Liverpool Rumours And General Discussion 2007/2008

jesus_thats_gre

el rabitos wrote: »

kewell*
yossi
riise*
arbeloa*
hyypia (purely down to age)
kuyt*
voronin
crouch
pennant*
aurelio
sissoko

Agree with everyone on that list bar Arbeloa. I think he is a very good defender and very good prospect for the future.

The majority of the rest are good enough to provide cover for what will eventually be a first team of the below (depending on how long it takes to sign players and if and when the money is forthcoming):

---

Reina

---

Finnan

---

Carra

---

Agger

---

new

---

Mascherano

---

---

Alonso

---

---new

---

Gerard

---

Babel---

---

Torres

---

or:

---

Reina

---

Finnan

---

Carra

---

Agger

---

new
new

---

Alonso

---

Gerard

---

new

---

Torres

---

new

---

Arbeloa could evtually replace Finnan depending on how Finnan copes as he gets older.

I am somewhat stumbling in trying to make by points but Rafa seems intent on having a squad of players that can go from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 from week to week. That is reflected in the type of players he has signed.

Pennant is an out and out right winger. Benayoun plays on the right side of an attacking midfield but is not a winger by any means. The same can be said about Kewell. We do not have a genuine out and out left winger but Riise or Aurelio will stick to the touchline. Babel is in the similer ilk to Benayoun and Kewell and can also player off the striker (just like Kewell).

Thus, rafa doing the following (when everyone is available):

---

Reina

---

Finnan

---

Carra

---

Agger

---

Arbeloa

---

Mascherano

---

---

Alonso

---

---Benayoun

---

Gerard

---

Kewell--

---

Torres

---

or:

---

Reina

---

Finnan

---

Carra

---

Agger

---

Arbeloa
Pennant

---

Alonso

---

Gerard

---

Kewell

---

Torres

---

Kuyt

---

He tends to improvise somewhat if someone is not available. The United match yesterday would have seen Pennant on the right wing is he was fit.

So, in the future, we will see the following (names may change slightly but I am doing my best to show where the current squad fits in):

First team: Backups:
Reina
Finnan...............Arbeloa
Carragher...........new
Agger................Hypia then Hobbs
new..................Riise. Aurelio could have been bought as the long term first team choice. Unlikely though.
new................Benayoun
new..................Pennant
Alonso...............Lucas
Mascherano........Sissoko
Gerard...............Lucas
new..................Leto
Babel................Kewell
Torres...............Kuyt
new..................Crouch


Have confused myself with that list but I think I have summed up what way I see Rafa going. Those marked as new are positions that will be filled with players of a higher quality to what we have available to us now.

~Rebel~

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

So, in the future, we will see the following (names may change slightly but I am doing my best to show where the current squad fits in):

First team: Backups:
Reina
Finnan...............Arbeloa
Carragher...........new
Agger................Hypia then Hobbs
new..................Riise. Aurelio could have been bought as the long term first team choice. Unlikely though.
new................Benayoun
new..................Pennant
Alonso...............Lucas
Mascherano........Sissoko
Gerard...............Lucas
new..................Leto
Babel................Kewell
Torres...............Kuyt
new..................Crouch


Have confused myself with that list but I think I have summed up what way I see Rafa going. Those marked as new are positions that will be filled with players of a higher quality to what we have available to us now.

I agree with most of that, we end up with a hell of a lot of wingers though!

The reason i mentioned above about selling some players is that we will have tonnes of backups if we'll say 2 new wingers come in. As backup to the 2 of them at the moment (leaving Babel out as he would be first choice under certain circumstances) we'd have Riise, Kewell, Pennant, Benayoun, Leto as well as Anderson and Hamill who have impressed on loan, not to mention El Zhar who can all function as 2nd or 3rd choice wingers, so we can really afford to let a few of them go.

Melion

Ok, now the thread is getting ridiculous. Why the hell would we sell Arbeloa??? He has been our best defender this season, very solid at the back and good going forward too.

~Rebel~

Melion wrote: »

Ok, now the thread is getting ridiculous. Why the hell would we sell Arbeloa??? He has been our best defender this season, very solid at the back and good going forward too.

