Liverpool FC Forum

by **LFC2007** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 4:40 am

The_Rock wrote:
LFC2007 wrote:......You're not 'telling it how it is', you're taking cheap shots at Rafa at every given opportunity without pausing ofr a thought.

OK...my bad. I admit, i am pretty harsh at rafa nowadays.... I do have to give him credit for overhauling this team's fortune.... Will be more careful with my comments in future.

But like i mention....seems things are pretty alright now. Rafa ain't running of to the press...and the yanks aren't shooting their mouths off either....

So its a win win situation.

Fair play to you.

by **JamCar05** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:42 pm

Rush Job wrote:
redmikey wrote:Doesn't look good for hobbs then.

also having the lable most expensive defender was a jinx for phil babb when he signed

You had to say it didnt ya, stunk out the hole thread with one mention of PB. Anyhoo why didnt he sign when he was at anfield? is Rafa once again waiting for the yanks and Parry to pull their fingers out.

Agger was also our most expensive defender at the time, and he hasn't exactly been bad.

Anyway, I'm also puzzled as to why he didn't sign when at Anfield, but yeah it's probably Parry and the gang taking their time.

by **The_Rock** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:30 am

7 million is not really a big amount for a defender. If he is 3/4 as good as carra....i would say he is a awesome buy.......

by **JamCar05** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:24 pm

TRANSFER CONFIRMED BY THE OFFICIAL SITE:

SKRTEL SIGNS UNTIL 2012
Steve Hunter 11 January 2008
Liverpool have today confirmed the signing of Slovakian international defender Martin Skrtel from Zenit St Petersberg on a four and a half year contract.
The established centre half has 15 international caps for his country and Reds boss Rafael Benitez is predicting a bright Anfield future for the 23-year-old.

"I think he is a player maybe not many people know about but he played against Everton for Zenit St Petersberg, and he is a centre half that knows the English style," said Benitez.

"He is aggressive, quick, is good in the air and I think he's a very good player for the future and also for the present.

"He is very competitive, but his mentality for me is very good. Watching him in some games his mentality is similar to Carra so I think it's very positive for the team."

The Reds boss also believes Skrtel is a player who will settle quickly into life at Anfield and put pressure on the likes of Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia and Daniel Agger for a starting role in the first team.

"He has quality and he can be a problem for them and a good problem for me if I need to decide who to play in the future," added Benitez.

"He has experience and enough quality for playing as soon as possible."

Skrtel will wear squad number 37 at Anfield.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N158347080111-1215.htm

----------------------------------------------------------------
No. 37... WTF

Anyway, welcome to Liverpool Martin, may your stay be a long and enjoyable one for all parts.

by **JamCar05** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:26 pm

A bit more about our new defender from .tv:

10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT SKRTEL
Paul Hassall 11 January 2008
You’ve heard all the speculation, digested the paper talk and analysed the stats, but just how well do you know our latest signing?
Liverpoolfc.tv reveals 10 things you never knew about Martin Skrtel:

1. Skrtel was a competent hockey player and could have followed a career in the sport until his passion for football took over and - fortunately for us - he opted to ply his trade in the world of the beautiful game instead.

2. He has already had a taste of what it means to play football on Merseyside having featured for former club Zenit St Petersberg in a 1-0 UEFA cup defeat against Everton on December 5, 2007.

3. At the age of 23 Martin is already an established international with Slovakia. He has 15 caps to-date and scored his first and only goal for his country in a Euro 2008 Qualifier when he netted the opener in a 6-1 win at home to Cyprus.

4. A move to Liverpool has left him so excited he has had trouble sleeping. He said: "I have realised that in all likelihood a new era of my life is beginning. I struggled to get any sleep on Saturday night, and I normally have no problems sleeping."

5. The 6ft 4 defender came second in the list of the best football players named by Slovak Football Union and newspaper 'Pravda' in December 2006.

6. He was a key member of the Zenit side that clinched the 2007 Russian League title - their finest achievement since winning the USSR Championship in 1984.

7. If Liverpool qualify for next season's Champions League he could well come up against his former teammates as a result of their title success.

8. He becomes Liverpool's most expensive defender, with the fee surpassing the previous record for Daniel Agger in January 2006.

9. Martin was born on December 15, 1984, on the very same day that guitarist Joshua Third, of cult rock band The Horrors.

10. He rose through the ranks at Slovakian outfit FC Previdza and also played for FC Trencin before leaving his homeland for Zenit in 2004. He played 113 matches for the Russian side, scoring five goals in total.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N158340080111-1217.htm

Liverpool FC Forum

Liverpool set to sign Skrtel - New defender

Who is online