Transfer comments from Rafa

[Rashid]

All this proves to me is we have a manager who is prudent and knows what he is doing. He knows clubs are trying to take us for a ride because we won the European cup, chances are if we hadnt won it (but came 4th) we would have seen simao et al here already, but because we won the cup we have big dosh right?

 

Anyone who doesnt see that really need to look at the big picture once in a while and realise that our current set up, unlike previous regimes are not going to be taken for mugs in any way.

 

Owen was stalling, rafa shipped out immediately, Gerrard, well we got him to sign a new contract despite some outside influences and mixed messages. Transfers, we got players at the price WE want to pay that is the fundamentals of buying in any business, you pay over inflated prices and it is a big gamble which wont necessarily pay off (see Leeds) - Let people like Newcastle pay 6m over the odds to "shoe people they are big" they havent got the manager or infrastructure to compete where they need to be to sustain it, let them sign players who clearly are signing because they are desperate for a world cup place, who have get out clauses allowing them to lose up to 7m on the transfer the next year.

 

If we had things like that happening at Liverpool the majority of supporters would see through it as a sham and not stand for it, unless they are the sort that are wanting 20m signings evrey year as if we have some sort of billionaire owner.

 

Things are going the right way, manager with the balls to stand his ground and a board which will accomodate his wishes. All we *may* need is investment to open up our options in case rafa ever did want to splash 20m+ on any one player

 

Did we want to pay £7M for Crouch? Is he worth that? Answer to both is NO but we paid it cos Rafa wanted him so much. It swings in roundabouts.

[Monkeywool]

I think Crouch is worth 7m, he is a good player and should do good work for us to be honest. If we didnt think he wasnt worth 7m we wouldnt have paid it anyway

[Kopite]

I think Crouch is worth 7m, he is a good player and should do good work for us to be honest. If we didnt think he wasnt worth 7m we wouldnt have paid it anyway

 

Precisely and as Rafa has said he will only pay what he considers to be a fair price for a player.

 

When he's had the money to spend his signings have come of (Xabi and Little Luis). People may say Nunez, Pellegrino and Josemi but how much did they cost?

 

Less than half of Luis, and 1/5 of Xabi.

[Monkeywool]

Exactly - when you look at it those guys who were "flops" cost pennies:

 

Nunez part of a package - was shipped out after not impressing,

 

Pell was a free transfer on a 6 month contract - - was an extended trial in effect.

 

Josemi was less than 3m and isnt at all that bad - he can cover CB as well as RB - yeah he aint the quickest but can fill in and I think is settling down a bit more now and is improving.

 

AS opposed to the previous regime whos flops cost 5m+

[Rashid]

Exactly - when you look at it those guys who were "flops" cost pennies:

 

Nunez part of a package - was shipped out after not impressing,

 

Pell was a free transfer on a 6 month contract - - was an extended trial in effect.

 

Josemi was less than 3m and isnt at all that bad - he can cover CB as well as RB - yeah he aint the quickest but can fill in and I think is settling down a bit more now and is improving.

 

AS opposed to the previous regime whos flops cost 5m+

 

Lets wait and see how Moro and Crouch do this season. They cost combined £14M.

[Big Kev]

Lets wait and see how Moro and Crouch do this season. They cost combined £14M.

 

But two posts ago you say that Crouch is not worth the 7m we paid for him. Surely you should wait before being questioning the purchase? :dunno:

 

I'm not sure Crouch is the answer, but at least I'll give the lad a chance......

[Rashid]

But two posts ago you say that Crouch is not worth the 7m we paid for him. Surely you should wait before being questioning the purchase? :dunno:

 

I'm not sure Crouch is the answer, but at least I'll give the lad a chance......

 

I think its a wasted £7M but of course I will cheer him at games and give him a chance. I just hope our style of play doesn't suffer due to having him up front. Houllier after buying Heskey made us into a long ball team. I dunno if Crouch is the answer to our away day blues, maybe we should just attack teams more.

