Comments on: Rafa easing Lucas’ pressure

By: r1ch

r1ch — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:09:36 +0000

It doesn’t matter how much he’s spent, but you want more “good strikers and wingers”? Oh the irony. Good strikers and wingers cost the most amount of transfer fees, and most amount in wages, it’s no surprise Rafa’s had to take risks on £6M Pennants and £7M Rieras.

Up until last summer, Rafa’s had to endure Rick Parry screwing up transfer deals left right and centre. Looking at this transfer window is a breath of fresh air as halfway through the window and we’ve already sold two “flops” for more than we paid for them and bought in Maxi Rodriguez on a free transfer. That’s about as good as it gets with the debt-ridden liars that are the owners.

By: Kopite

Kopite — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:02:30 +0000

Think we’re all missing the point here. Doesn’t matter how much Rafa has spent. Five years down the line and still we only have one good striker and no wingers. Progress? you decide.

By: John Shamon

John Shamon — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:31:37 +0000

Josemi was swapped for Krompkamp who was then sold for £1.75m which is only a loss of £250k on the original player.

Nunez was a decent punt which saw us get something we needed ( a right midfielder) at the time in the Owen deal.

Morientes, well everyone was chuffed to see him arive. He was a great player for Madrid and Monaco but didn’t work out.

Momo was bought for £5.6m and sold for £8.2m even after he nearly lost an eye and had trouble with his passing.

Zenden and Voronin was decent punts on a free. Proven record but didn’t work out. Not every free turns out to be the next Gary Mac.

Bellamy hit 17 goals the season before for Blackburn in 32 games. Bought for £6m, sold for £7.5m after a couple scandals with team mates.

Gonzalez made a profit of £500k even after his injuries.

Pennant and Babel have been flops thus far, and Itandje is someone i do not respect at all, so they are blemishes on his record but which manager doesnt have them? Fergie with Nani, Tosic, and Berbatov especially.

His budget has meant he has been forced somewhat into making shrew signings. Some pay off, some dont.

By: BOBIESCOUSE

BOBIESCOUSE — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:39:25 +0000

Well i would argue that four of the players would not be considered to be a total risk with both Morientes +Zenden being proven “class” players for other clubs, maybe Bellamy and pennant were more risk added due to their temperament off the pitch but not their playing ability having both proven good premier league status as did Keane and Crouch who although loved by the supporters were considered flops by the media under rafa . Were also forgetting Garcia who altho had flashes of class was one the media regarded as a flop.
The other group bracket which i would label ” would be success” such as Kromkamp, Sissoko, Gonzalez, Dossena are players who in my opinion had talent and had all the chance to succeed ( with the exception of dossina maybe having little opportunity) and simply went worse as time went on after bright starts.

Yes allot of money has been wasted but when you consider that rafa has been operating in the third/ forth rate market and with the clowns of Hicks/ Gillette/ Parry/ Moores making final decisions the margin for error was always going to be considerable .

I don’t like the comparison with Wenger/ Ferguson purely for the fact that they have been in charge of their respective clubs for allot longer than 5/6 years they have had the chance to set up their clubs to the designs of each manager, generate substantial youth and corporate development which means both were far more advanced in their master plans than rafa who was starting out .Their first five years in charge were a different time in football under totally different restrictions and expectations so comparisons are limited.

By: CulCul

CulCul — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:52:08 +0000

Good piece in relation to the transfer policy of Rafa at Liverpool. Think the arguement is a little one sided though. Yes Rafa has signed some decent players in his time, but his record shows that he has signed 58 players in total. You could count on one hand the number of players who have been a success and are really good enough to play for Liverpool. One major theme of the lead article is where the author gives examples of players we bought and have sold on for a profit. Does this mean we ahve become a selling club????
Also some of the signing made pose more questions than they answer.

Example, Sell Danny Guthrie for £1 million and replace him with Lucas for £8 million. At the same time Milner was available at Newcastle for £6 million and went on loan to Villa for a season.

