Bogman

Hmmmm, interesting:

LIVERPOOL NEWS

Benitez: Liverpool may break transfer record

May 20, 2009

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Rafael Benitez has said he may well break the club's transfer record again this summer. In the last two summers, the Liverpool boss has spent £20m-plus on first Fernando Torres and then Robbie Keane.

GettyImages

Rafa Benitez: Plotting his summer raids.

And although Benitez is believed to have been given only £20m by the club's American owners for a transfer spree - any more will have to come from sales - the Spaniard is planning purchases at both ends of the financial scale.

Linked again with Carlos Tevez this week - a move that has been talked about at Anfield now for some while - the club say they have not made a bid to the players' third party owners.

But Benitez is known to be keen to pair Tevez again with his compatriot Javier Mascherano, the Argentina stars joining West Ham together back in August 2006.

However, he said: ''We may well break our transfer record, but certainly not Manchester United's. But it does not matter about the prices, it is doing the right thing and finding the right players.''

But having all but assured themselves of runners-up spot in the Premier League now behind champions Manchester United, Benitez knows he has to work carefully in the transfer market this summer to maximise the funds he has been given, or can generate.

He said: ''The next step is to overcome Manchester United, and that is the hardest. It does all come down to the money they have been able to spend, that is the difference.

''If we want to reduce this gap we have to be really good in the transfer market this summer. That can be the difference between winning the two or three extra points that we would need to win the title.

''We do not have that sort of money, so we have to be cute and clever in the market. Then it does not matter if you have money or not.

''When you have a lot of money it is easier because nobody notices your mistakes. For us it is important to find good targets to buy and make ourselves successful.

''We have learned a lot about our squad this season, we know each player that little bit better and it means we can improve for next season.''

He added: ''The fact that we have won nine of our last 10 games and not won the title just shows the high level of the Premier League.

''This season we have managed very good performances against the top sides, something we had not been doing before and now we have to improve a little bit more.

''We have 83 points and that would have been enough to win the title on six other occasions since the Premier League started. I can only underline that I am pleased and proud of my team to have gone this close.''

Benitez has started to generate cash from his squad by agreeing a £1m fee for defender Jack Hobbs to stay at Leicester, where he has helped them to promotion from League One. Winger Paul Anderson will also join Swansea for a fee of around £750,000.

Xabi Alonso is being linked with a £22m move to Real Madrid, while Ryan Babel could also be sold. Striker Andriy Voronin is also expected to be moved on.

Have we signed aNy PLaYErs YeT?!11 !!!!!1111111WoooooooooTBBQ

Hmmm, yes, I heard that same thing too. Maybe we have a shared source?

Yeah, you.:whistle:

SO we're selling Xabi and buting Silva and tEVEZ?

 

This thread is too big to read through.

Tevez has already been buted

The thing that I can't see though, is why would Thommo need a guided tour of the stadium, not like he ain't played there once or twice, is it now?

8)

The photo was already in the Mail wasn't it.

Aye. :yes:

I've also heard that the Tevez deal is done, and that swayed Mascher to stay.

But with all these things, I'll only believe it when he's stood next to Rafa holding a LFC scarf.

I've also heard that sometimes Johnson is premature when getting into the box.

He normally has good ball control, but sometimes his end product is all over the place.

His girths not what it used to be, and you should see the size of his head now.

Willy give us extra width?

He's quite slong, to boot.

Allegedly.

Not a bad signing, if true.

Ok so the sums have been worked out on how much we roughly have to spend and stuff but to all the people saying we shouldn't sign Tevez why don't you give us your opinion on who we should sign? Because right now i don't think there is a better player who could occupy the 3 striking roles if any of our players get injured. Also the matter of them being as available as Tevez is right now.

Won't he be in the same position he is now though, not starting enough games?

Very dangerous game. Going into administration is like trying to take a tooth out with a revolver. I suppose it might work.

Depends where the tooth is, to be honest, if it's sat on the top of a fence, no problem..................................;)

Joaquin, Quaresma, Menez, take your pick.

can't believe you haven't included Ribery.

Shoddy.

Liked the bit where the Berserker on the bridge got stabbed in the arse by the crafty engerlisher under the bridge.

Good watch that, looking forward to tonite.

Something needs to be done this weekend, definately, we've been sat on our hands recently and things have drifted.

Last home game of the season, second place 99% in the bag - nothing that we do will put the players out of their stride.

Demo before, at half time, and at full time.

We need to remind the tumors that they ain't welcome.

I cried with laughter when Babb rearranged his knackers against the chavs, many moons ago, and then again when we signed Dicks/Stewart, etc, etc.

* bollocks*

Benitez must blank out Ferguson

Post categories: Premier League

Phil McNulty | 11:40 UK time, Monday, 18 May 2009

Sir Alex Ferguson - on the rare occasions when Manchester United have been denied the Premier League title - has traditionally written a letter of congratulation to the victorious manager.

And when Rafael Benitez led Liverpool to Champions League success against AC Milan in Istanbul in 2005, Ferguson was again prepared to put pen to paper.

It is hardly a major feat of deduction to guess that Benitez will not be moved to prose in praise of Ferguson after United equalled Liverpool's tally of 18 titles.

If he could not bring himself to utter verbal congratulations to Ferguson when pressed at The Hawthorns on Sunday, Benitez is unlikely to put it down in writing.

He was prepared to salute Manchester United but made a point of not congratulating Ferguson - putting the latest coating of acrimony on a soured relationship between the pair.

