Originally posted by Doyle78
you implied here that Man U have "bought" success which is true to a certain degree but no different to Pool or Chelsea.
You outline that Fergie has spent more than Rafa which may well be true however my point is that Ferguson has spent his money wisely in recent times.
You are measuring your clubs progress by how closer/ further away you are to/ fr ...[text shortened]... cess.....rotation, defennsive systems, character and style of play are every bit as important.
I think you need to read the thread through before you suggest what I've "implied".
The listing of some of the ManU players (and their price tags) who were on the pitch on Weds night was in response to Smiffy's post where he stated (about Chelsea) "just shows you that you cant buy cups". My point being, without a serious amount of money a team isn't likely to be winning the CL (or the Premiership for that matter). Had ManU not spent some serious cash themselves in the last few years they probably wouldn't have been on the pitch on Weds night.
Your point wasn't just about Fergie spending wisely - you also implied that Rafa hadn't. The facts of the matter are Fergie has spent more than Rafa in the last 4 seasons and Rafa has closed the gap on ManUtd. Yes, Rafa has bought some duffers (who hasn't?) but they've generally (apart from Kuyt) not been expensive flops (remember Veron?). He has had less money to spend and has had to buy a number of cheaper options to bolster the squad. Until last summer's purchase of Torres, £10M was the most he'd had to spend on one player and that was paid for by the previous chairman not the club.
It may be music to your ears to hear Liverpool fans measuring their progress against United and in points per season terms - but what other than that are we supposed to measure it against? In the 70's & 80's United and all the other sides would have been doing just that with Liverpool.
Given our financial situation, we can't do "a Chelsea" and spend £40M net each season on transfers - so progress is going to have to be acheived somewhat slower. Glory hunters and the press are having a go at Rafa for not winning the league yet. Well, winning a CL and FA cup and finshing 5th, 3rd, 3rd and 4th is a heck of a lot better than Fergie did in his first 4 seasons. He finished 11th twice, in case you don't remember, and the FA Cup win in 1990 (in his fourth season) was his first trophy and probably saved him from the chop. I'm sure you remember the fortnightly chants of "Fergie out" at OT that season?
Rafa's record is even more favourable when you remember that he inherited a squad with Diao, Diouf, Cheyrou, Heskey, Cisse, Baros, Traore whilst Fergie was able to spend British record (or close) amounts (per position) on Steve Bruce, Jim Leighton, Mark Hughes, Neil Webb, Paul Ince and Gary Pallister in his first 4 seasons. Other than Torres, Rafa has had nowhere near the same amount of money in comparative terms. Finally, it took Ferguson 7 years to win the title - Rafa's had 4 seasons in charge so far.
Please point out where I've said the amount spent on Rio and Rooney was "OTT". And thanks for stating that Torres is Liverpool's best signing in many a year and cost over £20M - although what this actually adds to your argument is unclear.
Money doesn't guarantee success - correct. But it helps, and while Liverpool can't compete with Chelsea and ManU in that department I expect progress to be made steadily. As for rotation, I've dug this up
www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/a_NG156624070808-1304.shtml
so that you can see some facts rather than media spin on Rafa's policy. As for defensive systems or zonal marking as you're probably referring to, yes it has leaked a few goals from set pieces in the 2nd half of this season. However, over the previous season and a half it was proven to be more effective than anyone else's defence against set pieces. However, it can't be all that bad as Reina has just won the Golden Gloves award for the 3rd season in a row. That's the award for keeping the most clean sheets in the Premiership by the way.
Now, go and enjoy your well earned double. Just try to brush up on your knowledge over the summer by reading more than just the tabloids and watching SKY.
come on you reds
22 May '08 21:16
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