Benitez and Liverpool's transfers

[TightEnd]

Is it just me or is Benitez going off piste this close season?

First he signs Bellamy who is to team spirit what I am to ballet dancing. He is also injury prone, difficult to play with and makes Fowler unneccessary

Then he signs Pennant for over £6m. Now for all I know he may be a reformed character but the once child prodigy is to team spirit what I am to horse riding and doesn't look to justify a £6m tag ato me at his stays post Arsenal at Leeds and Brum

Am I wrong


The spine of the team with Reina, Hyppia, Gerrard and Crouch looks fine to me

I am just not sure what he is doing signing these two. If I was a Liverpool supporter I would have wanted someone to play alongside Hyppia and Carragher and a replacement for Hamann...not signing two ticking timebombs 

[ifm]

They haven't signed Pennant, in fact Blues have said they are miles away from agreeing a price for him.
Reports in every paper today were, apparently wrong.

[Colchester Kev]

I cant get the image of twiggy as a ballet dancing jockey out of my head .... I feel ill !!

[Indestructable]

Pennant has to be the most overpriced buy of the season.

[booder]

. If I was a Liverpool supporter I would have wanted someone to play alongside Hyppia and Carragher and a replacement for Hamann...not signing two ticking timebombs 

Gabriel Paletta........argentinian defender , part of the successful 2005 fifa youth championship winning team.

Fabio Aurelio............brazillian left back

Mark Gonzalez.........chilian left winger

Craig Bellamy...........i am really excited about seeing him play this season.i dont think Benitez will let him get away with any nonsense.Fowler will only be making occasional appearences.

jermaine pennant........dont rate him personally , but obviously benitez sees something in him that can benefit the team , and as manager , he hasnt done too badly so far.

cover for midfield........hamann was not used a great deal towards the end of the season. i think rafa's preferred pairing is gerrard and alonso , with sissoko being used in the hamann role if neccessary


top 3 finish this year , and dont be too surprised if liverpool top the table at the end of the season

[NoflopsHomer]

I find it faintly amusing that Blackburn have signed Jeffers to replace Bellamy when originally Jeffers turned down Newcastle to Arsenal who then signed Bellamy instead... There's one of those uninteresting interesting facts that you only get in football.

[The Baron]

Is it just me or is Benitez going off piste this close season?

First he signs Bellamy who is to team spirit what I am to ballet dancing. He is also injury prone, difficult to play with and makes Fowler unneccessary

Then he signs Pennant for over £6m. Now for all I know he may be a reformed character but the once child prodigy is to team spirit what I am to horse riding and doesn't look to justify a £6m tag ato me at his stays post Arsenal at Leeds and Brum

Am I wrong


The spine of the team with Reina, Hyppia, Gerrard and Crouch looks fine to me

I am just not sure what he is doing signing these two. If I was a Liverpool supporter I would have wanted someone to play alongside Hyppia and Carragher and a replacement for Hamann...not signing two ticking timebombs 

Tighty you seem to have missed the signings of Agger (last Xmas) and Paletta this summer. Two young talented centre halves. One the ball playing, composed cucumber and the other a Carragher mark II - up for getting stuck in.

The major thing with Bellamy and Pennant is their childhood support of the club. It's the same reasoning that turns up a better Fowler at Liverpool than at City or Leeds.

Neither excites me all tht much if I'm honest but both are tactical buys.

Instead of Cisse who just had pace now we have pace who runs at people instead of beyond them. Plus if Bellamy can score 12(?) at Blackburn he'll be fine with Gerrard and Alonso pinging passes to him.

Pennant could be by far our most important signing. Why you ask? Because Gerrard wont have to spend three quarters of the season on the right like last year. Even though he did a good job I think the world knows what he can do in the middle.

Our left includes Traore, Warnock, Riise, Aurelio, Gonzales, Kewell, Zenden, our right includes Finnan and Kromkramp (who is off I think) so Pennant is needed big time.

As for a Hamann replacement... All I've heard in the last year is this guy or that guy is the new Vieira. Well if you are looking for a guy in that mould Sissoko is your man. He is 20! TWENTY! Never seen a guy run so much in my
life - Hargreaves included. He's big, hard, quick, can pass and shoot. (Although he will get sent off a lot)

Tough away games will have a midfield 5 wih Sissoko involved. I'm a bit gutted Didi left - he was a consumate professional who could turn games by himself. (Champions League Final - stopping Pirlo from playing type thing) However Sissoko will be much better than Hamann was. Also OPTA's second best player at breaking up play last year? Alonso. I think Hamann knew he wouldn't playing much with these two around.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Gonzales playing left in front of Paletta/Riise and Kewell playing a 2nd striker role a lot this season. Benitez has already said Zenden will be more of a middle man this year. One more right man and possibly another striker will keep me happy.