The problem Benitez has here is two-fold. Firstly, even though Ferguson will be supremely indifferent as to whether he receives bouquets from Liverpool's manager or not, it makes his Anfield counterpart look petty and a bitterly sore loser.

It also came hard on the heels of Benitez's questionable claim that United may not actually be the best team in the Premier League - they simply won more points than anyone else.

Secondly, and more importantly, the man who holds the trophies wins the arguments and Ferguson has beaten Benitez hands down by securing a third successive title.

Benitez's lack of affection for Ferguson is painfully obvious and placed in certain contexts understandable.

There must be a measure of sympathy after what had every appearance of collusion between Manchester United's manager and Sam Allardyce in the recent "gesturegate" row that farcically suggested Benitez had shown Blackburn Rovers a lack of respect at Anfield.

And he certainly should not be expected to be subservient towards Ferguson. Liverpool's manager rightly feels it is more important to fight Anfield's corner than cosy up to Old Trafford's overlord.

But Benitez started a dangerous game when he delivered his carefully considered - definitely not a rant - attack against Ferguson's conduct towards referees, the FA's Respect campaign and fixture lists.

I spoke to Benitez at Stoke 24 hours after that outspoken attack on Ferguson, and to say he was spectacularly unrepentant is a masterpiece of understatement.

He was even moved to suggest, with an air of real belief in his words, that Ferguson was "a little bit scared" that Liverpool were table-toppers at that time. Brave - but ill-advised.

Sadly for Benitez, it also came after the sort of lifeless goalless draw that was to eventually become a significant factor in Benitez losing a title he simply had to win once he decided to throw down the gauntlet to Ferguson.

It was also provoked by what was, by Ferguson's standards, a fairly routine jab about the possibility of Liverpool getting nervous in the closing stages of the title race.

Benitez would not have enjoyed congratulating Ferguson. He would have hated it, but he should have swallowed hard and done it. It would have been the gracious thing to do and would have avoided the headlines that greeted him on Monday.

The latest outbreak of rancour also removed some focus from Liverpool's own outstanding development in the last three months, which can rightly bring huge satisfaction for Benitez and be the source of genuine optimism for next season.

Benitez is famously single-minded tactically and applies tunnel vision to his pursuit of success - he must now apply those same qualities to his relationship with Ferguson.

He must put an end to what is in danger of becoming an unhealthy sideshow, a sideshow that is currently benefiting only one man. And that man is not Benitez.

Benitez must blank everything Ferguson says and does from his mind and concentrate every fibre solely on Liverpool. He must somehow ensure that Manchester United become almost meaningless to him rather than developing an obsession with Old Trafford.

Easier said than done, but there is no mileage in taking on the master at his own game.

Ferguson is football's streetfighter, preying on any sign of vulnerablity and Benitez's original verbal jousting appeared to concentrate the minds of all at Manchester United at a crucial point in the season.

Benitez has assembled a team, if not quite a squad, that is capable of building on their progression this season and making a serious attempt to win the Premier League next season.

Liverpool can have no guarantees because Ferguson will have carefully noted their development, but if they maintain the positive attacking approach sparked by the 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid in the Champions League and keep Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres fit, they will be even more dangerous opponents for United next season.

This is the best way for Benitez to fight Ferguson - and the only way in which he can win his arguments with the all-conquering Scot.

Anyways, fuck all this shit, this is a Liverpool site, and we've spent too much time mentioning ginsoak and the scum.

Get behind Rafa, he's our manager and if it gets under every other fucking team and supporters skin in the league, then so be it.

You have to earn respec, and slur hasn't earnt any respec - ever.

Fuck him, fuck them - siege mentality people.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Bogman rooles.

Drooles more like

No, no, no and thrice no.

Rafa's congratulated the team, end of.

Why congratulate a drunkard for being a drunkard?

Fuck the numbers, we have played some lovely football recently and have really stamped our authority on games. This is the best season we have had since we last won the title, we could end up with 86 points and most times that would win you the big pot.

OK, we squandered a few points earlier in the season and that argument has been done to death, but of course we have made progress, not even the most contrary retard could argue that we haven't.

Correct on all parts.

And yes, course we've fucking improved, we've been in a title race all the way up until May.

Long may it continue.

oh take me home, united road

*pukes*

Just beaten to the line.....by a geehair.

Same thread started two mins previous to yours.

2nd place gets you the toaster....uuum nice

4 slice toaster, or just a poor mans substitute?

GERRARD SCOOPS PFA AWARD

James Carroll 05 May 2009

Steven Gerrard has been named as the PFA Fans' Player of the Year for the 2008-09 season.

The Liverpool captain, who has struck 21 goals so far this campaign, was recently pipped to the PFA Players' Player of the Year award by Manchester United's Ryan Giggs.

However, following a vote conducted by the PFA, Gerrard has scooped the fans' gong after another exceptional season.

PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor said: "Steven has always been a particular favourite of mine and I was delighted when he was nominated by his fellow pros for our Players’ Player of the Year award.

"Obviously, that particular award went to Ryan Giggs, and rightly so, and I am equally thrilled that football fans up and down the country have acknowledged Steven in this way.

"Like his many supporters and suitors, I have the utmost respect and admiration for the way he continues to go about his business. He is a top pro and a worthy winner."

Gerrard was the inaugural winner of the honour in 2001.

No Giggs?

No Greggs?