Have we spent enough since 2005 to win the Premiership?

We've spent a lot, but have opted for quantity before quality.

I think this point is especially true of this window. Squads aren't built in a single Summer. They're built over a period of years, usually by bringing in better players than you have and relegating the existing ones to the bench. We had no need to go out and spend so much on so many players this year and the excuse that we're in four competitions is ridiculous when we're in at least three in any given year. Successful management of your squad comes from prioritisation of competitions rather than bulk buying in a vain attempt to compete across them all. We would have been better bringing in three or four top players to allow us to consolidate our status as a top four club and compete reasonably well in the Champions League and leaving the domestic cups to the youth players on the verge of breakthrough to give them some real experience. Continue this process over the next few years until we have a quality squad strong enough to compete on four fronts.

As for the wider point, money alone does not buy you titles, contrary to popular myth, rather it's the quality of player that fits in with your footballing philosophy, which of course money makes easier because you can buy the highest quality player available. As others mentioned, the perfect example is Carroll for £35 mill and you don't need hindsight to see that was a bad deal from the get go. So we had the money to spend but we didn't spend it wisely on a quality player and I personally feel it's a mistake we've made again this season. In fact, I will (and have) go so far as to say I believe the entire strategy was wrong this season because we should have had a replacement for Suarez lined up and not put all our eggs in the Sanchez basket, and before some bright spark gives me the whole "you can't replace Suarez without buying Messi or Ronaldo" rubbish, you don't have to replace his quality to replace his attributes. We bought Lambert and then we bought Balotelli, two players largely identical in their play styles but one simply being a younger (and more talented, more experienced) version of the other rather than buying someone who has good off the ball movement, pace, power and an eye for goal.

So to go back to the original question, have we spent enough money? That's really the wrong question when what you should be asking is have we spent enough on quality? The answer to that, sadly is no.

Some people have probably mentioned it but in case they haven't. Yes we have spent more than enough, we've thrown most of it away on utter sh*t though.

Can anyone name our biggest  customers last season?
(Or indeed biggest revenue earner full stop last yr - including shirt and club sponsors etc).

Its rather a telling statistic. And goes some way to explaining what the Americans transfer and also business policy is.

Barcelona.
That's the idea isn't it.
Buy them young. 18-21.
Sell at the peak. circa 27.

Age of the players bought by Rodgers at the time:

Borini - 21
Allen - 22
Assaidi - 24
Yesil - 18
Sturridge - 23
Coutinho - 20
Texiera - 19
Alberto - 20
Toure - 32
Aspas - 26
Mignolet - 25
Sakho - 23
Ilori - 20
Can - 20
Markovic - 20
Manquillo - 20
Moreno - 22
Lallana - 26
Lambert - 32
Balotelli - 24
Lovren - 25
Origi - 19
Add in the loanee's as well, he has brought in 25 players for £212m. A lot of that on youth players. Am expecting big things from these players in the next 2-3 years..

Yes. If it was spent wisely is another separate issue.

We spent more than enough, just didn't get the right players, at the right time.
Everytime we seem to find a worldy, another one leaves, so we rarely get them to play together.
Then of course there's the settling for mediocrity. The second tier player, we always seem to get. You know, the one with so much potential, who saves us a few million in transfer funds and wages.
F.F.S. Its about time we went in full bore for the top class marque players. Same overall spend on less players, better quality squad.

It all started when we bought Steve Macmahon   (could have spelt it wrong)   to replace Souness.  Not fit to lace his boots.

Is this a trick question seen as how we haven't won it?

Barcelona.
That's the idea isn't it.
Buy them young. 18-21.
Sell at the peak. circa 27.

Exactly. Sobering thought tho, I think.

" Liverpool football club exists to  win trophies    supply its customers such as Barcelona +Real Madrid+Chelsea  and be a source of pride for its supporters profit for its shareholders.

If  promising (or disappointing) players exist only to sell when they are good enough to win stuff, I don't see how I can ever remain attached to the team, and ultimately therefore the club.

It reminds me of the ads on LFC TV and you see a goals clip and think "he was terrific, and sold this Summer and so was he". Makes me think "what are they trying to sell me, the Barce team?"

This is why I think a non football fan (like the board!) can't understand the emotions of a football fan. Or even why someone wants to become a fan of a top/decent/or infact ANY club.

Most of us here are fans because of previous eras. But would we become fans as a result of what is happening in the current era? YOung guys in the city watch the game in the pub. And people around Britain and elsewhere are starting to support the bigger spenders, or even their local, smaller clubs.

If we lose the local AND the nationally/intl'ly based fans from the next generation, what catchment area have we got left?

It all started when we bought Steve Macmahon   (could have spelt it wrong)   to replace Souness.  Not fit to lace his boots.

I loved Macca as a player, but he wasn't in the same league as Souness in brains and creativity and passing. Terrific engineroom battler tho. I loved his duels with Peter Reid..!

I know there was a gap between Sourness and Macca. But since Souness it was one sad affair of also rans being bought or tried out. Lee, MacDonald, Molby,  Wark, Whelan, Barnes, Thomas, Stewart all with differing degrees of success in midfield, over a length of time.

After Macca, there was only Ince and then Didi+Stevie at the top level, until the Xabi and Masch era came.
This was a HUGE length of time.

The loss of Souness was actually massive IMO. Before then, we'd never sold and then downsized on a player. (Keegan was replaced by a fellow megastar for similar money).

We struggled to replace Souness and it actually pulled the rest of the team down.

I can see MANY parallels with the Luis sale. And it certainly puts to bed the myth that we "always replaced superstars".

Exactly. Sobering thought tho, I think.

" Liverpool football club exists to  win trophies    supply its customers such as Barcelona +Real Madrid+Chelsea  and be a source of pride for its supporters profit for its shareholders.

If  promising (or disappointing) players exist only to sell when they are good enough to win stuff, I don't see how I can ever remain attached to the team, and ultimately therefore the club.

It reminds me of the ads on LFC TV and you see a goals clip and think "he was terrific, and sold this Summer and so was he". Makes me think "what are they trying to sell me, the Barce team?"

This is why I think a non football fan (like the board!) can't understand the emotions of a football fan. Or even why someone wants to become a fan of a top/decent/or infact ANY club.

Most of us here are fans because of previous eras. But would we become fans as a result of what is happening in the current era? YOung guys in the city watch the game in the pub. And people around Britain and elsewhere are starting to support the bigger spenders, or even their local, smaller clubs.

If we lose the local AND the nationally/intl'ly based fans from the next generation, what catchment area have we got left?

Not totally true, know plenty of young lads going the game. The one's in the pub are some of the, let's be honest, the "can't be arsed lad" crew or ones that have jibbed it off because they have young families etc to look after.