Liverpool FC Forum

by **bigmick** » Fri Jul 16, 2010 2:51 pm

In fairness mate he might have got in the squad but he wouldn't have got a game IMHO. I still think though that he could be a big player for us next season. He's a good player there's no doubt about it (and that's coming from me who slagged him off before he signed), and I hope he starts to show it more consistently.

by **aCe'** » Fri Jul 16, 2010 6:17 pm

If Roy manages to get the best out of him then i feel his presence in the first team would go a long way in improving our width issues higher up the pitch... When playing anywhere near his best, he's one of the better attacking players in the side especially with Benayoun now gone...
Hopefully he gets his fair chance this time around and he proves to be the answer to our problems down the left flank...
If we keep both him and Babel as the only options for that left wing spot then thats a big risk for Roy to take with Babel being largely useless in that position and Riera having missed a year of football..
Regardless, i think its a good call keeping him for another season.. We probably need to add another winger to take some of the pressure off Riera but I have alot of confidence in his ability to step up and make the position his own if given the chance. He certainly offered/offers more than many give him credit for... In terms of retaining possession and carrying the ball up the field he's one of few in the club capable of doing that convincingly.. He also does his part defensively and offers good balance and width.. If anything, the major criticism I have for the guy is that he doesnt take enough risks when going forward; with his qualities, you would expect more from the guy in terms of goals and assists...

by **tubby** » Fri Jul 16, 2010 6:57 pm

Yeah to be honest in his first season he was fantastic for us. We always looked a threat with him in the team. His character is a bit questionable and I think any future success will depend on if he can get on with the rest of the team as I'm sure he upset a few with his sinking ship comments.

by **Fauxy** » Fri Jul 16, 2010 8:03 pm

I would be willing to give him a second chance if he made a proper apology to all the fans. But he's not gonna do that so feck off Riera!

by **Sabre** » Fri Jul 16, 2010 8:19 pm

Rafa's exit benefits me

We'll see Alberto, we'll see. For starters Rafa was the one who brought you from a mid sized club to a big club.

by **aCe'** » Fri Jul 16, 2010 8:45 pm

Sabre wrote:
Rafa's exit benefits me

We'll see Alberto, we'll see. For starters Rafa was the one who brought you from a mid sized club to a big club.

certainly couldn't have gotten any worse for Riera at the club

Rafa froze him out of the squad so Hodgson arriving was always going to benefit Riera one way or the other... If nothing else, it gives Riera the chance to prove himself to a manager who might be willing to give him the chance to prove he deserves his place in the squad, to maybe even make amends with some of the disgruntled fans.

He had no future at the club under Rafa, its an opportunity for him now and one that i hope he makes the most out of..

by **bigmick** » Fri Jul 16, 2010 8:53 pm

I don't know about "apologise to the fans", I'd just like to see him make up for some pretty strong words with some committed performances.

In the pubs we aren't that forgiving. Once a sh!thouse always a sh!thouse is a mantra we live by, and all the apologies in the world doesn't change the fact that if someone's been a c... once, the clock is ticking till they do it next time. With Riera though, we don't really know the ins and outs of the Pacheco incident. He may literally have clipped him round the ear for being a cheeky little c..., but then by the same token he might have knocked him spark out for daring to nutmeg him in training. That's why I'd have likes Carra and/or gerrard to pull him to one side and have a word. I think the preious manager even suggested such a thing, and he was right. Keane would have done it Man Utd, and Terry would do it at Chelsea today.

Riera needs to keep his gob shut and play somewhere near his potential. He can stuff his apologies up his erse, that's all that matters really.

by **RED BEERGOGGLES** » Fri Jul 16, 2010 10:09 pm

Hope this lethargic ungrateful despicable obnoxious waste of space never gets to wear the red of Liverpool again ..although I don't think for one minute the Kop will let this go lightly if he has the brazenness to step once more onto the pitch at Anfield

by **Owzat** » Sat Jul 17, 2010 7:10 am

bigmick wrote:In fairness mate he might have got in the squad but he wouldn't have got a game IMHO. I still think though that he could be a big player for us next season. He's a good player there's no doubt about it (and that's coming from me who slagged him off before he signed), and I hope he starts to show it more consistently.

I think he's skillful, but I think Rafa realised that his goal output and end product was far too low for him to play on the left when the system needed goals from the left, right and Gerrard as well as the striker in the centre. You weren't going to get barely any goals from Mascherano and Lucas/Alonso so he knew the importance of goals from that position which is why Yossi got such a run on the left at the end of 08/09 and was preferred in 09/10 - more for goals than assists

So for me he'd need to more than double his end product or it will be someone else on the left, probably Jovanovic as things stand. I would sell Riera, look to get £4m-£6m for him and invest it in a FB or maybe two. That would only leave us with Jovanovic and Babel for the left, with Maxi and Kuyt also able to play there. Sell Babel for a decent sum and then you could look to buy a proper LM for the same kind of money paid for Riera except able to produce more. On what we saw of Riera he's probably lucky to have had two bites at the cherry in England at relatively big clubs (relatively in the case of citeh)

by **Benny The Noon** » Sat Jul 17, 2010 8:49 am

He is only still at the club because other clubs refused to give in to his wage demands - the guy has caused trouble at every club he has been at .

by **Owzat** » Sun Jul 18, 2010 8:32 am

Not having played any of our last 14 league games won't have helped our cause, he was an unused sub in three of them but not even that in the last 1/4 (nine games) of our Premiership campaign.

Slip some illegal substance in his coffee, randoms drugs test him, sack him and then sue him for breach of contract............................. :;):

by **stmichael** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 11:12 am

talk now that he's close to a move to olympiakos.

by **aCe'** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 11:31 am

Yep... Hodgson said that deals for him and Insua were in place since last season ... He said he's seen very little of Riera but seemed to suggest that he was on his way out regardless...

Poor piece of business from the manager if true... For me Riera is probably the best pure winger in the club and unless someone like J.Cole comes in and hits the ground running then we'll have trouble picking someone for the left flank YET AGAIN especially with Benayoun now gone..

The 4 or so million we get for him are certainly not enough to bring someone in with similar quality...

by **boodiddy1** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 11:40 am

Yes, its a pity that Albert hasnt been given a chnce to prove himself to roy. A good player, who give us great balance in 08-09 season.

Pity he fell out with rafa. 4m is nothing money these days. Poor business from CP.

by **akumaface** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 3:28 pm

Seems he is off. What funny from the article is the demand for Lucas. 13.5 million!! This must be joking but can't blame them for trying. As he is a young Brazilian player of the year once haha.

http://lfcglobe.com/olympiakos-agree-fee-for-liverpool-winger-riera/

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