TRon

He's still a fantastic footballer IMO, but not on the wing. I'd play him off a main striker in a Beardsley role.

He needs to get the deep pan on then, big fish can't be cooked at the last minute.

Quality player who will score some big goals for us next season I think.

Yes Allardyce finished highly with a bunch of free transfers/cheap buys at Bolton but he'd had 8 years to build a culture and environment for that to happen. I have no doubt that he can do it again, but it's bloody stupid to expect players to be integrated and ready from the word go. I wouldn't be surprised at a top 6 finish mind, I just think it's daft to demand it immediately. Training regimes need to be worked on and implemented over a period of time. They don't come packed in a ready to assemble DIY kit which can be put together in a jiffy, shoved up a players arse and switched on at the flick of a button.

Owen would have been the obvious choice if his heart was in the club, so the fact that he isn't even in the reckoning says a lot about the mercenary tw@t. Barton is a shouter and driver in midfield which would place him as an ideal candidate for a Roy Keane captaincy role. Except stubbing a cigar out in someone's eye, mooning supporters, and dishing out GBH to your own team mates smacks of low brow thuggery not leadership. Stuart Pearce was quoted as saying City did the right thing by offloading Barton as he wouldn't be accepted back in the dressing room. Hardly a ringing endorsement for a potential captain is it?

I haven't seen much of Baines but it worries me that no one is praising his defensive qualities. With the amount of goals we concede at set pieces and at the far post it's something that needs to be considered when buying new defenders.

They are turning into Bruce's Birmingham side that got relegated. A similar fate surely beckons.

I would prefer a LB who is class at defending first and foremost.

I heard that Baines interest has cooled because his club conceded a lot of goals from set pieces and Sam prefers full backs who are good in the air. I'm in 100% agreement. Give me a solid defender over a John Beresford-type any day of the week.

Don't know anything about Rozenhal, Beyes or Sagna. Would like to think that Sam has spotted more potential Haims wih these. Hyypia and Campbell could do a job if there is no fee involved, Wes Brown is always crocked.

As far as I know, he isn't looking for a move and Liverpool aren't looking to sell, which means we'd pretty much have to pay over the odds to make a deal happen. Not something I'd want to do for a player with his best days behind him.

Well Distin is a pretty good defender. Mid-table ranking aside, would he make a better right back than Carr or Solano? It's hard to imagine that the answer to that is no somehow.

Was about to mention almost the same thing... but was gonna say Hyypia. I'd rather have Campbell but wouldn't sniff at Hyypia in any way whatsoever! Don't think Hyypia wants to move from Liverpool tbh

So he's a right back then. Good, we definitely need better options at full back and I'm happy to see this is a position we are trying to strengthen. Will keep an eye on this one, and if he's strong enough to play as a CB then he will add phsical presence as well. I don't like having small full backs personally.

He's gone. Move on.

Anyone know much about this guy? Just working my way down Sam's supposed list of defenders and this is the one I've heard least about and I've never seen him play.

I think Drogba would run Hyypia ragged most days of the week, whether he had flu or not. He can still do a job in the EPL but there are some players who he just can't cope with physically any more. I think he's happy to stay at Liverpool in any case, and I'm not really too fussed about signing him.

Always thought it would be a miracle if he came here ahead of Chelsea. Mourinho obviously rates him and has been tapping him since last year. Would have been a great coup for Sam let's not pretend otherwise. Can't say any of the other alternatives mentioned so far have caught the imagination much but Ben Haim probably didn't when Allardyce first signed him either.

it will have no effect whatsoever Of course it will. It's had an effect just in this thread if you hadn't noticed. i thought you were trying to make out that his present situation would make him look worse in court ? Well it depends on who is present and judging in court. If it's a Dell PC or a Dalek then it won't have any effect. If there are people involved with unknown allegiances/loyalties/medical conditions etc.. then who knows?

it will have no effect whatsoever Of course it will. It's had an effect just in this thread if you hadn't noticed.

Looks like Joey might still end up in the slammer once the dust is settled. His past misdemeanours will be held in a new light if he insists on being a bonehead about this one.

Great at his peak. So if he isn't in Liverpool's current 1st team he's probably past it.

"If" doesn't usually translate to a long term contract, except at desperate clubs prepared to sign a player at any cost. He's at a good age though. If he has another season like he had last season, then he will have proven he is over his injury's.

I think it's a question of confidence in yourself and, more importantly, in the manager and his game plan. If you have an idiot at the helm, that permeates through the team. Allardyce has a fantastic track record for getting the best out of his players, even the most unstable nutters, and he has a very clear idea of what is expected. You'll be a completely different proposition this season. Obviously, you need players with mental strength, too (compare Gerrard and Henry's records in big games), but that doesn't help one iota if the players have little confidence in the manager. The thought of Barton playing under the wobbly stewardship of Roeder chills the blood tbh. I would be hoping more for a Ferguson/Keane scenario developing at Newcastle with some proper leadership.

Truth is, no big club was likely to stump up £5m for a talented player with a poor injury record. "Living the dream" probably refers to being guaranteed a a big wage on a long contract - no questions asked.