1.5 mil

[Moschops II]

Which is completely daft on their part surely? If they can't sell it now for what? How are they expecting to sell it down the line, for massive profit, including what they've spend on the stadium, which s going to be what roughly, an extra £300-500m? So they'll be expecting something knocking on a billion for the club? They can't be that stupid surely??

 

And all that without serious investment in the squad between now and then?

 

If you look at Hicks and Gillett's business ventures to date, their one great triumph has been getting the banks to continually lend to them. That one talent aside, these aren't brilliant economic minds we're dealing with.

[Dan Vito Corleone]

 

And I haven't really seen SoS taking this advantage and ramming it home.

 

And they must. They haven't much time but they need to consider something a bit extra tomorrow. Now is an absolutely perfect time. The average Joe Soap has read this in national tat shitty tabloid press. Lots more people will be onto this. Time to put their balls into a vice and squeeze.

[TheBitch]

He can die like the rest of them. He's a sneaky, snidey, point scoring little cunt. That e-mail he sent after the protests to Hicks saying "the worst is over" will stick in my head forever, it is imprinted on my mind. I will never, ever forget that. And if you think he's good at what he does, ask Huddersfield fans. They'll probably punch you in the face.

 

I don't give a fuck about corporate stuff right now, the less of those we get, the more chance there is of cancer and AIDS getting the fuck out of the club. Ayres is just another puppet in their show, the fucking parasite. "The worst is over." No it isn't, you recalcitrant, snivelling fuckwit.

 

 

Good word.

[zigackly]

For the last time, he won't quit. He'll push himself to get fired, but he isn't going to walk away from millions.

 

He did it at Valencia, didn't he? And then sued them for the money.

[Guest Ulysses Everett McGill]

Radio silence from Freud Communications

 

Hmmm

[GRADY]

I would have thought he would have said if thats all he had... surely??

[Trucker Paddy]

Why has Rafa not blasted them yet, when they fucked about on the Kaladse deal in 2007 he went ballistic that was nothing compared to this summer when the goalposts are been moved every week, I 'm hoping its because he knows something is in the offing and they'll go soon, then the tiny little bit of cynic in me is thinking hes gagged in the terms of his contract.

[Guest Ulysses Everett McGill]

He did it at Valencia, didn't he? And then sued them for the money.

 

Be interesting case for constructive dismissal if he has anything in writing

[Red Nick]

Be interesting case for constructive dismissal if he has anything in writing

 

I think he would have a very strong case but it wont be against the owner it will be against LFC which is money that wont be available for transfers especially if they have to pay up the full value of his contract

[Paul]

If they hadnt had demaned the 60m decrease in the debt then Rafa would have been able to spend the money he generated from sales.

 

BTW its still not clear if they have been able to rape enough from LFC to come up with the 60m required

 

RBS have acted just as any bank would - and should - act. They've done absolutely nothing wrong. The fact that it doesn't suit our purposes is immaterial. In fact the same could be said of the two cunts if it weren't for the fact that they have consistently said one thing and done another. They have blatantly - indeed brazenly - lied, time and time again. RBS have just acted like a bank.

 

I make it £44m he should have in his pocket. You didn't include the £20m "usual budget". That's silva, a good central defender and a decent striker.

 

Fuck me, you're right - forty four million quid! That really would be the nearest thing possible to nailing on the title, wouldn't it? Christ, these cunts are outrageous; really and truly outrageous. I feel so fucking angry about what they've done to our club, but worse, I feel even more impotent about what to do about it.

[aws]

Why has Rafa not blasted them yet, when they fucked about on the Kaladse deal in 2007 he went ballistic that was nothing compared to this summer when the goalposts are been moved every week, I 'm hoping its because he knows something is in the offing and they'll go soon, then the tiny little bit of cynic in me is thinking hes gagged in the terms of his contract.

 

I think he wants to be here in five years time - long after the shysters will have fucked off. He'll pick his ground carefully before he kicks off at them again - he'll want it to be a battle he can win.

[aws]

RBS have acted just as any bank would - and should - act. They've done absolutely nothing wrong. The fact that it doesn't suit our purposes is immaterial. In fact the same could be said of the two cunts if it weren't for the fact that they have consistently said one thing and done another. They have blatantly - indeed brazenly - lied, time and time again. RBS have just acted like a bank.