Absolutely, very good acquisition, great to have someone solid that can play both left and right. With Finnan, it makes me pretty confident of our first choice of Arbeloa Left, Finnan right. If Finnan needs a rest, Arbeloa can easily shift and Aurelio and hopefully Insua soon are very capable deputies.

Chardee MacDennis

it would be great to see nemeth, lindifeld, insua and hobbs playing on wednesday.

but i reckon we'll end up with Hobbs and maybe Insua with Itandje, Finnan, Hyypia, Sissoko, Lucas, Leto, Voronin, Crouch and maybe the last 15 with Alonso and (big) maybe Agger. Who'll play right wing? Gerrard maybe?

it would be made to start Riise the way he's playing, give one of Auriello or Insua the start and keep it that way till he starts to get his best back.

just remembered Anderson is on loan, ah well!

just use the match to get player back to match fitness really. does anyone actually care about winning the tournament other than getting one over on Chelsea?

Melion

Really cant see there being many reserves played

~Rebel~

Melion wrote: »

Really cant see there being many reserves played

Im in 2 minds for this one. On the one hand, a win would be great to raise moral, but with that in mind, if we put out a strong team and dont win it would lower moral even further in a competition that doesn't matter in the slightest. I think i'd like to see a competition worthy of the competition, not crap altogether, but not the strongest, i.e Voro and Crouch up front, Momo and Lucas in mid, Leto and maybe El Zhar wide, Hobbs and Carra back with Insua and maybe Darby or Arbeloa at full back.

Melion

~Rebel~ wrote: »

Im in 2 minds for this one. On the one hand, a win would be great to raise moral, but with that in mind, if we put out a strong team and dont win it would lower moral even further in a competition that doesn't matter in the slightest. I think i'd like to see a competition worthy of the competition, not crap altogether, but not the strongest, i.e Voro and Crouch up front, Momo and Lucas in mid, Leto and maybe El Zhar wide, Hobbs and Carra back with Insua and maybe Darby or Arbeloa at full back.

Id like to see Spearing given a run more than most tbh

jesus_thats_gre

~Rebel~ wrote: »

I agree with most of that, we end up with a hell of a lot of wingers though!

The reason i mentioned above about selling some players is that we will have tonnes of backups if we'll say 2 new wingers come in. As backup to the 2 of them at the moment (leaving Babel out as he would be first choice under certain circumstances) we'd have Riise, Kewell, Pennant, Benayoun, Leto as well as Anderson and Hamill who have impressed on loan, not to mention El Zhar who can all function as 2nd or 3rd choice wingers, so we can really afford to let a few of them go.

Was expecting some sort of backlash after the way I went about explaining myself :P

Having plenty of options is not a problem in my opinion.

~Rebel~

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

Was expecting some sort of backlash after the way I went about explaining myself :P

Having plenty of options is not a problem in my opinion.

Dont get me wrong, options are great, but is anyone going to be content being 3rd or 4th choice in a position is the question. Also there may be an issue over wage budget and potential income from sales, but we wont see if these are factors in the 'new' liverpool for a while. I have a feeling they will be though.


As for Spearing Melion, I agree, the lad seems to really have something special about him. I do think it will be tough for Rafa to not start both Lucas and Sissoko though, mind you Momo might have moaned his way out of a spot in recent days.

Dont be at yourself

A really disappointing game. Neither team played well, United took their chance, Liverpool didn't and so we really deserved to lose. We were about as potent as Pele.

I've never subscribed to the notion that Kuyt doesnt deserve a place in the team, but he was shocking on Sunday. People go on about Sissoko ruining our attacks, but Kuyt wasnt much better! He had no pace, his touch was awful and his passing was wayward. It was only with Babel's introduction that we saw a spark up front. I hope Rafa strongly considers giving Babel more of a run-out in the team.

PHB

Dont get me wrong, options are great, but is anyone going to be content being 3rd or 4th choice in a position is the question.

That's all about planning though. Look at United on the wings. We have four wingers who can pretty much play on either side.
Giggs, Ronaldo, Park, Nani
Giggs - Old player realises he can't play every week
Ronaldo - Automatic starter for any game bar when he's being rested
Park - Natural and Happy squad player
Nani - Young player happy to wait for his chance.

