Liverpool FC Forum

[Leonmc0708]

Gareth Barry, Robbie Keane - 30+ Premier League goals last season between them.

Is this a "concentration on the league" that so many crave or are we skint ?

[Owzat]

How many of Barny's 15 goals were penalties? Gerrard takes ours and since they can't both take all the penalties you can knock off a fair few of those

He would be handy for shoot-outs, not that we take part in that many

[66-1112520797]

Its probably more to do with a 'concentration on winning as many games as you possibly can'.

Nothing to do with being brasik if rumours of price are to be true.

You decide.

[bigmick]

If we assume the reported interest in Keane is genuine, then there does appear to be a shift in transfer policy. Whether or not this represents proof of us making a push for the league is an interesting one. I think the answer is partly yes, but it also fits in with my long held theory that Rafa has belatedly and finally seen the light that some of his methodology is doomed to failure in the Premiership.

It's no good buying players who are going to take a couple of months to settle, because the league will be gone by then. It's no good buying players who are going to be surprised when some Sunderland player kicks them six foot up in the air in the opening game of the season, because they will. It's no good buying blokes who don't like the cold, because it p!sses down with snow and rain often in England. All of which is true, and I suspect not part of Rafa's seeing of the light.

The light that he has seen though in my opinion is he that he needs a team which start winning from game one, can scrap and battle with the best of them, and can eek out a result even when they play sh!t. Crucially, I think he's realised that you aint gonna do that by changing the team 75 times in 15 matches, you are going to need consistency of selection. To get consistency of selection, you need blokes who don't need a rest every second match, who don't get injured, who can run off a dead leg with some magic sponge. There's no point whatsoever in buying 27 year old players who are already regular starters in the Premiership, paying huge money for them and styling them.

What we are about to see is what some of us have been crying out for for three seasons. It's not necessarily a "concentration on the league" as the topic starter puts it, it's a concentration on being competitive in my view. It's actually giving ourselves a chance. If we do that, we will go very very close in my opinion. After all, even after changing the team 75 times in the first fifteen matches this season, and trying Peter Crouch on the left wing with inevitable consequences, we still finished within eleven points. God only knows what we could achieve if we cut out the ridiculousness, we are about to find out if the stories about Keane are true.

[muzodziwa]

As much as we can speculate about the gaffer seing the light, i think the major drive in signing proven premiership players is being competitive as Big Mick says but with a bit of hesitation on agreing with the defination of competitiveness.

I do not see rafa changing much his philosophy, especially after reading his commentaries during the Euro 2008 competition. In his introduction he spoke about "a cutting edge player", a player who is intelligent in the whole context of the game, who can change his style of play in order to suit the team. I may be wrong and in most cases i have worn rose tinted glasses in my view of rafa,s footballing philosophy, but there is something so striking about the that statement of a cutting edge player and the developments that have so far occured in the transfer market. Robbie Keane is not that player who is fantastic as an individual footballer ie in the Christiano Ronaldo mould, or the Quaresmas but rather a very intelligent player who is almost rhytmically connected to the team movement whether it is in an attacking sense or defensive sense. To me, he is a player who can provide a cutting edge to our team effort against the teams in the lower half of the league. Unfortunately (to some) i think he is a player who will provide options or "possibilties" rather than be a regular in the first team.

Gareth Barry is another interesting signing, he would be a first teamer from the word go. I think the greatest characteristic that has drawn Rafa,s interest in Barry is not only that he is a technically gifted player but that he has been able to sacrifice his preferences for the team. In times of need he has played as left back for Villa, which we know is not his favourite position and other times left midfield yet he is one of the few players you hear moaning about it in the press. Another dimension barry provides to our midfield is passing the ball at the back without the worry of being closed down, which we can not get with Stevie or Alonso and hence we loose control of the game when we are one dimensional i.e trying to get the ball to the strikers everytime we have possession.  So with Barry we have a player who can allow us to change the way we play within the context of one game or two different types of games ie a two premiership games, one against Man U and the other against Stoke City. So Barry allows us to "style" without losing cohesion and fluidity.

I think we will be more competitive especially in the premiership if we manage to sign Barry and Keane, and i strongly think its not because of our financial situation but rather a decision by the manager. I know most of us are looking at a big name signing, but i think getting Robbie could be crucial in our premiership campaign.

[Owzat]

Gareth Barry, Robbie Keane - 30+ Premier League goals last season between them.