 

 

 

Fuck me, you're right - forty four million quid! That really would be the nearest thing possible to nailing on the title, wouldn't it? Christ, these cunts are outrageous; really and truly outrageous. I feel so fucking angry about what they've done to our club, but worse, I feel even more impotent about what to do about it.

 

I don't think they realise what a dangerous game they're playing with their own cash now that City are in town.

They seem to assume that Rafa will stick around come what may and that he'll guarantee them top four even if they starve him of resources.

[dennis tooth]

Rafa has put more into the club than they have and has paid for himself, his transfers and more during his time here, the money he has raised each season has been tremendous and we are still in debt because of this pair of camel toes. He has practically bought it and given it to them. They don't have a carrot between them.

[dennis tooth]

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks appears to have made a u-turn in his quest to sell his Texas Rangers MLB franchise.

 

Hicks has been trying to sell the franchise since he was forced to dissolve the Hicks Sports Marketing Group at the beginning of July but a buyer for the US$600 million-valued majority stake in the baseball team has been unforthcoming.

 

Hicks' financial woes were such that Major League Baseball is reported to have made US$15 million available to the Rangers to help pay operating costs, including player wages.

 

Speaking on Sunday after attending a Rangers win over Boston game, however, Hicks now seems determine to hold on to the vastly improving team.

 

There is a way [to keep the team], and I’m working on that," Hicks said. "So we’ll see."

 

Indeed, Hicks dismissed out of hand the notion that his financial situation was such that he had to sell immediately. Let’s not talk about that. We’re not going to talk about that," Hicks said. "I’ve always said I hoped to stay involved in a significant way with the Rangers because I want to be here to watch this plan finally happen."

 

George Gillett, co-owner of Liverpool with Hicks, recently agreed to sell his Montreal Canadiens NHL franchise for more than US$500 million.

[philyhamann]

He probably wants to hold on cause they're starting to do well.

[JohnnyH]

Another season and instead of us talking about the game tomorrow and enjoying our sport, we are again forced to discuss the mess our club has been put in by those two bastards. Makes me fucking sick to think of them back in the States not giving a shite about us, the club, or the team, as long as they get their pound of flesh. Fucking snakes.

[dennis tooth]

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

£1.5m left to spend? Rafa Benitez only has himself to blame

 

According to reports, Liverpool FC allegedly has only £1.5m to spend for the remainder of the current transfer window. Predictably, Tom Hicks and George Gillett are being demonised over this issue and Rafa Benitez is being painted as the blameless victim whose hands are tied due to lack of funds. Poor Rafa, right? Wrong. In my view, Benitez’s questionable performance in the transfer market is most to blame for Liverpool’s current squad predicament.

 

Whether the reports of 1.5 are true or not, the figure is irrelevant – in the last two summer transfer windows, Benitez has spent £73.5, a not inconsiderable amount of money. If this money had been spent wisely, the Liverpool squad would not be so lacking in depth and quality at the moment.

 

So - how much of that £73.5m was well spent?

 

£20m - Robbie Keane

£20m – Alberto Aquilani

£17m - Glen Johnson

£8m – Albert Riera

£7m - Andrea Dossena

£1.5m - David N’gog

 

With the exception of Albert Riera, I submit that Benitez has, for the most part, misused the transfer funds allocated to him over the last 2 years.

 

What we recouped in sales makes no difference at all to the quality of player Benitez decides to buy. For example, Benitez bought keane for 20m then recouped money on him 6 months later. What possible difference does the money recouped by Keane's sale AFTER THE FACT make to the initial purchase?! NONE. What matters here is what Benitez did with the money that WAS available.

 

Keane and Dossena

 

Whatever way you look at it, the £27m spent on Keane and Dossena was completely wasted. What impact has either player had on the team? None.

 

Dossena struggled to hold down a first team place and Keane was dumped after 6 months after being mismanaged by Benitez.

 

Glen Johnson

 

Was it really necessary to spend £17m on Glen Johnson? Was right-back such a pressing problem that such a huge amount of money needed to be expended?

 

People go on about Johnson’s attacking prowess – well, in the last 7 years he has scraped together a mere 17 assists in 171 competitive games, an average of 1 every 10 games. Is this worth £17m?

