Muzzy_Larsson

Got to be dispatching Watford tonight, I know they've just sacked another manager but a great time to play them and on paper at least it would look like one of the most straightforward 3pts on offer.

Forgot he was still there sorry.

That's a bit over the top imo, he's still raw at times yes and can be a bit naive/rash on occassion but he's got bundles of potential. I'd argue he is very much ready for the premier league given his performances for us in Europe and the fact he's a seasoned international already, particularly with an experienced head like Evans next to him and bled into the side gradually. In fact he'd be the perfect signing in that he would probably settle for being third choice and getting 10-15 games his first season or so which would allow him to develop further. You should look at someone like Soyuncu as an example, your not always buying off the shelf, ready made players to go right into the side and unless you lose one of Evans or Soyuncu you don't need to sign someone that needs to be a mainstay right away. The alternative is go and sign someone like Lewis Dunk for £60m. I know what I'd rather do and what Rodgers will likely do also. The signing of someone like Soyuncu has to absolutely be the model you guys follow if possible.

He's done and nowhere near athletic enough anymore to fit into how you guys play imo.

I might be wrong but is he not the only natural cover in the full back positions? If so then would be daft to let him leave on loan as you are then one injury away from a real problem, irrespective of whether he could do with games or not.

Lol Purely physicality, he’s still really small and physically slight, the hammer throwers of the SPFL would boot him up and down the park at the moment. He missed the first few months of the season with injury so that’s limited his opportunities somewhat this season. I’d expect him to get some fleeting appearances in the second half of the season with a view to really pushing for a place next season.

That’s a decent shout.

That's no bad thing looking at it from the club's point of view though, a no brainer in terms of the expansion plans being viable which you would hope would speed things up.

The ground thing is a funny one as the KP seems one of the more atmospheric grounds in the EPL and not too many remain, particularly among the London clubs (Palace aside) where it seems the volume of day-trippers kill the atmosphere, the Emirates being the worst for it. I guess the key is it being big enough to house true fans with a small smattering of tourists. Does the club currently have a waiting list for season tickets or anything like that which would give an indication of what the sweet spot would be in terms of capacity?

I've heard a lot of people say this and mention Rodgers as being a front runner for the Man Utd job but I really can't see it. Nothing to do with ability, more to do with the fact he's an ex Liverpool manager and Man Utd must get the next appointment right. Appointing an ex Liverpool manager will give the fans plenty of ammo to get on his back if things don't start well and increase the risk of ending back up at square one again and sacking yet another manager. If/when Ole goes I think Poch is an absolute shoe-in to go to Old Trafford. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if moves aren't already underway given Poch's comments in the media in the last couple of days.

Always think these squad value type assessments are a bit of a misnomer and/or too volatile to pay any attention to. Loss of form, injury, relegation, contractual factoes amongst a ton of other stuff makes it yield little value in terms of insight.

Who knows, it's hard to tell with these wonderkids, he's only made one appearance for the first team as yet but he looked very good for a 16 year old in said match. I'm hoping he gets a few more games towards the second half of the season. The only thing I'd say at the moment is he's really small but I guess at 16 years old he still has plenty of growing to do in that regard.

Going by the EPL valuations, £80m for Zaha and the likes I'd say £40m for Anderson is decent value, the Anderson of last season anyway. The thing is though with the madness that is the EPL West Ham would probably want about £60-80m for him now

If Rodgers could get him to rediscover the form of last season, which I reckon he could he'd be a superb signing. West Ham would demand absolutely crazy money though such is the madness of EPL transfers.

Oi! **** off and hands off!

Doubt it would ever happen but it would be the classic "upsetting the apple cart" type signing. Putting a superstar type player into an honest, hard working squad, on tons more money than the rest and then having to move players around to accommodate him. For one how do him and Maddison co-exist and be effective in the same side. If there's going to be any significant investment in January it absolutely has to be on a wide player who also provides a goal threat.

Your modern day footballing franchises really, "big clubs" if the term even means anything anymore simply due to someone pumping millions into them and then marketing them well around the world. History that has been bought essentially. If I were a Leicester fan I wouldn't swap your one premier league win for a 100 of Chelsea and Man City's as it flew in the face of all that is wrong with modern football today and it was the mark of proper history and has set your club on an upward trajectory in terms of ambition, potential and exposure for all the right reasons. A sleeping giant to me is a club with a rich history, fairly sizeable and passionate fanbase, who are underperforming but retain the potential to be one of the top sides again, someone like Aston Villa would spring to mind. The thing is though, a lot of these clubs will never reach the halcyon days of their glory years again, football moves too fast these days. Leicester I'd say are definitely not a sleeping giant but more a club on the up and a club making their own history in a refreshing way, far removed from clubs who seek to manufacture history and success through spending power only. I'm loathed to even use the term big club nowadays as I believe by it's very definition it's antiquated and irrelevant. I'll use my own club as an example, in terms of fan base, global exposure and presence, honours we are a massive club. However, football has changed so dramatically that the aforementioned is less relevant as success and potential now is more strongly correlated to finance and the environment in which you play (or trade) in. Bournemouth being the example, you could go on all day saying Celtic are a bigger club than Bournemouth, of course they are, at least according to the antiquated criteria of a "big club", but in reality that all means nothing when despite playing in front of 16000 fans every week, never winning any trophies, never playing European football, 99% of players would choose to join Bournemouth ahead of Celtic for well understood reasons.

That is an absolutely superb piece and should serve as an inspiration to any young footballer trying to make it in the game. Seems a really grounded, appreciative lad.

He's a lot more blunt and conclusive about it there, good to hear.

Rodgers trophy haul: 7 Fixed

I thought exactly the same, thought £14m seemed really quite modest.

By “us” I’m meaning Celtic lol!

Was it not well reported that it was between Rodgers and Benitez, they are both top tier managers imo. Its six of one and half a dozen of another tbh, on one hand Rodgers will cost you £14m in compo but someone like Allegri will have higher salary demands, probably demand far more money for players and given he’s never worked outside Italy may be more of a risk. Rodgers for example the attraction will be he has a track record of taking underperforming players and get them firing again, develop young players etc which will save you money. Agreed in terms of top target though, I don’t think it’ll be Rodgers either.

A decent point thus, done exactly this with Celtic two summers ago when he got a big money offer from China.

It’s peanuts to top EPL clubs lets be honest. You guys paid £9m for him and his staff to us in the blink of an eye for example.