Summer transfer rumours, speculation and out-and-out b*ll*cks.

[Toronto Villa]

nah Dave. They're being wankers. They fucked it all up and set the transfer market bar really high by paying what they did for Henderson. If they honestly think Downing is worth that much less they're off their heads. Downing has 2 years left on his current deal, is our player of the season, has proven his PL worth, is a regular in the England squad and is still only approaching his peak. Henderson is a good player but in all honestly is mostly potential.

Pay up or fuck off is the simple answer, and say what you want about Randy/Faulkner they haven't let us down at all when selling our better players.

Presumably they should just phone up Faulkner and say "whatever you want for Downing, we'll pay it - who shall we make the cheque out to?"

They're trying to get the best deal for Liverpool, hopefully we're sensible enough not to let them. It's hardly worth getting uppity about.

that's not what I'm saying at all, and I'm certainly not getting uppity about anything. I'm pointing that they've set the bar this summer on transfers, and other player deals rightly or wrongly will be judged against it. I might accept it a little more if Downing was in the last year of his contract, but given that Man U just paid close to 20 mil for Ash with 12 months left, offering 12m for Downing is royally taking the piss. I'm sure they are doing what's best for Liverpool. I wouldn't expect anything different. But somehow they seem to make offers that aren't even low. They're derisory and that's being polite.

[Redman]

By the way - Kenny won't have anything to do with any offers - he just wants the player.

Ah, bless him. King Kenny. He rises above such squalor.

I'm not necessarily saying that, I'm just suggesting it makes no sense to direct abuse at him. Comolli is more likely to be your man.

[pauliewalnuts]

By the way - Kenny won't have anything to do with any offers - he just wants the player.

Ah, bless him. King Kenny. He rises above such squalor.

I'm not necessarily saying that, I'm just suggesting it makes no sense to direct abuse at him. Comolli is more likely to be your man.

I'm quite happy to abuse Kenny, to be honest.

[Greg N'Ash]

Again, get rid. what's the point keeping him for another year and losing him next summer for 15m? We can no longer keep english internationals for any length of time as we don't match their goals.

[TheSandman]

I know we have heard nothing from Downing. But if all reports are true, would love to know why he is so desperate to leave.

1/ He has been tapped up ?

2/ He has seen the appointment of Houlliers replacement. And thought. No
    ambition ?

3/ Straight wages increase ?

That is the really strange thing. I have a hunch that a lot of this stuff emanates from Liverpool or Liverpool-friendly journalists and is an attempt to unsettle our player and make us turn on one of our own.

[pauliewalnuts]

Again, get rid. what's the point keeping him for another year and losing him next summer for 15m? We can no longer keep english internationals for any length of time as we don't match their goals.

So, get rid now for 15m rather than waiting a year and getting rid for 15m?

[Redman]

By the way - Kenny won't have anything to do with any offers - he just wants the player.

Ah, bless him. King Kenny. He rises above such squalor.

I'm not necessarily saying that, I'm just suggesting it makes no sense to direct abuse at him. Comolli is more likely to be your man.

I'm quite happy to abuse Kenny, to be honest.

Fill your boots then.

[VillaAlways]

By the way - Kenny won't have anything to do with any offers - he just wants the player.

Ah, bless him. King Kenny. He rises above such squalor.

I'm not necessarily saying that, I'm just suggesting it makes no sense to direct abuse at him. Comolli is more likely to be your man.

I'm quite happy to abuse Kenny, to be honest.

[Greg N'Ash]

Again, get rid. what's the point keeping him for another year and losing him next summer for 15m? We can no longer keep english internationals for any length of time as we don't match their goals.

So, get rid now for 15m rather than waiting a year and getting rid for 15m?

he's won't go for 15m paulie. Liverpool are just playing the game.

[Toronto Villa]

Pay up or fuck off is the simple answer, and say what you want about Randy/Faulkner they haven't let us down at all when selling our better players.

Crikey. That's the faintest of praise, is it not?

They keep selling our best players, but hey, they get top dollar. Wiganesque.

