29 Oct 2009

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: Rafa Benitez's 10 biggest transfers blunders?

No matter what happens from now until the end of the season, and whether we finish in the top 4 or not, there are a number of recent transfer deals that bother me greatly - signings, sales or missed opportunities that could've improved our squad and afforded us more depth than we currently have.

The deals relevant to last season may even have turned some of those nagging draws in wins, maybe giving us enough points to have snatched the title from Man Ure.

Instead, we continue to be massively reliant on Fernando Torres and Stevie Gerrard for inspiration, both of whom are prone to groin problems.

This leaves us very vulnerable, and after having witnessing Rafa mould 'his' team over the last 5 years, it is not good enough. Also don't forget, of those 2 we rely on so much, Gerrard was already here before Rafa arrived.

There have been plenty of players come and go in Rafa's 5 years and a great many of his signings have been decent. Torres, Alonso, Reina, Benayoun, Agger, Skrtel, Johnson and Mascherano are just a few I could name.

Others are bubbling along nicely and may prove shrewd signings, Insua and Ngog are 2 such players that spring to mind. Despite the decent deals, there are 10 deals/missed opportunities that stick out like a sore thumb, and may eventually come back to haunt us.

For all of you who think I am bashing Rafa (again), I will soon balance the argument with a follow-up piece outlining Rafa's 10 best transfer deals.

1. Michael Owen

Available on a free in the summer, and would have taken a massive pay cut and practically crawled back to Anfield to sign had Rafa given him any sign of encouragement. Not the player of old, but a great player to have as cover for Nando or to bring off the bench.

Was Rafa worried about what the media would say if he was sat on the bench for too long? The press don't get on Sir Alex's case on this issue in a way you suspect they would were he at Liverpool.

2. Sami Hyypia

I believe we should not have let Sami go. He would have played a large part for us already this season due to injuries at centre back and he may have had the calming influence we seem to have lacked when Agger was out.

3. John Arne Riise


Another player sorely missed from a morale point of view as much as in the squad. Liked by the other players, he would have been more useful for us than Dossena has proved to be, not to mention the money we would have saved in the process.

4. Andrea Dossena


What can I say about Dossena? Two or three good games in over a season and unlikely to play in the first team as he is behind Insua and Aurelio in the pecking order. Surely he will be offloaded in January? The £7m could have been better spent elsewhere.

5. Alvero Arebloa

Like Riise, another fullback we miss. I know he wanted to go, but surely we could have hung on to him for at least another season. Would have provided genuine competition for Johnson, something Degen certainly doesn't provide.

6. Robbie Keane


No matter what the circumstances of the actual signing of Keane, he was treated poorly by the club. I feel that with the right encouragement and a little more time, he would have come good. Look at him go this season. It's a crying shame; and we haven't seen his transfer fee go back into a replacement, have we?

7. Peter Crouch

Like Keane, with a little more 'love' from the management he may have been more likely to sign a new contract. After all, he seems happy on the bench at Spurs. Again, was the media reaction to him being on the bench an influence in his sale?
Like Owen, the press don't give Harry Redknapp the same criticism we received.

8. Craig Bellamy


What is it with us and strikers? Golf club incident aside, I was impressed with Bellamy in his season with us and genuinely sorry to see him go. He flourished at West Ham and that was reflected in the transfer fee Man City were willing to pay. Again, he could have been some player for us.

9. Xabi Alonso


The biggest shame of all. Xabi was desperate to work with Rafa ahead of his move to us from Spain. The relationship turned sour after he wanted to miss a game to be present at the birth of his baby (fair enough). Let's not even talk about the Gareth Barry affair. It seems certain that Alonso would still be with us if it weren't for those 2 incidents. The £30m we received seems scant consolation somehow.

10. Alberto Aquilani

Perhaps too much is expected of Alberto. When you hear the views of former teammates like Riise and managers like Arsene Wenger talk about him, he sounds like some player.

The problem with his signing is that we may not see the best of him until next season, which is too late. I hope I am wrong, but he will need to get up to speed quickly or hope us fans are patient with him. Fingers crossed on him staying fit.

Alex Miller



88 comments:

  1. Alonso, Hyypia, Arbeloa and Crouch wanted to go, while Rafa wanted to keep them. Besides Alonso, the other three woundn't be in the first 11, and they knew it

    As for Owen, N'Gog has scored more goals in less minutes than Owen. Bet on the future or the past?

    Keane is and always will be a player who blows hot and cold. We cannot rely on him to score goals when Torres isn't fit, and no way he would sit on the bench when it is obvious that Gerrard is the best partner just behind Torres

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1) Fernando Torres: Looked at by many but it was Rafa that took the gamble and now we have one of the best strikers ever to play for the club

    2) Pepe Reina: The best keeper in the league and one of the best in the world, signed for 6m, compare that to Gomes at 10m

    3) Xabi Alonso: Rafa signed him in the first place, we got 5 years great service out of him and made a 20m profit, well done rafa

    4) Aquilani: Give him a chance ffs

    5) Peter Crouch: Rafa gave him an England career and was laughed at for signing him, he simply wanted to leave, sold for profit

    6) Daniel Agger: 6m for one of the most technically gifted CBs in the world, now worth 15-20m

    7) Jamie Carragher: Average Rb turned into world class CB by....Rafa

    8) Javier Mascherano: Argentina's captain, rescued from West Ham by Rafa, not Wenger or Fergy, now worth 30m

    9) Emiliano Insua: 1m, our left back for the next ten years

    10) Glen Johnson: Englands best RB

    11) Dirk Kuyt: Doesn't make it look good but the stats speak for themselves

    12) Fabio Aurelio: FREE! Our best bosman after Gary Mac?

    ReplyDelete
  3. +1 Rep for David's analysis below. Spot on.

    ReplyDelete
  4. +1 rep for David's analysis above. Spot on.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Are you a REAL red! owen was the maggot who lied about signing his contract for a full year so he could walk away for buttons! and pocket a bigger signing on fee! he is showing his true colours now by blowing kisses to man utd fans! let him rot on their bench,paul huyton

    ReplyDelete
  6. David your bang on there mate.
    This site is just run by absolute idiots who would rather be see Liverpool fail so they can say "told you my article was right..'
    Absolute gobsh***s, SUPPORT YOUR TEAM OR MOVE TO MANCHESTER

    YNWA

    ReplyDelete
  7. Confused??
    Missed opportunities, I thought would be about players we should have signed (like Owen in your article) but then you just spout about keeping players that wanted to go, Crouch, Alonso, Arbeloa even sami wanted to play more minutes guaranteed??
    Missed opportunities should be like Ashley Young who we wanted but at the time thought he was overpriced (and who could have argued as it was a risk).
    My biggest rescent disappointment (other than Barry) was when we nearly had Dani Alves for £13m and now we have Johnson I'm not bothered!!
    We need back up for Torres still and it was a pity we could not have got one of Madrids strikers in the Alonso deal ie Huntelaar but Rafa knew the clubs restraints and we took the cash.

    ReplyDelete
  8. If's and but's don't win titles!, I agree mistakes have been made but what is done is done. Hopefully we won't repeat the same mistakes and maybe put more faith in our youth, you don't need vast sums of money to be successful, look at Wenger?.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Add Insua and Ngog to that list as for approx 1.5m - £2m they look very good!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yes, but Reina, Masch, Johnson, Carragher, Insua, Kuyt, Agger and Aurelio were not even in the original article...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mate, do you actually watch football????

    Lets break these down shall we....

    Owen - Dropped us in the shite to run to Mdarid and win something. Then went to NUFC for more money!! Ngog has scored more in less time.

    Hyppia - An absolute legend at the club but time was right for him and us to part ways!

