Big decision time

Take each game as it comes and play our strongest available line up. Attacking wise we have quite a few options and a couple of our players should be reasonably fresh, consider how Lallana hasn't been playing too regularly, Sturridge has missed half the season, Ibe will be used sparingly (I'd assume).

Personal preference would be to see us focus on the Europa League if we were to put all our eggs in one basket, but think we have the squad to compete on a few fronts, otherwise what was the point of fleshing out the squad in the summer?

I agree with RedWilly in that we should field our strongest team in every match. I am still a believer in the old L.F.C. way aim to win every cup we are in, oh and the league as well.

Look pretty well set to go for all 3. Just need some injuries to heal, stay fit and we will do it.

Football has become a farce now. Finishing in the top 4 is not an achievement! Competing in the Champions league is not an achievement!  Winning silverware is the only thing a player should gain a sense of achievement from.

I know the money we bring makes a huge difference to the club's finances, but what does that mean to the players at the end of the day.
I won't gain any satisfaction from finishing in the top 4 year in year out, without trophies being won, we need to be winning cups to be successful, otherwise our League cups and FA cup successes have been for nothing!

think BR will f**k this up. He has openly admitted he has been tasked to win silverware this season and to save his job he will priorities the FA Cup 1st because that's the closest chance. A lot of pressure on him... league form, keep job or go for broke? Keep job...

I don't necessarily think that being tasked with winning silverware automatically means he will prioritise winning silverware over anything else to "save his job" mate. I think every top club wants to win silverware every year. Mourinho played his best side in both legs against us in the League Cup, it's just the way they operate, they all love winning trophies. Finding a balance between winning silverware and qualifying for champion's league is what top managers are paid to do.

I like the topic however, I would love to win silverware because it's been too long for a club of our stature. In order to attract the best players (and keep ours) in the summer, I think it's better to qualify for champion's league by getting into the top 4, 'cos then we're seen as serious contenders, rather than a team who had a good cup run in the EL. So, I would prioritise top 4 and FA cup over EL.

No need to prioritise anything, we have the squad to compete on 3 fronts so go all out to win every game. 

No rotation, apart from cup tied players, best 11 available to play in every competition for me.

We beat one of our form rivals yesterday missing 2 of our best players, we held our own against the title favourites recently even though we eventually lost. 

We should have no fear about anyone we've still to play in any competition.

Spot on Debs...I was just reading down the thread and you basically said what I was thinking.

Strongest team in every game for me.

I'd want to win the Europa and finish in top four to be honest. Top four is no achievement to be honest, I'd just like to see us in the CL next season again.

In terms of the Europa, winning that gets us CL qualification so that's high on our priority in my opinion. Otherwise, if we could pull an FA cup out of this season we'd be laughing too. Would love if we could pull a double out of nowhere, as we didn't expect it from our start to the season.

Wining the EL would be the priority for, But only because it leads to CL qualification. Other than that 3rd/4th is the target... the FA cup is nice to win but it’s only a bonus. To win the FA cup and fail to qualify for the CL will mean this season is a flop!

The F.A need to f**k this 4th placed finish off and give the final CL place to whoever wins the FA cup. If the winner of the F.A cup finishes in the top 3, then the last CL place should be given to the team who finishes 4th then.  Maybe even the finalist.

The way football is going the FA cup will become like Hollywood suggested teams fielding weakened sides, as they do in the league cup, because there is no money in it.

If the winner of the FA cup receives such a prize like CL qualification, it would restore and keep its magic. Wigan won it a couple of seasons ago - imagine them in the champions league!

If we want to push forward as a club then CL qualification is more important than a domestic cup because that's where the money is as we all know.

Football has become a farce now. Finishing in the top 4 is not an achievement! Competing in the Champions league is not an achievement!  Winning silverware is the only thing a player should gain a sense of achievement from.

I know the money we bring makes a huge difference to the club's finances, but what does that mean to the players at the end of the day.
I won't gain any satisfaction from finishing in the top 4 year in year out, without trophies being won, we need to be winning cups to be successful, otherwise our League cups and FA cup successes have been for nothing!

Clearly it means a lot to the players since your best players tend not to stick around if you're not in the Champions league and we're unable to sign the best players without it. Do you think Sterling would be umming and arring over a new contract with us if we were perennial Champions league participants? It matters to players because they want to be playing against the best in the world. It matters to them because they wan to play alongside the best players in the world and therefore a higher chance of silverware. Out of the last ten FA Cup finals, it's only been won twice by a team that didn't finish in the Champions League that season. This is the reality of modern football. He who has the most money invariably wins the most silverware.