Same thing in CB:
Ferdinand - Automatic starter
Vidic - Automatic Starter
Brown - Happy to cover here and play elsewhere if needed
Pique - Young player happy to wait for his chance.

You get a squad with depth and happy with who they are by serious planning.

jesus_thats_gre

Aye, does take along time indeed..

kida

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

Aye, does take along time indeed..

but does it? look at squad at United or Arsenal when Benitez took over vs what it is now?

Liverpool had 6 they have now(all of who play very regularly)
Carragher
Finnan
Gerrard
Kewell
Risse
Hypia

United have 10(prob 7 regulars -6 as Neville is prob finsihed)

Rooney
Ferdinand
Ronaldo
Neville
Scholes
Giggs
Brown

Saha
O'Shea
Sylvestre

astrofool

Maybe I missed it a couple of pages ago, but what's up with the stadium? It seems all but confirmed that the plans will be scaled back (leading to more delays to get them approved), but without saying what is being scaled back, the size, the design(?), the facilities around the stadium? All seems a bit bizarre.

PHB

That cool new design won't be happening. It's going back to the initial plans before the new owners, the Bowl shaped one I think. Gona be circa 70 I think.

dobsdave

PHB wrote: »

That cool new design won't be happening. It's going back to the initial plans before the new owners, the Bowl shaped one I think. Gona be circa 70 I think.

Latest design released in July wont be happening as it will cost too much,at the expense of team transfers.
The architects have been asked to enter new design,or at least a scaled back version, but with the 70k capacity.

Full story here:

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/

spockety

PHB wrote: »

That cool new design won't be happening. It's going back to the initial plans before the new owners, the Bowl shaped one I think. Gona be circa 70 I think.

It is not going back to the plans from years ago (the ParryBowl).

They have said it is going to be a scaled back version of the new plans that were shown in the summer.

They specifically have said that it will involve a single tier Kop, which was NOT part of the original plans from years ago.

LiverpoolEcho wrote:

N JULY this year a beaming Tom Hicks told a packed Anfield press conference that he had given the go-ahead to a world class stadium which would allow Liverpool to “compete with the Manchester Uniteds, Real Madrids and Barcelonas of the football world”.

The Texan millionaire was justifiably proud of the design by his favourite architects, Dallas-based HKS, which dazzled everyone present and caused huge excitement amongst the Liverpool fans.

Not only would the new stadium be unique, it would also service the financial requirements of a major European club for years to come.

Everything seemed perfect – a 76,000 capacity to allow more Liverpool fans than ever before to see the team play on a regular basis; vastly increased match day revenue to put the club on a more even footing with the likes of United; and a stunning architectural design the likes of which has never been seen before in this country.

But there was one big, insurmountable problem – it was simply too expensive for Liverpool to pay for it.


Forget talks of credit crunches and the sub prime crisis in the US making borrowing increasingly prohibitive, when it came down to it the HKS design was too expensive.

There were those within the club who feared as much in the first place but Hicks, in particular, remained confident that the stadium was deliverable, hence his pride at the launch presentation.

But when the cost of building the stadium and fitting it out reached a staggering £450m – despite initial estimates suggesting it would cost around £150m less – Hicks was forced to order a complete rethink. It was back to the drawing board.

The alternative was to plough ahead with the HKS design regardless, running the risk of having a white elephant of a stadium built which would have looked great but severely restricted the club's ability to compete in the transfer market.

And seeing as the avowed reason for building the stadium in the first place was to facilitate progress on the pitch, that was never going to be a realistic option.

Now the club is weighing up new plans submitted by HKS and Manchester firm AFL, both of which would allow for a capacity of around 70,000 at a more manageable price.

Chief executive Rick Parry has insisted that whichever set of plans is approved will give the fans something to be proud of and, as a qualified accountant, he will no doubt be delighted that more cost effective, if less ambitious, options are now being considered.

Significantly, plans for a single tier Kop – which Hicks was determined to incorporate into the design after seeing the world's most famous stand in all its glory during the Champions League clash with Barcelona last season – has been retained by both firms of architects.

There is no doubt within the corridors of power at Anfield that the new stadium will be built and there remains a great confidence that it will be ready for the start of the 2011/12 season.

Similarly, club chiefs are unshakeable in their belief that the stadium will be among the finest in Europe when it is completed.

