Do we need a Left Back

I'd bring in Enrique.

I can see Johnson going in the summer so don't see him as a long term left back option.  Besides, he isn't actually very good there.

We all seen what a difference playing week in and week out over the course of a full season can do to a youngster with Insua do we want to repeat that risk ?

In fairness though Blood the lad did have the 'hardworking' likes of Riera and Maxi in front of him.

I'd bring in Enrique.

I can see Johnson going in the summer so don't see him as a long term left back option.  Besides, he isn't actually very good there.

What makes you think he will be leaving in the summer?

Yes we do, not fair to make an 18 year first choice, and Fabio is never fit enough for long enough.

Are we getting ahead of ourselves? Like Robinson has still played less than 90minutes first team football and we are saying that he will do as a squad player. He won't. Next season he will be on loan at best, and the season after again. He is 3 seasons off of first team football at Liverpool IMO. The lad is only 17 like! 

Yes we have to get a proper, good, experienced LB in. Just because Robinson had a great (proper) debut and has potential does not mean we should not be buying a new LB in the summer. I don't mean to be harsh on the guy but he came in because of an injury crisis.

some people need to get a grip. He is a few years away from first team football and buying a player for LB will not stunt his growth or slow him down. Why throw him in too deep too early.

So what if he's only 17? The good arl fashioned saying of "if you're good enough, you're old enough" springs straight to mind. Our trouble over the last decade of not producing enough youngsters is because we constantly tell ourselves "they're too young, lets F**k them off on loan or keep them in the reserves where they won't develop enough so when they get to an age considered old enough they are in fact no longer good enough"

These youngsters need to play in and around the first team with possibly a short term loan towards the backend of a season like Kelly had with Huddersfield and Spearing with Leicester, funnily enough two of the youngsters who've come on leaps and bounds this year. But age is no barrier. Some players were internationals by Robbo's age.

The best development he can get is by being involved in our first team on a regular basis.

RLB, your point about Insua was exactly what I thought when I read the first post.

Obviously it's good for us to have some hungry, enthusiastic young lads who look good for the future we can't expect to much to soon like we did with Insua. He was thrown in at the deep end and couldn't handle it.

I think if we get rid of Aurelio (who for me, has to go, he's just far too unreliable) and get in a decent LB who Robinson can learn off and compete for a place in the team with, it will only do him the world of good.

A left back needs to be signed, a lot of times this season we have been left short in that position due to injuries which forced wilson to play there and he is useless at left back, Johnson does well at left back but how many dangerous crosses and runs have you seen him do at left back compared to right back? imo we need a natural left back who can provide ammunition and defend well, I would go for Baines or Enrique, if were going for a player outside of the premier league then I would go for Coentrao, he might be expensive for a left back but he would give us a great dimesion down the left flank.

stevie, carragher, fowler were all 18 when they made their debut, judas owen was 17, some players can handle preassure at young age and worth risking, and some need more considered and slower handling like insua. personally, i've seen enough fighting spirit and hunger in robinson and flannagan to think they can handle preassure, so why not keep giving them opportunities?

loaning players out for experience is all very well, but i can't remember the last time we loaned out a player who came back strongly and has been a regular in the first team

We have neded a LB all season long and i dont see how we have solved the problem by playing GJ out of position or having a young lad in there, Young Robinson has done tremendously well as has Flannigan but they are the future and will get opportunuties to prove their wortth, in due course.

We have to put into perspective what we want to achieve next season and obviously a serious assault on the title has to take precedence over anything else, IMO we need to sign at least 4-5 top class top drawer players for us to have a real and proper go at it, i include a LB, a left sided midfielder, a central midfield creator and a good back up striker, at LB i wouldn't mind having the lad Taiwo from Olympic Marseille, A Young from Villa would be very handy, someone like Sniejder or Schwienstiger in the middle and maybe Kevin Doyle from Wolves, also i wouldn't mind Charlie Adams from Blackpool either, we have enough cover from the young lads coming thru the ressies as we have already seen in, Kelly, Spearing, Shelvey, Flanno and Robinson, with other lads on the periphery, as in Sterling, Silva, Coady, Irwin, Ince, Hansen etc etc, not forgetting our loanees to, especially Pacheco.

