Liverpool FC Forum

by **hobbes** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 5:30 am

To a certain extent I tend to agree with the gaffer. Something is wrong for we have yet to get the players we need. But ceratinly its not the negotiation tactics that caused it.

1. If you actually notice we are the European Champions and retain
good pace in Primiership. We are the best club in Primiership for any
player to join.

2. We have been said to have 30 million pounds to spend in January.
One of the highest spending capacity a club have for January
market alone.

3. This is our chance to get all we need to get things right and
bring Primiership Cup to Anfiel. At the same time retain Chamionship
Cup with us. I might sound too optimistic, hey the race is still on
isnt it?

4. We have the money and the reputation but we have only
got one defender. The other one who is coming soon to our club is
also a Defender. We have yet to sign the RCM we are desperately
looking and we have less than 20 days left.

5. I am sure its not the negotiation tactics which should be an issue.
I dont hear anything except a number of players who has been
repeatedly being rumoured but yet to sign.

6. I would rather turn to the scouting department beacuse by now we
must have huge list of players to improve our squad. And in the
event one player couldnt make it, we go for the next.

Shop till drop.

by **babu** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 5:52 am

Simply put 'no'. Much like the rest I am sickened to see how much Houllier spent on cack. I am quietly optimisitic that in 5 years (hopefully longer) when Rafa leaves us if will look back we will be proud of his purchasing decisions. everyone's gonna make a few a mistakes, but I reckon when we compare the purchase and sale price of players signed by Rafa and their contribution to the club, it will be far far better then Houllier's.

I admit I'm as nervous as everyone else, and would like to sign players now. But we can't simply go on a spending spree, especially if the players we would like are not available or the asking price is too much. This may hurt us in the short term, but in the longterm other clubs will begin to respect LFC again and not take the piss. Especially if the players we sign are nutured and provided with ample oppurtunity to prove themselves, they will want to come.

Rafa is bringing back the respect and prestige this club used used to have. If he goes nuts and makes a few panic buys that other members are suggesting, in the long term it will hurt us.

Come on Rafa do your thing.

by **Lando_Griffin** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 5:55 am

Precisely.
Well said Babu.

by **hobbes** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 9:22 am

babu wrote:Simply put 'no'. Much like the rest I am sickened to see how much Houllier spent on cack. I am quietly optimisitic that in 5 years (hopefully longer) when Rafa leaves us if will look back we will be proud of his purchasing decisions. everyone's gonna make a few a mistakes, but I reckon when we compare the purchase and sale price of players signed by Rafa and their contribution to the club, it will be far far better then Houllier's.

I admit I'm as nervous as everyone else, and would like to sign players now. But we can't simply go on a spending spree, especially if the players we would like are not available or the asking price is too much. This may hurt us in the short term, but in the longterm other clubs will begin to respect LFC again and not take the piss. Especially if the players we sign are nutured and provided with ample oppurtunity to prove themselves, they will want to come.

Rafa is bringing back the respect and prestige this club used used to have. If he goes nuts and makes a few panic buys that other members are suggesting, in the long term it will hurt us.

Come on Rafa do your thing.

Thats how you should reply....got some substance which others could add their reply to your reply (not a 1 liner) and now I am going to reply to your reply...

Tell me are we concentrating on a few players alone....where is plan B.

Shouldn't we have an altenate if we dont get Mr. A to sign.Or we are going to wait until Mr. A signs in this transfer window or the next transfer window. And until then we have to keep the current squad. Come on...

I am not urging Rafa to rush anything, we have 20 days left.... or if I may....we only have 20 days left....

:oh:

My view is we need better scouts and we need to go beyond Europe too. The suggestion that we are looking for the Sao Paolo's player was impressive. But even that is because we played them. Our scouts need to work harder finding talents before seeing our opposition play against us.

Whereas for Houllier's erra:

The topic starter did not touch on Houllier but as people reply.. the discussion expends.

Nevertheless in fact I am not bothered about Houllier's spending anymore. I dont like him and I suspect alot of thing went wrong during his time.

I am not making it up but I read somewhere that Ciise's transfer during Hollier's period was under probe. Whereas Phil Thomson in his book has also indicated that, while he had got the club to agree on certain price for (I think Christiano Ronaldo) and when he told Houllier about it, the very next day, Houllier made some calls and told Thomo that the deal doesnt go through because the price has been increased and Liverpool is not agreeable to it. Phil Thomson wonders what went wrong.

In fact he was indirectly suggesting some foulplay during Houllier's time.

