2014 or never

[Fox]

I'm getting fed up with this constant talk in the media of liverpool won't get another chance like this.

Ooh city will spend, utd and Chelsea will get stronger, arsenal and spurs will buy big, liverpool will be in Europe so harder to win PL

What a load of shite, firstly we will spend and improve as well plus Brendan will have learned a lot

Secondly we could get knocked out early in CL with our seeding, but even if we get to knockouts that may not affect us in the league. No team has ever win PL without being in CL that season anyway.

We have just as much chance next season. Bollox to them

 

[Mors]

I think we've done a great job of breaking into the top four, and hopefully we can stay there now for a prolonged period, that'd be a massive achievement in itself.
On paper, at the moment, I don't think we've got a squad or defence capable of challenging properly for the league next season. Not when we'll have another 10-20 games on top. It might change in the summer, we get an influx of quality players. Can you imagine if we'd have had to field aspaz upfront yesterday and rest suarez/sturridge cos they wer knackered/injured? That'd be zero goals on top of a shit defence.

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

I think we'll definitely get another chance if we get our transfers right, and if we keep faith in the management and the team, and not overreact. However, that chance may not be in the next season right away. I think the element of surprise was our strength this season, but teams will be wiser to it next season. We'll have to find add a new set of weapons, and that's where quality transfers come in. We may not be able to get all of those in within a window though, hence my thinking we may see a dropoff in our challenge for next season.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

I think this was the best chance to win the league. Hopefully it won't be our last but I do think we will rue missing out on the title this season.

 

[Pesam]

Once again the football pundits on TV have proved as insightful as ever this season, they know fuck all and their opinions are no better than the bloke in the pub.

We have a top manager and are capable of winning the league next season if he gets his signings right during the summer. It doesn't matter that City, Chelsea etc will be stronger SO WILL WE.

 

[Best Believe It]

I get that Chelsea will be better by signing a striker, Man City will be better by spunking tonnes of money, but why don't people figure we'll be better once we get a defence comparable with our attack? Think how good we are going forward, now imagine that underpinned by a brilliant defence. We'll be ace.

 

[Fox]

I see we are being called Keegan's Newcastle for similar choke. Grrrrrr

 

[Frogfish]

We hear a version of City/Chelsea/United will spend and get stronger, Arsenal and Spurs will buy big, almost every season. It doesn't always have a positive affect and it didn't stop us going head to head this season and it won't in the future. There will always be a swing this way or that, no team wins year after year ad infinitum.

With CL & Sponsorship money, a young but maturing team that now has excellent experience of the pressure at the top, and a brilliant young manager that has gained invaluable experience this season, we won't be far away for the next few seasons at least.

 

[Comical Aly]

I get that Chelsea will be better by signing a striker, Man City will be better by spunking tonnes of money, but why don't people figure we'll be better once we get a defence comparable with our attack? Think bhow good we are going forward, now imagine that underpinned by a brilliant defence. We'll be ace.

I agree with this. When you hear how much all the others are supposedly going to improve by, the implication is that we are going to stand still which is total bullshit. We actually have the most opportunity to improve than all those other teams given it's so fucking obvious what we need to do. On top of that if Rodgers improves from this season like he did from last, it's us that they should be worried about.

We have to do three things right - (1) focus on the right areas to improve over the summer which on the basis of the evidence should also include new defensive coaches, (2) not spunk the budget on dross and (3) manage the hangover from this season (and in world cup year) which could actually be the hardest of the three. But in Brendan we trust and this time next year, we'll be saying "imagine....we thought last year was our best chance!".

 

[Judge Jules]

Froggy: agree, but I'm also confident it'll go beyond that. Rodgers has made it clear from day one that he's building something to last, and he's ahead of schedule.

 

[Y1]

I actually think we over achieved this season given oir squad but hey I am enjoying this over achievement. Long may it last. Who cares what next season the other teams do.

kamon on reds.

 

[Rosco]

I'm all over the place on this one - we basically had to win 18 games on the trot to win the title. Which is virtually impossible but we gave it a great go. It's easy to just look at the position with three games to go and conclude we'll never get a better opportunity, and maybe we wont, but we expended a lot to get into that position.

I always think managers will make more mistakes when they have more decisions to make - and Rodgers didn't have to make many, the team more or less picked itself and the main rotation was between Sterling, Continho and Allen. We weren't making wholesale changes because we didn't need to rest players, we didn't have to test the depth of the squad for the most part.

We will have to do that next season and I don't have a lot of faith in much of the squad. That coupled with competing on two fronts will make the job considerably more difficult for Rodgers. He'll have less preparation time, and more decisions to make.

There is also the twenty point swing that is attributed to luck - if you don't believe we got a bit lucky this year and everything was of Rodgers making then you don't need to worry about it, but I have trouble believing we'll be as lucky next year.

I don't think Suarez is going to score 20 before Christmas either. That was a one off that I felt was down to him being pissed off. Count him in for twenty next year, but that's still a drop off I am expecting.

I think next season will be challenging, unless we nail every decision over the summer

 

[Tal]

Add in the fact that Pellegrini will have learnt from his first season in the PL, and that Mourinho will have further built a Chelsea side in his usual image after his second summer back in charge, and our ability to challenge two of the world's richest clubs next season looks far less likely than this, even if we win the title next weekend.

I would say that our priority next season is to cement a Top Four position as we move towards the stadium expansion. I also think we might end up celebrating like Arsenal if we do.

 

[Best Believe It]

Add in the fact that Pellegrini will have learnt from his first season in the PL, and that Mourinho will have further built a Chelsea side in his usual image after his second summer back in charge, and our ability to challenge two of the world's richest clubs next season looks far less likely than this, even if we win the title next weekend.

