Rafa not happy....

August 21, 2008

Even when it's so clearly distorted? I personally don't know of anyone who thinks Barry is worth £18M. A lot of people on here who think Rafa should be given the money to sign him, don't think he's worth it either but they want him to be allowed to piss it down the drain.

I bet a lot of Mancs didn't think Carrick or Hargreaves were worth it and there they sit with another League and Big Cup. What the fans think of transfer fees is utterly irrelevant in my opinion. Either trust the manager to get it right or hire someone else.

JMARKH · August 21, 2008

fuckin hell why don't we just try a swap deal Alonso plus 4 million for Barry, not sure if Alonso would want to go to Villa though

DUFF · August 21, 2008

Calm restored between Parry and Rafa according to Tony Barrett in the Echo today.

Red Nick · August 21, 2008

fuckin hell why don't we just try a swap deal Alonso plus 4 million for Barry, not sure if Alonso would want to go to Villa though

Unfortunately Xabi doesnt no how to Hoof it

**stringvest** · August 21, 2008

I bet a lot of Mancs didn't think Carrick or Hargreaves were worth it and there they sit with another League and Big Cup. What the fans think of transfer fees is utterly irrelevant in my opinion. Either trust the manager to get it right or hire someone else.

While I agree with Brownie on the question of Rafa's judgement on this, I think you've hit the nail on the head here. You employ a manager at vast expense. You expect experience, judgement and ability. If, in the managers judgement, the player is worth having at 18 million, then the board either have to back him or sack him. Anything else means that the club is being managed by proxy.

**aws** · August 21, 2008

Even when it's so clearly distorted? I personally don't know of anyone who thinks Barry is worth £18M. A lot of people on here who think Rafa should be given the money to sign him, don't think he's worth it either but they want him to be allowed to piss it down the drain.

The whole transfer market is distorted - particularly Premiership players. Carrick, Hargreaves? Ashton bid of £16m - something similar to get downing. Keane - £20m.

In that world of madness, Barry is just a bit over-priced in my opinion.

**Brownie** · August 21, 2008

I bet a lot of Mancs didn't think Carrick or Hargreaves were worth it and there they sit with another League and Big Cup. What the fans think of transfer fees is utterly irrelevant in my opinion. Either trust the manager to get it right or hire someone else.

You're comparing us to the Mancs in the transfer market?

I thought everyone on here universally accepted that it's unfair to compare us to them and their resources? But in this instance it's fair is it?

knivesout · August 21, 2008

fuckin hell why don't we just try a swap deal Alonso plus 4 million for Barry, not sure if Alonso would want to go to Villa though

Why don't we just give them Torres too...:ermm:

**Brownie** · August 21, 2008

The whole transfer market is distorted - particularly Premiership players. Carrick, Hargreaves? Ashton bid of £16m - something similar to get downing. Keane - £20m.

In that world of madness, Barry is just a bit over-priced in my opinion.

I can't remember who made the point originally (think it was Paul), but whoever it was got it spot on - in March, if somebody came on here and said we'd sign Barry for £18M then everyone would have laughed their head off.

Now that Rafa wants him, it's fine.

I think this issue is being over-complicated anyway, because if Alonso wasn't here then Barry would be.

JMARKH · August 21, 2008

Why don't we just give them Torres too...:ermm:

Because Torres is brilliant on a consistant basis not just the odd game

Red Nick · August 21, 2008

Seriously Brownie is the new Rash

If Rash wrote what Brownie has been writing of late he'd be absolutely murdered for it.

Maybe he's a little more ellequent than Rash but its exactly what Rash would be posting.

**Paul** · August 21, 2008

Don't be daft, Paul, of course it's not aimed at you.

I just think it's sad and a poor omen for the future that so many fans will fall for a shitty trick like the public statement re: Barry - one clearly designed to let fans who don't like Barry and/or have doubts about Benitez know that "the club" (and we all know who that means in this context) agree with them.

The result is that the situation continues where people just sit back and give Parry and the owners a pass (because "we know they're pricks" and "there's nothing we can do about it"), while slowly becoming more and more openly hostile to the manager - a hostility that's being stoked up by these queasy Bascombe stories and antics like the statement on the official.

