Liverpool FC Forum

[Ciggy]

Benitez was faced with the same problem at valencia loosing his best players and he still triumped lets be possitive guys cause negativity will rub off on the rest of the team the players e.g. baros, cisse, pongolle will be thinkin we only ever loved owen and wont give them to much confidence we should back baros an cisse all the way shout there names as high as we shout for our beloved stevie G u never know if we shout the buscuits name from the kop that loud he might score more than stevie   no thats gettin carried away a bit much.
Its the start of a new season new team new manager lets go forward no point in cryin anymore whats dones done LFC are going to be great again.
COME ON YOU REDS. Y.N.W.A  Owen has gone, but an armada has landed


IT’S ALWAYS embarrassing when a transfer deal involves a club palpably more eager to sell than the purchaser is to get out the cheque-book. It has the whiff of the used-car showroom about it. The Michael Owen transaction is a case in point.

On Tuesday night, Rafa "The Gaffer" Benitez was bending over backwards to make Owen an attractive prospect for Real Madrid. "Look, no Champions League miles on the clock," he purred, "all he’s done is a couple of pre-season friendlies against little old ladies and Celtic, look at the bodywork, not a scratch . . . " Owen’s relegation to the bench against Graz seemed one half of a gentlemen’s agreement whereby Real Madrid would keep Fernando Morientes out of the side to play Wisla Krakow in the same competition on Wednesday night. Benitez has been around the Spanish league long enough to know that the Bernabeu is the home of double-dealing. Morientes duly appeared against the Poles and scored the two goals that won the game. That seemed to put the spanner in the part-exchange deal, until Real threw the hitherto obscure name of Antonio Nunez on to the table with a "take it or leave it" shrug.

Madrid’s machinations aside, it is obvious that Spain has become the voguish shopping venue for cost-conscious Premiership managers. Benitez’s arrival as the first Spanish manager in the Premiership merely underlines the increasing Hispanicisation of the top tier of English football.

Assuming Liverpool complete the signing of the Real Sociedad midfielder Xabi Alonso and the Barcelona winger Luis Garcia the Premiership will have an international-class first XI plus two subs to represent Spain. Where previously clubs would recruit from French academies or deliver sack-loads of tax-free cash to jaded Serie A mercenaries, Spain has become the place to pick talented bargains.









Which brings us back to Spanish managers, and Benitez. He showed at Valencia that he is a brilliant operator, not just in team-building but in dealing with pressure from fans and media.

At Valencia he had to succeed the beloved Hector Cuper, and without the side’s star Mendieta who had departed for Italy. Benitez thrived on being expected to fail.

One of his tactics is playing dumb, making obvious or opaque responses to enquiries, easier in England where he can pretend his English is worse than it is. His thoughtful shrug will belie one of the Premiership’s shrewdest thinkers.

His only acquisitions so far have been four Spaniards. If he adds a little olé to Liverpool’s dourness, the fans may forgive even the loss of Owen.


Have faith in Raffa LPOOL 3 -SPURS 0

[chiggz_likes_owen]

Have faith in Raffa LPOOL 3 -SPURS 0

[mistyred]

Yes my friend well said, We indeed enter a new and exciting era i for one am so happy,It's not easy to get excited when you know what's going to happen year after year.

Benitez didn't want owen end of story i think, Benitez himself already made his speech about superstars going for the good of well constructed team performance when Stevie was thought to be on his way is Owen any different?.

I liked Owen always did BUT he was stale and needed something new after so many years he deserved that, In my eyes he was true to his word he didn't go for free and that's what counts the fact that is was 8m has little to do wiyh anything.

Owen could have sat on hid Jacks till summer and said "Yeh well thanks for the memories see ya" ala Mcmannaman or however you spell his bloody name i always hated that jerk,Two faced little twit.

Anyway Euro 2004 would have been for Owen to sell himeself and probably command the club atleats 20m but as we know thinks didn't go to plan and probably around 8m was the fee, Make NO mistake owens advisers would have told him to hold ot for a Bossi or leave in the next transfer window for a minimal amount for LFC and keep a large chunk for himself, But he didn't do it.

He's gone and Stevie and Carra (who i believe in Carra we have one of the most dedicated LFC men we are ever likely to see, ge wears his heart all the up his sleave never mind on it) are still at the club so let the new era begin.

I would just like to say that i asked my wife who bloody heck is a GOONER (yeh i know) how she felt when Ian Wright,Paul Merson ect left, and she told me even though she loved these players to the bottom of her heart that she would not turn back the clock to take them back and at first she was scared becuaseshe know longer recognised the team and Wenger had just come But look at them now.

We will be fine my fellow Kopites, At times of struggle we have always been the best at supporting each other and nothings gonna change...

By the way my Kids all support LFC HEHEHE.

Walk On.

[Ciggy]

NUNEZ: PLAYING FOR THE REDS WILL BE A DREAM
Mark Platt 14 August 2004 
  Antonio Nunez has described his proposed move to Liverpool as a dream come true. 
Nunez is expected to arrive at Anfield from Real Madrid as part of the deal that has taken Michael Owen in the opposite direction.
 
The 25-year old right-sided midfielder admits he has mixed feelings about leaving the club where he rose through the youth ranks and for whom he made 11 appearances last season but adds that he couldn't ask to join a better club than the Reds.
 
"It is never going to be satisfactory leaving the best team in the world but playing for Liverpool is a dream come true for any player," says the Spaniard.
 
"The deal is almost done. It is only a question of tying up a few details which should be no problem although Real will retain an option to buy me back in the future.
 
"I've always made a point of following the games in the English league because it is the sort of football that I like to play and now I'm going to be part of it. I hope to adjust to it as quickly as possible.
 
"Even if Owen hadn't signed for Liverpool I already had an offer from Liverpool and I knew that the manager was keen to sign me which is something to be proud of.
 
"Last season I found out how hard it would be to play at Real and I know Liverpool will be the same, but I hope to get some more minutes on the pitch

Whats real playin @ in this buy back clause  

[Ciggy]

Back room staff revealed of Im relishing our new team out with the old in with the new how exciting is this going to be few suprises up our sleaves for the opposition    


  It's been all change at Anfield this summer, here Rafael Benitez gives us the lowdown on his new backroom team... 
Paco Ayesteran
 
"Paco Ayesteran is my assistant manager. He plans the training work with me and controls the physical work of the team. He came with me from Valencia and is a coach who shares my ideas on the game."
 
Paco Herrera
 
"Paco Herrera has been my friend for ten years. He was a manager in the Spanish second division with Albacete. He will help me watch opponents and write reports on the players and teams we will be coming up against."
 
Alex Miller
 
"Alex Miller is useful for me. He is a very good coach who knows the players and the English Premiership. It's important to have him because he can tell me about the teams we will play."
 
Jose Ochoterena
 
"Jose is a goalkeeping coach who worked with the national team. We will be working on the technical movements of the goalkeepers, not just having lots of shots at them in training."