Houllier - summer 2002, Benitez - summer 2006

[Dhav]

I'd have rather kept our money in our pocket than splash out on players who just don't have the quality required by a top football club.

Dont agree with that bit at all - you would have rather had just 2 decent strikers (Fowler is way off the pace) and no recognised right-winger at the club?

If we lined up like that, people would have complained we werent probably prepared for the season.

Damned if we do, damned if we dont

[Dhav]

Cisse scored 9 league goals last season, I'll eat my hat if Bellamy scores more than that.

And at least one was 3 miles off-side and another was the ****test cross you've ever seen which ended up in the net.

Cisse was complete dross, and if it were not for Diouf he would be rightly acclaimed as the biggest waste of money in the club's history.

[Dhav]

A penalty in Istanbul, a crucial (and superbly taken) leveller in the FA Cup final, two goals to single handedly win us the Super Cup.....

Besides, the entire, 'he only scored against **** oppostion' argument borders on the nonsensical.

A goal's a goal. A win's a win. Three points are three points.

Someone had to score against Kaunas, TNS etc, or we wouldn't have progressed, Cisse and Stevie stepped up to the plate and did just that. The fact is, the vast majority of our games are against supposedly inferior oppostion.

Cisse scored 9 league goals last season, I'll eat my hat if Bellamy scores more than that.

Seriously laughing My ass off at this post.

Sorry to single you out mate, but your support for Cisse is ludicrous.

Cisse scoring against top-class opposition? Yeah I remember that goal he scored at Old Trafford when he was down on his arse like a spoilt brat and got up last minute when it came to him and from 5 yards out smashed it past Van Der Sar not

As for his "match-winning performance" in the Super Cup, those are two of the most stupid-arsed lame goals you'll ever see. His penalty in Istanbul would have been easily saved if DIda decided not to dive the same way for all the pens. The only thing I'll give him credit for is the FA Cup goal, and Stevie laid on a plate for him

[anfieldreds]

I feel that Bellamy offers more than Cisse in terms of the overall play.

[JCase]

Should i add that i've been watching Chelsea against Reading and they've bored me to death. That lucky goal did it for them really.

As for us, we've been playing quite well despite not having had the best of results ... so, it's all about evolution. We'll come there, ask Neil Young he'll tell you i talk sense.

The form teams at the moment are Arsenal & the Mancs. 1 goal down at half time against Wigan and they came out and completely destroyed them in the 2nd. They create and take their chances very well. If we lose on Sunday we will be 11 points behind the Mancs

[Fan65]

Sorry to go against the flow here but I can't see why the new signings are getting all the blame,

Kuyt: Only played a few games and yet he looks a star to me.

Bellamy: Just cannot buy a goal at the moment(maybe Saturday's will settle him down) He's very very fast and has a will to win. He's scored wherever he's played so why not here, give him a chance.

Pennant : I'm confused by the critisim here, we needed a right winger we've got one, Saturday he had two men on him every time he got the balll yet still got plenty of crosses in, some lofted too high admittedly. I think he's a very good winger who will do well here.

Aurelio: Excellent going forward but has problems defending, Not the first choice full back. Interesting to see where Rafa intends to play him.

Gonzales : Looks like an excellent prospect, lightning fast, beats people and crosses well, it's a matter of time before he gets a run in the side but the left side looks a bit shaky at the moment.

The replaced

Cisse, Rafa never seemed happy with him, he is fast but plays his own game to often. Kuyt looks a far better team player.

Hamaan, This is crazy saying he should still be here, Didi has been an absolute superstar for us but all good things must come to an end, Last season was an extension to his great career at Liverpool, Didi earned the rite to wind down his career at a lower level.

[Rich]

All this talk of David Villa, who ever confirmed that a) we were interested in him and more importantly b) he wants to come to England. Last time I heard, he wanted to stay in Spain.

The biggest difference between 2002 and 2006 is that Rafa has brought in a free Left Back (who may or may not adapt) so hardly a massive gamble. A Chilean 20 year old who tore up La Liga last half of the season (and for peanuts too), A Striker, seemingly born to play in the Premiership, in Kuyt, and for a respectable fee comparatively (Berbatov £10.9m!) As has been mentioned his 'gambles' have been Bellamy and Pennant, both with several years premiership experience under their belts.

Bringing in three fairly unknown players for big fees, massive wages, and all with no premiership experience was a far, far larger gamble.