No doubt Kenny will have his own shopping list and probably a surprise or two, but whoever they are they will be quality thats for sure.

   IKWT   YNWA.

I've seen enough fighting spirit and hunger in robinson and flannagan to think they can handle preassure, so why not keep giving them opportunities?

I'd give them opportunities but behind senior players covering for injuries and suspension and run outs in cup games, bearing in mind if we don't qualify for a European competition this season, then next season is going to be a massive season for us and we have to get it right first time or run the risk of being left behind.

Lets say City qualify in 4th as they are in the driving seat, they have the financial the clout and the chance for the best players to show just how good they are on the biggest stage of all in a club football sense and if we didn't qualify for a European competition we would have to take advantage of the fact that the top teams would be playing an awful lot more games than ourselves and steal the march on the top 4/5 teams.

By doing it that way not only could it see us clinch a European spot, but maybe just maybe Kenny could deliver a title winning season, so for that reason whilst I'm all for blooding some of our youth, it should be done in the appropriate manner.

I'd give them opportunities but behind senior players covering for injuries and suspension and run outs in cup games, bearing in mind if we don't qualify for a European competition this season, then next season is going to be a massive season for us and we have to get it right first time or run the risk of being left behind.

Lets say City qualify in 4th as they are in the driving seat, they have the financial the clout and the chance for the best players to show just how good they are on the biggest stage of all in a club football sense and if we didn't qualify for a European competition we would have to take advantage of the fact that the top teams would be playing an awful lot more games than ourselves and steal the march on the top 4/5 teams.

By doing it that way not only could it see us clinch a European spot, but maybe just maybe Kenny could deliver a title winning season, so for that reason whilst I'm all for blooding some of our youth, it should be done in the appropriate manner.

Would you have Insua back, bearing in mind he might go into the pecking order ahead of Robinson, even if we buy a top quality LB in the summer?

He has more experience, maybe, but he's not THAT much better...

Would you have Insua back, bearing in mind he might go into the pecking order ahead of Robinson, even if we buy a top quality LB in the summer?

He has more experience, maybe, but he's not THAT much better...

I wouldn't have insua back, too slow and not good enough imo. Johnson could do a job a left back...seem to remember Steve Nicol doing a job at left back many moons ago. Im happy with Kelly on the right so could see us going that way with Robinson as back-up...even though I feel he is perfecctly capable now. As for buying a new left back...well I think we can do better than Johnson and I would like to see us buy a quality left back and then have Robinson as back-up.

If we were not to buy a left back I would like to see Robinson start next season in the left back slot with Kelly on the right.

All in all I think it will be a busy summer. Just hope we can get 5 wins from these last 5 games...and get some momentum going into next season.

IKWT !!

So what if he's only 17? The good arl fashioned saying of "if you're good enough, you're old enough" springs straight to mind. Our trouble over the last decade of not producing enough youngsters is because we constantly tell ourselves "they're too young, lets F**k them off on loan or keep them in the reserves where they won't develop enough so when they get to an age considered old enough they are in fact no longer good enough"

These youngsters need to play in and around the first team with possibly a short term loan towards the backend of a season like Kelly had with Huddersfield and Spearing with Leicester, funnily enough two of the youngsters who've come on leaps and bounds this year. But age is no barrier. Some players were internationals by Robbo's age.

The best development he can get is by being involved in our first team on a regular basis.

Oh I agree that first team action can only help his development, I just think that it could be too much too soon, maybe football at a newly promoted team could help him more as there would be less pressure on the lad.

I mean like next season, can we go into it with a 17 year old, a 22 year old and a RB as our main LB's??

Definitely yes ! we do need a quality left back ,no Konchesky type player though !! the kids can progress as back up for the position , get the spine of the team right and we are looking good !

Oh I agree that first team action can only help his development, I just think that it could be too much too soon, maybe football at a newly promoted team could help him more as there would be less pressure on the lad.

I mean like next season, can we go into it with a 17 year old, a 22 year old and a RB as our main LB's??

Personally think going out on loan to a newly promoted side will hurt him twice as much. He still won't be a regular for whatever club he goes to, that includes lower league sides in my opinion, so when he does come in for a game or two, it'll hurt him going into a struggling side which most newly promoted sides do.

