cause or they will be sold
Liverpool's new owner, New England Sports Ventures, has issued a warning to any players not fully committed to the club that they will be sold.


By Duncan White
Published: 9:52PM GMT 05 Nov 2010
Duncan's Twitter

Ground rules: John W. Henry watches Liverpool with his partner, Linda Pizzuti Photo: REUTERS
John W Henry, the club's principal owner, has been angered by reports that Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina would be leaving and has met the club's top players to reassure them of NESV's ambitions.
"It is a completely different system here to what we are used to," Henry said. "If a player has a contract in the United States they fulfil the contract. Over here, it seems players have much more say-so about where they are. Frankly, where we are, we don't want a player at the club who doesn't want to be at the club. It's really up to us to provide the kind of leadership, on and off the field, that any player at the club or who is coming to the club wants to be here."

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Henry and Tom Werner, Liverpool's new chairman, are open to recruiting the right talent in January, following the appointment of Damien Comolli as director of football strategy. They are, however, determined to hang on to their best players, despite reports that Torres and Reina have contractual clauses that would facilitate their departure.
"I was upset about the assertion that they were leaving," Henry said. "There was one day when I read reports that we were not going to be involved in the transfer window because we do not have the funds. The next day I read that Torres and Reina were leaving.
"I have spoken with a number of our top players and was really heartened by the response. I was heartened by the intelligence of these players, who understand more about Liverpool than we do. They were good discussions."
Henry, who has been at Liverpool all week, was not as heartened by some of the discoveries he has made since taking over the club. "There were a number of unpleasant surprises when we did our due diligence because the wage bill is high and it's going to be higher next year – and we're not a young team," he said. "That was disappointing."
Comolli has been brought in to bring the age of the squad down, to identify the best talent by building up the scouting network and to help bring through academy players.
Henry was insistent that Roy Hodgson was "delighted" by Comolli's appointment despite only telling the manager it was going to happen a "couple of days" before it was announced and revealing that it was baseball maverick Billy Beane who had made the recommendation.
"When I first met with Roy it was obvious to me that he really wanted someone in that position," he said. "We are building a team. In Boston we have a team with an incredible collegial atmosphere. We build consensus. [Hodgson and Comolli] share the same agent. We needed to find someone who shared the same philosophy as us. That's why Billy Beane recommended Damien. I spent three weeks talking with Damien."
Werner conceded that Hodgson had not been consulted on Comolli's appointment but said they knew the two had a good relationship. "Roy said he felt he needed to bolster his staff. He was not asked about specific recommendations but we set about trying to find the best person we could find. I was aware they had a healthy respect for each other.
"We feel we can bring in more players that are home-grown. What we are used to is that the manager and the general manager work together. It's a big job analysing which players to bring in. We are trying to bolster Roy's operation and I think Damien is the first step."
Werner reinforced the message that the club are to target the Asian market to try to boost revenue and suggested they could play competitive games abroad, even though the Premier League has given up on its 39th game proposal.
"Pre-season matches are great but why not have an actual match in season," Werner said. "The Premier League is the strongest league in the world and its reach is global. It's been very impressive to me, the number of people globally who watch and we hope to expand that imprint. I think the more important the game, the more excitement."
Werner has also met Liverpool Council to discuss options for redeveloping Anfield or building a new stadium. As part of any new development, Henry said they will have to take on debt, but stressed the fact that they would emulate the way Arsenal built their stadium.
"How did Arsenal build the Emirates? I have never heard of a privately funded stadium of magnitude that was not funded by debt," Henry said. "It is such a big issue. It is a big issue with Manchester United. But the New York Yankees have $3.5 billion of debt and I've never heard a Yankee fan complain about it because they built a $1.5 billion stadium. The difference to be made is between stadium and acquisition debt."

[Sir X]

The Video Interview :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...ol/9163578.stm

[Sir X]

This is what the british press wants and Gerrad bought it ..........Never under Rafa !............RUN WILD !

