so up the halfway mark....

[floyd the barber]

well we`ve now had a decent look, what our the thoughts on the new buys..

 

aurillio - looked poor when first placed in the side, then of course got an injury...will take a bit of time to settle, still cant shake the feeling he`ll be forever a squadie and isnt really good enough at either left bk or left mid

 

gonzalez - has looked impressive at times, shocking awful the next...like aurillio, gonzo will need some time to adjust...though is definetly one for the future.....ive seen some harsh coments against him, we definetly need to give him a bit of time and patience cos he definetly has the talent.

 

bellamy - noticeable improvement since the courtcase, has impressed myself with his work rate and hes now finding the scoresheet....im STILL not convinced hes the longterm solution and would be highly suprised if he lasts at anfield for longer than a couple of seasons....

 

kuyt - an exciting start, though has faltered of late....looks well of the pace and definetly needs a break.....he has the quality, though does our current system and play suit his style??

 

Pennant - ughhhh been awful, hopefully some good lashings behind the scenes might get his ass into gear.....

 

Paletta - havent really seen enough, hes seemed a bit raw when he has tepped onto the pitch..no suprises there...one for the future

 

 

so overall - maybe a 5 out of 10 for Rafas buys.....pretty poor in general so far.

[Walrus]

Aurelio and Pennant have been the big disappointments. None of the signings have really done better than I'd hoped for though.

[floyd the barber]

Aurelio and Pennant have been the big disappointments. None of the signings have really done better than I'd hoped for though.

 

dunno, i expected far more from pennant to be honest.

[RafaShanks]

Wasn't expecting much from Pennant as I've never really rated him, but been poorer than I thought. Worst part is his general lack of agression, urgency and the way in he's poor in general decision making.

 

Aurelio is the one I'm the most disappointed with. Lets not feck about, he's been absolute s****. Neither suitable at LB or LW, especially LB which is his supposed custom position. He was a free (or was he?). His time at Valencia was been plagued with injury and so far, it hasn't proved any different here. This hasn't helped him.

 

Dirk and Bellamy, I've been the most impressed. Initially more with Dirk, but Bellamy has shone recently. Both will prove to be excellent buys.

 

Gonzalez has been hit and miss, but is still very young and will hopefully only get better with experience and guidance.

 

Can't really comment on Paletta, as he's hardly figured.

 

Overall 6/10.

 

Still way too early to judge though.

Edited December 27, 2006 by RafaShanks

[Flanders]

Bellamy and Kuyt will improve on last years side eventually. The rest are no improvement on the best players we had available in those positions a year ago.

[lfc003]

didn't want either Pennant and Bellamy to be signed didn't believe either were good enough, Nothings changed my opinion on them.

 

If i'm being honest for all Kuyt's workrate i'm a little underwhelmed and worried about his lack threat and composuer in the oppositions 6 yard box

[anny road]

didn't want either Pennant and Bellamy to be signed didn't believe either were good enough, Nothings changed my opinion on them.

 

If i'm being honest for all Kuyt's workrate i'm a little underwhelmed and worried about his lack threat and composuer in the oppositions 6 yard box

 

 

well arent you clever

[Stevie H]

didn't want either Pennant and Bellamy to be signed didn't believe either were good enough, Nothings changed my opinion on them.

 

If i'm being honest for all Kuyt's workrate i'm a little underwhelmed and worried about his lack threat and composuer in the oppositions 6 yard box

think you're largely wrong. bellamy and kuyt have made more than promising starts to their anfield careers.

[Hassony]

how does Kuyts start in the premiership compare to henry, Bergkamp, Drogba and RVN?

 

give him time ffs, the same for bellamy who has been a totally different player in the last few weeks

Edited December 27, 2006 by Hassony

[dorgie]

I hope we don't make too many signings between now & next July. One or two top names (if the money becomes available).

 

Give this squad another chance......1 full season behind them by then & no world cup/euros and we'll be rockin' come next August. Only thing being, by winning the CL again we'll have to bugger off to the far east or somewhere again for that world club championship :-(

[Flanders]

I hope we don't make too many signings between now & next July. One or two top names (if the money becomes available).

 

Give this squad another chance......1 full season behind them by then & no world cup/euros and we'll be rockin' come next August. Only thing being, by winning the CL again we'll have to bugger off to the far east or somewhere again for that world club championship :-(

I hope we don't sign many players aswell, a lot of signings results in another season passing us by in the championship.

However, we are short on quality. We are three top class players away from a serious tilt at the title imo.

Two wide players and another serious goalscorer. That adds up to a lot of money though.

[owenthomas]

how does Kuyts start in the premiership compare to henry, Bergkamp, Drogba and RVN?

 

give him time ffs, the same for bellamy who has been a totally different player in the last few weeks

good point - i'm glad someone's made it.. the original post seems to say 'give him time to adjust' for anyone new to the country but someone who's played in the Premiership doesn't get the same courtesy.. the fact that Bellamy and Pennant have struggled originally could have something to do with playing for one of the biggest clubs in the World - i'm not trying to sound like i'm banging the drum for them but playing for Liverpool is totally different to playing for Newcastle/Blackburn/Birmingham.. and saying Gonzalez is young and needs more time but Pennant, who's only about a year older, is just not good enough doesn't make that much sense..

 

i remember when Crouch first came to us - the fans got behind him from the start and were willing him to score.. once he did and once he'd settled he became a big player for us and then for his country - had he not got the backing from us and carried on being a figure of fun then who knows which way he would have gone - he's now very highly regarded (for the most part).. perhaps if the likes of Pennant got similar support instead of moaning about him all the time he might just start to show his potential..

