Reina and Itanje - I'd put Martin in as reserve goallie and get rid of Itanje. Carson obviously isn't prepared to wait so there's two GK to be sold.

RB _ Finnan and Arbeloa - Keep them

CD - Carra, Agger, Skrtel, Hyypia - Sami would love to see him stay on in coaching role but feel he'll be on his way this summer.

LB Riise, Aurelio - would sell both unfortunately. JAR just hasn't been the same for about 9 months now, he needs a new challenge and we need a new LB and Insua as back up.

RM - Pennant, Benayoun....sell Benayoun and keep Pennant as back up. Top tier signing needed in this position.

CM Gerrard, Alonso, Lucas, Mascherano.....sign Masch. Lucas and Alonso as back up or sell Xabi and have a couple of the reserves as Back up.

LM - Kewell, Babel.........Kewell to go and another top tier LM to be brought in allowing Babel to play up front with Torres.

Forwards: Torres, Kuyt, Crouch, Voronin........Crouch (he doesn't look interested) and Voronin to go. Keep Kuyt for his hard work and 100% effort but use babel up front unless we can get Villa.

To go

Itanje
Sami
Riise
Aurelio
Benayoun
Kewell
Alonso
Crouch
Voronin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008:02:19:12:16:03 by Reds.

Intanje is a liability ,Aurelio always injured, JAR yep struggled all season .Big SAMMI will go with honours what a player hes been.Veroin simply wasnt good enough.People should remember although Rafa bought these players they were 3rd 4th choice i still believe if he had the spending power of our competitors we would have our 19 th title by now.We need width we known this for 3 years now but havnt had the clout to buy top drawer.

I feel a big clear out is needed which tells us or at least me that the squad wasn't good enough in the first place.

Out for me go:

Finnan (possibly, maybe keep for back up)
Itanje (Bring back Carson)
Sami (Lost it over a year ago)
Riise (Would stuggle to get in an amature side at present)
Aurelio (As above)
Kewell (Kept him two years longer than we should)
Alonso (Looks like he just wants his pay cheque)
Voronin (Ok as a sub but never threatens for first team)
Kuyt (Can't pass, hold the ball up, or score, just runs around alot)

Lucas I would give another season and if not proved himself by then get shot.
The others get to stay.

Benayoun I would keep. He's been our most dangerous player at times.
Crouch probably doesn't look interested because he's been treated as a leper. I would keep him and give him the run in the side he deserves.

Personally I'm p155ed off at Rafa as well.
Rotation I've gone over before (you might remember) but his substitutions leave me bewildered along with his team selections.

I think its an excuse to say his signings are his 3rd and 4th choice.
Were Paul Jewell's signings his first choice if he had more money?

If he's not interested in the cup, throw in the towel in round 3.
When was it the Liverpool way not to give a toss about an historical cup competition?

If we lose to Inter, our sesaon is over in February. Oh sorry I forgot, we have a battle for 4th spot.

Quote:

Captain Spunktrumpet
If we lose to Inter, our sesaon is over in February. Oh sorry I forgot, we have a battle for 4th spot.

Not if, when Spunky

Our season was over in November Cap, that's when this season became a write off.

Benayoun, not sure really.....

Crouch has had quite a few chances this season and failed to reach the form he had last season. If he doesn't like rotation, then fine, leave but don't get the chance and look disinterested. Same applies to anyone else who doesn't like rotation. Players I mean Cap...

Nobtoon wrote:

Not if, when Spunky

You said that before when we played Barca, Juventus, etc, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah.
And probably because someone else told you to say it as well.


Kate, there isn't one player in the world who likes rotation. They want to play in every match.
I really can't bame Crouch for looking disinterested. He scores good important goals and then gets dropped.

Its not really even rotation because Kuyt plays far more matches, yet has a poorer goal tally, can't hold the ball or pass as good as Crouch.

Heard around here a few months ago that Crouch was getting too big for his boots.