Can someone remind me again why we are the most "successful" football club in England?.

Can someone remind me again why we are the most "successful" football club in England?.

It's not often I agree with Shabs, but I've got to say I do here. We are in danger of losing the plot aren't we? Football clubs exist to inspire their supporters, to over achieve or even to occasionally disappoint, to bring joy to the people who pay to keep them going. I work with a lad who's a died in the wool Blackburn Rovers supporter, born and bred. He knows they are sh!te, but he still follows them around the country and just occasionally when they play well and win he's over the moon. Ask him about the Venky's, or about Tugay and you'll have a cracking couple of hours over a few beers. Great lad he is, THAT'S what being a football fan is all about and ought to be what a football club is all about. 

With the greatest respect to our esteemed owners and their accountants I still was gutted when we didn't beat Chelsea to get into the carling Cup final. I was gutted because of my punters, at least 50% will be Chelsea fans as we're four tube stops from Stamford Bridge or something daft. Most of that 50% are very decent lads, "I was there when we won the full members cup" etc etc, but it still doesn't mean you don't want to get one over on em. The fact that winning the thing would make little difference financially doesn't bother me overly either, I'd still like to win it. Similarly, if it is the case that winning the FA cup doesn't matter financially I don't overly care about that either. I'd like to win that too.

I'm not a completely clueless c*** (or at least I hope I'm not) and I want us to get into the top four as well. Not because I'll get a tenner through the post mind, but because it will mean (or at least it OUGHT to mean) that we can buy better players the next time a window creaks open. It may even mean we can pay our own better players the going rate rather than flogging them off to the highest bidder, but perhaps I'm being silly there.

But no jumped up Johnny come lately tosspot, be they owners, accountants, TV companies or whoever else is going to tell me what I should and shouldn't get excited about. If they don't think FA Cup semi finals, FA Cup finals, or League Cup semis and finals are exciting, it's because they've never been to one. You have plenty of sh!t days when you follow a football team. That might be having your workmates taking the p!ss out of you because Djimi Traore has tried a back heel on the goal line and scored an OG, or it might be a wasted journey of a few hundred miles in the freezing cold to see your team draw 0-0 at Middlesbrough. Yes there are plenty of very average days when you are a football fan, that's what makes the great days even more great. Those that want to can "prioritise" a Champions League place all they want, but as a Liverpool fan I want us to win trophies. I'm one of Brendans biggest supporters on the boards, but we must IMHO seriously challenge for the winning of trophies. That applies for now as our squad and spending power (just) gives us the right to dream about such things. If these owners have their way, give it another couple of years and I'll be sitting down with Jonnie and for every Tugay or Tommy Spur he has, I'll have me Nick Tanners and Luis Garcias. 

The F.A need to f**k this 4th placed finish off and give the final CL place to whoever wins the FA cup. If the winner of the F.A cup finishes in the top 3, then the last CL place should be given to the team who finishes 4th then.  Maybe even the finalist.

The way football is going the FA cup will become like Hollywood suggested teams fielding weakened sides, as they do in the league cup, because there is no money in it.

If the winner of the FA cup receives such a prize like CL qualification, it would restore and keep its magic. Wigan won it a couple of seasons ago - imagine them in the champions league!

If we want to push forward as a club then CL qualification is more important than a domestic cup because that's where the money is as we all know.

I said that before that's it imperative that the FA offer a Champions league place to FA cup winner if they want to preserve the importance of the competition.
It's Common sense really, and its a win win situation for the FA, a bigger prize in the form of a CL place, and the likelihood of increased money to the FA from Sky and BT bidding on the rights.

No need to prioritise anything, we have the squad to compete on 3 fronts so go all out to win every game. 

No rotation, apart from cup tied players, best 11 available to play in every competition for me.

We beat one of our form rivals yesterday missing 2 of our best players, we held our own against the title favourites recently even though we eventually lost. 

We should have no fear about anyone we've still to play in any competition.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This all day long and twice on a f***in Sunday ,
There is absolutely no reason why we can't "go for it" on all fronts, it's one of the reasons why this club exists, to WIN trophies & titles, whether it be the league , league cup, FA cup, CL, or indeed the Europa league, of course we would all like to win those comps that offer the highest financial reward,however,
Ask any player from our illustrious past and they will tell you that their proudest moments were of lifting silverware and will show you their winning medals with a very large beaming smile, that still stands today(ask Carra & Stevie)

The bonus is the qualification of CL football by finishing ,2nd  3rd or 4th, by finishing top in your domestic league you are indeed. "Champions"

FIFA should change it back to the European cup and drop the word Champion for obvious reasons,

Anyhoo,
Debs is absolutely spot on, no need for rotation except when absolutely necessary or have no choice, prioritise every match in that the next one takes priority in other words your next is the most important,

Palace is the next priority followed by Saints then Citeh, focus on your next challenge which just happens to be the FA cup, go all out to win at Palace then forget it until the next round , and so on,
losing players through injury is just purely down to luck or lack thereof so just get on with it, Simples !


