Topic: Players signed by Rafael Benitez

[NineTails20]

Mr. Ferguson isn't even fit to lick the boots of the likes of Busby, Shankly, Stein or Paisley. He'd be blessed to have even a minute amount of their talent.

The only talents that pisshead has are taking whining up to incredible levels, and downing a crate of Toilet Duck in less than three hours.

[The Bill Hicks Appreciation Society]

It's funny I first saw BHB's article on Facebook and I added this comment

Stop using facts to prove your point Antoine, we want Benitez out and no amount of common sense or convincing arguments based on truth will stop us getting what we want. to paraphrase Stephen Patrick: "Kneeeeeeejerkers of the wooooorld, unite and take over"

I wasn't even fishing but now I'm getting grief from pro-rafa fans!

we want him out who is we...cos most of the lads round here are behind him...in rafa us scousers trust!!!

are you a blue nose as you sound like one when the going gets tuff the blue shite scream for the managers head and when they are winning he is the best thing since sliced bread are you that kind of supporter coz you sure sond like one i bet you sing his name on match day when were winning

are people really that dumb?

[The 5th Benitle]

Quite utterly ridiculous and showing you know very little.
How do you count half of those United players as flops?

Wellbeck -useful, on a par with N'gog surely

I'll give you that

Obertan - an excellent prospect, very talented and just 20

Jury's out surely. One game? Plus he looks like a cartoon character.

Anderson - Gone off the boil a little, still a great little player. (Rather have him than Lucas?)

I certainly fucking wouldn't. He's gash, and Lucas has overtaken him by a mile recently.

Nani - A disappointment, yet a proper wide man, offers far more threat than Kuyt

Er, excuse me? Remind me who was the second most productive wide player last season after Ronaldo? Yes, Dirk Kuyt. Nani produces little more than nothing.

Valencia - We were interested, judging him on the amount of appearances he's made so far seems stupid

Fair enough, decent buy. But hang on, aren't you doing just that, judging on very few appearances but in a positive way, with Obertan?

O'Shea - Not a bad defender by any means (Remind me how much he cost again?)

Fine, decent squad player, give you that.

Foster - Their Carson perhaps. Cheaper than Cavalieri

Was he? Some high profile mistakes recently and the word is that Taggart wants rid.
 
 

[SmithyTheRed]

Top post .. papers should pick this up instead of the usual sensational one sided money spent over the 5 years tripe..

[tommo77]

What a brilliant post..! But unfortunately you wont hear the tits on the tv and radio like Stan Collymore etc saying anything like you have wrote. Talksport is the anti-Rafa station and they wont be happy till he has gone..
I for one was aware just how good Rafa has been in the transfer market, but didnt know the full extent of just how good till I read your post. Well done for pointing this out.

[Gnurglan]

Okay, then what about Pennant, Gonzalez, Zenden, Barragan, kromkamp, Josemi, Morientes, Garcia.

Couldnt have spent more than two seasons at your club a piece, this CANNOT be done, it just doesn't work, make excuses all you like but you cant keep changing your team like that.

And the ones who've come in lately, Krygiakos, Riera, Babel, N'gog, Dossena, Lucas? are these some sort of vast improvements of the players I mentioned above? I THINK NOT.
Rafa is just replacing garbage with garbage.

Listen, you make too much of most of those signings. They were mainly signed for the purpose of squad balance. Ferguson has been with Man U forever and had already sorted that problem 15 years ago.

It's easy to say that those players cost this or that amount of money and could/should have been used on less signings of higher quality. But that is missing the point.

Example: when Rafa came, we didn't have even ONE natural player for RM. Kewell was the only attacking LM we had. So he got Nunez on the cheap for RM, so we had someone. Garcia was signed for multiple roles, including LM and RM. Nunez was quickly moved on and we got Pennant instead. 

Kyrgiakos is another example. With Carra, Skrtel and Agger as our CBs, we had a choice to make when Sami left. Either rely on the untried Ayala as 4th choice CB, or get an experienced backup in. We chose to get the experienced backup in. Kyrgiakos. Right or wrong, you can't really blame Rafa for spending 1M on an experienced backup given Agger's history of injuries. And you can't really expect him to spend 5-10M for a 4th choice CB, when the first three served us so well last season.

All is not perfect, but sometimes you need to place the signings in a perspective.

[wz4jc3]

Wonderful post and shows how things really are under the great man.  Agree, there may be a couple of minor inaccuracies, but top effort and research there. Well done.

