Liverpool 2010/11 Season Thread

[Jebus]

Benetiz desire not to start Benayoun early on was a joke, he was always on the bench despite possibly being the most creative player at the club.

Totally agree. Yossi is a player I admire hugely and he'd be in my starting eleven every time if I were in charge at Liverpool.

Quite surprised that anyone would be "okay" with Gerrard going though.

I still maintain that the problem is Rafa's insistence on the formation he plays. You can read Liverpool so easily because they don't really have a backup striker of note. Look at Chelsea the other day, Drogba on the bench came on and won it. Aside from Fernando Torres, who has Rafa brought in up front? N'Gog is an okay player who'd excell somewhere like our club, but Liverpool? I'm not convinced. Kuyt plays on the right now, Gerrard plays all over the place.

Even in the games that should be deems "easy" he plays Lucas and Masherano, why not drop Gerrard in there and play two strikers up front...ah...because he doesn't have two "strikers".

[nakamura]

Reina best keeper in the league since the day he arrived, brilliant player.

Benitez gets nowhere near the credit deserved for taking the plunge on Torres that other managers decided was not worth the gamble. Lots of eyebrows raised when he was signed, and more than one opinion piece in the papers suggesting he had over-paid for him.

I don't agree on Reina, he was a liablity for long periods being awful from crosses but he certainly has improved no end I will no deny that.
The Torres thing for me wasn't a gamble, he was clearly class in the making but fair play if you say eyebrows were raised as I don't remember.

[Jebus]

Agree again Nakumura, I don't rate Reina either and even I as a humble Bolton fan wouldn't swap keepers.

[nakamura]

Even in the games that should be deems "easy" he plays Lucas and Masherano, why not drop Gerrard in there and play two strikers up front...ah...because he doesn't have two "strikers".

It is this constantly negative style that makes me dislike Rafa, and watching Liverpool in general. Completely negative in any approach to a match, even the so called easier games. Its almost as if he plays for 1-0 wins all the time.

Why not even try with Ngog or Kuyt up with Torres? Gerrard and Masherano should be the centre pair with 2 on the wings.

[Jebus]

Even Babel, a player I thought could be big...I know he's been a let down but I wonder how many minutes he's had on the pitch on a consitent basis? I doubt it's many more than 110 or similar.

[SharkSkin-Man]

Torres often struggles with someone playing next to him. Even for the national team I think he looks better when Villa is not available and someone like Fabregas or Silva tucks in behind him.

We don't need a partner for him, but a more experienced replacement. But when your allocated transfer budget is ?0.00, that is quite hard to find.

[Jebus]

But when your allocated transfer budget is ?0.00, that is quite hard to find.

...and how much has Rafa spent on players that haven't made it? Is it just the clubs fault he has no budget?

[SharkSkin-Man]

His spending is in line with the other clubs at the top end of the league, and it lessens the further into his (and more pertinently the Americans) tenure you go. For example Martin O'Neill at Villa has spent more than Rafa in the same period.

And yes, the clubs budget and debt mis-management is the only reason behind the drop in the transfer pot, as the club has made significant gains in terms of money coming in during Rafa's time in charge...unfortunately it is all used to pay off our fantastic debt brought about by the leveraged purchase of the club.

[nakamura]

His spending is in line with the other clubs at the top end of the league, and it lessens the further into his (and more pertinently the Americans) tenure you go. For example Martin O'Neill at Villa has spent more than Rafa in the same period.

And Villa are a mid table team pushing for a champs league spot and Liverpool are a top 4 team pushing for a mid table spot!

























(sorry!)

[Jebus]

I think Martin O'Neil is a sharlatan, I also think far too many people forget quite how much money he has spent over his tenure at Villa.

I will say though, you cannot keep up unless you spend. Look at Bolton, when Allardyce left we tried doing it on the cheap...Sammy Lee, umpteen loanees and we were a nats whisker from going down.

Megson came in and spent more money that any manager in our history. Our board realised that the only way to keep going in this league is to spend more than you have. Look at Burnley, they refuse to spent over their means, and they are going down because of it.

In that respect, one could argue that Rafa has been let down by his club.

[nakamura]

I think Martin O'Neil is a sharlatan, I also think far too many people forget quite how much money he has spent over his tenure at Villa.

I have to agree with this. I have never been quite sure he is the master mind people seem to say he is.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Also, this whole thing highlights a big decision the club has to make.

This summer probably represents the last time Gerrard will command a big transfer fee. I think he's one of the best players to ever play for the club and when in form possibly the best all-round player in the world....but I think I would sell him for ?45m+ if there were any takers this summer.

I agree with you about this Summer being huge for the club in so many ways, but I'll just ask you this...

Do you really think that Statler & Waldorf would allow Rafa (or his "replacement") to have all of any significant monies gained from selling Gerrard (and/or Torres, dare I say it) to reinvest in the squad and team?

[thetrooper]

I have to agree with this. I have never been quite sure he is the master mind people seem to say he is.

If you're in doubt as to his abilities I can only suggest that you look at the plight of the clubs he has left.

Where exactly are Leicester at this moment in time? He took the club out of obscurity, established them as premiership side and even grabbed two league cups!

Celtic were a sorry joke as he took control in 2000; after a string of domestic honours and a narrow loss to Morinho's Porto in the 2003 UEFA cup final he left five years with an impressive record.

To call him a charlatan is silly.

[nakamura]

Maybe so but he still hasn't taken Villa much further and it looks like he may blow 4th yet again. Anyone who insists on Heskey up front is a buffoon.

[thetrooper]

Maybe so but he still hasn't taken Villa much further and it looks like he may blow 4th yet again. Anyone who insists on Heskey up front is a buffoon.

I believe that it is fair to say that he has simply raised the expectations of Aston Villa enormously fans since taking over.

I think you have to be a realistic when looking at how far he has taken the club; given the enormous wealth of other clubs and their already established squads, it is not an easy task to even make Villa top four contenders as well as putting together decent cup runs.

Heskey will always divide opinion among fans but Martin O'Neill wouldn't be the first established manager (both in domestic and international terms) to believe in his abilities.

Could a "buffoon" have scouted, tracked and signed Young, Milner and Agbonlahor?