Leo No.8

Cech has dropped a couple this season as well - it happens. Even the greatest keepers aren't robots, and when they do something wrong it often results in a goal. I'm sure Buffon has made mistakes too, although I don't see Juve games every week so I couldn't say for sure. I don't think 'you' will be able to put Reina in the top bracket of keepers until you remind yourself every goalkeeper makes the odd mistake. The finest keeper I've known in my time watching football has been Schmeichel, and like everyone he made mistakes; usually though he'd blame someone else and carry on doing things exactly the same. I said early on in the season I believed Reina's confidence would separate him from our keepers of the last decade, and to me it looks as though that will prove to be exactly right. Dudek, James, Westerveld were all capable of turning into gibbering wrecks if they made a mistake; Reina on the other hand just gets on with doing what he does. At the end of the day mate, you basically said he was crap before we bought him; its time to hold your hands up and say 'I was wrong on this one'. If he goes 'Dudek' on us then I'll do the same, but I believe his mental strength will ensure it doesn't happen.

It seems he's got a pre-contract agreement with Southampton to sign his first pro deal with them, so I don't think waiting is an option.

Everyone who is saying "£12m is crazy money" is totally missing the point surely. It only becomes £12m if he turns into a superstar, in which case his actual value will probably be double that and more. If he doesn't live up to his potential, we probably only pay half that quoted sum and still get a fee when we sell him on. It isn't anything like as big a risk as if we were paying £12m up front, so its unfair to paint it that way. Personally I hope we match Arsenal's offer - I think this kid'll be a huge star and he's a red to boot...

Or alternatively 'Enjoy the moment for yon Mancs surely deserve their smiting'. (Leo 14:52)

Ahem. I would just like to point out the above post, having just remembered Ostrich Man's influence on City's third goal in the Manchester derby this weekend and dug it out for the purpose of general amusement. I think the lesson to be learned here is; tempting fate by accident whilst speaking is one thing - tempting fate in a forum post which can be changed or deleted is just asking for it...

Funny how people can see things so differently really isn't it? Myself, I'd go along with Rushian. Quite the opposite to thinking its first priority for strengthening, I think you'd be hard pushed to find a better performer at left-back anywhere in England this year. The way I see it his positional sense (despite the odd lapse) has improved a great deal under Benitez, and he stands up far better (again, despite the odd lapse). When Riise has featured at left-back this season I think he has played his part in a defence which simply hasn't looked like letting goals in. Also he has, as ever, got involved going forward. Way I see it, is that a lot of people have decided Riise can't defend from his earlier days at the club and refuse to look at what is staring them in the face - that he has improved that side of his game. Every time he makes a mistake as he did Saturday, the 'Riise can't defend' lot jump on it, but the simple fact is that every player makes mistakes. What about Finnan I hear you say - well yes he is impeccable over on the other side, but how many left-sided Steve Finnans are there around? When it comes down to it, Riise gets caught tucked too far in at times, big deal. I asked earlier in the season for people to give me examples of when Riise's bad defending has cost us, and the response was, quite frankly they couldn't. Traore on the other hand.; well how people can prefer him to Riise I must admit is beyond me. Every time I see him play I can't help but think he looks like the lad who always got picked last in the schoolyard; gangly, totally uncoordinated and error-prone. He's quick and throws the odd good tackle in but that really shouldn't compensate for his glaring deficiencies. In my opinion what we really need is a striker who can stick the ball in the net, but finding a goalscorer who also fits into Rafa's way of playing isn't going to be easy. You look back on the season and we have missed one hell of a lot of chances for a team doing so well.

Little Luis must be made up he moved here now. Suppose it must have been a big step leaving sunny Spain for our rather colder climate, but he must pinch himself when he looks back at his career here so far. If someone would have told him he'd be scoring a hat-trick for Spain to send them into the World Cup, have a Champions League winners medal and be featuring in UEFAs team of the year he'd probably not have believed it. Made up for him though; great little player with a great attitude.

I wouldn't want any player who would even think about going to a club with the knowledge that they were buying him simply to prevent a rival club getting him. If he even entertains the idea of going to Chelsea then f*ck him. I was excited about the potential signing of Simao when the news first broke on deadline day, but the whole saga has become beyond tiresome. I'm f*cking sick of it, I wish he'd just move somewhere, anywhere so we can all move on!

I'm sure the rumour that Gerard wants him at Lyon is spot-on... ...just like most managers in European football would be happy to have a player of his quality and consistancy at right back. He's got f*ck all chance of getting him though.

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He's always had a good record against you, but I think that post has just about guaranteed his name being on the scoresheet come Saturday...

In terms of goalscoring, I think these stats prove Ronnie is simply head and shoulders above the rest. IMO though, although he has kept on scoring he has still never quite been the player he was at Barcelona. That season he was the finest footballer I think I've ever seen along with Maradona - I used to make sure I watched La Liga every time they were on just to see him play. Then, he scored from everywhere. He'd beat 3 or 4 players before scoring seemingly every time, it was sheer football genius. One player though whom I think is shown in a very good light by those stats is Shevchenko. You read through the list and apart from Henry and Del Piero, both of whom are down near the bottom, he does far more in other areas of the pitch for the team. He has actually played fairly deep a lot of the time at Milan, with Inzaghi (the Italian Andy Cole IMO) being the poacher. Most of that list are out and out goalscorers, so for Sheva to rank equal third is mighty impressive. What a player - and even moreso after Istanbul but for different reasons!

Looks to me like the words 'Tony Blair' have been replaced with 'Rick Parry' or something like that. I hope so, if you wrote that mate, even yours truly being renowned for lengthy posts would say you need to get out more...

