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It appears to be the case according to articles which have been out there.

So that he could go without putting us in a spot...

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I remember thinking when Bellamy moved to Cardiff that we could do with a player of his versatility and pace. Guess we've moved on in such a short space of time...

By bidding a high amount for a younger player who's not "Premiership proven"..... [not having a go at you or Boardman BTW, just finding that point of view ironic...]

First interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4JTSFN7B8A Comes across very well, interesting bit around 6 mins in where he talks about being there for players in a personal sense; with reference to "people as a whole". Found the report which was leaked too: http://www.bragafut.com/artigos/art18.pdf I would imagine that FSG at least made an enquiry about his availability when weighing up candidates for our role, but were discouraged by the release fee... Have a bad feeling about this guy, in that he'll be successful at Chelsea, and what's worse is that he'll be quite a likeable character...

Aquilani and Meireles in the same midfield would produce some excellent pass and move footy...

There was this particular bit of skill against Spurs (2-2, 04/05 @ Anfield) where took a very high ball down and got past a defender around the edge of the box in one move that stands out in my memory - can't find it on the net though... PS: Took 42 posts for the first hater to make their mark on this thread. Not bad at all...

One should not downplay the schooling given to the Everton midfield by Mr.X after our captain had recklessly got himself sent off... (that lob made the list of 5 BTW)

Watching LFCTV online and there was a clip of his 5 best goals. That glancing header into the far post from just inside the box against Anderlecht at Anfield in 05/06...simply majestic. One of my all time favourites LFC goals that, wasn't even on the list of five. Scored a similar one against Fulham too in his last season for us. There was also the right foot volley against Chelsea in the FA cup semi which Cudicini had the cheek to say was a fluke afterwards. Loved his strikers' instinct as well, always first on the scene when the keeper couldn't hold onto a shot. Him and Benayoun shared a similar nose for goal, something that Dirk showed a bit of this season (especially for that hattrick). I know some on here disliked him as a player but I always have a soft spot for ball players who are capable of the sublime.

That's always been my take as well - however much money has been spent on a player, if they've made contributions to the team winning honours then that's their fees justified. It's almost as if you'd say "how much would you pay for a championship / European Cup?". Obviously quite a simplistic assessment but still practical nonetheless...

.......?

Quick, left footed, good on the ball, scores some goals too. Will improve the first team.

So it's OK to sh*t on the city/fans who idolise you? It's brand association. Not just the athlete, but the personality. That "decision" segment was greeted by many/most in the basketball circle (ex-players and fans alike) as very poor behavior. I think even the head of the NBA had a strong word with him and his camp afterwards. If he was a footballer everyone would say he's a fantastic talent but in terms of profile, not a Liverpool player. But a perfect fit for Man Utd / Real Madrid. That said, I want our club to be successful so gotta take the bad with the good I suppose. If this publicity means more money being invested into the team then great. Deal with the legion of plastic fans later I guess... Tendulkar - now that is someone you'd want associated with our club.

Still don't like Lebron. For those who don't know what he's like, think of him as the Cristiano Ronaldo of basketball but without the league or CL titles. Immensely talented, a freak of nature who can do just about everything he puts his mind to. Except that Ronaldo put in all the hard yards to make sure he can hit shots with his left foot, and takes advantage of his height by working on his heading ability. You get the idea... (Lebron still hasn't developed a solid post game because he probably feels like he doesn't need to given the rest of his game is pretty polished). As for the person, imagine if Gerrard who has been LFC's great hope (again without the FA/League/UEFA Cup and CL medals) wound down his contract 3 years ago during the peak of his career. Adidas then put together an hour long segment on Sky Sports (after a few days as a free agent) during which he gets interviewed and eventually announces the team of his choice. Without telling LFC his decision beforehand. To join Chelsea.

Very good point that. But, isn't Maicon supposed to be an excellent defender as well (haven't seen enough of him)? Javier Zanetti was superb as well on both ends of the pitch but he is also used as a midfielder from time to time.

Finished reading it 2 days ago. For me, the meat of the book centered around Rafa and how he snuffed out the clowns, and set about going to war with them. And how it ultimately cost him his job. Everything else was well documented. PS: anyone else remembered the panic when the injunction was lifted really early on the Friday morning and then rumours started flying around about how the pr1cks were going to pay off the loan to keep hold of the club? *chills*

He's a LOT better than Spearing. Watched him play a couple of times this season and his ability on the ball stood out more than his reputed hard man game. On the football side he'd be a good addition to the squad. Don't think the person (on reputation at least) is a right fit for our club though...

Interesting - thanks for that! Tenner I paid for this! Doh - didn't realise what I did there...

Got the Kindle version earlier. Gone through a third of the book - pretty decent so far. At the point where Rafa is wandering around the streets of Athens with no room to go back to. PS: Doesn't make sense how an electronic version of a book is more expensive than a hardcopy one...

They didn't give him a point for that!!!

Even then for me (and I said it to friends at the time) if it was Drogba at his best compared against Torres at his best, there would be nothing between them. And I'd have picked Drogba. As for Suarez and Torres as a partnership I think they would have been amazing together. Along with Kuyt as a front three. Shame...

Suarez Dirk Lucas

Very disappoointed about that goal. VERY disappointed. 3-0 was a more reflective of our dominance. F*cking Arsenal are useless though - still don't fancy them to nick it.