Sport Liverpool Football Club

[Gabe]

Here's Mascherano's take on it. He really does come across like a twat which is a shame because I always really rated him for Liverpool.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/feb/03/javier-mascherano-liverpool-fernando-torres

Yeah, he does come across as an idiot, and the situation is hardly the same.

Still, as Ramnoe would say, with both of them we won nothing so how much did they really help the club? (I'm not entirely serious there).

[The Fox]

There was some muttering from "reliable sources" that Arsenal put a bid in for Reina over the summer. Nothing much was made of it which probably means it's true, given that Arsenal never comment on stuff like that, and Liverpool would have wanted to keep it hushed too.

Whether we'd go back or not I don't know; I guess it depends on how Chesney gets on for the rest of the season. I suspect he'll do ok and we won't be interested.

[Graham S]

Is Sid Lowe a well-respected journo then? cos that reads like sub-tony parsoles tosh.

imho.

Other journalists on twitter claim his Spanish contacts are impeccable. Of course, everything in these sagas is off the record, so we'll probably never know, since footballers no longer need the cash from tell all, warts and all autobiographies. Picking up unsourced gossip from decent reporters is probably the best we can do.

The situation around the club over the last few years is very complex, bitter and divided. Masch's comments are a tiny fraction of it, although I do have some sympathy with the position that it's unfair to heap all the opprobrium on departing players.

I'd love to know the whole story of the last few years.

[ras el hanout]

They're great all these journalists with the inside scoop who manage to keep silent on it for years until it's all out in the open. It's only then they tell us what they knew all along. I mean, I could do that, after the fact, that's not journalism.

[SMD]

There was some muttering from "reliable sources" that Arsenal put a bid in for Reina over the summer. Nothing much was made of it which probably means it's true, given that Arsenal never comment on stuff like that, and Liverpool would have wanted to keep it hushed too.

Whether we'd go back or not I don't know; I guess it depends on how Chesney gets on for the rest of the season. I suspect he'll do ok and we won't be interested.

Yeah, I heard Arsenal were after Reina too. Last summer was an utter clusterfuck.

[ras el hanout]

Swap him for Fabregas.

[Graham S]

They're great all these journalists with the inside scoop who manage to keep silent on it for years until it's all out in the open. It's only then they tell us what they knew all along. I mean, I could do that, after the fact, that's not journalism.

Sid Lowe was writing about Reina and Torres being pissed off a month ago, and them being off if things didn't change dramatically (but predicted the summer, rather than this last window).

[SMD]

Swap him for Fabregas.

Nah, I'd take Nasri, Vermalen and Arshavin. And £15m.

[christaylor]

Man I'd be totally gutted if Reina went. He's been just about the only player who's stayed consistent throughout the debacle of the last couple of years, we'd have been screwed without him.

[Graham S]

Yeah, I heard Arsenal were after Reina too. Last summer was an utter clusterfuck.

At least they held on to them during that period (even at the cost of adding escape clauses) and sold the club.

Torres may have been disappointed with the identity of the new owners, but they seem alright to me.

In the long term, Purslow's disastrous contributions on the footballing side are massively outweighed by us not going bust and ousting h&g.

[ras el hanout]

Sid Lowe was writing about Reina and Torres being pissed off a month ago, and them being off if things didn't change dramatically (but predicted the summer, rather than this last window).

Disciple was writing about Torres being pissed off a month ago. There has never been a more pissed off looking person for the last few months.

And things did change dramtically - new manager, big moneys signing - so how does that fit in with what this genius said? Oh, it doesn't well I guess if you predict enough stuff you'll be half right.

[Graham S]

Disciple was writing about Torres being pissed off a month ago. There has never been a more pissed off looking person for the last few months.

And things did change dramtically - new manager, big moneys signing - so how does that fit in with what this genius said? Oh, it doesn't well I guess if you predict enough stuff you'll be half right.

Whatever. I'd be surprised if some of the comments in that article didn't accurately reflect Torres' view.

Lowe's own view was that Torres was impatient, handled the move terribly, and that the owners managed the PR well.