All of those players are comfortable passing at reasonably short range with both feet I agree; compared to say Riise whose right is no better than Sunday league level they are two-footed! But in terms of being able to do anything they can with their right with their left, personally I don't think so. The Spaniards are another level up. I don't believe any of the players you mentioned could score from 30 yards with their wrong foot, or play a 50 yard pass onto postage stamp they was Luis and Xabi can...

Isn't it incredible how many players in the Premier League can't use their 'other' foot? You'd think they'd just train on it loads and improve. We've got players who are terrified to use their wrong foot (we all know who the offenders are!). What is interesting to note though, is how superior our Spanish players are in that regard and generally in the technical aspects of the game. Garcia is equally happy with either foot; he slightly favours his left but he can score from distance with either foot, say looking at Juve and Charlton at Anfield last season, which is pretty damned impressive. Xabi is equally impressive in that respect; the newspapers certainly didn't pick up on the fact that not only did he score form 60 yards the other day, he did it with his 'wrong' foot. So why is it then that the player coming from over there are so much more technically adept? Is it drummed in more at a young age, or is it the different tempo of the game allows them to get used to using both feet? Perhaps it's just a latin thing? You see it said a lot that players from abroad are good technically, but none of the so-called experts really try to explain why. Any thoughts?

Batistuta was past his best from his second season onwards for Roma, yes. But in his first he practically won them the title single-handedly! He must have been about 32 when they paid over £20m for him which seems like lunacy, but I suppose by winning them that title he kind of paid for himself, even if he did fade away after that. I remember them being behind 2-1 in a crucial title game that season and he scored a hat-trick in the last 15 minutes, 2 of which were belted in the top corner from outside the box. Incredible striker in his day - used to score from everywhere.

I thought so too. Unfortunately the paper I picked up when we went round to my bird's sisters for Sunday dinner didn't. They actually gave him a 5 for his performance - how do these journos manage to keep their jobs?

Ah right, that would put it a little more into the realms of reality. I'm sure I've seen it quoted at £7m but Euros would make far more sense. Even still he must have struggled, but I'm sure Rafa knows what he's doing.

Back on the original topic - don't know anything about this particular guy, but interested to see the size of the fee Villareal paid for Kromkamp; £7m is one hell of a lot of money for a club of their size to pay for a right-back. He must have been extremely highly rated at the time, and to find himself now as a straight swap for Josemi, must also have been a spectacular failure. Certainly interesting to see how he turns out...

Interested to see 'Pleat's Ratings'. Here are another set from his halcyon kerb-crawling days... Name 'Dirty Denise' Age 19 Nationality UK Position Pretty much any for the right price, but usually found on a street corner Height 5ft 4in Weight 6st 5lb Arm Speed 8/10 Cross-dressing 7/10 Oral Skill 8/10 Precautionary responsibility 7/10 Likelihood of her making you Shoot 8/10 Pleat's valuation £50 for the lot (reflecting the amount currently in his wallet)

Thylvethter? Thuffering Thuckatash, he'th jutht like the restht of the United back four; thtrong and athletic but maketht too many mithtaketh...

Just been to get my hair cut near work, in Manchester city centre just off Deansgate. Turns out they've just taken on a Polish lad in there, who cut my hair. I was chatting to him (about Poland as my Mum is from there), and he mentioned Jerzy Dudek was one of his clients when he was back in Poland. Not a moment too soon either... ...I realised my Polish friend was in the process of putting one of those ramps at the front of my hair Jerzy sports, so I politely requested he desist the ramping immediately and make it messy on top instead, to which he complied. A near miss indeed!

I apologise if it looked I was taking a pop at Ged - I suppose I was but people would do well to note I was still defending Gerard for a long time after many gave up on him! I'm delighted to see him doing so well at Lyon as well; he will always have a place in my heart as the man who brought us a great many happy memories. Funny enough I've usually got a good memory for these things but I genuinely don't remember Carra playing consistently in the middle under Houllier, and if so certainly to nowhere near the level he is now. Quite simply the point I was trying to get across was that Jamie Carragher has, in the last season and a half, become a far, far better player than I'd ever dreamed he could become during the seven seasons before. Perhaps I just didn't hold him in as high a regard as some on here, and if thats the case fair play. But I don't think anyone here could honestly say, for all his qualities, Jamie Carragher would be a player of the stature he is now in the European game. When people spoke about Liverpool it used to be Owen and Gerrard; now its Gerrard and Carragher.

Agree with you Vic that Finnan was superb at Fulham; I remember reminding people he was in the official Premier League team of the season when he was there. However, people forget that at one stage he'd disappointed that much here he looked to be on his way out. I went to a pre-season game at Wrexham just after Rafa had taken over and made josemi his first signing; he played poorly in that game, and Blackburn were showing a strong interest. Of course after that he grew in stature; but at first he was employed on the right side of midfield as a makeshift winger due to injuries, and then as Josemi struggled he went about establishing himself again as our first choice right-back in 2005. Don't get me wrong, I have always rated Finnan very highly, but was disappointed with the way he had developed under Ged. He made quite a few errors in that first season, and if Josemi had turned out to be better than he did, things may have been different. As it is for me, Finnan was our most consistant player of 2005, and I hope to see him at right-back for us for a good long time now, in the way a similar player in Irwin served to his late 30s for United. But I put that re-discovery of the player he was and a new found level of consistancy down to Rafa. Regarding Carra, I of course loved him for his commitment and defensive ability, but I like full-backs to offer a threat going forward, and in general he didn't. Its not easy to criticise a player becoming an absolute legend at the club, but that was how I felt about him when he played at full-back. I freely admit I had no idea of the player he could become, and for me thats down to Rafa.