Liverpool Banter Archive May 15 2017

15 May 2017 23:38:51
Anyone going to the game on Sunday can you make some noise this game is massive and we can be the 12tm man.

15 May 2017 20:20:05
If we beat Boro on Sunday and if we win the final qualifying round for the champions league proper then and maybe then we should start thinking about quality signings no point in counting our chickens before that however if everything works in our favour and we do have champions league football next year could we rekindle our interest in Jonas Hector or someone of his calibar for our lb position with Milner as back up no disrespect to young Robertson but if we are to make moves in the right direction surly we have to start buying quality players to strengthen the 1st team were it's needed, Robertson imo is not much of an upgrade on Milner and someone in the same vain as Clyne who himself is just not good enough to be 1st choice rb it just seems to be the same old same old just settling for mediocre players which will do nothing to solve the underlining defensive problem that has haunted us for years now come on FSG if we seriously want to start challenging for things it's time to start buying quality players now not kids with potential for the future put your money where your mouth is, don't forget Klopps net spend in the last 3 transfer windows has been less than £10 million time to get the warchest out and back Klopp big time in the market if we habour any ambitions of challenging for things on a regular basis in the near future . Rant over!

15 May 2017 20:29:36
No point leaving transfers till the very end of August.

15 May 2017 21:24:17
Would agree with u Adamski that we can't wait till the end of August I just wanted to point out that calibar of player we need to be going after has to be ready made to improve the 1st team not constantly buying kids with potential I'm quietly confident that we will win Sunday qualify for the Champions league 3rd round and hopefully win that to get us in there proper I just think we need to be aiming higher when it comes to getting quality players in to bring it up to the next level .

15 May 2017 22:02:27
I checked. The OP was entirely, completely, one sentence. Now I'm imagining saying it without pause, with one breath only. LOL.

16 May 2017 05:12:11
Notsozippy - it would make it a lot easier to read if you threw in a fullstop every now and then.
Regarding your original point, I haven't seen enough of Robertson to judge but I agree that we need to buy players to strengthen the team.

16 May 2017 14:44:00
I have seen Robertson play a few times, he has a very good left foot, is strong, 23 rs old, can score a goal, very rarely misses a game thru injury, seems to be very level headed, he has a great engine, ticks quite a lot of boxes, including already settled into the Prem, and a really good price, I can see him being very solid . Sign him .

16 May 2017 19:15:01
Disagree, Reforever. Robertson is not who we need as there are better LB's out there that we can get. We are interested in Ricardo Perreira who can play both RB and LB and has more quality end product in his left toe than Robertson possesses overall and Porto are willing to sell. I have seen him play and he is just quality would add to our squad and improve the first 11. Robertson is not even better than Milner and the only way that he is better is that he is naturally left footed, which means absolutely nothing.

15 May 2017 17:20:24
Question for Ed001 and fellow posters - what do you think of Kenedy of Chelsea? I have seen him play twice (once against us last year or the year before) and I felt he played really well. The funny thing is that I thought he was a left winger, but he's listed as a left-back. So, although he seemed good enough in attack, what's he like as a defender? Is he worth looking at for our LB position? He's only 21, just had an unsuccessful loan at Watford, and reportedly looking for a move.

{Ed001's Note - I have never seen him play that I can remember.}

15 May 2017 17:39:35
Ok, Ed001, thanks.

{Ed001's Note - sorry I couldn't help.}

15 May 2017 18:52:48
Saw him play once vs LFC last season at the Bridge and he is not an LB. He is a midfielder and played on the left wing that day.

15 May 2017 19:21:06
N Red - As I said, I thought he was a left winger. I was browsing through the transfermarkt website looking at Robertson's value vis-a-vis others, and I came across Kenedy's name, and I remembered how well he played that game, against us. They list him as a left back. In any case, my mistake.

15 May 2017 19:31:02
He is playing tonight if anyone wants to watch him.

15 May 2017 20:00:54
Average winger who is having to convert to a left back to have a first team career at the top level. Doesn't mean he can't or won't though.

