£35m for Andy Carroll | On loan @ WHU (the big, long, useless streak of pi**...)

[RedRover]

Because he now plays off the front man, NOT in Central Midfield like at Bolton. How hard is that to understand?

So you think moving twenty yards up the pitch would make that much of a difference?

If thats made such a difference to his goals scoring then clearly he is a much much better player than he has ever had credit for. Clearly he has benefitted from the system and playing alongside Carroll.

Worth pointing out that he often also does play in Central midfield, when Ameobi and Carroll played as against Sunderland when I think he got a hat trick.

 

[spinoza]

Suarez was a mite expensive, and Carroll is just daylight robbery.

Good additions to the squad though. The true problem will be Liverpool's missed opportunity to strengthen their defence and their wings, instead of spunking all the dosh on 2 strikers.

 

[CnutOfAllCnuts]

Imagine being taken for a ride by Newcastle United

It's like getting mugged by a bloke with Down syndrome

 

[MPTutd]

To spend 35m on a player I would want:

1) 25 goals a season on average over his time at the club
2) Champs league qualification on a regular basis
3) England regular

Number three I can see happening, but not 1 or 2.

 

[I'm always right]

So you think moving twenty yards up the pitch would make that much of a difference? .

Erm... yes, of course

 

[sully07]

If you look at the big picture, Liverpool traded in a player who didn't want to be there, is injury prone and off form for 2 younger players with great potential for a net spend of £8 mil. Personally I think they are the stronger for it.

Carroll was bought for around twice his market value but they sold Torres for £20mil over the odds in my opinion when you consider David Villas fee.

 

[RedRover]

Erm... yes, of course

Ok then. Average central midfielder with half decent goal record moves up the pitch (sometimes) and starts scoring 1 in 3 for his average club?

I suspect his goal tally will drop now he has to rely on Ameobi leading the line.

 

[RedRover]

To spend 35m on a player I would want:

1) 25 goals a season on average over his time at the club
2) Champs league qualification on a regular basis
3) England regular

Number three I can see happening, but not 1 or 2.

25 goals isn't that many if your side is in europe or has a decent cup run.

Not sure whether they'll be regulars in the CL but the owners may spend big to try and ensure it happens - even if its just to increase the value of the club leading to a sale in the next ten years.

 

[Marching]

Marching, Carroll worth £35m?

Or £15m?

The only reason he's gone for £35m is because Ashley knew liverpool had £50m to spend and desperately need a CF.

Carroll's value is a difficult one...he's a very good player which probably gives him a value of up to £20m and the rest is the potential they are buying which always comes with an element of risk attached to it.

 

[Lynott]

Their hands weren't tied. They were arsefecked by Newcastle.

Liverpool could have waited until the summer and probably gotten Carroll for at least £15m less.

Their hands were tied in terms of letting Torres go.

As for your second point, it's all hearsay and I disagree.

 

[Plechazunga]

The only reason he's gone for £35m is because Ashley knew liverpool had £50m to spend and desperately need a CF.

Carroll's value is a difficult one...he's a very good player which probably gives him a value of up to £20m and the rest is the potential they are buying which always comes with an element of risk attached to it.

There's a particular element of risk when the player concerned is also a total nutjob who can't stop punching people.

It's true Liverpool got 2 strikers in for one, and if you discount the money it's not a bad deal. He looks a good prospect.

But I'd be very surprised if he reached Torres' level, and that's the key, Torres is one of the few players around who can win and save games on his own even when the side is performing woefully. In the larger scheme of things, it's not a good look for a club that believes it should be challenging for honours. A side that a couple of years ago had 5 world-class players now has 2, one the wrong side of 30 and the other quite possibly off in the summer.

If you'd asked 100 Liverpool fans last week, "Would you swap Fernando Torres and ten million quid for Suarez and Andy Carroll?", I reckon about 3 would have said yes.

 

[Sam.G]

If you'd asked 100 Liverpool fans last week, "Would you swap Fernando Torres and ten million quid for Suarez and Andy Carroll?", I reckon about 3 would have said yes.

We didn't have this choice.

I personally think Liverpool made the most of the dire situation Torres left us in. Potentially an excellent strike force. Time will tell.

 

[Name Changed]

Is there seriously nobody on here afraid of the possibility that this thread could be bumped by people like my good self at some point in the future ?

Nope.

