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Long would suit Liverpool down to a tee. Rodgers is banning the punt, and it's working to a point, as they are playing some excellent football, but they miss a poacher - about the only thing Suarez isn't - and if they were to get Long, they'd have a strong, very quick, poacher up top, supported by Suarez and one of Sterling/Gerrard/Suso. Shane is good enough to play top right as well, if they go with Borini or horse up front as the 1.
Could be a massive move for both him and Liverpool.
I think it would be mad for a club in Liverpool's current situation to pay a hefty fee for a striker with a dodgy leg.
But clubs like Liverpool do have a history of madness.
May I mark exhibit one; a Mr Alberto Aquilani...
It won't happen.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
Remember when Doyle was supposed to be going to Chelsea and then Arsenal? This story has all the hallmarks of those ones.
I hope Long doesn't move to Liverpool as I feel Irish players have not fared well when they have been at bigger clubs. Gibson, Dunne, Given, Keane and Duff would probably have mixed feelings about their time at these clubs. In terms of Liverpool, their attack is built around Suarez and if it didn't work out, Long could find himself on the bench or facing another transfer like Carroll. I mentioned instability before at Liverpool, and what I meant by that was once things start to go wrong, the manager gets the chop. Then the new manager tries a new approach and on it goes.
For me, Long is playing well at WBA and is getting regular gametime, which in turn is good for Ireland,so I will just agree to disagree with some of you!
Why would Duff have mixed feelings about his time at Chelsea? Dunne left City before they could be considered a big club.
I disagree with you gastric. I feel it is essential that our players are playing at top clubs like Liverpool or United. For example, I would like to see over the next 12 months, Jamie McCarthy getting a move to one of the top 6 or 7 premiership clubs, in order to further his development. Otherwise, he will just stay a good decent premiership player, rather than get to a level where he could become top class (he has the potential to be really top class I would feel). I do partly agree that Liverpool is in the early stages of Rodgers' tenure and that the club is a massive work in progress, but I think that the Liverpool board will give him time, barring a disastrous run of results. From having lived in Liverpool for a number of years, Long is very highly rated by pretty much all my old Kopite and Evertonian mates. Those same mates were very sceptical about the signings of Carroll and Downing. I think that Long would be a great addition to Liverpool, although I would feel that they need an out and out goalscorer like a Huntelaar most of all.
Liverpool aren't a top club anymore. A big club, sure - a top club, no.
I'd love to see him at a true top side, he'd be a star.
Duff never got the amount of game time at Chelsea that he deserved, to me it was as much about stopping him going somewhere else as seeing the potential in him. Secondly, City were beginning to buy whoever they liked when they decided to get rid of the man who had lead them so admirably over the previous four years. No loyalty there!Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
Duff was fairly vital to Mourinho's title wins and Champions League runs. If anything, he wanted to get away because the pressurised environment didn't suit him, but he never let himself down.
I wasn't being disparaging about Duff's time at Chelsea, however, he did not get the game time he deserved particularly when Robben joined. As regards the 'pressurised environment' comment you made, Duff left as he was finding it hard to get a regular game, a situation not helped by the amount of injuries he seemed to pick up at that time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
Carragaline may have got it exactly right according to this report!
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...-for-sale.html
I'd say they are undoubtably a big club, but with an average side (which includes the brilliant Suarez).Quote:
Originally Posted by SkStu
Duff played some great football at Chelsea. And what about the likes of O'Shea, (Roy) Keane, Irwin or Finnan?Quote:
Originally Posted by gastric
It depends how you view what constitutes a top club. Obviously, having a top class team would be a major factor, but for me history and pedigree go a long way.Quote:
Originally Posted by SkStu
Liverpool and the two Milans have had some of the greatest players and club teams of all time. They are among the best supported clubs in the world - maybe less so the two Milan teams outside Europe in this regard. If you go to Shanghai or Bratislava, Montivideo or Oslo, Liverpool are a huge club with a fanbase that far far exceeds Man City, Chelsea, Anzhi or PSG. You don't build that overnight.
It definitely wasn't due to lack of games - he played more often at Chelsea than he has at any other club, including Blackeye Rovers. As I remember it his injury problems only became chronic once he joined Newcastle.Quote:
Originally Posted by gastric
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damien_Duff#Club_2
Say, like 4 wins from their first 15 league games? And elimination from two out of two cup competitions before Christmas (pending!)Quote:
Originally Posted by Bungle
In the context of Shane Long's development as a player, the former is what matters.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bungle
Dunne left before City became they a top club but was the fans player of the year he left if I'm not mistaken. Given moved about 5 years too late and was on the decline by the time he moved. Duff had a very good record at Chelsea he and Robben were excellent in the 2004/2005 season. Gibson probably stayed at United for too long but looks like a good player in a decent Everton side. Keane though had a bad time at Liverpool and his last spell at Tottenham but still managed to score a few goals.Quote:
Originally Posted by gastric
I think Long has all the attributes to do well at most clubs and his record over the last two seasons against the top teams speaks for itself.
Statistics, statistics, statistics! Charlie, how many of these games were starts as distinct from substitute appearances? Duff was injured quite a bit in 2006 and his form had begun to dip according to posters on his thread on here. It was quite a surprise when he joined Newcastle, in fact one poster referred to them as a basket case. Maybe it's time to agree to disagree on this subject?Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
All that comes under the auspices of being a big club in my opinion. Being a top club is very different in my opinion and based on recent form. Manchester United, Citeh and Chelsea are the top clubs in England right now. Reliance solely on history and pedigree means a team is currently irrelevant and living on its past.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bungle