Liverpool Transfer Talk

Columnist Scott Prefers to Type his Blogs on a Typewriter That Dates Back to Liverpool's Last Championship
photo by Ben Sutherland	via PhotoRee

Columnist Scott looks at Liverpool's off-season moves to date:

Brendan Rodgers was trying to be coy about whom he might sign this week or next, promising only that the Liverpool faithful will be “excited”.  As it turns out, it was Fabio Borini whom he fancied and finally signed.  Borini previously played under Rodgers at Chelsea and Swansea but spent last season scoring 10 goals in 26 appearances for Roma.  I honestly don’t know enough about Borini to form an opinion on the matter.  On the one hand, it is exciting to see new blood that is specifically chosen by the new manager.  On the other hand, Borini couldn’t even get on the field for his nation during Euro 2012.  But, he is only 21, his team is Italy and Cesc Fabregas had trouble getting on the field for his team, too.

Ever more interesting to me, especially in light of this acquisition, is all the talk regarding a possible loan move for Andy Carroll.  I have mixed emotions on the topic as he clearly did not live up to expectations during the season but then he (1) was injured at the beginning and (2) never seemed to get regular playing time to get back “in the groove”.  Plus, his performance at the Euros shows the big forward he can be.  Unfortunately for Carroll, it would seem, simply by inspecting history, that Rodgers’ gameplan does not require a big forward.

As much as I loved seeing Liverpool players in the England squad at the recent Euros, I have to admit I was scratching my head when I saw Jordan Henderson inserted against Italy.  Despite showing infrequent bursts of ability, Henderson, more than any other Dalglish signee (including Downing), failed to impress last year.  Quite frankly, if Rodgers is looking to put anyone out on loan, he should consider the English youngster who could really benefit from more time to develop.

Despite being on contract for a while longer, Rodgers has been eager to report that he is near to extending Luis Suarez’ contract.  Mixed emotions again invade my humble brainspace as I weigh the Uruguayan’s abilities against his antics.  Perhaps a season of head-down, mouth-shut playing will put the bad taste of last year’s Evra fiasco far enough in the rear-view mirror.

Yeesh!

photo by Muffet	via PhotoRee

While “yeesh” is not a word recognized by Dictionary.com, it has been a common word around our house of late, along with those words that have letters substituted, in polite company, by a combination of ampersands, asterisks and exclamation points.  Capitulating to Queen’s Park Rangers at Loftus Road last week surely slapped the Champions League hopes out of even the most ardent Liverpool supporter.  But losing to lowly Wigan at Anfield this weekend, after inducing a torrent of the aforementioned password tricksters, produced a general malaise through which I have been unable to navigate and to which I have only been able to say “Yeesh!”

Speaking of appropriate words, “depose” and “abdicate” come to mind when thinking of King Kenny. In fact, I see three possible scenarios: 1) the Reds turn it around and Dalglish retains his crown; 2) they continue to underperform and Dalglish abdicates his throne preemptively, or upon coming to a “mutual agreement” with management, potentially over the summer ,or certainly if they start the next campaign poorly; or 3) not much has improved in Camelot by mid next season and the King is deposed.  Legendary status will buy him extra, but not unlimited, time.  I, for one, am rooting for him.

They have been called the “Gruesome Foursome” signings: Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing, Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson. In the case of Henderson, I agree with the moniker - he has been wildly inconsistent, even detrimental at times, with his rare flashes of brilliance a bit like catching a glimpse of the aurora borealis at a temperate latitude.  Still, he is young and may develop, vindicating Dalglish.  Although, I have to say that starting him as much as he has seems excessive, given his contributions to date.

As for the other three members of the quartet, they had all enjoyed recent success in the BPL prior to arriving at Anfield. But, criticism can be directed correctly at Dalglish for spending such amounts on three midfielders while putting Raul Meireles out to pasture and benching Maxi Rodriguez.  Meireles and Maxi were two big reasons for Liverpool’s late-season success last year, and now one wears blue and the other rides pine.  Not to mention Dirk Kuyt, who is none too pleased that, despite being one of the most consistent players in the squad, keeps finding himself coming off the bench (and thank goodness he did in the Carling Cup final).  And let’s not forget the spunky Craig Bellamy, whose ability to be impactful during his brief appearances on the pitch would make him a valuable acquisition even if he didn’t arrive on a free transfer.

Waltzing to Victory

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Here's columnist Scott, reprising Liverpool's famous win on Sunday over Chelsea:

Tuning into the Liverpool vs. Chelsea clash at Stamford Bridge, Maxi Rodriguez in the starting eleven is a welcome sight given how he finished last season on a goal-scoring tear that earned him the "Maxi Man" moniker in these pages.  The Reds have been unable to consistently score, even against the likes of Norwich City and Swansea, so hopefully the Argentinean can inject some finishing into a team that even Andres Villas-Boas has said should be challenging for the title (even if he was reportedly referring more to their winter and summer spending spree more than their play).  Craig Bellamy is also in the lineup for Liverpool, giving the team a decidedly Dalglish feel.

Early on, Liverpool is having trouble going forward and only the incessant Luis Suarez is providing any creativity.  With the referee letting the teams play through the ticky-tack fouls, only Chelsea is looking dangerous in the first 10 minutes.  But now Liverpool has started to press with the result that a greedy (or blind) Glen Johnson has squandered an opportunity to lay it back for one of 2 players panting on the 6 yard box, perhaps wanting to defeat his former team all by himself.