Phil M (ET Crew)

Hence my bracketed comment about them still implementing their own strategy, perhaps I should have elaborated more - I angree with Tony and honourablegeorge, they are looking for a big refresh and doing things their own way, but I still feel they are knowingly taking a gamble, both in footballing terms and fan reaction, that appointing a LVG as DoF will lessen the gamble / impact of hiring a Rodger rather than bowing to the fans (again) and going for Rafa as manager or trying to get an established top coach like Klopp etc. I'm not critising either way, after the dabacle we witnessed under the old regime, I'm open to change and personally I think LvG and Rodgers could work for us provided they can work together. However I still withold the right to feel underwhelmed at the thought of Rodgers and his ilk as our manager!

I'm still undecided as to what I think of her, but an improvement for sure over this Olivia Godfrey who came up when I googled the name; well that failed

And there in lies the rub, was thinking about this earlier and my own personal opinion is FSG were never going all out for one of the 'bigger' names as manager yet knew there would be dissatisfaction over a younger and (with a top team) unproven manager but knew perhaps they had LVG in the bag to 'soften the blow'. In other words hoping exactly for the reaction (whilst still implementing their own ideas and strategy) as shown by Redray. I.E. We overlook the manager appointment to a degree because we have a top name in football joining in a senior position

Clearly some NLP going on in that picture as well by looks of it, question is who was instigating it?

Irony is clearly not your friend fuknuts.

to the guy who posted about Adam's set pieces being worth the fee alone, you are Slurs b*****d love child and I claim my £5. Oh, and you are a complete ignoramous. As for buying proven EPL players, well, they are already, correction, in some cases WERE in the EPL, what did that do for their own respective clubs? Blackpool went down quicker than a Russian bride for sale would claim. Villa (Assuming we waste a spunk load on Downing) barely stayed up and Underland nosedived when it looked like they could maybe challenge for the Europa. What a strong collective CV we have right there. Yes, I am generalising very broadly, and intentionally so because I cannot understand what the hell we are doing. The players bought / expected to be be bought are barely better on paper than what we have. At a push and provided our remaining players stay fit it might be enough for top 4. BUT, we are not a struggle for top 4 team. We should be challenging for the title. I do not buy into this 2-3 year strategy to challenge. FFP is coming in like it or not. This Summer is the last chance to go out and spend without having to worry about it too much. And YES, we are spending, but too much on players that will not improve our 1st 11. Why the hell are we looking at 17m+ for downing when for 20-22, we could get Mata. WTF spunk 7m+ on Adam when we have better already? As for Hendo, f*** me backwards his and Adam fee could nearly get us a Hazard warning.......

WTF is going on this Summer? Yes, its early doors in the transfer window and a lot could ( I effin hope SHOULD) happen before it closes. BUT, KK is quoted as saying he will only look at transfers that will improve the team. Couple with that numerous articles and quotes from FSG bascially saying they will only spend in line with the pending FPP rules and what do we have.... A s*** load of cash on a 20yr old that is one for the future and will not improve the 1st 11. Then 7-9m on a bucket of lard who's position in the team / squad is rumoured to be available due to us happy to sell Raul. ( A big downgrade in my opinion) And don't get me even started on the fee's being spoken for Downing. So tell me this, when are we going to see a signing that WILL improve our first team?

'The £7m fee reported in the Blackpool Gazette is a bargain in my mind, you don't get much for that kind of price anymore. ' £7m is a lot of cash for a bucket of lard. Would rather add that 7m to what we are looking to spend on a certain over rated English winger and just all out to get Mata.

I just signed up to t***ter to respond to some of the Arsenal fools on there stating how we have never won the 'Premier' league. This could be fun

At playing the wrong channel?

naah, that would represent a near miss. Truth would be he aimed for America, but hit Papua New Guninea LMFAO

Another slant on this, We started the season under a crap manger with no reliably fit left backs and Paul Konchesky. We were bottom half of the table at best. Under KK we had no reliable left back and thankfully no Paul Koncheksy. We had a supposidly defensively weak right back filling in at left back, and on occasion a teenage left back or a teenage right back playing at left back. Yet with that 'handicap' we shot up the league. At £5m no one can convince me otherwise that Clichy would not be an improvement on that, maybe not a huge improvement, but if it frees up another £5m towards a possible marquee signing then I'm down with that.

