UEFA CUP next season lads, believe it

[Morph]

I missed out Agger, he's done well and Kuyt looks promising.
Reina cost 8 million(hell of a lot for a keeper), had a brilliant season last season and has looked shakey this season.
Crouch, doesn't get enough games for an 8 million pound striker and is wasted in the team we have at the moment. We need someone who can cross it to him because he is not going to beat the defenders running onto a through ball.
Garcia is woefully inconsistent.
Carson, doesn't play
Paletta doesn't play.

You're just being picky now Crouch and Reina are fine players, you only have to look at Reina today to see that. garcia might be inconsistent, but we wouldn't have won the Euro cup without him and he has scored other important goals. Wether Carson or Paletta play or not doesn't stop them from being good buys. If you want a decent comparrison lets list his bad buys we've got on the books.

Zenden - free, should imagine he's gone at the end of the season
Fowler - free, same applies
Aurelio - still too early to judge, but what do you want for free
Gonzalez - 2 mil, lets give him time, again what do you want for 2mil
Bellamy - 6 mil, still think he needs to find his feet
Pennant - 7mil, most likely a mistake

So asside from Bellamy and Pennant he couldn't really do much else there could he, so I fail to see your point.

[Red Chilli]

Point is he's spent a lot of money and we are no nearer winning the league than we were when he arrived. That's mediocre.

[Morph]

Rafael Benítez bought 30 players for £78,180,000

Rafael Benítez sold 32 players for £36,625,000

Total spend - £41,555,000

Not even counting the money we've got coming from Kirkland and Cisse, and any other loanees, which would take it to about £32mil - hardly an earth shattering amount that is it. Chelsea spent that on Shevchenko, Rafa's had to build a team on it.

[Red Chilli]

The money he has recouped is irrelevant. He's spent over 78 million, that's a lot of money in 2 seasons.

[Morph]

The money he has recouped is irrelevant. He's spent over 78 million, that's a lot of money in 2 seasons.

Don't be friggin daft, of course it's relevant, if he hadn't recouped it, how could he have spent.

As for trusting him with transfer money, the only signing he's made that we've lost money on is Morrientes at about 3mil, but he got us 2mil for Djimi friggin Traore, so we'll forget that - I think that shows he can handle the finances quite well really.

Oh and thats three seasons, not 2 baring the rough 5 mil he'll get in the jan window

[Red Chilli]

Don't be friggin daft, of course it's relevant, if he hadn't recouped it, how could he have spent.

I'm not being daft, if you're looking at how much he has had to spend you look at the gross expenditure. They're not his players, their contracts belong to the club.
OK look at the net if you want. 40 odd million and we're no closer to challenging for the title. Not good enough.

[kurtangle01]

Don't be friggin daft, of course it's relevant, if he hadn't recouped it, how could he have spent.

As for trusting him with transfer money, the only signing he's made that we've lost money on is Morrientes at about 3mil, but he got us 2mil for Djimi friggin Traore, so we'll forget that - I think that shows he can handle the finances quite well really.

Oh and thats three seasons, not 2 baring the rough 5 mil he'll get in the jan window

You made some excellent points about how much money Rafa has brought into the club, mate. I agree with you about a lot of things regarding the transfer activities of the club. £32,000,00 is a pittance compared to what our rivals have to spend you only have to look at the Shevchenko transfer to see that.

I'm afraid that while the current board are in charge the trend of having to spend £25,000,000 on 4 or 5 players will continue.

Alves and Kuyt would have done us this summer though had we kept Hamman and Rafa has to take some responibility for the signing of 2 jokes like Pennant and Bellamy.

I do still trust Rafa though but it seems that some fans are starting to turn against him which is a shame.

[Morph]

I'm not being daft, if you're looking at how much he has had to spend you look at the gross expenditure. They're not his players, their contracts belong to the club.
OK look at the net if you want. 40 odd million and we're no closer to challenging for the title. Not good enough.

