players Rafa has released

[Bootle Buck]

There are many opinions on players Rafa has brought in but what abaout the ones he has sent packing. I personally think he has been very shrewd and decisive in his dealings.

 

Owen - Hasn't done much since

Murphy - Ditto

Diouf - He's been Ok but glad to see the back of him

Diao - Useless

Cheyrou - Ditto

Smicer - Been injured ever since

Baros - Career gone downhill

Henchoz - Was passed it

Heskey - Done little since leaving

Hamman - hated to see him go but hasn't played much

Kirkland - Still not as good as what we have

Traore - Yet to be determined

 

All in all not one player you could say that has improved or gone on to better things.

[Cunny]

Morientes?

[Foo]

Scored again yesterday, weird that he was so crap for us and scores more than he's done in his life for Valencia. Shame, shame, shame.

[Andy @ Allerton]

Cos he never adapted.

 

No problems - had a go - couldn't cut the pace and pressing.

[Guest roger]

Morientes was never suited to the PL- or couldn't settle or whatever. s**** happens.

[4411]

Is Josemi still at Villareal?

[Guest telboy]

Is Josemi still at Villareal?

 

yes, i watched him today v Athletico Madrid, didn't stand out tbh.

[_00_deathscar]

yes, i watched him today v Athletico Madrid, didn't stand out tbh.

 

That's because they didn't win a trophy....

[R A Softlad]

Nuñez.

[toshi]

Kromkamp....?

[Guest Kev]

Really gutted and pleased that Morientes is doing well. I've never stopped rating him, but he's definately feeling the benefit of playing on a regular basis. Maybe he's one of those players that just cannot handle rotation ?

[Ombudsam]

He was always in the bloody team. He just wasn't made for this league

[Guest Kev]

He was always in the bloody team. He just wasn't made for this league

 

 

61 appearances - 47 started, substituted 26 times, came on as a sub 14 times, unused as a sub 19 times.

 

He only completed 21 full games in a season and a half.

 

Averaged a goal every 5 games.

Edited November 12, 2006 by Kev

[Benitez]

yes, i watched him today v Athletico Madrid, didn't stand out tbh.

 

 

thats a good thing for a defender

[Guest Anders Honoré]

There are many opinions on players Rafa has brought in but what abaout the ones he has sent packing. I personally think he has been very shrewd and decisive in his dealings.

 

Owen - Hasn't done much since

Murphy - Ditto

Diouf - He's been Ok but glad to see the back of him

Diao - Useless

Cheyrou - Ditto

Smicer - Been injured ever since

Baros - Career gone downhill

Henchoz - Was passed it

Heskey - Done little since leaving

Hamman - hated to see him go but hasn't played much

Kirkland - Still not as good as what we have

Traore - Yet to be determined

 

All in all not one player you could say that has improved or gone on to better things.

 

Heskey was sold by Houllier.

 

Overall, I think it's a bit too rose-tinned to assume Rafa has sent only poor players packing.

The past two seasons has been our weakest in decades in the striker department since Owen left. We could have used Nunez last season as well. I also think he was a bit too dismissive of Henchoz who has been a great servant for the club and whose departute left us without any real backup in central defence for half a season.

 

Maybe not players who have gone on to bigger and better things (regardless of how shrewd your manager is, at a club of our stature, the only way from there is down for most players anyway, so that doesn't say much for rafa) but players I think we could have used after offloading them.

[Benitez]

how was he dismisive of Henchoz?

 

Henchoz admitted at the end of that season that he should have stayed here and not gone to Celtic. So if he could have stayed, I'd pressume Rafa was happy for him to stay, hardly dismissive! But it was that age old problem wasn't it, a player wanting first team football (and ironically, not getting it anyway).

 

As a player though, Henchoz's best days where gone.

[rikf]

Heskey was sold by Houllier.

 

 

That begs the question, would Rafa have sold heskey?

[Guest Cardie]

Not sure what this proves, or is trying to prove.

 

How many players that Souness, Evans or Houllier sold went on to better themselves at another club?

 

It tends not to happen, which is why it was so funny when we used to release youth players and people would rant and rave about letting the next Gerrard go only for them to end up at Vauxhall Motors or out of football altogether.

[Guest Kev]

That begs the question, would Rafa have sold heskey?

 

A simple no is the answer to that.

[Guest TanMan]

A simple no is the answer to that.

 

[Rich Gobey]

 

As a player though, Henchoz's best days where gone.

 

 

He might have been a bit more useful than Pellegrino was for a season. Pellegrino's influence on the squad during the CL win notwithstanding.

[Guest Anders Honoré]

how was he dismisive of Henchoz?

 

He never played him. Then Pellegrino came in and was goddamn awful yet he happily used him for rotation.

[_00_deathscar]

Maybe Henchoz was even worse than Pellegrino?

[philippe]

Maybe Henchoz was even worse than Pellegrino?

Pardon my French, but this is total bs. Henchoz has been one of the most loyal servants of this club, he always gave everything on the pitch. What had Pellegrino done?

 

Maybe Henchoz was even worse than Pellegrino?

Pardon my French, but this is total bs. Henchoz has been one of the most loyal servants of this club, he always gave everything on the pitch. What had Pellegrino done?

[robfar1]

I went to the Crystal Palace v Stoke match at the weekend (my mate's a Palace fan). Salif Diao played for Stoke and I can confirm that even against a side as poor as Palace he was absolutely abysmal.