    Riise - Was absolutely woeful in his last season for us, caught out many times defensively and couldnt hit a cows arse with a banjo.

    Dossena - This is one I agree with. But he is a full Italy international and had a great reputation. Sometimes players just dont settle.

    Arbeloa - Wanted to leave so we casehd in before he could go on a free like Judas Owen did.

    Robbie Keane - Dont think anyone will ever know exactly what happended there but he just didnt deliver at Liverpool.

    Crouch - Rafa was ridiculed for even thinking about signing him, improved him as a player. He would not fit into how we play nowadays and didnt want to stay on the bench. No choice but to let him go.

    Bellamy - Do me a favour!!! Didnt do too much for us did he?? Sold ata profit after causing trouble in the club.

    Alonso - Was rubbish in his penultimate season for us so rafa looked to replace him with Barry. Club didnt suport rafa so he stayed and to his credit had his best season for teh club. WANTED TO LEAVE!!!!

    Aquilani - I bet your glass is always half empty eh??? Give the lad a chance.

    You should take a read of david's reply above and maybe look at the good Rafa has doneinstead of hammering him all the time. I have never seen a manager get vilified so often by so many!!!

    Go and support Tranmere or something will ya!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Jim - just argue your points without the snide comments please.  If you don't agree, state your case.  You and others like you are not the arbiter fo who is and is not a fan.  Further comments that include stupid comments like 'Go and support tranmere or something' will be deleted.  Thanks 8-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jaimie, good to see you allow full and frank debate on this site!! Threatening to remove comments because they oppose your agenda or views borders on fascist behaviour removing peoples right to free speech.

    I have argued my case quite clearly I think. As with most blogs on this site it is filled with poor analysis and assumptions. My point about supporting another club is this. Your negativity is astounding! The only positive story I remember about Rafa on this site was when he took defeat well at Sunderland.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jim - you have aboslutely no idea what you're talking about.  I DO encourage debate but people like you who come along and post childish crap instead of sticking to the issues really get on my nerves.  I'm not interested in having the site clogged up with juvenile snide remarks.  I encourage ADULT debate on this site, not juvenile, lowesct common demonitor snidyness.

    If you can't hack that, then go elsewhere.  There are plenty of Liverpoo, message boards where people spend all day slagging each other off.

    I'm not interested in your 'go and support some other team' pettinesss.  Stick to the issues and prove your point by debating properly.

    And the 'negativity is astounding'?!

    Your utter insularity and inability to see past the end of your own nose is astounding.  I guess you missed the '18 reasons to be positive about LFC' post yesterday, or the 5 Pro-rafa articles in the last 10 days.

    Stop talking utter rubbish.

    If you want to debate, go ahead.  If you can't debate without resorting to childishness, then you're not welcome here. 

    And the same goes for anyone else.  I can't be bothered to keep explaining the same point over and over again: if you don't like it here. go elsewhere.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I think your list is incredibly shortsighted.  For example, you list Bellamy, but you fail to mention that the funds raised in selling him for a decent profit went toward the signing of Torres, clearly a superior player.  Yeah, it would be nice to have Bellamy as a squad player, but the finances of our club do not allow us that luxury (something you continually ignore in your analysis).  Personally, I think Benitez's biggest transfer blunder was the signing of Babel.  It always a calculated gamble to sign a 19-21 year old player at that high of price and Babel has done very little to exhibit that he was worth the price we paid for him.

    On Arbeloa, the Spaniard wanted out and was out of contract at the end of the season; Rafa opted to take the 3-4 million, rather than utilize him as a bench player that would walk away for free at the end of the season.  I don't see how that as one of this ten "worst" moves; not by a long shot...

    I most certainly think that Rafa was scared off of signing Owen by the media speculation that would engulf the club if Owen did not play consistently (similar to what erupted around Keane last season).  The best insight you provide here is the unbalanced treatment LFC and Benitez receive in the British media vis-a-vis transfer and player rotation.

    Anyone that watched the match last night, saw that Aquilani could be huge for this team if he maintains fitness, though the fact that we had to wait until Halloween for him to make his league debut could ultimately kill our chances this season.

    Also, great analysis from David...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great analysis from David?  I agree...but as I said above, he only focused on 3 of the 10 players in the original article!  The other 7 he mentions are not even in question.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Quite a poor analysis IMO. many of those listed wanted to leave. In this day & age you can't force players to stay. Plus we need the money. Can't risk players sulking with a squad already thin on quality.

    When Dossena was signed, insua hadn't forced his way into contention yet. He was signed as a second choice player. You can't say he's a poor signing because a reserve player has pushed him into third. Nonsensical.
    All you can say is that Insua was a great signing.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Struck a nerve there have we Jaimie, I believe my post did adress every issue that was listed in the original post. I along with most responders so far have disagreed with the post. I did see the pro Rafa post yesterday mate, and for the record I enjoyed it.

    You do not answer the simple fact that the statements made in the post are specualtion and do not always point to a Benitez transfer blunder.

    My biggest shock in the whole piece is that of Owen. He was on the verge of going to Hull City!! and SAF came in and suddenly he pulls off the transfer coup of the decade. Owen sropped Benitez in the shite twice mate, when he left, and then when he went to NUFC. Why would he go back and sign him again? Owen is also only concerned about his England place, not Liverpool, NUFC or the scum IMHO.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Struck a nerve?  not at all.  You raised the issue.  I responded.  I do not dispute that you addressed the points - that is fine, but there is no need for the snide comments that accompany your points. 

    And so what if the statements in the post are speculation.  How is that a credible criticism?!  99.9% of fan opinions are speculation.  This is an opinion based site; the article is clearly the author's OPINION.

    it is the author's view that the 10 transfers listed above were blunders.  it is not a personal attack on you, anyone else who thinks the opposite or Benitez.

    This is the problem with many Liverpool fans and fooball fans in general; unless everything being discussed is 150% positive, anything critical or speculative is deemed to be a personal attack.  It is not.

    Everyone has their own personal view.  End of story.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I would venture a solid guess that if you did a poll of the 10 players mentioned in the artcile, 85% of liverpool fans would only want Alonso & Crouch back. As already said repeatidly Alonso had two poor seasons when Raffa decided on the Barry option which inturn swayed Alonso's mind. Why can't fans just get over this and wish him well. Aquilani already has shown that he's going to add a nice attacking flair to our game. I for one would hate to have Owen back. I do question why Raffa hasn't tried Babbel up front more (excusing his shocking miss last night) instead of persisting with playing him wide. Ngog is looking sharp though so I really see no point in bringing up the Owen story. He's a Manc now and we shouldn't be mentioning his name.

    ReplyDelete
  21. its surprising you have not listed the number of players rafa wanted to sign but never got to because of our heavy handed nature in the transfer market : anderson, vidic, malouda, diaby, walcott, berbatov amongst many others

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hmmm. Yes Jaime, but the players under consideration in the origonal article where selectively chosen to promote your point of view. David's (great) points and player choices succeeded in redressing the balance. This is, after all, what the great debate you appear to advocate is all about.

    In effect, the original article ameliorated the statistics in ordert to portray rafa's record in a negagtive light. Again, David merely redressed the balance with some genuine insight and fairness - something you could learn a lot from.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I clicked on this article thinking I would find a list of missed transfer opportunities... However all I have found is a list half full of Liverpool players who left the club with only a year to go on their contracts which they were unwilling to resign.

    I agree totaly with the critique of this articles list from David as posted above, so see no need to rewrite the same points.

    Instead, I thought I would give this article what I expected of it.  Yes a list of players that Rafa attempted to sign, but the Board got in the way, hence them moving on to their current bigger clubs (minus one of them).