16 May 2017 15:28:44
Isn't this Chelskis model though, converting wide midfielders into wing backs - good luck with that one by the way, although not like the place is awash with really good full backs anyway these days.

15 May 2017 13:45:15
Are we really looking at Robertson and Macguire? i've only seen twitter rumours so im assuming nonsense, anything real attached to these EDS?
Id have thought with the prospect of Champions league we'd be looking at better players (and no disrespect to them at all intended, you get my point)
Seriously hoping we stop with all this 'potential' nonsense in the transfer market asap.

{Ed002's Note - The club have been watching Robertson in recent weeks.}

15 May 2017 15:15:24
Robertson is better than any LB we have had since Aurelio. Take from that what you will.

15 May 2017 15:16:42
Same old Liverpool concerning transfer targets and especially British players. Hoping that we miss out on players speaks volumes.

Robertson is the left back version of Clyne. Not great going forward or crossing. Poor defender.
how are we improving on this season next season by adding more players that can't cope when we they are pressed or have no time and space? Robertson like cylne is a headless chicken.
I would love to know who has watched Robertson in our scouting system and thought the boys in anyway good enough. Or if it's Klopp that's a fan of him, someone needs to check his glasses.
There are a lot of question marks already in our back line. Adding Robertson will add further ones.

{Ed002's Note - Maybe the problem is the person choosing these players?}

15 May 2017 15:26:39
"Robertson is better than any LB we have had since Aurelio. Take from that what you will. "

Better than Moreno and Enrique 🤷‍♂️.

15 May 2017 15:43:11
Why is there an assumption among many fans that if the player we are interested in comes from a "lesser" team then he's no good?

15 May 2017 16:00:11
No one's assuming Robertson will be a bad signing because he plays for Hull. People believe he will be a bad signing because he is just not a very good footballer.

{Ed002's Note - You need to kick off a hate campaign - it is the Liverpool way. Pitiful to read posts like this.}

15 May 2017 16:02:13
He's an improvement on Milner which is all he needs to be if he's cheap. We aren't trying to solve the issue for the next 3/ 4 years just 1 or 2 while we wait for someone like sessegnon or some decent full backs to come on the market. If he's an upgrade on Milner (which he is) then jobs a good one.

15 May 2017 16:08:35
I am a fan of the Scottish national team- I have seen Robertson play at international level and I am certain he is not good enough to make it at the top level.
By saying that it does not mean I hate the boy.
I am just commenting on his footballing ability.

15 May 2017 16:25:37
I remember when we bought finnan from a mediocre Fulham side. He turned out to be the best right back I've seen play for us in my time. I reckon this hull lad will do the same. Be positive lads.

15 May 2017 16:24:29
There's no hate towards the player, how is expressing the fact that the player doesn't seem good enough to play at this level translate into hate. We're at a point where we are able to attract better quality of players with more money, better manager and CL football yet we are targeting the same calibrate of player. Some of us watch other teams play and have seen Robertson play and deem him not much of an improvement on what we have. In fact Moreno is superior to him going forward and not much worse than him defensively. We're not a mid table team to be targeting such players, I have no problem targeting players that are playing at a high level for 'lesser' teams but Robertson isn't.

Stupid excuses like 'if he had an exotic name everyone would be after him' is what mediocrity has done to some fans, either that or you don't have a footballing brain to tell whether a player is good enough or not. Robertson is a quick cheap option, something we have looked to do at left back and goal keeper, sometimes they work sometimes they don't. For Liverpool, more often than not it doesn't work out. We don't have the recruitment or scouting team that can pick a gem or a diamond in the dirt so I don't trust their judgement. We need to aim higher, but that doesn't mean signing a marquee name or spending buckets of cash, for example sessegnon is superior to Robertson, he isn't a marquee name, might cost slightly more but is superior to Robertson. And even though I'm not convinced by him either he would be the better option.