Put it this way, there's only one person at the club who's position seems to have been strengthened over the summer, and that's Parry. I don't think that's coincidence, and I think we as fans are ultimately responsible for it.

I've thought for a while that they're using the forums in order to work out what to say in public and even to fill in the gaps in their own knowledge. Certainly they can use what they read in order to cover their attempts to shaft us and the club.

However, on the fans' view of the owners and manager, I haven't seen anything to suggest that it's being affected by these public statements.

Red Nick · August 21, 2008

Just to add the obvious, the owners are lying and we dont have 18m to spend and come 31 August everyone will see exactly what the Owners intended to Spend.

**Brownie** · August 21, 2008

Seriously Brownie is the new Rash

If Rash wrote what Brownie has been writing of late he'd be absolutely murdered for it.

Maybe he's a little more ellequent than Rash but its exactly what Rash would be posting.

Repped.

Moschops II · August 21, 2008

What do you expect from people who agree with their stance though? Are you suggesting that we should disagree with them and back Rafa regardless even when we don't agree with him?

No, I just wish it was seen more for what it was - people within the club itself deliberately fuelling bad feeling against the manager in order to safeguard their own positions.

I don't want to tread on aws' toes by answering the point you put to him in his post, but you have to ask yourself why paying £18 million for a player who's currently getting picked ahead of two £18 million players for England is such a bad idea that we have to make a statement on the official website about it?

To me that looks even more suspect once you think about the Keane signing. I realise a lot of people rate him very highly, but seriously - £18 million for Barry deserves a public statement, but we're happy to effectively pay Crouch and £10 million for Robbie Keane? That's madness to me - but of course, we've got tens of thousands of Irish lads supporting us to who Keane is a hero (and who will now be delighted with our summer), whereas Barry left many fans cold from the start.

Like I say, Parry's had a great close season.

JMARKH · August 21, 2008

From Tony Barrett in Todays Echo

RAFA BENITEZ and Rick Parry have held clear the air talks in a bid to draw a line under the fallout from the Gareth Barry saga.

The Liverpool manager met his chief executive at Anfield in a meeting which was described as “positive” by both parties.

Their working relationship has come under intense strain over the last week as the chances of the Reds doing a deal with Aston Villa for Barry have receded considerably.

Benitez remains deeply frustrated over the club’s inability to secure one of his main targets for the summer and over the weekend his exasperation saw him question the speed at which Liverpool do deals, a jibe which many believed was aimed at Parry.

But he has since learned that the failure to sign Barry was not Parry’s responsibility and has now accepted that the decision not to pursue the deal at Villa’s £18m asking price was down to the club’s hierarchy as a whole. American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett had decreed that the 27-year-old does not meet their value expectations.

There were fears within the corridors of power at Anfield that the relationship between Parry and Benitez was beyond repair but cordiality has now been restored and the duo are working together to try and ensure the additions Benitez wants to make to his squad are in place before the transfer window closes on September 1st.

Benitez told the ECHO: “Clear the air talks have taken place.

“It was a positive discussion and we will now move forward together.“

Parry added: “I can confirm that we had a friendly and positive meeting and we’re moving forward.”

The Reds boss will not completely give up hope of signing Barry until the window closes and Villa manager Martin O’Neill has admitted the future of his club captain is still to be resolved.

But unless there is a dramatic change of heart by Hicks and Gillett - or Xabi Alonso is sold for a considerable fee - it remains highly unlikely Liverpool will meet Villa’s asking price.

O’Neill, though, has still not closed the door on the possibility of a deal being done.

He said: “We want him to stay I think that’s obvious.

“I think the fans want him to stay and for the length of time it has gone on it is hard to pre-empt anything. At this minute it’s not completely resolved.”

Liverpool, though, are currently focusing their attentions on bringing in a left-sided midfielder with both Albert Riera and Stewart Downing mooted.

Alonso, meanwhile, continued his positive start to the season with a double strike in Spain’s 3-0 win over Denmark last night.

Robbie Keane also got his name on the score sheet as the Republic of Ireland drew 1-1 with Norway.

**Brownie** · August 21, 2008

Seeing as we're taking press reports as gospel now, Barrett's article from today makes very interesting reading:

"RAFA BENITEZ and Rick Parry have held clear the air talks in a bid to draw a line under the fallout from the Gareth Barry saga.