What do we want?

[mark1975]

Ok....

I see loads of threads knocking City for their transfer policy, while for years we've thrown the same sort of abuse at Chelsea and even Real Madrid.

In the wake of take-over talks, the potential for big spending and dream teams, I thought I'd ask what do people genuinely want?

Do we want a case of Football Manager fantasy where we can buy who we want? Spending £50m on a player who could either be a pre-madonna or our next 'God'?

Or do we want to plod on grafting the hard(er) way and hoping to one day gain the recognition and success all our hardwork has gone towards? One where the legacy's of Rafa and Houllier would be recognised for the parts they've played as we build ourselves gradually toward a rewarding, hard-earned future?

Or do we want to lay somewhere in the middle? The ability to spend if needed, but with a manager and hierarchy focused on the long-term financial and footballing future of the club, where we don't just spend for spending sakes but we live out our old philosophy of if there is a better player available then we go for them, within financial reason.

Your choice. And is there a moral line that can be drawn? Do you just go with it and all it entails, the 'Modern Game' or do you try to keep some identity and dignity to maintain a more level playing field?

 

[Whitey85]

I just want to win trophies. I'm past caring how it's done. Fuck Chelsea, Fuck Man City.

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=Whitey85 link=topic=41286.msg1148716#msg1148716 date=1281013088]
I just want to win trophies. I'm past caring how it's done. Fuck Chelsea, Fuck Man City.
[/quote]

Fair play 😀

 

[Modo]

A new stadium
Three world class players

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=Modokay link=topic=41286.msg1148719#msg1148719 date=1281013271]
A new stadium
Three world class players
[/quote]

Ok, but what about the future?

The stadium would be a massive help obviously, but don't kid yourself that the fans would be fooled by three big signings and a stadium, if a couple of years down the line we're restricted to less than £20m a year in transfer fees (or much less as currently seems).

 

[RolandG]

I want common sense to prevail. We have a strong spine so its unnecessary to want to replace the whole team with world class players.

What we need are first team players with that X-factor for LB, RM, DM and a back up striker to take us from also rans to actual contenders. They don't have to be the best players in the world but they should be a good fit for our club.

That we may end up as a club with money doesn't mean we should neglect our youth set-up either.

 

[SummerOnions]

I primarily want a new stadium, and to push money into our youth academy to give the club a local feel. I want to see the next Stevie G and Carra emerging more and more.

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=SummerOnions link=topic=41286.msg1148725#msg1148725 date=1281013480]
I primarily want a new stadium, and to push money into our youth academy to give the club a local feel. I want to see the next Stevie G and Carra emerging more and more.
[/quote]

Everton are doing something right on that score, and we're obviously missing out somewhere along the line.

 

[SummerOnions]

Yep, so it isn't just money behind it.

Even so, i'm sure powerful backing could help persuade the kids to come here rather than Goodison.

 

[Squiggles]

I want to be run sensibly, but with cash to spend when we need it.

The squad does need significant money spent on it, but I want this to be spent correctly with a long term vision. That's what is important. Otherwise we'll end up as just another Manchester City, and that would be embarrassing.

Also, as others have said, the stadium comes before anything else. It's something which just has to be constructed ASAP.

Arsenal are probably the best club to follow an example of in recent years, but we'll need a squad investment now so we are able to spend less over the three seasons it will take to construct the stadium, and still compete for trophies.

 

[doctor_mac]

With a big stadium built, and improved marketing we'll finally be able to take advantage of our popularity. We'd like to be able to splurge here and there, of course, but developing our own talent must be a priority.

 

[Pesam]

I don't want us making Tevez-like & Adebayor-like signings in which the club are held to ransom and pay wildly over the odds for the players - a nice sensible, pragmatic approach would do me with one exception........ I would splash out £20m on a world class left back just because I have had to watch Bjornbye, Dicks, Insua etc stink-up the position for the last 15 years and it would be a pleasure to watch an Evra, Lahm type of player finally.

I would then spend £25m in total securing the services of Defour and Turan, another £10m on a top young forward (maybe Remy). I would try and sign Jagielka from Everton for £20m but I reckon they'd want more and that's where it ends up messy like the Tevez/Adebayor transfers, so we will do without.

I would spend £10m on some very talented kids in the lower reaches of the league; Wickham (Ipswich), Bradshaw (Shrewsbury), Westwood (Crewe), Grant (Scunthorpe) etc.