See what I did there.hehehe

Seriosly though, Crouch is looking for a bigger contract than we're willing to offer and has been refusing to sign it for months.

Think rafa has ta be brave now or else,

Itanje, ( I don't think that bad meself, wheres me tin hat... )

To go, or put in reserves.

Aurelio ( not strong enough )
Risse ( to many mistakes, not interested)
Finnan ( put in reserves, keeps getting caught out of position & putting to much pressure on carra.
Kuyt ( waste of space, runs around in circles sell him)
veronin ( must go, overweight & got girlie hair)

To stay
for me crouch, Yossi, Kewell, Pennant give them regular first team games & I think they will perform

Look in the reserves, we supposed ta be grooming players for the future. Bring some of them in that has passion for the Red shirt.

The fact then that he is wanting to stay longer at the club shows he is not only interested but loves it here.

He needs a decent run in the side....with bigger boots.

Heard the same stories about Crouch fallen out with Rafa over his attitde on his contract.Benayoun id give more time hes not a winger more of a Beadsly role would suit.Not sure what your getting at Capt with Jewell .To easy to blame Rafa with Barnsly the team he picked was well strong enough some of them players should hang their heads in shame although will blame him for resting Reina no need.Rotation rotation the media keep beating Rafa over the haed but he does try to keep the same spine barring injuries as all the top teams do.Ithink Rafa will be furious were out of the FAcup he knows the prestige it holds with the fans and the last thing he needs now is upsetting th very people who are keeping him in his job. We have been linked and chased numerous wide men Alves,Montini but not had the clout to get them.

Carra, what I mean is virtually every manager in the PL if not the world bar a few, get knock backs from players, or are not given the money to purchase them.
If they buy someone else, they can all say they wasn't their first choice signing.

Put yourself in Crouchy's position.
You score goals for your club and become an England regular also scoring at a good rate. Confidence is and should be high.
All of a sudden you're bench warming, with your club and international place in jeopardy, while you watch a headless chicken run around in your place, knowing that even if you do get on for the last ten minutes and score the winner, you will be back on the bench again next week.
I'd be p155ed off, wouldn't you?

Poi9nt taken Capt but somethings gone on with Rafa dont forget Rafa backed him to the hilt when he first come he couldnt buy a goal.It doesnt add up.Rafa wanted ETO after Athens he was keen to come but the money wasnt their,remember Simoa, Vidic .Pennent was forced upon him because thats what we could afford.

Agree that something don't add up carra.
The way it looks, Crouch has a better chance of playing if he doesn't score.

I know its fraustrating not getting a player we go after for whatever reason, but it can't be held as an excuse to how things have gone. (I'm sure Rafa wouldn't use it as one).

Vidic was £7m and we just spent £6m on Skrtel so not what went wrong there.
Pennant has proved to be a terrific 3rd/4th choice though.

We were in for Vidic at 5 million and he was happy to come. United came in with a higher bid and Liverpool wouldn't go that bit higher at that time.

Dani Alves practically begging to come.......Liverpool wouldn't give more than 10 million, price was 12.

Simaeo, same couple of million short.....


I'd just like to see Rafa get at least one more season with real backing and see how it goes. The ressies are top of the league and that hasn't happened for a long time, they are also very young. and that's with about 8 out on loan. 7 subs allowed next season, which gives us the opportunity to put the young ones on the bench.

Not excusing the board, but I presume with Vidic they thought it would turn into a bidding war. Squeeky bums.

Alves agreed we should have got. He wanted to come and there was no competition either.

With Simaeo, they were just being gready @#$%&. They put the price up last minute.

I too want to see Rafa here next season, as builing a side takes 3-5 years but I don't think he does himself any favours at times.

He makes mistakes but i do think hes been under loads of pressure especially since the fall out with Paco this was his right hand man for over 10 years .He cant carry on the way he is hes good but not superman.It might well of been his fault the fall out we dont know but he needs someone along side to help.

He only has to ask

No chance id blow u right out of the water, splitter

Great post Crow, can I put it up as an article?

