Liverpool FC Forum

[Cool Hand Luke]

Alledgedly £116m spent, £47m recouped which equals a turnover of -£69m

Liverpool transfer dealings under Gerard Houllier (appointed sole manager 12.11.98):

IN: Ferri (£1.5m), Kippe (£700,000), Song (£2.7m), Traore (£550,000), Camara (£2.8m), Hyypia (£2.6m), Meijer (free), Henchoz (£3.5m), Westerveld (£4m), Hamann (£8m), Smicer (£4m), Heskey (£11m), Diomede (£3m), Babbel (free), Arphexad (free), McAllister (free), Barmby (£6m), Ziege (£5.5m), Vignal (£500,000), Sjolund (£1m), Biscan (£5.5m), Litmanen (free), Riise (£4m), Baros (£3.4m), Dudek (£4.85m), Kirkland (£6m), Anelka (loan), Xavier (£800,000), Le Tallec and Simana-Pongolet (£6m for both), Diarra (free), Cheyrou (£4m), Diao (£4m), Diouf (£10m), Luzi (loan), Finnan (£3.5m), Kewell (£7m). TOTAL: £116m.

OUT: McAteer (free), Roberts (£50,000), Harkness (£700,000), R. Jones (free), McManaman (free), James (£1.8m), Ferri (£1.5m), Yates (£15,000), Ince (£1m), Dundee (£1.5m), Leonhardsen £3m, Kvarme (£1m), Riedle (£250,000), Dunbavin (free), E. Jones (free), Bjornebye (£300,000), Babb (free), Boardman (free), N. Murphy (free), O`Mara (free), Gudnason (free), D. Thompson (£2.75m), Matteo (£4.5m), Staunton (free), Friedel (free), Song (£2.5m), Meijer (free), Camara (£1.5m), Newby (£100,000), Maxwell (free), Armstrong (free), Torpey (free), C. Thompson (free), Olsen (free), Kavanagh (free), Doherty (free), Ziege (£4m), Crookes (free), Hogg (free), O`Brien (free), Fowler (£11m), Westerveld (£3.6m), Navarro (£225,000), Kippe (free), Redknapp (free), McAllister (free), Barmby (£2.75m), Wright (£3m), Prince (free), Miles (free), Culshaw (free), Litmanen (free), Nicholas (free), McGrath (free), Peers (free), M. Murphy (free), McNulty (free), Dittmer (free), Heggem (free), Diomede (free), Berger (free), Arphexad (free), Nielsen (free). TOTAL: £47m.

[Owzat]

summed up nicely - "The good, the bad and the ugly"

[Cool Hand Luke]

69 Million over 5 seasons, that works out as just under 14 Million a season, and do take into account he didn't have much to work with.

No doubt that Houllier has made some bad buys, but people have exagerated his spending since he has arrived.

[Owzat]

£14m a season is a hell of a lot. You consider how much Gerrard and Owen (and Carragher) WOULD HAVE COST US! It wouldn't be quite so bad but for Heskey £11m and Diouf £10m - that's £21m for two ***** players! My biggest criticism of Houllier's spending is that he spends £3m - £5m on average or promising players all too often

[The_Rock]

Ferri (£1.5m), Kippe (£700,000), Diomede (£3m), Sjolund (£1m)

6.2 million down the drain. I think the above players combined did not even play 5 first team games for liverpool.

Ferri had to be the worst.  Never heard of him before coming to liverpool. Never heard of him (playing) while in liverpool. Never heard of him after leaving liverpool.

Could have given me the 1.5 million instead 

[The_Rock]

GH's best ever singings for liverpool all cost lower than Diouf alone.


Hyypia (£2.6m), McAllister (free), Babbel (free),  Litmanen (free), Baros (£3.4m), Henchoz (£3.5m),

total 9.5 million.........

