Kolo Toure deal agreed !

[gkmacca]

Mmmm...pie!

 

[Leo]

He's a Liverpool player now so I hope he succeeds.
The sad thing is though that lots of people will hope he's shit to prove a point on a forum.
Bit pathetic really.

 

[gkmacca]

I won't hope he's shit. I already know he's shit. He's hardly a surprise package, unless he's had a full bodyectomy and a brain transplant.

 

[livvy145]

 

[Leo]

He is shit but I'm used to looking at shit defenders so I really can't be arsed.

 

[RolandG]

Somehow we'll survive the Kolo Toure ordeal. He may actually be decent for us. Here's to hoping.

Maybe his signing is a ploy to get Yaya in next season?

 

[gkmacca]

Meanwhile, back at Man City, madness descends:

Kolo's gone, then, Boss... Yes, Boss, that's what I thought... It's all a bit lonely here, these days, boss... True, Boss...Shouldn't you be wearing a scarf...?

 

[LeTallecWiz]

 

[Holle]

Somehow we'll survive the Kolo Toure ordeal. He may actually be decent for us. Here's to hoping.

Maybe his signing is a ploy to get Yaya in next season?

In this case we should rather have signed Maradona to bring his son-in-law along.

 

[Mystic]

There's nothing GREAT about toure being at liverpool. He really is quite poor. I understand that rodgers wants leaders and players with winning mentality in the team, but toure isn't the answer. He's here now(or will be) so of course i'll support him and im hoping he proves the majority of us wrong and makes me eat the sweetest of humble pie.

Who exactly were you expecting to sign as third choice? He's on reasonable wages on a short deal, and he's backup, it's a good deal.

 

[Rosco]

60k a week is reasonable?

 

[Glen C]

Who exactly were you expecting to sign as third choice? He's on reasonable wages on a short deal, and he's backup, it's a good deal.

You're presuming he's third choice of course, no one knows yet. Plus 60k a week is a lot for a guy who's gonna be sitting on our bench.

 

[Mystic]

60k a week is reasonable?

For a free transfer, yep. Especially considering it's half the wages the guy he's replacing earnt.

 

[Mystic]

You're presuming he's third choice of course, no one knows yet. Plus 60k a week is a lot for a guy who's gonna be sitting on our bench.

Yes, my assumption is based on him being third choice, if he's not third choice then I am very against this transfer. I'm confident we'll sign Papa or someone of a equal ability though.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

People are going on about all the great attributes he's bringing with him to benefit the team, leadership, winning mentality etc then say don't worry he won't be first choice anyway. So those attributes are a moot point if we're planning to plonk him on the bench.

 

[carlv]

Most people assumed Carragher would have been 3/4th choice last season and not bothered about his pay, the reality is his performances kept him in the team when he was given his chance. Why is Toure viewed differently?. If he is picked presumably he will only keep his place if he deserves it. Most people seem to agree we need cover for the centre of defence as Carragher has retired and more so if Skrtel & Coates leave, also Wisdom & Kelly aren't necessarily ready.
What other experienced centre back would people like to have therefore been signed who would not command a transfer fee and comparable wages?

 

[Jack D Rips]

People are also saying he wont be first choice but he's here to replace Carra, who was erm..... first choice

 

[Oncy]

He's a Liverpool player now so I hope he succeeds.
The sad thing is though that lots of people will hope he's shit to prove a point on a forum.
Bit pathetic really.

Based on what?
I wont, I'll hope hes world class. Because im a Liverpool supporter and not a cunt.

I fucking loathe posts like yours. Bullshit net casting without the balls to back it up.
If you think 'certain' people will hope he fails, feel free to name them. If i'm one of them we'll chat about it until ive proved you wrong, then we'll move on.

Hero fan?

Bit pathetic really.

 

[Oncy]

People are going on about all the great attributes he's bringing with him to benefit the team, leadership, winning mentality etc then say don't worry he won't be first choice anyway. So those attributes are a moot point if we're planning to plonk him on the bench.

Who do you think leads them when they do all that runny up and down the line shit.
KOLO!!!

 

[LeTallecWiz]

I miss Glock.

 

[dee]

Kolo to replace Lucas at DM would do me


Sent from a mobile device - apologies for any crap

 

[Squiggles]

The former Manchester City star's signing betrays the logic of the Reds' recent transfer strategy, but his experience and Premier League know-how could prove valuable at Anfield
COMMENT
By David Lynch

All talk of Liverpool's transfer plans these days must be caveated by references to the supposed policies of the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group. The Boston-based group only want young, low-waged players it is regularly alleged; only those who meet the limited criteria of a 'Moneyball' approach to recruitment will be signed.

But if that is truly the case, then it is rather difficult to see just where Kolo Toure fits in. The 32-year-old defender has signed a pre-contract agreement with the Merseyside club, it was announced on Tuesday, and will move to Anfield upon the expiry of his deal with Manchester City over the summer.

The Ivorian's age and reported wage of around £75,000 per week do not seem to meet any of the preconceived requirements of FSG, but rather hint at a pragmatism that was evident on the field toward the back-end of the 2012-13 season.

Toure is the transfer equivalent of Brendan Rodgers ditching all talk of tiki-taka from January onwards, and the Northern Irishman will certainly hope for similar results – the Reds lost just two of their last 16 Premier League games - from this about-turn.

But Liverpool should certainly be mindful of the reasons they are able to sign Toure, a player who joined City for £16 million four years ago, on a free transfer. This is not the centre-back who played a vital role in Arsenal's unbeaten run to the 2003-04 Premier League crown; his failure to regularly oust 20-year-old Matija Nastasic from first-team duties last season is evidence enough of that.

