Liverpool FC Forum

[mungi]

comparing rafas warchest to the likes of man u and chelsea, rafa has done pretty well

[The_Rock]

*sigh*

Maybe I wouldn't divide the signing ups in "success" and "failure" but with a wider range:

Gonzalez: Failure.
Alonso: Success
Morientes: Decent
Luis: Good signing up.
Pennat: Good signing up.
Bellamy: Decent
Arbeloa: Decent, a patch to fix holes in the team
Kuyt: Good signing up
Crouch: Good Signing up
Fowler: Decent, a patch to fix holes in the team
Pellegrino: was Pelegrino a Rafa signing up?
Agger: Very good signing up, future player
Sissoko: Good signing up
Nuñez: Failure
Mascherano: Success.
Fabio Aurelio: Good signing up
Reina: Success.
Kronkamp: A patch like Arbeload, didn't work.


In my view there are not many blatant failures (I'm sure I miss some players). There are some players that did they work, but underperformed for what they were expected to (Morientes), and Rafa has reached a fair amount of good signings and success.

Liverpool is a stronger and deeper squad than it was 2 years ago. The players of Houllier didn't have great buyers, the players of Rafa have important teams (apparently) knocking the door.

P.S. I agree littlehobo Josemi was a bad, but Zenden for me, not that much, he'd be somewhere between decent and bad. If he hadn't been injured, probably he would have reached to decent, IMHO.

i would classify Morientes as a major disappointment....

[mungi]

yeh plenty of hope, big dissappointment

[Sabre]

Yes, I understand the dissapointment because I guess he sounded like a major name, a really international class striker, and he didn't perform like that. But I don't think he was an awful signing a la Josemi, or Nuñez. Strikers under Rafa have to work a lot, and sacrifice a lot, that's why I'm not dissapointed with Kuyt neither, IMHO he's done a good first season.

In the same way, the many times criticised Crouch has done more than good two seasons, and his progress line is ascending, despite not being a "30 goals striker".

[redtrader74]

I just thought that Morientes found the game here too physical and quick. He always seemed half a second out of position, and never looked happy. It shows that a big name from another league will not necessarily work in th EPL, as he had performed well before us and since. I agree that his big name was a factor in the dissappointment a lot of us felt.

[The_Rock]

Yes, I understand the dissapointment because I guess he sounded like a major name, a really international class striker, and he didn't perform like that. But I don't think he was an awful signing a la Josemi, or Nuñez. Strikers under Rafa have to work a lot, and sacrifice a lot, that's why I'm not dissapointed with Kuyt neither, IMHO he's done a good first season.

In the same way, the many times criticised Crouch has done more than good two seasons, and his progress line is ascending, despite not being a "30 goals striker".

True.....the reason why i brand morientes as a major disappointment was because his arrival was hyped a lot. I saw him score loads of goals for Madrid. I saw him single handedly destroy chelsea in the champions league.....


Then when i see him play for us...... Major disappointment are the only words i can conjure up...

[bigmick]

I think Rafa's record in the transfer market is absolutely excellent. Sissoko, Alonso, Crouch Agger Garcia etc have been brilliant buys, with only Morientes being a relatively expensive failure and nobody could have guessed he'd be quite as unsuited to English football as he was. Kuyt will also be an excellent signing I believe, and Aurelio I have liked since day one. My hunch actually is that Aurelio may turn out to be a good bit better than he has looked up to now.

[stmichael]

I think Rafa's record in the transfer market is absolutely excellent. Sissoko, Alonso, Crouch Agger Garcia etc have been brilliant buys, with only Morientes being a relatively expensive failure and nobody could have guessed he'd be quite as unsuited to English football as he was. Kuyt will also be an excellent signing I believe, and Aurelio I have liked since day one. My hunch actually is that Aurelio may turn out to be a good bit better than he has looked up to now.

completely agree.

as i was aying the other day, the majority of his buys have been excellent. i just don't think he's used them all in the best way.