God only knows...

p.s
Not to offend you .....apart from the above I agree to the rest of your reply (for what is worth)

by **babu** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:22 am

umm i was replying to the original post hobbes. I discounted yours out of hand.

by **Judge** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:51 am

babu wrote:umm i was replying to the original post hobbes. I discounted yours out of hand.

so did i (my one lines worth)

by **Garymac** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 11:36 am

Cool Hand Luke wrote:Im not so sure about Cheyrou because he came with bit of a rep, he had a good season for Lille and did well in the Champions League, and forcing his way into the French squad. Diouf shone at the African nations and then the World Cup and that is what inflated his price.

The signing of Diao was a strange one, because he was a Monaco reject, had moved to Sedan(I think), and hadnt really got any rave reviews, I cant remember anyone else showing an interest. 5 MIL was an awful lot to pay considering all that.

Im not so sure that Houllier was doing dodgy business. I cant really think of any other transfers accept for the Cisse one that could be questioned, the likes of Troare and Vignal came as youngsters and on the cheap.

Think the biggest deal with Cheyrou is that when Rafa came he asked for the scouting reports on Houlliers signings and there wasnt any for Cheyrou, no one had been to watch him.

It just shows the trust the board had with Houllier that he could buy anybody who he fancied or probably had a good game on the telly.

by **Judge** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 12:07 pm

houllier said that cheyrou was the new zidane , what a laugh !!

by **stmichael** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 2:51 pm

A few days ago we were up in arms over the club seemingly failing to pull their finger out in the transfer market. A few days on and a great deal has been put together for young Daniel Agger.

Now, the club has got my back up several times in the past with it's tendancy to overpay for mediocre players, while refusing to go that extra yard for top, top players. The likes of Cisse and Diouf being prime examples of us getting stung for young potential, when for a few million quid more (or the same price) we could have had the likes of Damien Duff and Jermaine Defoe instead.

When Rafa was at Valencia he was never given the licence to spend big and was often the victim of the interference of their board with regards to transfers. He essentially won two league titles and a UEFA Cup on a shoestring (though granted, he did inherit a strong squad).

Since coming to the club though, there seems to be this new found stubborness to be held to ransom over players. As frustrating as is can be for us (myself definitely included) this will no doubt benefit us. It will stop clubs holding us to ransom and taking the p!ss, and it will hopefully save us a buck or two. While things are going well on the pitch few could argue, though it would be nice occasionally to take a gamble or two.

So has Rafa knocked some good business sense into the club, re transfers? I know Crouch is an exception where we paid over the odds, but the four big signings he has made so far have at the very least shown promise (Sissoko) while the biggest signing is truly a World class player. The only mistakes he's made really are Pellegrino (free) and Josemi (we got our more than our money back with Kromkamp), while Nunez wasnt really a player Rafa wanted and soon got shut when he realised he was gash.

If I could be arsed I'd do the net spends since Houllier left which I'm sure won't be too much, yet we've come on leaps and bounds and won the European Cup.

Of course, things aren't completely rosy. We consistently spend less than Spurs and Newcastle these days, despite neither of those clubs being european competetors, and Man United seem to go about their business swiftly and professionally.

I just think the Agger deal and the deals for Reina, Sissoko, Garcia and Alonso will stand in good comparison business wise and success wise, to the deals that Ged made in the latter years for the likes of Diouf, Cisse, Cheyrou and Diao etc. That's not to say that Ged didnt spend well at times, but Rafa seems more clued up when it comes to buying potential and buying first teamers. Look at the reserve team, younger and cheaper players who have by and large looked the part straight away, and all on a shoestring, leaving the rest of what money we do have for first team players.

Bravo Rafa.

by **jammydodger** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 6:00 pm

The vast majority of Houlliers signing were flops, but I think to call Heskey a waste of money is very unfair. If you look at the style Benitez is trying to play (Crouch/Cisse), Houllier was also trying to mirror that (Heskey/Owen) and unfortunately Heskey wasn't provided with the assistance to show his true ability.

by **A.B.** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 7:25 pm

We consistently spend less than Spurs and Newcastle these days, despite neither of those clubs being european competetors,

The post is spot on, but I got a comment to make on this statement. Spurs have spent a lot recently because they've bought a lot of English players, and we all know that English players are a tad bid overpriced.

Newcastle spend a lot of money on sometimes average players, but the reason they do it is to try to make themselves look like a ''big'' club despite the fact that they aren't and never will be.

by **Effes** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 7:28 pm

A.B. Depends what constitutes a "big" club.
I reckon a club who gets over 50,000 for home games is a big club, IMO.
Success-wise they're tiny.

by **A.B.** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 7:40 pm

Big support isn't everything. A big club doesn't go decades and decades without winning anything. And prior to that, they won hardly anything.

Not a big club. Big support and a big stadium, but not a big club.

by **Effes** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 7:54 pm

Hmm, I dont disagree.
Their board should be strung up.

by **Kukilon** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 8:25 pm

It may be frustrating for some but it will deffinately help LFC in the long run. Rafa hates to pay more for a player than he thinks he is worth and he just won't do it.

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