Did Spurs not pick Lennon up for £1.5 million from Leeds also? Around the same time we were buying Nunez for £2 million.

Another interesting fact i found on the internet while researching this topic is the transfer history of Rafa, Alex and arsene since 2004. Interesting reading?

The three managers records since 2004 – Jan 2009

Alex Ferguson IN (16) £140.10m OUT (54) £45.50m
Rafael Benitez IN (45) £170.50m OUT (67) £84.28m
Arsene Wenger IN (32) £ 89.25m OUT (57) £67.20m

We have spent £8 million less than Utd (Net) & about £70 million more (net than Arsenal) Think the Utd & Arsenal supporters will be happy.

I have listed the players i think have been a flop during Rafas time at the club below. Any comments????
Alot of money wasted when your consider, Transfer fees, Signing on fees, Agents fees and wages?

Josemi £2m, Antonio Nunez £2m, Mauricio Pellegrino Free, Fernando Morientes £6.5m, Antonio Baragan Compensation fee, Mohammed Sissoko £5.6m, Boudewijn Zenden Free, Jan Kromkamp Swop for Josemi, Craig Bellamy £6m, Gabriel Paletta £2m, Mark Gonzalez £4.5m, Jermaine Pennant £6.7m, Andriy Voronin Free, Lucas Leiva £6m, Ryan Babel £11m, Charles Itandje Free

By: John Shamon

John Shamon — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 11:16:38 +0000

Stats aside for this one, he was below par and a whinging git. Ngog has proven to be ample back up for Fernando and allowed us to free up 12.5m pounds.

If not Keane who was flogged off, Rafa would of sold someone else and we’d be short in that position too. Sell to buy doesn’t favour the manager or the squad.

By: scouseelf

scouseelf — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:37:42 +0000

I agree we need to get behind the team and support them and the article is right in shining some light on rafas transfer situation over his time here (something im verry mindefull of) I just hope that performances like those at Portsmouth, only performing for one half of football, motivating and getting the best out of current resources when the likes of Gerrard and Torres are greatly underperforming (maybe due to injury) are all things that Rafa can still turn around and make right . Surely in the end this is what Rafa will be judged on and not fluxuating transfer funds or dodgy decisions during matches . Y.N.W.A.

By: Ian Cade

Ian Cade — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:53:35 +0000

Well said Charlie, We are all in this together, and the season is far from lost at this point, ok maybe fourth is the best we can hope for, but we can hope, we can sing, we can urge the lads on, The others have slipped up and given away points that you would have bet your shirt on, so things can still go tits for them too

By: Rob M

Rob M — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:03:09 +0000

Lucas is the weak link

By: Neil

Neil — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:11:16 +0000

I think RAFA has had enough time to produce the goods, give him more time and Liverpool will be playing iin the Coca-Cola league soon. Had he kept Keane we would at least have had a decent srtiker to turn to when El Nino was injured and who knows may not have been in eighth position.

The only way Rafa can turn this mess around is to stop defending and start playing an attacking game.

His defensive tactics last year cost us the league especially when we played the lower half of the table teams.

Liverpool for ever RAFA never.

By: glen

glen — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:01:12 +0000

look at ngog at 1.5 m could be a regular first team player scoring goals on a regular basis next season

By: charliealmond

charliealmond — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:56:48 +0000

Great article – i’m glad someone else out there is willing to stand up and look at the facts rather than just jumping on the media band wagon.

We all know Rafa has spent a lot, but he’s had to sell to buy often and when he has brought flops (Kromkamp, Josemi, Bellamy, Keane etc) they’ve been shipped out quickly too. That said, I’d still like him to put more faith in the young lads, so it was great to see there’sonlyoneJaySpearing and Dani Pacheco get a run out on Boxing Day. Rafa deserves more time to turn it around and for his key players to start performing – and I include Stevie & Carra in that (the latter of which has been in chronic form this season).

Finally, we all need to get behind the lads and give them support too. Anfield has been worryingly silent recently and we need to be louder, brighter and funnier than we have been! Come on, we’re in this together!! YNWA.