I don't want to sound negative about Gareth Barry's likely move to Anfield but why on earth are we thinking of paying £15 million for him? Barry is clearly a good player. He's been excellent since being switched to central midfield for Villa and shown that he can shine with England when playing alongside a better quality of player. The £18 million that Martin 'I didn't mind Ashley Young slapping in a transfer request at Watford' O'Neill wants is utterly ludicrous but then I think £15 million is ridiculous too for a 27-year-old who has never played in the Champions League. Liverpool spent a year mulling over whether the outstanding Javier Mascherano was worth £17-£18 million yet now it seems Rafa Benitez is happy to blow a considerable amount of his budget on Barry. It strikes me as another Gabriel Heinze saga – i.e. once Rafa has made his mind up he wants someone he'll pursue him so relentlessly that he almost loses sight of what the player is actually worth. From what I've heard Barry will end up at Anfield sooner rather than later and he's going to have to make a big impression to justify the fee. It's a big year for Rafa – a failure to challenge for the title won't be tolerated this time so he needs his biggest signing of the summer to make all the difference. Is Gareth Barry the man to make that difference? I can't see it. I hope he rams my words down my throat and I'm eating a plate of humble pie on the day we lift the Premier League title but I fear that if Gareth Barry turns out to be Liverpool's biggest signing this summer then we'll be opening the inquest after Christmas. Again.
THERE'S an interesting poll currently running on www.liverpoolfc.tv and I don't mean the thing from Tring. The official website are asking which star of Euro 2008 you'd want to see at Anfield next season and at the time of writing the top three are David Villa (4,636 votes), Andrei Arshavin (1,625) and David Silva (1,256). The rest have had less votes than the Green Party in Sellafield. Now while I agree that Villa is a top class player, he's not the player I'd have at the top of my list. Arshavin is. The more I've watched Villa and Fernando Torres play up front together, the less convinced I've become that they are a good partnership. In fact I'd go as far as saying that Torres hasn't reproduced his Liverpool form because he's playing up front with Villa. Instead of playing through the centre of the pitch and being in the heart of the penalty box when Spain attack, Torres spends a lot of time for Spain going wide to create space and chances for Villa in the middle. As a result he's only got one goal himself and hasn't had that many chances to get any others. Villa, on the other hand, has but I don't think he's as good a player as Torres is so I can't understand why Luis Aragones is playing to the Valencia man's strengths at Fernando's expense. I certainly wouldn't want to see him sacrificed I the same way at Liverpool. I was listening to big Jan Molby talking about Torres on radio Five Live and he believes Liverpool's number nine is better leading the line on his own with a creative player in the hole behind him rather than as part of a twin strike force. His first season at Liverpool backs that up as when Rafa reverted to a 4-2-3-1 formation after the Barnsley game, Torres scored 15 goals in the final 17 matches including back-to-back hat-tricks. He'd previously scored 18 goals in 28 games, which is still a bloody good record but not as prolific as when he was up front alone with Steven Gerrard behind him. That's why I believe Arshavin would be THE perfect signing for Liverpool this summer. There are definitely hints of Kenny about the Russian. He's a creative genius and I've got visions of him unpicking the tightest of defences with inch-perfect through balls that Torres runs on to and fires home. Arshavin is exactly the type of clever, creative player we really need to step up to the next level and even if you didn't want to drop Stevie G back alongside Javier Mascherano he'd be ideal for Dirk's wide-right role. All he would need is a bit of freedom to express himself, as he does for Russia, and I think he'd cause havoc. Imagine a four-pronged attack of Torres, Gerrard, Arshavin and Babel. We'd be really challenging if those four all fired at the same time. David Villa's a great player but at £20 million I'm not convinced he's what we really need. Arshavin would be a much better signing for my money but whether Tom and George have got the dollars to get him, or Rafa has the same powers of persuasion as Roman Abramovich, is an entirely different matter.