Yeah no probs Kate! Sorry about the mention of ManU at the end of the post though. I just feel that if Liverpool are ever going to win the league they need to be following a particular example and at this moment in time ManU unfortunately are that example.

Kewell has to go but whatever happened to the young lad Anderson???

Out on loan at Swansea Pete.

Ta Crow, will put that up on the morning. No problems with honest opinions mate.......

The only points I would disagree about your post Crow are, firstly keep Crouch.
He's improved so much and a different option that many sides find hard to handle.

Also I think Babel belongs on the wings. His pace and his ability to beat players makes him ideal for that. He has also scored quite a few goals from that position.
Our weakness too many times from an attacking point of view has been the lack of midfielders/wingers going past the attack.
Remember how Case, Barnes, Heighway, Souness, McDermott etc etc got beyond the forward line. Only Gerrard really does this now.

Much of the other I agree with, which leaves us with a bit of spending to do.

Breaks my heart but Alonso even accounting for his injuries is not the player he was.Crouch id keep but thats if he still up for it .Its the flanks we need to invest in wether attacking pacey full backs or a class outside left.Babel has bags of talent but is not a natural winger keeps cutting inside.Me thinks Aggers loss has been a huge blow as he changes the whole dynamic of the team i doubt we would be having half this bother if hed been fit. Great piece crow lets have more

good discussion this...

for me, i'd be building the team around babel and torres. Ive no time for steven giving the ball away anymore.. sometimes this season its just been silly, balls that have to be absolutely pinpoint and that the runner needs some serious mind reading abilites...

the hollywood balls are getting a bit out of hand...
as carra says above, you dont realise how good agger is until hes missing...
sami, whilst i love him to bits looks like he used to play conkers with god when they were boys...

rafa has bought some cracking players, but if we are being truly honest a few lemons too..
But if theres one thing ive learnt from being slightly involved with rugby agents, its that some clubs think they are getting one thing, and then something comepletely different arrives..
aside from Pepe we have real problems at goalie...
if crouchy is mucking us about with a contract shoe him the door, same goes for anyone, Rafa made an example of Owen and murphy, no one should be safe in my opinon, the club comes first and noone is untouchable...

at least thats how it should be.

Ive given rafa credit in the past for giving pennant a second chance in the game, he has repayed rafas faith in my opinon. Harry Kewell continues to frustrate, his legs are gone. A good friend and devout leeds fan once told me that he plays well once amonth and the rest of the time you have to put up with a pouty diva. Ive still not seen anything that shows me it to different...

We do have serious problems on the left hand side, i genuinely belive that babel ha been outthere because we dont have many other options. I dont trust aurelio as far as i could throw him, he's not interested in 50/50s and while his touch is good, i doubt he quite understands whats expected of a premiership fullback. Lucas, like litle luis, looks lightweight in the prem, but tidy in flashes in the CL. When you take away the wondergoals from ginge, what exactly do you have? Anyone else noticed him being marked on the edges of the box? rarely does he find the space for a strike if its not given to him,

Ive no time for veronin, i honestly thought he was a right winger when he came in, but no, this is not his level,,,
he'd be a belting player for someone like bolton or blackburn mind, Kuyt? well hes been given more loyalty than anyone ive seen in the premiership this century.. but im afraid that while he works hard, just like emile before him, the rapier is always more affective than the bludgeon.

its hard for me, as i can remember when lads were bought in and you wouldnt see them for 18 months, they were in the reserves and they were taught to play our way....
this certainly doesnt happen anymore, i cant even genuinely sit down in the pub with mates and say "this is the way we play"
while its important to be adaptable in the modern game, at what cost does it come ?
personally i couldnt give a @#$%& so long as we get the reuslt, but the pragmatism has to be balenced out. and its not. cos we dont have the players who can bring that balance. either we have lads who run around like headless chickens, lads who give the ball away,lads who want to play the ball out of trouble on the edge of the box, lads who want to walk the ball into the back of the net...

just stop @#$%& about and play one way...
i dont really care what way, the wiinning way i spose..

we have a handfull of guys who we should buliding the team around in my opinon...
agger, masch, babs and torres...

everyone else needs to have a long hard look at themselves.. including rafa..