    -Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting
    -David Villa from Real Zaragoza
    -Dimitar Berbatov from Leverkusen (although he is rather lazy)
    -Sergio Aguero from Independiente
    -Daniel Carvalho from CSKA on the cheap
    -Daniel Alves from Seville
    -Ezequiel Garay from Racing Santander
    -Renato Augusto from Flamengo

    Of course there are many more, this is just a short list that springs to mind.

    Also, think what those players are now worth, and then check out how much their current clubs payed for them.  Yes, thats right, for the money we end up shelling out on stop gaps, we could have afforded to buy all of the relavent players from that list and added them to the spine of our first team squad.  Just imagine that...

    ReplyDelete
  24. So the players were 'selectively chosen' to promote my point of view...even though I didn't write the article.

    Right. I see your point.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Jermaine Pennant?  Surely the worst signing of them all...

    ReplyDelete
  26. Sorry, I meant to say I agree with Jim's points, however after reading David's post, I agree with that too.

    ReplyDelete
  27. It's all very well using the word 'blunders' but there are extraneous factors involved.  A handful of players WANTED to move on to get more regular football - the manager was humane and sensitive enough to allow them to do that.  I think the era of having such players on the bench just in case someone gets injured is just a bit of a fantasy.

    Having seen two glimpses of Aquaman - I think he is going to be our 'ace' this year - the unknown quantity.  Shame to see so many bloggers are so negative about him - conjuring up more potential injury problems.

    ReplyDelete
  28. All i can aay is i've read the article and agree with David and Jim but i would like to add just one thing..........rafa has made mistakes in the past ie babel but his biggest has got to be Nicolas Anelka.....why we never signed him on the cheap when he was at Anfield on loan i will never understand......he may be an arse but he is unmistakably quality.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Wow...why by so childish? OK so *you* didn't write the article, but *you* are the one defending it and calling for debate...aren't you?

    As the owner of the site, one would expect a little more dignity and decorum from you. Especially as readers of this low profile/low traffic site, just as is the case with those of newspapers and other such sites, would expect the content to reflect the view of the owner that sanctioned its publication.

    This is naturally compounded by the fact that the owner is present, going toe to toe, debating the thread topic.

    Again, you are advocating the stance of the original argument, so my comment was to you. However, if you actually followed and understood the line of argument, my comment was in response to your terse resply to some good points made by another poster which advocated those made by a poster named "Dave."

    So...what's it to be Jaimie?

    You agreed with the orginal article and sasnctioned it's publiction and decided to stand up for it by debating on this very thread.

    or

    You agreed with the orginal article and sasnctioned it's publiction, decided to stand up for it by debating on this very thread and then attempted to weasel your way out of any responsibility when things seemed to be going against you by stating that

    '...I didn't write the artcle."

    There's a lot more to this web publication business than desperately trying to be controversial for  traffic's sake and eeking out a living from Adsense, CPA, PPV and banner clicks you know. If you ever want to be taken seriously you need to have some balls and believe in what you do, what you say *and* what you sanction, without resorting to childishness for self aggrandisement or to put down your users.

    Need any help making the site a success, get in touch. You have the email address. I'll refer you to one of my assistants.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anelka wasn't on loan with us when Rafa was here.

    ReplyDelete
  31. benitez was not the manager when anelka was on loan. it was houllier. and we dint have the funds to sign anelka

    ReplyDelete
  32. Jamie Kanwar, is the 'editor' of his own website called 'Liverpool-Kop'.
    I mention the name of his site so that you can avoid wasting your time with him and his constant drivel.
    You'll notice the name whenever you see the title to a ridiculous arguement that flies in the face of fact. I suspect he runs this site because:
    a) he thinks he's some sort of clever journalist (he's also sometimes a lawyer too. Especially when you challenge his views)and impresses himself when he writes.
    b) because no-one else would employ the fool to write for them as his knowledge of his chosen club and the game is somewhere around nil
    and most importantly
    c) because he simply wants to make some money on the net.
    Its easy really to do. Pick a subject that interests a lot of people and which gets passions running high, like Liverpool Football Club for example. Then, rather than attempt to write something that is thought provoking and based on fact or reality, you just wind people up so that they will go to your site to read and/or comment.
    I suspect that he is completely indifferent to Liverpool FC. Please dont be mistaken by the dross that he wrtes. He is - as he always reminds anyone that will listen - not pro G& H and he is not anti-Rafa either. He's simply pro-Jamie Kanwar.
    His sensationalist and provocative articles are written solely to get hits to his pathetic little website and, in turn, line his dirty pockets. The banner claims his site is all about 'critical realism'. I susepct its actually more about his bank account.
    So, in short, dont waste your time with this idiot. When it comes to journalism and 'critical realism', he's right up there with The Sun.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Good list summarizing signings here...

    <span><span><span><span><span>http://kopworld.net/lfc-discussion/rafa-in-the-transfer-market/?action=printpage</span></span></span></span></span>

    2004 Hits - Alonso and Garcia Miss - Josemi
    2005 Hits - Crouch, Renia, Sissoko Miss - Morientes
    2006 Hits - Agger, Kuyt, Aurelio Miss Bellamy
    2007 Hits - Arebola, Masch, Benny onion, Insua Miss - Lucas, Babel, Vornonin
    2008 Hits - Skrtel, Riera, Miss - Keane. Dossena
    2009 Hits - Johnson, Aqualiani (we  hope)

    Looking back Rafa has actually done a pretty good job given the budget set. There are a lot of players signed for 0-2m that have failed but really many of them were punts. You can also see of the good crop of young players signed between 2007 and 2009 that are starting to pay off. 

    The three biggest blunders were Keane, Dossena and Morientes.

    At the end of the day Morientes looked like a good signing at the time but just didn't cut in in the Premier League. Dossena is clearly going to be shipped out and we just don't know what went in with Keane. Babel is one who looks like he will be added to this list and the one who really should be showing more of his potential.

    Generally Rafa has been much better at clearing out players quickly who don't cut it than Houiller used to and I think compared to Fergie list his flop rate is vary similar. 

    The issue is its only recently we have started to spend big money on players who are likely to improve the team. Man utd have been doing it for a lot longer. We need to continue to look at spending £20m on one decent player who improves the first 11 and pushes another into a strong squad player and keep the punts and frees for youth team development.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I disagree with this in that Insua had played the last couple of games of the season before Dossena was signed in the summer and shown great promise. That £7m spent on Dossena really should have been used to add on to the £8m Riera fee to get us a £15m winger.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Agree with you in the Alonso and Crouch are the only two we would want back. At least Rafa ships the flops out quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Tom - I'm perfectly happy with the way the site is now, thank you.  And given your negligble powers of observation, I don't see how anyone would want to contact you or your 'assistant's for help with a web publication business.

    You mention 'Adsense, CPA, PPV and banner clicks'.

    Right - show me evidence of ANY of those things on this site.

    As it has clearly escaped your notice, this is an ADVERTISING FREE SITE.

    This is not a business; no money is made.  The images at the top of the page are links to other websites that carry this site's posts.

    Before throwing around false accusations, perhaps you should stop and attempt to be fair first...

    ReplyDelete
  37. The way Liverpool play means that Rafa tends to want player's who will work hard on keeping the team shape, this means being disciplined on the pitch. If you start acting all 'superstar like' he will get the arse, eventully he bombs these type of player's. I agree only Crouch and Alonso 'cut the mustard' and we did get a decent return on the player's who were sold, Owen could never come back end of story.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hilarious!

    You edited my post from eight paragraphs to two in order to remove any of the coherence behind my reply to you. What made you feel so threatened by:

    Wow...why by so childish? OK so *you* didn't write the article, but *you* are the one defending it and calling for debate...aren't you?

As the owner of the site, one would expect a little more dignity and decorum from you. Especially as readers of this low profile/low traffic site, just as is the case with those of newspapers and other such sites, would expect the content to reflect the view of the owner that sanctioned its publication.

