Potential solutions

Would we be happy if an Arab consortium or a Russian Tycoon came in for a total buyout?.. and injected a stupid amount of money into our transfer budget to deliver us that Premier League Holy Grail...and give us a lot more chance in todays Champions League battle.
or is that too far fetched to consider?

Surely those days are over due to FFP? :p

I'm going to break rank.

Rafa Benitez, we suffer till this very day from the void his leadership left.

2nd last season and nearly won it. Came closer than Rafa did.

Simple solution get an intelligent manager who is capable of spotting what doesn't work and isn't so pathetically insecure as a human being that he can't fix them.

2nd last season and nearly won it. Came closer than Rafa did.

Pretty sure Rafa finshed second as well.

Put a couple of trophies in the cabinet while he was at it as well.

Not a call for Rafa to come back just pointing out a few facts.

Pretty sure Rafa finshed second as well.

Put a couple of trophies in the cabinet while he was at it as well.

Not a call for Rafa to come back just pointing out a few facts.

Yea, and 2nd last season ain't a void.

Yea, and 2nd last season ain't a void.

Time will tell.

All I'm saying is that Brendan hasn't come closer than Rafa did as you posted above.

Time will tell.

All I'm saying is that Brendan hasn't come closer than Rafa did as you posted above.

Both came 2nd sure.
But we almost touched it last year, playing great football - we let it slip.  Don't think Rafa got that close (though both finished 2nd). Just imo.

Anyway, don't want to get into the Rafa debate tonight mate ... BR is still in the seat, and don't think he's going anywhere soon.

Unfortunately, to get back to challenging for the league, we probably need to spend another 120 mil or so on:

A world-class striker
A world-class central midfielder
A world-class centre-half
A quality right back
A quality goalkeeper

In an ideal world, this. At the very least, a proven striker/goal scorer.

Both came 2nd sure.
But we almost touched it last year, playing great football - we let it slip.  Don't think Rafa got that close (though both finished 2nd). Just imo.

Anyway, don't want to get into the Rafa debate tonight mate ... BR is still in the seat, and don't think he's going anywhere soon.

86 point plus 50 goal diff and just 2 defeats.

86 point plus 50 goal diff and just 2 defeats.

Whilst competing in the Champions League too! What was it, Semi Finals? Yet we can't seem to manage Ludogorets followed by West Ham.

Does no one else think that just maybe we are playing Steven Gerrard, in a position where he cannot impact on our performance? When, last season did he ever make playing in front of the CB's his position?

I would much rather see him being played to his strengths even if it meant playing for 60/70 minutes. He scored 13 league goals last season which speaks volumes to me. He hasn't aged over night, so why is he not playing to his strengths? It worked for Giggs, Phillips and Sheringham.

Both came 2nd sure.
But we almost touched it last year, playing great football - we let it slip.  Don't think Rafa got that close (though both finished 2nd). Just imo.

Anyway, don't want to get into the Rafa debate tonight mate ... BR is still in the seat, and don't think he's going anywhere soon.

There is a difference in fairness.

One got second place with Reina, Arbeloa, Alonso, Mascherano, Torres, and Gerrard in his prime to call upon, with world class players in every position.

The other only got second place with Toure, Allen, Aspas, Gerrard in a holding role, his main forward missing the early part of the season, no transfer budget, a wafer thin squad, and still took the title race to the last day of the season.

I think I know which coach's second place finish was better.

Given our recent form will the following simple remedies improve us or do we need bigger root and branch type interventions?

1. Sturridge returning
2. Flanagan and Sakho returning
3. Fringe players like Lucas borini and toure starting
4. A new striker and/or keeper in January

Or do we need a new defensive coach, director of football..etc?

I think all those would help mate. Throw in the sports psychologist bloke to help bring individuals' confidence back as well.

On the notion of Sturridge returning, I hope we don't pin all our team's burden upon him, it should always be a collective effort. If by having him in the team others' confidence goes up the great! We need someone who can come in and lift the spirits never mind the genral play. I just hope Rodgers doesn't try and play Sturridge as a lone striker as he has done with Balotelli.

There is a difference in fairness.

One got second place with Reina, Arbeloa, Alonso, Mascherano, Torres, and Gerrard in his prime to call upon, with world class players in every position.

The other only got second place with Toure, Allen, Aspas, Gerrard in a holding role, his main forward missing the early part of the season, no transfer budget, a wafer thin squad, and still took the title race to the last day of the season.

I think I know which coach's second place finish was better.

That's reverse engineering. Rafa bought mascherano, Alonso, Arbeloa and Torres and for pretty much f.a. And played gerrard in a position that suits. I also support BR but don't let facts get in the way

There is a difference in fairness.

One got second place with Reina, Arbeloa, Alonso, Mascherano, Torres, and Gerrard in his prime to call upon, with world class players in every position.

