NAMING RIGHTS THREAD: Liverpool really won't win the Premiership 2010-2011

They have so many players I love but cannot think of a role for - Cole, Kuyt, Maxi, even Agger I have trouble squeezing in. Too slow is basically the problem.

when a team does badly people say this stuff, but fact is all of those except perhaps maxi are perfectly fine to have in a squad, agger and kuyt pushing first team. man u have always have/had players like this (o'shea, park, brown, prob tons more), rotation players who do well. one of fergusaurus rex's best skills is keeping these guys hungry.

i think agger in particular, to agree with chris, is extremely good, he only looks ropey due to long term injuries, when he has had a good run in the team he is a top defender.

would put a decent sum of money down that torres won't go this window. not hard for a club that doesn't want to sell a player to hold out for 48 hours is it?

LG makes a good point re the Utd 'squad' players. Also don't think Torres will go this transfer window either, but what do I know?

Liverpool have rejected a written transfer request from star Spanish striker Fernando Torres.

The Anfield club have already turned down a bid from Chelsea - thought to be about £35m-40m - for the 26-year-old.

"He's under a long-term contract. We expect him to honour the commitment he made to Liverpool and its fans when he signed the agreement," said the Reds.

it's strange because I think they're all great, Kuyt in particular would be an asset to any side except Barcelona, but collectively those three together are one ponderous attack behind Torres. Probably no more than one on the pitch at any one moment.

Agger is a special case because I can't peg what role he should be in. I'd have him as a deep-lying midfielder or a libero maybe, something about him seems wrong at CB.

Has Suarez actually signed? The stories all say 'fee agreed' but stop short of saying he's there.

It basically comes down to whether the club think his value will go down in the Summer or not. We won't go down this season and we won't finish top 4 so having a disaffected player doesn't really matter too much unless his value decreases I don't think.

one ponderous attack behind Suarez, then

or behind N'Gog

Suarez hasn't officially talked to LFC yet I don't think. Presumably his agent has indicated he is agreeable to the move.

^^just saw torres transfer request....reckon my point stands tho. look at tevez or whatever. they can ballbreak him and he'll still play and try. in fact would be stupid to sell him now. let him go in the summer if he still wants to, but would be massively bad business to yield to such a slapped up bid. the money is worth nothing not least since signing suarez...any fee is bad business with 24 hours or less to spend it.

x-post torres and suarez have same agent, which does make you wonder a bit. but as i say, rational view has to say it'd be a major surprise if torres goes. if they want to keep him it won't be hard to just refuse all offers.

Was thinking it's not a big stretch for Chelsea to trigger the buyout fee, but it's still an eight-figure sum. Odd how footy numbers warp your brain.

Supposedly the £50 mill buy out only kicks in this Summer if LFC aren't in Champs Lge.

'if'

i can handle torres leaving but him in a chelsea shirt would hurt quite a lot. can't really see where else except city/chelsea would afford/need him tho. i think the money would do liverpool well but as i say, feel like he's been the player i've worshipped in these last few years, it would be one of those times when football makes you feel shit if i ever see him playing with jt and fucking frankie lamps etc.

tho if he goes in the summer i am okay with that, just not in these next two days, please.

well chelsea are on merseyside this weekend anyway so they can all sit down and talk this shit trhough. god, and we play them next weekend. awkward.

can't really see where else except city/chelsea would afford/need him tho.

inter? barca? athletico? he'd never go to madrid obv. dare i say arsenal?

Arsenal's transfer record is still Wiltord or someone like that though? It's Chelsea or nowhere I think, I can't see an alternative now Barca are all sorted (though are Real really not an option?)

I'm in two minds to my surprise: hurtin' for all the same reasons as Ronan, but on the other hand the last eighteen months have been terrible for both parties and this feels like lancing the boil. Would still rather he stayed but I won't be as devastated as I would've been before. There's also the suspicion that he might secretly be shot, he hasn't actually ripped a defence a new one for a long time now.

Arsenal's transfer record is still Wiltord or someone like that though?

Yes, and over ten years ago! Quite amazing that they haven't spend more than £12m on a player in that time when you look at some of the money that's flown around elsewhere.

As far as I know Suarez has agreed on terms. Dutch media saying he will earn 4.2m euros a year. Only a medical (and a visit to the dentist?) and he's a Liverpudlian.

wasn't arshavin 15mil?

I think it was €15m - which was less than the £13m they paid for Wiltord.

Reyes was reported as being £17m but turned out to be nothing near that as the add-ons were never paid.

Arshavin is officially higher than Wiltord but I get your point. Wenger WOULD spend it though imo- he's going to drop 10m on a17 year old any day now - but this not a discussion we need to have.

