Who's the pick of the new boys?

I would give..

Enrique 9/10
Suarez 7/10
Bellamy 5/10
Adam 4.75/10
Henderson 4.5/10
Downing 4/10
Coates 3.5/10
Carroll 2.0/10

Coates so low? Can I ask why?

I would give..

Enrique 9/10
Suarez 7/10
Bellamy 5/10
Adam 4.75/10
Henderson 4.5/10
Downing 4/10
Coates 3.5/10
Carroll 2.0/10

Harsh on Coates, seeing as he's only played a couple of league cup games and in them he's played ok.

Enrique 10/10 - the best signing we have made in years, still sometimes wasteful with possesion but an absolute wall in the back
Bellamy 9/10 - couldn't have gone better, he's such an influential player. He brings in undeniable quality and pride to wear the shirt and should be in the starting line-up
Suarez 7/10 - he's an absolute genius with the ball, shame about his selfishness. We could have been propelled to the front of the table had he picked his options more carefully in the box
Coates 7/10 - everytime I've seen him play he impressed me (apart from the Spurs defeat), looking forward to more
Doni 7/10 - A very good back-up to Pepe. Had an impressive game in the cup, during which he held the team single-handedly. Good stuff
Adam 5/10 - I was very excited to get him, expecting pinpoint crosses and brilliant set-pieces. I got a few decent Hollywood balls and that's about it. Needs a lot of work.
Henderson 4/10 - decent passer of the ball, but too afraid to take matters into his own hands. Should be dropped to the bench in favour of Shelvey
Downing 3/10 - no creativity, shocking final balls and aimless running down the wings. Terrible performances so far, but I sure do hope he can turn this around, he seems like a decent guy.
Carroll 2/10 - what can I say, he's been absolutely terrible. Bad and innecesarry shots, shocking with his feet and not convincing with his head. Desperately needs to turn this around if he wants to stay, Suarez's ban will give him the biggest chance yet. And for god's sake Andy, lose the ponytail and the neckbeard, you look better without them (no homo).

Enrique-9      (Looks like he has been here forever)
Bellers-7       (Looks like he never should have gone in the first place)
Adam-5        (Brought in as a bench player and forced into starting, has done OK but his 10M set-pieces have been non-existent)
Hendo-5       (Once again brought in as the future and forced to start out of position- I think he will be here a long time)
Coates-5      (Looks good to me in limited action)
Downing-4    (I am quite disappointed in him, of all of our new signing he was the one who was supposed to step in and boss)
Doni-?          (Looks tall in team photos)

What he said.

Enrique 9
Bellamy 9
Adam 8
Coates 5
Henderson 4
Downing 2

Had Bellamy got a few more starts and a few more goals he may have pushed him for the title but, for me, the pick of the new boys has to be Enrique. He's settled, very quickly, into what has become a formidable defence.

Hansen hails transfer policy

Alan Hansen believes Liverpool's transfer policy in the past year has helped them enjoy a much more fruitful 2011 and will see them kick on again next year.

Like everyone else with Reds connections Hansen has been delighted with the progress the club has made since Kenny Dalglish returned to manage the club in January.

Part of that success has been down to the players the club have been targeting in the transfer market.

"Critical to the improvement has been Liverpool's transfer policy which has seen several young players with huge potential brought in, predominantly from other Premier League club," said Hansen in LFC magazine this week.

"There is no way that we, or any other club for that matter, can compete with Manchester City as far as transfer fees go.

"That leaves Liverpool with a question to answer. Do you sign what's left of the bigger named established players, or do you try and build a new team around youth?

"Liverpool have done the latter and that policy of buying younger players will, I believe, ultimately reap rewards and dividends, hopefully sooner rather than later."

The Reds haven't just bought for the future though. Some players have made an immediate impact.

"Luis Suarez is a prime example of a player who has been an instant hit," continued the Scot.

"His performances, almost every single time he plays, have been sensational. He's got such quick feet that every time he gets the ball the anticipation levels amongst Liverpool fans rise. He's been fantastic to watch in 2011."

The full Hansen end-of-year column, plus a 16-page 2012 year planner, is in this week's LFC magazine.


http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/hansen-hails-transfer-policy

Enrique 8/10 - been fantastic so far but i reckon he has more to come!
Suarez 6/10 - 5 prem goals, 3 assists at almost halfway through the season - need him to be a 20 goal a season man.
Bellamy 5/10 - will get better as the season goes on i reckon if he starts more games.
Adam 5/10 - need more goals from him but he has assisted 7 of our 21 league goals! Think he will improve!
Henderson 4.5/10 - hope he gets better but so far not giving me much hope. nervous on the ball and not creative at all, always a safe pass.
Downing 4/10 - No Goals and No Assists in 16 starts and 2 subs appearances - not good enough!
Carroll 5/10 - 2 of that 5 is just for scoring against Everton but i think the lad should start a run of games and will now prob get his chance to do that with Suarez out - Come on lad !!!

