Liverpool FC Forum

by **GYBS** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:15 am

THE RICK PARRY COLUMN
Rick Parry 12 September 2008
The capture of Albert Riera from Espanyol finally secured the left-sided player Rafa Benitez has been looking for and that was great news on the transfer deadline.

Riera chose us ahead of a number of clubs, including Everton, and it's always a good sign when a player has a real determination to join you.

The Spanish international has already experienced the Premier League during a loan spell at Manchester City and so that should help him to settle in quickly.

Of course, we found ourselves saying goodbye to Steve Finnan, one of our great servants. He went in the opposite direction and with the best wishes of everyone at the club. Steve has been one of our unsung heroes.

I recall that he very nearly went on loan to Manchester City in 2004. We changed our minds on transfer deadline day and that decision would lead to Steve stepping up his Anfield claims and then winning a Champions League medal in Istanbul. Good luck to him at Espanyol.

We also released Andriy Voronin to Hertha Berlin on a season-long loan. Given the players we have brought in, his chances would have been restricted. It's a good opportunity for him to play again in the Bundesliga.

All in all, we have made another significant investment in the summer to further improve the squad, not least with the acquisition of Robbie Keane who will be a great signing.

What you have to contend with more and more these days around the transfer deadline is the constant speculation about who might be coming and who might be going. We signed Keane, Riera, David Ngog, Andrea Dossena, Philipp Degan and Brazilian goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri.

Out went Harry Kewell, John Arne Riise, Peter Crouch, Danny Guthrie, Scott Carson and Finnan.

It's been a busy summer. UEFA president Michel Platini, for one, has been raising questions about the transfer window and suggesting there should be just one opportunity a year, not two.

That would be tough on the smaller clubs. The argument is that it would put a premium on quality coaching. There are different options, not least linked with Europe. Some people say you should be able to trade outside the recognised windows, even if it means you are restricted from using those players until the next deadline in those competitions.

There's no doubt that the flurry of activity around the deadline sparks debate and interest in the game, good or bad. The fans revel in it.

It begs the question, should the deadline fall after the season has started which is presently the case? Clubs have played two or three games and are still buying and selling. Wouldn't it be more logical to close the window ahead of the season starting?

There are many options and the debate will continue, at club and UEFA level.

Putting this aside, we believe we have once again improved the squad and this is the most important thing.

What is for certain is that the competition at the top in the English Premier League will be even more intense this season. The takeover at Manchester City has seen to that. But we are joint top after the opening games and still in the Champions League. It was always crucial to get important points under our belts during the turmoil of the transfer window.

Now we can focus totally on the games that are coming up with Manchester United next in line. Our league record against them has been poor in recent times and so we've got to put that right, despite the absence of Fernando Torres through injury and possibly Steven Gerrard.

Beyond that we have some fascinating Champions League action in the pipeline following the draw that linked us with Marseille, PSV Eindhoven and Atletico Madrid.

The first game against the French is away where we will be looking for the kind of outstanding result we got last time against them. Of course, our home performance was eminently forgettable, eased somewhat by our passage through.

We've played PSV many times and our fans will have happy memories of success against them en route to Athens.

Inevitably, the most interest will surround our matches with Atletico. I'm sure Fernando Torres will be determined to do well against his old club where he is still idolised by the Madrid fans.

He gave Atletico great service and his transfer further cemented the powerful links between Liverpool and Spain.

Of course, it brings us up against two former Anfield players in Luis Garcia and Florent Sinama-Pongolle. Those goals on the road to Istanbul against Juve and Chelsea will long be remembered and anyone who gets his name in an Anfield song obviously holds the respect of the supporters.

They will be big games, home and away, and it will be a very exciting and open group.

Progress becomes even more important because of the fascinating news at City. It highlights that you can never stand still in this game. Once again the dynamic has changed at the top of our game and with another competitor for one of those all-important top four places.

It's up to everyone to respond positively and rise to the challenge.

Read the Rick Parry column first in the LFC Magazine, available from all good newsagents every Tuesday. To subscribe online to LFC Magazine click here>>

by **Number 9** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:22 am

Not one mention of the Yanks or the clubs financial future!
Spineless brown nose kunt!

by **moreinjuredthanowen** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:00 am

I'm actually shocked that the yanks or parry have not done what they did last year and use this huge game coming up as a political tool to shout the odds.

last year at every big game we had the boss and players distracted by thier antics. remember hicks' video!

At least this is some improvement if only beacuse they've so proved how big liars they are there's no point in spinning anymore.

dollar back well below wher eit was when they boroowed the cash, redesgin to make the stadium cheaper, only 10mil spent net not 45 as they said they borrowed and yet they cancel the stadium.

liars, cheats, rotten scum. good luck to man city they somehow managed to get shut of a madman owenr and get even more cash in while our bumblers continue on.

nothing short of bankrupcy will force them out i feel.

