bigmick wrote:The fee for both players is an interesting one. They both look overpriced to me, but then again it's probably worth noting that neither represent too much of a gamble based on what we've seen. You are getting proven Premiership quality and for that you've got to pay. You are buying two players who are arguably the best players at their respective clubs, two lads who aren't going to go missing Away at Hull, and two blokes who in all probably won't get involved in trying to smash one of their teammates heads in with a seven iron. Based on what we've seen from them previously, neither give you the impression they'll be blinging it up in the Newz bar on a Tuesday night, giving it the "Westside" with the inverted "V" signs and no doubt sporting a skew-whiff baseball cap complete with some indecipherable diamante logo.
No, with these two blokes you are buying proven quality and maturity. Proven good porfessionals, who almost certainly would and will improve our team overnight. Neither have won much so you are buying hunger, blokes who would rightly consider this their first last and only chance to win the Premiership for example. You are buying players who you absolutely know will be able to aclimatise, to fit in with the dressing room from day one, players who are in all likelyhood right at their peak.
Will they be worth the cash? Well it's really a question of how much they improve us I guess. If we were to go and win the Premiership with both Keane and Barry in the team, then obviously they are well worth the fees. If on the other hand we are well behind the leaders again but still finish inside the top four, it would probably be legitimate to come to the conclusion that we could have done that anyway and saved ourselves some dosh.
Clearly we need to buy a striker, if for no other reason than Torres could potentially get injured. Now I know they have fans on here, but I am absolutely convinced that if Toores did get injured and we asked either Kuyt or Voronin to fill in on his own up top, we'd be fecked pretty sharpish. Babel possibily, and only possibly maybe able to cover for a game or two, but really we need quality. Keane works for me. Provided he's not being brought in so as to facilitate sillyness with the selection I think he'll be a good buy. If we bring him in and play 4-4-2, then for me we improve. We also then have the option (or indeed possibility if you prefer) of resting him or Torres and going 4-5-1. Similarly Barry is better on the left side in a 4-4-2 than anyone else we have currently, and in all probablity better at being the link man in a 4-5-1 than Alonso currently is. His though is the signing out of the two I could live most with forgetting about, but I can certainly see the attraction of signing just about the best left footed midfielder in the Premiership right now.
Like I've said before a couple of times, I'm not exactly a "In Rafa I trust"er but i do in the main think that when the manager spends big he tends to get it right. I'm pretty confident that if we sign these two players, he will this time as well.
Great post Bigmick
Pretty much sums up my take on the whole thing.
Keane will not be coming as a squad player but as a 1st teamer. What will Rafa do with the formation??
Options -
1) 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 (Torres and Keane upfront) ??
2) Move Gerrard out to the right and let RK play off Torres ??
3) Play RK on the left of the 3 off Torres and move Babel to the right ??
My preference would be option 3 with the team taking shape like so...
Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Agger
Dossena
Mascha (Xabi to start if Mascha goes to Olympics)
Barry
Keane
Gerrard
Babel
Torres
That team excites me.
Only Torres and Reina have not had the full summer off so we should be cooking on gas when the season kicks off in August.