Another £50 million reasons to hate Chavski
Current mood: enraged
Forgetting who won the Premier League and Champions League, I have to say that as every day passes I'm getting happier and happier that Chavski won a big fat nothing. Lets face it. We'll always hate the Mancs, and they'll always hate us, whether we're both in the same division or on another planet (people from parts of Manchester look like they could be from another planet) but Chavski are a different kettle of fish. Or prime salmon, should I say? Ever since Roman Abramovich bought his real life Subbuteo team they have done their best to unsettle Steven Gerrard. From his England team-mates trying to persuade him to swap Scouse for jellied eels to stories mysteriously appearing in the press about £40 million bids that they know nothing about (honest!), twice they almost convinced our skipper to quit Anfield. Now they think they can do the same with Fernando Torres. I'd tell Abramovich to go and take a running slip but John Terry's already done that for him. Twice in the last week stories have appeared in the press that Chavski are going to bid £50 million for Torres. Speculation is speculation and we all know what the tabloids are like for making stuff up but when you read things along the lines of 'there is a willingness to sell amongst some at Anfield' then you know there's a far more sinister side to it all. Chavski know damn well that Liverpool won't sell Torres but a bit of sh*t-stirring to try and unsettle him – and worry Kopites in the process – won't do them any harm. Playing on our fears that we've got a couple of loose cannons running the club so it could be feasible, they're trying do exactly what they did with Gerrard by deliberately undermining Rafa's pre-season efforts to try and put a title-challenging team together. There are a lot of Chavski supporting journalists in London (why do you think Grant got such a rough ride – he wasn't as media savvy as Mourinho so they didn't like or rate him) who are more than happy to do Peter Kenyon's dirty work for him. As a result I suspect no matter what Tom Hicks, Rick Parry, Rafa Benitez or Fernando Torres says, this story won't go away because they all know that Torres could be the catalyst for a Liverpool title tilt and that's the last thing they want. Surely it's only a matter of time before the 'Roman wants Rafa' headlines appear next? Its things like this, and seeing Kenyon go up to collect a losers' medal in Moscow (at least Bobby Charlton showed some class and refused to put the medal he was handed around his neck) why I really, really, REALLY hate Chavski. You could say they're like Real Madrid without the trophies but personally they remind me more of the Harry Enfield characters Stan and Pam Herbert – the gold-wearing couple with Brummie accents that thought they were so much better than anyone else because 'we are considerably richer than yo'! Rich, yes, but underneath the fake fur nothing more than a bunch of horrible, arrogant, self-important Chavs.
SO what's it to be then – lethal injection or the electric chair? That's pretty much the choice we've got when it comes to deciding who we want to win the Champions League final between Chavski and Man Ure. Whatever happens, we're on to a loser. If the Mancs win they'll have three European Cups, a silverware double and Fergie will be only one away from equalling Sir Bob Paisley, even if he can never match the three in five years that Bob brought to Anfield. If Chavski win then our 'where's yer European Cups?' chant won't be able to get an airing in next season's Champions League semi-final at Stamford Bridge (it's part of the official fixture list now) and the European Cup will finally have made it to London for more than 90 minutes. Both prospects are horrendous. The only possible good reason I can think of to watch it is that at full-time at least you'll be able to see either John Terry or Rio Ferdinand in tears. Just don't forget to switch the TV off when the losers have received their medals as what comes next will be the worse piece of television viewing so far this millennium. And I've seen Granada Soccer Night. Whatever happens, Liverpool will still have more European Cups than the two clubs put together – and that'll still be the case if it's exactly the same final in Rome next May – so it's not all doom and gloom. It's simply going to be a very difficult night to be a Kopite and, whoever wins, it'll be less enjoyable than a fortnight's holiday in Teesside. With Jeff Winter. In a bikini. So, if you really had to push me as to who I want to win, there really is only one option. I just hope Roman Abramovich has left a blue and white plastic flag on my settee…
Rafa Benitez's first league game in charge of LIverpool was at White Hart Lane against Spurs and his first home league game was at Anfield against Man City. Depending on what happens this summer it could be that those are his last league games as Liverpool's manager.