We need to be efficient this summer, spend money on the areas that are weak in the first 11 and that is it. Improve on the players we have playing in certain positions already. The left back has to be better than Milner and Moreno (stats show Milner has been better than Robertson) . The centre back needs to be better than Matip and lovren, etc. Otherwise we are just buying potential squad players again. We need to stop acting like a mid table team, especially when it comes to the defence. It doesn't mean all the players brought in will hit the ground running but it certainly increases our chances.

15 May 2017 16:49:30
What do you want from a fullback?

If it was up to me I'd have Dennis Irwin over Roberto Carlos.
I want a solid dependable defender not someone doing stepovers down the wing.
I don't know enough about Robertson though.

15 May 2017 16:51:57
Spot on, Kman92. Robertson is not the answer whether in the short or long term. That much is true. He has no end product to his game, no quality crosses and as some one said, he is simply a Nathaniel Clyne at LB (see his perf vs WH and we might as well have been playing with 10 men) . We need to aim higher and there are very good (not great) LB's out there and considering Robertson just smacks of laziness in my opinion.

We don't need a LB to be Roberto Carlos. We just need one who will defend well and offer quality service to the attackers, a huge part of Klopp's system and Robertson is not the solution. The scouts need to stop looking for easy outs and focus on improving problem areas in the team and not try to get bandaids in to fix a perennial problem.

15 May 2017 18:24:26
My original post said i didn't mean to be disrespectful to the boy and i certainly don't hate him but would i sign him given that we nedd some quality? No, is he better than anyone in the youth sides? There can't be much in it, i've seen him a few times and i fail to see what anybodies scouts would see that would make him hot property for a top 6 side, he's played for a side that has pretty much downed tools at times and im sure the money would be better spent elsewhere, in yesterdays game where palace destroyed them there was even a section of play where the lad on the wing was forcefully telling him where to run to create space, seriously? Does that smack of good enough for Europe? Not to me
This club needs to start setting its sights higher than competing with wba and west ham for players needed ( again no disrespect intended) thanks for the initial info ED02 i wasnt trying to stir up the troops, just trying to have a proper football debate lol no hate here from me just despair haha!

{Ed002's Note - You need to force Klopp out and get a manager in who wants the same players as the fans then.}

15 May 2017 18:33:43
Full backs first priority is to defend then attack or support the attack, we have not really had a player who could really do either well enough for years and those that can command a high price.
The full back position is undervalued but current and past successful teams have excellent full backs and something I hope Liverpool address this summer.

15 May 2017 18:59:51
*we don't have champions league football, will people
Please stop tempting fate. Even 4th gives us a qualifier, let's just wait until we're actually in the group stages before we start celebrating just yet.

15 May 2017 18:51:21
Kman - "better manager and CL football". Don't jump the gun. We still have a tough game to play first and it is not nailed on that we will win it.

Let's just keep our powder dry until things are sorted one way or the other.

15 May 2017 20:44:28
His stats are far worse than Milners in nearly every aspect, he's been part of the worse defence, second only to Swansea. He has definitely part of the problem in the last three or four games. It's got nothing to do with a hate campaign but more to do with the poor quality, his best attribute is his early crossing but with the type of player we have up front that isn't going to benefit anybody.

15 May 2017 21:10:15
I actually like Robertson. Really good crosser, gets up and down the line well, and is actually a lot more solid defensively in a back 4 than he is playing with a back 3/ 5. Probably not the best left back we could acquire, but might make the best sense for fee paid.

15 May 2017 22:18:28
Hi Ron and eds and reds
Fergie reckoned that pound for pound that Dennis Irwin was his best ever signing. 625 000 a steal.

It's hard to judge the value of money over time but who do you think pound for pound was Liverpools best ever signing?

DALGLISH was greatest ever but Stevie for coming through the ranks and staying with us must be up there with the best value for money.

