Liverpool FC Forum

[burjennio]

Kewell I want to keep it to the basics, if we were talking about other teams we would only be talking about the transfer fee. Some of his transfers in my eyes were daft, such as £17m for Johnson but when he was continually forced to sell in order to buy I think its unfair to class him as bad in the market. He had to make do with 2nd choice players such as Pennant over Simao and Kromkamp over Dani Alves for his first three seasons as well and while he did get some wrong the likes of Torres and Alonso say he got it right quite a bit too.

[7_Kewell]

Kewell I want to keep it to the basics, if we were talking about other teams we would only be talking about the transfer fee. Some of his transfers in my eyes were daft, such as £17m for Johnson but when he was continually forced to sell in order to buy I think its unfair to class him as bad in the market. He had to make do with 2nd choice players such as Pennant over Simao and Kromkamp over Dani Alves for his first three seasons as well and while he did get some wrong the likes of Torres and Alonso say he got it right quite a bit too.

maybe...but why the feck did Rafa force Alonso out of the club.

One of the best midfielders to pull on a red shirt was told he wasn't needed because Barry was better....

[Thommo's perm]

I think the lines have been well and truly drawn and minds have been made up.
Anyone trying to convince people that Benitez was the victim, or his hands were tied, or he would have done anything differently are wasting their time. Let it go.
It is pointless now and irrelevant. He is Inter manager until he leaves or is sacked and we have Hodson until he leaves or is sacked.
I will predict here and now that Benitez will NEVER be manager of LFC again, unless and until hell freezes over and there is a woman president of the usa or everton win the league.

[devaney]

Was Benitez net spend under H&G not less than £8m per year?

His net spend during his tenureship was £70m and not the £25m that Rafa would like us to believe. His spending in the last 18 months was considerably less but this was possibly due to people understandably loosing faith in Rafa's ability to spend the money effectively.

There was an in depth article posted on this site somewhere that stated his net spend under H&G was under £8m a season.

I haven't done the year by year calculations but this link clearly shows that Rafa's net spend was £70m http://www.lfchistory.net/stats_t....InOut=1

[metalhead]

You don't need to roll out the somewhat misleading net spend figures to understand whether or not Rafa made the most of his opportunities in the transfer market. Nobody, for example, would surely argue that Dossena, Keane or Aquilani were good value, since - to varying degrees - we all accept that the squad needs strengthening, and one area of consensus is the striker department, another is the full back department, and last season there was also a broad consensus in respect of the midfield dep't (we have since signed Meireles). If we accept these are (or used to be) major problem areas, it follows that if we had made the right signings - as opposed to Dossena, Keane, Aquilani, for example - it might well have made a significant difference to the quality of the squad, ergo our performances on the pitch. If you're one of the people on here who thinks that Riera was sh!t or that Glen Johnson is one of the worst full backs in the club's history then you can also account for them when asking the question, "Did Rafa make the most of his opportunities in the transfer market?". It would be downright ridiculous, though, if you were to completely slag off some of the expensive buys he made, whilst arguing that our failure on the pitch was all down to the owners and that Rafa's hands were tied in the transfer market.

EXACTLY!

Net spend or no net spend, when Benitez had the cash he didn't buy the right players, instead he bought the wrong ones and that cost his job. If he indeed bought someone better than Dossenna, or Keane or a 20m midfielder who isn't injured, we would have seen a difference in quality and we would have done better in the league. Rafa would still be here and we would challenge for honors.

[7_Kewell]

You don't need to roll out the somewhat misleading net spend figures to understand whether or not Rafa made the most of his opportunities in the transfer market. Nobody, for example, would surely argue that Dossena, Keane or Aquilani were good value, since - to varying degrees - we all accept that the squad needs strengthening, and one area of consensus is the striker department, another is the full back department, and last season there was also a broad consensus in respect of the midfield dep't (we have since signed Meireles). If we accept these are (or used to be) major problem areas, it follows that if we had made the right signings - as opposed to Dossena, Keane, Aquilani, for example - it might well have made a significant difference to the quality of the squad, ergo our performances on the pitch. If you're one of the people on here who thinks that Riera was sh!t or that Glen Johnson is one of the worst full backs in the club's history then you can also account for them when asking the question, "Did Rafa make the most of his opportunities in the transfer market?". It would be downright ridiculous, though, if you were to completely slag off some of the expensive buys he made, whilst arguing that our failure on the pitch was all down to the owners and that Rafa's hands were tied in the transfer market.

EXACTLY!

Net spend or no net spend, when Benitez had the cash he didn't buy the right players, instead he bought the wrong ones and that cost his job. If he indeed bought someone better than Dossenna, or Keane or a 20m midfielder who isn't injured, we would have seen a difference in quality and we would have done better in the league. Rafa would still be here and we would challenge for honors.

is the right answer.

