06 Nov 2022 15:31:28
If ed002 is around, among Liv 1st team squad right now. Is there anyone that Liv try to sell for next summer? Or anyone that will be allowed to leave for free? The squad might need some trimming if we are to add new players next summer.
{Ed002's Note - Adrian (G) Out of contract.
Nathaniel Phillips (CB) Bournemouth may still like a deal, but at the right price.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (CM/RW) Liverpool may try and recoup some money by selling in January but out of contract in the summer.
Nobby Keita (CM) Out of contract in the summer - plans for a new contract may have been shelved now so an effort may be made to sell in January.
Arthur Melo (CM) Liverpool will be undecided whether or not to take up the option on his loan in the summer.
James Milner (CM) Out of contract.
Robert Firmino (F) Out of contract but expect a new one.}
06 Nov 2022 17:43:29
Would rather we moved for Felix than give Bobby a new contract. If he signs, it shows we haven't learnt from our problems. Expecting him to still be performing in 2 years because he is in form now shows a complete lack of foresight.
06 Nov 2022 18:36:23
@Babbity - how do you know Bobby won’t be inform in two years mate? It sounds like you just don’t want him to say and are using ‘what if’ as your argument. Surely given he is in form now shows keeping him this summer wasn’t a mistake .?
06 Nov 2022 19:04:39
Re Bobby he’s in fine form and different type of player in that pretty unique, I say offer contract, alternative means dilute the money we have set aside for central midfield player/ players. can’t buy or solve everything.
06 Nov 2022 19:09:18
WDW by thinking about it rationally and not getting caught up in sentiment or the heat of the moment. He has been poor for the majority of the last 3 years. Who's to say he won't go back to that form once the incentive of a new deal and World Cup place has been removed? He's 31 now, he will be 32 next summer. If he signs a 1 or 2 year extension, that will keep him at the club until he's nearly 33 or 34. Do we really expect Bobby to be performing at that age? He isn't exactly a machine like Ronaldo. You don't wait for players to deteriorate. You cut ties when you can see it coming. Since he signed his last contract, Bobby has done nowhere near enough for me to show he deserves another one and a swan song in form isn't going to change my mind.
06 Nov 2022 19:16:24
Bobby should get a new contract. that won't prohibit the development of Nunez, Diaz and Carvalho who are the present and future. You can't just get rid of guys like Bobby and expect that the DNA will just walk into the younger players.
06 Nov 2022 19:20:00
Bobby great servant needs to go stop the sentimental tripe!
06 Nov 2022 19:33:44
@Babbity absolutely no sentimentality about it at all. If someone isn7 contributing then get rid as far as I am concerned. In certain cases though there are players who can contribute a lot more thsn just being a starter. look at Millie, I think he can start to draw a pension next year but the influence he has on the youngsters and the role model he provides is something you can’t buy.
In Bobby’s case he has a fantastic football brain. In two years I highly doubt that he would be starting 20 games a season but he would be a brilliant back up to come off the bench h and a tremendous asset on the training ground to assist in developing youngsters.
The club has to take a wider view - there’s more to the squad than the starting 11.
06 Nov 2022 19:39:10
Sorry forgot to say, I actually don’t agree wirh the view that Bobby has been poor for the past three years. I think he was a scapegoat for a while, as was Mane in the first half of last season and Salah in the second half of the season. Bobby’s turn as the scapegoat boiled down to the fact that he wasn’t scoring as many as Mo or Sadio but in my opinion without Bobby’s skills in his role neither of the other two would have scored as many goals as they did.
Thinking a player is an excellent footballer is based on a perception of the player’s skill not on the spectators level of sentimentality. Just saying.
06 Nov 2022 20:00:47
Bobby was shocking today, non existent, we may as well have played a midfielder to link the attack as he linked nothing and defended nothing. Just because he’s had a few decent games, Klopp needs to look to the future which he appears unable to do and Bobby is not the future. Babbity is spot on.
06 Nov 2022 20:16:11
I would give Bobby a new contract, great pro and servant to the club and would be great player to have round the club for younger player the learn from. Another Milner and there is nothing wrong in having players like that round the club.
If we can get a result next week when we come back after the World Cup I think we will be a different team and expect a VVD and Fabinho to be back to there best and us to go On a massive winning run.
06 Nov 2022 20:23:47
I’d only offer Bobby a new contract are a low salary he’s in great form but he was non existent for so long and we already have an ageing squad.
06 Nov 2022 21:21:03
No, no new contract! thanks bobby but time to part ways he's far from the player he was! And he was absolutely shocking today as someone above said.