Say QPR/Swansea/Norwich come up. I fully expect all three to struggle in this League. Bringing Robbo into one of those sides, constantly on the back foot could hurt his confidence more. Flip side, it could make him stronger as a defender as he'll be tested a lot more. But I think it's much better for his development to be brought into a Liverpool side, hopefully high on confidence where he'll be able to gain confidence as well as first team games.

As for us going into the season with a 22 and 17 year old old. Well yeah, if they're good enough.

Most Liverpool fans felt Insua was good enough when he first broke into the side and now suddenly he no longer is. Maybe competition from a young Jack Robinson would help Insua more than competition from a sh*t Dossena and an unfit Aurelio would. Insua was almost nailed on to start last year and in the end got complacent and overweight. Don't see that happening with Kenny in charge.

Yes, of course we do. It's good we can now expect the likes of Flanno and Robison to come in and do a job when called upon, but they're 18 and 17 respectively and shouldn't be expected to shoulder a lot of first team responsibilities. They're still growing, literally as well as footballers.

Insua is just not a first choice for me either, so do we settle with Aurelio, Insua and Johnson, Kelly, Robinson etc as backup? No, not if we want to consistently perform. My thoughts are, if Insua loses a bit of weight and learns how to position himself properly, he's able back up to a first choice left back that we should be signing. Get rid of Aurelio (hurts to say that, I really like him as a player, but he'll never play consecutive games ever again...) and then we still have the backup of Johnson and the youngsters.

I don't think we should be loaning out either Robinson or Flanno because I think in these last few years before they hit 20, they should be learning their football at Liverpool, not elsewhere.

I agree Billy, I don't want them going out on loan either but I still think we need another LB even if that is Insua.

We need competition for places to keep them all working hard and make them more determined to play well when picked.

without doubt we do

& a centre back, at least one pacey winger & another striker. a play maker would be nice as well

I agree Billy, I don't want them going out on loan either but I still think we need another LB even if that is Insua.

We need competition for places to keep them all working hard and make them more determined to play well when picked.

I think we need a left back meself Debs, but not so much so that we should be hurting our chances of signing somebody who we're in desperate need of. At some point in their Liverpool careers Aurelio, Robbon, Insua, Johnson, Kelly, Agger and Carra have done a decent job at left even if in some cases not for a prolonged amount of time.

So for me it's more important we get the players we desperately need first. If that means not buying a left back till the last day August then so be it. We have enough quality in that position to get us through the first couple of games if nothing else.

To answer the topic we definitely need a Left Back. We must challenge for a Champions League spot, and we wont be able to do that with our current squad.

I'm a fan of keeping Skrtel, Johnson, Agger, Kelly, Carra, Wilson, Flanno and Robinson for first team and obviously we need to sign a quality LB. I would also keep Insua which probably leaves Aurelio and Sotirios moving on (despite their great service particularly the Greek this season). I wouldn't mind another RB too for pressure on spots, avoiding the young kids burning out and having Johnson move up the field. Having Johnson in front of a quality back four is something realistic we can have.

I think we need a left back meself Debs, but not so much so that we should be hurting our chances of signing somebody who we're in desperate need of. At some point in their Liverpool careers Aurelio, Robbon, Insua, Johnson, Kelly, Agger and Carra have done a decent job at left even if in some cases not for a prolonged amount of time.

So for me it's more important we get the players we desperately need first. If that means not buying a left back till the last day August then so be it. We have enough quality in that position to get us through the first couple of games if nothing else.

A few weeks ago another LB was considered a desperate need even with Johnson covering but as you say maybe not so now.

I think our opinions on a lot of things are going to change before the summer but I trust Kenny to do the right thing mate.

Would you have Insua back, bearing in mind he might go into the pecking order ahead of Robinson, even if we buy a top quality LB in the summer?

He has more experience, maybe, but he's not THAT much better...

I'd take Insua back if he was deputising for a new left back in the league and then I'd give Robinson the league cup, F.A Cup games, blood him for a season and see how he progresses.

I'd bring in Enrique.

I can see Johnson going in the summer so don't see him as a long term left back option.  Besides, he isn't actually very good there.

Agree with this, Kenny with his team selection has quite clearly shown Kelly is first choice On the right. If Thompson is right and Enrique deal done Johnson will be off or on the bench.