15 May 2017 23:00:02
All acting like we've signed him pmsl.

It's actually quite common for a club to watch numerous players that play various positions during the course of a season.

Reading some of the above comments is actually quite laughable. Give your heads a good shake please!

We are watching the lad, what's the harm?

15 May 2017 23:25:04
Theres a few reasons where concerned about robertson.

Like pennant, babel, bellamy, johnson, skrtel, voronin, aspas, alberto, ballotelli, poulsen, konchesky, dossena, adam, diouf, diao, jovanovic, cheyrou, pongolle, cole, traore, cissokho, sahin, ngog, borini, xavier, nunez, allen, kyriarkos, lambert, markovic, moreno, insua, kromkamp, josemi, barragan, el zhar, klavan, degen, assaidi, yesil, manquillo, bogdan, jones, merieles, benteke, downing, carroll, enrique (ANOTHER LB), coates

Eveb the likes of clyne, mignolet, lovren, can, origi, ings, milner aren't great players. not knocking our boys.

Just we have to start targeteting a better type of cliental.

15 May 2017 23:29:37
A lot of people concerned about the people identifying potential signings and the quality of those players. Last time I checked those same people helped identify Mane, Gini, and Matip and those signings have worked out OK. Think Klopp and Co have earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to identifying targets. And as pointed out by by Coutinho o o we are just watching him at the moment so what's the harm?

15 May 2017 13:31:56
Think people sometimes get caught up in putting way too much emphasis on the formation.

It is obviously a general position for a player but take Sturridge, Firmino and Mane. All 3 of them are drifters. They will pull wide, come inside, drop deeper, or look to go in behind. For me, as an interchangeable front 3 they could be lethal. Very similar to the SSS front 3 under Brendan. With players like Coutinho and Wijnaldum in behind them who are both capable of a perfectly weighted through ball, we would cut teams to pieces.

I don't see why people fret over the position of a player on paper though. Forwards in particular do not stick to a certain zone anymore. It is virtually free form to make them harder to mark. Instead of caning £30m on a new left footed/ sided forward, why not just have a front 2 of Sturridge and Mane (both looking to get in behind and pulling wide into spaces) with the relentless 'false 9' that is Firmino in a slightly deeper and slightly more central position, leading the press and pulling the strings. You could literally just send these guys out and tell them to play their game and go where there is space and they will find the gaps themselves!

Yesterday we played the best football we've played all season. That is a massive compliment to the performance. Now imagine that exact team but with new full backs who provide better width, Mane in for Origi, and Firmino in for Lallana.

Absolutely frightening prospect for next season.

15 May 2017 13:57:40
Agreed, I do think 2 up top gives us more of an outlet going forward though and it certainly suits Studge's style of play perfectly. We could still do with another forward though as Sturridge's fitness can't be relied upon and we'll have European football to contend with too so we'll have plenty of room for rotation.

15 May 2017 13:57:41
So a midfield of couts, gini, and can? So no Hendo?

15 May 2017 13:59:19
Your master plan will require Sturridge to be fit for a majority of the season. Sadly, i do not see that happening.

15 May 2017 14:54:27
I always think formation is very important. I played midfield for my club and it's ten times easier to play in a 3 than a 2. But then you obviously lose elsewhere. For me formation and shape is an integral part of tactics. If origi played on the wing and stirrings up front as a lone striker yesterday would have been a lot tougher. Origi was able to take the attention of the central defenders away from sturridge. If he was on the wing he would have occupied the wingback more. Formation matters a lot in opinion.

15 May 2017 15:29:42
Acered, Hendo has a major injury issue and will be phased out.

15 May 2017 15:42:44
MK i know a bit about the injury he has it can be managed so it would be sad if he is to be phased out?

15 May 2017 16:02:07
I agree. It's a massive shame but Ed001 thinks that might be the plan. Guess things change quickly though.

15 May 2017 12:22:36
I'd just like to say who thought we would win the last 4 away games an that a lot of credit should go to mignolet he has been excellent.