This is naturally compounded by the fact that the owner is present, going toe to toe, debating the thread topic.

Again, you are advocating the stance of the original argument, so my comment was to you. However, if you actually followed and understood the line of argument, my comment was in response to your terse reply to some good points made by another poster which advocated those made by a poster named "Dave."

So...what's it to be Jaimie?

You agreed with the orginal article and sanctioned it's publiction and decided to stand up for it by debating on this very thread.

or

You agreed with the orginal article and sanctioned it's publiction, decided to stand up for it by debating on this very thread and then attempted to weasel your way out of any responsibility when things seemed to be going against you by stating that

'...I didn't write the artcle."

    ReplyDelete
  39. Its just a shmee that the "majority" of posts seem to be critical of Benitez. There is no doubt he has made mistakes in the transfer market, but so have all his comtemporaries. The constant rafa bashing is un-called for at times and this site more than any other I spend time on does it more often than not.

    ReplyDelete
  40. If people want to respond to what I'm about to say my name is Matt.

    I'll start here:

    "...we continue to be massively reliant on Fernando Torres and Stevie Gerrard for inspiration, both of whom are prone to groin problems."

    G&T started just 14 games together for the entire season 2008/09, somehow we managed to finish 2nd behind Man United on 86 points ousting Chelsea and Arsenal, not bad for a team so heavily reliant on G&T.

    There are so many factors to consider when making such bold statements, such as Manchester United's squad value is £220m ours is £159m, that's a huge difference, basically three £20m players.

    "This leaves us very vulnerable, and after having witnessing Rafa mould 'his' team over the last 5 years, it is not good enough."

    If I give you £20 to spend on fruit, you'll come back with £20 worth of fruit - it's that simple.

    I suggest you read a book called "Soccernomics" which shows to an accuracy of 92% that winning trophies and Squad Value/Player Wages are undeniably bound. Rafa has simply not had the financial support to buy the players he's wanted and this past summer was a cruel reminder.

    Having been promised the funds from the Keane sale and then some he was left high and dry, do you actually believe he wanted to sign Kyriagos ahead of Michael Turner? Of course not, his hands were tied and will continue to be until we get some much needed investment.

    Do you know, amongst others, that Pato and Vidic would have been Liverpool players had Parry and his money men got their acts together? In 2007 Benitez sat down with the Brazilian Wunderkid in his office to discuss a move to Liverpool, because the board took so much time to arrange themselves Milan became interested and the rest is history.

    Now, onto your list.

    Michael Owen - rode out his contract to leave Liverpool for as little as possible but secure himself a big fat signing on bonus at Madrid. Opted for Newcastle and £120k a week ahead of Liverpool when Rafa considered bringing him back, if he wanted to come he could have declined Newcastle. Sure we could have signed him for free but N'Gog is performing much better for us. WRONG

    Sami - A Club legend but he was finished at the top level, he said himself Rafa offered him a coaching role to tempt him to stay but he wanted a couple more years playing, fair enough. With the likes of Carra, Skrtel, Agger, Kryiagos & Kelly in the mix how much playing time would he have had? Add to this he was looking his years last season. WRONG

    Riise - Mate, he was beyond poor in his final season and the idiotic decision he made to stoop to header a clearance as opposed to hoofing it probably cost us progression in the CL. WRONG

    Dossena - Italy's first choice LB, named LB of the season in Italy prior to joining us, he has been poor yes but at the same time you don't know how a player is going to turn out for you until he's playing for you - Berbatov anyone? RIGHT

    Arbeloa - WANTEDTO LEAVE. Refused to sign a new contract and was sold at a profit. WRONG

    Keane - Couldn't make the step up to the top tier, in time we will recieve every penny back on our purchase price. He had plenty of chances and Rafa was advised he would have the funds from his sale made available in the summer. WRONG

    Crouch - WANTED TO LEAVE. He didn't want to sit on the bench at Anfield, he's doing to same at Spurs now but for a lot more money! We also sold him at a profit. WRONG

    Bellamy - Unreliable. Great one game, poor the next. He was also not very well liked in the dressingroom as I understand, sold at a profit. WRONG


    Xabi Alonso - WANTED TO GO. His family wanted to return to Spain and he was still carrying a chip on his shoulder over Rafa looking to replace him when he had a poor [...]

    ReplyDelete
  41. If people want to respond to what I'm about to say my name is Matt.

    I'll start here:

    "...we continue to be massively reliant on Fernando Torres and Stevie Gerrard for inspiration, both of whom are prone to groin problems."

    G&T started just 14 games together for the entire season 2008/09, somehow we managed to finish 2nd behind Man United on 86 points ousting Chelsea and Arsenal, not bad for a team so heavily reliant on G&T.

    There are so many factors to consider when making such bold statements, such as Manchester United's squad value is £220m ours is £159m, that's a huge difference, basically three £20m players.

    "This leaves us very vulnerable, and after having witnessing Rafa mould 'his' team over the last 5 years, it is not good enough."

    If I give you £20 to spend on fruit, you'll come back with £20 worth of fruit - it's that simple.

    I suggest you read a book called "Soccernomics" which shows to an accuracy of 92% that winning trophies and Squad Value/Player Wages are undeniably bound. Rafa has simply not had the financial support to buy the players he's wanted and this past summer was a cruel reminder.

    Having been promised the funds from the Keane sale and then some he was left high and dry, do you actually believe he wanted to sign Kyriagos ahead of Michael Turner? Of course not, his hands were tied and will continue to be until we get some much needed investment.

    Do you know, amongst others, that Pato and Vidic would have been Liverpool players had Parry and his money men got their acts together? In 2007 Benitez sat down with the Brazilian Wunderkid in his office to discuss a move to Liverpool, because the board took so much time to arrange themselves Milan became interested and the rest is history.

    Now, onto your list.

    Michael Owen - rode out his contract to leave Liverpool for as little as possible but secure himself a big fat signing on bonus at Madrid. Opted for Newcastle and £120k a week ahead of Liverpool when Rafa considered bringing him back, if he wanted to come he could have declined Newcastle. Sure we could have signed him for free but N'Gog is performing much better for us. WRONG

    Sami - A Club legend but he was finished at the top level, he said himself Rafa offered him a coaching role to tempt him to stay but he wanted a couple more years playing, fair enough. With the likes of Carra, Skrtel, Agger, Kryiagos & Kelly in the mix how much playing time would he have had? Add to this he was looking his years last season. WRONG

    Riise - Mate, he was beyond poor in his final season and the idiotic decision he made to stoop to header a clearance as opposed to hoofing it probably cost us progression in the CL. WRONG

    Dossena - Italy's first choice LB, named LB of the season in Italy prior to joining us, he has been poor yes but at the same time you don't know how a player is going to turn out for you until he's playing for you - Berbatov anyone? RIGHT

    Arbeloa - WANTEDTO LEAVE. Refused to sign a new contract and was sold at a profit. WRONG

    Keane - Couldn't make the step up to the top tier, in time we will recieve every penny back on our purchase price. He had plenty of chances and Rafa was advised he would have the funds from his sale made available in the summer. WRONG

    Crouch - WANTED TO LEAVE. He didn't want to sit on the bench at Anfield, he's doing to same at Spurs now but for a lot more money! We also sold him at a profit. WRONG

    Bellamy - Unreliable. Great one game, poor the next. He was also not very well liked in the dressingroom as I understand, sold at a profit. WRONG


    Xabi Alonso - WANTED TO GO. His family wanted to return to Spain and he was still carrying a chip on his shoulder over Rafa looking to replace him when he had a poor [...]

    ReplyDelete
  42. If people want to respond to what I'm about to say my name is Matt.

