Hyppia 4

Pepe gets it and more credit to the lad for it. I'm proud to have a keeper of his class and ability playing here, best we've had in years.

IF that is the case, would Valencia not be more inclined to deal with us based on the idea of having a full spanish international in their side as well as a few quid? Silva doesn't strike me as a player who will go where the money is and I believe he would make his choice based on where he feels will be better for his career. At Real he would know he was second choice, at Liverpool he has always been first, that is one card Rafa holds above Real in this one for me, another is that Torres has issued a come and play here plea to the player which surely is inviting to anyone.

Surely we are all prepared to do that, can I not do both?

Far too mancish for me.

Where did that phrase come from?

Liverpool good, hopefully next season better.

Rafa has been building towards this for a long time. I've heard comparissons with our 87-88 side, forget them, the formation may be similair but the players and the way we go about things are nothing alike though the results could be someday soon. Sure you could compare the work rate of Kuyt to McMahon, the jinking skill and towards the end important goals of Bennynoon to Beardsley and the goals of Torres to Aldo and so on but there is one thing that side didn't have that we do and it makes a world of difference, a player comparable with no one from that side. In case you weren't sure the player I am refering to is STEVEN GERRARD. No one played in the hole or got a license to roam from midfield of that Liverpool of 87-88 side, it all came from pacey skillful wing play, the type we simply do not have and have not had since that era to be honest. The good news is that Rafa is not immitating anyone, he is innovating, the same way Wenger did when he became the only man without a ridiculous amount of money to knock United from the top. Rafa won't play 4-4-2 consistenly because he doesn't have players who can consistently play it. Sure he may and will go to it when he sees it as a tactically astute move in certain circumstances but that will not be often simply down to the personnel we employ. Glen Johnson is a fantastic signing for this club for so many reasons, the seemingly tepid response to his signature has me for one scratching my head. As I say we don't have the pacey attacking wing play that allows us to get in behind teams and deliver decent quality crosses, at least we don't have it in the midfield. In GJ that is exactly what we have bought. I hear a lot of hype about Dani Alves and yet every time I see him play what I see is a raw talent who has never moved on from his Sevilla days and who for every great cross he delivers, delivers 9 poor ones. Johnson has pace, power, a decent amount of skill, can beat a man, crosses a ball well with both feet and defensively is improving by the season as far as I can tell. Rafa will turn him into the finished article, I have no doubt about that. With all the respect in the world to Arbeloa, a man whose contribution can not be overlooked, he was always a stop gap albeit one that excelled. Johnson is the real deal, so much so I would say that on all known form and ability we have signed the second best Right Back in the world. The first? Maicon. Insua will have to provide the balance on the other side (or dare I say it Dossena.. god I hope not) but again he is much improved and getting better and has real talent, so although he is a risk he would be a sensible one. These two have to and will provide our width, they will get in behind teams and act as wing backs allowing us to build on our smothering pressing play from last season that saw us dominate sides into submission and score goals for fun (and that was without a fit Torres for most of the season!). If Mascherano goes then so be it. I don't see the hype about him and 17m in a sensible market would probably be about right. That said why the hell should we be sensible? I don't see anything Mascherano does that a young up and coming strong kid with pace, tackling ability and stamina couldn't do. There is always an Essien out there that can do what he does and a little bit more, I'm not saying they are easy to find but it isn't impossible. Matuidi would be the first one I'd be over to look at. Alonso on the other hand is much harder to replace as you are looking for a strong, fast, skilfull player with incredible vision a great touch and the ability to playmake from deep. I hope the rumours about Real going off him are true as players like him are very hard to come by. I'd rather not lose either for the sake of consistency but if we did lose Mascherano I believe that would be easier to replace. I also believe Barca would realise quite quickly they had bought the wrong player and the move would not work out. Lucas is another that has been written off but I believe will silence many of his critics this season. He needed longer to adapt than many would have thought or were willing to allow him but I believe he is getting there. A very large part of his game that is overlooked is his positional sense. It only really struck me towards the end of the season when he started to work a lot harder. He has like Benny (pre turn around) and Babel shown flashes of ability and also shown a great attitude under a mountain of pressure. I really hope the lad makes it here. I've heard it said and said it myself that Gerrard and Torres need someone to take the weight of goalscoring off them, the more I think about this comment the more I actually don't understand it. They are goalscorers, that is their primary directive if you will. They don't need players to do their job as well as them, what they need is players that will help them do their job and make it easier for them..... like SILVA. Johnson I have no doubt was bought after Rafa watched teams park the bus and then realised you can't just batter through them ALL the time with Gerrard and Torres. Most of the time, but not all. The same theory applies to David Silva. While Gerrard and Torres are the best in the world at scoring goals, Silva doesn't take a back seat to many at making them. Not just with his vision or clever passing ability but with being able to take 2-3 players out of the game time and time again over the course of 90 mintues with his trickery. Add to that the vision and passing/crossing ability he has and he is another piece that will improve our home record, the only thing that cost us the title last season. Rafa has shown he has worked it out away from home and with the players he has is confident of going away anywhere this country or abroad and getting a win scoring goals. It is for this reason I believe that all the players Rafa is looking at now are either squad players to cover positions (Distin, Falcao...?) or skilful fast players who will commit players and make it harder for them to sit back and absorb pressure. We are so close, Falcao and Silva in and we are surely all but there?