The other only got second place with Toure, Allen, Aspas, Gerrard in a holding role, his main forward missing the early part of the season, no transfer budget, a wafer thin squad, and still took the title race to the last day of the season.

I think I know which coach's second place finish was better.

Those were the players he himself bought.And the likes of Allen ,Toure were bought by BR himself. You got a thing against our club legend don't you.Everytime you post,it is anti Rafa.I mean getting that 2nd spot under Hicks and Gillet would tell you the real strength of the former man.

it's at times like these I find solice listening to this man and his faith,raw honesty and beliefs..
www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=qGwRK18iGW4

As for a potential solution I really don't know..
The overnight sensation would be a massive splash out on a proven goalscorer..The owners/management are just gonna have to break the bank to get someone in on 1st January 2015 who seriously can get us back to winning ways because I don't see anyone at our club who is capable of putting the ball into the goal right now..

Love listening to him, he was so wise and down to earth, before my time but when I first heard his attitude towards football, Liverpool and life I understood how we became a special club.

There is a difference in fairness.

One got second place with Reina, Arbeloa, Alonso, Mascherano, Torres, and Gerrard in his prime to call upon, with world class players in every position.

The other only got second place with Toure, Allen, Aspas, Gerrard in a holding role, his main forward missing the early part of the season, no transfer budget, a wafer thin squad, and still took the title race to the last day of the season.

I think I know which coach's second place finish was better.

Oh can I play this game too? Brendan had Coutinho and Sterling and Suarez and Sturridge and Gerrard in a holding role (who still scored 13 goals Masch and Alonso didn't do that) whilst Rafa had N'gog, Plessis, Dossena and Babel. But we still got more points in the league that season WHILST having Champions League football (where we beat Real Madrid 5-0 on aggregate). We also finished that season with 20 league clean sheets with a keeper who cost Rafa £6M whereas we finished last year with only 10 clean sheets in the league with a keeper who cost Brendan £9M.

But hey facts don't matter when you have an agenda do they?

But since is the potential solutions thread I'd start by bringing in a holding midfielder in Jan. (Henderson and Can are both wasted in that role and are much happier with the ball than without it) A Schneiderlin, Gustavo or Gonalons would do nicely. And making sure that either one of Skrtel or Lovren plays but not the both of them I've never seen a defensive partnership with this little cohesion and understanding in my entire life.

And Brendan should either bring in a Carra or a Clarke or someone like that and have the boys do double sessions in training with one session dedicated to whatever the F**k they're doing now and the other session dedicated to the dull, boring defensive work like positioning, covering  for each other, work on set pieces both defensively and offensively you know the type of stuff that builds trust and confidence amongst your defenders instead of Lovren and Skrtel going into business for themselves because they don't know or trust what the other guy is doing. If Balotelli or Borini or Lambert don't start finding the old onion bag soon we may have to bring in another striker maybe Berahino. Who'll probably cost £35M or something seeing as how he ticks all of the Carroll boxes. English. Check. Young and is another "one for the future". Check.  Had a productive half a Premier League season. Check. Recently called up to the England national side. Check. A January signing so prices are inflated. Check.

I can't believe I'm sitting here talking about signing another striker in January following a summer where we spent £30M on strikers.

Every player needs to be looked at. None of them have been up to scratch this season. So the team should be based on players who are hungry, fit and determined to play well.

Playing one up front has been a disaster from day 1. Even when Sturridge played up front on the first day against Southampton, we were poor.

We need two strikers; even if it was bloody Lambert and Ballotelli.

Unfortunately, to get back to challenging for the league, we probably need to spend another 120 mil or so on:

A world-class striker
A world-class central midfielder
A world-class centre-half
A quality right back
A quality goalkeeper

and a world class manager.

There is a difference in fairness.

One got second place with Reina, Arbeloa, Alonso, Mascherano, Torres, and Gerrard in his prime to call upon, with world class players in every position.

The other only got second place with Toure, Allen, Aspas, Gerrard in a holding role, his main forward missing the early part of the season, no transfer budget, a wafer thin squad, and still took the title race to the last day of the season.

I think I know which coach's second place finish was better.

Do you get a message on your phone every time the word "Rafa" is posted on the forum?

and a world class manager.

problem is if we have to recruit a World class manager he will want to have world class players.
that's why I say we have to stick with Brendan and find a way to make it work because with FSG we are trying for world domination on the cheap.

Do you get a message on your phone every time the word "Rafa" is posted on the forum?

Love Rafa should never have gone but he has and he will not  be coming back.I only refer to him when I think his legacy has been tarnished on here but we will not see the man back in the home dugout ever again.

problem is if we have to recruit a World class manager he will want to have world class players.
that's why I say we have to stick with Brendan and find a way to make it work because with FSG we are trying for world domination on the cheap.

if spending over 200 mil pounds on transfers is cheap, i wonder how the likes of southampton are managing to get 2nd with spending not even a quarter on that on transfers