    I'll start here:

    "...we continue to be massively reliant on Fernando Torres and Stevie Gerrard for inspiration, both of whom are prone to groin problems."

    G&T started just 14 games together for the entire season 2008/09, somehow we managed to finish 2nd behind Man United on 86 points ousting Chelsea and Arsenal, not bad for a team so heavily reliant on G&T.

    There are so many factors to consider when making such bold statements, such as Manchester United's squad value is £220m ours is £159m, that's a huge difference, basically three £20m players.

    "This leaves us very vulnerable, and after having witnessing Rafa mould 'his' team over the last 5 years, it is not good enough."

    If I give you £20 to spend on fruit, you'll come back with £20 worth of fruit - it's that simple.

    I suggest you read a book called "Soccernomics" which shows to an accuracy of 92% that winning trophies and Squad Value/Player Wages are undeniably bound. Rafa has simply not had the financial support to buy the players he's wanted and this past summer was a cruel reminder.

    Having been promised the funds from the Keane sale and then some he was left high and dry, do you actually believe he wanted to sign Kyriagos ahead of Michael Turner? Of course not, his hands were tied and will continue to be until we get some much needed investment.

    Do you know, amongst others, that Pato and Vidic would have been Liverpool players had Parry and his money men got their acts together? In 2007 Benitez sat down with the Brazilian Wunderkid in his office to discuss a move to Liverpool, because the board took so much time to arrange themselves Milan became interested and the rest is history.

    Now, onto your list.

    Michael Owen - rode out his contract to leave Liverpool for as little as possible but secure himself a big fat signing on bonus at Madrid. Opted for Newcastle and £120k a week ahead of Liverpool when Rafa considered bringing him back, if he wanted to come he could have declined Newcastle. Sure we could have signed him for free but N'Gog is performing much better for us. WRONG

    Sami - A Club legend but he was finished at the top level, he said himself Rafa offered him a coaching role to tempt him to stay but he wanted a couple more years playing, fair enough. With the likes of Carra, Skrtel, Agger, Kryiagos & Kelly in the mix how much playing time would he have had? Add to this he was looking his years last season. WRONG

    Riise - Mate, he was beyond poor in his final season and the idiotic decision he made to stoop to header a clearance as opposed to hoofing it probably cost us progression in the CL. WRONG

    Dossena - Italy's first choice LB, named LB of the season in Italy prior to joining us, he has been poor yes but at the same time you don't know how a player is going to turn out for you until he's playing for you - Berbatov anyone? RIGHT

    Arbeloa - WANTEDTO LEAVE. Refused to sign a new contract and was sold at a profit. WRONG

    Keane - Couldn't make the step up to the top tier, in time we will recieve every penny back on our purchase price. He had plenty of chances and Rafa was advised he would have the funds from his sale made available in the summer. WRONG

    Crouch - WANTED TO LEAVE. He didn't want to sit on the bench at Anfield, he's doing to same at Spurs now but for a lot more money! We also sold him at a profit. WRONG

    Bellamy - Unreliable. Great one game, poor the next. He was also not very well liked in the dressingroom as I understand, sold at a profit. WRONG


    Xabi Alonso - WANTED TO GO. His family wanted to return to Spain and he was still carrying a chip on his shoulder over Rafa looking to replace him when he had a poor [...]

    ReplyDelete
  43. If people want to respond to what I'm about to say my name is Matt.

    I'll start here:

    "...we continue to be massively reliant on Fernando Torres and Stevie Gerrard for inspiration, both of whom are prone to groin problems."

    G&T started just 14 games together for the entire season 2008/09, somehow we managed to finish 2nd behind Man United on 86 points ousting Chelsea and Arsenal, not bad for a team so heavily reliant on G&T.

    There are so many factors to consider when making such bold statements, such as Manchester United's squad value is £220m ours is £159m, that's a huge difference, basically three £20m players.

    "This leaves us very vulnerable, and after having witnessing Rafa mould 'his' team over the last 5 years, it is not good enough."

    If I give you £20 to spend on fruit, you'll come back with £20 worth of fruit - it's that simple.

    I suggest you read a book called "Soccernomics" which shows to an accuracy of 92% that winning trophies and Squad Value/Player Wages are undeniably bound. Rafa has simply not had the financial support to buy the players he's wanted and this past summer was a cruel reminder.

    Having been promised the funds from the Keane sale and then some he was left high and dry, do you actually believe he wanted to sign Kyriagos ahead of Michael Turner? Of course not, his hands were tied and will continue to be until we get some much needed investment.

    Do you know, amongst others, that Pato and Vidic would have been Liverpool players had Parry and his money men got their acts together? In 2007 Benitez sat down with the Brazilian Wunderkid in his office to discuss a move to Liverpool, because the board took so much time to arrange themselves Milan became interested and the rest is history.

    Now, onto your list.

    Michael Owen - rode out his contract to leave Liverpool for as little as possible but secure himself a big fat signing on bonus at Madrid. Opted for Newcastle and £120k a week ahead of Liverpool when Rafa considered bringing him back, if he wanted to come he could have declined Newcastle. Sure we could have signed him for free but N'Gog is performing much better for us. WRONG

    Sami - A Club legend but he was finished at the top level, he said himself Rafa offered him a coaching role to tempt him to stay but he wanted a couple more years playing, fair enough. With the likes of Carra, Skrtel, Agger, Kryiagos & Kelly in the mix how much playing time would he have had? Add to this he was looking his years last season. WRONG

    Riise - Mate, he was beyond poor in his final season and the idiotic decision he made to stoop to header a clearance as opposed to hoofing it probably cost us progression in the CL. WRONG

    Dossena - Italy's first choice LB, named LB of the season in Italy prior to joining us, he has been poor yes but at the same time you don't know how a player is going to turn out for you until he's playing for you - Berbatov anyone? RIGHT

    Arbeloa - WANTEDTO LEAVE. Refused to sign a new contract and was sold at a profit. WRONG

    Keane - Couldn't make the step up to the top tier, in time we will recieve every penny back on our purchase price. He had plenty of chances and Rafa was advised he would have the funds from his sale made available in the summer. WRONG

    Crouch - WANTED TO LEAVE. He didn't want to sit on the bench at Anfield, he's doing to same at Spurs now but for a lot more money! We also sold him at a profit. WRONG

    Bellamy - Unreliable. Great one game, poor the next. He was also not very well liked in the dressingroom as I understand, sold at a profit. WRONG


    Xabi Alonso - WANTED TO GO. His family wanted to return to Spain and he was still carrying a chip on his shoulder over Rafa looking to replace him when he had a poor [...]

    ReplyDelete
  44. If people want to respond to what I'm about to say my name is Matt.

    I'll start here:

    "...we continue to be massively reliant on Fernando Torres and Stevie Gerrard for inspiration, both of whom are prone to groin problems."

    G&T started just 14 games together for the entire season 2008/09, somehow we managed to finish 2nd behind Man United on 86 points ousting Chelsea and Arsenal, not bad for a team so heavily reliant on G&T.

    There are so many factors to consider when making such bold statements, such as Manchester United's squad value is £220m ours is £159m, that's a huge difference, basically three £20m players.

    "This leaves us very vulnerable, and after having witnessing Rafa mould 'his' team over the last 5 years, it is not good enough."

    If I give you £20 to spend on fruit, you'll come back with £20 worth of fruit - it's that simple.

    I suggest you read a book called "Soccernomics" which shows to an accuracy of 92% that winning trophies and Squad Value/Player Wages are undeniably bound. Rafa has simply not had the financial support to buy the players he's wanted and this past summer was a cruel reminder.