Why grade the praise? The players in question wanted to leave and we got good money for them as opposed to bending over and taking it to go along with the news that the players wanted to go. I'm not happy about those players leaving, but in three years, if Man City with a bottomless pit of cash come calling for 2 of the 4 players, then there isn't much any team can do. It's no more Wiganesque as it's Villaesque, Barcelonaesque, Wolfsburgesque and Arsenalesque because all of those teams have lost very good players to Man City.

I have no idea why Downing would you want to go to a team outside the CL? What if they don't make it into the top 4 next season? They're not even in Europe this season. He sees them making that jump before us and I get it, but there is no guarantee at all they'll be any closer to getting in despite their extravagance this summer.

[Mazrim]

Hands up, who's in the mood for bindippers coming here and telling us what our players are worth and what their piss taking club will or will not pay?
Oh yes, delightful.

[Greg N'Ash]

Pay up or fuck off is the simple answer, and say what you want about Randy/Faulkner they haven't let us down at all when selling our better players.

Crikey. That's the faintest of praise, is it not?

They keep selling our best players, but hey, they get top dollar. Wiganesque.

Why grade the praise? The players in question wanted to leave and we got good money for them as opposed to bending over and taking it to go along with the news that the players wanted to go. I'm not happy about those players leaving, but in three years, if Man City with a bottomless pit of cash come calling for 2 of the 4 players, then there isn't much any team can do. It's no more Wiganesque as it's Villaesque, Barcelonaesque, Wolfsburgesque and Arsenalesque because all of those teams have lost very good players to Man City.

I have no idea why Downing would you want to go to a team outside the CL? What if they don't make it into the top 4 next season? They're not even in Europe this season. He sees them making that jump before us and I get it, but there is no guarantee at all they'll be any closer to getting in despite their extravagance this summer.

yeah but lets be fair if you had to bet on us or liverpool you wouldn't be putting any money on us unless you're delusional.

[tarzansbrother]

Pay up or fuck off is the simple answer, and say what you want about Randy/Faulkner they haven't let us down at all when selling our better players.

Crikey. That's the faintest of praise, is it not?

They keep selling our best players, but hey, they get top dollar. Wiganesque.

Why grade the praise? The players in question wanted to leave and we got good money for them as opposed to bending over and taking it to go along with the news that the players wanted to go. I'm not happy about those players leaving, but in three years, if Man City with a bottomless pit of cash come calling for 2 of the 4 players, then there isn't much any team can do. It's no more Wiganesque as it's Villaesque, Barcelonaesque, Wolfsburgesque and Arsenalesque because all of those teams have lost very good players to Man City.

I have no idea why Downing would you want to go to a team outside the CL? What if they don't make it into the top 4 next season? They're not even in Europe this season. He sees them making that jump before us and I get it, but there is no guarantee at all they'll be any closer to getting in despite their extravagance this summer.

Didn't his last agent rinse his bank balance? For me this is about money.

[Sexual Ealing]

Hands up, who's in the mood for bindippers coming here and telling us what our players are worth and what their piss taking club will or will not pay?
Oh yes, delightful.

'Bindippers', really?

That's beneath you.

And he's hardly trolling.

[KevinGage]

Again, get rid. what's the point keeping him for another year and losing him next summer for 15m? We can no longer keep english internationals for any length of time as we don't match their goals.

If this goes through (and I'd say it's about 60/40 - unless the bindippers play poor mouth again) we need to re-evaluate our future buying strategy.

MON shouldn't be blamed at all for targeting young English players who then go on to become regular internationals. In any era, if you can point to a number of your players who are featuring at that level, chances are you're in pretty good shape.

But as we've seen, English players are at a premium and if we don't make the transition to CL ourselves, this shite will just go on and on. If our better players are foreign, there is still a decent chance that they'll leave if we're not progressing. But they won't be as attractive to the sides directly above us -the knock on effect being that we might have a better chance to keep a team together for a while and develop some cohesion. Rather than facing this scenario every bastard summer.