Football 2014/15

[ThomThomDrum]

Silly trying to make predictions now but it's not impossible to go from 7th to 1st....

[Wooderson]

Spurs fanz. Do tell what it feels like.

[Gucci Piggy]

Lamella and Soldado are the best winger and striker in the league, respectively. Tottenham will be top four next season, they just needed to settle

[kaosmark2]

Lamela was quality in Italy. Whatever went on at Spurs, he was good before he went there.

[Gucci Piggy]

He was, but as you say, he signed for Spurs.

Hopefully Liverpools (seeming) spending of the Suarez money works out a little better than Tottenham's spending of the Bale money did. At least they haven't tried to sign an entire new team yet.

[pink_triangle]

He was, but as you say, he signed for Spurs.

Hopefully Liverpools (seeming) spending of the Suarez money works out a little better than Tottenham's spending of the Bale money did. At least they haven't tried to sign an entire new team yet.

The amount of players linked they seem to be on the way! Their name value and champion league football makes them a bigger draw, however Im not sure they will be able to attract players with bigger profiles than Lamella, Ericksen, Soldado etc. They will have to hope they select better from that class of player and possibly get a bit more luck.

Slightly changing the subject but with every Southampton player seemingly on the way out, am I the only person who thinks they were a little overrated last season? For all the hype, they finished 6 points above Stoke City.

[Gucci Piggy]

The amount of players linked they seem to be on the way! Their name value and champion league football makes them a bigger draw, however Im not sure they will be able to attract players with bigger profiles than Lamella, Ericksen, Soldado etc. They will have to hope they select better from that class of player and possibly get a bit more luck.

Slightly changing the subject but with every Southampton player seemingly on the way out, am I the only person who thinks they were a little overrated last season? For all the hype, they finished 6 points above Stoke City.

To be fair Liverpool without Suarez are already a much better team than Spurs were when they lost Bale, so they should be fine; I'm just not sure they've brought in anyone who can actually improve their first team.

[pink_triangle]

To be fair Liverpool without Suarez are already a much better team than Spurs were when they lost Bale, so they should be fine; I'm just not sure they've brought in anyone who can actually improve their first team.

They have definitely improved their squad. I think if they sell Suarez they need a big(ish) signing to make a statement of intent, kind of like Arsenal did with Ozil.

[Gucci Piggy]

They have definitely improved their squad. I think if they sell Suarez they need a big(ish) signing to make a statement of intent, kind of like Arsenal did with Ozil.

Oh the squad's definitely improved, yeah. If Suarez goes they need a big signing to play behind the striker. Sanchez would be ideal, but doesn't look like it's going to happen. Not really sure there's much available that fits those criteria, though.

[Wooderson]

At least they haven't tried to sign an entire new team yet.

Any club that signs more than 4 or 5 players in one window is onto a loser IMO. It never works.

[kaosmark2]

Slightly changing the subject but with every Southampton player seemingly on the way out, am I the only person who thinks they were a little overrated last season? For all the hype, they finished 6 points above Stoke City.

Nope. They had some good luck with playing teams at the right times, injuries, etc. I think the main thing is that they got points off a number of big teams, and in those looked great in highlights. On MotD they're an excellent team, because they didn't get extended showings when they struggled out 1-0/0-0/0-1/etc.

[Gucci Piggy]

Any club that signs more than 4 or 5 players in one window is onto a loser IMO. It never works.

First team players, yeah. Whoever Liverpool sign I only think they're likely to have 2 or 3 new starters, so I don't think it'll be too disruptive. I actually think they're doing well in adding quality depth.

[TheGayTent]

Been gone 2 weeks, did I miss anything or had it been just the usual cockneys and Cornish discussing the merits of the North West's red clubs?

[mrtourette]

Trying really hard to put my natural bias to one side, why would Sanchez sign for Arsenal instead of Liverpool? I imagine Liverpool would offer the higher wage, are the bigger club and are now back in the Champions League. Besides the attraction of London, Arsenal offer nothing that Liverpool can't top. Get him to at least come to Anfield for a chat and conduct the meeting in the trophy room, preferably next to the 5 Europeans Cups. That oughtta do it.

I think your natural bias is probably still getting the better of you. Arsenal have more consistency, probably still have a higher profile in Europe and have better respected manager and set of players. Liverpool, with the impending departure of Suarez and retirement/waning of Gerrard are not assured of long run of Champions League football and you only have to go back one season to see what potential signings could be afraid of happening again. I think if you follow the pattern that Liverpool seem happier to throw money into transfer fees then it makes sense that they'd be less reluctant to offer higher wages, but I guess how much more we'll never know.

