c00p

One of the papers (Daily Star Sunday - dont laugh at the back) linking us with a £3 million bid for Juninho from Lyon. Older head, good CV and been to a couple of World Cups with Brazil iirc.

If the Grafton is not good enough for him then he doesnt belong at the club.

Torres has just come back from injury so regardless of who we were playing on Saturday it is always gonig to be a risk. You mention £140 million but say that net spend isnt relevant, of course its relevant because Rafa has had to sell to get some money back after sales. For the money Rafa has had to spend he has had to rebuild the full squad including reserves and youth setup. Again Rafas rotation policy comes into play but he rarely rests what you would consider his spine of the team in Reina,Carra,Agger,Mascherano,Gerrard and Torres. If we were to attract some more world class players in the summer then im sure they wouldnt be rotated either. Surely we can beat Barnsley without Torres regardless and if we cant then we are in trouble. A fine example of what Rafa is up against is Man United won the Premier League last season and then went and spent £70 million.

Insua must be close to the first team after witnessing Aurellio and Riise's performances this season. Insua seems fast able to take players on and doesnt just hoof it forward. Amazed he wasnt at least on the bench against Havant and Waterlooville.

Agogo must gogo but instead a yellow card gogoes to agogo.

Craig Johnstone is looking more and more like David Johnson every day.

Arbeloa turned out alright so i have faith in Rafa going for Lopez.

Tuttosport are saying that Juve want to loan Sissoko but Liverpool only want to sell him.

I cant see how having a world class player in the team is part of our problems.

Alonso has been injured for a lot of this season so far so this has allowed Mascherano to get regular football and prove he is a top quality player in his position. The £17 million quoted is said to be paid in installmentts over 5 years so really shouldnt make too much of an impact on our spending. To the person who posted about who told Moores to sell to these clowns - DIC said Parry would be out of a job Gillett and Hicks said Parry would keep his job - wonder who told Moores to sell to Gillett and Hicks.

I dont think we need endless amounts of cash as the spine of the team is very strong. The argument that started was Rafa moaning because he couldnt get deals done which would have actually made the club money not spend it. The amount of money that needs spending on the first team should be achievable by Hicks and Gillett so a company like DIC would easily be able to afford to fund the deals Rafa requires.

Liverpool owner Tom Hicks to sell Anfield stake By Giles Mole Last Updated: 8:43am GMT 30/11/2007 Liverpool may be entering a period of upheaval after it emerged co-owner Tom Hicks is looking for a way out of the club. City sources have confirmed that Hicks, who has been at the forefront of a dispute with manager Rafa Benitez over signings, is preparing to sell his shares. Both men initially rang the praises of Benitez, calling the manager a genius, with many supporters predicting Liverpool would lift the Premier League title this season after a £40m summer spending spree. However, results have been inconsistent, sparking criticism of Benitez's rotation policy and prompting the Spaniard to demand more funds in January. Hicks and Gillett have so far been reluctant to release more money for players, prompting a very public breakdown in relations. Now it seems developments have reached a head with Hicks hoping to cash in on his investment. The businessman has reportedly put a £1 billion guide valuation on the club, and while City analysts have dismissed this as ridiculous, it was revealed last night that Dubai International Capital, the investment group headed by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, are ready to make a new bid having previously attempted a takeover. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mai...verpool130.xml

Martinez and Mascherano are different kind of players. Mascherano is a defensive midfielder whereas Martinez is an attacking midfielder. Could all be bull to try and force MSI hands to keep the Mascherano fee low by saying we are looking at other players.

Personally i think Rafa is using him correctly at the moment. He has come from a league which is far slower then the Premier and far more physical. Why throw the lad in at this early a stage when we can adapt him to the league and when he is ready then bring him in. The lad is only 20 so he had plenty of time to force himself into the team and its not like we are short in that department so as a club Liverpool can afford to allow him to adjust to his new surroundings. I know he is very highly rated by Rafa and the coaching staff and considering its only October i think we will see more and more of Lucas as the season goes on.

Aldridge was signed before the summer in fact i think it was about January, February time. I know he made his debut in Feb against Villa. Barnes and Beardsley were signed in the summer though.