[wildman]

We're out the title race and it's only mid October, it's depressing, yet not unfamiliar, I'd take fourth place now if it was offered, without question.

we never had a chance of winning it anyway, not a prayer and the sooner some of you realise that the better, we have a long long way to go.

get off rafa's back though oyou can't blame it ont he signings gerrard has been ****e and so has carragher and alonso too other than saturday

[brikkis]

we never had a chance of winning it anyway, not a prayer and the sooner some of you realise that the better, we have a long long way to go.

What, we have a long long way to go of not winning it?

[Lecter]

A penalty in Istanbul, a crucial (and superbly taken) leveller in the FA Cup final, two goals to single handedly win us the Super Cup.....

Besides, the entire, 'he only scored against **** oppostion' argument borders on the nonsensical.

A goal's a goal. A win's a win. Three points are three points.

Someone had to score against Kaunas, TNS etc, or we wouldn't have progressed, Cisse and Stevie stepped up to the plate and did just that. The fact is, the vast majority of our games are against supposedly inferior oppostion.

Cisse scored 9 league goals last season, I'll eat my hat if Bellamy scores more than that.

Oh come on you are advocating keeping a player based on a penalty in Istanbul.. maybe we should have kept Smicer as well because he weighed in with a penalty and scored in normal time

The Super Cup is a glorified friendly nothing more nothing less and thats before you look at Cisse's goals which were hugely fortunate to say the least

The FA Cup final goal I will give him but lets not cloud our judgement based on that

Where's his goals against United, Chelsea, Arsenal & Everton?

He was anonymous in those games

Kuyt & Bellamy will out score Cisse and Morientes' total of last season and will contribute more to your overall team play and get more assists

Fact of the matter is Garcia is a bigger game player than Cisse based on his contribution in important matches

[Rich]

Didn't Cisse score a good goal against Everton?

(I agree with your sentiments regarding Cisse lack of footballing skill or brain!)

[alunevans]

Dont agree with that bit at all - you would have rather had just 2 decent strikers (Fowler is way off the pace) and no recognised right-winger at the club?

If we lined up like that, people would have complained we werent probably prepared for the season.

Damned if we do, damned if we dont

Given that Gerrard is played on the right there anyhow then yes, because we'd have had Crouch, Kuyt, a proven goalscorer that we spent some money on, and Fowler and that would be better than what we do have in my view.

We'd have a midfield of Gerrard, Alonso, Momo, Gonzales and forward line of Kuyt and the new (up to) 14 million pound striker.

That's loads better than what we have now. What we've done is spent the same amount of money and neither of them are up to standard.

[alunevans]

Sorry to go against the flow here but I can't see why the new signings are getting all the blame,

Kuyt: Only played a few games and yet he looks a star to me.

Bellamy: Just cannot buy a goal at the moment(maybe Saturday's will settle him down) He's very very fast and has a will to win. He's scored wherever he's played so why not here, give him a chance.

But he hasn't mate. His top league tally is 13 goals. Steve MacManaman would score that each season and he wasn't even a forward.

Bellamy's top league tally is what you'd hope for from your midfielders, not a personal best from your forward.

If its goals you want as well as the undoubted will to win that he DOES have, then Bellamy isn't your man.

Why gamble six and a half million in the expectation that someone will do something they've never done at any stage in their career?

If there was a horse that had never won a steeplechase and never won beyond 3 miles, you wouldn't bet it. I just find it puzzling that our problem last season was finishing off chances, and so we spend 6.5 million on a forward whose CV shows he can't do it either.

I'm not trying to say he's complete crap. He has qualities as you say. He's committed, he works hard, he's quick etc. But he's not the player we needed for the gap we had to plug.

[anfieldanfield]

But he hasn't mate. His top league tally is 13 goals. Steve MacManaman would score that each season and he wasn't even a forward.

Bellamy's top league tally is what you'd hope for from your midfielders, not a personal best from your forward.

If its goals you want as well as the undoubted will to win that he DOES have, then Bellamy isn't your man.

Why gamble six and a half million in the expectation that someone will do something they've never done at any stage in their career?

If there was a horse that had never won a steeplechase and never won beyond 3 miles, you wouldn't bet it. I just find it puzzling that our problem last season was finishing off chances, and so we spend 6.5 million on a forward whose CV shows he can't do it either.

I'm not trying to say he's complete crap. He has qualities as you say. He's committed, he works hard, he's quick etc. But he's not the player we needed for the gap we had to plug.

Top post Alun, I'm surprised I haven't noticed you around the forums more.

[alunevans]

Top post Alun, I'm surprised I haven't noticed you around the forums more.

Me too