Liverpool FC

[77dave]

Figures and article from The Sunday Times before Rafa's last season kicks off...

Manchester United total net spend 2004-2009: £27m loss

Arsenal Net total net spend 2004-09: £27m profit

Liverpool total net spend 2004-09: £122m loss

On the eve of this season, Liverpool manager Rafa Bentiez bemoaned his side’s lack of financial power. However, an analysis of the spending habits of the ‘Big Four’ since his appointment in June 2004 shows that the Spaniard has outspent Sir Alex Ferguson by £80m. Furthermore, when money raised through player sales is taken into account, Benitez’ net spending dwarves Ferguson’s by £95m and only Chelsea have spent more on player recruitment during the same five-year period.

Benitez wasted no time in splashing the cash on his arrival on Merseyside. In his first season at the club his net spending totalled £31m, including £20m on the misfiring strike partnership of Djibril Cisse <APPLY BRAKES>

Stopped reading there.  Houllier signed Cisse, not Rafa.  Therefore we can rely on the rest of the figures in the article to be accurate, can't we?

Rafa allowed Owen to leave?

[kinboshi]

Figures and article from The Sunday Times before Rafa's last season kicks off...

Manchester United total net spend 2004-2009: £27m loss

Arsenal Net total net spend 2004-09: £27m profit

Liverpool total net spend 2004-09: £122m loss

On the eve of this season, Liverpool manager Rafa Bentiez bemoaned his side’s lack of financial power. However, an analysis of the spending habits of the ‘Big Four’ since his appointment in June 2004 shows that the Spaniard has outspent Sir Alex Ferguson by £80m. Furthermore, when money raised through player sales is taken into account, Benitez’ net spending dwarves Ferguson’s by £95m and only Chelsea have spent more on player recruitment during the same five-year period.

Benitez wasted no time in splashing the cash on his arrival on Merseyside. In his first season at the club his net spending totalled £31m, including £20m on the misfiring strike partnership of Djibril Cisse <APPLY BRAKES>

Stopped reading there.  Houllier signed Cisse, not Rafa.  Therefore we can rely on the rest of the figures in the article to be accurate, can't we?

Rafa allowed Owen to leave?

Owen had decided Liverpool were in decline and wouldn't sign a new contract that he was offered.  He certainly put himself WAY before the club.  In fact, he'd been stalling on signing a new contract for 12-18 months during Houllier's last year or so at the club as well.

[77dave]

Figures and article from The Sunday Times before Rafa's last season kicks off...

Manchester United total net spend 2004-2009: £27m loss

Arsenal Net total net spend 2004-09: £27m profit

Liverpool total net spend 2004-09: £122m loss

On the eve of this season, Liverpool manager Rafa Bentiez bemoaned his side’s lack of financial power. However, an analysis of the spending habits of the ‘Big Four’ since his appointment in June 2004 shows that the Spaniard has outspent Sir Alex Ferguson by £80m. Furthermore, when money raised through player sales is taken into account, Benitez’ net spending dwarves Ferguson’s by £95m and only Chelsea have spent more on player recruitment during the same five-year period.

Benitez wasted no time in splashing the cash on his arrival on Merseyside. In his first season at the club his net spending totalled £31m, including £20m on the misfiring strike partnership of Djibril Cisse <APPLY BRAKES>

Stopped reading there.  Houllier signed Cisse, not Rafa.  Therefore we can rely on the rest of the figures in the article to be accurate, can't we?

Rafa allowed Owen to leave?

Owen had decided Liverpool were in decline and wouldn't sign a new contract that he was offered.  He certainly put himself WAY before the club.  In fact, he'd been stalling on signing a new contract for 12-18 months during Houllier's last year or so at the club as well.

that was my point a very biased story

[sweet potata!]

This off the LFC site. Looking like he's offski.

Ryan Babel has agreed a move to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The Dutch international will fly to Germany tomorrow to finalise the deal.

[The Baron]

Value of all 3 squads before Benitez arrived?

Next I'll be hearing that it's news man city have outspent man utd as they try to bridge the gap.

