The two best teams are in the final of the Champions League. The two biggest spenders are in the final of the Champions League. No suprise that they are both fighting it out for the Premier League title too.
Basically unless Rafa can pull some amazing deals out of the bag this summer, we will still fall short next year. Yes we have some very mediocre players in our squad and in fairness we lack quality throughout.
The likes of Pennant, Benayoun, Kuyt, Voronin, Riise, Aurelio (and the rest...!) are the best we can afford. United have a better squad, but they also spend more than us. You look at the strength in depth they have, being able to use the £30m Tevez as a substitute for example and is it any suprise that they finish above us?
For me, we're at a turning point here. Either we start to spend on a par with Unted and Chelsea or we fade into the background and prepare ourselves for another mediocre league campaign and have a bloody good go at Europe again instead.
The deals that are being muted for next season again show the money available to us. Crouch to Villa in a part ex deal for Barry, Mancini from Roma for circa £4m - are these the players that will win us the Premier League title? Probably not.
But we dont have the money of the 2 big spenders to go out there and spend £15m on a new fullback, United are being linked with the Porto right back for that much and we certainly cant afford to pay big money for a striker like Sheva who never plays.
Basically the future could be bright under Rafa. Given time he might just develop a youth system that develops talent to cancel out the bigger budget of United and Chelsea but I dont expect anything to change in the short term. If it does, its nothing short of a miracle.
If Agger had been fit all season things could have been so very different.
Saying that, Rafa's had all season to sort it out and he hasn't. Hypia is no longer a Premiership footballer. Although he's been great he's a liability. Carragher is also getting on and will inevitably start picking up injuries that keep him out of games.
Building a defence is the priority for next season, otherwise they will win nothing.
I think we have one mate, Agger will be back fit and Skrtl is looking like a good signing.
Had we managed to sign Heinze, things might have been different. Hyypia would have been 4th choice centreback had that deal have gone through. I can see us bringing Barry in as cover for left back as well as centre mid.
I think though we need a left back for sure, although I would like to see Insua (one of our reserves) being given the chance to make the step up at some point. Get rid of Riise and Aurelio (simply not good enough - but what do you expect for free?) and bring in a top left back please Rafa.
He's a steady player. He's also reasonably priced, seems like a level headed chap and is good mates with Gerrard too. Just the sort of hard worker we need in the team.
Fresh doubts have been raised over Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks' ability to fund the club's proposed new home in Stanley Park following a shock decision to delay the building of a stadium in Texas.
Hicks has admitted he has been unable to secure financing for the Glorypark mixed-use development in Arlington, Texas that was scheduled to open in March 2010.
The £500million dollar venture has been put on hold because of the credit squeeze and troubled retail market.
Hicks said in an interview with the Dallas Morning News: "We are in the most difficult credit crunch I have seen the last 20 years."
That revelation will give more hope to prospective buyers of Liverpool, Dubai International Capital, who have long believed Hicks - and his estranged co-owner George Gillett - have found it virtually impossible to raise further loans to facilitate the move from Anfield.
It is believed Hicks must find funding over the next few months to build the club's new £350million stadium.
But if his Hicks Holdings group have been unable to find the cash in the current market for their Arlington plans, critics in the UK will wonder how the money for the move will be raised in the current financial climate.
Hicks' announcement over the Arlington stadium comes a week after a Dallas hotel project in which he is also involved was delayed.
Construction was scheduled to start this spring on the Glorypark project adjacent to the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, and close to the Dallas Cowboys new 1.1 billion dollar stadium.
Hicks owns the Rangers baseball club as well as the Dallas Stars ice hockey team.
The completion of Glorypark, which would have included restaurants, retail, residential and office space, had been delayed at least twice previously.
Last week, Liverpool gained their third planning permission for the revised Stanley Park scheme.
Hicks said at the weekend: "Site work will start in September and actual construction in late October/early November, with completion in time for the season starting in August 2011."