You don't nescessarily, because he bought Josemi for 2 but got his cash back and bought gonzalez for 2, so he didn't spend 4mil did he?

and lol @ 41 million over three seasons, thats about 14 mil a season, do you realise how pathetic a sum that is to be expected to win the premiership.

[Red Chilli]

You don't nescessarily, because he bought Josemi for 2 but got his cash back and bought gonzalez for 2, so he didn't spend 4mil did he?

and lol @ 41 million over three seasons, thats about 14 mil a season, do you realise how pathetic a sum that is to be expected to win the premiership.

He's only been here for 2 seasons mate, 5 windows if you like.

Did we get 2 million for Kromkamp? I thought that fee was undisclosed. Got a link?
41 million is not enough to win the premiership, unless you're Arsene Wenger but the point is 41 million is enough to expect improvement.

[Morph]

He's only been here for 2 seasons mate, 5 windows if you like.

Did we get 2 million for Kromkamp? I thought that fee was undisclosed. Got a link?
41 million is not enough to win the premiership, unless you're Arsene Wenger but the point is 41 million is enough to expect improvement.

yes and three of those windows have been the big ones, is he going to get a huge wad of cash in january? I think not - therefore 3 seasons worth of transfers, you can add 5-6mil onto that total if you want, to cover the jan window. but you might as well knock of the 2 mil we'll get for kirky and the 6-8mil we'll get for Cisse if you like to even it out.

We got £1,750,000 for Kromkamp or thereabouts

And I think going by last seasons points tally being our highest ever, that there's been some improvement, as well as a european cup, wouldn't you say?

[Red Chilli]

And I think going by last seasons points tally being our highest ever, that there's been some improvement, as well as a european cup, wouldn't you say?

You know fine well I was talking about challenging for the title so the European cup is not relevant to this discussion.

Do you think we are closer to challenging for the title than we were under Houllier? I don't.

[REDSCOUSER]

You're just being picky now Crouch and Reina are fine players, you only have to look at Reina today to see that. garcia might be inconsistent, but we wouldn't have won the Euro cup without him and he has scored other important goals. Wether Carson or Paletta play or not doesn't stop them from being good buys. If you want a decent comparrison lets list his bad buys we've got on the books.

Zenden - free, should imagine he's gone at the end of the season
Fowler - free, same applies
Aurelio - still too early to judge, but what do you want for free
Gonzalez - 2 mil, lets give him time, again what do you want for 2mil
Bellamy - 6 mil, still think he needs to find his feet
Pennant - 7mil, most likely a mistake

So asside from Bellamy and Pennant he couldn't really do much else there could he, so I fail to see your point.

you forgot to mention some other BAD buys he's done and thank fcuk they have left now

Pellegrino, Morientes, Nunez & Josemi to name a few

Bottom line is he has signed more bad players than he signed good ones.
You get what you pay for in this world, so if you shell out 7£ m on a mediocre players like Pennant you will get 1 good match out of 10 from him, but if you sign the like of Alonso or Kuyt you will get 1 bad match out of 10.
I'm with RED CHILI on this one, we are no nearer to #19 than we were when RAFA joined us.
I am sticking to me guns here by saying we will NOT finish in the top 4 this season and WE WILL be in the uefa cup next season. Reality that's what it is.

[kurtangle01]

You know fine well I was talking about challenging for the title so the European cup is not relevant to this discussion.

Do you think we are closer to challenging for the title than we were under Houllier? I don't.

We're definitely no closer to bringing No19 home but that is partly down to the fact that Rafa has had his hands tied behind his back. If we're honest with ourselves we all know that players like Pennant and Bellamy, and a few others for that matter, were signed because the current board of directors wouldn't part with the cash for Rafas first choice targets.

[thesilverfoxlfc]

Sick of this **** its gone to ****, were playing **** and its just depressing ****

[Red Chilli]

We're definitely no closer to bringing No19 home but that is partly down to the fact that Rafa has had his hands tied behind his back. If we're honest with ourselves we all know that players like Pennant and Bellamy, and a few others for that matter, were signed because the current board of directors wouldn't part with the cash for Rafas first choice targets.

Who do you have in mind kurt? I can only think of Simao.