Alan Smith: Liverpool's best bet against Chelsea is to let Steven Gerrard run free
Liverpool minus Steven Gerrard equals an ordinary team.


By Alan Smith
Published: 8:00AM GMT 06 Nov 2010
Alan's Twitter
4 Comments

Hat-trick hero: Steven Gerrard gestures to the Napoli supporters after equalising Photo: ACTION IMAGES
Rarely did that calculation seem quite so accurate as at Anfield on Thursday when Liverpool's captain leapt off the bench to overturn Napoli's lead with a second-half hat-trick.
Mind you, nobody needed reminding of Gerrard's importance, least of all Roy Hodgson who, ahead of their game with Chelsea, must be thinking very carefully about the best way to use his talisman. The last thing Hodgson wants is Gerrard becoming nullified in that middle ground, an area where Chelsea have always been strong.

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And so to the choices, because there have been times this season – notably away to Manchester United – when Hodgson has used Gerrard in a deeper-lying position rather than in the one where he supports Fernando Torres up front.
This tactic has its uses. For one, Gerrard can dictate the tempo more easily by moving the team forward with his fantastic passing range. On the down side, he's got further to run to get into the box, which isn't ideal for a team lacking goals from other areas.
More often, however, Gerrard has played as the auxiliary striker in Hodgson's favoured
4-2-3-1 formation. And it would be a major surprise if he didn't do the same again after looking so sharp in the week.
This is where John Obi Mikel comes in, because, as Chelsea's holding midfielder, he'll be more responsible than most for picking up Gerrard when Liverpool are trying to find their top man.
I'm not a huge fan of Mikel's, but his anticipation and positional sense have improved this season as he has been the constant fixture in a changing midfield three that's had to adjust in Frank Lampard's absence.
Lampard may or may not be back for this one but, whoever plays, they can help close Gerrard down when someone such as Maxi Rodriguez slips the ball inside.
That's the easy bit, though. It gets more complicated when Gerrard escapes Mikel's attentions to make one of his trademark runs into the box. Under those circumstances, the one-paced Mikel would never be able to keep up. He therefore has to 'pass' Gerrard on to John Terry or Alex, who should be prepared for such forward bursts.
But it's one thing being prepared and quite another quelling the threat every time. Yet if Chelsea manage it, they stand a great chance of leaving Merseyside with a win. They are, after all, the better team, whether or not Gerrard turns out.
Roll Up, Roll Up!
Calling all English strikers in the Premier League (and maybe beyond). Now is the time to start doing the business to stake a claim for a place in England's squad to face France on Nov 17.
With Wayne Rooney joining Jermain Defoe and Bobby Zamora on the crocked list, with Peter Crouch obviously not one of Fabio Capello's favourites and with 33 year-old Kevin Davies unlikely to provide any long-term solutions, the way is open for one or more to make the step up.
But of all the candidates (and let's face it, there aren't many), Andy Carroll must surely be first in line. This monster of a centre-forward was practically unstoppable against Sunderland last week. He might not have scored in the 5-1 win, but he did everything else on a memorable afternoon.
And who's to say he can't carry on in that vein at Arsenal if Newcastle retain possession long enough to give him some service?
I know Carroll's had issues with Stuart Pearce at Under-21 level and I know he hasn't been the easiest to manage for Chris Hughton on Tyneside, quite apart from his regular visits to Newcastle Crown Court.
On a purely footballing level, though, he's about the best we've got for ability and potential. As such, he must be worth a look in the Wembley friendly.
A No-Brainer
I bet Arsène Wenger isn't in too much of a rush to convert Theo Walcott into a central striker. Why would he be when the 21 year-old has started scoring goals from the right flank, from where his ridiculous pace gives the team an outlet no one else can provide?
Forget about comparisons with Thierry Henry. As yet, Walcott is neither strong enough nor clever enough to be mentioned in the same breath. What he does have, however, is loads of confidence just now.
Why risk losing that for a needless switch?