On the basis that what would be our top targets are either going to cost a LOT more than they are worth (Enrique) or are simply out of reach while we have no CL or the fact Real Madrid are sniffing around (Contreau, sp?) then at £5m I have no problem at all with Clichy being our #1 LB next year and who knows, he may prove to be good enough to save us shelling out £10-15M on the same position next year, but if he doesn't, there is a fair bet we coule easily make our money back. Win Win in my opinion Even with new owners and a bit more cash we cannot expect to be able to go out and cherry pick our signings and get them all. Its a case of improve on certain positions as best as possible now (While also investing in the future before FPP really kicks in) and then hopefully going forward we need only go balls deep in the transfer market for 1 or 2 positions at most per season. Just my opinion like, which I know won't count for much with those who remember my judgement on certain other non football related matters

Apparently being reported he chose Man Utd over Arsenal?!

I have every belief we will challenge for the title next season. There are several logical reasons why we (supposidly) cannot simply carry on this form next season, such as how even back in Jan we had nothing to play for in the league so there was no pressure on the players from then on, etc etc, blah, blah. But Kenny has clearly made a huge positive impact on the squad, including players that as much as I love the club I had little faith in being able to help us challenge for silverware. Now we have new owners who I see as natural born winners and being an IT nerd I'll liken them to Cisco. Cisco do not enter a market unless they believe, no expect, to very quickly achieve #1 or #2 'market position'. We all see the quotes saying the club will only spend within their own means, but I expect a major summer of transfers. Its the last Summer that clubs can really spend beyond their means as far as the FPP goes and I don't think our owners will let this window pass without acting (albeit not on the Man City / Chelsea levels). I reckon that in an ideal world where without CL football we can still attract world class players, if we were to get acceptance from our first choice targets we then we would easily see £50m spent on 2 players, and several million more invested in younger talent. The other difference this summer is that if the first choice players dont want to come, then we'll just f*** em off and wait for another first choice player rather than sign a 2nd rate choice for the sake of it or have a clown go out and spend £20m on a s*** player rather than spend a few million more on a great player. We will still need to strengthen the squad, no doubt, but not to the extent of having to spend £10m to save a futher £5m for a top target, or for going after expensive Bosman cast offs (See J. Cole)

I think they ruled out a full sponser renaming if they stayed at Anfield, hence the sponsering parts of the ground individually. A stadium naming partner / sponser is only being looked at for a new build stadium and finding such a partner is part of the decision making process (on the finance side) if expanding Anfield of moving to a new ground

Is he still s*** at pool?!

Just opinion, but I disagree. Never a world beater but without the injuries I would have had no problem him being the second choice right back and even an emergency winger during the last couple of G H years. Of course he has no place in the squad from here on as we have higher expectations but I still would not call him shocking On another note, Is big Dave G still around?

Apart from being a physical hybrid of Chris Kirkland and Fabio Arelio I don't get the major dissing of Degan, whenever I have seen him play (not that often given his injuries granted) he has actually looked a very good marauding right back. Was never signed as a first choice but had he not been made of brittle cheese he could actually have been a quite decent squad player in my opinion. As for Forlan, you can f*** right off, that dogs had his day and Adam smacks of a 2nd choice type signing, no where near the quality I would expect us to be looking at to kick on next season, I mean come on, I'm not far off 40, smoke like a trouper, drink far too much and do no exercise what so ever yet he carries almost as much ballast as I do.... Also major concerns with the link to Young, IF we were to sign him, surely it would be as a winger, but according to a Villa ST holder at work he see's himself as a much more central player and has a strop if played out wide. Downing can do one as well, we can and should be signing better. OH, and long time no post, so hello to all those who remember my mysogonistic ramblings at Cob's comedy night and my all too close for comfort flirtation with a Russian bride scam What the deuce, post count 1?! When did the counter reset?

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I'm not even going to try and second guess what Rafa will do, but I think the team will be a fairly good reflection of his expectation of the game. If he swaps Alonso for Masch then I reckon he's going there for a point, keep Alonso in and he's going for all 3. (Assuming no other major team and formation changes) Personally I'd stick with the same team that played last night - why change a winning formula...

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