(though are Real really not an option?)

I think dude has enough integrity and enough <3 for the athleti fans to not do this. can't think of another example in the modern game tho tbh - spurs trying to sign henry instead of bent?

actually spurs making waves at vieira when he was at inter was a p good example. tevez doesn't count obv, dude is an agent's plaything and even when he decides enough is enough still does what other people tell him to do and shuts his mouth.

sol to Arsenal?

Chelsea fans singing a couple of Torres songs.

1815: BREAKING TRANSFER NEWS
Inter Milan have admitted defeat in their pursuit of Tottenham winger Gareth Bale. "The Tottenham president sent me a nice message saying that 40 million euros was not much for Bale. The truth is that Bale and Tottenham feel good together. And even in June that price will not be compatible with our approach."

rip ian prior

not so much a 'pursuit' as a bored wolf-whistle

Crossing all my fingers our loan of Jamie O'Hara goes thru. Woodgate can go fuck himself, tho that offer is subject to change if Spurs can force him off his lazy fucking arse and out the door.

                   Gordon
da Silva     Mensah   Bramble  
                               Zenden
           Sessegon  Muntari
Welbeck         Henderson      STEED
                  Gyan

Not many teams fucking wit this imo.

AJohno_11 @Mendy_11 Leave it out mendy you have man boobs !!!

@Steve_J_Taylor: Harry Redknapp to bid for everyone in the league today and only sign Gary Neville. Gutted

A well-known sportsman, who obtained an injunction preventing the media publishing details of his private life, has won a court appeal against a ruling which would have revealed his identity.

Judge Lord Neuberger ruled in favour of the man, known only as JIH.

He said JIH had been had been in a long-term relationship with someone known only as XX.

He was trying to block the publication of a story which claims he had a "sexual encounter" with someone else.

could have at least named him "RVP" or "WR" or "AC". JIH is rubbish.

Rolling, rolling, rolling. The Press Association is reporting that Newcastle have rejected a £30m bid from Liverpool for Andy Carroll.

Hey here is £30m for that guy who is injured with no obvious return date who could well end up in jail at some point during his contract. Wait, you... don't want the money? Ooooook nutter.

who could well end up in jail at some point during his contract.

Nobody would ever sign anybody if this was a part of the criteria.

yeah but there is a difference between "well, there is always a possibility" and "so what has he done this week?"

He's got a short-term thigh injury, it's not like he's some kind of ridiculous perma-crock. He might also become one of the best strikers in the Premiership.

I wouldn't think Newcastle would want to sell him at any price until the summer and cash in then. Although they're doing okay without him he's still by miles their most effective attacking player and its still not certain that they'll stay up.

If Carroll is sold the Newcastle fans are going to lynch Ashley. Who can Newcastle sign to replace him? Carlton Cole? DJ Campbell? Grant Holt?

I haven't heard much about Michael Mifsud recently, maybe it's his turn for a shot at the big time.

Currently hearing a lot of noises about Stephen Ireland to Newcastle on loan. They won't want to sell Carroll when there's still time to complete Ashley's fantasy Nutters XI.

Oh sorry I was hearing stories about having shipped all around Europe to all different kinds of doctors which suggests something more than a short term injury.

He certainly has potential but from an objective pov he dearly needs a stronger hand than Pardew to sort his fucking head out. I guess Newcastle can pray that Capello takes an interest.

Intriguing developments at Newcastle. Manager Alan Pardew was due to hold his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday's trip to Fulham at the club's training headquarters at 1400 GMT. This has now been put back to 1530 GMT and will take place at St James' Park. Make of that what you will.

Assume this is just so he can be about for Ireland's medical/signing?

Ireland is so obviously one of those players who was always going to end up at Newcastle, I can't believe I hadn't spotted this before

What idiot schedules a managerial press conference for transfer deadline day?

Manager Alan Pardew

haha

How come the fees being quoted have suddenly got so high in this transfer window? £50m for Torres and £24m for Suarez are understandable; but £24m for Bent, £18m for Young, certainly £30m for Carroll when he's a risk for all sorts of reasons, all seem vastly beyond the trends of the past couple of seasons.

Transfer Deadline day (and... Darren Bent) in general bring out the crazy.

It hasn't done recently though, has it? The last few have been really boring iirc

Also the fact that the league is so compressed means that managers and chairmen are either panicking (Villa, Chelsea) or seeing opportunities to rampage quickly up the league (Liverpool, Spurs) if they just get that one elusive last-piece-of-the-jigsaw. Of course it never actually works like that.

Are you happy with the way Spurs seem so eager to spend, Matt? I couldn't believe it when I saw you're making bids in the £30+m bracket now.