Unfortunately it always depends on how the individual and their agent prioritise the various factors, and as very few other people get to know that information is very hard to accurately state who a player would hypothetically sign for one club over another. There are potentially many reasons why he'd choose Arsenal over Liverpool but you can also come up with many why he'd join Liverpool over Arsenal, although for a modern footballer I doubt having five European Cups is going to be high on the list.

[eFestivals]

Man United will finish second behind Chelsea I think. They seem to be vastly improving

wow - that's a very big call on the basis of very little.

I'd say that even if Utd were to sign 11 new very decent players their return to the top 4 is very far from guaranteed, because all of the teams they'd be competing with would be of similar-ish strength, plus of course those players would have to gel into a successful unit (not guaranteed) and LvG would have to be good with all of those players too (and if you know anything about LvG, that's quite unlikely).

I don't see top 4 as beyond them but neither can I see anything to give a guarantee either way.

[eFestivals]

he can get the best out of a squad mostly comprised of players who aren't exactly world class,

LvG's history says that he can only get the best out of a particular type of player (via their mentality, rather than their skill), and that he fucks the rest off so they don't want to play for him at all.

Given the sense of entitlement that many Utd players have shown in the last year, there's likely to be a bit of friction in and around the squad unless LvG manages to kick out nearly all of that old guard.

[eFestivals]

To be fair Liverpool without Suarez are already a much better team than Spurs were when they lost Bale, so they should be fine; I'm just not sure they've brought in anyone who can actually improve their first team.

oh, they defo have.

While Lambert and Lallana aren't anything better than an 11 they can (still with Suarez) field, they definitely fatten out the squad with quality that was severely lacking in the back-up players last season.

It doesn't push them on, but it does reinforce them for the level they attained last season.

Whether that's enough to keep them in the top 4 will ultimately depend on what the other teams do tho.

The big problem for Liverpool is going to be replacing Suarez. It's unlikely they'll get anything close to his skills for all of the money they get for him.

[TheGayTent]

Origi and Markovic to Liverpool? Seems their transfer strategy is akin to Tottenham's last summer?

Can't say I know too much about either of them - don't pay much interest to either the French or Portuguese leagues.

[eFestivals]

I thought Origi looked pretty good for Belgium the other day. If the price isn't silly I reckon he's a decent punt on someone who should get better..

[eFestivals]

Talk of loaning him straight back. I'd have thought he-D be a good option coming off the bench this season. Unless there's a surprisebig name forward coming in to replace Suarez.

I'd have thought Lambert is going to be the one to be coming off the bench, if Suarez were staying.

And I'd guess that if Suarez leaves then they'll attempt to get someone of top quality as a direct replacement for him, so I'm not sure him leaving changes too much with substitute strikers.

Buying a player only to immediately loan them annoys me intensely - to the point that I don't think it should be allowed.

[Gucci Piggy]

oh, they defo have.

While Lambert and Lallana aren't anything better than an 11 they can (still with Suarez) field, they definitely fatten out the squad with quality that was severely lacking in the back-up players last season.

It doesn't push them on, but it does reinforce them for the level they attained last season.

Whether that's enough to keep them in the top 4 will ultimately depend on what the other teams do tho.

The big problem for Liverpool is going to be replacing Suarez. It's unlikely they'll get anything close to his skills for all of the money they get for him.

Oh yeah I know that, I think I said as much in a later post. By first team I meant their first XI. They definitely have more depth now, which will offset the greater amount of games they will have this season, but unless they get a solid replacement for Suarez I think they'll be in a tough fight for the top 4.

[Wooderson]

Another fascinating season for LFC ahead. Havent purchased too many first teamers thusfar in the window but our bench will be utterly transformed from the dross of last season. Think Louvren will add some aerial strength we've been missed aswell.

[eFestivals]

Think Louvren will add some aerial strength we've been missed aswell.

not if Sktel is off as rumoured, it won't.

[Wooderson]

Haven't seen rumours of him leaving. Agger on the other hand...

[pink_triangle]

I thought Origi looked pretty good for Belgium the other day. If the price isn't silly I reckon he's a decent punt on someone who should get better..

Its difficult to judge him on a few games, Im not sure what he has been like at club level. I think my main fear from watching a few times is that he may be one of those players who looks impressive, but lacks an end product.