[halos]

I'm at once shocked at how much money we spent that first season the Yanks were here, and similarly horrified at how little we've actually spent since.

it's the american way...  get a loan to buy a new house, tack on $50,000 to buy new furniture and a few jet-ski's, 3 years later you are getting killed by the interest payments and trying to convince prospective buyers that the house is now worth more than what you bought it for...

anyone do a similar analysis of the wage bills for the big clubs?

[Shreddy]

Okay, then what about Pennant, Gonzalez, Zenden, Barragan, kromkamp, Josemi, Morientes, Garcia.

Couldnt have spent more than two seasons at your club a piece, this CANNOT be done, it just doesn't work, make excuses all you like but you cant keep changing your team like that.

And the ones who've come in lately, Krygiakos, Riera, Babel, N'gog, Dossena, Lucas? are these some sort of vast improvements of the players I mentioned above? I THINK NOT.
Rafa is just replacing garbage with garbage.

you know what i like about you manc. you always talk about liverpool this liverpool that even know pathetic songs is about us. please go fuck off to your forum or something talking about flops etc.. hmm lemme see.
Lets compare Nani to babel
Nani is for 18mil and babel is for what 11mil.
valencia for 18 mil and reira and beyanoun both are not even close to 18 mill and still are better than valencia
Berbatov. hmm dunno m8 do you think whisky nose will pay for me more if i am faster than him because am sure am faster then him.. 30mill Flop compare that to Fernando Torres.
Veron. for 30 mil and mascherano for 18mil. Veron is a Flop and Mascherano is captain of Argentina
you guys really think your the real deal but you guys only won matches 1-0 1-0 1-0 because of C.Ronaldo Freekicks. or else liverpool would have won the premier league last season.
you talk about youngsters etc..
well the only youngster ive seen from manu who played week in and week out against big teams is Evans
the others players play in carling cup 

[Varmenni]

Mr Ferguson ...
- The great man-manager who has the habit of publicly falling out with his star players.
- Who sells youngsters just before they turn into quality players.
- Who in a short time went through quite a few goalkeepers, losing money on most of them.

[Johnnyboy1973]

Nani - A disappointment, yet a proper wide man, offers far more threat than Kuyt

Ive left this thread recently but thought I would stop by to ridicule this and encourage you all to do so.

 

[Il Nina]

Ive left this thread recently but thought I would stop by to ridicule this and encourage you all to do so.

 

 

[The 5th Benitle]

Ive left this thread recently but thought I would stop by to ridicule this and encourage you all to do so.
 

I've done it already but wholeheartedly agree so here goes
 
 

[Paul JH]

I've done it already but wholeheartedly agree so here goes
 
 

Agreed! 

Even Nani is shocked by that one...



(yes, the 2nd time I've used that picture)

[The Bill Hicks Appreciation Society]

Ive left this thread recently but thought I would stop by to ridicule this and encourage you all to do so.

 

too good to pass up

 

[Johnnyboy1973]

Whilst we are in jolly mood another favourite of mine.

You can't excuse a weak squad on net spending...end of.

 

[The 5th Benitle]

Whilst we are in jolly mood another favourite of mine.
 

There are quite a few classics from today. Ironic that Paul JH posted that photo, as we've clearly been invaded by a horde of zombies.

[bravoco]

Mr Ferguson ...
- The great man-manager who has the habit of publicly falling out with his star players.
- Who sells youngsters just before they turn into quality players.
- Who in a short time went through quite a few goalkeepers, losing money on most of them.

I might be being unreasonably fair-minded about this, but I really don't think we need to get stuck into Ferguson. It seems petty and probably counterproductive - his record in recent years has been excellent.

[lukas]

Excellent post BHB enjoyed that.

[KiNki]

are people really that dumb?

alas yes.

I would have thought years on this forum would have taught you that.

Help a half wit spot irony, sarcasm, jest or mischief - add a smilie.

[tossinho]

Excellent post, might print it out and just produce it to shut people up when they start shiteing on about Rafa's transfers.

[J_M_C]

Thanks for posting BHB. Great read

[benny]

Just off the top of my head--Gerrard, Torres, Mascherano, Arbeloa, Alonso, Carragher, Agger, Aurelio, Crouch....the list really does go on.

When Bellamy left us and was getting interviewed sky kept at him,asking if he thought he was giving a fair go.They were fucking convinced he was gonna slaughter benitez,funny how the interview was cut short when bellamy replied"i've nothing but thanks for Mr Benitez he gave me a chance to play for me boyhood club,and i'm a better player now than when i joined"

[bravoco]

When Bellamy left us and was getting interviewed sky kept at him,asking if he thought he was giving a fair go.They were fucking convinced he was gonna slaughter benitez,funny how the interview was cut short when bellamy replied"i've nothing but thanks for Mr Benitez he gave me a chance to play for me boyhood club,and i'm a better player now than when i joined"

Great quote - never seen that before. Good on him.