Some money, around £60million, was set aside from the January re-financing of Hicks and Gillett's loans to buy Liverpool, to allow the stadium work to start.
But it is believed Hicks has been unsuccessful in raising further loans from the London and US financial markets in recent weeks.
DIC believe the financial pressures on Hicks will eventually lead to his return to the negotiating table after he pulled the plug on a planned buyout earlier in the year.
The impasse with Gillett is no nearer a solution.
But Gillett, having made it clear he will not sell his 50% stake in the club to his partner, significantly flew to London last week for informal talks with DIC.
It has emerged that are unlikely to test the validity in court of Hicks' veto over any move by Gillett to sell his stake. Problems over certain clauses in the original contracts have arisen which make such a move difficult.
However, few observers now expect the troubled ownership of Liverpool to be resolved this summer, with the saga likely to drag on into the autumn.
Under the current proposals, the stadium work should have started by then.
Fcuk sake, i still think we're gonna end up sharing with Everton, its what it's been all about from the start. It will happen.
Rafa reiterates Reds commitment
June 10 2008
Rafael Benitez has insisted he is "100% committed" to Liverpool despite the club's poor financial results.
Figures produced by Kop Holdings Ltd show a £33million loss in the period up until July 31 last year.
While this summer's transfer budget had already been catered for in the January refinancing package, the Spanish boss boss must still sell to generate further funds, according to the Liverpool Echo.
But Benitez remains excited by the prospect of making a more determined assault on the Barclays Premier League title next season.
"I said at the end of the season I was very happy here and I will say it again," Benitez told the Echo.
"The supporters have been absolutely magnificent with me and the staff are working very hard.
"I would not have brought players like Fernando Torres and the young players we have here if I did not have a long term vision for the club. Now is not the time to be saying goodbye!
"Fernando's agent has asked about my Liverpool future and my answer is that I am 100% committed."
Benitez is intent on tinkering with his squad during the close season with Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry understood to be high on his list of targets.
"If we had a lot of money to spend it would obviously be better," he said.
"But if we don't it doesn't matter.
"It is not about buying the most expensive players, it is about buying the right ones.
"We have the spine of the team and we can sell some players to get the others we need."
Fantastic news as far as i'm concerned, i fear him becoming the next Manager of Spain at some point.
Heeeyyyyyyy Hey Riise, I wanna know how you scored that goal
I don’t mind admitting I’m sorry to see him go , quite sad actually as he’s been part of some of Liverpool’s finest games, including our greatest at the Attaturk.
1st team games: 347, 1st team goals: 31 and not one a tap in from memory, more often than not a rocket.
Winner of
FA Cup: 2005-06
League Cup: 2002-03 UEFA Champions League: 2004-05
Community Shield: 2001, 2006
European Super Cup: 2001, 2005
A bargain for £4M I’d say and he can easily be forgiven for the 94th minute og v Chelsea.
Good luck at Roma John Arne Riise
Liverpool have begun preliminary work on their new £350m stadium.
The Reds have been allowed to proceed with the construction process under license until September while talks over the 999-year lease deal continue.
"I'm pleased the club have received full planning permission and it can commence with enabling works," said Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks.
"We recognise the importance of a new LFC stadium as part of the wider regeneration of the local area."
Co-owner George Gillett added: "I am delighted that the design got full planning consent and that we are on site.
"This is first tangible evidence for fans that a new stadium will be built."
Club co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett displayed another sign of thawing tensions between the two by making their first joint statement this year on the Liverpool website.
Liverpool had been granted approval for a 60,000-capacity stadium, adjacent to their current Anfield home, in May.
But the new ground could accommodate up to 73,000 if further planning permission is granted.
The stadium, being built by Laing O'Rourke, is scheduled to open in August 2011 and will feature an 18,500-seat single tier stand for the Kop.
The Official Liverpool thread 2007/08
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