Posted August 19, 200816 yr Rafa is starting his fifth season at Livafool, how many players has he brought in in those four years?
August 19, 200816 yr Players are nothing, he still hasn't explained what he's done to cause global warming, rising petrol prices, the credit crunch and what his role was in the death of Princess Diana.
August 19, 200816 yr Fernando Torres July 2007 26,000,000 Atletico Madrid Robbie Keane July 28 2008 19,000,000 Tottenham Hotspur Ryan Babel July 2007 11,500,000 Ajax Xabi Alonso August 20th 2004 10,750,000 Real Sociedad Dirk Kuyt August 18 2006 9,000,000 Feyenoord Andrea Dossena July 2008 8,000,000 Udinese Peter Crouch July 20th 2005 7,000,000 Southampton Lucas Leiva 11 May 2007 6,750,000 Gremio Jermaine Pennant July 26 2006 6,700,000 Birmingham City Martin Skrtel 11 January 2008 6,500,000 Zenit St Petersburg Craig Bellamy July 1st 2006 6,000,000 Blackburn Rovers Luis Garcia August 20th 2004 6,000,000 Barcelona Jose Reina July 4th 2005 6,000,000 Villareal Dan Agger January 2006 5,800,000 Brondby Mohammed Sissoko July 2005 5,600,000 Valencia Fernando Morientes January 2005 5,500,000 Real Madrid Yossi Benayoun July 2007 5,000,000 West Ham United Diego Cavalieri July 2008 4,000,000 Palmeiras Alvaro Arbeloa January 31 2007 2,600,000 Deportivo La Coruna Sebastian Leto July 2007 2,500,000 Lanus Jose Miguel Gonzalez Rey (Josemi) July 2004 2,000,000 CD Malaga Gabriel Paletta July 1st 2006 2,000,000 Banfield David Ngog July 24 2008 1,500,000 Paris St Germain Mark Gonzalez July 4th 2005 1,500,000 Albacete Scott Carson January 21st 2005 750,000 Leeds United Mikel San Jose July 2007 270,000 Athletic Bilbao David Martin January 2006 250,000 MK Dons Antonio Barragan July 4th 2005 240,000 Sevilla Besian Idrizaj August 2005 190,000 Linzer ASK Jack Hobbs August 2005 150,000 Lincoln City Alex Cooper January 2008 100,000 Ross County Alexander Kacaniklic June 2007 75,000 Helsingborgs Lauri Dalla Valle January 2008 0 Jippo Dani Pacheco July 2007 0 Barcelona Jan Kromkamp January 2006 0 Villareal Nikola Saric July 2008 0 Herfolge Nikolay Mihaylov July 2007 0 Levski Sofia Fabio Aurelio July 5 2006 0 Valencia Gary Mackay Steven June 2007 0 Ross County Andras Simon 27 May 2007 0 MTK Hungaria Krisztian Nemeth 27 May 2007 0 MTK Hungaria Emmanuel Mendy July 23 2008 0 Murcia Deportivo Mihail Alexandrov July 2007 0 CSKA Sofia Ryan Crowther July 2007 0 Stockport County Philipp Degen July 1 2008 0 Borussia Dortmund Mauricio Pellegrino January 2005 0 Valencia Ray Putterill June 2007 0 Trainee Gerardo Bruna September 2007 0 Real Madrid Damien Plessis August 2007 0 Lyon Peter Gulacsi July 2008 0 MTK Hungaria Antonio Nunez August 2004 0 Real Madrid Charles Itandje August 2007 0 Lens Vincent Lucas Weijl July 2008 0 AZ Alkmaar Boudewijn Zenden July 4th 2005 0 Middlesbrough Marvin Pourie July 2007 0 Borussia Dortmund Andriy Voronin July 2007 0 Bayer Leverkusen Robbie Fowler January 2006 0 Manchester City Ryan Flynn July 2006 0 Trainee Robbie Threlfall July 2006 0 Trainee Godwin Antwi August 2005 0 Real Zaragoza Javier Mascherano January 2007 0 West Ham United Miki Roque August 2005 0 Llieda Nabir El Zhar June 2006 0 St Etienne Mark Smyth June 2004 0 Trainee Jay Smith July 2005 0 Trainee Stephen Darby July 2006 0 Trainee Craig Lindfield July 2006 0 Trainee Adam Hammill January 2006 0 Trainee Danny Guthrie July 2005 0 Trainee David Mannix July 2004 0 Trainee Dave Roberts July 2006 0 Trainee Jay Spearing June 2007 0 Trainee Ryan Wilkie July 2005 0 Trainee Calum Woods January 2006 0 Trainee Paul Willis July 2005 0 Trainee Danny O'Donnell July 2005 0 Trainee Ramon Calliste August 2005 0 Manchester United Steve Irwin July 2008 0 Trainee Ronald Huth January 2007 0 Tacuary FC Jordy Brouwer January 2007 0 Ajax Francisco Manuel Duran January 2007 0 Malaga Emiliano Insua January 2007 0 Boca Juniors Lee Peltier July 2005 0 Trainee Martin Hansen June 2007 0 Trainee Paul Anderson January 2006 0 Hull City apparently.