Why? Why can't we improve as much (if not more) as they can, especially considering the improvement that's already happened during Brendan's spell as manager? I can understand the thinking that both of them should be better next season, what I don't get is why we can't also be?

 

[Judge Jules]

Exactly. The job may well be harder next season, but we'll be better placed to meet its demands.

 

[Mystic]

This season will be a huge lesson for our players, a lot of them would have developed two or three years from this experience. I'm looking at the likes of Coutinho, Sterling, Henderson, Allen and Sturridge. Next season we consolidate, we strengthen the squad sensibly, and we make sure we stay in the top three. The season after, with the bumper champions league revenue, we really charge for the title. If we stay in the top three, financial fair play will really benefit us.

 

[Tal]

We need to recuit enough quality to cope with the twin demands of PL and CL. Looking at the state of our bench, that's a tall order in one summer, especially when Utd will be throwing massive sums about to entice people there instead.

 

[OLD_Lewy]

We've got the best strike force in the league, kids coming through that have dominated the best teams, Gerrard adapting fantastically to a new position that will give him a lot more playing time at a top level for us, amazingly fluid attractive football, back in the champions league, a brilliant looking renovation to a legendary iconic ground, a young manager who's shown he can get the best out of his players and adapt to different situation, owners who are winners and have a concrete plan to bring us success. And the best players around the world will want to be a part of this when our legacy returns to anfield.

The futures fucking scouse red boys, lets have it.

 

[Judge Jules]

Tal, you make it sound as if we're starting from scratch. That's far from the case.

 

[Comical Aly]

Gerrard adapting fantastically to a new position that will give him a lot more playing time at a top level for us

I've been struggling with this when I think about summer signings. The consensus seems to be we need a world class DM but how does that fit with Gerrard's new role? If we stick with the current system of him playing the Pirlo role then where does the new DM play? Alongside him? I guess if we get some super shiny new full backs that can defend and the world class DM is more of a box to box type that could work. We'd need to get some leadership in Centre Back position but we'd probably need 2 there if Agger and Kolo leave so that's a lot of people to bring in given we might also go back for Kopo-whats it as well as Lallana.

As an aside, did anyone notice Jamie's quick comment that "Rodgers doesn't seem to be a fan of Agger" on commentary last night. Without wishing to start another Agger-do, it does sound like he's done for us.

 

[Best Believe It]

We need to recuit enough quality to cope with the twin demands of PL and CL. Looking at the state of our bench, that's a tall order in one summer, especially when Utd will be throwing massive sums about to entice people there instead.

Even if that's true, why can't we achieve that? Given it was a harder task to go from 7th to top of the table with one game to go?

 

[Tal]

Tal, you make it sound as if we're starting from scratch. That's far from the case.

I've no idea how you read it that way. However, don't reply because it's a dead-end in this debate; we need 5-6 quality recruitments according to Rodgers.

 

[nealmac]

I think this was the best chance to win the league. Hopefully it won't be our last but I do think we will rue missing out on the title this season.

I agree. Next season we'll have the distraction of European football, and I don't think we'll have anything close to the chance we had this season.

 

[Fallon]

We need to recuit enough quality to cope with the twin demands of PL and CL. Looking at the state of our bench, that's a tall order in one summer, especially when Utd will be throwing massive sums about to entice people there instead.

I don't know how many you think they can throw on 250-300k, but it isn't many. They also have to attract while not in Europe, and we've seen the difficulty in that.

 

[Tal]

Even if that's true, why can't we achieve that? Given it was a harder task to go from 7th to top of the table with one game to go?

There were a unique set of circumstances this season in our favour; Ferguson gone, Pellegrini new to the PL, Mourinho not yet built his side exactly as he wants after only one summer back in charge, and no CL for us. For that reason the unheard-of move from 7th to almost champions, despite being a remarkable achievement in itself, was very likely 'easier' than under normal circumstances, hence it being unheard-of.

On those grounds, for this season only, I'd say it'll be a harder task to recruit all the quality we need in one summer to put ourselves on a par with our main rivals for squad depth than it was to do what Rodgers has done this season.

 

[Tal]

I don't know how many you think they can throw on 250-300k, but it isn't many. They also have to attract while not in Europe, and we've seen the difficulty in that.

Everyone understands the challenge of recruiting with no European football. But we also know that money talks to most players probably well beyond their desire to rationalise about Utd's chances of getting back into the CL straight away. Besides, the top players know they can give Utd a go and then leave if Europe eludes them.

 

[FoxForceFive]

A lot of this squad/team is young & has had the benefit of a full week in between games, that constant training & improving will pay off long term, not just this season in league position.

I'm not massively worried about what players we buy. That sounds bizarre, but I have a massive amount of faith that if players do what Rodgers ask, & work hard then they will be good enough. He seems to have an incredible ability to get the best out of players.

Next season I'd be happy with top 4, simply cos of the money that brings next season, we can look at trophies once that huge bounty is guaranteed, cos it will create a schism between the cl clubs & the others.

 

[superchimp]

people keep banging on about how city/chelsea/united will get stronger but so will we....

we get two good fullbacks in, along with a top CM and good striker backup we'll be challenging again no doubt about it.

 

[gene hughes]

I agree foxy. Liverpool fans also know that the whole "x,y, z will be stronger next year" thing is bullshit because they said it about us for two decades and we bought players but never really got much stronger.

 

[mom]

It's horse shit. Nobody would have expected this from us last season at all, and the big spenders have always been just that, so why not next season? Sure, it's gonna be tougher, but we are progressing and well. Bring it on