Is it worth buying African players?

you have all made points which i never disagreed with, i just would like someone with the skill and talent to bring us that title we all crave. i just think that some of our previous african players have not done it at the level liverpool fans expect. e.g diouf, salf diao, sissoko recently

You're right, our recent African signings haven't been good enough, but that doesn't justify a statement like 'African players don't have good footballing brains'
 
Anyway we'll leave it there now, as you seem to have retracted your previous statement (I think?)

yep, ok at the time probably not the best thing to say on a quick harsh thought i had, just came out.

This is a stupid debate

If they are good enough for Liverpool then it dosent matter were they are from and as for the African Nations ....imagine Torres was from Nigeria for arguments sake and we had to cope without him for about a month every few years . I think its safe to say we would all still have him !

If we were to sign Samuel Eto'o in January ........im sure everybody would be over the moon !

Therefore maybe this thread should be 'is it worth signing sh*t african players like Diao?' , in that case no.

I wouldnt call it a stupid debate.

I agree that its still worth to buy african players who are good enough for Liverpool, but there might arise a problem if you had several african players in your squad. Take a look at Chelsea. Every january they risk loosing Drogba, Kalou, Essien and Obi Mikel. That is a pretty heavy loss, so the fact that many african players are away on national duty in january is not totally irrelevant.
Maybe it should be called "How big a disadvantage is it that african players may be away in January?", but I think everybody understands the topic, so who cares about the name.

I wouldnt call it a stupid debate.

I agree that its still worth to buy african players who are good enough for Liverpool, but there might arise a problem if you had several african players in your squad. Take a look at Chelsea. Every january they risk loosing Drogba, Kalou, Essien and Obi Mikel. That is a pretty heavy loss, so the fact that many african players are away on national duty in january is not totally irrelevant.
Maybe it should be called "How big a disadvantage is it that african players may be away in January?", but I think everybody understands the topic, so who cares about the name.

Very true. Another team that seems to suffer as much as chelsea from this competition is portsmouth who have a number of african players

Well, I wouldn't mind Eto'o

I think there has to be considerations given to this factor, good thread Curse even though someone can not read your point and tried to give it a very different light.  We are alright at the moment, but if we did have influential African players then it would be an idea to try and limit the number of players in the squad.  But like most clubs we are all starving for tallent and it is a hard one. 

I dnt think so, yeh they may be physical and have the stamina to out run all others but when it comes down to it, its all about the football brain, and not many of them have that, simple as!

This has to be the dumbest uninformed comment I have ever read in this forum. So illiterate.

im not being in any way prejudice, I am informed very well thank you, but I have an opinion which is valid, I would rather have a young european player, or to be honest top notch english if available rather then an african player. I agree there are some greats, but if you do look closely they are not great minded in football terms, all great african players learn there trade in either france or spain, so its the influence of those leagues that create players such as the toure brothers, drogba and okacha.

Racist piece of dog poop!

I think some african players like Eto'o,Drogba, Yaya Toure, Essien, Zakora and the like are worth signing. It really does not matter if a player is from Europe, Asia or Africa.What matters is the ability and quality to perform on the highest stage.

I think some african players like Eto'o,Drogba, Yaya Toure, Essien, Zakora and the like are worth signing. It really does not matter if a player is from Europe, Asia or Africa.What matters is the ability and quality to perform on the highest stage.

For a single player, ability and quality count of course, but on .tv, sissoko (african himself) points out the things that points against you when you are a team with many african players. Like we have mentioned earlier in the thread. So; in this sense it matters if the player is from africa.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N158260080103-1420.htm

Strange comments going on here when at the start of the season I seem to remember loads of posts crying out for us to buy Samuel Eto. Including me !

A very misinformed comment, I take it you haven't watched players like Yaya Toure, Sulley Muntari or Jay Jay Okocha, and are too young to remember the likes of George Weah. Let's not forget either there are players like Vieira, who whilst officially being French was actually born in Senegal. It is a very sweeping statement you have made there mate, and one that borders on being prejudicial, try engaging your brain before posting.

Well, I have to agree with you a bit, but also some of this "African Players Will Rule" rubbish needs to be looked at. Pele said an African team would win the World CUp by 2000 and how woeful he was. In fact, African teams were rubbish at the last world cup. Rubbish. Ghana got to the 2nd round and were hammered by a disinterested Brazil, the sort of team you imagine would have been exposed by a hungry African side. Now there is all this hype over South Africa, and I'll hazard a bet that there won't be an African team in the semis there either.

If we're talking individual talent, yes. No matter where they are from, if they have the talent sign them, if not, on ya bike. There is no need to bring in race to football. Its talent and only talent.

I'll hazard a bet that there won't be an African team in the semis there either.

Now that is a daring bet!

Now there is all this hype over South Africa, and I'll hazard a bet that there won't be an African team in the semis there either.

To be honest...as things stand you might be right...we'll have to look for progress in this year's AFCON...

I have to say though that a lot of the African junior squads are very promising...so we'll just have to wait and see...

I'm convinced that the African will produced a dozen or so new world-class player in the next 3-4 years.

Why?

Many African kids, just like Brazilians ... still play their footy in the street, a football ball is still seen as a treasure and as a Brazilian once said to me about footballs...

"give the ball some respect and love, and the ball will respect and love you in return"

(swap the word "ball" for PSP, Xbox or Playstation in Europe...)