Liverpool FC Forum

by **LFC2007** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:57 pm

You think he'd be a good hoption no?

by **LFC2007** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:00 pm

Sabre wrote:Can anyone confirm me if he's been playing the right ?

I think Bowyer played on the right quite alot last season for west ham, he can play there and he can be effective there but I'd say he's quite a versatile player who can play on the left as well as ina Garcia role - I'm not endorsing his quality just stating facts.

by **Ciggy** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:38 pm

This is the problem we have been having for years buying in quantity and not quality, 5 or 6 squad players or three excellent players, works out the same in wages in the end.
only 11 players can start any game with 5 on the bench baring injury we have about bloody 50 players including the ressies.

Signing more squad players will only improve the squad but wont improve the first team atall.

Its like buying a leather look plassy couch the @rse will fall through it eventually cause you bought shite instead of buying a genuine leather 3 piece and no fecker wants to buy your plassy couch cause it wasnt worth a carrot in the first place.

Now when you come to sell your genuine leather 3 piece you can get a few bob back on it.

Feckin money we have wasted on sh!te players over the years is ,unbelievable we end up losing millions in the end because they wernt good enough.

by **El Nino_#9** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:50 pm

benayoun is a step up from zenden. thats the way i'm looking at it.
IF we got him, AND a few top bracket players i'd be happy.
i think people are assuming that benayoun will be starting week in, week out. i don't think that'll be the case

by **bigmick** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:05 pm

[quote="passmeistro_#14"]benayoun is a step up from zenden.
In fairness mate so am I and I'm forty years old with a beer belly that's cost a bomb over the years.

by **shadders** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:06 pm

Youssi benayoun is world class and a proven top 5 prem midfielder - i would pay 14mil for him. he would be so much better than utd's anderson - SIGN HIM!!!!!

by **Ciggy** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:07 pm

bigmick wrote:In fairness mate so am I and I'm forty years old with a beer belly that's cost a bomb over the years.

Big Mick AKA Rab C Nesbit in the Hamlet advert years ago

by **The Manhattan Project** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:07 pm

You'd honestly pay 14 million pounds for Youssi Benayoun?

I smell a WUM.

by **Sabre** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:09 pm

Or a West Ham fan nervous because he thought LFC would spend as a drunken sailor, that would be paying 14M for Benayoun.

by **JK18-6** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:09 pm

I think 5million for Benayoun tops. It's a clever purchase which means that we can use the rest of our warchest for Eto'o or Villa..

Rafa knows what he's doing. In him we trust

by **LFC2007** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:10 pm

shadders wrote:Youssi benayoun is world class and a proven top 5 prem midfielder - i would pay 14mil for him. he would be so much better than utd's anderson - SIGN HIM!!!!!

PMSL

by **Bad Bob** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:12 pm

This whole Benayoun rumour is a fantastic example of how some media sources manipulate the situation.

Here's the story posted on the LIVERPOOL ECHO'S website today. It still contains a good deal of speculation and conjecture (particularly about West Ham's position and about the Bellamy swop) but it centers on Parry's comments:

Reds confirm bid for Israel star Benayoun

Jun 14 2007

by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo

LIVERPOOL have launched a move for talented West Ham midfielder Yossi Benayoun.

But the Reds today dismissed reports that their £1m offer has ‘enraged West Ham’ and is ‘insulting’.

“I can confirm we have made an approach for Yossi Benayoun, but the figures quoted are completely wrong,” said Reds chief executive Rick Parry. “Other than that we don’t want to say any more.”

Benayon was on the verge of signing a new £50,000 a week deal at Upton Park this week, but in the light of Liverpool’s interest has decided not to put pen to paper.

West Ham are reported to be unhappy with what they see as a bid designed to deliberately unsettle the Israeli playmaker.

If The Hammers step up their interest in Craig Bellamy, a cash plus player exchange deal could be engineered.
---------

Now, here's what SOCCERNET has done with the same basic story--pinched, no doubt, from the Echo originally. I've highlighted the most OTT fibs and fabrications in bold:

-------
Liverpool confirm approach for Benayoun

Liverpool have confirmed they have made an approach to buy West Ham midfielder Yossi Benayoun as Rafael Benitez continues his quest to recruit new signings at Anfield.

The Israel international is delaying signing a new five-year contract at Upton Park - having verbally agreed to the deal three weeks ago - now that he is aware of Liverpool's interest.

