It's Time To Get Back Up

It's the first time in awhile that the season ended with Liverpool as an afterthought behind a scintillating title race and an exciting Champions League Final. It wasn't even the fact that we couldn't win, it was more how we lost, heartless and hopeless. The loss on the final day of the season to Swansea was the year in a nutshell, our players probably more excited about the United and City games than actually playing themselves.

The show must go on. We have what most mid table teams don't-money and a loyal fan base (hence the name loyal2reds). It's a long road back to the top but I think with a bit of luck we can be competing at the top in the near future.

The big summer story is Dalglish's exit. Everyday it's a new fancy name from somewhere in the world, someone linked to our sputtering club without a manager. I'm sick of this horrible waiting period. Before we get a manager, there is no club game plan and it's difficult to speculate on the future, no new transfers, and worst of all, no football to watch. We shouldn't rush the decision, but I'm tired of the waiting already.

How aggressive should our ownership be in making another splash in the transfer market? I think that they have recently learned with both the Boston Red Sox and with Liverpool that money doesn't necessarily translate into immediate success, and because of this, don't expect a 35M+ signing on a single player. That said, we are Liverpool for crying out loud. John Henry had to know that buying one of the most famous clubs in the entire world would be a huge commitment, especially coming a year after missing the Champions League again. It's my expectation that we will have a net spending somewhere between 15-25M after unloading some fringe players.

As of now, this team is built for an attack minded coach because of the creativity that we posses. Gerrard, Suarez, Aquilani, Henderson, and Joe Cole (yes, I think we should keep him) all posses the ability to change a game with their playmaking abilities in the center of the pitch. The new manager should build off of this by buying a striker with a good overall game to both finish himself and detract attention from Carroll in the box (A Darren Bent type player). Then, all we really need is buy some good young talent for depth and possibly another winger. The core is already here, but we must play to their strengths and give them a better supporting cast.

-If Raheem Sterling and Suso play well in the preseason friendlies, look for them to get some early season action. However, they might have a little trouble getting in games if we sign a manager who isn't brave enough to play his youth.

-Why can't Jordan Henderson be a defensive midfielder? That's often his international position and he actually plays very well there.

-Kind of pumped up for Euros but worried about injuries.