I'm back... finally!

Hi there.

What a tumultuous few months have passed since I last updated this blog!
The kop has found a new idol, we were on top of the league table (albeit for a few days!), then the typical slide, almost getting knocked out of Europe in the group stages, the boardroom dramas, Mascho signing a permanent deal, Skrtel joining, a resurgence of sorts in the league, Gerrard and Nando forming a great on-field combo, the season ending trophyless, the Barry transfer saga, Keaneo signng and more!

The positives from last season have been waxed no end by many. Also the improvements needed. While the owners have repeatedly made public signs of backing Rafa up with ample transfer money, Rafa has still had to sell to buy. Agreed, most of the outgoing players were deadwood, but the owners haven't really been true to the word.

This is also obvious from the lack of urgency shown in the new stadium construction. The boardroom impasse won't be helping Rafa in many ways, but I just hope that the owners keep their wrangling to themselves and don't meddle with Rafa's MO mid season. With great signings like Robbie Keane and Dossena, Rafa should be able to mount a sustained title bid this coming season.

With Barry about to sign for us, I feel a full-time winger of real class is all that is needed. I don't see Pennant improving a great deal all of a sudden, so I hope Rafa and his scouts find a good winger somewhere! Of course Xabi staying on is essential!

Once we have a settled squad, I hope to talk about the formations that Rafa might employ this season.

Loosen the purse strings, you yanks!

After ALL the yakking about leaving no stone unturned to satisfy Rafa in the transfer market, what do the yank owners have to show?
Here are the acquisitions this summer at Liverpool FC: Andriy Voronin, Lucas Leiva (or is it Leyva), Sebastian Leto, Krizstian Nemeth and Andras Simon.

Voronin I'm told is another Dirk Kuyt albeit with a better finishing touch. (thanks BMWTBM)
Lucas Leiva is YET ANOTHER holding midfielder!
Sebastian Leto is supposed to be a big winger but not all that pacey.
Nemeth and Simon are still too young to have any immediate impact on the first team scene.

So after a month of transfer speculation involving rumours suggesting possible bids for Samuel Eto'o, Carlos Tevez, Fernando Torres, Florent Malouda, Simao Sambrosa, Alessandro Mancini and a host of other big and some not so big stars across Europe (the most preposterous AND hilarious being TH14 visiting Melwood, thanks to tribalfootball.com) these five somewhat uninteresting tranfers are what the new owners can boast about!

Of course, you could argue that having signed SG08, Carra, Xabi and Pepe on new deals is almost like having signed 4 new transfers... but the fact remains that it might already be too late for Rafa to sign some of the players he's been having wet dreams about (not literally, of course).
We might have missed the bus. :(

To add to the misery, clubs will now expect much more money than the true valuation for LFC targets now that LFC's ownership has changed hands. So it's about time now!

Loosen the purse strings, you yanks!