Re: Rafa Post Match statement - Shock

[Guest]

We'll have to disagree. 7 million for a player with 'issues' who plays for a team that has just been relegated and who's only really good game that year was against us was OTT imo.

Not true at all. What has been the 'issues' with him since he's been here ? There hasn't been any !!!

£ 7m pounds is peanuts nowadays. We've kept progressing 'as a team' during that time and for that alone, I consider his signing to have been a success. And he's still 25 !

[Guest]

Controvertial.

How ? Name me Berbatov's qualities apart his ability as a holding player (which are truly outstanding I agree) ?! He isn't as effective tactically and doesn't score enough goals for a guy of his so called talent !

There's even been prices such as £ 25m pounds being bandied about for him !!

[Shaggy]

Berbatov scores and makes goals regularly. It's an absolute no brainer - he's miles and miles and miles better than Kuyt.

Possibly the point you're making is that Berbatov wouldn't do as well for us on the right of a 4-2-3-1, which is true.

[Guest]

I'm sure the stats shows that Dirk creates as much as Berbatov does. It's just the fact that he's not an elegant player.

[Kenneth]

Not true at all. What has been the 'issues' with him since he's been here ? There hasn't been any !!!

£ 7m pounds is peanuts nowadays. We've kept progressing 'as a team' during that time and for that alone, I consider his signing to have been a success. And he's still 25 !

We're talking about player being over valued when we bought them. He had issues prior to joining us, like being the first player to play with a tag round his ankle. I think he was way overpriced, had been around the block and not made it. Just my opinion.

[Kenneth]

How ? Name me Berbatov's qualities apart his ability as a holding player (which are truly outstanding I agree) ?! He isn't as effective tactically and doesn't score enough goals for a guy of his so called talent !

There's even been prices such as £ 25m pounds being bandied about for him !!

Well I pretty much agree with you, but a lot won't.

[Guest]

We're talking about player being over valued when we bought them. He had issues prior to joining us, like being the first player to play with a tag round his ankle. I think he was way overpriced, had been around the block and not made it. Just my opinion.

He's proved his price tag in my view. It's not what he did before he joined us what's important but what he made of it whilst he's been here. His behavior has been spot on.

[dww]

I'm sure the stats shows that Dirk creates as much as Berbatov does. It's just the fact that he's not an elegant player.

Dirk - 3 Goals, 7 Assists
Berbatov - 14 Goals, 11 Assists

According to fantasy.premierleague. Not sure that is the best way to measure creating things but it certainly shows that Berbatov should not be written off in that regard.

I think Berbatov looks like the sort of player who would thrive with better team mates in a better side. I do agree that people over rate his achievements so far in some ways. However I do think he has shown rare levels of touch and awareness.

[Guest]

Dirk - 3 Goals, 7 Assists
Berbatov - 14 Goals, 11 Assists

According to fantasy.premierleague. Not sure that is the best way to measure creating things but it certainly shows that Berbatov should not be written off in that regard.

I think Berbatov looks like the sort of player who would thrive with better team mates in a better side. I do agree that people over rate his achievements so far in some ways. However I do think he has shown rare levels of touch and awareness.

But as you say, direct assists is probably not the only way to measure a player's worth in that department.

[calvoboy]

Berbatov scores and makes goals regularly. It's an absolute no brainer - he's miles and miles and miles better than Kuyt.

I thought so last year when he first arrived at Spurs. Now he's looking more and more like another Viduka to me. Class when he can be bothered, but how often can he be bothered?

I'd prefer Kuyt now that he has got over his atrocious early season form (which was probably down to his Dad dying as much as anything).

[dom9]

I thought this thread was about Rafa's suprise that Parry met that diving, cheating get Klinsmann.

[El Jefecito]

I think that the thing about Rafa having control over transfers in interesting. My take would be that the club needs to know that a financial expert is involved in the deal making process, Rafa is not that although previous reports indicate he is a better negotiator than Parry. If we accept Rafa should have a big input but needs someone alongside him then he has to trust that person. It has been clear for a while that his relationship with Paryy is an uneasy one at best.

The question of whether Arsenal will be a transfer force is another interesting one. I think they will probably only buy one established player and as such won't be a huge problem at that end of the market but Wenger might bolster his options with some more high value prospects which might put a squeeze on our ability to secure players like Lucas this year. That probably suits us fine as we mostly need to deal with improving the first XI rather than too much squad tinkering.

The real issue is defining who does what. It seems like in the past there was a specific hand-off to Parry once targets were identified. My take is that Rafa should be party to all negotiations. I think there was some empire building by Parry to exclude Rafa from the negotiations.

[CJ]

i think alot ot clubs moved away from the manager doing everything with regards to transfers after the first bung scandle?

that would be why parry got involved?

[El Jefecito]

i think alot ot clubs moved away from the manager doing everything with regards to transfers after the first bung scandle?

that would be why parry got involved?

The reason they always give for splitting the responsibility is continuity. My take is that the best man for each responsibility should do the job. Regardless of job titles etc.

I personally think that Rafa and his scouting network are better able to negotiate deals than Parry and on that basis he should be in charge of transfers. Parry should advise on the impact to finances, the impact to the bottom line, the contraints within which Rafa should work, but at the end of day Rafa is responsible for the first team so give him free reign. It's not like he's messed up before Parry was introduced into the equation. Hell, we've made a profit on almost all of the players that Rafa has sold on.

That aside, Rafa is the biggest control freak you are ever likely to encounter, to keep him happy you need to give him control. I don't see any real downside to letting him do that do you?

BTW Rafa left Valencia, precisely because he did not have control of transfers. Let that be a warning to the board.

[Roboklopp]

I think the fact that we have generally made money under Rafa's outgoing tranfers as opposed to GH's speaks volumes TBH.