Downing isn't a top quality CL player though. Liverpool seem to be investing in players that will make the do okay in the PL, but they won't make an impact on Europe with the kind of guff they are purchasing. It's good to see how much lower their expectations are now though. They used to sign Xabi Alonso, now they can't put a deal together for Charlie Adam.
A lot of teams beat us, do a lap of honour and don't stop running. They live too long on one good result. I remember Jimmy Adamson crowing after Burnley had beaten us once and that his players were in a different league. At the end of the season they were.
WireFanatic II wrote:
Why, if it isn't Catalancs, RLFANS answer to a question no-one asked!
Downing isn't a top quality CL player though. Liverpool seem to be investing in players that will make the do okay in the PL, but they won't make an impact on Europe with the kind of guff they are purchasing. It's good to see how much lower their expectations are now though. They used to sign Xabi Alonso, now they can't put a deal together for Charlie Adam.
Is Park a top quality CL player though? Sure he managed a game in the final not long ago. In isolation, probably not, but what he can bring to a team, the Fergie seems to think so.
95% of fans in this country had never heard of Xabi Alonso when Rafa signed him, he was an unknown quantity, especially in the Premier League.
Liverpool don't need a winger that will do 30 step overs, they need someone who will keep wide creating width, intelligence, bit of pace and someone who can actually cross a ball and more importantly, someone who offers more than what they have now. Downing offers that.
David Beckham didn't have pace, didn't have tricks but he could put a quality ball in the box, that's what he offers and that's what Downing offers. And no, I'm not comparing the merits of both players against each other, I don't care who is the better player, what matters is how any player fits into a team.
They can put a deal together for Adam, they just don't want to pay more than they are willing to pay, just like Wickham, they have a maximum worth of a player and don't want to stray above it and they haven't done it with Adam. Yet when they did for Carroll, they were castigated because of it, but that was a different scenario, same with Henderson to an extent, £13m + add ons for Henderson.
I disagree, i think Downing is a CL standard player. An English version of Valencia, hugs the touchline, doesn't score many goals but works hard and provides quality service into the box.
Is Park a top quality CL player though? Sure he managed a game in the final not long ago. In isolation, probably not, but what he can bring to a team, the Fergie seems to think so.
95% of fans in this country had never heard of Xabi Alonso when Rafa signed him, he was an unknown quantity, especially in the Premier League.
Liverpool don't need a winger that will do 30 step overs, they need someone who will keep wide creating width, intelligence, bit of pace and someone who can actually cross a ball and more importantly, someone who offers more than what they have now. Downing offers that.
David Beckham didn't have pace, didn't have tricks but he could put a quality ball in the box, that's what he offers and that's what Downing offers. And no, I'm not comparing the merits of both players against each other, I don't care who is the better player, what matters is how any player fits into a team.
They can put a deal together for Adam, they just don't want to pay more than they are willing to pay, just like Wickham, they have a maximum worth of a player and don't want to stray above it and they haven't done it with Adam. Yet when they did for Carroll, they were castigated because of it, but that was a different scenario, same with Henderson to an extent, £13m + add ons for Henderson.
Damned if they do, damned if they don't.
Can't disagree with any of that. What the majority of Liverpool fans, who still have they heads in cloud cuckoo land, haven't realised yet is that the top class players that the papers are linking us to will probably not come. The likes of Aguero and Mata can attract great teams in Madrid and Barcelona or great cash at Chelsea or City. We have neither presently. If we sign Downing, he will provide an upgrade on Riera, who despite being fairly limited as a footballer understood what was asked of him and played the majority of the season as an out and out winger in the year we finished with 86 points.
If Downing signs, I can't see us signing any other midfielders unless something major comes off a la Mata. We may add a back up striker and hopefully a left back and I think that will be us. I'll be fairly happy with that as well I think. We always want more but it's not always what we get.
I see why Liverppol want Downing. When you spunk £35 million on the new Michael Ricketts, you have got to have someboydy who can get him the ball. Same with Adam, a cracking player who'll fit right in. I can see a bit of a log jam though. Who starts when all fit?
If you didn't have the proof you should have just said. Trusting people you don't even know on the internet? Brilliant. One of the only ABL's on here. I can understand why united fans get so annoyed. Welcome back to Keithcun as well. One of the few knowledgable (no offence Catalancs) football fans on here.
You yourself posted that Jones, Wickham and Downing would be signing in June. I also recall you saying Adam and Mata were targets. Weren't you the Liverpool fan who said you thought you'd get Clichy for £8 million or less?
According to a decent ITK on twitter, Henderson, Jones, Wickham and Downing will be hopefully concluded in 10 days. With a left back, Adam and Mata still very much on the radar, our squad is certainly taking shape for next season, and more importantly the next few years looking at the ages of the majority of signings we are making. People concerned about the price puzzles me. It's not mine or your money and JWH is showing that he isn't afraid of splashing the cash and backing Kenny to the hilt. We're unloading the majority of Poulsen, Konchesky, Cole, NGog, Aurelio, Kyriagkos, B Jones and Jovanovic so the wages are in place looking at that lot.
For the first time in many, many moons we will finally have a bench that we can actually call on during a game.
Ooops.
Fancy believing somebody who posts on the internet.