15 May 2017 11:18:33
Morning Ed001,

With Firmino likely (and rightly) going to come back into the team when fit, and Sturridge looking good again how would you fit the both of them into the team next year if they are both still here?

Personally I don't think that they are likely to be able to fit into the same team on a regular basis.

But what it does mean is that we now have an option to change the shape of the team.

Be it 3 across the front like we played at the start of the season. 2 up front (Mane and Sturridge for me) and Firmino in behind them.

With Sturridge fit I think we suddenly look like a much stronger outfit with many more options on not just personnel but how we play.

Personally I hope that Klopp gets a solid back 6 (GK, 4 defenders and DM) next season and largely sticks with them, we can then adapt the other 5 players so exactly what we need for each game. No more being stuck in the same formation even if it's not working etc

Anyway, great win yesterday, one more to go, really hope we can get over the line and start looking forward to next year.

Cheers all.

{Ed001's Note - Firmino off Sturridge would work, Sturridge runs in behind, Firmino drops off, so I see no reason they couldn't fit in the same team.}

15 May 2017 11:55:51
I'd love to see a similar setup to the weekend against Middlesborough but with Firmino coming in for Origi, I feel that could work really well.

15 May 2017 11:52:58
Cheers for the response.

I think as a front two they would work well indeed. But where does that leave Mane?

I don't think either Firmino or Sturridge are half as effective played out wide and I don't see Mane as effective behind 2 strikers.

Personally I would play the diamond with Coutinho and Gini in CM, and Firmino in behind Sturridge and Mane.

Or I would play Mane Firmino and a new LW, if we were going 3 up top.

Depending on the opposition and state of the game.

I'm sure Klopp has this all mapped out anyway. supreme confidence in the fella.

Have a nice day Ed.

{Ed001's Note - Mane is a right winger, why does playing those two affect him?}

15 May 2017 12:14:43
Because I don't see how Mane can play on the right wing and then we play two up front as well. Seems to be heavily overloaded up the pitch to me, unless Mane is deployed in a much deeper position to what he was this season, which to me would limit his effectiveness.

Would you play Firmino on the left if you were wanting to play him and Mane and Sturridge? Or would you play Firmino up front with Sturridge, with Mane on the left and a LW as well?

Cheers Ed.

{Ed001's Note - overloaded? I have heard it all now. For starters, Firmino plays behind the striker line, he is not an out and out striker. No I would not play him on the left, I have already said I would play him off Sturridge and Mane would not need to play deeper. Especially up against a back three, having wingers up high means they can exploit the space behind the wingbacks.}

15 May 2017 12:16:17
Because he's shoehorning the players into the 442 diamond from yesterday. There's no right wing in that formation so in effect you can't play it with mane unless he's one of the 2. Basically we're playing how do we fit all of our best players into 1 formation that gets the best from them and gives good balance.

15 May 2017 12:24:56
Fair enough Ed :) will be interesting to see what Klopp opts for next year.

I think he (rightly) really likes Firmino and unless Sturridge stays fit all season I can see him only being a bit part player once again.

I think we can all agree that Coutinho needs to play deeper so he can be involved a lot more. Playing him out on the left leads to him either being left out or to go looking for the ball and trying to do too much with it without being able to influence the game as much.

A midfield 3 of Henderson, Gini and Coutinho really excites me.

Have a great day Ed.

{Ed001's Note - Firmino is class. He has to start. Have a good day too RD.}

15 May 2017 19:26:44
Firminho has had an ok season but I wouldn't say more than that. He puts in decent effort and offers moments of class. But for 10 games in the middle of the season when we needed him to step up he was awful. The ball was bouncing off him and he offered very little in terms of keeping the ball, shots or chances created. Also he puts so much into a game that he needs to be carefully managed like Lallana. The last 15 minutes of a game he constantly gives the ball away.

I think he is good enough but not to play every game.