As I was walking out the door having switched my PC off not long after I posted, I questioned whether Barry really had 15 Premiership goals. According to one source he scored 10 goals all told in 2007/8 including a goal for England.

Source : FPL

Barry : 9 goals in 3319 mins
Keane : 15 goals in 2714 mins

So that's 24 Premiership goals NOT 30+ and I count five of those as penalties so only four from open play.

[bigmick]

Good post that mate, very interesting point of view. Sorry no disrespect to Owz (who knows I like his posts anyway even though I don't very often agree with them), but I was on about the bloke above.

[Leonmc0708]

Gareth Barry, Robbie Keane - 30+ Premier League goals last season between them.

As I was walking out the door having switched my PC off not long after I posted, I questioned whether Barry really had 15 Premiership goals. According to one source he scored 10 goals all told in 2007/8 including a goal for England.

Source : FPL

Barry : 9 goals in 3319 mins
Keane : 15 goals in 2714 mins

So that's 24 Premiership goals NOT 30+ and I count five of those as penalties so only four from open play.

Sorry - 32 goals between the two in all competitions.

Also - why do we dismiss penalties ? do they not count or something ?

[taff]

Gareth Barry, Robbie Keane - 30+ Premier League goals last season between them.

Is this a "concentration on the league" that so many crave or are we skint ?

Probably a combination of both skint and league.

[Emerald Red]

Gareth Barry, Robbie Keane - 30+ Premier League goals last season between them.

Is this a "concentration on the league" that so many crave or are we skint ?

Probably a combination of both skint and league.

I agree that it's both. But I'm sure that Rafa will buy us players that are the best value for the money he has been given. He was given a lump sum to spend at will last season, and he bought us the best striker on the planet, and arguably the best holding mid on the planet. But of course, contrary to many on these boards, Rafa has spunked millions down the drain, wasting the cash he's been given. If you give a master tradesman the money to buy his tools, he can only buy the best with what he has been given as he obviously know what is required.

Personally, I think Keane would be a good signing for us. The closest type of player to Villa we could get without paying megabucks.

[Owzat]

Gareth Barry, Robbie Keane - 30+ Premier League goals last season between them.

As I was walking out the door having switched my PC off not long after I posted, I questioned whether Barry really had 15 Premiership goals. According to one source he scored 10 goals all told in 2007/8 including a goal for England.

Source : FPL

Barry : 9 goals in 3319 mins
Keane : 15 goals in 2714 mins

So that's 24 Premiership goals NOT 30+ and I count five of those as penalties so only four from open play.

Sorry - 32 goals between the two in all competitions.

Also - why do we dismiss penalties ? do they not count or something ?

Gerrard takes our penalties and he can't take them as well as Barry, as much as having two penalties every time we're awarded one would be nice, so you can scratch penalties.

Only four goals from open play/direct free-kicks is a bit disappointing, God got a bit of stick for only scoring penalties last season he was here and Kuyt got slated for goals only being penalties not so long ago (two against bitters, can't remember the stat he was being slated with)

Keane's got more to his game than goals, Crouch doesn't even get 15 Premiership goals in a season. (cue "he doesn't get a fair go" from someone)

[Fo Dne]

Why do you keep callin Barry "Barny"? It sounds childish and stupid.

[Sabre]

Gareth Barry, Robbie Keane - 30+ Premier League goals last season between them.

Is this a "concentration on the league" that so many crave or are we skint ?

Probably a combination of both skint and league.

I'm not so sure mate...

I think that if Rafa is ready to pay that money for him he must see something in him. Torres, I say again, is a world class player from this year, not before. Rafa was able to see a world class striker in him where others couldn't.

So I don't think Rafa plans to do "a team for Europe" and "another team to play in the Premiership" -- with a deep squad he could do that. I tend to think that if Rafa is interested on those players is because he really likes them, not because they might be more suited for the english game especifically.

[Ace Ventura]

Why do you keep callin Barry "Barny"? It sounds childish and stupid.

Agreed, i have already asked him that and not been answered.

[slickrick]

robbie keane would be a great buy, i think him and torres would be brilliant together, himself and berbatov were arguably the best partnership last year. all we need now is a decent right winger, and please not james milner, 2 of the turkish lads Hamit Altintop and Arda Turan i thought were excellent in the euro's and would be ideal especially as i don't think either would cost too much