These additions when combined with the likes of Gerrard, Agger, GJ, Pepe, Torres, Cole, Kuyt, Carra etc would make us league champion material for this and future seasons.

 

[Modo]

[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=41286.msg1148720#msg1148720 date=1281013367]
[quote author=Modokay link=topic=41286.msg1148719#msg1148719 date=1281013271]
A new stadium
Three world class players
[/quote]

Ok, but what about the future?

The stadium would be a massive help obviously, but don't kid yourself that the fans would be fooled by three big signings and a stadium, if a couple of years down the line we're restricted to less than £20m a year in transfer fees (or much less as currently seems).
[/quote]

The future is, like someone else stated, in the Academy. But I don't think it's a money issue. Rafa left us with a promising youth and reserve team. I just want them to play.
The bottom line is a new stadium and new owners will hopefully give us some stability. That's what I want more than anything right now. I don't want the club to turn into Real Madrid or Man city or Chelsea (a few years ago).
Players like Kelly, Suso, Pacheco and to some degree Sterling are the future. But it's a shame only one of them is a scouser. So hopefully in ten years time we'll have a squad of mostly homegrown players laced with foreign world class players.

 

[Squiggles]

I'm always a bit unsure on the fascination of developing our own talent.

It doesn't interest me one bit.

They're not even local kids any more.

 

[Markeh]

[quote author=Squiggles link=topic=41286.msg1148738#msg1148738 date=1281014650]
I'm always a bit unsure on the fascination of developing our own talent.

It doesn't interest me one bit.

They're not even local kids any more.
[/quote]

true but if its done right you'd have a squad like barcelonas

i want the club to have one £100m summer - we need 4 or 5 top players, then the seasons after that we can add one top player and kids a year but retain the ability to buy more than that if necessary

 

[Molbystwin]

It is a myth that football has ever been moral. I would very much like the majority leagues to follow a model more fan centred such as the Bundesliga, 45 quid for a ticket is criminal. I would like it if all the games were free to air as well to stop the massive inflationary distortion it has caused but the truth is the money men have always been in charge its just that now its more obviously obscene than it was previously. On the bright side you aré highly unlokely to get knifed or crushed to death as though you dont matter nowadays.

If the big boys aré already involved, and they most certainly aré, then i have absolutely no problema with being owned by a superpower and kicking ten shades out the rest. I find that moré appealing than being run into the very ground.

 

[ibromurph]

[quote author=Squiggles link=topic=41286.msg1148732#msg1148732 date=1281014286]
I want to be run sensibly, but with cash to spend when we need it.

The squad does need significant money spent on it, but I want this to be spent correctly with a long term vision. That's what is important. Otherwise we'll end up as just another Manchester City, and that would be embarrassing.

Also, as others have said, the stadium comes before anything else. It's something which just has to be constructed ASAP.

Arsenal are probably the best club to follow an example of in recent years, but we'll need a squad investment now so we are able to spend less over the three seasons it will take to construct the stadium, and still compete for trophies.

[/quote]

Yep. Stadium first and foremost.

However, I wouldn't mind if our new owners spent BIG money on transfers fees in the first few windows (before as, Markeh said above, add only one top player a year - our usual 20m spend) so long as we kept a strict wage bill throughout (based on whatever the turnover of our new stadium would allow).

Where Citeh and Chelsea are possibly screwed is their wage bill being totally disproportionate to their income. Should their owners pull out they'll have to sell everyone to keep afloat and I don't think Adebayor or Lampard would want to move from their fat contracts (look at how Insua scuppered a move because he didn't want to lose 10k a week on his wage).

So, as long as we kept a sensible wage bill and bought a sensible amount of players (25 man squad), i'll be very happy.

 

[dee]

I'd suggest the new sustainability rules will ensure that any silliness will be short-term/temporary

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Stadium

buy intelligently - not like Citeh, or even Mourinho's Chelsea where they spend 20 million on a few players to warm the bench - you can spend big but do it b/c we need it, not just for the sake of it

the last point is key: buy the best young talent and ensure the reserve squad is trained to be able to fill in. money is nice, but it will go probably. we need to ensure that our future doesn't depend on their money.

 

[TheBunnyman]

I agree with Dee: UEFA's new rules will make all of this a non-issue pretty soon.

 

[Judge Jules]

[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=41286.msg1148715#msg1148715 date=1281012941]
Ok....

I see loads of threads knocking City for their transfer policy, while for years we've thrown the same sort of abuse at Chelsea and even Real Madrid.