August 19, 200816 yr There are a lot of people saying he will win the sack race this year. If they are out of the champions league and lose to man utd, us, and everton, I can definately see him getting the boot.
August 19, 200816 yr The staggering thing about that list is how many of them had only a few matches before they were gone. Kromkamp, Pellegrino, Morientes, Gonzalez, Carson, etc I think blueday has got a point. They will probably wreck Leige at home (on another famous European night ) but I really think the acrimony generated over Gareth Barry is enough to see fatty walk away if things turn sour. And they generally always do. He probably has the Klinsmann approach fresh in his head and would rather leave on his own terms than be dismissed. God help those loveable scousers, but Gillet and Hicks will probably need to drive to the stadium in tanks if they give fat Rafa the axe :lol:
August 19, 200816 yr I don't really get his transfers, he's made SOME good transfers. Alonso - Great Player Masch - Great defensive mid Torres - Don't even need to say anything Babel - Shows decent signs of class However, why the hell is he going for the likes of Gareth Barry? he needs a wide man to play on the Right wing. There fans know that, everyone knows that. Liverpool lack width, Dirk Kuyt ( if im honest i hate the guy with a passion ) is no winger, he's just a worker. Liverpool need width to challenge for the title and they want Gareth Barry. If Rafa can manage to sign Torres im sure he can sign a quality winger and not make a stupid mistake and let Alonso leave. I don't believe Liverpool will mount a challenge for the title and the top 3 will break away from them once again, which will Result in Rafas sack.
August 19, 200816 yr The funny thing about it is that as much as we hate to admit it, the Scousers really HAVE been only 2 or 3 quality players short of a serious title challenge every year that Fat Rafa has been in charge. But, it seems like they have absolutely no idea where exactly to improve the squad to make that happen. To me, it is pretty obvious that they have a good keeper and good centre backs, a very strong central midfield and a truely world class striker in Torres. But, they have no quality at all in the wide positions, or creativity through the centre, and their fullbacks are dodgy. It seems to me that Rafa is quite happy to blow serious money on the "spine" of the team (20 million for Keane, same for Barry etc.) but wants to stick to bargain buys and promising youngsters for the wide positions - where the squad is crying out for proven quality. But, hey, i'm not complaining. The longer they take to realise that they are treading water under Benitez, the better as far as i'm concerned. I'll be quite happy to see them bomb out in the league by Christmas again, and have a half-decent run in the Champion's League so that Rafa keeps his job - again.
August 20, 200816 yr The staggering thing about that list is how many of them had only a few matches before they were gone. Kromkamp, Pellegrino, Morientes, Gonzalez, Carson, etc He's another Houllier. Spent millions bringing in mediocre foreign journeymen, had a bit of success in the cups but still as far away as ever from winning the league.
August 20, 200816 yr Tom, you have hit it dead on. I once heard Benitez likened to a guy who would rather split a 20m pound kitty up on 10 young, unproven players than for one, true, class talent. For example, add up what they got for Riise, what they paid for Ngog and Dossena (who? I know) and that is most of the fee for David Silva paid for. THAT would be a player I would hate to see join the scousers I don't really get his transfers, he's made SOME good transfers.Alonso - Great Player Masch - Great defensive mid Torres - Don't even need to say anything Babel - Shows decent signs of class In all fairness, Sheva, Torres and Mascherano were two of the hottest properties in the world at that time and were virtually cant miss. Alonso, I will admit, is an excellent player who I would take on our team anyday, but already they want rid of him. Babel is a wait and see type. I would go so far as to day that Claudio was better at transfers than Fat Rafa