[The Bill Hicks Appreciation Society]

When Bellamy left us and was getting interviewed sky kept at him,asking if he thought he was giving a fair go.They were fucking convinced he was gonna slaughter benitez,funny how the interview was cut short when bellamy replied"i've nothing but thanks for Mr Benitez he gave me a chance to play for me boyhood club,and i'm a better player now than when i joined"

Yeah I can't see what problem some people had with Craig he had a very similar attitude to god. My favourite Bellamyism was when he said "If I have to leave Liverpool for them to win the premier league then so be it" I might be paraphrasing a bit but that's the crux of it.

[Paul JH]

When Bellamy left us and was getting interviewed sky kept at him,asking if he thought he was giving a fair go.They were fucking convinced he was gonna slaughter benitez,funny how the interview was cut short when bellamy replied"i've nothing but thanks for Mr Benitez he gave me a chance to play for me boyhood club,and i'm a better player now than when i joined"

Also didn't celebrate when he scored against us after he left. Decent bloke. Gobby twat, but decent bloke. Good article in the paper about his foundation in Sierra Leone the other day too.

[WhiteHeat]

Out of interest, what was Houllier's net spend in his tenure compared to Rafa's? Also was Rafa's budgets in the three pre-seasons under Moores more than it was under Stadler and Waldorf?

Rafa has to be backed this season, a change would make fuck all difference. Klinsmann proved at Bayern he was out of his depth in a big club job.

[The Bill Hicks Appreciation Society]

Out of interest, what was Houllier's net spend in his tenure compared to Rafa's? Also was Rafa's budgets in the three pre-seasons under Moores more than it was under Stadler and Waldorf?

Rafa has to be backed this season, a change would make fuck all difference. Klinsmann proved at Bayern he was out of his depth in a big club job.

Total Buys 126,000,000

Total Sales 56,225,000

works out at about £11mil net per season.

source: Liverweb

[Fanxxxxtastic]

Marvelous post from BHB.

Thanks for a wonderful inciteful piece.

Should be posted to every newspaper and media concern.  Those fuckers need some educating.

[shanklyboy]

Yes. And you missed out Cisse.

I don't see the relevence of your 2005 comment.
That was the squad that finished the 03/04 season so Cisse wasn't there then but you can add a player that he didn't buy or want if you like.
I used that squad to highlight what Benitez was starting with.

[shanklyboy]

you missed cisse and steve warnock. Rafa couldn't convice owen to stay, he got nunez part ex, bought garcia and alonso.

At the end of his first season that squad won the champions league, finished fifth in the league. That squad was lacking real quality upfront (owen gone - cisse injured) and a reliable source of creativity down either or the wings (particularly the left wing - kewell shit, vlad going, garcia unreliable on either wing)  5 years on we still lack creativity down the wings and now the squad is paper thin. 

torres apart i dont really see a tremendous amount of improvement in the squad or the way we play.

Are you on a wind up Niki?

[stockdam]

Nice first post. The only thing I raised an eyebrow over was......


"Vladimir Smicer: .......... Played a small part in Istanbul."


A small part? He scored a fantastic goal. Ok so he was one of the more frustrating players at other times.

I think overall Rafa has done pretty well. One other thing that maybe I'd throw in. The bigger clubs with bigger money may have more money to spend on finding players but maybe that isn't true.

Of all the players that left, I'd like to have seen Crouch stay (yes I know why he left) but I think he would have been a very good option.

[KiNki]

Are you on a wind up Niki?

would i.

in terms of cohesive play i dont think we've progressed (much) in five years.

   

[shanklyboy]

would i.

in terms of cohesive play i dont think we've progressed (much) in five years.

What's your interpretation of cohesive play?

By the way, Warnock never played a game in the 03/04 season.
He took Cheyrou's 28 shirt the following season.

[SirRyanGiggs]

You replaced good squad players with poorer squad players while adding very little quality to the first team. We have some pretty average players, especially in the midfield but our core is still very strong and the likes of O'shea are not spectacular, but solid.

Its incredible how many players rolled in and out of the club with Benitez in charge, how can you establish stability and a proper pecking order when your manager favors quantity over quality? I know he only spent peanuts on some players but if you added up fees he paid for mediocre players you could buy some proper player that would actually improve your team, not just maintain the status quo.

[SadRed]

You replaced good squad players with poorer squad players while adding very little quality to the first team. We have some pretty average players, especially in the midfield but our core is still very strong and the likes of O'shea are not spectacular, but solid.