In the wake of take-over talks, the potential for big spending and dream teams, I thought I'd ask what do people genuinely want?

Do we want a case of Football Manager fantasy where we can buy who we want? Spending £50m on a player who could either be a pre-madonna or our next 'God'?

Or do we want to plod on grafting the hard(er) way and hoping to one day gain the recognition and success all our hardwork has gone towards? One where the legacy's of Rafa and Houllier would be recognised for the parts they've played as we build ourselves gradually toward a rewarding, hard-earned future?

Or do we want to lay somewhere in the middle? The ability to spend if needed, but with a manager and hierarchy focused on the long-term financial and footballing future of the club, where we don't just spend for spending sakes but we live out our old philosophy of if there is a better player available then we go for them, within financial reason.

Your choice. And is there a moral line that can be drawn? Do you just go with it and all it entails, the 'Modern Game' or do you try to keep some identity and dignity to maintain a more level playing field?
[/quote]

Somewhere in the middle, with a recognition that both GH and Rafa played important roles in our history, even if they were ultimately not able to take us all the way to the title again.

 

[LadyRed]

There was a time I would have said I didn't want us to be like Blackburn or Chelsea and 'buy' the league. Now, I'll take it anyway we can get it. We're Liverpool FC, we've always been a great club, we just need money to help us be a great team again.

I don't want us to buy the way City are and over paying, but then I don't think we need to. This is where a club name a reputation come into play, players aren't coming *just* for the money, they'd come because they know all about LFC, and the money is what would get them to us and show that we're a club that's actually capable of competing.

 

[zlatan18]

We have a good team at the moment and i dont want us to become like man city throwing $150,000 a week at players just because we have money. As long we keep our club running the way it is now would be great, with a few good additions without spending 50mil on 1 player.

Id bring in:

Vargas: 15mil
Dzeko: 30mil or Aguero
Flamini: 10mil or Martinez 15mil
Ozil: 12mil

and then spend some more money on up and coming players like Pesam mentioned: Wickham (Ipswich), Bradshaw (Shrewsbury), Westwood (Crewe), Grant (Scunthorpe) .. so that we have some good upcoming players coming through our youth system.


-----------------------Reina----------------------
Johnson------Skrtel-----Agger-------Vargas
------------------Flamini/Martinez-------------
Cole----------------Gerrard----------------Ozil
----------------Torres----Dzeko/Aguero------

 

[Squiggles]

Ozil has skillz

Mesut Özil fazendo embaixadinha com chiclete!

 

[Dahuge]

I want a new stadium, a couple of proper class signings and then when the stadium is built for us to live off what we make.

If we don't win anything then so be it but I doubt that as we would a god kitty.

 

[Judge Jules]

[quote author=Dahuge link=topic=41286.msg1149025#msg1149025 date=1281037104]
I want a new stadium, a couple of proper class signings and then when the stadium is built for us to live off what we make.

If we don't win anything then so be it but I doubt that as we would a god kitty.
[/quote]

Er, OK, if you say so. ???

 

[WhyAlwaysMe?]

I'd like the stadium and then 2 or 3 big signings. We already have a fabulous spine to the team and don't need a major overhall..

Reina, Johnson, Carra, Agger, Gerrard, Cole and Torres are as good as it gets.. 2 or 3 players pf their calibre displacing others onto the bench and we'd be laughing.

(Also Mascherano is as good as the others but i'm resigned to him leaving regardless on our financial situation.)

 

[LarryHagman]

I want the arse to fall out of football & sky tv and go back to being the way that it was.

No analysis sessions that are longer than the games themselves, no week long discussions about referee performance, no moaning about goal line technology, no poaching 12 yr olds from Zimbabwe, 500 quid a week wages, no wags, no Cashleys, JT or Lamps, no 1500 pound season tickets, no billionaire murdering owners, teams full of people whose name you can pronounce, no Zidanes spotted looking for houses in Tuebrook, a couple of live games a week, the FA cup mattering, surprise teams doing well rather than the same 4 or 5 every year etc. x 1,000,000.

Never in the history of footy has what actually happens on the pitch mattered less than it does right now. The 90 minute game is almost incidental to the circus that surrounds it. Its getting a bit boring to be honest.

 

[Frogfish]

In other news : The Green Party has put forward their 'return to stone' policy and are now advocating that we dispense with electricity and return to the good ol' days of oil burning lamps, horse-drawn carriages and sail ships. Naturally the internet will pass into history and you can start ditching your iPhones and iPods right now.