15 May 2017 11:23:34
Oh the sturridge conundrum, on the pitch no-one seems divided here excellent player who would get in most prem teams. Problem is injuries, I wouldn't like to speculate too much but I can't imagine firmino would have missed as many games for lfc as sturridge has if he had same problems sturridge has had. I really didn't realise tho the involvement he had with the younger players and I think square Tomato has said gas been excellent with Joe Gomez so good in him and seems a nice enough guy. My worry tho is his injury record doesn't seem to be changing pattern and I can't see it changing if he at lfc next season either, the amount of games missed through injury since he been at lfc is astonishing I could understand it more if he has had a long term injury like gomez or ings but it's when he gets knocks and the amount of time it takes him to get back to fitness, whether that be mental, poor fitness coach at lfc or something else I don't know but he on a big contract and I think only has 2 years running on it, he 27 at what many would consider peak age is the gamble worth taking trying to get another season out of him if history shows us it isn't going to be much different regarding his injury record. We in a stronger place to negotiate this summer with potential buyers (depending if there is any) with him being fit and scoring end if this season at 27 years of age with 2 years left than taking a chance of him only having 12 months left next season being another year older and maybe another year disrupted by injury?

15 May 2017 11:55:22
We may not have any choice but to keep him - it will be a brave club and manager who commit to paying his £150k wages and a hefty fee for him.
In fact I would call it a big gamble.

15 May 2017 12:53:17
That one of my points, I don't like to pretend to know exact figures but I would suspect a transfer fee between 20m-30m and wages of around the 150k per week amount. I don't know agent fees or whatever would be involved but seems like a hell if amount to gamble on. West ham get linked a lot with him but surely that would swallow a massive amount of there budget on a player that may only make 20 appearances? Would love a fit studge at liverpool because when he is he genuinely class. Only time will tell I suppose.

15 May 2017 15:40:57
I agree on his day he is great but he HAS had chances this season and one good game doesn't change the fact that he has been absolutely woeful all season long. I was at the Southampton semi final and he was dreadful. Great talent when he decides to actually try.

15 May 2017 15:47:23
Great point made here, lads. Another question is that who would pay the say 30m and 150k in wages for a very talented player who unfortunately, cannot be relied upon in the least bit, to be fit on a consistent basis? If LFC tried to do that for a player like Studge, there would be massive protests cos we would all view it as a waste of money, right? Therefore, we may be forced to keep him cos no one will pay that money and the high risk (with very little high reward) . They may have to restructure his contract or something to make that happen.

15 May 2017 17:36:30
He has not been woeful in any respect. Whenever he's played he's been amongst our better players.

15 May 2017 08:34:43
Eds, sorry if this has been asked and answered but is Robertson our 1st choice LB or just one of a few we are considering. rumours circulating he is a done deal and to be fair I'm not impressed if true. yes he has quite a sweet left foot and going forward he looks decent but defensively which to me is the most important criteria, he looks very week. zaha tore him a new one yesterday which resulted in him being subbed at half time.

{Ed001's Note - he is just under consideration.}

15 May 2017 08:47:41
Thanks ed001 hope he is down the pecking order.

15 May 2017 09:34:50
Juzt scratch him off tbe list now klopp fella.

We finish 4th or 3rd then there has to be an improvement next year.

15 May 2017 09:58:18
Couldn't agree more, he is not in any way good enough, we need to cut out signing half decent players just to fill a hole.

15 May 2017 11:27:12
Didn't mean to sound overly negative there as we've brought in some brilliant players in recent years but the likes of Klavan etc aren't improving the side to where we want to be and if you think Andrew Robertson is good enough to be our first team LB (hopefully in the CL) then prepare for disappointment. He's not a bad player but not the level we should be looking for.

15 May 2017 16:12:36
Andy Robertson is not LFC nor CL material, end of. Ricardo Perreira (who can play RB and LB, seamlessly) is out there. Go get him.

