http://bleacherreport.com/articles/5720-European_Football-Blackburn_Rovers-Chelsea-Liverpool-Liverpool_under_Rafa_All_too_often_a_blunt_instrument-030108 good read.
I would also disagree with his point about Pennant...obviously he didn't have an explosive effect when he came but I found that he really found his feet this year and felt comfortable in his position...
Good read and something I'd agree with. The quality just isn't there in the attacking side of our game.
Whose fault is that though? In his 4 years rafa has brough in nunez, garcia, yossi, pennant, kuyt, zenden, voronin, kuyt, gonzalez etc into our "offensive" department - none good enough to play top class champions leaye football. Yes the players have let us down...but who bought them?? u can only play the players u have - and ours have been sh**e in the past 4 or 5 years - not quite as ba as diouf, tit camara, cheryou and heskey...but close!
I am getting fed up with Kuyt, but I still think he has it in him to play his way out of this dip, Torres is world class, Benayoun is good, Babel will be a superstar, Mascerano was a loser at west ham but looks world class with us, Lucas looks an excellent prospect. And who bought those players?? Zenden an Voronin were free so cant see a problem with stregthening the squad with those player, Speedy was brilliant in spain for sociedad, but he just didnt adapt to the premiership, not rafas fault. Garcia was a class act and his goals in big games were testament to his potential to be brilliant (though at times infuriating). Pennant was bought as a second choice when the money for Alves wasnt released and to be honest I was impressed with him in the second half of last season and before his injury in this one. The above would provide strong evidence against your arguement that rafa cannot identify a good player (hinted at above and written elsewhere (in the brutal players thread).
If ure saying any of the above (except torres and maybe masch) are quality players then i'm watching the wrong sport - ure argument that rafa has brought in quality players is baffling - all he has done is fill the team with mediocrity and "squad fillers" - the defense of kuyt is baffling (titus bramble has played less and scored more from play in teh prem this season) adn pennant has one goal for liverpool in now his third season - paul robinson has the same for spurs. I'd rather buy nothing and give youth a chance than take crap into the club. Yossi would be bullied off the ball in an under-10 game. I dont care whether rafa stays or goes - but defending his transfer policy is like defending george bush's defense strategy in the middle east. Tactical genius yes - transfer wizard...definitely not!!
I dont think Kuyt is as bad as he is being made out, no one scores as many goals as he did in Holland over a number of seasons suddenly forgets where the net it. Its not a case of him not having chances he just isnt putting away the exact same chances he would have gotten in Holland, its all a confidence game and right now he has none.