 

Would it have been so fatal to keep Alvaro Arbeloa and spend the £17m on a more pressing area of the team, i.e. a proper replacement for Sami Hyypia or a decent wide-player?

 

Better still, why not just keep Hyypia and Arbeloa – both part of a team that finished with the highest league points total for 20 years - and spend the £17m on a decent attacking player.

 

Benitez admitted he paid over the odds for Johnson; well, why would he not pay over the odds for Andrei Arshavin, who Arsenal snapped up for £12m? It sickens me that Liverpool again failed to pull out all the stops to sign a proven creative player, yet the club is willing to spend big bucks on defensive-minded players like Johnson and Javier Mascherano.

 

Albert Riera

 

Of all the above signings, I would say Riera is the only one who represents true value for money. His first season was arguably pretty good, though a little inconsistent; we still need someone more effective on the left but Riera is a good player to have in the squad.

 

Having said that, he was not in the squad for the Spurs defeat, which begs the question what is the point of having him if he's not going to be utilised properly?

 

Alberto Aquilani

 

Was it really a wise decision to spend 20m on a player who has been consistently injured over the last 3 years and will not kick a ball until October at the earliest?

 

I do not doubt that Aquilani is a good player, but in order to build on last season, Liverpool need to hit ground running – this means having the strongest squad possible available from the first game of the season.

 

This has not happened. Benitez’s failure to properly fill the gaping void left by Xabi Alonso means that Liverpool’s first team is *at this stage* significantly weaker than it was last season. If Aquilani was available from the very start then the loss of Alonso may have been mitigated, but this is not the case.

 

I personally believe that Benitez’s decision to buy Aquilani and not some other midfielder who could go straight into the team is –and will prove to be – a fatal mistake.

 

With the above in mind, I submit that Benitez has wasted £64m over the last two seasons. Just imagine what might have been if:

The £27m spent on Keane and Dossena had been used to buy effective players. Examples: Arshavin for £20m last summer instead of Keane or for £12m in January 2009/Alexander Hleb for 12m from Arsenal last summer. I’m sure there are lots of other possibilities. Just imagine another player in the team who could have a similar impact to Fernando Torres. For £27m, I'm sure Liverpool could've found such a player.

 

The £20m spent on Aquilani had been used to buy a quality midfielder who was not injured and could play from day 1 of the season. Lucas tries his best but he is not on the level of Xabi Alonso. By the time Aquilani is actually playing and up to speed in the premiership, the league could already be lost.

 

Liverpool had kept Arbeloa and Hyypia and spent the Johnson 17m on an attacking player. One immediate benefit of this would be that the central defence crisis being experienced now would be a non-issue.

 

I’ll go one step further – if Benitez had not treated Xabi Alonso so badly then it’s conceivable he would have stayed this summer, therefore there would be no need to spend 20m on Aquilani, and the Liverpool team that did so well last season could continue to grow.

 

All roads lead back to Benitez – he is responsible for wasting/misuing so much money and leaving himself with nothing to further bolster the squad, which incidentally only needs bolstering because of his ineffective signings and lack of foresight.

 

And let’s not forget, it is Benitez who has filled the squad with ineffective players such as Ryan Babel (£11m), Andrei Voronin, Lucas Leiva and Philip Degen.

 

I want Hicks and Gillett out of the club like everyone else, but they do not identify/sign the players and shape the team. Furthermore, it's not as if Benitez has not been given money to spend; he has been!

 

And yes, Benitez has recouped money for players and (perhaps) should have been given the proceeds to bolster the squad, but the question is would he have spent the money wisely?

 

Based on the last two seasons, I don’t think so.

 

The bottom line is Benitez has spent 70m+ over the last two seasons and Liverpool FC has next to nothing to show for it.

 

NB: I've banned 23 people from commenting in the last hour. If you insist on hurling insults and derogatory comments you will be banned! Those that want to debate the issues are most welcome :-)

[Dougie Do'ins]

If that's true then Rafa has to say so.

I'm guessing Rafa might just have some sort of clause in the contract he signed last season, that prevents him from talking about budgets and the like in public. Hence the reason he was seemingly chaperoned during his press conference last week.

