What next for Liverpool?

B19

Could go in a number of directions.

This year was certainly a blib in terms of how good the team is, so I expect us to be battling for the top 4 again next year.

That said, a lot will depend on our ownership. If we get someone in to stabilise our debts and provide some kind of transfer budget reflecting a top 4 team, I'm confident of getting back to the top 4.

If not, I think it will be difficult. City will only be getting stronger, presumably so will spurs (although I consider them less of a threat) and I think the morale of the squad will take a real dent if it's another transfer window of selling to buy.

mariachi-19

I'm sorry what?

What this year has shown is just how medicore your team really is. You've been beaten by 2 clearly superior sides and one that is about even. Having Torres doesn't make you top four material. When Alonso left, you lost the arse end of your team and now the shit is just dribbling everywhere.

If spurs had got their act together a few years ago, you'd have been out of the four for a couple of years.

Franq

Regardless of any players or Benitez leaving or coming, the problem is that some rich arab has to be willing to:

-buy the club for around 500m (equity value = net of assets and both long and short term debt)
-pay off the debt by making equity contributions of 350m (equity up, loans down = just matter of a less leveraged financing structure and thus less interest payment obligations which are the true danger)
-provide a new coach with a 100m transfer kitty to get some quality players

So the true costprice of getting Liverpool back on track would be up and around the 1 billion pound mark, i'm wondering who is willing to take such a risk in the current economic climate...

Franq

harsh, but

B19

Right, so it is in fact the previous five years that were a blib. gotcha.

You're an idiot if you think going from second to seventh is proof that seventh shows how strong the team really is.

We probably overperformed last season and definitely underperformed this one.

charleysurf

You've now said "blib" multiple times so I assume you think that's actually how the word is spelled?

buckooo1978

i think your right in a sense in the over and under perform bit but the reality is that spurs and man city have overtaken you not only in terms of league position but also in terms of spending power, squad strength.

Spurs and City have got to be a more attractive proposition for player given spurs CL status and city's name your price attitude.

Maybe there are a few romantics out there who will be attracted by Liverpool's history and status.....

of course that all changes if ownership for liverpool does and they are able to replace Rafa and buy some decent players - until then the blib?! may continue

B19

B19

Agree with that, which is why I think it will be difficult

To be honest, I am not altogether convinced by that. Certainly, there were plenty of 'too right' comments recently when Buffon proclaimed how no one actually good would want to play for city, because they are not a big club despite the money. I still think we have more pulling power in and of itself than spurs and city, despite missing the CL.

Problem is, with the current ownership, it's an immaterial consideration. We won't have the money to buy the kind of players spurs, and in particular city, will be looking at.

New ownership and transfer funds for a top 4 club, then I'm confident of getting back into the top 4, whether Rafa is here or not.

fredthered

The stupid thing is, Mike Ashley could actually have had a nice little earner by making them the laughing stock that they were.

Having gone down a league and reducing a crippling wage bill, the rise back into the top flight could be the best thing to happen to Newcastle in years.

After years of mismanagement and managers who quite frankly should never have gone there, you could find that Newcastle, but their decline, have gained the stability they needed and that in turn would make Newcastle a far better proposition to invest in.

it could turn out that Ashley makes far more from making Newcastle a laughing stock and rebuilding them, than he would if he'd ran it properly from the start.

BazzaBear

That article is bloody terrible. Was it written by Benitez?

Someone else has already got it right - they are neither as bad as they've seemed this year, nor as good as they thought they were last.

"What's next?" is a much more complicated question though, and depends greatly on people at the club gaining the grasp on reality which has eluded them for quite a while now.

BazzaBear

B9 - why do you think a transfer kitty will solve everything? You've had one constantly until about the last year (and even that is arguable), and Rafa still managed to balls it all up.
If you've got a kitty, you need a manager who can spend it.

Jopub

Liverpool's situation is nothing to do with money - they need a fking good manager who stops pissing away tens of millions and has decimated the youth system and who bizarrely has only stayed because he got fking lucky one night when he was forced to put Didi Hamaan on at half time in the CL final

Its odd that had he lost that he'd have gone years ago and Pool would probably be in much better situation now on the field

How the board can contemplate for one moment keeping him on is completely beyond me I have to say, but being Americans, and with all due respect, they probably dont realise the qualities needed to manage a top European football club or his feet would'nt have touched the ground surely

Kinky Melinky

Why do you think this ?

sincher

Are Liverpool as good as Spurs' second XI?

----------------Cudicini-------------
Kaboul---Bassong---Woodgate--Naughton
Bentley---Jenas----Palacios---Kranjcar
----------Crouch--Keane--------------

Plan M

Spurs > Liverpool.

More enjoyable to watch, better manager, better players, more money, Champions League football.

End of story.

olesmyhero

Still insisting on the lack of money eh?

Sam.G

Well, it's true..

Jopub

Could you explain how you conclude that Sam?

Where exactly has the lack of funds been the problem for Liverpool and not the lack of nous from the manager?

I s'pose that's two things really but go on give it a go - how has Rafa not had enough money - show us where the supposed lack of it has lead them into 7th place now and apart from a fortuitous CL 7 years ago under performing every year .........rather than wiping the floor with the rest of us

sajeev

well, its not. last season you bought johnson (18 mill) and Aquilani (20 mill)
maybe there was more in the way of income (the transfers on the way out) but still there was at least 38 million spent and that is much more than United who bought Valencia and Obertan (got Owen of a free)

so stop repeating that you don't have money. you have had enough but the investment in players hasn't been right in terms of backing the money with trust in the players from the manager (i guess it is that Benitez has a different philosophy). like when you guys were buying Keane, you could have bought Arshavin for less (anyways just stop saying you don't have money)

Plechazunga

That's surely nonsense. It wouldn't be anywhere near the billion pound mark. They don't have to pay off the debts yet for one thing.

I think they'll be bought by rich Arabs/Indians/Chinese at some point, they're too good a proposition not to.

Hopefully we'll have at least one more season of laughter first.



What a massive waste of cash. We won't share a stadium but how about two identical ones right next to each other.