YNWA

It's not often I agree with Shabs, but I've got to say I do here. We are in danger of losing the plot aren't we? Football clubs exist to inspire their supporters, to over achieve or even to occasionally disappoint, to bring joy to the people who pay to keep them going. I work with a lad who's a died in the wool Blackburn Rovers supporter, born and bred. He knows they are sh!te, but he still follows them around the country and just occasionally when they play well and win he's over the moon. Ask him about the Venky's, or about Tugay and you'll have a cracking couple of hours over a few beers. Great lad he is, THAT'S what being a football fan is all about and ought to be what a football club is all about. 

With the greatest respect to our esteemed owners and their accountants I still was gutted when we didn't beat Chelsea to get into the carling Cup final. I was gutted because of my punters, at least 50% will be Chelsea fans as we're four tube stops from Stamford Bridge or something daft. Most of that 50% are very decent lads, "I was there when we won the full members cup" etc etc, but it still doesn't mean you don't want to get one over on em. The fact that winning the thing would make little difference financially doesn't bother me overly either, I'd still like to win it. Similarly, if it is the case that winning the FA cup doesn't matter financially I don't overly care about that either. I'd like to win that too.

I'm not a completely clueless c*** (or at least I hope I'm not) and I want us to get into the top four as well. Not because I'll get a tenner through the post mind, but because it will mean (or at least it OUGHT to mean) that we can buy better players the next time a window creaks open. It may even mean we can pay our own better players the going rate rather than flogging them off to the highest bidder, but perhaps I'm being silly there.

But no jumped up Johnny come lately tosspot, be they owners, accountants, TV companies or whoever else is going to tell me what I should and shouldn't get excited about. If they don't think FA Cup semi finals, FA Cup finals, or League Cup semis and finals are exciting, it's because they've never been to one. You have plenty of sh!t days when you follow a football team. That might be having your workmates taking the p!ss out of you because Djimi Traore has tried a back heel on the goal line and scored an OG, or it might be a wasted journey of a few hundred miles in the freezing cold to see your team draw 0-0 at Middlesbrough. Yes there are plenty of very average days when you are a football fan, that's what makes the great days even more great. Those that want to can "prioritise" a Champions League place all they want, but as a Liverpool fan I want us to win trophies. I'm one of Brendans biggest supporters on the boards, but we must IMHO seriously challenge for the winning of trophies. That applies for now as our squad and spending power (just) gives us the right to dream about such things. If these owners have their way, give it another couple of years and I'll be sitting down with Jonnie and for every Tugay or Tommy Spur he has, I'll have me Nick Tanners and Luis Garcias.

Fantastic post my friend.

Round of applause to you sir.

In 2001 we won three cups along with getting a Champions League spot.

There's no reason whatsoever with the size of our current squad we can't reach Champions League qualification and win something along with it. Winning things is what Liverpool is all about. Even during these lean years, we should expect to win something every year - and be disappointed if we don't.

Why can't players play 2 games a week! Seriously! Factory workers and labourers can work over 40 per week hard graft, but its such a big deal for players to run around a field  for 90 minutes twice a week!

There's no reason why men at the peak of their fitness can't challenge on all fronts.

The squad should be big enough that playing twice a week isn't a problem - the squad of '77 was a lot smaller and those players weren't the athletes that today's are.

We're the form team in the league, we have momentum, we have Sturridge back, we have a formation that's working, we have a confident looking goalkeeper and defence, we have the memory of our incredible run last Spring. We're more than capable of another incredible run that sees us achieve all three goals.

I personally would prioritise the Europa League. As well as the benefits of qualifying for the Champions' League, there's no greater thrill for me than seeing Liverpool win a European trophy. Plus Atletico Madrid have gone from strength to strength since they won it in 2010.

Some very very good posts in here.

Only thing I'd add is rest Sturridge for most Europa League fixtures. Because the league takes a break for FA Cup (until the latter latter stages), we can afford to use him in both of those competitions. Making him play Thursday/Sunday after such a long lay off might be harmful to him.

Some very very good posts in here.

Only thing I'd add is rest Sturridge for most Europa League fixtures. Because the league takes a break for FA Cup (until the latter latter stages), we can afford to use him in both of those competitions. Making him play Thursday/Sunday after such a long lay off might be harmful to him.