I really hope that Rafa is still here next season but at present we don't even know who will be making that decision so there has to be a lot of doubt about it. Another worry is that if one of the big European Clubs do come in for him then who inside Anfield will try and persuade him to stay. Gillett wanted Klinsmann, Parry and Benitez don't apparently get on and while Hicks says he wants Rafa to stay but does anybody believe him? With the boardroom irreconcilably split Rafa has no-one to go to for assurances about his job at Anfield so if he gets a good offer then what does he do - go to a club that wants him and offers security or risk staying at a club that might boot him out depending on who wins the power battle? It could be a very, very testing summer for Kopites depending on what happens off the pitch and while the season on it might finish on Sunday, I get the feeling things off it are only just about to start.
This is the last Rafa Bingo of the season (and possibly ever) so it could be your last chance to get a full house if you've never done before. If you've never played then why not give it a go?
Pick the XI you think he'll start with at Spurs, the earlier your entry the higher you'll finish in a tie-break and all entries by 12 noon on Sunday please. Good luck and thanks for playing Rafa Bingo. It's been more frustrating than trying to get the top off a jar of tomato ketchup after washing your hands in butter but a whole lot of fun.
Rafa Bingo - LFC v Man City
Current mood: depressed
Well-a, Sven is coming to Anfield for the first time as Man City manager, and the last. I know our current owners aren't exactly the dream ticket but if you think back a few years Thaksin Shinawatra was the man trying to buy out David Moores. How glad are you that he didn't?
He has given Eriksson money to spend but clearly home and away wins against Man Ure and a top half of the table finish, after a better than expected first half of the season, aren't good enough for the former Thai PM who bizarrely keeps appearing on the front cover of Man City's programme. Someone should tell him it isn't a PR booklet. Then again...
I get the feeling that there will be a revolving door on the manager's office at Eastlands as long as Shinawatra and that tells you one thing - he's perfect for Man City. They've had more managers than Richard Dunne has had currys. I'm told it once took him 3 weeks to walk a mile, mainly because it was the curry mile in Rusholme and he stopped at each take-a-way that he went passed.
Anyway, Is it me or has this season gone quickly? It's the last home game on Sunday yet it feels like only yesterday that we played Chavski....
Ok, its the last Rafa Bingo at Anfield this season so it could be your last chance for a full house. All entries in by 11am on Sunday please and if you don't know the rules by now then contact the FA. They'll give you a whistle, two cards and a notebook...
Rafa Bingo - Birmingham v LFC
Current mood: cheerful
And so it's the joys of St Andrews on Saturday which is always a pleasant experience, particularly if you're a keen studier of neanderthals. Birmingham have Karen Brady in the boardroom but she's no Delia Smith. I'm told the only thing she can cook is the books.
I can't see Rafa fielding anything other than a reserve team tomorrow. That is going to get right on Gary Megson's nerves - so it's good news all the way. It might make more sense anyway to play those with a point to prove. Those who know they'll start at Chavski on Wednesday have in the back of their minds that if they flew into a challenge and got injured they'd miss a Champions League semi-final so why risk it in a relatively meaningless Premiership match? Insua and Plessis were left out of the reserve's senior cup final match last night so they'll be involved - but will they start?
Pick the XI you think Rafa will start with an all entries by 12noon on Saturday please. Good luck.
Rafa Bingo - LFC v Chavski again
Current mood: stoked
I was going say its Groundhog Day but as I'd rather we won 4-0 than 1-0 this time I won't. Three European Cup semi-finals in 4 years is a new club record for Liverpool FC and to draw the same team in all three of them is uncanny. Still, if we keep beating them I'd ask UEFA if they can pencil this fixture in every season as it's given me two of the best nights I've had.
The difference this time is that the second leg is at Stamford Bridge and people think that will give them an advantage. I disagree as our players will actually be able to hear what Rafa is shouting to them for a change. Given their home record is the best in the history of top-flight English football we don't really want to have to go there needing to win so I'm hoping for a Juventus/Inter Milan type performance tomorrow. Let's get after them, put them under pressure and try and blow them away early on. Then we can concentrate on the serious business of going busking outside LIme Street to try and pay to get to Moscow. £850 for the day trips is said to be the going rate. Anyone want to buy a red and white bobble hat for a grand?
Pick the team you think Rafa will start with, all entries by 2pm on Tuesday and I always go first - even when a team is posted early on the wrong blog!! Good luck.
disappointed
bouncy
happy
enraged
bitchy
lethargic
depressed
nervous
cheerful
stoked