    Having been promised the funds from the Keane sale and then some he was left high and dry, do you actually believe he wanted to sign Kyriagos ahead of Michael Turner? Of course not, his hands were tied and will continue to be until we get some much needed investment.

    Do you know, amongst others, that Pato and Vidic would have been Liverpool players had Parry and his money men got their acts together? In 2007 Benitez sat down with the Brazilian Wunderkid in his office to discuss a move to Liverpool, because the board took so much time to arrange themselves Milan became interested and the rest is history.

    Now, onto your list.

    Michael Owen - rode out his contract to leave Liverpool for as little as possible but secure himself a big fat signing on bonus at Madrid. Opted for Newcastle and £120k a week ahead of Liverpool when Rafa considered bringing him back, if he wanted to come he could have declined Newcastle. Sure we could have signed him for free but N'Gog is performing much better for us. WRONG

    Sami - A Club legend but he was finished at the top level, he said himself Rafa offered him a coaching role to tempt him to stay but he wanted a couple more years playing, fair enough. With the likes of Carra, Skrtel, Agger, Kryiagos & Kelly in the mix how much playing time would he have had? Add to this he was looking his years last season. WRONG

    Riise - Mate, he was beyond poor in his final season and the idiotic decision he made to stoop to header a clearance as opposed to hoofing it probably cost us progression in the CL. WRONG

    Dossena - Italy's first choice LB, named LB of the season in Italy prior to joining us, he has been poor yes but at the same time you don't know how a player is going to turn out for you until he's playing for you - Berbatov anyone? RIGHT

    Arbeloa - WANTEDTO LEAVE. Refused to sign a new contract and was sold at a profit. WRONG

    Keane - Couldn't make the step up to the top tier, in time we will recieve every penny back on our purchase price. He had plenty of chances and Rafa was advised he would have the funds from his sale made available in the summer. WRONG

    Crouch - WANTED TO LEAVE. He didn't want to sit on the bench at Anfield, he's doing to same at Spurs now but for a lot more money! We also sold him at a profit. WRONG

    Bellamy - Unreliable. Great one game, poor the next. He was also not very well liked in the dressingroom as I understand, sold at a profit. WRONG


    Xabi Alonso - WANTED TO GO. His family wanted to return to Spain and he was still carrying a chip on his shoulder over Rafa looking to replace him when he had a poor [...]

    ReplyDelete
  45. If people want to respond to what I'm about to say my name is Matt.

    I'll start here:

    "...we continue to be massively reliant on Fernando Torres and Stevie Gerrard for inspiration, both of whom are prone to groin problems."

    G&T started just 14 games together for the entire season 2008/09, somehow we managed to finish 2nd behind Man United on 86 points ousting Chelsea and Arsenal, not bad for a team so heavily reliant on G&T.

    There are so many factors to consider when making such bold statements, such as Manchester United's squad value is £220m ours is £159m, that's a huge difference, basically three £20m players.

    "This leaves us very vulnerable, and after having witnessing Rafa mould 'his' team over the last 5 years, it is not good enough."

    If I give you £20 to spend on fruit, you'll come back with £20 worth of fruit - it's that simple.

    I suggest you read a book called "Soccernomics" which shows to an accuracy of 92% that winning trophies and Squad Value/Player Wages are undeniably bound. Rafa has simply not had the financial support to buy the players he's wanted and this past summer was a cruel reminder.

    Having been promised the funds from the Keane sale and then some he was left high and dry, do you actually believe he wanted to sign Kyriagos ahead of Michael Turner? Of course not, his hands were tied and will continue to be until we get some much needed investment.

    Do you know, amongst others, that Pato and Vidic would have been Liverpool players had Parry and his money men got their acts together? In 2007 Benitez sat down with the Brazilian Wunderkid in his office to discuss a move to Liverpool, because the board took so much time to arrange themselves Milan became interested and the rest is history.

    Now, onto your list.

    Michael Owen - rode out his contract to leave Liverpool for as little as possible but secure himself a big fat signing on bonus at Madrid. Opted for Newcastle and £120k a week ahead of Liverpool when Rafa considered bringing him back, if he wanted to come he could have declined Newcastle. Sure we could have signed him for free but N'Gog is performing much better for us. WRONG

    Sami - A Club legend but he was finished at the top level, he said himself Rafa offered him a coaching role to tempt him to stay but he wanted a couple more years playing, fair enough. With the likes of Carra, Skrtel, Agger, Kryiagos & Kelly in the mix how much playing time would he have had? Add to this he was looking his years last season. WRONG

    Riise - Mate, he was beyond poor in his final season and the idiotic decision he made to stoop to header a clearance as opposed to hoofing it probably cost us progression in the CL. WRONG

    Dossena - Italy's first choice LB, named LB of the season in Italy prior to joining us, he has been poor yes but at the same time you don't know how a player is going to turn out for you until he's playing for you - Berbatov anyone? RIGHT

    Arbeloa - WANTEDTO LEAVE. Refused to sign a new contract and was sold at a profit. WRONG

    Keane - Couldn't make the step up to the top tier, in time we will recieve every penny back on our purchase price. He had plenty of chances and Rafa was advised he would have the funds from his sale made available in the summer. WRONG

    Crouch - WANTED TO LEAVE. He didn't want to sit on the bench at Anfield, he's doing to same at Spurs now but for a lot more money! We also sold him at a profit. WRONG

    Bellamy - Unreliable. Great one game, poor the next. He was also not very well liked in the dressingroom as I understand, sold at a profit. WRONG


    Xabi Alonso - WANTED TO GO. His family wanted to return to Spain and he was still carrying a chip on his shoulder over Rafa looking to replace him when he had a poor [...]

    ReplyDelete
  46. Sorry for the Uber repeat guys, the website said it wasn't loading! Apologies.

    ReplyDelete
  47. without being rude, I'm not sure i have seen an article i disagreed with so much (including most of Jamie's :) ).  allow me to explain and please feel free to comment:

    1. Michael Owen - Someone i felt we shuld have brought in considering he was a free transfer and with our obvious financial limits.  However, has hardly set the world alight.

    2. Sammi Hyypia - Clearly Rafa wanted him to stay but having given such great service over the years and having requested the opportunity to play first team football in germany, Rafa would have been wrong to have forced the issue any more than he did, which givent he fact he was out of contract anyway, was never a realistic option anyway.

    3. JAR - Another excellent servant for Liverpool,  But his sale was necessary for all concerned.  We needed a new option and as a result both Aurelio and Insua have benefited (as has Riise's form at Roma?)

    4. Dossena - It has not worked out at all we can all see that.  But it happens at times.  at the time,w e needed a LB and usually buying the Italian first choice would be aconsidered a good move.  Unfortunately for all, it has not been the case.  I'm sure he will be moved on with only a small loss.

    5. Arbeloa - Incredibly under-rated in his time at Liverpool.  Again, financial reasons meant this was a good deal.  He was offered a new contract but did not want to sign with obvious Madrid interest.  keeping him was never really an option.

    6. Robbie Keane - No matter how big a failure that transfer was, and it was, i was delighted at the time and for me it was a great signing (at the time).  We needed another striker and he had a proven record, but as u say, we will pro never know what happened with that one.  I dispute he has performed at all well for Spurs since his return however.  personally i think we ruined his career!

    7. Peter Crouch - Another player entering the final year of his contract who Rafa offered a new deal to.  Again, he rejected it wanting more regular football.  Rafa had no choice to cash in (at a profit i might add).  I would have loved him to stay and indeed would have liked him in the Summer but you cannot blame Rafa for that one.  he did the best for the club.

    8. - Craig Bellamy - Not sure what Bellamy you were watching because the one i saw fluffed his big chance at a big club.  Yes he has talent, but tnot the temprament to handle such a big club, hence why he under performed in his year here.