[Vincent Vega]

I think its a wasted £7M but of course I will cheer him at games and give him a chance. I just hope our style of play doesn't suffer due to having him up front. Houllier after buying Heskey made us into a long ball team. I dunno if Crouch is the answer to our away day blues, maybe we should just attack teams more.

 

Rash, we will never play like Brazil and never did when we were the greatest team in Europe by a country mile. Brazil are style over substance and Crouchy will be our best signing in years, mark my words*.

 

*(Can't believe I just wrote that, going to bed now in my padded cell)

[Rashid]

Rash, we will never play like Brazil and never did when we were the greatest team in Europe by a country mile. Brazil are style over substance and Crouchy will be our best signing in years, mark my words*.

 

*(Can't believe I just wrote that, going to bed now in my padded cell)

 

Brazil prove that you can win trophies and play good football. As have Man United of the 90's, Arsenal of recent times and Real Madrid and AC Milan of the past.

 

However, I don't expect LFC to play like Brazil, LFC to play like LFC would have sufficed under GH. But it didn't, we are a hoofing to Heskey team.

[Red Nick]

Rashid's point of view is idiotic, cuntish, stupid in the extreme, probably mentalist and completely bonkers.

 

Not withstanding the above Rash is a really lovley guy and only gets abused on this site because he has a fit bird and all the other posters on this site have to fuck fat bastads

 

off to spurs now cya later

[Vincent Vega]

Rashid's point of view is idiotic, cuntish, stupid in the extreme, probably mentalist and completely bonkers.

 

Not withstanding the above Rash is a really lovley guy and only gets abused on this site because he has a fit bird and all the other posters on this site have to fuck fat bastads

 

off to spurs now cya later

 

Rashid is mad Nick, but you're a nutter

 

[Rashid]

Rashid's point of view is idiotic, cuntish, stupid in the extreme, probably mentalist and completely bonkers.

 

Not withstanding the above Rash is a really lovley guy and only gets abused on this site because he has a fit bird and all the other posters on this site have to fuck fat bastads

 

off to spurs now cya later

 

You would be eating out of your mums arse if you said that to my face fella.

 

Let me know where you will be at Spurs, would love to say hi and all that. Don't bottle it like last time. Not that I even believe you go to games.

[Moschops II]

You would be eating out of your mums arse if you said that to my face fella..

 

Eh?

[tomyam scouse]

Greetings from Thailand. Dunno if a bit of data-driven stuff will work here...

 

Szymanski and Kuypers (in 'Winners and Losers: The Business Strategy of Football') use regression analysis on a big data-set to test the relationship between spending on players and league position. They conclude that there is a strong correlation (R = .92). Nothing that you couldn't have guessed, but it's always nice to see it quantified (and no, this particular statistic was not 'made up on the spot'. In defiance of the normal statistical rule).

 

Incidentally, Thailand is totally obsessed with English football in general, and Liverpool in particular. The day after Istanbul, the best-known TV presenter read the national morning news dressed in a Liverpool shirt, just to give you an idea. Can't imagine that on the Beeb...

[05 Milan]

The day after Istanbul, the best-known TV presenter read the national morning news dressed in a Liverpool shirt, just to give you an idea. Can't imagine that on the Beeb...

 

that rules!

[aws]

An incredible statement to make. If we were interested why didn't we make a bid? If anybody still needed convincing that we screwed up then this is all the evidence required.

 

Maybe because making a bid too early is the surest way of getting ripped off Chelsea-style?If you're looking for a bargain it's far better to let the seller show his hand first.

[RedinSweden]

I think its a wasted £7M but of course I will cheer him at games and give him a chance. I just hope our style of play doesn't suffer due to having him up front. Houllier after buying Heskey made us into a long ball team. I dunno if Crouch is the answer to our away day blues, maybe we should just attack teams more.

