Mark Gonzalez

[Craig_H]

Agree on this, and don't you think we are nearly there now?

We need a Right Back
A replacement for Zenden in center mid

The rest is open to debate at the end of the season.

Dunno about nearly there mate.

We're woefully inferior in terms of wingers and, until Kuyt proves himself over a season, a goalscorer.

That said, i *am* in love with the daft-haired fecker already.

[kurtangle01]

Pennant ? Back up for 7m. And he's a criminal. Wow.

What's that got to do with anything?

[anfieldanfield]

Kinell mate, i agree we overpaid, but let's keep it at least footie related.

Fair play lads.

Apologies for the criminal comment, maybe replace it with 'chav' ?

[anfieldanfield]

I notice how you overlooked Agger, Paletta and Carson

but lets see:

Gonzalez was like what 1.5 - 2 mil? Not exactly earth shattering if he doesn't make it, however his form in la liga suggested he would have what it takes and hasn't been given the time to prove him self yet.

Bellamy, I would say is most definitely better than Cisse has a better head on him and fits better into Rafa's tactics whereas Cisse obviously never. Why keep someone who doesn't fit?

Pennant, undecided but still needs to be given a season to produce, although I do fear we were stung over the price.

Yeah, Gonzalez was fairly cheap, so I suppose it was a relatively 'no lose' situation.

I genuinely feel as though that 13m spent on Bellamy and Pennant could have been much, MUCH better spent.

[Morph]

Yeah, Gonzalez was fairly cheap, so I suppose it was a relatively 'no lose' situation.

I genuinely feel as though that 13m spent on Bellamy and Pennant could have been much, MUCH better spent.

Maybe so, who would you have spent it on? not forgetting Rafa seemed to think a striker and a right winger were both necessary

[kurtangle01]

Yeah, Gonzalez was fairly cheap, so I suppose it was a relatively 'no lose' situation.

I genuinely feel as though that 13m spent on Bellamy and Pennant could have been much, MUCH better spent.

If Bellamy didn't have a clause in his contract he would have been far more expensive than the £6,000,000 we paid. I also think Pennant would have been more expensive had not Brum not been relegated.

[anfieldanfield]

Maybe so, who would you have spent it on? not forgetting Rafa seemed to think a striker and a right winger were both necessary

Well, seeing as we've got Crouch, Kuyt and Fowler, I would've kept either Cisse or Pongolle as the pacey, lively alternative up front and then splashed out the rest of the cash on a world class winger/attacking midfielder.

I like the look of Lennon, but maybe would have looked to bring in Ludovic Guily, Alves or, Jaoquin.

Tricky one.

Anyway, off to bed now.

[Marky]

I don't know about Gonzalez, some good things, some ****e things, some pacy things, some slow things, some skillful things, some not so skillful things,
Looks too lightweight to me.

I'd say he's another that falls into the 'lets wait and see' category.

[Morph]

Well, seeing as we've got Crouch, Kuyt and Fowler, I would've kept either Cisse or Pongolle as the pacey, lively alternative up front and then splashed out the rest of the cash on a world class winger/attacking midfielder.

I like the look of Lennon, but maybe would have looked to bring in Ludovic Guily, Alves or, Jaoquin.

Tricky one.

Anyway, off to bed now.

Not bad, but we didn't get Kuyt right until the end of the window, so the striker thing doesn't really work out like that does it?

I think the Bellamy purchase was always on the cards, and i don't really have a problem with it.

the problem I see is that Cisse got crocked and we couldn't get the 8mil we wanted for him, so instead of 14/15mil to spend on a right winger, we only had 6/7mil so Rafa admittedly took a gamble on Pennant, which at first glance doesn't appear to have paid off.

Night by the way

[Craig_H]

Do you really think Marseille were about to hand over £8m for Cisse before he got injured?

[JermainePennant]

Well, seeing as we've got Crouch, Kuyt and Fowler, I would've kept either Cisse or Pongolle as the pacey, lively alternative up front and then splashed out the rest of the cash on a world class winger/attacking midfielder.

I like the look of Lennon, but maybe would have looked to bring in Ludovic Guily, Alves or, Jaoquin.

Tricky one.

Anyway, off to bed now.

What makes you think Alves is a world class winger?I dont think he has ever played there for sevilla and when I have seen him play he is not very good at beating players, the winger who plays in front of him most of the time creates the space for him.Guily is too old and would not cut it in the prem imo.

Joaquin would never fit into a rafa team he is very inconsistent and is lazy and not a team player.

Pennant has not showed what he can do this season but he is still played a part in a few goals.People say Pennant is over priced but never mention someone who is better then him who we could have got for less or the same price.He is not a world class player but when he gets more confident and gets a good run in the team he will get a lot of good crosses into the box and he also works hard for the team.

As for gonzalez I think he was signed as a good prospect a while back but then people saw the goals he scored and expected big things from him.He was not playing as great in la liga as everyone was making out and I think it will take him a while to adapt to the prem.

[Morph]

Do you really think Marseille were about to hand over £8m for Cisse before he got injured?

That was pretty much the cut and dry of it yep

[Red Chilli]

I'm not happy with the "that's what you get if you allocate 10 milllion for 2 wingers" comment and the "I'd rather we bought a 15 million pound player".

During silly season many sensible lads like Tom and Lecter repeated time after time that Rafa doesn't work like that. He doesn't buy 15 million pound superstars, the big signings he has made (Reina, Alonso, Kuyt) have not been superstars but up and coming players with hunger and desire.
I think this is why Rafa doesn't go for big stars. Apart from their big egos there is also the problem that sometimes a big player arrives for a big fee and think they've an automatic right to a first team place, won't work with the rotation policy and settle into a comfort zone.
Up and coming players have a hunger to prove themselves as a super-star. That's the kind of player Wenger has always bought and I think Rafa has a similar philosophy.

As for Gonzalez, maybe someone knocked some sense into him
My tuppence worth.

[Craig_H]

That was pretty much the cut and dry of it yep

And you're basing this on what evidence, if you dont mind me asking?

[JermainePennant]

I dont see how people can have a problem with Bellamy either, I think so far he has done what rafa would have expected from him.I think rafa has said something like kuyt was bought to score the goals and bellamy was bought to create space for others and make goals.

Our team doesnt play to bellamys strengths, at blackburn they built the whole team around him and were always looking to play the ball throughj to him.We play to the strengths of kuyt and crouch and try to get the ball out wide and get crosses in.At newcastle they played to the strengths of shearer and bellamy would create space for him and do a lot of running for him.I think that is what rafa got him for, he will get a few goals but that is not all rafa wants from him.