Mikey

If we were Chelsea or United we wouldn't think about selling him because we wouldn't have to, we're not them we're Liverpool and need to sell some players to fund yet more squad building. Unfortunately for some on here Alonso seems to be a player we can get decent enough money for and who Rafa seems to think is surplus to requirements. When a few of us dared to criticise Rafa earlier this season we were told that he knows best, is the best manager in the world, sees the players every day in training so obviously knows the players far better than we do - and this by the very same people who are now close to tears at the thought of selling Alonso who has been average for the last two seasons. You can't have it both ways if Rafa knows best!

Better, faster, more attacking fullbacks are one big difference between us and the others, one big, huge, massive difference. Our side from last year with Sagna/Alves/Maicon at RB and Evra at LB would be vastly improved.

You certainly seem to be.

Degen was highly rated a couple of years back I remember, but to be honest he's been Aurelio'd the last 2 seasons and has hardly played a game. Pretty sure he's currently injured as well. I understand the concept of limited transfer funds but don't see the point of signing injury prone/regularly injured players because they never actualy replace anyone.

If he agrees to pay anywhere near £15M for Bentley then he clearly doesn't. We could've paid £2M more and had Ribery FFS!

I've never been a big fan myself but he seems to be getting his s*** together this season, and he has everything you'd want in a modern fullback - big, strong, fast, good going forward, good engine. I'm struggling to think of another RB who COULD give as much without paying ridiculous money!

I'd take Barry and Ashley Young - obviously MoN wouldn't be happy but Young is as good as anyone else out there at home or abroad. I'd also take a chance on Johnson from Portsmouth as the long term RB if we have the money.

No way are we gonna spend over £10M on a CM and then play him out of position at LB. Why not just buy a specialist fullback?

Withut wishing to disrespect the player he's made of f***ing glass like Aurelio. Hardly played for the best part of 2 seasons. And lets not forget that one of our German scouts apparently recommended Voronin.

Anderson is still a kid and I'm not saying he'll turn out as good but I remember this place ripping into Drogba and Essien when they first signed for Chelsea and look whose laughing now. P1sstaking aside and yes it's early days but we were interested in Ramsey and we've missed out, we are desparate for a top quality RB and we're getting Degen the Swiss right-sided Aurelio because he's free, while Chelsea have signed Bosingwa and United are linked to Alves. Everyone is starting to move and it looks like we're waiting to see whose left when the "BIG 2" are finished spending.

For LB we have up and coming Insua and Aurelio who when fit is half decent - Arbeloa as back up. At RB we have Finnan whose best days(and they were very good days) appear to be behind him and Arbeloa with Cara as back-up. Obvious to me that unless we've unlimited funds then a new RB is far more important than a new LB. Pity about Bosingwa going to the RB graveyard that is Chelsea.

I actually agree that Torres is one of the best two or three strikers in the World, Rooney and Tevez might just be in the next tier down but I would love to see Fernando playing with either of them. We do have 7 or 8 players easily good enough to win the PL or CL, and as you say 2 of the top 4 or 5 players in World football, we just need to fil a couple of positions and its this next raft of additions that Rafa has to get right.

Torres is MILES better than both Rooney and Tevez? Ridiculous! The thought of Torres playing with either of them is absolutely frightening with Babel on the left and Stevie on the right.

We didn't dominate CM against them this season though, and Tevez had more impact than Stevie.

Evra is MILES better than anyone we've got who can play LB, Ronaldo is MILES better than anyone we've got out wide, Ferdinand and Vidic are MILES better than Carra and Skrtel. Torres is probably better than both Rooney and Tevez - slightly. Gerrard and Masch don't play as a pair but they're probably not much if any better than Carrick and Hargreaves who also rarely feature together for United. We've got a better keeper than United. They've got a better back 4 than us regardless of who plays for us. CM its close. Out wide they're far superior to us. Up front overall they're ahead of us but we may well have the single best player. We do actually need one outstanding, World Class winger but I'm not sure it's Quaresma and I'm not sure Rafa would either buy him or play him against the top sides even if he did.

Couldn't agree more but do you really see that being Rafa's style? I'm worried that he is still hooked on this unworkably large squad fetish of his!

Boswinga (sp?) signing for £16M+ is relevant in the fact that if we had the money we would have tried to sign him because he's very good in a position we aren't - Degen on a free instead? Can I also state for the record that I rate Milner, wanted him before Pennant originally and would be happy for him to replace him.

He's absolute gash, never looked like a footballer in his time here and God alone knows what video Rafa saw that made him want him. We would have been better off with Mellor, and if he stays he will only block the progress of Nemeth.

I think the people missing from the last games speaks volumes, Crouch, Pennant, JAR, Alonso, Finnan - bye bye.

A fully fit Kewell unfortunately is right up there with Bigfoot and a virgin in Doncaster, everyone talks about it but no-one's ever seen it! Can't see any situation where him being offered any sort of contract whatsoever could be represented as a good thing; however it's dressed up as "saving Rafa's budget for .....".

a lot of the players we're going to sell won't need replacing though will they? Kewell?? Carson?? Guthrie?? Crouch never plays and Babel can replace him as a forward option Voronin??? Riise? There's around £25M there that wouldn't need anyone bringing in, promote Nemeth and Insua and we're not actually any weaker. Pennant is currently 3rd choice so big deal if he goes.

Yeah we did not including the PL or CL though so it depends how high your aiming I suppose, remind me when that was again???

You will when Alonso goes.

I Don't know what you're tryin g to do here, but for what its worth the first 5 were great players who were so much more than 'workhorses' and would piss into our team at the minute. Spackman was OK but should consider himself forever blessed he played for us.

Not saying there is, but there is something specific about attacking positions that should mean that hard work and graft alone are not enough - or shouldn't be enough. Part of our problem as you highlight is the piss poor distribution from our defence - anyone mention it though and all you get is "I want my defenders to defend first" - but this makes it more important for us that when we do have the ball in attacking positions then we use it more effectively. Watching Kuyt run round like a loon after its bounced off him yet again doesn't help in this! Good solid hardworking player, just can't help thinking we should be aiming a little bit higher.