    9. Xabi Alonso - There is no bigger fan of Alonso than me.  My idol.  But he clearly wanted to leave and once that is the case there is little that can be done except get the ebst deal possible for all parties, which i think we agree Rafa did,  yes i would have liked it done earlier, but eventuallyw e got our money.  Good luck though Xabi.

    10. Aqulilani - Only time will tell but to put him in this list seems obsurd to say the least.

    ReplyDelete
  48. "stick to the issues and prove your point by debating properly"

    Then:

    "Stop talking utter rubbish"

    Ha ha. You don't even realise how funny you are.

    ReplyDelete
  49. And so say all of us!!!!

    I think we can see a pattern emerging here Matt. Great reply to a short sighted post. I tried to say the same earlier but you put it far more eloquently than i managed to.

    I am all in favour of people having and expressing opinions, hoever the explosion of football blogs o nthe internet allows anyone to write whatever they like. Then when they get questioned about their views you get threatened with censorship!!

    ReplyDelete
  50. What about Sissoko? he's always Juventus best player.

    ReplyDelete
  51. "I'm not interested in having the site clogged up with juvenile snide remarks"

    "Your utter insularity and inability to see past the end of your own nose is astounding"

    Pure genius!!

    <div>
    </div>

    ReplyDelete
  52. We missed Hypia a lot especially in corners and set pieces because he was a treath. Today we have no one . Also if we had to keep Bellamy playing up there with Torres. Crouch and Sissoko we would of had a team with a lot of options .

    ReplyDelete
  53. Yhis will always website will always write baiting article like this and long it will continue coz that's how they'll attract YOU HERE.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Yawn...

    Another negative article (negative Jamie, not 'critical' or 'realistic'. For reasons why, I don't need to bother repeating some of the very well made points listed above (though seriously this piece could have been far better - Bable, Pennant etc.).

    I was also dissapointed by your response to Jim above. You say you don't like snidey comments on your site and then go on to use terms like "childish crap", "juvenile snide remarks", "petty lowest common denominator snidyness", "utter insularity and inability...", "talking utter rubbish" and more.

    And please don't try and use your particular definition of snideyness to sidestep this. Is it one rule for you and one for everyone else?

    It surprises me that you don't have advertising on your site, it really does. And it's past the point where you can claim some sort of credibility for not doing so, as I'm betting that from the look of your average pool of comments 80% of people log on to your site to A) find out what the cleverly termed headlines are all about - and B) comment on how negative/one-sided you (the site) are. Sure, it's getting ratings, in the same way as cheap tabloid journalism does, so to me it would seem foolish not to take advantage of the success this 'USP' brings you, even though it would make me sick to see someone profiting from such negative propoganda.

    Can you at least admit that you are intentionally trying to wind people up/stir up controversy for ratings rather than pretending to be 'critically realistic'? I feel not. And it's not like you're turning anyones heads with these sorts of posts either.

    Definition of insanity: "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". You're churning out the same glass-half-empty posts on a regular basis and digging up dirt that has no reason to be dug, as illustrated by the frequent criticism you get from commenters, so if you're not actually insane you must be expecting people to come round to your way of thinking, which doesn't seem to be the case based on the evidence available.

    And speaking of case, I rest mine.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Spot on, Matt!

    Why hasn't Alex Miller replied to this post? You don't have the facts to back it up do you, Alex?

    Bollocks! What a waste of time and you are just adding on to that negativity which is seems to be the food that keeps this site alive! Why do such an article which is baseless and only puts Rafa in a negative light? Why can't he deserve the credit where he is due?

    We suggest you read soccernomics and also this article by PT.

    http://tomkinstimes.com/2009/10/fao-open-minded-football-journalists/

    Perhaps that would shed some light into your stubborn old  dark minds which refuse to accept new evidence portrayed due to painstaking research and hardwork.

    Blimey, believe me, I'm sure you guys (Alex & Jaimie) will dismiss that as data manipulation! And you call Rafa as stubborn!

    Pot calling the kettle black, anyone?

    ReplyDelete
  56. RedLester, expect your post to b deleted for speaking the truth....

    ReplyDelete
  57. Why hasn't Alex Miller replied to the post by Matt? You don't have the facts to back it up do you, Alex? 
     
    Bollocks! What a waste of time and you are just adding on to that negativity which is seems to be the food that keeps this site alive! Why do such an article which is baseless and only puts Rafa in a negative light? Why can't he deserve the credit where he is due? 
     
    We suggest you read soccernomics and also this article by PT. 
     
    http://tomkinstimes.com/2009/10/fao-open-minded-football-journalists/ 
     
    Perhaps that would shed some light into your stubborn old  dark minds which refuse to accept new evidence portrayed due to painstaking research and hardwork. 
     
    Blimey, believe me, I'm sure you guys (Alex & Jaimie) will dismiss that as data manipulation! And you call Rafa as stubborn! 
     
    Pot calling the kettle black, anyone?

    ReplyDelete
  58. And I suggesy you read Alex's article properly.  In it he states:

    <span>For all of you who think I am bashing Rafa (again), I will soon balance the argument with a follow-up piece outlining Rafa's 10 best transfer deals.</span>

    Ying and yang.  Both sides of the coin.

    And stop posting Paul Tomkins links here - they will just be removed.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Matt has argued validly against the points put out by Alex. Only Dossena appears to be the right call. So he's got 9 wrongs out 10. Well, I'll give Keane a correct as well. That still means 80% of inaccuracy.

    There is no two sides of coins here. It's very clear that false statements which twist the truth are generally done with the intention to cause harm. Please enlighten me if it was not done for the purpose of bashing in this case, what was an article with 80% of inaccuracy published for?

    Don't tell me you want evidence for this. We both know that Alex's opinion came from what he believes to be right, which may not neccesarily be right.

    And what is wrong with Paul Tomkins articles? At least he makes sure he gets his facts right before publishing his materials. Why do you seem to have a problem with that? Perhaps you guys would learn a lot more if you strive as hard as he does to get the facts right.

    For example, getting the truth from Rafa himself by interviewing him or from the team that works with him.  What have you done to ensure that the statements that you put out are accurate apart from sourcing them from the (oh you can trust me) internet and mass media?

    Has there been any effort to prove that the numbers or stats that you guys quote have the necessary characteristics of validity, reliability and accuracy?

    ReplyDelete
  60. Oh please.  Your post is preposterous!  80% inaccuracy?! According to who - you?!  There is no right or wrong here - Alex has stated his PERSONAL OPINION about the transfers.  You do understand the concept of having an opinion, don't you?

    And re Tomkins articles - links to his work are not welcoime here.  About a year ago, I posted a comment on his site, debating (in a civilised manner) one of the points he raised in an article.

    He deleted my comment and then proceeded to slag me and this site off completely unprovoked.

    Despite the fact I have never had any personal contact with him, he continues to slag me and this site off for no other reason than we have conflicting views.

    That is not the behaviour of a professional.

    What he say about me/the site doesn't offend me - that's not the issue.  It is the principle of it.  As such, I have no time for his site or his views, and I certainly will not promote his site here.

    ReplyDelete
  61. It's probably because of your hatred of Scousers.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Hatred of scousers?  Based on what?  That's a lie.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Post deleted eh, Jamie? I guess if you don't leave enough holes in an argument for you to pick at it's not deemed suitable to include on your 'debate' forum. Shame.

    ReplyDelete
  64. why bother replying to those kind of people jamie ? imo they doesnt deserve your time, while the site has some articles that i would say annoys me a little, its still one of my top LFC sites of all time, anyone who visit this site regulary knows what a wonderful this space is.

    Ofc alot of people would aruge with you over and over again, maybe someof them would accuse you to be a non LFC supporter, but thats all because it talks about serious situations the club, management or fan groups are going through.

