How would you re-shape in the summer?

I see this morning that Brendan, rightly in my view, has hinted to the owners that experienced players battle hardned players need to be brought in rather then focusing on younger players whose value might rise to sell on in the future (silly theory).

However with champions league looking very unlikely now what realistic targets are out there? What players will come here next summer?

And who would you ship out (I can probably guess this already) to generate extra cash. Have too many players had there time here and need to go to freshen it up?

How would you reshape the squad in the summer?

I don't believe there is necessarily a financial need to ship anybody out so any exits should be based on their contributions this season, potential contributions going forward and the size of any offers made for them. Even the likes of   Downing may as well stay if no decent offers come in because he is "ok" as a squad member but I'd like to think we'll not be relying on him as a first team player next season.
A still have a fairly thin squad of young players so I wouldn't be looking to move many out at all.

In terms of signings, I totally agree that we'd benefit from adding a bit of experience to the field. A proper, commanding CB would be great. Someone who isn't going to be star struck when he comes to Anfield and will command the back line. I don't think we'll be able to pick one up on the cheap, this needs to be a decent investment.

Ii think our budget will depend upon the player exits,as I don't think fsg will give BR much money if we finish around 10th and no trophy.
If some one activates suarez's clause we will have around 40 m to spend
plus 5 or 6 m for carrol and if BR didn't think borini is not good for the squad, that will be 2 or 3 m for him. Assaidi sale will also give around 1m. So we can buy some decent players fir that. Really hope suarez will not leave though, can't fault the lad if left.

I would like to see another striker brought in taking us to four strikers (or even Carroll brought back!), a commanding centre back in the Hyypia mold, someone dominant in the air, who can marshall the defence in the way Carra used to, and a strong hard running midfield player who fights for every ball and tackles like a mad man.

I don't really see the need for many/any to go as for me the squad is too small at the moment and we desperately need more genuine competition for places.

 

Does anyone see Alonso as a realistic target?

Im must admit with Carra retiring I see centre half as our main problem to solve, and though I love the bones of him it might be the end of the line for Agger and Skrtel if we really want to progress. Agger might survive if he got as saint says, a Hyppia type in with him, but as a partnership we wont push on with those 2.

We need a proper number 2 goalkeeper one that week in week out in training will have Reina thinking "will i be picked Saturday"

Id like to see Carroll given another go and N'Goo. That would give us 5 strikers along with Sturridge, Suarez and Borini. Downing and Sterling seem to be our only 2 wingers Assaidi sems to have fallen of the face of the planet so Id like 1 if not 2 wingers added.

I think Flannagan, Robinson and Coates need games so loan them out and Wilson seems a lost cause here so move him on leaves us tight at the back so I think we do need a few bodies in. Maybe as many as 4 defenders, 2 wingers and if possible Alonso or at least someone of that ilk

I think Reina will probably leave so a goalkeeper with experience is probably going to be needed, Butland would of been great but oh well.

CB With Carra retiring this is a must. I can also see Skrtel being shipped out so we may need two.

LB Cover for Enrique

Overall I think we need to improve our defense get some bullys in there.

The most important acquisition between now and the summer is a defensive coach because turning the players we have into an absolute shambles at the back has been one of the achievements of the season by our coaching staff and while it's obvious we need help on the pitch it's even more obvious we need help off it.

The most important acquisition between now and the summer is a defensive coach because turning the players we have into an absolute shambles at the back has been one of the achievements of the season by our coaching staff and while it's obvious we need help on the pitch it's even more obvious we need help off it.

Get Carra working on his badges in the summer!!

In terms of players, an experienced and talented number 10 is needed, same with another CB, and another left back to cover and provide competition for Enrique.  That's a minimum, and is assuming there are no significant sales.

New left back
Top class CB
Midfielders who actually have some drive about them
Number ten/wide forward (depends on where Coutinho plays)
Striker
Goalkeeper if Pepe leaves

We won't have the money for all that though.

Find it amazing that all of a sudden Agger and Skrtel are deemed as finished. Agree with Luke that somebody with a bit of defensive nouse coming in should be a priority as well as some competition for those two.

I'm scared to start saying where I think we need to add and improve next season as its frightening.

As I've said before, I think our midfield needs rebuilding. Gerrard seems to be struggling to adapt to his new role, Lucas has lost form since his injury and Henderson and Allen will never be good enough for Liverpool. We also need a No.2 keeper to replace Jones who is just woeful, a LB to cover/replace Enrique and a decent right winger. Lastly we need two more CB with, as suggested above, Coates going out on loan. Flannagan and Robinson I see no future at the club. They just don't seem good enough. Frankly we need an awful lot of new players but before he starts with competition for places, he has to get the first team strong enough to compete, something I don't feel it's able to right now.