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry said today: 'I can confirm we have made an approach for Yossi Benayoun, but the figures quoted are completely wrong. Other than that we don't want to say any more.'

There has been speculation that Liverpool offered as little as £1million for the Isreal captain, with other suggestions that a £3million bid has been lodged.

West Ham are believed to have rejected the bid and plan talks this week to convince Benayoun to stay in east London, where his new contract will be worth £50,000 a week.

Liverpool boss Benitez has followed the progress of Benayoun for a number of years, initially while the player was with Racing Santander in Spain.

Last summer, after Benayoun produced an outstanding performance for the Hammers in the FA Cup final against Liverpool in Cardiff, Benitez considered a bid.

Benitez was initially dismissive of the player's ability to handle the physical pressures in the Barclays Premier League when he first moved to Upton Park, but has now revised his opinion.

However, the fact that Liverpool are considering players of such a value underlines the problems Benitez is having in the transfer market.

There is a clear conflict with the club's new American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett over finance. Although the Americans have promised to back their manager in the market, both men have recently talked of restrain.

Hicks said 'Rafa wants things done yesterday' while Gillett pointedly said this week that Liverpool would not 'spend money like drunken sailors.'

All this has not been received well by Benitez. His transfer targets have included Valencia's David Villa, Lyon winger Florent Malouda, Real Zaragoza brothers Diego and Gabriel Milito, Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres, Villarreal's Diego Forlan and even Charlton's Darren Bent.

But all their fees have been prohibitive for Benitez on his current budget, so the likes of 27-year-old Benayoun now come into the frame.

Liverpool are believed to again be showing interest in Benfica's Simao Sabrosa, but that fee could be over £12million.

A move for Benayoun could well be engineered if West Ham maintain their interest in Craig Bellamy. Liverpool clearly need to sell before they can buy at present, and a swap deal plus cash could be negotiated.

--------

So, let's connect the dots here people. We've gone from Rick Parry publically stating (we assume) that Liverpool have put in a bid for Benayoun, to the Echo speculating that West Ham are upset by the move but may consider a swap + cash for Bellamy, to Soccernet using the Echo story as a platform for seemingly baseless suppositions about our available transfer funds, Rafa's relationship with the new owners and our desperate need to sell in order to buy this summer--all to paint a sensationalist picture of a club in turmoil.

Remind me again why I never take media reports that seriously during the silly season?

by **redtrader74** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 10:53 pm

If news of this proposed signing had been aired after we had signed a top player or two, then i doubt there would have been much of an outcry. I can't say that Benayoun would be my first choice but he will replace both Zenden and Gonzales in one go because he can play either side of midfield, so this improves our sqaud, which cannot be a bad thing. If we get him for around the £3m mark it will be good business, he is a good player, currently in the prem and the right side of 30. One thing that will cheer us all is that there is another player to compete for the right wing/right mid postion which can only mean that Gerrard spends more time in the middle.

He is a good player who carries the ball well, with very good short to mid passes, far better on the ball than Pennant IMO, but a little light weight, but at the money speculated not a risk. I very much doubt that this is the end or peak of our transfers, so relax guys i'm sure that top player is around the corner, G&H must have promised Rafa something re the budget, especially when they knew that Real Madrid were sniffing round him.

Oh and Kopboyau i must apologise it looks as though your thread carries some weight, more luck than judgement, but correct nonetheless. :;):

by **kobashi** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:05 pm

JK18-6 wrote:I think 5million for Benayoun tops. It's a clever purchase which means that we can use the rest of our warchest for Eto'o or Villa..

Rafa knows what he's doing. In him we trust

although i don't believe that one bit I do admire your hope.

by **mgabby** » Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:06 pm

OK. So being an Israeli Liverpool fan for about 25 years I can say a few words here ...
First of all, Yossi Benayun is a very good player. No doubt about it.
He has a great ball control (better than any LFC player I guess) and has great pass. He also plays well in the big games, and is considered a winner.
BUT (and here comes a big but), he has NO defensive play at all. His kick is not that strong. He tends to disapear during games. He gets injured a lot (I can't recall an Israeli national game that he was 100% fit in the last years).

To be honest, I'd love to see him play for Liverpool. It will mean that we are going to be on TV all the time ... (well, LFC is actually live on cable TV almost all the time ...)
Yosii will make our squad better (think of him like an improved version of zenden or Smicer). But I don't think he will make our starting 11 any better.

Bottom line - I would sign him as a free transfer. I wouldn't sign him for 5 million quid. He is good, but not THAT good ...

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