Neil is joined by Gareth Roberts, Steve Graves and Mike Girling with Iain Macintosh on the phone as they discuss what Liverpool are paying – or not paying – for potential new signings (not to mention their wages), a bit of England, some Euros and even a touch of Football Manager.
Direct link to The Anfield Wrap on City Talk #16 podcast download
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It was mentioned in the podcast about the hypocrisy of people on Twitter. By the same token, there were people who swore they would rather have had 2 good cup runs last season rather than finishing 4th (prior to Chelsea winning the CL final). Let’s hope those people don’t start banging on about the wage structure at Liverpool under FSG. Cup runs are great but the reality is for Liverpool to progress we need to get back into the CL. Say what you want about ‘Liverpool exists to win trophies’ but for each year we miss out, cup runs or not, we fall further behind the pack.
Ok, losing Sigurdsson isn’t the end of the world and anyone would be daft to believe the Twitter rumours regarding everyone LFC have been linked to this summer but, for me, there does seem to be a feeling of players not seeing LFC as the pinnacle of their career anymore. It used to be that Utd could beat us to a player. Then it was Chelsea and Utd, then it became those 2 plus City. Now it appears Spurs are beating us to players in the market too. I feel it’s a worrying trend. At the end of the season I laughed at people who said they can see us becoming an Aston Villa type club but I’m starting to understand their fears even though I still don’t believe we’ll become like them.
In many ways, I’m happy to see a robust wage structure in place and the club being run in a sensible manner but at the same time I don’t want to see us slip down the league as a result. It’s clear FSG’s whole business model is based on the Financial Fair Play being enforced. My worry is how keen are Uefa to enforce it. There’s only 3 ways to attract players. Success on the field, high wages or being a big club. We’re coming down to relying on our past. I’ve always thought we’re slightly hampered by London being a more attractive city to live in than Liverpool for many foreigners.
Steps are obviously being taken to turn the club around and quite right too but it looks like the key to our success is going to have to be a good scouting system, like Newcastle. Again, I believe steps have been taken in that area with the City scout(s) coming on board. Alternatively, we need to do what Spurs do to us constantly and wait till Newcastle show an interest in someone then jump in and try to hijack the move.
Despite the above, I’m still optimistic about FSG. I pray for FFP to be enforced to lessen our rivals potential. I pray we can get back in the CL in the next 2 years and I pray we can still find or attract decent players. I suppose the reason for my post is Sigurdsson has knocked me for six choosing them over us. It could just be a one off. I hope he turns out to be shit.
Spurs are a worry. And it looks like they will get a decent return on some of their fringe players this summer, in addition to Modric. But at the same time, they are in a precarious position themselves. They have stadium/income issues to deal with and commercially they seem to be well behind us. FSG will do right by us if Rodgers does well on the pitch and in the transfer market.