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Reposted with permission from another forum, thisisanfield.com. Thought it was really interesting.

I've just read your report on the Spurs match where you say with almost complete certainty that Xabi is leaving. But you didn't say why ...????? I simply cannot believe that Rafa would let him go unless he was getting Iniesta or Xavi to replace him. he is our best passer, he makes our football flow so much better when he is on the pitch. He is simply too valuable to our club to be sold unless we have lined up someone better to replace him. Why is he leaving? Surely not just so Rafa can get the necessary cash to buy Barry, Downing or any of the other sub-standard players whose names have been bandied about in the press as potential summer signings? This would be complete and utter rubbish! Please say what you've heard regarding his exit from Anfield. And if anyone else knows anything, please chip in as well. Thanks.

I read a small thing in the papers yesterday which got me thinking about the unrealistic expectations of Liverpool fans these days. Owen Coyle – if he stays at Burnley – has been told he has a transfer budget of £15-20m this summer. My point is that this is the same as Liverpool’s budget (which, if you think about it, is simply the funds we got for selling Keane in January and nothing else). I wonder if Rafa’s biggest critics on these pages – we all know who they are - who have claimed that this season has been a "disappointment" and that Rafa "cost us the title" ever stop to think that they are living 30 years in the past. Yes, we’re a big club in terms of turnover (top 10 in the world) but we’re now in a position where we can get outbid by Spurs, Villa, and Arsenal - not to mention Manchester City, Chelsea and Man United. Last summer Rafa spent less in net terms than the managers of Sunderland and Stoke City; and not even half of that spent by Aston Villa. I’d love Rafa’s critics to tell me how they expect us to compete over a full season? When United had £55m of striker talent on the bench last night; when Chelsea are launching a £45m bid for Frank Ribery? We are punching above our financial weight at the moment, and it’s going to get worse as the nouveaux riches clubs continue to flex their muscles. It’s all very well saying we won’t get into bidding wars and players have to want to come here – that may work with some english players, like Gareth Barry whom I’m sure would choose us above Man City or Spurs, but how is that going to work with foreign stars without loyalty to the club? Why should they come to us when other teams offer bigger wages? Why should their clubs accept our offers when teams like Chelsea or Man City can outbid us easily? Yes, we can be smarter in the market (and I think Rafa should overhaul our scouting department, starting with Macia!); yes, we can develop our own talent like Barca. I’m not saying we should be defeatist. But the biggest danger is the sense of entitlement that so many of our fans have, harking back to the glory days. We consider ourselves to be a massive club. In some ways of course we are, but off the pitch we are not, and haven’t been for 20 years - and the takeover hasn’t arrested that decline (thanks DM). It would be a miracle for us to win the league at the moment, and yet Rafa very nearly carried that off this year. But for as long as many of the fans continue to treat the title as our birthright and act like spoilt brats, failing to acknowledge the real progress that we’ve seen this season, then we’re only going to fall further behind. Remember too that unrealistic expectations are what lie behind Newcastle's descent...

Which player between Lavezzi or Tevez would you prefer Liverpool to sign this summer?

OUT: Alonso, Dossena, Degen, Pennant, Itandje. IN: Lavezzi, Barry, Johnson. It would certainly help us get at bit more english, but would it improve the team? To me, the answer is very clear.