That's where I'd use Mario more and try and bring him into the side a bit more in the coming weeks.

Why can't players play 2 games a week!

Because they're pampered little F***ing fairies nowadays.

It's a F***ing joke what football has become.

Because they're pampered little F***ing fairies nowadays.

It's a F***ing joke what football has become.

I don't think many would argue with that Billy.

I don't think many would argue with that Billy.

They'd be a F***ing idiot if they did mate.

On the pitch we have to solve the oft debated question of whether we should prioritise 4th, or, in the case of the Europa League competition, silverware. On the face of it, the decision should be easy since winning the cup competition in Warsaw this year also qualifies us for the Champion's League and its attendant money and cache. 

The stakes are massive. The new TV money from BT means the qualifying clubs can expect £40 million pounds even if they lose every game in the group stages. Winning the thing could add £60 million to the club's value. To put that in perspective our entire matchday income comes to £42 million a year.

At least £60M increase from the Premier League payments.  I expect an increase in the overseas rights as well.  It wouldn't surprise me one iota if Liverpool pulled in £170M-£180M from the PL money in 2016-17 (even if we were to finish outside the top 4) compared to the just under £100M we got from finishing 2nd in 2013-14. 

As you say match attendance money is effectively insignificant for the club now.  Although they 'don't need to' they could make a significant cut of 25% for all or even more for certain sections of the ground.  They could quite easily give £10M back to the fans in lowered ticket prices from this huge increase.

But anyway, back to the main point - and my opinion remains the same.  Supporters get their principal enjoyment out of their football club from seeing them win trophies.   Qualifying for the Champions League is something of a poisoned chalice for the owners.  Yes they may get better sponsorship deals - but there is also significant pressure on them from supporters to then spend big and pay big wages.  Look what happened to Leeds.  We qualified once and were out by the groups.  How much do you reckon we earned from this CL campaign - £15M?

I doubt we will get anywhere in the UEFA Cup. 

I think Rodgers should keep his focus on trying to get into the top four (difficult as it will be now) but from a personal point of view he will be placing himself under understandable pressure to win a trophy - with the FA Cup the reds best option this season.  If he doesn't win any silverware at Liverpool - even if he finishes second every year for the next five - future generations would not consider him a successful manager when they look at the list of LFC managers.  Might be harsh but that's how football history works.

These owners are not going to go gung ho and bring in the big names.  When the stadiums done, and they cash in their chips (likely before the next TV deal is done), then maybe we may get some mad owners and things will go full circle.

At least £60M increase from the Premier League payments.  I expect an increase in the overseas rights as well.  It wouldn't surprise me one iota if Liverpool pulled in £170M-£180M from the PL money in 2016-17 (even if we were to finish outside the top 4) compared to the just under £100M we got from finishing 2nd in 2013-14. 

As you say match attendance money is effectively insignificant for the club now.  Although they 'don't need to' they could make a significant cut of 25% for all or even more for certain sections of the ground.  They could quite easily give £10M back to the fans in lowered ticket prices from this huge increase.

But anyway, back to the main point - and my opinion remains the same.  Supporters get their principal enjoyment out of their football club from seeing them win trophies.   Qualifying for the Champions League is something of a poisoned chalice for the owners.  Yes they may get better sponsorship deals - but there is also significant pressure on them from supporters to then spend big and pay big wages.  Look what happened to Leeds.  We qualified once and were out by the groups.  How much do you reckon we earned from this CL campaign - £15M?

I doubt we will get anywhere in the UEFA Cup. 

I think Rodgers should keep his focus on trying to get into the top four (difficult as it will be now) but from a personal point of view he will be placing himself under understandable pressure to win a trophy - with the FA Cup the reds best option this season.  If he doesn't win any silverware at Liverpool - even if he finishes second every year for the next five - future generations would not consider him a successful manager when they look at the list of LFC managers.  Might be harsh but that's how football history works.

These owners are not going to go gung ho and bring in the big names.  When the stadiums done, and they cash in their chips (likely before the next TV deal is done), then maybe we may get some mad owners and things will go full circle.

Even if our owners sold tomorrow to the richest person on the planet under FFp we would be no better off, can people not understand that we are spending exactly what we can afford. City have been punished in the championsleague for over stepping the mark, but the fact is they can spend more because they earn more. Yes very sad but we have been fu**ed over by many a past owner we have fallen behind City and Chelsea in our spending power, do not misstake this for owner spending power its the club sponsorship and money deals thats the key.

Fact our current owners have made massive strides as a club and our spending power, i cannot see any other club who has made the same gains in the period our owners have been here.