I think they've paid interest only on the loans and sliced off vast sums of our turnover to finance their other interests

by **heimdall** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:00 am

Number 9 wrote:Not one mention of the Yanks or the clubs financial future!
Spineless brown nose kunt!

yeah but hang on aren't we all saying that we shouldn't be washing dirty linen in public as that isn't the "Liverpool Way"?
Can't have it both ways, he's still a pr1ck though.

by **Number 9** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:05 am

heimdall wrote:
Number 9 wrote:Not one mention of the Yanks or the clubs financial future!
Spineless brown nose kunt!

yeah but hang on aren't we all saying that we shouldn't be washing dirty linen in public as that isn't the "Liverpool Way"?
Can't have it both ways, he's still a pr1ck though.

Theres a difference between airing dirty linen in public and reassuring(or even trying to) the masses!

by **moreinjuredthanowen** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:20 am

yeah not washing the dirty linen is a good thing, but hey it's all well and good when they've done it s much that now they know the spin they try to create is now so disbelieved that it's no point even talking anymore.

gillett has some neck to turn up, like do they not realsie how much they are not wanted? do they not know we want them to go?

by **GYBS** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:22 am

I thought the major stumbing block is Hicks not Gillett ? Isnt Gillett the one who wanted to sell but Hicks said no ?

by **stmichael** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:24 am

Number 9 wrote:Not one mention of the Yanks or the clubs financial future!
Spineless brown nose kunt!

stop sitting on the fence.

by **112-1077774096** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:33 am

there is already a thread about G&H, lets focus in here on what parry said and not on what he didn't say

by **Ben1988** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:48 am

GYBS wrote:Riera chose us ahead of a number of clubs, including Everton, and it's always a good sign when a player has a real determination to join you.

If Parry thinks he is going to win us over by saying we should be happy because a player came to us instead of Everton! This should b a given! come on Parry you are scraping the bottom of the barrel here :veryangry

And all this talk about more pressure on the top for, sounds like early excuses and this isnt what we need

by **112-1077774096** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:51 am

Ben1988 wrote:
GYBS wrote:Riera chose us ahead of a number of clubs, including Everton, and it's always a good sign when a player has a real determination to join you.

If Parry thinks he is going to win us over by saying we should be happy because a player came to us instead of Everton! This should b a given! come on Parry you are scraping the bottom of the barrel here

And all this talk about more pressure on the top for, sounds like early excuses and this isnt what we need

he also says who we have let go and who we have brought in and tells us its an improvement, doesnt look like one to me looking at the players mentioned

by **maypaxvobiscum** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:15 pm

ok....this scuks. we seem to have bought players who are no better or worse then those we let go.

by **Ben1988** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:17 pm

maypaxvobiscum wrote:ok....this scuks. we seem to have bought players who are no better or worse then those we let go.

yes........ well done. hence the problem

by **GYBS** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:48 pm

How do you know already that the players we have bought are no better than what we have released ?

Crouch ----- keane - keane has outscored crouch every season
Kewell -------Reira- He has only just arrived and kewell last played when ??
Finnan----- Degen - Finnan hasnt really played much over the last season and Degen hasnt even played a game yet ?
Riise----- Dossena - Riise has been poor for about 18 months and Dossena has played 3 games so far and seems good enough to play for Italy now
Carson-------- Cavarlili - the Brazilian played a couple of pre season games and looked decent enough
Guthrie--- never good enough to play instead of Xabi,Masher,Gerrard,Lucas
Voronin--------Ngog- Still too early to judge but he already looks a better bet than voronin in pre season will see how he goes.

by **112-1077774096** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:59 pm

GYBS wrote:How do you know already that the players we have bought are no better than what we have released ?

Crouch ----- keane - keane has outscored crouch every season
Kewell -------Reira- He has only just arrived and kewell last played when ??
Finnan----- Degen - Finnan hasnt really played much over the last season and Degen hasnt even played a game yet ?
Riise----- Dossena - Riise has been poor for about 18 months and Dossena has played 3 games so far and seems good enough to play for Italy now
Carson-------- Cavarlili - the Brazilian played a couple of pre season games and looked decent enough
Guthrie--- never good enough to play instead of Xabi,Masher,Gerrard,Lucas
Voronin--------Ngog- Still too early to judge but he already looks a better bet than voronin in pre season will see how he goes.

ffs mate, read it, its an opinion, i dont know, i am giving an opinion

do you understand this?

crouch - keane so what? has keane out scored crouch for liverpool every season? NO. so whats your point?

kewell- riera - your god rafa seemed to rate kewell, he was straight back into the team when fit, even for finals, riera played for city, time will tell

Finnan - deggen well you answered your own point, deggen hasnt even played yet, finnan is a great right back who never let us down and was still the best right back at the club when we let him go

Riisse - dossena lets see what happens

carson- Cavarlili carson tested in PL and is first choice for another PL team, Cavarlili,well you said it tyourself, never even played in PL

guthrie- never given a chance to show what he can do

voronin- ngog lets see what happens but voronin has more experience

now do me a favour mate, stalk someone else for a while and realise that there are two or more opinions on every player, i am happy that you have yours and feel free to question other posters

cheers

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