Rafa is making his own bed...

[Steve101]

Pires cost £7.5M and a great signing by Wenger and a world cup winner. The other two were unknowns and did great at a time when noone knew young French players.

The difference is that Wenger is still doing the same thing today, unlike Rafa he has never cried about money so has less pressure. My thinking is if we are to sign top players, then Malouda would be a strange choice.

Pires had a dreadful first season and Wenger was roundly critisised at the time for spending so much on him. The point you make about young french players would seem to contradict your argument. Also Wenger, lke Ferguson and Mourhino, have made some dire signings, Kleberson, djemba djemba anyone? All managers do it, its a percentage game. I just dont see the need for so much doom and gloom before a cheque has been written. We've all been here before- there will be plenty of twists and turns before the summers out (he said, sounding like the wise old sage he is!!!).

[dww]

Rafa is world class, but not necessarily world class at signing good attacking players or playing attacking football. He is a world class coach. He hasn't won the league here yet and hasn't looked like doing so in 3 years. That's the acid test isn't it?

It's a fair point - but I'm not sure that you can tell. Does he need to be world class at spotting attacking talent if he can meld good players into a fabulous unit?

Considering the funds available I think Rafa has done well with attacking players. He bought in Crouch and Garcia who are very good, Kuyt who had a decent first season as well as some players who did less well. But Fergie has bought in a succession of players who have only done okay in the forward positions such as Smith, Park, Saha and he had a lot more money to spend.

I think if he gets to have one first class signing and two reasonably expensive ones then Rafa will have got all he could reasonably expect and will have to produce a title challenge next year. So far he has not really been able to reshape the squad with the players who were his first choice - so while it is fair enough to say he hasn't won the league and thus there is a question mark he has out performed Wenger who in the same period has spent roughly comparable money (mostly on youth).

[kopash]

Sorry, (again), but he's contradicting himself left right and centre and acting all high and mighty with his "laughable comparrison" comments.

Cool mate.

I'm no advocate for abuse but Rashid does ask for it every message board he posts on. This has been going on for years. I dont even think hes a LFC supporter.

fair enough matey but to be fair some of Rafa's signigns haven't been great so assuming he's not a WUM I can see where he's coming from

[MrMichael]

I'll raise you Nunez, Bellamy, Morientes and Gonzalez as failures here.

Failures? Possibly, but in total it looks like we'll be breaking even at least on those 4 you mentioned. Compare that to one of your old favs Rash, Houllier's flops, one of the biggest problems was that not only were they all ****e, but we lost millions upon millions on them. That hasn't happened at all under Rafa, who's also had some great buys for us so far; Agger, Reina, Masch, Alonso and Kuyt spring to mind. Many thought he was mad paying £7m for Crouch - we could almost get double that for him now. Overall, if we were to sell all the players he's bought, we'd make a very tidy profit; we have far more reason to trust him in the transfer market than we ever did our previous 3 managers.

If fans this summer are going to react to every signing that isn't Kaka with negativity, we might as well give up next season now. We've hated the Chav's for their financial profligacy, and now some people seem to want.. nay, expect even, us to do the same? Madness.

Voronin is a much more useful player than many people think, most who'd never heard of him before we signed him, and on a free is a no-brainer. Perhaps we'll move him on in 6 months like Kromkamp... and make a few mill in the process. Or perhaps he'll take to the Prem like a duck to water. I still think that we'll do fine in the transfer market this summer, and I also think its ridiculous to even be thinking of having this discussion yet.

[Shaggy]

Why do so many people call Voronin 'Veronin'?

[Morph]

I still think that we'll do fine in the transfer market this summer, and I also think its ridiculous to even be thinking of having this discussion yet.

****in ridiculous isn't it, this is the **** that makes this window a pain in the arse, oh well only 10 weeks to go till the start of the season

[Ketario]

Great post Mr Michael.

[REDSCOUSER]

fair enough matey but to be fair some of Rafa's signigns haven't been great so assuming he's not a WUM I can see where he's coming from

every manager has a miss and hit signings but the original poster seems to have an agenda against every POOL manager. He was the same when Houllier was in charge. He was the first one to ask for GED's head when things went a bit wobbley. Go to TLW and ask about him, you will see what I mean.

[Morph]

If I was a mod i'd anhialate this thread, suppose it's a good thing i'm not

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

Why do so many people call Voronin 'Veronin'?

These are the same people who for years spelt Hamann as "Hamman". Some still do.

[MrMichael]

Why do so many people call Voronin 'Veronin'?

Why do some people have such a high post count? Oh yeah, its because they post things like that don't they?

****in ridiculous isn't it, this is the **** that makes this window a pain in the arse, oh well only 10 weeks to go till the start of the season

It'll be cool. You might even log on one morning to find I've decided in the middle of the night to arbitrarily merge the entire forum into one thread called "A load of crap" (or something equally inventive)

Great post Mr Michael.

At least that's one in 6,000 then

If I was a mod i'd anhialate this thread, suppose it's a good thing i'm not

See above!

[Red Chilli]

These are the same people who for years spelt Hamann as "Hamman". Some still do.

Don't forget Daglish and Shankley.

[Morph]

These are the same people who for years spelt Hamann as "Hamman". Some still do.

lets not get started on sami hoopia then John Arne Riiiissssse

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

lets not get started on sami hoopia then John Arne Riiiissssse

Or my favourite: "Ciise".

[REDSCOUSER]

lets not get started on sami hoopia then John Arne Riiiissssse

all of them goofers got docked points in my preddy game in years past, no place for a POOL supporter if they cant spell our players names right