Some interesting points in here (a response to an article):
I'm sorry? Rafa has spent a fortune? haha are you people real? Aquilani �20 million? Keane a great player? haha do you people even think for yourselves? How do you get dressed of a morning?
Right
Rafa has bought around 78 players in 6 seasons - a big amount I agree. But can you name even half of them? Or would it surprise you to learn that over 2/3 of these are STILL at the club. And that 2/3 of these are under the age of 23 and cost less than �5m each? Surprised?
For a club whose youth system was archaic to say the least and faltering under the impression that youth team meant the same as local team then Rafa's actions here were a godsend - its now on par with any in the Premier League with a host of top class youngsters sourced from all over the world rather than Kirkby, Ormskirk or Heswall. And it took him near 4 seasons to finally get full control of it!! Not the actions of a man who doesnt know what hes doing is it?
Oh and as for your other so called 'facts' (haha where did you get these from - the Star?) Aquilani cost �9m, we were still owed money for Crouch from Portsmouth so got Johnson for considerably less than the �20m reported. Torres cost �18 million. Keane was so good a striker that even Del Boy Redknapp saw him surplus to requirements at Spurs and hes now missing open goals and laughing about it at an embarasingly poor poor Celtic side - a side that wouldnt even compete in the Championship in England! Sells Alonso??? Alonso WANTED to go - and very nearly went to Arsenal too - why dont you read and discover these facts for yourself? Rafa bought him for what? �11m when no-one had heard of him, he was a great player for us and then is sold to the biggest club in the world for �25m. Not a sign of a man who doesnt know what hes doing.
Throw in the fact that Rafa had to pick someone to go to raise funds for signings the season before (the reason he was touted to Barcelona and why he fell out with Rafa int he first place) due to the fact the owners promised money never materialised, tne again - not the signs of someone who doesnt know what hes doing. Perhaps if we'd have bought Barry instead of Parry - who you all know had final say on transfers instead of a two time la liga winner (haha you couldnt make it up could you?) - then you can see the reason for my incredulity at some of these statements.
Getting back to parry - you know he bid �3million for Vidic when Rafa (advised by the Spanish players in his squad who played against him in Euro 2008 qualifiers) had personally watched him play around half a dozen times - only to fins out that Parry's bid was below the �4m buy-out clause and the amount Rafa WANTED to bid for him? Then Utd got him for �6m - alerted by our interest?
You did know this didnt you? Or the host of other top players for relatively little money we also wanted to bid for but Parry never sanctioned? Walcott? WIlshire?
You didnt know this?
Oh I am surprised.
Lets try this.
The fact that what money Rafa has been allowed to spend by the owners (contrary to their initial statements) he bought Maxi for �1.5m - the only amount he was allowed to spend from the massive profit he made on Alonso - and has given all the clubs top players extended contracts so as to ensure they stay here for the best part of their careers (or at least will cost a fortune for someone to sign) - all done with the clubs best LONG-TERM interests at heart - Reina, Gerrard, Mascherano, Johnson, Torres, Agger, Skrtel etc etc. Again - are these the actions of someone who doesnt know what they're doing?
Then theres the money spent argument. Again, most of these posts show little knowledge of the true nature of Perennial strugglers Liverpool's transfer dealings over the past 6 seasons. I'm not surprised at that lack of knowledge however, as most journalists sem to have a vendetta against Rafa that they conveniently ignore the following -
Rafa has spent around �250million in this time. This is true.
However, he has also received around �150 million in the same time period. Meaning he has a NET spend of around �100 million in his 5 and a bit seasons here. Again this might appear to be a lot but is actualy the lower end of the scale for what other top clubs have spent in the same period. Indeed lets look a little closer at that figure eh? In his time here Rafa has ensured qualification for the CL every season (apart from this one of course) of his tenure - something NONE of his predecessors did. Back then we were playing against the likes of Auxerre and Neuchatal Xamax etc and being humiliated by teams a little bit better than them. Now we hand out European beatings to the continents top clubs on a regular basis (apart from this season of course) - Barca, Milan, Inter, Juventus, Chelsea, Arsenal etc etc - we've beaten them all in Europe in the past 5 seasons - we have made two CL finals, a semi and a quarter-final in that time too. Hardly the actions of a man who deosnt know what hes doing.
With CL qualification of course - something RAfa has given us by his tactical awareness and skills in the transfer market - we have made around �20 million a season. NOW - REMEMBER THIS.
That equates to his total NET transfer spend in the same period.
In other words. The owners havent put a SINGLE cent of their own money into transfers other than that which Rafa has earned us.
Surprised? I thought you would be. Its not like the Mirror or the Star would go into such detail is it? THey just lampoon the manager they all love to hate and mention the word Lucas and all you so called football experts go mental.
What the manager needs is FAITH. Not vilification.
Still I'm happy that we won...It used to be that the winner of the Uefa cup made it into the Champs league? Does that still happen?
Yay!