[dan]

. If I was a Liverpool supporter I would have wanted someone to play alongside Hyppia and Carragher and a replacement for Hamann...not signing two ticking timebombs 

Gabriel Paletta........argentinian defender , part of the successful 2005 fifa youth championship winning team.

Fabio Aurelio............brazillian left back

Mark Gonzalez.........chilian left winger

Craig Bellamy...........i am really excited about seeing him play this season.i dont think Benitez will let him get away with any nonsense.Fowler will only be making occasional appearences.

jermaine pennant........dont rate him personally , but obviously benitez sees something in him that can benefit the team , and as manager , he hasnt done too badly so far.

cover for midfield........hamann was not used a great deal towards the end of the season. i think rafa's preferred pairing is gerrard and alonso , with sissoko being used in the hamann role if neccessary


top 3 finish this year , and dont be too surprised if liverpool top the table at the end of the season

so did arsene wenger, infact he made him the most expensive schoolboy footballer at the time(not sure if it has been broken since) but to be honest i was not sad to see him go.

there is no doubt he has talent but i dont think he is a team player either that or he has a total lack of vision and awareness of what is going on around him

[The Baron]

I've just read he did 497 crosses last season. More than any other player. You add that to Peter Crouch and it should mean chances.

My only concern is his activity away from football. Like getting drunk, stealing cars, being throw out of nightclubs at 3am  etc etc etc....

[dan]

I've just read he did 497 crosses last season.

how many were successful?

You add that to Peter Crouch and it should mean chances.

but crouch cant head the ball 

[The Baron]

I've just read he did 497 crosses last season.

how many were successful?

You add that to Peter Crouch and it should mean chances.

but crouch cant head the ball 

I agree Crouch is useless at a powerful goalward header but his hold up play is spot on as are his knockdowns. The amount of goals Liverpool (mainly Gerrard) scored last season from second balls off Crouch was bordering on ridiculous. Pennant will only add to this.

I don't know how many of Pennants crosses were successful but let's be honest he's going to be a LOT more successful with Crouch in the air. Who wouldn't be?

Pennant's play doesn't concern me one bit. His off field antics do.

[Nem]

. If I was a Liverpool supporter I would have wanted someone to play alongside Hyppia and Carragher and a replacement for Hamann...not signing two ticking timebombs 

Gabriel Paletta........argentinian defender , part of the successful 2005 fifa youth championship winning team.

Fabio Aurelio............brazillian left back

Mark Gonzalez.........chilian left winger

Craig Bellamy...........i am really excited about seeing him play this season.i dont think Benitez will let him get away with any nonsense.Fowler will only be making occasional appearences.

jermaine pennant........dont rate him personally , but obviously benitez sees something in him that can benefit the team , and as manager , he hasnt done too badly so far.

cover for midfield........hamann was not used a great deal towards the end of the season. i think rafa's preferred pairing is gerrard and alonso , with sissoko being used in the hamann role if neccessary


top 3 finish this year , and dont be too surprised if liverpool top the table at the end of the season

so did arsene wenger, infact he made him the most expensive schoolboy footballer at the time(not sure if it has been broken since) but to be honest i was not sad to see him go.

there is no doubt he has talent but i dont think he is a team player either that or he has a total lack of vision and awareness of what is going on around him

Theo Walnut?

[Tinsel Town]

Never write Liverpool off.
Reason being ..Liverpool are winners..
doesn't matter who plays for Liverpool..They will win..Fact.

Contrast this with other so called big clubs..ie Spurs.

Spurs are classed as a big club..but win NOTHING!!!

Spurs play in the English league and are in  London

I say London as this is the only reason they are given so much press.
If they played in..say .. the midlands they would be judged as
exactly what they are..less successful than Forest,Villa,Blackburn,Derby
etc etc etc
Spurs have not won the league  since centre partings and Brylcream.
Laces were also in the ball.Though I'm not sure as the pictures were in
Black and white.


Liverpool have nothing to fear!!

 

[Acidmouse]

pennant did nothing for Leeds the year we went down, although the whole team sucked.

[Nem]

I feel that Pennant will be a great signing for Liverpool.

He won't be messing around in nightclubs under Benitez!