Andy Carroll - the 7th most expensive signing of all time. For this thread to be bumped up in the future, he'd want to have turned into Gabriel Batistuta.

 

[Plechazunga]

We didn't have this choice.

I personally think Liverpool made the most of the dire situation Torres left us in. Potentially an excellent strike force. Time will tell.

I think that's fair. My guess is that injury and the likelihood that he didn't really want to leave will mean he doesn't massively take off this season. Next season he might well bang in a lot of goals (if he isn't in prison), and if so your lot won't really care about the money. But if you're going to challenge any time soon you'll need to buy a lot more good players in the summer, two good strikers aren't enough, you have very few top-class players, a rubbish defence and literally no wingers.

 

[Sam.G]

I think that's fair. My guess is that injury and the likelihood that he didn't really want to leave will mean he doesn't massively take off this season. Next season he might well bang in a lot of goals (if he isn't in prison), and if so your lot won't really care about the money. But if you're going to challenge any time soon you'll need to buy a lot more good players in the summer, two good strikers aren't enough, you have very few top-class players, a rubbish defence and literally no wide players.

Agree with most of that.

 

[Sam.G]

Nope.

Andy Carroll - the 7th most expensive signing of all time. For this thread to be bumped up in the future, he'd want to have turned into Gabriel Batistuta.

You lot are making far too much of the fee.

If Ferguson wants a player, he will generally pay what it takes. If that means paying a few extra million, he will still do it.

 

[Eugenius]

Not if he can get better players (or even the same one!) for less money in the summer. And that is bollocks considering he has been saying "no value in the market" for the last year.

 

[Sam.G]

And that is bollocks considering he has been saying "no value in the market" for the last year.

That's a bollocks statement in reality and not one he adheres to. He paid £7m for a streetkid.

If Ferguson wants a player, he will generally pay and do what it takes to get them. Numerous examples of this.

 

[B20]

Nope.

Andy Carroll - the 7th most expensive signing of all time. For this thread to be bumped up in the future, he'd want to have turned into Gabriel Batistuta.

Carroll is moulded on the Vieri template.

 

[MPTutd]

If Ferguson wants a player, he will generally pay what it takes. If that means paying a few extra million, he will still do it.

Agreed.

But don't need to rebuild a team when we do it.

Liverpool need a centre back, left back, two wingers and a central midfielder.

Surely the money would have been better spent buy those as well. Why blow it all on two strikers.

 

[Lynott]

The fee is irrelevant.

A more relevant fee was us paying 30+ million for Berbatov. We hadn't just received 50 million for another player and were screwed by the fact that City came in for him giving Spurs the power to inflate the price by 10-12 million.

Alot of what is being said in here is childish and silly to be honest. Carroll is quality and I think Liverpool have gotten themselves a real quality player who will cause defenders havoc and will only get better.

Liverpool have swapped a want-away striker for two. It's not bad business considering alot of it was done in 48 hours.

 

[CnutOfAllCnuts]

Carroll is moulded on the Vieri template.

Or Niall Quinn template.

Take your pick...

 

[MPTutd]

If Ferguson wants a player, he will generally pay and do what it takes to get them. Numerous examples of this.

But SAF has a proven track record in buy players.

Dogleash and/or Comolli don't.

 

[B20]

Agreed.

But don't need to rebuild a team when we do it.

Liverpool need a centre back, left back, two wingers and a central midfielder.

Surely the money would have been better spent buy those as well. Why blow it all on two strikers.

we did try to sign a midfielder and a winger both.

I think too much is made out of this point right now. It's the January transfer window - how many clubs rebuild in January?

We just sold our top striker which left us in a position of grave weakness, not just playingwise, but in terms of our standing as a club. Imo, we needed a statement of intent to show Europe we don't mean to take such a sale on the chin and go back to our midtable existence without him.

If we don't actually spend much on the areas of the team that need rebuilding in the summer, I'll concede the point. But for January? Nope.

 

[Lynott]

But SAF has a proven track record in buy players.

Dogleash and/or Comolli don't.

Jesus lads can we have a little bit of sense in here please?

Ferguson has many an expensive mistake. Let's try not to make fools of ourselves.

 

[I'm always right]

Carroll is moulded on the Vieri template.

 

[CnutOfAllCnuts]

we did try to sign a midfielder and a winger both.

I think too much is made out of this point right now. It's the January transfer window - how many clubs rebuild in January?