The revised design submitted by HKS is believed to be only slightly dissimilar to the futuristic design which caused such excitement in the summer andAFL’s effort is understood to be a great improvement on their original effort.

But when decision time comes around in the New Year they will also be acutely aware that this time they have to get it right if they are to retain the confidence of the fans.

Another false dawn would be disastrous for the club and would leave Hicks and Gillett facing awkward questions about their stewardship of one of the biggest names in world football.

The Americans have shown their ambition and they have made all the right noises. Now they have to prove that they can deliver on their promises at a price which allows Liverpool to remain competitive in the transfer market and does not saddle them with the kind of debt which would stymie progress on the pitch.

It is a big ask but if Hicks and Gillett really want Liverpool to compete with the Man Uniteds, Real Madrids and Barcelonas of world football it is a challenge they must meet.

And should they do so, there is no reason why Tom Hicks cannot wear that beaming smile once again.

jesus_thats_gre

kida wrote: »

but does it? look at squad at United or Arsenal when Benitez took over vs what it is now?

Liverpool had 6 they have now(all of who play very regularly)
Carragher
Finnan
Gerrard
Kewell
Risse
Hypia

United have 10(prob 7 regulars -6 as Neville is prob finsihed)

Rooney
Ferdinand
Ronaldo
Neville
Scholes
Giggs
Brown

Saha
O'Shea
Sylvestre

Fair point. Look at how much the first 3 cost compared to any of the 3 of the Liverpool list though.. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to hold onto the money argument but it is worth considering with your point.

mike65

Gerrard out of tomorrows game with stomach bug according to fivelive.

Mike.

Jesus Wept

Rafa Benitez has defended his squad rotation policy explaining that if keeps the Burglars guessing as to who'll be home on match days.

Tusky

The-Rigger wrote: »

Rafa Benitez has defended his squad rotation policy explaining that if keeps the Burglars guessing as to who'll be home on match days.

That has been posted about 4 times in this very thread. Good job with the original joke amigo.

Mr Alan

PHB wrote: »

That cool new design won't be happening. It's going back to the initial plans before the new owners, the Bowl shaped one I think. Gona be circa 70 I think.

always so pessimistic with you man! its nothing like the original plans. its gonna be a slightly scaled back version. long as the essential things are the same . . . shape,proximity and elevation to pitch, single tier kop . . . it'll still be sweet.

Jesus Wept

Tusky wrote: »

That has been posted about 4 times in this very thread. Good job with the original joke amigo.

I didn't claim it as my own.

And I even read the thread. How did I miss it.

Tusky

mike65 wrote: »

Gerrard out of tomorrows game with stomach bug according to fivelive.

Mike.

Good, wouldnt really want him playing. He has been playing lots of games recently.

The-Rigger wrote: »

I didn't claim it as my own.

And I even read the thread. How did I miss it.

We'll let you off this time.

(joke thief)

kida

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

Fair point. Look at how much the first 3 cost compared to any of the 3 of the Liverpool list though.. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to hold onto the money argument but it is worth considering with your point.

theres also the problem that 13 players have been bought and then sold again

Dont be at yourself

theres also the problem that 13 players have been bought and then sold again

Most were passed on for a profit though. And at least they're not languishing in the reserves on crazy wages like so many of Houllier's flops were.

gucci

Not sure if this was posted before:

Can you name 5 players who have scored premiership goals for Liverpool whose surname end in "A"?

I got four pretty quickly but not the fifth and was kicking myself when i heard the answer!! Try it yourselves, Dont just give in and look at the answers

Alvaro Arbeloa
Sammi Hyypia
Luis Garcia
Nicolas Anelka
Titi Cammara

kida

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

Most were passed on for a profit though. And at least they're not languishing in the reserves on crazy wages like so many of Houllier's flops were.

but that type of buying doesn't help you build a top squad

~Rebel~

kida wrote: »

but that type of buying doesn't help you build a top squad

No but its necessary if you dont really have the money, which Rafa didn't before Hicks and Gilette. Yes he spent a lot but it was literally all the money the club had left so was spent on many players to raise the over all quality rather then all thrown together on on or 2 players who, if they flopped, the club would have been fcked.