Suarez 6/10 - 5 prem goals, 3 assists at almost halfway through the season - need him to be a 20 goal a season man.
Bellamy 5/10 - will get better as the season goes on i reckon if he starts more games.

You taking the piss, Suarez is more a Peter Beardsley type of player than an out and out goalscorer, F***ing hell and to say he's only a 6, he's been our best player THIS YEAR.

And Bellamy has been F***ing outstanding every game I've seen him play since he has returned.

Enrique - 10/10. Nigh on perfect, has hardly put a foot wrong. Only thing he can be is a little wasteful in possession. Given 10 because he was so cheap as well.
Bellamy - 8/10. Shouldn't have left! Still looks like he's got the energy. Has been a great addition to the squad.
Adam - 6/10. Average overall. Some good moments, some bad. Doesn't deserve all the stick he gets.
Henderson - 4/10. Distinctly below par. Started promising, but hasn't delivered for me thus far. Doesn't get involved anywhere near enough in the game.
Coates - N/A. (8/10 for promise!) Hasn't played enough to judge properly, but to me he looks like he could be quality.
Downing - 6/10. Ok without being spectacular. Last two performances have improved, but he still needs to start taking players on more, and to start hitting the back of the net himself.

If we're counting Suarez and Carroll...

Suarez - 9/10. Almost perfect, he's a one man  team at times, though that could be construed negatively too. Improve his shots to goals ratio and he'll be unplayable.
Carroll - 5/10. Can't fault for effort, but thus far, excepting the Man city game last season, he's failed to fit into the team and hasn't got the goals going. Hopefully that'll change in 2012.

So the pick of them? Well judging by the impact they have had on the team alone, Suarez comes into contention, but I think when you factor in their fee as well, Enrique pips him to it.

Suarez - 9/10. Almost perfect, he's a one man  team at times, though that could be construed negatively too. Improve his shots to goals ratio and he'll be unplayable.

The thing is though, Suarez manages to engineer a goalscoring opportunity where 99.99% of other players wouldn't even dare to attempt to get in on goal.  He creates half chances and clear cut chances for himself and others through his trickery and invention on the ball.  He is so good that he would easily walk right into any teams starting 11, including Barca/Real/etc. 

The thing is though, Suarez manages to engineer a goalscoring opportunity where 99.99% of other players wouldn't even dare to attempt to get in on goal.  He creates half chances and clear cut chances for himself and others through his trickery and invention on the ball.  He is so good that he would easily walk right into any teams starting 11, including Barca/Real/etc. 

Yes of course, I'm not saying he isn't good enough for those teams because of his shot/goal ratio. You make a good point about Suarez creating his own chances, and that is completely true, but it's undeniable his shooting hasn't been on par with the rest of his game for us. Compare his last few games for Uruguay and his last few for us, and what'll be immediately noticeable is the improvement in his finishing when playing for Uruguay. Perhaps, being in a Premiership game, he's having less time on the ball and that forces him to rush a little, but for me if his finishing had been a little better these past few months, he would have scored a fair few more. Of course he's been fairly unlucky with the woodwork, and has had all the off pitch distractions, but I still think he should be converting more of his chances, half chances, clear cut, self made or set up. He's no poacher or natural finisher, but I still expect more from him, especially when you look at his lightening quick and accurate finishing for Uruguay. That's just what he can do.

I'm always looking for our players to improve, and this is how I think Suarez can. After that, I'm not really sure what he could do. 

Bellers and saurez,look the buisness,adams done alright and was getting better and more confident then lucas got injured and he,s had to alter his game a bit but still ok.downing and henderson very average indeed,but ,think they will come good,same with carrol just lacks confidence for me ,oh and enrique is bargain of the century,total class...........coates has looked alreet aswell.

You taking the piss, Suarez is more a Peter Beardsley type of player than an out and out goalscorer, f**king hell and to say he's only a 6, he's been our best player THIS YEAR.

And Bellamy has been f**king outstanding every game I've seen him play since he has returned.

18 months on the board HR with 13 posts and a -2 say's all that need to be said.

Coates so low? Can I ask why?

Just my opinion.  I think he will be a great player, but I also think as far as this year is concerned, the first thing that comes to mind is that missed clearance at the Stoke game that led to a goal against us.  We paid 6 or 7m for the kid, and he's barely played, albeit other than a few mistakes he's been amazing, and kept a goal or two from going in, but he hasn't had a huge impact on our league standing.  So I gave him a lower number for that reason.  I was just giving my opinions, it's not real facts or anything.

Luis Suarez:

Been by far our best signing this year - he's involved in everything creative we do. A breath of fresh air and is simply a marvellous, world class player. He works as hard as every other player and he's our top goal scorer this season.