Also this is skewed by a world record sale for utd.

Finally, 3 of the 6 years Benitez was boss Chelsea won the league. Why compare to Arsenal? (Who we consistently out performed under Benitez)

Oh what "evidence". Next?

Figures and article from The Sunday Times before Rafa's last season kicks off...

Manchester United total net spend 2004-2009: £27m loss

Arsenal Net total net spend 2004-09: £27m profit

Liverpool total net spend 2004-09: £122m loss

On the eve of this season, Liverpool manager Rafa Bentiez bemoaned his side’s lack of financial power. However, an analysis of the spending habits of the ‘Big Four’ since his appointment in June 2004 shows that the Spaniard has outspent Sir Alex Ferguson by £80m. Furthermore, when money raised through player sales is taken into account, Benitez’ net spending dwarves Ferguson’s by £95m and only Chelsea have spent more on player recruitment during the same five-year period.

Benitez wasted no time in splashing the cash on his arrival on Merseyside. In his first season at the club his net spending totalled £31m, including £20m on the misfiring strike partnership of Djibril Cisse and Fernando Morientes. At the same time, Ferguson was making an upfront payment – also of £20m – for Wayne Rooney, who has since confirmed that he was, and still is, the brightest prospect in English football.

With Roman Abramovich a year into his Chelsea spending spree at the time of Benitez’s arrival, only the West London club could match the Spaniard’s outlay. Their most expensive signing that summer was the £24m Didier Drogba but his 102nd goal for the club against Blackburn yesterday suggests much better value for money than the £6.3m Benitez paid for Morientes, who managed just 12 goals throughout his Liverpool career.

While Benitez was spending £41m on eight players in that first season – none of whom are still at the club – Arsene Wenger was splashing out £2m on four players, two of whom – Manuel Almunia and Emmanuel Eboue – have become crucial members of the Arsenal side, while a third, Vito Mannone has burst on to the scene this season. In fact, since June 2004, Wenger has earned his club £27m from his transfer dealings and has spent £154m less that Benitez.

The extent of the Liverpool manager’s spending comes as a surprise, his method of recruitment offers up a telling explanation; as the figures show he likes to spread his wealth thinly. Since joining the club, he has signed 23 players for less than £3m, while during the same period Ferguson has brought in just seven bargain-basement players, the last of whom was the out-of-contract Michael Owen – the first player Benitez allowed to leave the Anfield.

It is worth noting that the world record fee of £80m Manchester United received from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo this summer undoubtedly massages their 2004-09 net spending figure, although such largesse did not stop Florentino Pérez boosting Liverpool’s coffers by £30m in return for the services of Xabi Alonso.

While in the six months before Bentiez’s appointment, Ferguson spent £26.7m on Louis Saha, Alan Smith and Gabriel Heinze, he was at least dipping into a £40m war chest funded by the sales of David Beckham to Real Madrid for £25m and Juan Sebastian Veron to Chelsea for £15m. Even taking Ferguson’s pre-Benitez spending into account, the Liverpool boss still comfortably outspends the Scot.

In conclusion, he could only have been referring to Chelsea when he said on the eve of this season that: “It is always difficult to compete in the Premier League with clubs who have more money.” And even then, Benitez’s net spending over the last five transfer windows eclipses even that of Abramovich. Perhaps now it is time he turned to some more imaginative excuses.

[The Baron]

Pretty much Dan. How on Earth did Rafa spend £31m in season 1? Total fiction.

Figures and article from The Sunday Times before Rafa's last season kicks off...

Manchester United total net spend 2004-2009: £27m loss

Arsenal Net total net spend 2004-09: £27m profit

Liverpool total net spend 2004-09: £122m loss

On the eve of this season, Liverpool manager Rafa Bentiez bemoaned his side’s lack of financial power. However, an analysis of the spending habits of the ‘Big Four’ since his appointment in June 2004 shows that the Spaniard has outspent Sir Alex Ferguson by £80m. Furthermore, when money raised through player sales is taken into account, Benitez’ net spending dwarves Ferguson’s by £95m and only Chelsea have spent more on player recruitment during the same five-year period.

