Whats the Point?

[Pacman]

You're missing my point though Neil.

He DID have the funds, he just chose to spend them on numerous average players to come in and replace the average ones he shipped out.

I disagree with that.

So you're saying the likes of Reina, Torres, Agger, Alonso, Mascher, Arbeloa, Babel, Kuyt (to name a few) Are all average?

[Craig_H]

They probably were, slightly.

Not enough to justify missing out on TOP talent though.

[AFII]

You're missing my point though Neil.

He DID have the funds, he just chose to spend them on numerous average players to come in and replace the average ones he shipped out.

Well, he could have spent them on two quality players instead of five squad players but then we would be ****ed if the two star players got injured.

You must build from the bottom to the top, not from the top to bottom. Like a pyramid.

[Craig_H]

I disagree with that.

So you're saying the likes of Reina, Torres, Agger, Alonso, Mascher, Arbeloa, Babel, Kuyt (to name a few) Are all average?

No, you've picked the better bulk of players.

Kuyt isnt all that though, IMO.

I obviously wasnt referring to torres, that's silly of you.

Masher is very good, but not a matchwinner, an impact player or someone who's a gimme for the 1st XI every week. Alonso we needed at the time.

But look at your Pennants, youre Benayouns, your Sissokos, your Lucas' etc...i'll add Kuyt too.

£35m on those 5. Useful players? Yeah. Necessary? Hardly. Players of the same impact as a Torres? Definitely not.

[Craig_H]

Well, he could have spent them on two quality players instead of five squad players but then we would be ****ed if the two star players got injured.

You must build from the bottom to the top, not from the top to bottom. Like a pyramid.

Torres got injured, so did Agger, Reina could....you still buy them mate.

The point is, the average players we bought havent done much more (at the level that makes the difference), IMO, than those before them could've done.

[5aq1b]

The club will go back 10 years if Rafa is sacked or resigns. Simple as

[Neil Young]

The club will go back 10 years if Rafa is sacked or resigns. Simple as

Just when it seemed this storm was blowing itself out...

[The Erectile Banana]

Torres got injured, so did Agger, Reina could....you still buy them mate.

The point is, the average players we bought havent done much more (at the level that makes the difference), IMO, than those before them could've done.

I dunno.

Look at our Squad in 2004 when Rafa took over and compare it to what we have now.

Big, big difference.

[Pacman]

No, you've picked the better bulk of players.

Kuyt isnt all that though, IMO.

I obviously wasnt referring to torres, that's silly of you.

Masher is very good, but not a matchwinner, an impact player or someone who's a gimme for the 1st XI every week. Alonso we needed at the time.

But look at your Pennants, youre Benayouns, your Sissokos, your Lucas' etc...i'll add Kuyt too.

£35m on those 5. Useful players? Yeah. Necessary? Hardly. Players of the same impact as a Torres? Definitely not.

We can't win games with 11 Fernando Torres on the pitch mate. We are not Newcastle and we should not spend all our money on forwards. When Rafa took over we were in a hell of a state and never forget that. We now have the players I have listed because he bought them. By the same token you say I've only listed the better bulk of players you seem to want to only talk about the other players he has bought.

[Craig_H]

I dunno.

Look at our Squad in 2004 when Rafa took over and compare it to what we have now.

Big, big difference.

Big difference yes, because we have MORE average players, and yes, the 1st team is much stronger. But it's stronger because of the GOOD players we've signed, not the average squad fillers.

[Craig_H]

We can't win games with 11 Fernando Torres on the pitch mate. We are not Newcastle and we should not spend all our money on forwards. When Rafa took over we were in a hell of a state and never forget that. We now have the players I have listed because he bought them. By the same token you say I've only listed the better bulk of players you seem to want to only talk about the other players he has bought.

Where did i say spend it all on forwards though??

Instead of 5 CMs (SG, XA, JM, LL, MS) and two wingers, neither of which seems good enough to hold down a regular place (YB & JP), maybe we could have THREE excellent CMs now, and ONE brilliant left winger and ONE brilliant right winger?

Instead of THREE strikers who are all about as impotent in front of goal as each other, we could have TWO great strikers and a third backup one?

Sure you can get injuries, but you deal with them if they happen, and if they dont, you're well placed to win the title. Man Utd dont have the deepest squad, but their TOP players did enough to win them the title last year.

[Pacman]

Actually Syd I can point to an improvement as to why I think we can bridge the 21 point gap. Our away form.

Am I right in thinking we've only dropped 2 points away from home this season? That's a massive improvement over the past couple of seasons.

[AFII]

Actually Syd I can point to an improvement as to why I think we can bridge the 21 point gap. Our away form.

Am I right in thinking we've only dropped 2 points away from home this season? That's a massive improvement over the past couple of seasons.

That is because we have a better counter attacking team now than before. Now we instead are having problems to break down teams at home because we don't have creative enough players.

Torres is a huge difference in our away games.

[Imy]

The problem with the naming of the 'good' players is that rafa rotates them with the poorer quality 'squad' players. When Torres is fit and well there is No guarantees he is going to play and in fact Rafa has gone with the inferior Crouch or Crow, same with Xabi/Mascha with Sissoko.

If the likes of Riise, Momo, Sami, Crouch, Kuyt, Crow, Kewell, Aurelio, Itanje, Pennant could raise there game to a Premiership winning standard then we would have a chance. FFS momo, Riise and Sami can't even pass the ball properly under pressure.

[The Erectile Banana]

Big difference yes, because we have MORE average players, and yes, the 1st team is much stronger. But it's stronger because of the GOOD players we've signed, not the average squad fillers.

Our first team is much stronger I agree, but it wasn't just the first team that needed overhauling. Our squad was paper thin, we needed to sign a few squad players to cover for injuries and make us strong enough to compete.

Sure some of the players aren't top quality, but what team has a squad full of really top players. Every team needs it's squad players to come in and do a job when required.

I think our problem is that we have too many players of similar ability and therefore have no clearcut first XI. Perhaps it is a case of just having too many players full stop, but I don't think we have too many average players.