[Sir X]

If Paul say im mean bizniz , mi believe im !

My Lunch With ‘The Quiet American’
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Posted on November 3rd, 2010
Posted by by Paul Tomkins
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First of all, it nearly never happened. John W Henry sent me a message more than a week ago to give him a call, but as it was from a Facebook account with almost no activity, I assumed it was some kind of hoaxer. So I ignored it, as you do.



It was only when he began to follow me on Twitter a number of days later, with that site’s particular notification message coinciding with an email from a ‘John W Henry’ a couple of minutes later, that I realised it was the man himself.

He got in touch as, having tried to find out as much as possible about the club many months ago, he ordered a whole stack of books from Amazon. I don’t know what he thought of the others he read, but he liked mine.

So, at his request, we went out for lunch, to chew the fat (and too chat, too…). At the end, the chefs and waiters of restaurant queued like nervous teenagers to ask for his autograph. Of course, I was totally ignored. I was half-expecting them to ask him “So, John, why are you having lunch with Moby?”

Softly spoken, but as sharp as a tack, his politeness and humble nature were as I’d expected from reading up on him during the takeover.

I know some of the SaveLFC guys who met with him a couple of weeks back, and they said he even carried the drinks. He’s that kind of guy. When I emailed him a PDF of my new book in reply to his initial contact, he was genuinely thankful, as if I’d emailed him my new born baby converted into binary. In person I experienced no obvious ego, but a great belief in winning. If I had to sum him up in two words, I’d say ‘quiet confidence’.

That he also met with SOS is another great sign; the fans are being engaged in the process, if not exactly ‘running’ the club. I can’t compete with those guys for local knowledge and hardcore fan passion, but I have my own unique take on the game (and a method with numbers) that John W can obviously relate to.

He said he wanted my thoughts on NESV’s ideas for the club; not to get involved with them, merely to see what my reaction was.

Now obviously, it’s not my place to explain what they are before they are in a position to do so – and some are purely theoretical at this stage – but my reaction was one of great encouragement. It sounded eminently sensible. Nothing flashy, nothing silly, nothing to try and woo the fans; above all else, no false promises. And I’m sure there’s lots he didn’t tell me, too. But I got the feeling this is now a club that can keep its best players, and add young, hungry, up-and-coming top-class talent to improve the team.

(As I am about to hit send to publish this piece, Damien Comolli – former Arsenal scout and the man who signed many of Spurs’ better players, and who shares NESV’s ‘Moneyball’ vision – has been appointed, presumably as Director of Football. I knew from yesterday that something like this was going to happen with regard to overseeing transfers, but only joined the dots earlier today when Comolli quit his post at St Etienne.)

No-one can predict the future, and John W accepts that a few mistakes may be made along the way – who doesn’t in football? – but I liked what I heard. Success cannot be guaranteed, but the club will be much better run from now on. Most importantly, the Gillett and Hicks acquisition debt has been cleared, so the club is no longer hemorrhaging money.

The primary aim has to be to undo all the bad work of the previous administration, and that is the biggest part already taken care of. More will follow. But it’s building up again from a base, after the previous owners almost razed the club to the ground.

It’s clear that NESV don’t have the insane kinds of money some of our rivals possess – those ‘super-benefactors’ – so it’s about being clever; as they were with the Red Sox, in ending 86 years of ‘hurt’ as we say in this country. But football over here is a more unequal system, and he’s still trying to get his head around how differently players’ contracts are treated (and honoured) over here.

Let me be clear: I’m not interested in doing his PR. Go and read anyone else’s experiences of the man, and you’ll find the same. And he never asked me to. As loathed as Hicks is in US sporting circles, Henry is admired. You don’t need me to tell you that. And I don’t want to get involved on that level.

Because, as fans, our experience with Gillett and Hicks tells us that trust has to be earned; watch what people do, not what they say. That said, having been told of a couple of things they’ve already done behind the scenes, I have to say, they mean business.

But this big week is just the start.