Everyone would accept that we can do witk players at every position and seeing that we are not Citeh or Chelski, all our problems can't be solved in this window so we need to prioritise. The first priority without a doubt has to be CB as we are losing a legend in that position and we need an experienced commanding player to once again lend some solidity to our back line.
Second priority has to be a box to box midfielder as Stevie is getting a bit too incosistent for this role and we dont hace anyone else in the squad suited for this.
We are still in need of a top striker as we are still struggling to score goals against good opposition and if you can score more than them you are goong to win,something which has worked very well for the current runaway league leaders.
None of these is going to come cheap and owners need to be ready to invest atleast 50 mn for these. You have selected your man,he has shown enough glimpses, now its time to back him so that he can take us to te next level.

Top class CB
LB
Attacking mid
Striker

Ideally: Howedes, Digne, Eriksen, Gamiero in. Carroll, Assaidi, Wilson, Pacheco... Am I missing anyone? Think we'll get in around 17m from that which should pay for Digne and Gamiero. Then another 35m of FSG's money for the other two, which I think is realistic given the TV money.

As I've said before, I think our midfield needs rebuilding. Gerrard seems to be struggling to adapt to his new role, Lucas has lost form since his injury and Henderson and Allen will never be good enough for Liverpool. We also need a No.2 keeper to replace Jones who is just woeful, a LB to cover/replace Enrique and a decent right winger. Lastly we need two more CB with, as suggested above, Coates going out on loan. Flannagan and Robinson I see no future at the club. They just don't seem good enough. Frankly we need an awful lot of new players but before he starts with competition for places, he has to get the first team strong enough to compete, something I don't feel it's able to right now.

Gerrard has been F***ing fanastic since around November, with maybe 2/3 off days in there. Henderson has been good recently, probably our best player since mid-January. I agree, Henderson shouldn't be first choice, but there's no reason he can't be a good back-up CM. Ideally we'll fight in 4 competitions next year and we'll need competition for places. Henderson can definitely provide that.

Big, strong CB with experience and quality. Someone like Mats Hummels. I say like because we won't sign Mats Hummels but someone of his build and excellent player.

Very good winger.

Very good striker/central attacker.

Back up defensive midfielder.

Gerrard has been f**king fanastic since around November, with maybe 2/3 off days in there. Henderson has been good recently, probably our best player since mid-January. I agree, Henderson shouldn't be first choice, but there's no reason he can't be a good back-up CM. Ideally we'll fight in 4 competitions next year and we'll need competition for places. Henderson can definitely provide that.

Playing less sh*t than usual is not the same as being good. Henderson is an average player at best and wouldn't get in any team's squad currently above us in the table so why in the world should he be in ours? Gerrard hasn't been fantastic at all, he's been inconsistent. We need to start showing some damn ambition, not relegating average players to the bench.

Carroll coming back from Loan would be a good choice back up striker as well as defender for set pieces.

I think we need two CBs, a solid brickhouse of a defensive midfielder and a top CM. I think them positions are our main priority to improve, make them our four TOP priority signings and we're alright I think. As for backup striker I'd have Carroll back or actually use Borini as a striker instead of a F***ing winger as Rodgers seems to do. For left back I think Enrique and Johnson can cover that area well, we have Wisdom and Kelly who can play right back if Johnson is needed at left back so that doesn't concern me too much. If Reina leaves then simply re-invest the funds we get for him for a keeper.

The spine of our team worries me the most, that's why we need two CBs and two CMs (one anchorman/DM). We have so many CM options but they're so sh*t it's unreal. We fu**ed up so badly by not signing Moussa Sissoko, Toon got an absolute steal for £1.8m, I just don't understand why we weren't in the hunt for him, hardly a financial risk.

We have to sell a lot of players if we want to re-build aswell. I'd try and sell Downing, Allen, Pacheco, Wilson, Spearing and see how much funds we can get from them player sales. I think we have a lot of average players and we need to get them out and cut our losses unfortunately, we blew stupid money on average players in the last few years and we're playing catch up it seems to me.

By the start of next season I want our squad to look something like this:

GKs: Reina (or replacement if he leaves), Jones, Gulacsi

Defence: Johnson, Kelly, Wisdom, Flanagan (loan out), Skrtel, Agger, Coates (loan out/sell), new CB, new CB, Wilson (loan out/sell) Enrique, Robinson

Midfielders: Lucas, new DM, Gerrard, Henderson, new CM, Shelvey (loan out/sell), Allen (sell), Spearing (sell)

Attacking Midfield/Wingers: Sterling, Coutinho, Assaidi, Suso, Downing (sell), Yesil (loan out), Pacheco (sell)

Strikers: Suarez, Sturridge, Borini, Carroll, Morgan (loan out)


From that group I'd want our matchday squad to look something like this week in week out..