[DAV]

we paid 3million for diomede, jesus christ.
i new money had been wasted on some cr#p but those figures are amazing.
so out of all those signings this is what i think was money well spent
Henchoz (£3.5m), Westerveld (£4m), Hamann (£8m), Smicer (£4m) Hyypia (£2.6m) Riise (£4m), Baros (£3.4m), Dudek (£4.85m) Kirkland (£6m) Finnan (£3.5m), Kewell (£7m)

i havent counted players who came for free.

i would guess that lot adds up to around 50million.
so in my opinion over half the money he has spent he has wasted

[115-1073096938]

£14m a season is a hell of a lot. You consider how much Gerrard and Owen (and Carragher) WOULD HAVE COST US! It wouldn't be quite so bad but for Heskey £11m and Diouf £10m - that's £21m for two ***** players! My biggest criticism of Houllier's spending is that he spends £3m - £5m on average or promising players all too often

£14m a season and you expect us to be the league Champions? Now compare that to the £100m Chelsea spent in the summer and kind of Money United spend on players.

Also Heskey wasn't a bad signing at the time. He's been a decent player fot Liverpool. Granted he's not FULLY justified his price tag but you can see why he paid that money and if we were to take his sell on value into account i think we've got our money's worth from Heskey. Diouf on the other hand...

[THEBARON]

If we sold both Diouf and Heskey in the summer how much do you think we would get ?

[Owzat]

£14m a season is a hell of a lot. You consider how much Gerrard and Owen (and Carragher) WOULD HAVE COST US! It wouldn't be quite so bad but for Heskey £11m and Diouf £10m - that's £21m for two ***** players! My biggest criticism of Houllier's spending is that he spends £3m - £5m on average or promising players all too often

£14m a season and you expect us to be the league Champions? Now compare that to the £100m Chelsea spent in the summer and kind of Money United spend on players

You can go check if you like but I believe Houllier has spent more than Wenger - one has two mickey mouse cups, an FA Cup and UEFA Cup and the other has two doubles to his credit.

Comparing Houllier's spending with Chelski is a bit lame even for you. manure have the right to splash the cash since they have enough of it. Yes Fergie has been extravagant in his spending, but he has bought a good defender in Rio (if overpriced) and a good tap-in merchant in van cheatingcunt. Veron was a waste, but at least he got £14m back for him. When Houllier has 8+ titles to his name then there'll be a fair comparison

[Owzat]

If we sold both Diouf and Heskey in the summer how much do you think we would get ?

Optimistic estimates, maybe £6m for Diouf and £4m-£5m for Heskey. Really depends who we're trying to sell to, France might be a good off-loading place for Diouf. Boro or spurs would be a good place to get shot of Heskey, I doubt Leicester could afford him

[Woollyback]

Maybe flog him to Villa, they've always been keen on our cast-offs

[Fowler_E7]

Alledgedly £116m spent, £47m recouped which equals a turnover of -£69m

Liverpool transfer dealings under Gerard Houllier (appointed sole manager 12.11.98):

IN: Ferri (£1.5m), Kippe (£700,000), Song (£2.7m), Traore (£550,000), Camara (£2.8m), Hyypia (£2.6m), Meijer (free), Henchoz (£3.5m), Westerveld (£4m), Hamann (£8m), Smicer (£4m), Heskey (£11m), Diomede (£3m), Babbel (free), Arphexad (free), McAllister (free), Barmby (£6m), Ziege (£5.5m), Vignal (£500,000), Sjolund (£1m), Biscan (£5.5m), Litmanen (free), Riise (£4m), Baros (£3.4m), Dudek (£4.85m), Kirkland (£6m), Anelka (loan), Xavier (£800,000), Le Tallec and Simana-Pongolet (£6m for both), Diarra (free), Cheyrou (£4m), Diao (£4m), Diouf (£10m), Luzi (loan), Finnan (£3.5m), Kewell (£7m). TOTAL: £116m.