06 Nov 2022 22:09:04
I think many factors need to be taken in to account here . Bobby is having a good season . Personally I love the guy. But we need to also think about what he can do off the pitch as well as in it . He’s a great pro I believe he did some great work with some of the youth players and has shown an appetite to coach the younger players in training etc . So why not keep him at the club let him get badges and have a new boot room forming . James Milner would be part of that also. These are players that are winners and they have done it with our club. He’s settled he’s happy his family is happy . I’m not talking about sentiment but I am talking about making sure we build some people in our back room staff that can take us forward in the future. Bobby deserves a 2 years extension but I think it should include a term that he will look to add badges with us and progress that route in the club.
06 Nov 2022 22:37:52
Bobby is brilliant, although patchy these days, but there is no denying that when he's on he's on.
The difficulty is in the fact that we have a bloated, ageing squad and an extremely high wage bill.
LFC need a clear out, and perhaps Bobby would be best served going to a slower league where his brain can do more of the work.
06 Nov 2022 23:58:17
For those saying Bobby hasn’t been poor for a few years I’m not sure what you’v been watching. That’s said he’s done great this year and given he would likely not be playing we’re all our team fit. Iv been one of his biggest critics on this site but I have no issues with him extending his contract to be effective cover going for a couple more years.
07 Nov 2022 01:20:02
It’s an interesting one isn’t it?
I think our starting 11, certainly up to the start of this season, is ‘getting on’ but I’m not sure that the same can be said about the overall squad.
Of the 18 - 23 age group below I think that, realistically the only likely candidate to leave is Kelleher but it seems like the club has a lot of faith in Pitulagi (sp) and Davies.
Of the 24 - 30 group I’d imagine the likely candidates to leave are Keita, Ox and Melo. Given Ox made his second brief appearance this season against the Spds and Keita is doing a passable imitation of a crew member on the Marie Celeste,
I think it is likely that their departure could be covered by the return of Morton and Clarkson (perhaps) and promotion for Bajcetic (and perhaps a bolster like Clark? ) Plus, of course, we will have Jude, Konrad, Declan and Kylian onboard
Of the 30+ group I think that Adrian will be gone (maybe a coaching role and registered to play / maybe replaced by another experienced keeper happy to be back-up? ) . Very sad to say (and he’s still putting a solid shift in this season) time for Millie to get his coaching badges and hang his playing boots up. Van Dijk will, I think, be here for a while longer as I think will Thiago, Hendo and Matip, although, injuries to other players notwithstanding, I think game time for the latter two will decrease.
18 - 23 : Kelleher, Ramsey, TAA, Konate, Jones, Carvalho, Elliot, Nunez
24 - 30 : Alisson, Gomez (25), Robertson, Tsimikas, Fabinho, Keita, Diaz (25), Jota (25), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Salah, Firmino and Melo
30+ Adrian, Van Dijk, Matip, Thiago, Henderson, Milner
Sorry, don’t know where this came from - bored at work (or working from home) I guess.
07 Nov 2022 01:30:16
I don't know where all of this Coach Bobby stuff is coming from. Milner, Henderson, Virgil, Salah, Matip, Thiago. How many players in their 30s do we need to keep to "coach" the younger players. I thought that was why we hired coaching staff? Plus out of all the players listed, Bobby has the worst grasp of English and is the worst example (drink driving) so he should be the first to go if we need to keep older players around to "guide" the younger ones.
06 Nov 2022 22:58:34
What is your thought on bobby ed001?For me i would rather we move on and save his wages toward younger player or invest in position we really need to strengthen which midfield.
Sentimental and loyalty is what makes us having bloated squad i think plus we have more than enough in forward area to cover for him leaving on free.
{Ed001's Note - it really depends on his terms. If he is willing to take a big paycut, then it would be worth keeping him on those reduced terms. If not then it is time to let him move on.}
07 Nov 2022 08:09:43
@Babbity, where in this or any other thread does it say we keep Milner, Henderson, Virgil, Salah, Matip and Thiago to coach the young players, other than in this thread when you just made it up?
07 Nov 2022 13:12:20
I'd keep Bobby as the 4th or 5th forward on a 1 or 2 year contract. People are saying he's been "poor". I don't know. I've been watching him play and show up for every game he's been fit for. Maybe not peak performance but he's been there, and busting a gut. It's the likes of Keita and Ox, who've been poor. Ghost players.
07 Nov 2022 13:20:29
A squad needs to be made up of all sorts of players. You don't have to be a guaranteed starter to get a new contract. Often players getting towards the end of their careers can offer far more value off the pitch than they do on the pitch. I for one would be happy for him to get another couple of years even if it is just to help guide and advise the young forwards coming through. That knowledge and guidance is priceless.
07 Nov 2022 13:25:42
The great Bill Shankley realised in 1970 after loosing to Watford in fa cup he had been to close to his players who had reached their 30s and were not performing so he moved them on and rebuilt the team with young players and the rest is history .
My point is Jurgen has learnt from Shankly he has brought in some youth some experience and we have some older pros but we can't carry more than two maybe three older pros in the team not in the EPL.