Milan Jovanovic

[Chris]

You also have to ask if he told Rafa the correct figures considering his history of lying about things like that before in the Reira deal for example.

All of them are to blame for the mess our squad is in, Hodgson, Purslow, Rafa, Hicks, Gillett the lot of em.

[DeeTheDog]

I wonder if any club ever made such a **** transfer window last summer as we did? Surely it must be down there as one of the worst ever made.

Ah... cast your mind back to the summer of 2002, the World Cup was in Japan and Korea, Liverpool had just finished in 2nd place to a very strong Arsenal team after progressing gradually under Houllier's reign. The option to sign Anelka for a reasonable sum was in place but declined as we lined up the next world superstar, the 'serial killer' and the next Zidane, Vieria and Father Christmas.

El Hadji Diouf 10,000,000
Salif Diao 4,700,000
Bruno Cheyrou 3,750,000
Abel Xavier 800,000
Alou Diarra Free
Patrice Luzi Free

At least Meireles could be considered a success this season.

It started off so well too, we played **** but remained unbeaten until Middlesbrough exposed our over negative approach, the rest of league followed suit and we played some of worst football I thought I would see until Roy came 'steady the ship with his safe pair of hands.

See match report below from the BBC:

Saturday, 9 November, 2002, 16:55 GMT
Boro sink Liverpool

Liverpool had won their previous seven league games
Middlesbrough 1-0 Liverpool
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Middlesbrough's Gareth Southgate ended Liverpool's unbeaten league record as the leader's Premiership advantage was cut to a single point.

The England international defender scrambled the ball home late in the game after Liverpool keeper Jerzy Dudek let slip a high ball.



I think on the day we were not as good as we can be - we have to admit that
Gerard Houllier,
Liverpool manager
With Emile Heskey deployed on the left and Michael Owen isolated in attack, Liverpool struggled to create many chances and paid the price for an overly cautious defensive approach.
Southgate's goal provoked a more offensive approach from Liverpool and Heskey went close, but time was against Houllier's side.

Photo gallery: Premiership action
From the opening whistle Middlesbrough adopted a more ambitious attacking strategy.

Geremi climbed high above John Arne Riise but headed into the side-netting.


Middlesbrough had not won in a month
Geremi was a useful outlet for McClaren's side and it was from one of the Cameroonian's crosses that Massimo Maccarone tried a back-heel towards goal.

In the second-half the Italian had the ball in the net, but the flag was up well before Maccarone slotted past Dudek from point-blank range.

George Boateng also whistled a right-foot effort wide.



If anyone was going to win that game it was us, we deserved it
Steve McClaren,
Boro manager
The Dutchman was guilty of over-elaborating when his long ball to Geremi was cut out by Heskey, who raced away before firing into Mark Schwarzer's arms from 25 yards.
Schwarzer then did well to save Steven Gerrard's smartly struck shot.

In a classic breakaway, Liverpool broke swiftly though Dietmar Hamann, Owen transferred the ball out to Gerrard, before sprinting into the box to collect his cross.

Southgate strikes

Southgate slipped as he attempted to challenge - but Owen hooked his effort wide.

Southgate lost his footing for a second time to allow Gerrard to head a deep free-kick towards Owen six yards out but Ugo Ehiogu did enough to to thwart the England international.

But it was Boro who struck eight minutes from time, Dudek failing to hold a high corner and Southgate sliding home.

Liverpool will now turn their attention to Tuesday's decisive Champions League game against Basle, who they need to beat to reach the last 16.

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Parnaby, Ehiogu, Southgate, Vidmar, Geremi, Boateng, Job, Greening, Maccarone (Boksic 70), Nemeth (Wilkshire 86).
Subs Not Used: Crossley, Cooper, Whelan.

Booked: Boksic.

Liverpool: Dudek, Carragher, Traore, Hyypia, Riise, Diao, Gerrard (Smicer 68), Hamann, Murphy (Baros 86), Heskey, Owen.
Subs Not Used: Babbel, Kirkland, Biscan.