Good AIDS or bad AIDS?

Not racist. Thanks for playing though.

Spot on. He may not have written himself out of our history books but he certainly has been wiped out of many people's legend if you will. If there is any justice/karma in the world, Owen will usher in the trophyless seasons of United for years to come.

My experience is there is always some gobshite who raises himself in his own mind above the proleteriat and then wants to tell everyone in a concealed way about just how much better he is for not living there. Might just be me though.

This is my hope as well. Espn America could be part of a sky package as lfc, setanta etc were. Fingers crossed. Whatever happens I'm just lovin havin "Baseball Tonight", "Jim Rome is burning" and "Around The Horn" as well as the live Baseball of course. :D

Madoff? Hadoff.

Your mate is Adolf Hitler in disguise....oh you just think he died.... Dave Chapelle - Black White Supremacist Clip » RealVideoSite.com

Sadly Aurelio is made of glass and Degen is made of biscuits, pre dunked soggy ones at that.

No not really as for me this was never about hate, that seemed to be just a cliched response for anyone who was pro Xabi. The same way apparently if you want Alonso to stay you automatically hate Rafa.

I'd rate him over Mascherano in a heart beat because the one thing that Mascherano is supposed to be world class at (tackling) Alonso does more often, the fact that Alonso is in the right position and so doesn't have to bust a gut to run 15 yards back and make some hollywood swooping slide tackle doesn't make him a worse player though try telling people that. Add to that how complete a player Alonso is in his position and it is easy to see why a team that only want to deal with the most talented players in the world have made him their 4th big target of the summer. He is a more complete player than Didi and only longevity makes Hamann the better player. Gary Mac was here for one season and again Alonso was the more complete player. Whelan, Souness and McMahon are all special players because they could couple the tenacity of Mascherano with the ability of a player like Alonso. All are Liverpool legends for their tenacity, their ability and their longevity. While Alonso takes a back seat to them as regards to tenacity and longevity, he is as technically gifted as any one of them. As for bringing up title winning sides as a stick to beat Xabi with, that is well wide of the mark. If we had won the title under Benitez then Gerrard and Alonso would have been the main reasons why last season, hence why I would rather neither left to put it mildly. Molby himself has said he never had the mobility of Alonso and that is what makes him different. That isn't modesty it is just a fact. If Molby played today, no matter how intelligent he was and how technically gifted he was in his position (and he took a back seat to nobody in either respect) he still wouldn't have a chance to make it. Molby is a Liverpool legend regardless of whether you believe he was expendable or not, personally I disagree and see it as a slight on a great player. What makes Alonso so special is he is the closest thing to Molby we have had and then on top of that he is a brilliant athlete, a fact that is often overlooked by many. I'm not saying if he goes then Liverpool will never recover, what I am saying is that he is a damn site better than people on here are giving him credit for, he will take his place amoung the best we have had for many and also that if we sell him now that the team would be significantly weakened and Rafa (thought not an impossible task) would definetly have his work cut out for him finding a player as dedicated, professional, able and classy as Alonso has been and for all accounts would continue to be for us.

You were told wooden dildos were a bad idea. (sorry)

Kanu??? I'd still take him here now! Carrick is not shit nor really annoying other than who he plays for, same goes for Mikel and Kalou. Kalou is one of the most underrated players in our league for me.

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/forum/1783537-post3285.html Oh look a fact that makes you look like a prick. Then again you do that everytime you press "Submit Reply".

You don't actually read anything I post do you, do you need another toy to play with?

I think you should.

And some of us not agreeing with his decision (if indeed it is his decision or he makes it) means we can't follow the team because he manages them? That seems to be the inference here. Which is utter bollocks incidently.

I'd have to go with no, no there is not. Always been a personal favourite no matter what she's wearing.

English. Prem Proven. Plays in positions we need to improve. Can create at will and is capable of magic. Yeah, for the right price, I'm in.