Balague Interview

[Kindred]

Hither

 

Quite interesting interview without being earth shattering

Amongst other things mentioned....

 

Q. What do you think it will take for Liverpool to challenge for the Premiership title in the near future? And has Rafa heaped the pressure on himself by winning the Champions League in his first season with the club?

 

A. Winning the Champions League has won him time more than added pressure. After that (and consider the lineup he had on that day), he has had time to build a side that combined style and power. But money has been an issue and the job is still half done. I predict a big clearout next summer while he finds the right combination. Internally, this was the year they thought they would fight for the title, but I still think Liverpool will be closer to the top than last year

 

 

Q. Are they missing a player like Michael Owen? Why do you think Rafa declined the chance to re-sign him?

 

A. All is revealed in the update of the book! But a clue - Owen was badly advised and he cried when he realized he couldn't go to Liverpool.

[Guest Kev]

Hither

 

A. All is revealed in the update of the book! But a clue - Owen was badly advised and he cried when he realized he couldn't go to Liverpool.

 

He would have, and wanted to sign for us even right upto his highly publicised signing for Newcastle on the pitch. I heard a different side to the story and it wasn't bad advice.

[Kindred]

He would have, and wanted to sign for us even right upto his highly publicised signing for Newcastle on the pitch. I heard a different side to the story and it wasn't bad advice.

 

Pray tell your goss!

[Guest Kev]

Pray tell your goss!

 

He wanted to come back, the Madrid chairman at the time said he would help him move back, Rafa wanted him. Work out the missing link.

[muleskinner]

Rafa wanted him but didn't fancy paying him £105,000 a week?

[Kindred]

He wanted to come back, the Madrid chairman at the time said he would help him move back, Rafa wanted him. Work out the missing link.

 

kerching!

 

 

I thought the other interesting point Balague made was that he felt something of a clearout may occur in the summer, which I wasn't expecting. One or two bigish names I could maybe see, but I hadn't expected any major clearout.

[Guest Kev]

Rafa wanted him but didn't fancy paying him £105,000 a week?

 

Nowhere near

[live]

Nowhere near

 

 

so parry had nothing to do with it

[Rimbeux]

Nowhere near

 

 

The old tune about not having the means or want to pay any more than the fee he was sold for?

[muleskinner]

Nowhere near

 

He wanted to pay him £30,000 a week?

[chiliking]

Kev, I'm thick

Can we blame/thank

a- Owen

b-Parry

c-the Board

d- Rafa

e-agent

f- barcodes

g- a combo of the above

[floyd the barber]

the board wouldnt pay the money, which would`ve made a huge loss after what we sold him for...makes sense and in hindsight...was the right move not to sign him.

[Guest Kev]

Yes, the club would have bought him back for less than we sold him. However it wasn't £6m, it was £3m. Plus the fact that the wages would not have been a problem, he was desperate to come back.

 

In fact he told his closest friends at the club that everything was sorted. It was the club that moved the goalposts at the final minute.

 

Yes, he was in tears. Maybe he was badly advised (but by whom ?).

 

Owen is injured now and I don't think we'll ever see him in a Liverpool shirt again, which I think is a shame. He's not the first to test the grass on the other side and regretted it. Everyone deserves a second chance.

[Cunny]

when is Balague's updated book out?

[Hassony]

Yes, the club would have bought him back for less than we sold him. However it wasn't £6m, it was £3m. Plus the fact that the wages would not have been a problem, he was desperate to come back.

 

In fact he told his closest friends at the club that everything was sorted. It was the club that moved the goalposts at the final minute.

 

Yes, he was in tears. Maybe he was badly advised (but by whom ?).

 

Owen is injured now and I don't think we'll ever see him in a Liverpool shirt again, which I think is a shame. He's not the first to test the grass on the other side and regretted it. Everyone deserves a second chance.

why would real have solf him to liverpool for that cheap considering newcastle offered £17m

[Gomez]

why would real have solf him to liverpool for that cheap considering newcastle offered £17m

 

Too make Parry look bad when he refused to pay it?

[Guest Cameron]

£3M? No way Real would have sold him for that much. That's just crazy talk.

[Benitez]

 

Yes, he was in tears. Maybe he was badly advised (but by whom ?).

 

Owen is injured now and I don't think we'll ever see him in a Liverpool shirt again, which I think is a shame. He's not the first to test the grass on the other side and regretted it. Everyone deserves a second chance.

 

 

He's been badly advised for years, just look at the state of his career. Badly adviced when he left Liverpool and badly adviced when he came back to the Prem. It ain't rocket science.

 

There's a lot of consipiracy theories going on here as usual! There won't be anything more complicated in this than his desperation to play for England and Liverpool not having the money to pay up, or not willing to, sensibly, pay that fee. But hey, thats boring innit.

Edited November 10, 2006 by Benitez

[Spike]

£3M? No way Real would have sold him for that much. That's just crazy talk.

 

Newcastle's big signing and the fee was basically them writing the money owed from the Woodgate transfer against it. In lay terms the transfer was in the £3m region of actual money exchanged.

 

That said, I still don't know about the £3m to us. Sounds ridiculously low to me, unless they hadn't paid a penny of the fee for him and it was simply a case of swapping money in/vs out.

 

Kev, I'd be interested to see how the £3m came about - player exchanges etc?

 

I know you don't have much time for Parry etc but personally I feel we have a stronger team without MO whatever the circumstances.

[Guest Cameron]

I'm not sure about being a stonger team without Owen. Having him can only be a good thing, he's a better goal scorer than anyone we have (although our other forwards have qualities that Owen lacks). He'd be an asset to any club (providing he's not injured).

[meepins]

You would have to be a cold hearted b*****d not to feel sorry for Micheal Owen . Such a shame the way things have turned out.

[Guest Cameron]

You would have to be a cold hearted b*****d not to feel sorry for Micheal Owen . Such a shame the way things have turned out.

Yes, I feel awful for that unfortunate, multi-millionaire superstar!

[meepins]

Yes, I feel awful for that unfortunate, multi-millionaire superstar!

You know I mean professionally you t*rt

[CaptainXabi]

You would have to be a cold hearted b*****d not to feel sorry for Micheal Owen . Such a shame the way things have turned out.

I guess I'm a cold hearted b*****d then...

[meepins]

ye theres a lot of them around here

Edited November 11, 2006 by lfc-dub