We just sold our top striker which left us in a position of grave weakness, not just playingwise, but in terms of our standing as a club. Imo, we needed a statement of intent to show Europe we don't mean to take such a sale on the chin and go back to our midtable existence without him.

If we don't actually spend much on the areas of the team that need rebuilding in the summer, I'll concede the point. But for January? Nope.

Back to it? Isn't that were you are?

 

[Eugenius]

That's a bollocks statement in reality and not one he adheres to. He paid £7m for a streetkid.

If Ferguson wants a player. he will generally pay and do what it takes to get them. Numerous examples of this.

I wouldn't take that as an example considering that I'm fairly sure that there's all kinds of dodgy stuff going on with agents considering Jorge Mendes is behind it and the president of Vitoria (?) said that they didn't get £7m for him.

And you have to ask yourself why is he looking at bringing in relatively unproven kids rather than going for established players anyway.

We only generally pay over the odds when our hand is forced -- see Anderson, Rooney, Ronaldo. Other big fees have been for proven players not guys with half a season of premier league football under his belt.

 

[Sam.G]

But SAF has a proven track record in buy players.

Dogleash and/or Comolli don't.

KK clearly does. Just 25 years ago!

Time will tell if he can still spot a player.

 

[B20]

But SAF has a proven track record in buy players.

Dogleash and/or Comolli don't.

Yeah, Dalglish never could spot a player, could he?

And Commoli: Berbatov, Modric, Bale, Taarabt, Kaboul, Gomes, Assou-Ekotto, Hutton, Boateng and Pavyluchenko - terrible signings for spurs.

 

[CnutOfAllCnuts]

No, still shocked...

 

[Sam.G]

And you have to ask yourself why is he looking at bringing in relatively unproven kids rather than going for established players anyway.

We have to be realistic about our targets. The top echelon of players wouldn't consider Liverpool at the moment.

We only generally pay over the odds when our hand is forced -- see Anderson, Rooney, Ronaldo. Other big fees have been for proven players not guys with half a season of premier league football under his belt.

So you think Liverpool's hand wasn't forced? Jeebus, there is coffee needed to be woken up to and whiffed here.

 

[CnutOfAllCnuts]

We have to be realistic about our targets. The top echelon of players wouldn't consider Liverpool at the moment.

Surely not true.

You just signed the 8th most expensive footballer in the world!

 

[Eugenius]

Odd choice of signings considering that Taarabt is currently lingering in the Championship, Kaboul was with Harry at Spurs, Gomes is still dodgy; Boateng, Hutton and Pav hit and miss. Only Berbatov, Modric and Bale are really successes and it's not like they were under the radar since we wanted Berbatov and Bale at the time.

 

[B20]

KK clearly does. Just 25 years ago!

Time will tell if he can still spot a player.

More like 15 years ago. He didn't do to badly with his signings for Blackburn either.

 

[Eugenius]

So you think Liverpool's hand wasn't forced? Jeebus, there is coffee needed to be woken up to and whiffed here.

You don't really have anything to play for this season and Carroll's injured anyway and might even go to prison before the summer. You were better off waiting until then and getting him for half that.

 

[Sam.G]

Surely not true.

You just signed the 8th most expensive footballer in the world!

Cnut in Pettiness Shocker!

 

[Ole's_toe_poke]

And Commoli: Berbatov, Modric, Bale, Taarabt, Kaboul, Gomes, Assou-Ekotto, Hutton, Boateng and Pavyluchenko - terrible signings for spurs.

Comolli has a decent record.

Although he does has previous when it comes to deadline day panics. When we were after Berbatov for a month all he could muster up as a replacement was Frazier Campbell on loan, leaving Spurs well short upfront.

Time will tell if Carroll is a good panic buy or a bad panic buy, but make no mistake it was a panic buy.

 

[Sam.G]

You don't really have anything to play for this season and Carroll's injured anyway and might even go to prison before the summer. You were better off waiting until then and getting him for half that.

My point is, the King obviously wanted the player and paid what it took to get him. Ferguson has a track record of regularly doing this.

The merit of actually signing Carroll is another discussion.

 

[B20]

You don't really have anything to play for this season

Why do people say this? European qualification, the Europa League. Bothy important targets for us right now.

Finishing 5/6th with a a European trophy will make a hell of a difference to our ability to attract players than finishing out of the top 10 with nothing.