I don't think he's a liar and a fantasist, but I have no way of knowing.

[SMD]

At least they held on to them during that period (even at the cost of adding escape clauses) and sold the club.

Torres may have been disappointed with the identity of the new owners, but they seem alright to me.

In the long term, Purslow's disastrous contributions on the footballing side are massively outweighed by us not going bust and ousting h&g.

Of course but the long term is constantly pushed back by the revelations of what went on in the past 18 months. When the takeover was completed, I was hoping that we just needed to plug a couple of gaps in the first team then focus on the squad.

Now it seems we're looking at overhauling the entire first team as well.

[ras el hanout]

Whatever. I'd be surprised if some of the comments in that article didn't accurately reflect Torres' view.

Lowe's own view was that Torres was impatient, handled the move terribly, and that the owners managed the PR well.

I don't think he's a liar and a fantasist, but I have no way of knowing.

It's not that it's this guy and Balague. I mean what use are they writing their smug articles about all the stuff they know AFTER IT'S HAPPENED?

And shut up about all that shit anyway. Yu're dulling our buzz.

Let's look to the future, okay? You're stuck in the past. Mascherano, he's history, he can't get a game. Fuck those guys.

We only think Reina's unhappy because he's Spanish. Maybe he is. He never looks that happy. There you go if he leaves I was saying he was unhappy.

[Graham S]

“@ sidlowe Point is, he didn't see Suarez as a pursuasive measure. LFC's offer jumped 10m after Chelsea bid.”

“@sidlowe: @nikhalton Wouldn't call it a threat. He just didn't see it as a pursuasive action aimed at winning him over. (Was he wrong? Maybe)”

“@sidlowe: @torres9gerrard Yes, agree. But sudden and huge increase in a bid (that wld otherwise have failed) came post Chelsea offer.”

“@sidlowe: And, yes, I do wonder what would have happened if Torres had given Dalglish and Suarez (and others? Adam, perhaps?) six months.”

“@sidlowe: @nadimbadran Yes. I think in some ways the overwhelming emotion for almost everyone concerned is an odd, sad satisfaction.”

“@sidlowe: As I say, I think mistakes were made, a bit impatient, and much of it badly handled. But fear, annoyance, desperation, sadness all genuine”

[ras el hanout]

Yeah, that's terrific, whatever it is.

But moving away from Captain_S Depressed...

I am so fucking PUMPED P-U-M-P-E-D, that's right, pumped for Sunday's game. A fucking win would be so beautiful. Torres doing his sad face oh my god it would be too good to be true. Suarez to score. Fucking get in.

I can't watch the game. Gotta do a running race, I'm going to have to record it and then Likely Lad the shit out of the rest of the day.

[Guest]

Here's Mascherano's take on it. He really does come across like a twat which is a shame because I always really rated him for Liverpool.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/feb/03/javier-mascherano-liverpool-fernando-torres

Yeah I saw that. He can really do one, we all know why he went to west ham and then Liverpool. While he was with us, after we rescued him from not even playing for west ham, he went onto captain his country. So he can go and do one.

Out of interest I was just checking Messi's stats for the season. This season it's 32 appearances, 37 goals, 18 assists. Ridiculous.

Still isn't the Spanish league supposed to be weak...? Stoke, etc.

[dizogg]

I highly doubt we'd go in for him although depending on other targets who knows what might happen. If Reina does leave then I suspect Arsenal might be a more likely destination.

Can't see Wenger spending over £20m on a star striker nevermind a goalkeeper. And that is surely the sort of price range Reina would be in. Absolutely no way would Arsenal sign him. I don't think he'd go to Man Utd either, for a number of reasons.

[dizogg]

Yeah, that's terrific, whatever it is.

But moving away from Captain_S Depressed...

I am so fucking PUMPED P-U-M-P-E-D, that's right, pumped for Sunday's game. A fucking win would be so beautiful. Torres doing his sad face oh my god it would be too good to be true. Suarez to score. Fucking get in.

I can't watch the game. Gotta do a running race, I'm going to have to record it and then Likely Lad the shit out of the rest of the day.