My opinion of Philipe St.Andre's recruitment policy
COYSDC End of season poll 08
Wear your colours

Sounds like one of my rants.

had to get it off me chest capt.


My opinion of Philipe St.Andre's recruitment policy
COYSDC End of season poll 08
Wear your colours

Too right Rob.

To much going on off he pitch, covering the fact we've been a shambles on it.

Little tweaks with the team are no longer needed. Its major service time methinks.

What was the deal with Benitez assistant anyway? I think thats the root of your problems on the field. After he left it wasnt long til the demise started.

From an outsider looking in, i think you need a lot more passion and desire on the pitch and thats something you cant sign in the transfer window. Liverpool are going down with a whimper and even Rafa doesnt show any passion in his interviews (from what ive seen). Its all good and well getting rid of dead wood and bringing in new recruits, but you need the desire and passion back in to the squad.

I think players like Benayoun, who a few of you have spoken about getting rid off, gives that in the games i have seen so he would need to stay imo. He wants to play for the shirt and gives 100% in every game, just look when he signed that he didnt go for the money but the desire to play for the club, It shows in his performances and thats what you need at the minute.

Anyway, thats just my thoughts. Personally, i hope you continue to slip and slide


Making defences look like t!ts all season long




Follow Follow Follow Coz United Are Going To Moscow!!

I definitely agree with many of the above posts regarding Agger. As they say a good attack starts from the back and Agger has that ability whether its with a MEANINGFUL pass or bringing the ball over the halfway line, something that Sami and Carra unfortunately have never been capable of doing. To be honest I think that Reina's clever and quick distribution compliments Agger's style.

Obviously Sami is not quite the defender he once was and will probably leave at the end of the season, but let's show our appreciation for a guy who in my opinion has changed the fortunes of our team arguably more than anyone else. Roll back to 1998/99, we finished 7th in the league with a very decent attack but with a defence that was the Premiership's laughing stock. Sami was brought in at the beginning of the 1999/2000 season and by May we had the BEST defence in the league, and I'm sure that defenders like Carra wouldn't be the players they are today without him.

Anyway, back to the team. There has been plenty of debate over who out of Masch and Xabi should partner Stevie in centre midfield, but in this debate I feel we should ask this question: if we want to make a sustainable title challenge who is more ideal? We have Masch, not a creative genius by any means but a grafter in every sense of the word and one who can at least keep possession of the ball. He's happy to then keep his position while Stevie et al do the business in the final third of the pitch. And then there's Alonso, an intelligent passer of the ball but very inconsistent in his performances and doesn't win possession back in the way that Masch can. Furthermore, Alonso and Stevie in my opinion don't work well together. Every time I see them together they look as if they are having their own personal battle over who has the right to dictate the play, and for me that can only be Stevie's job once you bear in mind his superiority in terms of consistency, goals, assists, and the ability to run with the ball. If it had been Alonso partnering Gerrard in the Chelsea game instead of Masch we would have lost about 2 or 3-nil. In away matches, Masch has the ability to quieten the opposition, Alonso can't do that.

Elsewhere, left wing is a big problem. We really need a world-class left-winger who's not injury prone. If that fails to happen, why not give Hammill or Anderson a chance to show what they can do.

As for the striker position, I can't help but to think that Robbie Keane would fit perfectly into our style and be a good link between Stevie and Torres. Think of the formation that ManU use, with three midfielders and two attacking midfielders/forwards supporting the main striker. I could imagine Keane and Babel giving Torres that kind of support with Stevie, Masch and someone else keeping everything together in midfield. Who knows maybe this kind of formation could even bring the best out of Alonso. Some food for thought there.

1. Itandje
2. Riise
3. Kewell
4. Voronin
5. Kuyt
6. Hyppia
7. Crouch