I don't think you'll find a better signing made in January then Suarez - has quality in everything he does, and he'll only improve. Taken the premier league like duck to water.

He's a world class player, a whole new revolution to our squad with his skills in recent years - he does sometimes try overdoing it sometimes and he needs to take more of his chances. Although being far, he's been terrible unlucky with the amount of times he's hit the bar.

Bellamy:

He's been another top player for us. For all his great performances, vital goals - the thing that most impresses me is his hunger and determination just to be playing. He knows his limitations with his knee injury but when he does play - he looks sharp and very fit.

His performances have been excellent, he was the reason why we won against Villa and he's a big threat whenever called for - when starting or as a late sub.

Sometimes his mouth gets him in trouble but that's the real Craig Bellamy, a person that puts full effort into every performance.

Funny how we sign Bellamy for free - yet Downing cost 20 million and Bellamy has been twice the player. Sometimes, money really does not matter. There's always value out there.

Enrique:

So composed on the ball, he can relieve so much pressure on our defence by his ball retention. Not only that but his passing ability is great too, he can always find a pass and is always available to pass too - if under pressure or not.

Defensively he's been unbelievably - i don't remember one opposing player getting a run past him all season - he has everything, pace, power, strong tackler, good distribution and is decent in the air.

There has been many times, too many, where he's not had any support from the winger, particularly Downing who's been lethargic and have not gave him much support.

Offensively he's quality too - made many runs past the winger to deliver a great ball into the box - i remember against Everton, he sprinted past their full back to deliver a nice ball into the box for Andy to volley in.

He's going to be our left for a long, long time and what a great buy.

They're the three main quality signings so far, in my opinion: Coates looked great when we played Chelsea - other then that terrible tackle which should have resulted in a penalty, right at the start of the match, but needs more games to actually get a better view of him as a player.

I would put them in order rather than out of 10.
Suarez
Enrique
Bellamy
Adam
Henderson
Carrol
Downing

The top three have all brought a smile to my face, they all look like they will sweat blood to be on the winning side. All three want the ball all the time and want to be involved and put their stamp on a match.
Adam has been average for me, I sometimes think he looks like he is trying to hard to do everything himself, taking an extra touch when he does not need to. Shooting when passing is a better option, trying the champagne pass when passing a ten yard ball and moving is a better option. This is not Blackpool Charlie, this is Liverpool if you pass and move there is a very good chance you'll get it back!

Henderson is always playing out of position but he drifts out of games too much. Carroll needs a run of matches, probably too big headed to get his sharpness in the reserves. But I still find myself wanting him to do well and firmly believe kk knows what he's doing.

Downing is very poor. He just does not seem to have it in him sometimes. I never liked it when he was picked for England as I questioned his attitude and ability. When he signed for us I really wanted him to prove me wrong after all what do I know! However, I watch every game and feel more and more frustrated with his performances.

Downing is very poor. He just does not seem to have it in him sometimes. I never liked it when he was picked for England as I questioned his attitude and ability. When he signed for us I really wanted him to prove me wrong after all what do I know! However, I watch every game and feel more and more frustrated with his performances.

I'll second that.

 Enrique by a mile so far.

Enrique 9/10 : one of the best players of the EPL never mind in the squad, has done both his and Downing's job week in week out.
Suarez 8/10 : great to watch, confidence to beat a man, seems to lack the killer touch (our Ajax friends had warned us of this)
Bellamy 7/10 : works hard
Coates 5/10 : looks good but on the few occasions he's been played he's made some very silly challenges, needs loaned out or something to build up his awareness and ability to handle PL football.
Adam 5/10 : tries hard but not good enough, can't hit a corner (or penalty apparently), nowhere near as good as Lucas in the DMF role.
Downing 4/10 : you never see him take on a man, he'll always turn back and look for a 1-2, giving the defending team time to regroup. Not seen him fire a decent cross in either.
Henderson 4/10 : goes from genius to div, no inbetween. Have seen some killer crosses and intelligent CM play, but most of the time I'm watching wondering how such a young lad does such little tracking back.
Carroll 3/10 : started off I thought he wasn't fit, beginning to feel he's not good enough, hopefully a run while Suarez serves his ban will show me otherwise, but for such a big lad he's missed free headers and has an inability to hold up play and stimulate attacks.

Had Bellamy got a few more starts and a few more goals he may have pushed him for the title but, for me, the pick of the new boys has to be Enrique. He's settled, very quickly, into what has become a formidable defence.

Agree!

Luis Suarez 9/10
Jose Enrique 9/10
Craig Bellamy 8/10
Charlie Adam 7/10
Jordan Henderson 6/10
Stewart Downing 5/10
Andy Carroll 4/10

Enrique

He come in and make that position his permanent.