Benitez .... prick

[Lord Kangana]

He's still sh*t.

[bobo the clown]

He's still sh*t.

............... er ........... yup. You win.

[Athers]

http://content.liverpoolfc.tv/?9MaPrLxQ ... dtpHjJGCu9

safe for work

[H. Pedersen]

Hmmm, I think you have to give him Reina and Mascherano as well, which his critics would say shows when he does have big money, he tends to spend it wisely (though no doubt his critics would have Keane, Johnson and Aquilani lined up, though whether the first was his signing, and the other two can be judged yet I'd be sceptical).

Re: Keane, I've always suspected that the idea he was signed over Rafa's head was suspicious. I wonder if that was spin from a fan base that was pro-Rafa and rabidly anti-Hicks/Gillett. As Rafa's star continues to fall I suspect fewer and fewer people will be making apologies for that £20 million blunder, though I suppose we'll have to wait for the autobiographies to find out what really happened.

Re: Aquilani . . . yes, he could come good, but Benitez doesn't have time to wait. Having sold a key midfielder in Alonso and with everyone expecting City and even Villa or Everton to challenge for the top 4, it was madness to spend £17 million on a player with no Premier League experience who would not be fit until halfway through the season. He could turn into another Gerrard for all we know, but by that time, it will probably be too late for Benitez. And who knows how much financial harm will have been done to the club by dropping into the Europa League and - god willing - failing to qualify for the CL next season.

[Lord Kangana]

Never mind that, he signed a ruddy fullback for £17m. Which would be great if fullback was the only position in need of attention. Eerily familiar. Fiddlers, the lot.

[H. Pedersen]

Never mind that, he signed a ruddy fullback for £17m. Which would be great if fullback was the only position in need of attention. Eerily familiar. Fiddlers, the lot.

This is an interesting comparison. Benitez and Megson are similar, I think, in that they both grossly overestimate their own roles in the success of their clubs. Everyone gives Megson credit for keeping us up, though his team was awful for most of the season and probably would have gone down were it not for a fortunate closing run of games against teams with their minds on summer vacation. He seemed to think he did a great job building on that by getting us to 13th, ignoring the fact that he amassed only 41 points, level with 15th, in a season where two established EPL teams imploded and expected strugglers Stoke and Fulham not only survived but thrived.

Benitez owes his job to a non-goal against Chelsea, a Steven Gerrard dive in the 2005 CL final, and UEFA changing the rules to get his 5th placed club into the CL the following year. I'm sure it was a coincidence that the club that actually qualified, Everton, got a harder draw (Villareal) than Liverpool (CSKA Sofia). Yes, they finished second place last year . . . thanks to the problems at Chelsea.

Anyway, neither did any serious strengthening in the summer, apparently assuming they could both get by on their "managerial acumen." Both have been found out.

[CAPSLOCK]

Note to BWFCI

Leave it, just leave it

[blurred]

Never mind that, he signed a ruddy fullback for £17m. Which would be great if fullback was the only position in need of attention. Eerily familiar. Fiddlers, the lot.

Or we realised that we were never going to get any money from Portsmouth that they owed us for Peter Crouch (around £8m I believe it was). See all the clubs who are lining up to take Pompey's TV money over transfer fees. We used that to offset the purchase of Johnson, which means that he effectively cost us comparitively little.

And it's a specious argument to say 'he could've used that money elsewhere', when we haven't got a pot to piss in regarding transfers, and we'd still be waiting for that £8m now, so couldn't use it with players from any other club.

I don't think it's coincidence that the only two major deals we did this summer were with clubs that owed us money already...

[Lord Kangana]

Leaving £9m if the maths is correct. Couldn't have been spent elsewhere?

[CAPSLOCK]

It was still 17 million, however you dress it up

Comparatively little?

Comparative to what

The overpriced Aquillani?

It still saw an outflow of (your figures) 9 million

While I don't hold with any twisted logic (used above) that Keane was a bad signing, Johnson and Aquillani are close to indefensible

[H. Pedersen]

Or we realised that we were never going to get any money from Portsmouth that they owed us for Peter Crouch (around £8m I believe it was). See all the clubs who are lining up to take Pompey's TV money over transfer fees. We used that to offset the purchase of Johnson, which means that he effectively cost us comparitively little.

And if Benitez had never bought Crouch, a player who simply isn't good enough to win a championship, then he'd have about £20 million+ in wages and transfer fees to work with.

Benitez ran Liverpool like a middling Football Manager club. Picking up frees and cheapies here and there, selling them a couple of years later for a slight profit. Meanwhile, your rivals are finishing above you in the league, racking up extra prize money, and building sides that can compete in the long run.

[seanworth]

Isn't Benitez transfer record b200 in the hole. That is hardly nothing but freebies. Benitez simply ran Liverpool like a buffoon period. What a prick.

[blurred]

Leaving £9m if the maths is correct. Couldn't have been spent elsewhere?

Well ok, but having sold Arbeloa and not having a first choice right back I'd say that spending £9m on England's right back was a reasonable thing to do, no?

It was still 17 million, however you dress it up

Except it's not. We didn't have £17m, so we couldn't have spent it. We had £9m. Which for England's right back I'd say was

Comparatively little?

Comparative to what

Any other current England international who's been sold in recent years? The going rate for a fullback?

Johnson [was] close to indefensible

OK, so we should go through a season without a right back? Hmmm. Great logic there, oh uppercased one.

[Prufrock]

Hmmm Johnson wasn't a bad signing, though I do think he was overpriced. People say £17million for a fullback, yet they see more of the ball than anyone else, and when I looked that Liverpool which finished, deservedly, you finish where you deserve, 2nd last year, I would have said, in fact DID say, time and time again to my Liverpool supporting mate, that what they needed were fullbacks.

Also this 'non-goal' against Chelsea, people sold some wonderful Jose huff talk. If that goal isn't given, which perhaps it shouldnt have been, it's a penalty and Cech walks. I'd still ahve backed the scousers. The point about being lucky when he finished fifth is correct though. More UEFA blinded by the big clubs. They should have been in the UEFA cup that season.

[CAPSLOCK]

17 million is not the 'going rate' for a full-back

FFS, we got 47 for less than that

I didn't suggest you play without a right back

Just not overspend...and anyway, you've got Carragher

Yeah, I see your point

Carragher is a shit full back - unfortunately Benitez doesn't see it

[Hoboh]

Whose going to fill the "pricks" boots in this thread when he goes?
I see Fernando girlie boy is banging on about signing players now, why don't he buy them out of his small change

[boltonboris]

27,000 people..... PRICK!!

Oh, by the way.. That's about his post match interview from the Stoke game

[blurred]

27,000 people..... PRICK!!

Oh, by the way.. That's about his post match interview from the Stoke game

Thought that was fecking hilarious personally.

[Bruce Rioja]

27,000 people..... PRICK!!

Oh, by the way.. That's about his post match interview from the Stoke game

Thought that was fecking hilarious personally.

Would one of you be so good as to flesh it out a bit for those of us that haven't heard it? Ta!

[a1]

Would one of you be so good as to flesh it out a bit for those of us that haven't heard it? Ta!

he's saying everyone in the stadium knew it was a penalty. but he's covering his arse by not mentioning himself. it shouldve had violins in the background.