Lets again remind ourselves that to buy Kuyt we had to get the chairman to pay out of his own pocket as the club simply couldn't afford him.

PHB

Actually, if you look at the transfer fees for Liverpool in terms of Rafa buying and selling players,
Of all the players he bought and then sold again, he has made a total loss of 1 million on them (just in terms of transfer fees)

Garcia - 6 mil
Josemi - 2 mil
Numez - 0
Pelligrino - 0
Morientes - 6.3 mil
Barragan - 0 (or something close to it)
Gonzalez - 4.5 mil
Bellamy - 6 mil
Fowler - 0

Then sold again for

Garcia - 2.7 mil
Josemi - 0
Numez - 0
Pelligrino - 0
Morientes - 3 mil
Barragan - 630,000
Gonzalez - 3.5 mil
Bellamy - 7.5 mil
Fowler - 0

mike65

You missed Kromkamp who was a swap with Josemi I thouight but is listed as a 4.3 million buy, and then sold on an undisclosed fee (reckoned to about 2 million).

Mike.

Jesus Wept

Link

Benitez had also been hopeful of concluding a deal for AC Milan defender Kakha Kaladze.


Anyone have a strong opinion on this player?
AC Milan paid €16m to bring him to Italy in 2001.

Tusky

PHB wrote: »

Actually, if you look at the transfer fees for Liverpool in terms of Rafa buying and selling players,
Of all the players he bought and then sold again, he has made a total loss of 1 million on them (just in terms of transfer fees)

Garcia - 6 mil
Josemi - 2 mil
Numez - 0
Pelligrino - 0
Morientes - 6.3 mil
Barragan - 0 (or something close to it)
Gonzalez - 4.5 mil
Bellamy - 6 mil
Fowler - 0

Then sold again for

Garcia - 2.7 mil
Josemi - 0
Numez - 0
Pelligrino - 0
Morientes - 3 mil
Barragan - 630,000
Gonzalez - 3.5 mil
Bellamy - 7.5 mil
Fowler - 0

Thats pretty good going in my opinion. He made some buys that he thought might work out, when they didn't, they didn't end up costing the club too much. Also, Carson is about to be sold for a lot more than was paid for him which will change the final figure a bit.

He has brought in some bargains - Arbeloa, Agger, Reina, Alonso and possibly Lucas but that it will depend on how he develops.

I think the real test for Rafa in the transfer market will be in the next couple of seasons, then he should be judged. Now that he has a really good squad he can concentrate on bringing in a couple of top quality players in our weaker positions rather than buying 6 or 7 players and having to spread the money around.

I think we will see a CB brought in in January and then hopefully a winger & striker of high quality in the summer.

zAbbo

Tusky wrote: »

I think we will see a CB brought in in January and then hopefully a winger & striker of high quality in the summer.

I think we've been saying that the past 2-3 years...

Hope he gets the go-ahead to bring in players, he's had a hell of a job building up the clubs youth players, and there are some decent young lads who could break through over the next few seasons

Mitch Connor

PHB wrote: »

Actually, if you look at the transfer fees for Liverpool in terms of Rafa buying and selling players,
Of all the players he bought and then sold again, he has made a total loss of 1 million on them (just in terms of transfer fees)

Garcia - 6 mil
Josemi - 2 mil
Numez - 0
Pelligrino - 0
Morientes - 6.3 mil
Barragan - 0 (or something close to it)
Gonzalez - 4.5 mil
Bellamy - 6 mil
Fowler - 0

Then sold again for

Garcia - 2.7 mil
Josemi - 0
Numez - 0
Pelligrino - 0
Morientes - 3 mil
Barragan - 630,000
Gonzalez - 3.5 mil
Bellamy - 7.5 mil
Fowler - 0

EH?

From your list, i make that 24.8 out and 17.33 in.... so a total loss of 7.47million. Where are you getting your 1million total loss?

prendy

EH?

From your list, i make that 24.8 out and 17.33 in.... so a total loss of 7.47million. Where are you getting your 1million total loss?

just about to say the same!

Tusky

zabbo wrote: »

I think we've been saying that the past 2-3 years...