[Guest anfieldanfield]

If we're being honest, Kuyt and Bellamy have showed signs of genuine quality, albeit inconsistently.

 

Aurelio, Pennant and Gonzalez have looked very, very average.

[Stevie H]

If we're being honest, Kuyt and Bellamy have showed signs of genuine quality, albeit inconsistently.

 

Aurelio, Pennant and Gonzalez have looked very, very average.

aurelio and gonzalez have definitely shown signs of 'quality'. although i now loathe that over-used word.

 

pennant's been fitful, but overall i'd have to say disappointing.

[Guest anfieldanfield]

aurelio and gonzalez have definitely shown signs of 'quality'. although i now loathe that over-used word.

 

pennant's been fitful, but overall i'd have to say disappointing.

 

 

I think you're being slightly generous with Aurelio, but he was free, so I'll leave it there.

 

As for Gonzalez, I'm torn. He looks raw, very raw, and drifts in and out of games. That said, he does have decent pace and has chipped in with three important goals and occasionally pings in a decent cross or two.

 

I dont think he'll ever be in the Robben, Ronaldo, J.Cole class, but he could go on to be a decent little player for us, hopefully.

[Walrus]

Aurelio has shown absolutely nothing bar one decent free kick, which was saved.

 

That's not to say he couldn't improve, but that is the god honest truth in my opinion.

[Hassony]

I dont think he'll ever be in the Robben, Ronaldo, J.Cole class, but he could go on to be a decent little player for us, hopefully.

he can be easily be as good as joe cole/ robben. but ronaldo is different class to those two.

[Ombudsam]

how does Kuyts start in the premiership compare to henry, Bergkamp, Drogba and RVN?

 

give him time ffs, the same for bellamy who has been a totally different player in the last few weeks

 

only RVN hit the ground running.

 

Kuyt and Bellamy (post trial) have the potential to be the real deal. I'm willing to give Gonzalez more time as he's only a kid from a different country and for some reason i saw him a good few times last year and he was good. Needs to plaqy better though.

 

Pennant and Aurelio...

 

By the way you do know sure as eggs is eggs that some of our signings will flop. It's footballing fact that you can't sign that many players and them all be good enough so it's no big surprise

 

good point - i'm glad someone's made it.. the original post seems to say 'give him time to adjust' for anyone new to the country but someone who's played in the Premiership doesn't get the same courtesy.. the fact that Bellamy and Pennant have struggled originally could have something to do with playing for one of the biggest clubs in the World - i'm not trying to sound like i'm banging the drum for them but playing for Liverpool is totally different to playing for Newcastle/Blackburn/Birmingham.. and saying Gonzalez is young and needs more time but Pennant, who's only about a year older, is just not good enough doesn't make that much sense..

 

i remember when Crouch first came to us - the fans got behind him from the start and were willing him to score.. once he did and once he'd settled he became a big player for us and then for his country - had he not got the backing from us and carried on being a figure of fun then who knows which way he would have gone - he's now very highly regarded (for the most part).. perhaps if the likes of Pennant got similar support instead of moaning about him all the time he might just start to show his potential..

 

I think as far as it goes for bellamy it is simply because he isn't going to prison.

Edited December 28, 2006 by sammya

[Hassony]

 

By the way you do know sure as eggs is eggs that some of our signings will flop. It's footballing fact that you can't sign that many players and them all be good enough so it's no big surprise

but wenger, mourinho and ferguson have never signed any flops ever

[Ombudsam]

aurelio and gonzalez have definitely shown signs of 'quality'. although i now loathe that over-used word.

 

pennant's been fitful, but overall i'd have to say disappointing.

 

On the back of how he's played for us i don't particularly rate him but Pennant has shown more quality than either aurelio or gonzalez

 

he can be easily be as good as joe cole/ robben. but ronaldo is different class to those two.

 

I don't know about that. They'll all have spells where they look like the best player of the 3

 

but wenger, mourinho and ferguson have never signed any flops ever

 

i don't think anyone from any walk of football has said that to be fair

[Hassony]

On the back of how he's played for us i don't particularly rate him but Pennant has shown more quality than either aurelio or gonzalez

gonzales has scored 3 goals and has shown to be able to use his pace on occasions, Pennant has just been average on the whole

[Ombudsam]

gonzales has scored 3 goals and has shown to be able to use his pace on occasions, Pennant has just been average on the whole

 

pennant has beaten more players and put in better crosses. Neither has set the world alight but I think Pennant has edged in the showing quality stakes. I'm more inclined to be easier on Gonzalez though

[matty]

 

Pennant - hopefully some good lashings behind the scenes might get his ass into gear.....

 

 

Think he got that in the nick, didn't he?

[Rimbeux]

he can be easily be as good as joe cole/ robben. but ronaldo is different class to those two.

 

I don't see that at all, having seen him over there and over here, my impression is still of a quick player with a good shot, but he's not got the technique to be on a level with Lennon, let alone Cole or Robben and Ronaldo. I think he can be an effective player if the team can give him space to use his speed, but lets not get carried away.

[Ombudsam]

I don't see that at all, having seen him over there and over here, my impression is still of a quick player with a good shot, but he's not got the technique to be on a level with Lennon, let alone Cole or Robben and Ronaldo. I think he can be an effective player if the team can give him space to use his speed, but lets not get carried away.

 

i'd go with that. I really really wish we had got Lennon. He'll probably have a schit spell soon will Lennon