by JBG » Fri Mar 12, 2004 11:43 am
My two cents:
1. Djimi Traore: middling signing. Not the best player in the world but didn't cost much.
2. Rigobert Song: middling signing. Did an ok job for us for a while but Houllier quickly jettisoned him as soon as we signed Babbel.
3. Jean Marc Ferri: poor signing, hardly ever played. Houllier thanked him when he left, saying that he provided us with "good cover".
4. Titi Cammara: middling signing. Did ok for a while and didn't cost too much, but Titi fell out with Houllier and threw in the hat very quickly.
5. Eric Meijr: poor signing. Cost us nothing and gave us nothing.
6. Sander Westerveld: ok signing, but cost a lot of money at the time (record fee for a keeper). Like most keepers made a few mistakes, but he got hammered for it and nerves clearly got the better of him. Had a bad game in August 2001 against Bolton and was dropped by Houllier like a hot potato. Re-surfaced in Spain where he is regarded as one of the best keepers in La Liga.
7. Sammi Hyppia: Excellent signing. Didn't cost much and was a complete unknown when he arrived. In 2001 and 2002 he was regarded as one of the best centre halves and Juventus were reportedly interested in buying him in 2002. Since then his star has waned a small bit, although having to play alongside Traore and Biscan has not helped. Still a good player, if not quite as good as he was in 2002.
8. Stephan Henchoz: Excellent signing. Didn't cost too much (just under £4million) and he gave us some excellent service over the years, particularly in 2001 and 2002 when I personally felt that he was the best out and out defender in England. Has suffered a dip in form since then, and injuries haven't helped.
9. Marcus Babbel: good signing. His form was terrific in 2001, and GH has to be complimented for signing such an internationally renowned player. Unfortunately illness robbed him of almost 18 months, and he has since lost a lot of his pace and sharpness. A sad case, but GH can't be blamed for his illness.
10. Nick Barmby: ok signing. Barmby was a bit over priced, but he played very well in 2001, scoring a lot of important goals. Injury plagued him thereafter, and Houllier eventually let him go.
11. Gary McAllister: Brilliant signing. In my opinion GH's best move. Macca was apparently moving towards the end of his career at lowly Coventry and the Mancs had a bit of a laugh when we signed him at the age of 35. However, he led us into the Champions League and to 5 trophies, not bad for a bald 35 year old! Macca's influence at Anfield should not be under estimated. One of the best moments of the GH days when Macca scored against the Toffees from 35 yards out. We never really managed to replace him.
12. Bernard Diomonde: awful signing. Never really given a chance, got injured and GH lost all interest in him. Hard to believe that Diomonde made 3 starts for France in the 1998 World Cup. GH didn't do his homework on him: Auxerre let him go as Guy Roux said he was over the hill. If he was over the hill in France what hope the Premiership?
13. Igor Biscan: terrible signing. Cost a lot of money, came with a lot of hype. Has no first touch nor technique, and not much footballing intelligence. A case of bad judgement.
14. Jari Litmannen: an ok signing, but GH didn't seem to fancy him, despite Jari putting in a fine perforamnce every time we played.
15. Vladimir Smicer: poor signing. Stu says that he is a decent squad player, but for the first couple of seasons that Vladi was here he was in the first team and often kept better players on the bench.
16. Emile Heskey: poor signing. Cost a lot of money, showed some early promise, but ultimately disappointed.
17. Christian Ziege: poor signing. Cost a lot of money, got us involved with a court case with Middlesboro, and never delivered on the pitch. GH said when Ziege left that the German was a left wing back, not a orthodox full back. Then why did GH sign him?
18. John Arne Riise: ok signing. Started very well, but has since faded, and has a tendency to hoof the ball up field. Has time on his side and is a good athlete, and could come good yet.
19. Grigary Vignal: middling signing. Didn't cost much, showed some promise, but was never really given a chance by GH.
20. Alou Diarra: ?
21. Didi Hamman: Good signing. Was a major factor in GH ealry success. However, some argue that for all of Hamman's talents and pluses, GH is playing it safe when he plays Hamman and Gerrard in the same team, and perhaps if we are to go up a level we should look at a more creative centre midfielder to play along side Stevie. Didi was a good signing none the less.
22. Salif Diao: Poor signing. Has been played all over the place by GH. The question that needs to be asked is did we need another defensive midfielder? Diao is not a bad player, but he needs to be played in the same position week in, week out. A case of GH getting giddy with money, methinks.
23. Bruno Cheyrou: poor signing. Had a good January and scored some goals, but his work continues to be poor.
24. El Hadji Diouff: very poor signing. GH blew most of his 2002 transfer budget on this guy, who has struggled to make an impact.
25. Milan Baros: Good signing. Hasn't delivered yet, but he's almost there, and the longer he is in the team, the better he will get.
26. Steve Finnan: ok signing. Probably too early to judge him yet, but Finnan hasn't reached the heights he is capable of.
27. Harry Kewell: good signing. Didn't cost much, and while we have yet to see the best from him, 2004/05 will see the real Harry Kewell.
28. Florent Sinama Pongolle: ok signing. Great pedigree at youth level means little at Premiership level. Has loads of pace, but one wonders about his footballing intelligence and his first touch could be better. A lot of hype surrounds him, but he has miles to go yet.
29. Anthony Le Tallec: ok signing. What goes for Pongolle also goes for Le Tallec. A positive sign is that he appears to be coming with the physical level of the Premiership. Its early days to judge Pongolle and Le Tallec.
30. Jerzy Dudek: ok signing. Had a brilliant start to his career at Anfield, but his form has dropped since then, and is now 2nd choice.
31. Kirkland: a good signing. Looks a great prospect to me, and is already a fine keeper. Could be the new Ollie Kahn.
32. Luzi Bernardi/Pegguy Apprexhad/Paul Jones: ok signings for what they are: third choice keepers.
Jolly Bob Grumbine.