Hope he gets the go-ahead to bring in players, he's had a hell of a job building up the clubs youth players, and there are some decent young lads who could break through over the next few seasons

I haven't been saying it for the past 2-3 years. Hes only been here 3.5 years and he didn't inherit a great squad so don't know how people could be saying that. Anyway, I think his recent signings have been for the most part, great.

Mascherano
Torres
Babel
Lucas

Benayoun & Voronin are of a much lower quality but both were cheap. Id like to see Voronin shipped off but Benayoun is a handy option to have from the bench.

I have a feeling Crouch, Sissoko & Carson will be sold soon enough for more than we paid for them also.

kaimera

Keep in mind it took Alex 7.odd years before he won the league; Rafa is only half way thru that

Tusky

On tonights game, Id like to see a young squad put out. The priorities have to be - League, Champions League, Fa Cup, Carling Cup. I think we have a good enough squad to put out a fairly decent second string.

---

Itandje

Finnan--Hobbs--Carragher--Aurelio

---

Alonso

---

Lucas---Sissoko
Babel

---

Leto

---

Crouch

My only worry would be that there isn't enough goals in the side with only Crouch & Babel posing a real threat. Ive heard that Gerrard, Yossi, Kewell & Kuyt haven't traveled.

The other option would be

---

Itandje

Finnan---Hobbs--Carragher---Aurelio

Babel

---

Alonso----Lucas

---

Leto

---

Voronin--Crouch

Id be very disappointed to see Torres feature...

leninbenjamin

kaimera wrote: »

Keep in mind it took Alex 7.odd years before he won the league; Rafa is only half way thru that

didn't Alex start off with a team that was much further down the pecking order though? i find it hard to make up my mind on Benitez myself. half the time i think he needs more time and money, but then you look at his flabbergasting rotation policies and think wtf?

~Rebel~

PHB wrote:

Actually, if you look at the transfer fees for Liverpool in terms of Rafa buying and selling players,
Of all the players he bought and then sold again, he has made a total loss of 1 million on them (just in terms of transfer fees)

Garcia - 6 mil
Josemi - 2 mil
Numez - 0
Pelligrino - 0
Morientes - 6.3 mil
Barragan - 0 (or something close to it)
Gonzalez - 4.5 mil
Bellamy - 6 mil
Fowler - 0

Then sold again for

Garcia - 2.7 mil
Josemi - 0
Numez - 0
Pelligrino - 0
Morientes - 3 mil
Barragan - 630,000
Gonzalez - 3.5 mil
Bellamy - 7.5 mil
Fowler - 0

A few mistakes here, Kromkamp as mentioned was brought in on a swap for Josemi, and was later sold for (as far as i can recall) 2 to 3 million, cant find any source for Any figure at all though.

Large mixup with Gonzalez also, he was brought in for 1.5mill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Gonz%C3%A1lez not the best source but this is the figure i remember from the time anyway) and was then sold for 4.2mill, not 3.5 ( http://www.skysports.com/football/player/0,19754,11847_265948,00.html ) so thats a pretty big swing right away.

I think you made a slight mistake when reading Barragan's sale and saw 6mill instead of 630,000) but in any case he was reportedly sold for 1.7mill http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_2383362,00.html

All which together, taking kromkamp sale as being equal to josemi's buy makes us about even. Not bad for also getting the use out of lots of these players (particularly Bellamy and Garcia) and then being able to trade up when the financial backing came in, without any real loss.

dobsdave

PHB wrote: »

Actually, if you look at the transfer fees for Liverpool in terms of Rafa buying and selling players,
Of all the players he bought and then sold again, he has made a total loss of 1 million on them (just in terms of transfer fees)

Garcia - 6 mil
Josemi - 2 mil
Numez - 0
Pelligrino - 0
Morientes - 6.3 mil
Barragan - 0 (or something close to it)
Gonzalez - 4.5 mil
Bellamy - 6 mil
Fowler - 0

Then sold again for

Garcia - 2.7 mil
Josemi - 0
Numez - 0
Pelligrino - 0
Morientes - 3 mil
Barragan - 630,000
Gonzalez - 3.5 mil
Bellamy - 7.5 mil
Fowler - 0

I thought we sold Garcia for more than we bought him for?
but that the 'actual' transfer fee was skewed to allow for the Torres transfer?