OUT: McAteer (free), Roberts (£50,000), Harkness (£700,000), R. Jones (free), McManaman (free), James (£1.8m), Ferri (£1.5m), Yates (£15,000), Ince (£1m), Dundee (£1.5m), Leonhardsen £3m, Kvarme (£1m), Riedle (£250,000), Dunbavin (free), E. Jones (free), Bjornebye (£300,000), Babb (free), Boardman (free), N. Murphy (free), O`Mara (free), Gudnason (free), D. Thompson (£2.75m), Matteo (£4.5m), Staunton (free), Friedel (free), Song (£2.5m), Meijer (free), Camara (£1.5m), Newby (£100,000), Maxwell (free), Armstrong (free), Torpey (free), C. Thompson (free), Olsen (free), Kavanagh (free), Doherty (free), Ziege (£4m), Crookes (free), Hogg (free), O`Brien (free), Fowler (£11m), Westerveld (£3.6m), Navarro (£225,000), Kippe (free), Redknapp (free), McAllister (free), Barmby (£2.75m), Wright (£3m), Prince (free), Miles (free), Culshaw (free), Litmanen (free), Nicholas (free), McGrath (free), Peers (free), M. Murphy (free), McNulty (free), Dittmer (free), Heggem (free), Diomede (free), Berger (free), Arphexad (free), Nielsen (free). TOTAL: £47m.

Just look at the players hes let leave compared to whos come in for christs sake! we get ripped of left, right center. i personally think Houllier is working as a spy for the french FA to help pump funds into their cheap a#se teams!

[Scottbot]

I don't think Houlliers transfer record is quite as bad as some would have you think. Heskey is often used as an example but the guy was absolutely awesome his 1st full season but followed this with a season by season decline. The problem with Houlliers transfer record is that he screwed up big time 2 summers ago when he let Anelka go and brought in the 3 l'amigos - Diouff, Diao and Cheyrou. How different might things have been if we had kept Anelka an left Diouff in France.

[115-1073096938]

Totally agree with you there Scotty boy.

You can go check if you like but I believe Houllier has spent more than Wenger - one has two mickey mouse cups, an FA Cup and UEFA Cup and the other has two doubles to his credit.

Comparing Houllier's spending with Chelski is a bit lame even for you. manure have the right to splash the cash since they have enough of it. Yes Fergie has been extravagant in his spending, but he has bought a good defender in Rio (if overpriced) and a good tap-in merchant in van cheatingcunt. Veron was a waste, but at least he got £14m back for him. When Houllier has 8+ titles to his name then there'll be a fair comparison

Right yeah. Because until you win 8 league titles mistakes aren't acceptable are they? Why is comparing his spending with Chelsea's lame?

We have to compete with Chelsea, so whats lame about it? The fact is they spent more this season than Houllier has in 5 years. Houllier had to build a squad, Ranieri had to buy 7 or 8 players of the highest quality. Do you expect us to honestly be able to compete with that?

To get to that level its going to take patience. As i've explained to you before pea brain, Wenger inherrited a squad with HUGE talent. One of the best defensive units this country has ever seen with a superb goalkeeper behind it and at the time in Dennis Bergkamp one of the worlds top 6 or 7 players. The situation was much different. When you give a man as talented as Wenger that kind of base to build from i wouldn't expect nothing less than a league title. Infact if Houllier had that kind of base there might have been some foundation to your arguement. Instead Houllier had a kid who had the potential, a decent squad player in the making, a class act with an attitude problem and a young verrsitile defender/midfielder.

No-one here will disagree that he failed to build upon the season we (under his management i might add) finished second but at the end of the day we are all entitled to mistakes.

He made a mistake which will take him longer than 50 games to sort out, signing Diouf for the money we did was a mistake and to play him as much as we did cost us. Diao was a waste of money imo as he wasn't what was needed. For me Cheyrou is potentially still class. He has a superb game, its just a question of getting him to show it. I really do think he should be given a run in the side in central midfield with Steven Gerrard. Once he sorts the mistakes in the market he made and once he brings in the right players this summer i feel we'll be back to something like we were in the 2001-2002 season which will again mean we are heading in the right direction.