 

If this news is true, and knowing our custodians probably is, I'd have expected Rafa to let loose by now. Someone on here mentioned that he looked like he was pissed off last week. Now we maybe know why

 

People seem to be greeting this news with some surprise, Why ?

 

Sleeping well Moores ? What you sow you reap Dave.

[HJohal]

This situation is now beyond repair - under these current owners it is now only a matter of timing and how resolutely the 'football side' of the club can hold out the inevitable before the whole thing crumbles due to asset stripping and lack of investment. The owners have broken promises with Rafa, he will now never trust them again to any degree, in fact it is only Rafa's love for the club and its supporters that keeps him at the helm in trying to make this work against all odds - if he resigned tomorrow the club would find breaking point a lot quicker than if Rafa stays and tries to hold out and keep the Champions League revenue strems flowing under ever increasing competition.

 

You look over at Arsenal, and it is obvious that Wenger is aware that the club has hit difficult times - despite this he has thus far managed the situation in the best possible way in co-ordination with the board. In comparison our so called custodians are currently operating a relationship built on mistrust, deceit and 'big black lies'.

 

If Rafa had been told the truth before the transfer window opened we may still have had Hyppia, Alonso and Arbeloa and there is no way he would have ever sold Keane in January. Why would Rafa sell another player again when he cannot say with any certainty if he can re-invest the proceedings?

 

The time has come for a radical approach or we could regret the footballing world we live in 12-18 months.

[Chinandeler Bong]

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

£1.5m left to spend? Rafa Benitez only has himself to blame

 

According to reports, Liverpool FC allegedly has only £1.5m to spend for the remainder of the current transfer window. Predictably, Tom Hicks and George Gillett are being demonised over this issue and Rafa Benitez is being painted as the blameless victim whose hands are tied due to lack of funds. Poor Rafa, right? Wrong. In my view, Benitez’s questionable performance in the transfer market is most to blame for Liverpool’s current squad predicament.

 

Whether the reports of 1.5 are true or not, the figure is irrelevant – in the last two summer transfer windows, Benitez has spent £73.5, a not inconsiderable amount of money. If this money had been spent wisely, the Liverpool squad would not be so lacking in depth and quality at the moment.

 

So - how much of that £73.5m was well spent?

 

£20m - Robbie Keane

£20m – Alberto Aquilani

£17m - Glen Johnson

£8m – Albert Riera

£7m - Andrea Dossena

£1.5m - David N’gog

 

With the exception of Albert Riera, I submit that Benitez has, for the most part, misused the transfer funds allocated to him over the last 2 years.

 

What we recouped in sales makes no difference at all to the quality of player Benitez decides to buy. For example, Benitez bought keane for 20m then recouped money on him 6 months later. What possible difference does the money recouped by Keane's sale AFTER THE FACT make to the initial purchase?! NONE. What matters here is what Benitez did with the money that WAS available.

 

Keane and Dossena

 

Whatever way you look at it, the £27m spent on Keane and Dossena was completely wasted. What impact has either player had on the team? None.

 

Dossena struggled to hold down a first team place and Keane was dumped after 6 months after being mismanaged by Benitez.

 

Glen Johnson

 

Was it really necessary to spend £17m on Glen Johnson? Was right-back such a pressing problem that such a huge amount of money needed to be expended?

 

People go on about Johnson’s attacking prowess – well, in the last 7 years he has scraped together a mere 17 assists in 171 competitive games, an average of 1 every 10 games. Is this worth £17m?

 

Would it have been so fatal to keep Alvaro Arbeloa and spend the £17m on a more pressing area of the team, i.e. a proper replacement for Sami Hyypia or a decent wide-player?

 

Better still, why not just keep Hyypia and Arbeloa – both part of a team that finished with the highest league points total for 20 years - and spend the £17m on a decent attacking player.

 

Benitez admitted he paid over the odds for Johnson; well, why would he not pay over the odds for Andrei Arshavin, who Arsenal snapped up for £12m? It sickens me that Liverpool again failed to pull out all the stops to sign a proven creative player, yet the club is willing to spend big bucks on defensive-minded players like Johnson and Javier Mascherano.

 

Albert Riera

 

Of all the above signings, I would say Riera is the only one who represents true value for money. His first season was arguably pretty good, though a little inconsistent; we still need someone more effective on the left but Riera is a good player to have in the squad.