Toure's peak years are certainly behind him, as conveyed by the steady slide in his statistics over recent years. In the 2008-09 campaign, his last before a big-money departure from Arsenal, the Ivory Coast international boasted a tackle success rate of 77.78 percent and an aerial duel win rate of 44%, but those figures dropped to 73.68% and 40% respectively as he made just 10 starts last season.

That said, it must be noted that Liverpool's scouting team of Dave Fallows and Barry Hunter, who joined the club from Manchester City in October following a period of garderning leave, should know Toure's strengths and weaknesses inside out.

Fans can be confident that, if the 32-year-old has arrived on the strength of their recommendation, then it is one made on the back of first-hand experience.

It would also be impossible to imagine another similarly experienced Premier League defender is set to be available this summer on a free transfer. Not one who is three years younger than the retiring Jamie Carragher and comes for a lower wage packet, at the very least.

Toure's six-month ban for the use of what he insisted were "diet pills" and alleged forays into car sales are but background noise when these factors are considered. Rodgers' ability to improve players who have somewhat lost their way (see Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Jose Enrique) must also provide encouragement that the defender will not continue a steady decline as his career reaches its end.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos may well remain Liverpool's number one target in that area of the pitch, but Toure's experience and quality mark him out as a solid back-up option; something the Reds found themselves markedly short of during last season's disastrous cup runs.

 

[Silver Sean]

Most people assumed Carragher would have been 3/4th choice last season and not bothered about his pay, the reality is his performances kept him in the team when he was given his chance. Why is Toure viewed differently?. If he is picked presumably he will only keep his place if he deserves it. Most people seem to agree we need cover for the centre of defence as Carragher has retired and more so if Skrtel & Coates leave, also Wisdom & Kelly aren't necessarily ready.
What other experienced centre back would people like to have therefore been signed who would not command a transfer fee and comparable wages?

Because one was a Jamie Carragher and one is Kolo Toure.

 

[irishred]

All these people saying he'll bring a winning mentality as if he's the first person to win a trophy...We have a group of players now that have tasted success at some point in their careers over the duration of a season:

Glen Johnson - Chelsea - Premier League (2): 2004–05, 2005–06
Daniel Agger - Brondby - Danish Superliga (1): 2004–05
Martin Skrtel - Zenit St. Petersburg - Russian Premier League: 2006–07
Sebastian Coates - Nacional - Primera División Uruguay (2): 2008–09, 2010–11
Martin Kelly - Liverpool Reserves - Premier Reserve League (1): 2007–08
Jose Enrique - Newcastle Utd - Football League Championship (1): 2009–10
Philippe Coutinho - Vasco de Gama - Campeonato Brasileiro Série B (1): 2009
Luis Suarez - Ajax - Eredivisie (1): 2010–11, Nacional - Primera División (1): 2005–06
Daniel Sturridge - Chelsea - Premier League (1): 2009–10


Then there are lots of players who have won trophies in various other cup competitions:

League Cups, FA Cups, Champions League (Gerrard, Sturridge), UEFA Cup (Gerrard), Copa America (Coates, Suarez), World Cup (Reina), European Championships (Reina), U20 World Cup (Coutinho), European U19 Championship (Suso), European U17 Championship (Wisdom).

 

[RolandG]

Because one was a Jamie Carragher and one is Kolo Toure.

because Carra is a legend!

 

[Molbystwin]

Based on what?
I wont, I'll hope hes world class. Because im a Liverpool supporter and not a cunt.

I fucking loathe posts like yours. Bullshit net casting without the balls to back it up.
If you think 'certain' people will hope he fails, feel free to name them. If i'm one of them we'll chat about it until ive proved you wrong, then we'll move on.

Hero fan?

Bit pathetic really.

Everyone would like us to sign the creme de la creme of players... we just cant... Toure was signed for a reason, he is not a bad player and he is experienced.

If i remember rightly Arsenal didnt want rid of him as he was a highly enthusiatic and popular player as well.... I think its not a bad signing at all...

 

[jexykrodic]

Awful lot of guesswork going on in here.

He's fat (silly), he's shit (very silly), he's on 60,70,80,85k,90k (you've no idea), he won't be first choice (is that what BR says?) etc etc

The blokes not even had the 'photo in kit' shot, signed a contract or even had his first game yet.

It's not as if we're inundated with gifted CB's is it?, Agger's got no voice box or right foot, Skrtel's GPS has failed so we've no idea where he might end up on the pitch and his head is the wrong shape.

Of course he'll play and I doubt he'll let anyone down. He's there to replace the organisational skills Carra has been bringing to the defence and hopefully can make the current crop learn their trade which Rodgers obviously isn't sure of yet.

 

[gkmacca]

So Kolo's really fit and fast (Silly), got a voice box (silly), a round head (silly) and might be first choice (silly).

 

[Hansern]

Right so what good example is Toure going to set? Who is going to benefit?

What can he teach our youngsters? How to get through drug tests?

Right, this thread has turned into a big whooping mash.
I'm not advocating the signing of Toure but I understand why Rodgers signs a player like him.

If you read anything about Toure you'd learn that he's been a great influnce to the young players at the clubs he's been at. Thierry Henry even mentions this in his book. City based journos have been backing him all day about his presence in the dressing room, leadership qualities and Acadamy work.

We're paying him 3 mill a year in wages (if 60k is correct), which is a helluva better deal than 12 mill + wages for Williams.
Hopefully Papadopolous will follow. Him and Agger will probably be our starting CBs.

People saying Skrtel will be here next season are a bit naive. He's off, its just a matter of time.

 

[gkmacca]

Yes, he's better than spending £12m+ on Williams. PR at its best.