                       Reina (replacement?)

GJ, Kelly    Skrtel/New CB    Agger/New CB    Enrique, GJ

                 Gerrard/New CM       Lucas/New DM

        Sturridge          Gerrard/Coutinho      Sterling/Assaidi

                                       Suarez

or

                       Reina (replacement?)

GJ, Kelly    Skrtel/New CB    Agger/New CB    Enrique, GJ

                 Gerrard/New CM       Lucas/New DM

                                Gerrard/Coutinho

                     Sturridge       Suarez     Sterling/Assaidi

With the likes of Henderson, Borini, Carroll, Suso, Wisdom used as bit part players/subs.

We're in such a difficult situation atm it seems, I think the owners are worried that they'll spend stupid amounts of money like they did when Kenny arrived and get no return, hence their unwillingness to spend big. It's such a difficult task to get great players for little money aswell and I just think we're playing catch up big time. If we make the 4 positions I mentioned really high quality signings then we'll have a good team again and solid foundation to build from.

If you look at our 08/09 team a few seasons ago the spine of the team was F***ing solid (Reina, Carra, Agger, Gerrard, Alonso, Masch, Torres) with your decent enough players around them. If we can just build a solid spine again then we'll be on the up sooner rather than later.

In terms of the coaching, we probably do need a defensive coach to make us strong at the back, we give dumbass goals away far too often. Also a coach who knows how to defend/attack set pieces effectively, I swear we've been one of the worst set piece teams since the start of the F***ing Premier League, I never get excited about getting a corner and get worried when the opposition do get one. Just tighten up at the back for F**k sake and learn how to defend a lead.

Going forward we've got the talent to hurt teams, but we just don't do it enough. On our day we're great but its all too rare. I think the players themselves need to step it up a gear too, I hear Rodgers going on after every game that they all try their heart out but I seem to disagree.

We're an average team in a slump, 1 trophy with sh*t league positions in the last few years. The club need to sit down in the summer and F***ing think of a better strategy to get us back to where we belong and it won't happen over night. If I was Brendan I'd say to the whole F***ing team that from now til the end of the season, you're playing for your F***ing futures at this club so get your fingers out your arses and show me who wants to be here next season and fight for this great club. We've got nothing to win this season in terms of trophies (let's hope I have to eat my words after the Zenit Anfield leg), but we've got everything to gain in terms of planning, trial and error and F***ing pride to build on for next season.

To the Liverpool players and staff, F***ing man up and let's do everything we can to get back to where we belong, if you're not up for the fight then F**k off!

My main priority would be a bossing midfielder. Not necesarily a DM though. Just a player in the Cambiasso mould. Gets stuck in, drives forward. Discreet but effective. Someone resilient to injuries too.

Then I think we need a new CB too, someone who can lead the defense and be a threat in the air. Like Kompany. Or Kirgyakos. I loved that manly man.

Then I don't think we're so lacking in depth as BR's decisions make us appear to be. I honestly don't think his reaction on player injuries and unability to play has been good enough. I can't stand the fact that we've looked like a third division team without Sturridge in the last few games when so much is said about "the system". I'll never understand why Borini wasn't  swapped straight for Sturridge, without destroying our first decent looking midfield combination.

I see this morning that Brendan, rightly in my view, has hinted to the owners that experienced players battle hardned players need to be brought in rather then focusing on younger players whose value might rise to sell on in the future (silly theory).

Sorry to just pick this part of your post out Brian but as I said yesterday we've heard this all before from Brendan and I'm yet to be convinced that he believes and wants to do as he says.

So for me I just want him to back up his words and sign these experienced and battled hardened players as nothing up to this point has led me to believe that he will buy this type of player.

Sorry to just pick this part of your post out Brian but as I said yesterday we've heard this all before from Brendan and I'm yet to be convinced that he believes and wants to do as he says.

So for me I just want him to back up his words and sign these experienced and battled hardened players as nothing up to this point has led me to believe that he will buy this type of player.

He did hint at it during the last window but these things are planned well in advance so it was probably never in the plans for January. Plus, it would be extremely difficult to find such players who are available mid-season so it is always more likely to happen in the summer.

He did hint at it during the last window but these things are planned well in advance so it was probably never in the plans for January. Plus, it would be extremely difficult to find such players who are available mid-season so it is always more likely to happen in the summer.

A fair point Rep but it's not as if we didn't just realise in December that we needed experience so that should have been part of the planning for January but I do accept it is that bit more difficult to buy experienced players in the winter window although not impossible.

Big, strong CB with experience and quality. Someone like Mats Hummels. I say like because we won't sign Mats Hummels but someone of his build and excellent player.

Very good winger.

Very good striker/central attacker.

Back up defensive midfielder.

This!

Would also ship out Downing quicker than Usain Bolt can run 100m!