 

Having said that, he was not in the squad for the Spurs defeat, which begs the question what is the point of having him if he's not going to be utilised properly?

 

Alberto Aquilani

 

Was it really a wise decision to spend 20m on a player who has been consistently injured over the last 3 years and will not kick a ball until October at the earliest?

 

I do not doubt that Aquilani is a good player, but in order to build on last season, Liverpool need to hit ground running – this means having the strongest squad possible available from the first game of the season.

 

This has not happened. Benitez’s failure to properly fill the gaping void left by Xabi Alonso means that Liverpool’s first team is *at this stage* significantly weaker than it was last season. If Aquilani was available from the very start then the loss of Alonso may have been mitigated, but this is not the case.

 

I personally believe that Benitez’s decision to buy Aquilani and not some other midfielder who could go straight into the team is –and will prove to be – a fatal mistake.

 

With the above in mind, I submit that Benitez has wasted £64m over the last two seasons. Just imagine what might have been if:

The £27m spent on Keane and Dossena had been used to buy effective players. Examples: Arshavin for £20m last summer instead of Keane or for £12m in January 2009/Alexander Hleb for 12m from Arsenal last summer. I’m sure there are lots of other possibilities. Just imagine another player in the team who could have a similar impact to Fernando Torres. For £27m, I'm sure Liverpool could've found such a player.

 

The £20m spent on Aquilani had been used to buy a quality midfielder who was not injured and could play from day 1 of the season. Lucas tries his best but he is not on the level of Xabi Alonso. By the time Aquilani is actually playing and up to speed in the premiership, the league could already be lost.

 

Liverpool had kept Arbeloa and Hyypia and spent the Johnson 17m on an attacking player. One immediate benefit of this would be that the central defence crisis being experienced now would be a non-issue.

 

I’ll go one step further – if Benitez had not treated Xabi Alonso so badly then it’s conceivable he would have stayed this summer, therefore there would be no need to spend 20m on Aquilani, and the Liverpool team that did so well last season could continue to grow.

 

All roads lead back to Benitez – he is responsible for wasting/misuing so much money and leaving himself with nothing to further bolster the squad, which incidentally only needs bolstering because of his ineffective signings and lack of foresight.

 

And let’s not forget, it is Benitez who has filled the squad with ineffective players such as Ryan Babel (£11m), Andrei Voronin, Lucas Leiva and Philip Degen.

 

I want Hicks and Gillett out of the club like everyone else, but they do not identify/sign the players and shape the team. Furthermore, it's not as if Benitez has not been given money to spend; he has been!

 

And yes, Benitez has recouped money for players and (perhaps) should have been given the proceeds to bolster the squad, but the question is would he have spent the money wisely?

 

Based on the last two seasons, I don’t think so.

 

The bottom line is Benitez has spent 70m+ over the last two seasons and Liverpool FC has next to nothing to show for it.

 

NB: I've banned 23 people from commenting in the last hour. If you insist on hurling insults and derogatory comments you will be banned! Those that want to debate the issues are most welcome :-)

 

Im not gonna hurl insults about but why do we keep going over this ? Its boring , nobody is always succesful in the transfer market , the press have a field day with all this nonsense most days , we should just back the manager whatever our personal opinions are , no ?

 

Yes he has failed but he has also succeeded, we finished 4 points behind Utd last year with silly home draws costing us , most other years we'd have walked the title with 86 points , is that not progress ?

Only one game has been played , ok we lost and it hurts , but lets keep some perspective please !

[Ted]

Haven't read that, who wrote it?

[ratcatcher]

Absolutely heart breaking news if its is true.

[Bubble]

Haven't read that, who wrote it?

 

It looks like the work of Jaimie Kanwar. I don't think he's ever written anything positive about Liverpool.

 

edit: It is Kanwar: Liverpool-Kop: £1.5m left to spend? Rafa Benitez only has himself to blame

[Steve Holt]

I love the bit where he assumes that Rafa fucked off Arbeloa. As if we didn't know that Arby wanted to go back to Spain and that Madrid wanted him. What an utter cunt. Was there anyone who, before we bought Robbie Keane, could have categorically said that he would not be a success here? That guy is fucking retarded.

[Section_31]

Love it when Paul gets mad.