 

I think you are basing this on the fact that he is a "big man" rather than the little we have seen of him in a red shirt. To me he looks a very different type of player to Heskey. I am really looking forward to the match tomorrow to see how he does.

[redrosetints]

Rash, we will never play like Brazil and never did when we were the greatest team in Europe by a country mile. Brazil are style over substance and Crouchy will be our best signing in years, mark my words*.

 

*(Can't believe I just wrote that, going to bed now in my padded cell)

 

Vincent 'Jeremy' Vega, your sig is wrong mate, the bowler was Holding, Michael Holding.

[Cardie]

Maybe because making a bid too early is the surest way of getting ripped off Chelsea-style?If you're looking for a bargain it's far better to let the seller show his hand first.

 

Is it?

 

Making a bid early give you more time to negotiate, the selling club can't hold you to ransom because you have more time to go after other targets. The later you leave it the more power the selling club has as we found out with Benfica.

[aws]

Is it?

 

Making a bid early give you more time to negotiate, the selling club can't hold you to ransom because you have more time to go after other targets. The later you leave it the more power the selling club has as we found out with Benfica.

 

There is always a chance of leaving things too late and losing a deal but that is a natural risk of negotiating with a budget price.Benfica held us to ransom - we walked away - at least we haven't been ripped off and we've still got the cash to do a better deal.

You'll always pay more if you make the first move.

[Hermes]

Maybe because making a bid too early is the surest way of getting ripped off Chelsea-style?If you're looking for a bargain it's far better to let the seller show his hand first.

 

So we rang Benfica on the last day of the transfer window and agree a fee of £10m. As Simao is ready to board the plane Benfica ask for £13.5m and we pull out.

 

Don't think your plan worked there did it?

[aws]

No it didn't but generally it's still the right approach to buy if you don't want to be ripped off.

Next time you're in the Grand Bazaar hold your wallet in the air and shout out "I need to buy a carpet.Will someone please sell me one".See if you get a bargain ;-)

[Cardie]

You'll always pay more if you make the first move.

 

 

Of course you do but then you have to make the first move.

 

Doubt Real Soceidad would have been knocing our door down begging us to sign Alonso. If we're going to sign players it's up to us to approach the selling club not the other way around and so you have to get in as early as possible.

 

The one deal we should have left until the last minute is Peter Crouch, if we had gone in for him at a much lower price early in the summer then let Crouch stew on the fact he could play for the European Champions instead of in the championship we coul have driven the price down within the last two days instead of being mugged by Southampton.

[aws]

Of course you do but then you have to make the first move.

 

Doubt Real Soceidad would have been knocing our door down begging us to sign Alonso. If we're going to sign players it's up to us to approach the selling club not the other way around and so you have to get in as early as possible.

 

The one deal we should have left until the last minute is Peter Crouch, if we had gone in for him at a much lower price early in the summer then let Crouch stew on the fact he could play for the European Champions instead of in the championship we coul have driven the price down within the last two days instead of being mugged by Southampton.

 

We knew Alonso was on the market and that Sociedad were going to cash in on him so I don't think we did make the first approach.

 

Crouch is a perfect example of what I'm saying.Southampton didn't want to sell,we made the first approach and ended up paying top dollar.Why did we do this?Probably because Rafa had identified Crouch as a player to give us different possibilities which he didn't think he'd get at a similar price from other players who might come on the market.

 

I don't think Benfica wanted to sell at all - they just wanted to see if they could get silly money off us.If we had approached them earlier,why would they have sold him for less?They would probably have just strung us along waiting for the deadline to put us under pressure.

[Hermes]

Next time you're in the Grand Bazaar hold your wallet in the air and shout out "I need to buy a carpet.Will someone please sell me one".See if you get a bargain ;-)

 

You might get a carpet though, Rafa was walking around the Grand Bazaar and nobody knew what he wanted. He ended up with a £7m flag pole.

 

Last time I was in The Grand Bazaar one of the stall holders gave me a wallet containing £400, a credit card and a Champions League Final ticket. :D