15 May 2017 06:56:20
{Ed's Note - We have posted a new article entitled, West Ham United v Liverpool - A Liverpool Perspective

15 May 2017 07:46:20
Thanks a lot ed. In your opinion, what should we do with Sturridge? I believe he is among the best strikers in Europe, a really fantastic footballer. But what good is it if he spends three quarters of the season either injured or benched. I hope we can find a way to fit him, because we just look far more threatening with his movement and one-chance finishing.

{Ed001's Note - keep him and work on his fitness, if he is fit he should start as he is still the best striker at the club.}

15 May 2017 07:50:29
Agree, I think we'd be making a big mistake getting rid of him. If we can get him consistently fit, which seems to be a big "if", we have world class player ready to slot in the team.

{Ed001's Note - that is what the fitness coaches need to work on.}

15 May 2017 08:08:59
I still think we should give Sturridge another season to get back to full fitness. Finding another striker of his quality (fitness aside) will cost another 40-50 million which we do not have. If we can get a good 25-30 games out of him next season, it will have been worth the patience shown. He knows where the back of the net is and the only pure striker at the club.

15 May 2017 08:19:39
I agree, whilst it is very frustrating seeing him constantly injured, he's just magic when he's on the pitch. You don't just let go of a player with that level of ability. Sturridge would bang 30 goals a season if he could stay fit, and we aren't getting another of them in a hurry.

{Ed025's Note - you cant score 30 goals a season from the treatment table though lowe, i honestly think that if he was on a pay as you play contract you would see him playing more, hes very talented but has flaws in his personality for me mate and its a very tough call if he is to be retained or moved on..

15 May 2017 08:29:30
What makes Sturridge so unpredictable is his ability on both feet.

How many strikers would take it round the keeper onto their weak foot like he did yesterday? Adrian cannot commit when you are faced by a player so volatile.

Absolute class. Said before the game he had a chance to save his career. More of the same against Middlesbrough and he will have succeeded.

{Ed025's Note - i dont think his talent has ever been in question MK, his aptitude though is a different matter mate..

15 May 2017 09:01:29
Ed25 im intrigued by your comments, are you saying some of his issues are mental? In terms of his ability there is no question he is top class but its of no use to the team if he can only manage 20 games a season.

I think we need to leave sentiment out of this and look for a reliable striker of equal or better talent. I know i am going against consensus but what do i know so.

{Ed001's Note - Ed025 is wrong. It is that simple.}

15 May 2017 09:42:17
Sturridge doesn't play if he has a paper cut. Simple.

{Ed025's Note - especially if its from one of them crispy £50 notes he gets loads of each week supermane.. :)

15 May 2017 10:46:59
Ed025, a pay as you play might be the ideal scenario in this case, if the root cause is personality flaws and not poor fitness. But I think it might be a mixture of both, and such a deal would surely be impossible to implement.

{Ed025's Note - i dont think his agent would buy it for one minute lowe, i think you are right about it being a bit of both mate..

15 May 2017 10:55:00
Issue is we have Ings and him making up the 4 strikers. I think one has to go as we can't take a risk on 2 injury prone strikers again . Sadly I think that should be Ings. Sturridge is currently a far better player.

15 May 2017 15:59:29
Can't we just pay Sturridge in £2 coins? No more paper cuts 👍.

15 May 2017 16:22:52
I was one of those who said he should be let go cos he can't be relied upon to stay fit. I'm starting to believe that the best thing for him and the club is to keep him for two reasons. One, we will not be able to sell him for the price we want and the wages he would command based on his injury history.

Two, he should be kept so that no one can get him, he can help the team when fit and since he is not interested in leaving, we can work out and on-field and off-field fitness and diet regimen for him to get his body right so he can paly through his knocks and hip issues.

We will never have a player of his quality and frankly, we should not be cutting our noses to spite our faces on this issue. He's's of more use to us being here and playing well when fit enough, than not provided he is ready to accept that he may not play all the games. Just my opinion.