So we didn't sign him. So what? There are a lot of players we don't sign every season. Some of them will be very, very good. Almost all of them have been linked with Liverpool in the media somewhere because Liverpool had moneybags in the summer and therefore every reporter who knew the names of people who didn't play for Liverpool had a shot in the dark as to who we might sign in the hope of getting lucky and appearing to be ITK. But there are also people we didn't sign who have been total rubbish.
So Jelavic is a non-story for me. We needed (and still need) only a backup striker. You don't spend 50m+ on a strike partnership and then hire a full-time replacement just because one of them picks up a ban. People might have noticed that Carroll has improved significantly over the last 2 months, and that's mainly because he got a run of games. The same may be said of players like Lucas or Aquilani or Skrtel (at right CB).
It seems that players aren't allowed to be given time to find their feet and improve their game. If we continue to have no patience with anyone we will be either relegated or go broke.
Some very good points put forward but personally I don't agree with all of them.
I do agree this whole 'oh my god why didn't we sign (insert random scoring striker here)'.
Carroll is obviously a good player, and a future england international. He just (for me) doesn't suit our system and our players, there is nothing to say cisse or jelavic would fare any better. We have good players that can score goals and have done for previous clubs. So i completely agree jelavic was a non story.
But I don't agree all we need is a back up striker. I fail to see how we can move forward significantly without a top top no.9 to partner Suarez. I don't mind if we keep Carroll, he has improved a lot, but is still nowhere near we he needs to be and don't think he will ever be a top level striker. I don't think he has it in him to get the best out of world class players should we ever sign them (Gerrard and Suarez are close at times). For me we NEED a top striker to be first choice no.9 almost as much as we need a RW.