RE*AC*TOR

~Rebel~ wrote: »

A few mistakes here, Kromkamp as mentioned was brought in on a swap for Josemi, and was later sold for (as far as i can recall) 2 to 3 million, cant find any source for Any figure at all though.

Large mixup with Gonzalez also, he was brought in for 1.5mill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Gonz%C3%A1lez not the best source but this is the figure i remember from the time anyway) and was then sold for 4.2mill, not 3.5 ( http://www.skysports.com/football/player/0,19754,11847_265948,00.html ) so thats a pretty big swing right away.

I think you made a slight mistake when reading Barragan's sale and saw 6mill instead of 630,000) but in any case he was reportedly sold for 1.7mill http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_2383362,00.html

don't let facts get in the way of a good rant....

PHB

Right abot the maths Tauren, darn excel screwing me over again

Defo some mistakes worth fixing, some though not so much. I'm going from soccerbase for the Gonzalez in transfer, and it confirms the thing about 4.2 being the sold cost. However for the purchase fee it confirms 4.5 million.

As for Barragan, soccer base say 6800000, and also http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/5160802.stm

Kromkamp is open to much dispute, but I can't really find anything specific anywhere.

As such including recalculations, and Kromkamp getting a 2 million fee, the net spend on these players was 4.7 million.

mike65

Thats a sum most prem and some Championship clubs would be comfortable enough with I think!

I think the first selection by Tusky looks likely bar Finnan who isn't fit last I read, so Arbeloa in I guess. Would'nt be suprised to see Riise on the left.

edit No Torres

Mike.

dc69

this is the team i would like to see tonight,although i reckon chelsea will play nearly a full team!

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Itanje

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Finnan/insua

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Carra

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hobbs

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aurelio
Kewell

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Alonso

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Lucas

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Leto

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Crouch

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Babel

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any game time kewell gets is good,cause he is still recovering,lucas and xabi will be interesting,one can go foward and one stay as needs be.leto im not to sure about tbh.Itanje is dodgy but desrves his chance.Babel is a striker who should be played up front for these matches to show his talent.Hobbs looks good,im not sure if finnan is injured,I dont know whether insua can play rb,if he can stick him in there

but if chelse play a full team(they dont seem to have many youngsters they are willing to play,they dont need them as they just buy the players when they are good ) then this team might be to weak

emc2

dc69 wrote: »

this is the team i would like to see tonight,although i reckon chelsea will play nearly a full team!

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Itanje

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Finnan/insua

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Carra

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hobbs

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aurelio
Leto

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Alonso

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Lucas

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kewell

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Crouch

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Babel

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Is Insua not a left back, I would like to see him get a start tonight but reckon aurelio and Arbeloa will start as full backs.

I think Babel needs a start up front too.

dc69

emc2 wrote: »

Is Insua not a left back, I would like to see him get a start tonight but reckon aurelio and Arbeloa will start as full backs.

I think Babel needs a start up front too.

yeah insua is a left back,i said in my post that i didnt know whether he can play rb.Aurelio is a player i like i hope he plays,at least someone agrees with me about playing babel as a striker,although in this video in some parts he is playing as a striker in a diamond

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1nK8k8Mrcg

wish rafa would let him do his backflip lol

~Rebel~

For the back 4, with Finnan being injured, I think we're bound to see Arbeloa start on the right. We saw in Hobbs last game that Rafa built the team around protecting him. He played a 3 man midfield and had Carra play on the left side of CB. I expect a 2 man MF tonight, in Alonso and Lucas, but I still think Carra will play left side of CB and to allow Hobbs to play where he is most comfortable, which is right sided CB, Arbeloa will play RB. Darby is the only other viable option and it wouldn't make sense to have 2 newbies on one side.

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Itandje
Arbeloa--Hobbs--Carra--Aurelio
Babel----Alonso--Lucas--Leto

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Voronin--Crouch

though i wouldn't be amazed to see Torres start with Voronin coming on from the bench. Chelsea only have Ben Haim and Alex at CB and they can definately be got at. I think Rafa could start strong, try and get a goal or 2 with torres and crouch and then make a few changes, Momo or Masch for Alonso, Voro for Torres, maybe Spearing or Lindfield getting a bit of a game even.