Attendance: 34,747

Referee: M Halsey (Lancashire).

[Kenneth]

Father Christmas

[Arn]

What was that about?

I got the wrong name, I meant Benayoun, not Riera.

Rafa allegedly showed the rest of the board that Purslow lied when he said that we couldn't get more money for Benayoun.

He showed the board 100% proof of that.

That was allegedly the final straw and after that it was Rafa or Purslow. One of them had to go and we needed Purslow to get rid of Gillett and Hicks.

You then have to wonder how much else Purslow lied about?

[Chazza]

I got the wrong name, I meant Benayoun, not Riera.

Rafa allegedly showed the rest of the board that Purslow lied when he said that we couldn't get more money for Benayoun.

He showed the board 100% proof of that.

That was allegedly the final straw and after that it was Rafa or Purslow. One of them had to go and we needed Purslow to get rid of Gillett and Hicks.

You then have to wonder how much else Purslow lied about?

Gotcha, yeah i heard about that before

[BillobShaisley]

They also point out that Jova's signing fee is paid in its entirety over the 1st 12 months of the contract, so next year his 'earnings' will be less as the signing fee will have been paid.

[Rich]

Any top level player that moves on a Bosman will pocket a massive signing-on fee - how that is paid is down to the negoitation. Fact of life.

Ok Jova has massively failed but proven international going on a Bosman was always likely to get a decent contract and fee.

[dww]

Any top level player that moves on a Bosman will pocket a massive signing-on fee - how that is paid is down to the negoitation. Fact of life.

Ok Jova has massively failed but proven international going on a Bosman was always likely to get a decent contract and fee.

In some ways I think the problem lies in getting Bosmans in January - i.e. before the point when you decide the summers transfer strategy and when longer term managerial strategy is not clear.

[Arn]

I think the problem when it comes down to Jovanovic is the same as the Cisse signing.

Jovanovic could have been a success in a Rafa system, no one knows that. We could say the same about Cisse. He could have been a success in a Houllier system.

Both deals should have been scrapped as soon as we changed manager.

[Neil Young]

Are you suggesting Jovanovic could have flourished in the kind of tika-taka system Rafa wanted us to play...?

[Arn]

Are you suggesting Jovanovic could have flourished in the kind of tika-taka system Rafa wanted us to play...?

Who knows. He would have much better IMO in a 4-2-3-1 on the left side behind the striker.

[Neil Young]

Who knows. He would have much better IMO in a 4-2-3-1 on the left side behind the striker.

Yeah, I think that's likely.

I agree in principle about not going through with a transfer when there's a change of manager but I wonder if in practice it's just not really the done thing. We hear all the time about 'done deals' and perhaps it would do the club's reputation (and therefore pulling power for targets) no good at all if we pulled out of a deal at the last moment and left a player in the lurch.

Also perhaps the incoming managers were happy with the signings. For instance wasn't Benitez supposed to have tried to sign Cisse when he was at Valencia?

[Shaggy]

Who knows. He would have much better IMO in a 4-2-3-1 on the left side behind the striker.

Yeah, he's been ****ing terrible no doubt but you're right. He's better than he's shown, but he was hamstrung from the off by being asked to play orthodox left midfield under the Brontohodge

[Lecter]

I think the problem when it comes down to Jovanovic is the same as the Cisse signing.

Jovanovic could have been a success in a Rafa system, no one knows that. We could say the same about Cisse. He could have been a success in a Houllier system.

Both deals should have been scrapped as soon as we changed manager.

Personally I dont think Cisse would have been a success in a Houllier system nor would Jova be a success in a Rafa system

[Exiled_red]

I think the problem when it comes down to Jovanovic is the same as the Cisse signing.

Jovanovic could have been a success in a Rafa system, no one knows that. We could say the same about Cisse. He could have been a success in a Houllier system.

Both deals should have been scrapped as soon as we changed manager.

I don't doubt that he would have been better in Rafa's system how much of a success is difficult to say. We can say almost certainly he couldn't have been any worse.