[NANNY RED]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/8195037/Newcastle-v-Liverpool-Roy-Hodgson-thankful-he-did-not-heed-Christian-Purslows-advice-on-pl
ayer-cull.html

Funny in it when we said  ago he was meddling in players in and out . and it was F,ucking Purslow, people just couldnt accept that he was interferring ,

[steveh8204]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/8195037/Newcastle-v-Liverpool-Roy-Hodgson-thankful-he-did-not-heed-Christian-Purslows-advice-on-pl

ayer-cull.html

Funny in it when we said  ago he was meddling in players in and out . and it was F,ucking Purslow, people just couldnt accept that he was interferring ,

Although at the time I imagine most people on here would have wanted to see the back of most of them players.

Also says a bit about management interference that he didn't get rid of them. If Purslows influence was as severe as some would like to think they would have gone (or just maybe nobody wanted them, lol).

[metalhead]

Nanny he was saying we should get rid, but he didn't have the final say, the manager did, and Roy said no.

[devaney]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/8195037/Newcastle-v-Liverpool-Roy-Hodgson-thankful-he-did-not-heed-Christian-Purslows-advice-on-pl


ayer-cull.html

Funny in it when we said  ago he was meddling in players in and out . and it was F,ucking Purslow, people just couldnt accept that he was interferring ,

Although at the time I imagine most people on here would have wanted to see the back of most of them players.

Also says a bit about management interference that he didn't get rid of them. If Purslows influence was as severe as some would like to think they would have gone (or just maybe nobody wanted them, lol).

It has also got to say something about the current regimes methods on how to man manage and get the best out of players. Now all they have to do is get Nando smiling again - perhaps little Leo has already done that !!!!!!

[SouthCoastShankly]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/8195037/Newcastle-v-Liverpool-Roy-Hodgson-thankful-he-did-not-heed-Christian-Purslows-advice-on-pl

ayer-cull.html

Funny in it when we said  ago he was meddling in players in and out . and it was F,ucking Purslow, people just couldnt accept that he was interferring ,

Does Hodgson not deserve some praise for this?

Maxi, Lucas and Ngog were all targets on this forum to be sold. Yet these players have been a revelation this season.

6 points in the first 6 games (with Torres and Gerrard), 16 points in the next 6 games (without Torres and Gerrard). This stat alone is good evidence that Hodgson is creating a TEAM, not a two man show. In my opinion we can only get better once Torres and Gerrard are integrated back into the team.

[Thommo's perm]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/8195037/Newcastle-v-Liverpool-Roy-Hodgson-thankful-he-did-not-heed-Christian-Purslows-advice-on-pl


ayer-cull.html

Funny in it when we said  ago he was meddling in players in and out . and it was F,ucking Purslow, people just couldnt accept that he was interferring ,

Does Hodgson not deserve some praise for this?

Maxi, Lucas and Ngog were all targets on this forum to be sold. Yet these players have been a revelation this season.

6 points in the first 6 games (with Torres and Gerrard), 16 points in the next 6 games (without Torres and Gerrard). This stat alone is good evidence that Hodgson is creating a TEAM, not a two man show. In my opinion we can only get better once Torres and Gerrard are integrated back into the team.

Nowt to do with Hodgson
The teams weve played have been sh'ite. Our players have ignored him and done their own thing. The referees have been lenient and given us dodgy decisions. The bad weather has helped us. So has Rebecca from x factor and the students protests.
Everything has been lucky for us and Roy has had fu'ck all to do with any improvement

[7_Kewell]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/8195037/Newcastle-v-Liverpool-Roy-Hodgson-thankful-he-did-not-heed-Christian-Purslows-advice-on-pl



ayer-cull.html

Funny in it when we said  ago he was meddling in players in and out . and it was F,ucking Purslow, people just couldnt accept that he was interferring ,

Does Hodgson not deserve some praise for this?

Maxi, Lucas and Ngog were all targets on this forum to be sold. Yet these players have been a revelation this season.

6 points in the first 6 games (with Torres and Gerrard), 16 points in the next 6 games (without Torres and Gerrard). This stat alone is good evidence that Hodgson is creating a TEAM, not a two man show. In my opinion we can only get better once Torres and Gerrard are integrated back into the team.

Nowt to do with Hodgson
The teams weve played have been sh'ite. Our players have ignored him and done their own thing. The referees have been lenient and given us dodgy decisions. The bad weather has helped us. So has Rebecca from x factor and the students protests.
Everything has been lucky for us and Roy has had fu'ck all to do with any improvement

it's all Parry's fault. 

[The Good Yank]

But weren't we told that Roy was a "Yes Man"?

[Emerald Red]

Maxi, Lucas and Ngog were all targets on this forum to be sold. Yet these players have been a revelation this season.

Bollox they were. A few on here, me included, always backed those players. So what, they only get noticed now that Hodgson is in charge or something? Lucas has been his usual self this season no more than what he was last season. Same with Maxi and N'Gog. The only difference I can see is that N'Gog has scored a few more goals quicker, but he's obviously bound to improve like some of us thought he was going to.  Remember, a lot on here, and the media, were saying how Hodgson was left with a sh*te squad, and that we needed 11 or so players when the sh*t was hitting the fan. All of a sudden we get a few half decent home results and the tune has changed.