Am I the only one who finds it impossible to resist fast-forwarding through games I record, like some kind of spoilt child opening his christmas presents early?

[Graham S]

Am I the only one who finds it impossible to resist fast-forwarding through games I record, like some kind of spoilt child opening his christmas presents early?

I struggle to watch 90 mins of football if it's not live, I'd much rather watch extended highlights.

The thing about sport is it's full of dull bits, but something amazing might happen at any moment, which is what makes the dull bits bearable.

When I had my TiVo I would find that I even hated to watch matches I cared about a few minutes behind the live feed. I decided this was because on a primitive superstitious level I felt that my ardent wishing and praying could mean that we'd score that penalty. But if the penalty had already been taken, if he had already scored or missed five minutes before, then it was ridiculous to think I could affect that.

And without the voodoo power of sympathetic magic, what was the point?

[SMD]

I struggle to watch 90 mins of football if it's not live, I'd much rather watch extended highlights.

The thing about sport is it's full of dull bits, but something amazing might happen at any moment, which is what makes the dull bits bearable.

When I had my TiVo I would find that I even hated to watch matches I cared about a few minutes behind the live feed. I decided this was because on a primitive superstitious level I felt that my ardent wishing and praying could mean that we'd score that penalty. But if the penalty had already been taken, if he had already scored or missed five minutes before, then it was ridiculous to think I could affect that.

And without the voodoo power of sympathetic magic, what was the point?

That's exactly how I feel, I have to watch matches live or it's pointless.

[Guest]

That's exactly how I feel, I have to watch matches live or it's pointless.

Football First is great though. Watch/Record - starts at 10:30, each half is half an hour. You get to watch 4 games by 3am! Brilliant.

[SMD]

Football First is great though. Watch/Record - starts at 10:30, each half is half an hour. You get to watch 4 games by 3am! Brilliant.

Haven't got Sky.

[Graham S]

David Conn interviews John Henry

The negotiation for us was simply the difference in prices paid by Chelsea and to Newcastle,Those prices could have been £35m and £20m, 40 and 25 or 50 and 35. It was ultimately up to Newcastle how much this was all going to cost. They [Newcastle] made a hell of a deal. We felt the same way.

We intend to get younger, deeper and play positive football. Adding two top players who have just turned 22 and 24 is a good first step.

Deeper? What?

[dizogg]

David Conn interviews John Henry

Deeper? What?

Deeper squad?

Deeper inside young boy's arses?

[redbloodcell]

Deeper as in a better squad probably.

[SMD]

[phresh]

Can't see Wenger spending over £20m on a star striker nevermind a goalkeeper. And that is surely the sort of price range Reina would be in. Absolutely no way would Arsenal sign him. I don't think he'd go to Man Utd either, for a number of reasons.

All depends if he wants to leave, if not then i doubt he'd be sold but there are a lot of quality keepers around at the moment so if anything that might drive the price down slightly.

[Liamness]

Deeper as in a better squad probably.

Due to the offloading of dead weight (Torres) and excellent (Suarez was great at the world cup) to decent (Carroll has great potential) acquisitions, along with the squad being generally in form, suddenly your first XI with everyone fit looks fairly tasty. The depth obviously isn't there quite yet, but IIRC your wages are already a bigger percentage of revenue that most (except Chelsea and City but they live by different rules), so a splurge over the summer is probably out of the question. As far as I can tell though, "it's up to us to generate enough revenue to be successful over the long term" basically means he wants to build a new stadium. Even if he just wants to raise the value of the club and just sell it on, getting the matchday revue up is the first port of call. Remember that pandering to the corporate market, or even worse just raising ticket prices wholesale are also perfectly viable ways to do this though.

[dizogg]

All depends if he wants to leave, if not then i doubt he'd be sold but there are a lot of quality keepers around at the moment so if anything that might drive the price down slightly.

Yeah but he's worth a lot to us and we aren't a team that have to sell to buy anymore.

But I agree if he handed in a transfer request it may be different, but saying that Torres did and we still got £50m.