Its incredible how many players rolled in and out of the club with Benitez in charge, how can you establish stability and a proper pecking order when your manager favors quantity over quality? I know he only spent peanuts on some players but if you added up fees he paid for mediocre players you could buy some proper player that would actually improve your team, not just maintain the status quo.

Listen go and check please. It has been answered one hundered million billion times. The team was shit, he brought in new players from scratch, get a perspective, unlike united who HAVE an established core and only need to replace the ageing ones.

And neither have we had the cash to spend all at once. And neither will we be able to attract big players. Lets imagine - will Torres want to play when the team was say Diao Smicer Hamann Baros Cisse Traore Biscan and players like that? Or will we be able to attract top talent if we have built our squad like Alonso/Aquilani, Masch, Riera, Benayoun, Auerlio Johnson Agger Reina? Is it that hard to fathom?

Besides, we have never had the cash to spend over 10 million on a player - we missed out on so many players - because we had to cover two places, but never had funds like Villa, Alves, Vidic. So we buy, and sell make profits, buy again, sell make profit eg buy Bellamy, sell for profit. Buy Crouch, Sell for profit, Sell Cisse on loan and buy Torres. Thats the way the world works when you dont have 60 million to splash on Rooney and Berbatov and further 30 on Andersen and Nani and 20 on Tosic and Ljajic.

Get a perspective.

And oh Status Quo? Like finishing with 86 points? That would have won us the league any other season. Is that what you call status quo? Going from a shit team which played in Champions League 2005 to a team which has far better players than United Squad?

Lets see who would walk in the United team from the current liverpool squad -

Torres, Benayoun, Gerrard, Masch, Johnson, Reina and maybe Aquilani too. Not bad eh?

[shanklyboy]

You replaced good squad players with poorer squad players while adding very little quality to the first team. We have some pretty average players, especially in the midfield but our core is still very strong and the likes of O'shea are not spectacular, but solid.

Its incredible how many players rolled in and out of the club with Benitez in charge, how can you establish stability and a proper pecking order when your manager favors quantity over quality? I know he only spent peanuts on some players but if you added up fees he paid for mediocre players you could buy some proper player that would actually improve your team, not just maintain the status quo.

After 23 years at the helm Ferguson has just found a keeper to replace Schmeichel. I think at the last count it was 15.
The richest club in the world and you still have players like O'Shea, Neville and Brown in your squad?
Not to mention Scholes and Giggs who are the same ages as McManaman and Hamman.

My advice to you is to hope you don't come across Barcelona again in Europe and come back when you have won fuck all at the end of this season and Berbatov is still poncing around the pitch. When YOUR yanks are keeping hold of that £80 million you got for Ronaldo and you are moaning about the lack of quality in your squad and why you have wasted tens of millions on players who are not even in your first team squad.
To put things in perspective:
FERDINAND
CARRICK
BERBATOV
ROONEY
ANDERSON
NANI
HARGREAVES.

TOTAL COST = £159 Million.

The WHOLE of the 25 players in the Liverpool squad = £158 Million

Just hope that Ferguson actually rebuilds your team again before he retires, because if he doesn't mate..........you are up shit creek without a paddle.

Come back then and give us all the benefit of your wisdom.

[ThepepeReina]

You replaced good squad players with poorer squad players while adding very little quality to the first team. We have some pretty average players, especially in the midfield but our core is still very strong and the likes of O'shea are not spectacular, but solid.

Its incredible how many players rolled in and out of the club with Benitez in charge, how can you establish stability and a proper pecking order when your manager favors quantity over quality? I know he only spent peanuts on some players but if you added up fees he paid for mediocre players you could buy some proper player that would actually improve your team, not just maintain the status quo.

go on ur own site lad. united fans cant have an opinion cause they have no idea what its like to have their manager in a position where he cant just go out and spend 20 mill on a fringe player.

[Sean Mac Eggman]

i can honestly say, with or without reading this post,that if Rafa goes we really are fucked. even if we somehow we get a half decent kitty for 'Liverpool's next manager' they wont achieve half of what Rafa has.
The root of everything is those two tossers who are bleeding our club dry. 
I have been a staunch supporter of Rafa all along, and at the moment nothing has changed. IN RAFA WE TRUST!

[RJH]

You replaced good squad players with poorer squad players while adding very little quality to the first team

What an odd statement.

Who are these "good" squad players we've replaced?
I think the only area you could perhaps argue the squad is weaker than before Benitez arrived is in terms of strikers.

Also, adding very little quality to the first team?
Reina, Mascherano, Torres, Kuyt, Agger, Johnson?