[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=36496.msg964931#msg964931 date=1255853533]
[quote author=Squiggles link=topic=36496.msg964895#msg964895 date=1255837469]
The problem is not who we've bought, per se, although as Ross rightly points out: we could've bought a lot, lot better at times.
The problem is all the decentish players we've let go;
Crouch - scoring for fun for England
Bellamy - unplayable for City
aWarnock - established himself at Blackburn and moved onto better things at Villa
Sissoko - better than Lucas
Man United have 'flops', too, if you can call them that. Players like Nani, Anderson, etc, who haven't set the world on fire but their capable of coming in, playing the United system and doing a good job. We've sold all these kind of players leaving our squad thread bare. Now I would rather a world class first team and a weak squad because, as we saw last season, at least it gives us a chance of winning the league if things go our way. But the fact remains we've let too many decent players leave, and I don't just mean Alonso.
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Crouch - we play one up front and crouch would never displace him got pissed off when the likes of kuyt were played up infront of him. its one thing torres keeping you out
Bellamy - I think he was moved on because of off field activities we all knew what his off field activities were before. should have been an option in athens
Warnock - so we're pining after averag players now? only because we've spent 7 or 8 million on doseena and the best we have there is average
Sissoko - the money from his sale bought mash or used to buy lucas
a lot of players were sold because they wanted out because they saw no way past the first choice. crouch couldn't get past torres, momo couldn't get past mash and alonso. the trouble with having good players who are main stays in their position is the fringe want to want on if they are good themselves (unless you are wiling to pay a ridiculous amount of money).
SF - torres
Foward gerrard
LM - up for grabs
RM - kuyt
CM - mash
CM - used to be alonso
RB - johnson
CB - carra
CB - skrtel
LM - up for grabs
so if you are, for example sami and you are watching carra and skrtel get picked week in week out why should you stick around? if you are crouch and you are watching torres and gerrard get picked week in week out why should you stick around? if you are momo and you are watching alonso and mash getting picked week in week out why should you stick around? same with arebelo, keane, bellemy.
this isn't champonship manager, players have families, egos, agents and books that need balancing. it's pointless looking at manu they win stuff on a regular basis so that would keep the fringe happy and it's pointless looking at chelsea because they pay huge wages so that would keep the fringe happy. rafa has wasted money, and sold players I rather he kept because half the reason he sells is because he has to especially if he wants to upgrade the player;
josemi>arbeloa>johnson
morientes>crouch>torres
didi>momo>mash
I'm sure in a lot of cases rafa would have perferred to keep the second generation purchases but a) they wanted to leave b) they need to be sold to balance they books
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our problem is rafa's stubbornness not to play gerrard in midfield and yossi behind torres, at least in the shortterm until we see what aquaman can do