Benitez wasted no time in splashing the cash on his arrival on Merseyside. In his first season at the club his net spending totalled £31m, including £20m on the misfiring strike partnership of Djibril Cisse <APPLY BRAKES>

Stopped reading there.  Houllier signed Cisse, not Rafa.  Therefore we can rely on the rest of the figures in the article to be accurate, can't we?

[The Baron]

This off the LFC site. Looking like he's offski.

Ryan Babel has agreed a move to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The Dutch international will fly to Germany tomorrow to finalise the deal.

Complete waste of talent

[The Baron]

On another note it was sad to see Fat Sam commentating tonight. Another one of the big boys club.

Oh and I hear the sun did a piece on Hosgson vs Dalglish more or less defending Hodgson, whilst not mentioning Gray and Keys at all.

The LMA can fuck off

[sweet potata!]

Can we puhlease stop quoting those big long posts.

[sweet potata!]

From twitter


The Andy Gray and Richard Keys story should have ran under the headline: "Controversy caused by pair of tits".

[George2Loose]

Skewed or not. Man U did sell the best player in the world at the time and it has to be taken into account. We would probably have won the title last year if we hadnt sold Ronaldo

[The Baron]

Skewed or not. Man U did sell the best player in the world at the time and it has to be taken into account. We would probably have won the title last year if we hadnt sold Ronaldo

100% agree with everything you said there, I'm just saying even the net spend (which is a fair way of assessing a manager's dealings) doesn't really show the strength and depth of Utd's spending power. This team had it's foundations way before 2005. On the other side Rafa had Gerrard and Carragher in place.

I know I cant have it both ways, I either accept net spend as a tool for analysis or I dont, and it's fine as a tool. But if Torres had been sold last summer for £80m to Man City would Rafa be off the hook as his net spend was now only £40m in 6 seasons? I think not.

Another good comparison is what it costs for each player currently on the books. The ONLY time in the last 20 years that comparison would be in any way in the same ball park between our clubs would be in 08/09 where we finished 4 points apart.

Utd have a lot of £15m+ players. Net spend at £120m or not this was never something Liverpool have been able to afford in more than one offs. Torres, Mascherano, Aquilani and Keane are the only times it's ever been possible - three of those were paid for by sales. Compare to Rooney, Ferdinand, Van Nistlerooy, Anderson, Nani, Hargraves, Carrick, Berbatov. The difference is Ferguson can get it wrong and there isn't an issue and it's never "sell to buy". (Until now when you have the largest debt in world football) Even the £10-15m rangeis beyond us for the most of this period. It's common practise for you.

[The Baron]

Weeeeeeee more footage of Gray being a twat. Laters Andy

[kinboshi]

On another note it was sad to see Fat Sam commentating tonight. Another one of the big boys club.

Oh and I hear the sun did a piece on Hosgson vs Dalglish more or less defending Hodgson, whilst not mentioning Gray and Keys at all.

The LMA can fuck off

Fat Sam is constantly wheeled out as an 'expert'.  When does an ex-manager who has been sacked from however many clubs stop being an expert?  He complains about managers being sacked and that the clubs should show them more loyalty, etc.  Wonder how he's going to get his next job?  Oh, another manager will need to be sacked, won't they...?

[david3103]

On another note it was sad to see Fat Sam commentating tonight. Another one of the big boys club.

Oh and I hear the sun did a piece on Hosgson vs Dalglish more or less defending Hodgson, whilst not mentioning Gray and Keys at all.

The LMA can fuck off

Fat Sam is constantly wheeled out as an 'expert'.  When does an ex-manager who has been sacked from however many clubs stop being an expert?  He complains about managers being sacked and that the clubs should show them more loyalty, etc.  Wonder how he's going to get his next job?  Oh, another manager will need to be sacked, won't they...?

Once you've been a manager you're pretty much guaranteed an income for life - out of work faliures get to be 'expert summarisers/analysts' on tv/radio while they wait for someone else to 'fail' so that they can rejoin the merry-go-round.