Rafa Exclusive in The Times

[Tyler Durden]

A viable alternative with £17m on another forward. Look at the league table.

 

There ye go, keep digging

[Whelan]

We could have had several more decent buys if we didn't blow money on numerous average players. We spend our money on too many players instead of buying quality. Rafa is still building a squad after 6 years, that says it all about the success of his signings.

 

Don't buy Johnson though, don't buy a top quality right back though, no. Play a centre half there instead!

 

A viable alternative with £17m on another forward. Look at the league table.

 

Complete and utter contradiction.

 

Only buy quality, no wait don't, play other players out of position instead, and then erm, buy a forward yeah!

[piscinin]

A viable alternative with £17m on another forward. Look at the league table.

 

I just did. We're 3rd top scorers.

[zigackly]

Hermes, Carragher is struggling to play at centre back this season - are you REALLY suggesting he should be running up and down the flank?

[coop]

Hermes can you name me a top class striker who would be prepared to sit on the bench to play back up to Torres.

 

We couldn't predict the injury problems we have had so potentially this top class striker could have been having very little match time.

 

Glenn Johnson has been one of our best players this season and for me has been £17m well spent.

 

As regards the other major transfer in Aquilani again its a position we had to fill after the departure of Alonso.

[Hermes]

I just did. We're 3rd top scorers.

 

What trophy do you get for that?

[Whelan]

What trophy do you get for that?

 

The same trophy that normally gets dished out in November!

[piscinin]

What trophy do you get for that?

 

Ah, I see you are one of those types. Bye!

[T0RRES]

What trophy do you get for that?

 

thats funny, how to end an argument, brilliant end of thread then.

[Royal Family]

You can't compare finances in Houiller's time with purchases now.

 

All players cost more than they did seven yerars ago.

 

BINGO! Which is why it's nonsense for rafa to spout lines such as 'the squad is worth more than it was in 2004' as if this is somehow a personal achievement. Of course the squad is worth more - it's called massive transfer inflation! Or is he claiming that somehow only Liverpool players have increased in value in the last 5 years? I seem to remember Ronaldo costing United £12m and being sold on for £80m for instance...

[Hermes]

Hermes can you name me a top class striker who would be prepared to sit on the bench to play back up to Torres.

 

 

I've never advocated back-ups. We should have bought a forward to play with Torres.

[Kevin D]

He gets far more spin used against him than he uses himself. Far more.

 

And to be fair to some of those doing the spinning, it's not always deliberate, it's the way we all sometimes find a different meaning to what someone's said.

 

But there's plenty who spin in full knowledge that they're distorting the truth to get their point to sound a bit better. And sometimes it's more than distorting the truth, or selecting bits of the truth - sometimes it's out and out bullshit.

 

He talks about a majority of fans, not all of them, he knows he's got his critics. "The majority of the fans, especially the ones who go to the stadium, realise the team is working and improving, and is better than before."

 

Maybe more of the ones who go to the stadium make their own minds up rather than taking Andy Gray's word for it!

 

Credible spin,though?

 

No reasonable fan, and even those on here who hate Rafa, gives a shit what SSN think about Rafa our our club; if anything their nonsense only serves Rafa. People see the lies and half-truths and decide that the manager isn't getting a fair deal and subsequently side with him. We've won 1 in 9, or 8 or whatever, and still a strong majority of supporters are with Rafa - I doubt that would be the case with the bulk of this league.

 

Spin or ,to call what it is, deceit has been vastly more effective in Rafa's favour because of the laughable transparency of those who oppose him.

[coop]

I've never advocated back-ups. We should have bought a forward to play with Torres.

 

Then your breaking up one of Europes top partnerships in Gerrard and Torres.

[Hermes]

Then your breaking up one of Europes top partnerships in Gerrard and Torres.

 

Their injury record last season and this proves we have to do that. But now, we have no alternatives.

[coop]

So what your saying is we should have signed another striker to play alongside Torres incase either Gerrard or Torres got injured.

[zigackly]

Yes Hermes is right in that we badly needed another quality forward who could partner either one of them or even play with both, sadly we got bummed by the owners for transfer funds after already having signed two marque players in other positions. I don't blame that on the manager, ALL the signs point to him having been duped.

 

I think a better question is why we have a number of players in the squad who are barely at premier league level, if even that.

[Hermes]

So what your saying is we should have signed another striker to play alongside Torres incase either Gerrard or Torres got injured.

 

No. We should have moved Gerrard into midfield, he could always revert to the forward position if needed.

[Whelan]

No. We should have moved Gerrard into midfield, he could always revert to the forward position if needed.

 

Do you not think a more credible argument would have been to do everything in our power to keep Arbeloa and Alonso?

 

Say for instance we had kept both of them, just for arguments sake. How much do you think Rafa would have had for a forward?

[Code]

I prefer "who else could do a better job?", something critics of the manager are quite silent on.

 

How many names do people want before they are satisfied, myself and others have probably listed around 20 names by now.

 

So please put that argument away as it just ruins the other arguments you might put forward.

[Guest LFD]

No. We should have moved Gerrard into midfield, he could always revert to the forward position if needed.

 

To be honest that's what I wanted to see this summer.

 

However Rafa got slated the summer before for breaking up the duo for Keane. So I can understand why he went for Aquilani, who he clearly rates highly.

[Hermes]

Do you not think a more credible argument would have been to do everything in our power to keep Arbeloa and Alonso?

 

Say for instance we had kept both of them, just for arguments sake. How much do you think Rafa would have had for a forward?

 

I wouldn't keep any player who wants to leave, for whatever reason or whoever he is. I said in early summer Alonso and Mascherano should have been sold as soon as an acceptable offer was made.

[zigackly]

How many names do people want before they are satisfied, myself and others have probably listed around 20 names by now.

 

Yes, names which in your subjective judgement could do a better job. Given that few of them have proved themselves to the extent Benitez has at his level of management, you are asking people to accept a massive gamble. Do you wonder why you don't have many takers?

 

I concede the question is a really stupid one however. Any number of them might do a better job. We may never know.

[Whelan]

I wouldn't keep any player who wants to leave, for whatever reason or whoever he is. I said in early summer Alonso and Mascherano should have been sold as soon as an acceptable offer was made.

 

For arguments sake, they stayed.

 

How much would you think we would have to spend on a forward?

[Hermes]

For arguments sake, they stayed.

 

How much would you think we would have to spend on a forward?

 

Silly question, how the hell do I know? But we'd have had £17m not spent on a right back. Darren Bent isn't doing too bad for £10m.

[coop]

No. We should have moved Gerrard into midfield, he could always revert to the forward position if needed.

 

Is this the same Steven Gerrard whose best seasons have been when he has been on the right or playing as an attacking midfielder.

 

Steven Gerrard has developed into one of Europes top attacking midfielders so why take that out of his game by asking him to play back in the centre.

 

For me Johnson was the right call but Aquilani wasn't.

 

Ive always rated Lucho who i think went to Marseille for not much more then we paid for Aquilani and at least he would have been able to play from day 1.

 

Obviously once Aquilani is fit then my opinion may change but at the moment i think that was Rafa's biggest mistake in the summer.