    Alot of people just want to praise the club not matter what, and have a blind faith in it, and they just want you to do the same so they could accept you as a "real fan".

    In the end noone can please all the people, no matter how hard he tries, everyone has a personal view in life about certian things, and have a unique way of thinking, but i really do think that you (and the other authers) are doing a great job with this site, congratualtions on that, and keep it up.

    sorry about the broken english, its not my native language :) .

    ReplyDelete
  65. " A handful of players WANTED to move on to get more regular football - the manager was humane and sensitive enough to allow them to do that. "
    <div>
    </div>
    <div>rafa is sensitive and human ?, not really hes colder than ice, But hes a smart manager, most of these people had a year left on thier contracts and wanted to leave for whatever reason, if rafa didnt allow them to do so , they would not resign a new contract and would transfare the next season FOR FREE ( just as the new man u cunt ). so he had to let them go.
    </div>

    ReplyDelete
  66. There is no way this site could make money, its shite.

    Jamie, you are anally retentive, if Jim wants to slag you a bit because your article is stupid so what? grow up

    ReplyDelete
  67. Just wanted to say that somones's opinion can be wrong. An opinion is quite simply someone's judgement on a matter. As such  Alex's judgements can be scrutinized and labelled wrong once a decent amount of proof is provided. Quite clearly the posters have reviewed the transfers he has labelled as busts and quite effectively argued the contrary.

    Alonso, Crouch, Arbeloa, Hyypia and Owen all wanted to leave. In his list the only busts I see are Morientes, Dossena and Keane. The author loses all credibility when he lists the Aquilani transfer as a bust when the transfer is only 3mths old and the player has barely played for the club. How can anyone regard the author's opinion as credible?

    ReplyDelete
  68. It's a shame the author doesn't answer any of the points.

    As I and others have pointed out - I don't see how you can call a transfer a blunder if a) a player wants to leave to get regular football, b) their contract is almost up and c) they were actually offered a new deal (e.g. Crouchy and Hyypia).

    It's all very well having an opinion, but you should take account of these factors.  

    ReplyDelete
  69. Hi JJ - thanks for your comments, and thanks for visiting the site.
    And your English is fine :)

    ReplyDelete
  70. Mike - the author will respond to the points when he has time.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Owen didnt leave on free - we cashed on him and got Nunez. I know it was for peanuts, but better peanuts than nothing :)

    Everything else spot on.

    YNWA

    ReplyDelete
  72. I think the author demonstrated the pressures on his time when he trotted out a widely criticised article.
    I classify Missed Opportunities as players we didn't sign, not players that left. He clearly has an "Owen going to ManUtd" regret he wanted to put across, then padded it out with players who have contributed to the recent success of LFC (-Keane)

    ReplyDelete
  73. The Moyes to Gollum photo trick you have there - now that's grown up.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Sad to say, but your probably right about Riise.
    However he was out of shape (too much muscle) in his latter days in a red shirt and i still don't forgive him for getting skinned by part time winger/bin man from that sh*te team... something & waterlooville. can't quite recall the name.
    But i'm concerned in this left back role which is why i'm not suprised to see three players who have played at left back in your top ten (if you count arbeloa).
    This leads me nicely onto my point Steven Warnock. Good passer. solid in the tackle. and a good young engine. Rafa should of put his arm around Steven and reassured him he had a future at Liverpool. 
    Insua is a good player but just too raw in my opinion. And Aurellio is a excellent player but can't play more than 1 games over two weeks which means he's f*cked over busier times such as christmas and cup runs.

    ReplyDelete
  75. To label Acquilani transfer is a bust if we are out of every competition before xmas - the player may come good - but too late for this season. That is not good enough for Liverpool.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Mike - apologies for not answering you earlier.

    I include in the term 'transfer a blunder' if a player could be of value to us - but for one reason or another was sold off.

    Let's take Crouch. Peter was doing a great job, but the better he got for us, the less Rafa seemed to like having him around. I am certain had Rafa made Crouch feel wanted, he would still be with us. As it is, he is happy on the bench at an inferior club as he receives respect from his manager - Harry Redknapp.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Fubar - that is your right, we simply disagree on terminology - also Jamie added the 'missed opportunities' words to my headline... sorry Jaimie, over to you :)

    ReplyDelete
  78. Yes, it was me who added 'Missed Opportunities' to the headline, so I'm to blame for any confusion.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Good call - he started brilliantly for us - the new Viera. He never seemed quite the same after his nasty eye injury, so I don't think it was a mistake to seel him. Loved him though...

    ReplyDelete
  80. But like Crouch, Keane does his fair share on the bench at Spurs. As for Owen v Ngog - who would you really fancy to nick a goal in a high pressure game with 10 minutes to go??

    ReplyDelete
  81. Of course I am a red - I have to say I am disgusted at the sight of Owen badge kissing and all at Man U - he was known to be desperate to sign for us though. Rafa didn't want him...

    ReplyDelete
  82. Rafa ships them out quickly - WTF!!?? He used to to, I agree, but he doesn't any more. How else do you explain Dossena, Babel, Riera, Lucas and Voronin still being at the club??

    ReplyDelete
  83. Your wrong, we baught Diouf instead

    ReplyDelete
  84. Not only had Insua shown that he was ready to step up to the first team two seasons ago, Plessis has also shown more potential than Lucas Leiva as far as I'm concerned, but unfortunately he has also since been forced to endure a season in the doldrums, even when the team has been struggling to fill his position.  And inevitably he will have also regressed as a player before he moves on/steps up, as I feel waiting in the reserves for too long (2seasons) with players that are not up to your level is just not good for a players career.  A fear that I also have for Pacheco, Nemeth, El Zhar etc.

    ReplyDelete
  85. I don't understand how Babel is so widely derided as a flop, and Kuyt isn't.  Babel was bought as an £11.5m wing/forward prospect and Kuyt was bought as a similarly priced established striker.
    Kuyt proved that he couldn't hit a barn door but has never had to fight for his place, and was instead accepted as a "hard-working" wide-man, with little pace, creativity or technique, in a system that typically uses two defensive midfielders. 
    Meanwhile Babel has continually been in and out of the team throughout his entire Liverpool career, regardless of his or the teams performances and his continued assertions that he'd do his best to please Rafa.  Yet everybody says that he has been given his chance and blown it?!? 
    Just this season Babel has played approximately 200mins in the Premiership through 11 games! whereas Kuyt has started each and every one of those games and typically lasted the full 90 minutes.  Even during his own and the teams poor performances!

    How Babel operating as a winger (typically the most incosistent performers on any team) with infrequent playing time, can be castigated and judged as a flop by that measure is beyond me. 
    I fully understand his frustrations and wish him all the best when he finally escapes Benitez's egomaniacal ways

    ReplyDelete
  86. Voronin anyone? and in the number 10 jersey? He is shite, along with Nabil el zhar. We need solid backup for fernando, the likes of an Arshavin or Darren Bent. however i do feel that we have always been rather quick to constantly filter our strike force in and out (Diouf,baros,crouch,bellamy,keane,morientes to name a few) rather than maintaining consistancy with both the first string and second string strikers. we try something and if it does not work we immidiatly look for a quick solution rather sticking to our guns and working with what we have. looking at our current situation and taking into account that doubt surrounding torres being fit as often as we would need him to be, i would much rather have an experienced campaigner/workhorse (GOAL SCORER) as back up for torres, ie Keane, Baros and Morientes, rather than rely on the likes of voronin to pull us outta this patch.    

    as for Aquilani, the man is a genius and anyone with the ability to criticize or write him off has clearly never watched a roma game in their life, give the guy a chance ffs!!!

    ReplyDelete
  87. You might want to delete this comment now Jaimie!!

    ReplyDelete