Rafa Rants (again)

Make no mistake, I'm a homer.

As a Liverpool fan, I see the world through red-tinted shades. I regularly sip the cherry Kool-Aid. Without many exceptions, my rear end can be found parked squarely behind LFC whenever an issue that requires side-taking is raised.

That isn't to say, however, that I possess an utterly blind faith, lack reason or operate within a reality-distortion sphere. I enjoy thinking for myself and am rather capable of it, thank you very much.

Now, I genuinely like Rafa Benitez. I fully trust in his ability to lead Liverpool and shape its future for the better. I also believe he can and will lead us to the Premier League title. Yet, when Rafa Benitez starts sounding off, I have to take whatever words come out of his mouth with a sizable pinch of salt.

His out-of-the-blue (but ultimately, dead-on) attack on Sir Alex Ferguson this past winter is well documented. There have also been more than a few dust-ups with Gillett and Hicks. If you've ever listened to a Rafa Benitez press conference, its obvious he's not afraid to make his feelings known, although often in a passive-aggressive manner.

Like an uncle you know is going to get drunk and take his pants off at any given family event, I've come to expect this petulant behavior from Rafa. While I won't make excuses for it, I'm not embarrassed -- it's just part and parcel, a small price to pay for the greater good.

One of my favorite Rafa Benetiz press conference 'moves' comes when a reporter asks a question Rafa doesn't want to answer; He'll just answer with a non-sequitar.

"Rafa, what do have you say about Manager X's comments about your possible pursuit of Player Y?"

"Yes, I am very happy with the way the team is training. We look forward to the opportunity to get three points tomorrow."

So, it's not shocking that Rafa has struck out once again, this time focusing on a former transfer target, Gareth Barry. (seriously, we all thought that story was done and buried.... please?)

Like a lover still scorned, Rafa hit out at the England international for choosing Man City over Liverpool this summer:

At this level everyone earns big money. The question is do you make the right decisions and do what is best for your career? If it's just for money sometimes you will make mistakes and I've been surprised by some decisions this summer – like Barry. I won't say too much but it was clearly 100% for money. The most important thing for me, though, is the passion of the players.

MEEEEE-OW.

Then, in practically the same breath, Rafa does his best Clint Eastwood Squint of Warning towards the summer's most coveted central midfield pair, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano:

Don't forget we signed Alonso from Real Sociedad when nobody knew about him and we renewed his contract two years ago, so he was happy then, and you know what happened with Mascherano at West Ham before we brought him here. Both players owe a lot to Liverpool. They owe Liverpool some loyalty and they both know that.

Sounds a lot like "I took you into this world, I sure as hell can take you out!" Thanks, Mom.

There are those who will say Rafa's propensity for foaming at the mouth hurts his team, but I'm not buying. While the recent spat with SAF coincided nicely with Liverpool's surrender at the summit, the mental make-up of a top-notch professional squad has to be stronger than that. Especially when they should be used to hearing this song & dance by now.

Quite honestly, I'd like to see Rafa press conferences expanded to include topics completely unrelated to the footballing world.

"Rafa, do you think about the global attention devoted to the death of Michael Jackson?"

"For me, the most important thing is having a well-rounded breakfast. You cannot find success throughout the day if you do not start that day off correctly, no?"

"Rafa, your thoughts on the recent elections and unrest in Iran?

"In my home, we have the satelitte television. I am very happy with the package we have subscribed to. It gives us options, which is good. Maybe too many options?"

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Football Been Barry Barry Good To Him

Stunningly, Gareth Barry isn't well liked around Birmingham these days.

Posters of the recent Citeh transfer have been defaced like the one above. Another has "Show me the ££" scrawled on it. Sounds like something you say to a fat girl but maybe that's something lost in translation from English.

Sure Villa fans are heartbroken, but they are also idiots.

Wither one David Taylor:

Another fan, David Taylor, 29, an electrician from Great Barr, who was outside Villa Park yesterday, said: "I can't understand how he can come out publicly saying he wants to leave Villa to play Champions League football and then join a team that aren't even in the Europa Cup. It just proves it was about the cash all along - he really is a money-grabbing traitor.

I'm willing to bet that if another employer offered to double Mr. Taylor's wages he would bolt his current employer toot-de-suite (get it, bolt?).

Seinfeld was pretty much right. If you're a fan, you're pulling for laundry. The sooner you accept it, the better your life becomes. Bonus for Villa fans, two other teams share your exact same color scheme in the EPL next season. So if you're really that upset at losing Gareth Barry you can switch allegiances without even really noticing.

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UF Quick Throw: Gareth Barry to Citeh Is a Done Deal

The Beeb is saying that the transfer has been completed for £12m. Barry was out of contract next summer, so it's actually a high transfer fee. Reportedly will earn £100,000 a week.

[BBC]

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Quick Throw: here we go again...

Brace yourselves, folks. The Gareth Barry-to-Anfield saga is showing signs of life once again.

That noise you hear? Me banging my head against the wall at the thought of replacing Xabi Alonso with Gareth fuckin' Barry.

[Guardian Sport - Barry/Alonso]
[Guardian Sport - Rafa's side of the love affair]

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EPL Previews: Heroes & Villans

Martin O'Neill has set a strict deadline for reading this preview and doesn't want to hear any whining if you can't meet it.

In: CB Curtis Davies (West Brom - undisclosed), MF Steve Sidwell (Chelsea - £5M), GK Brad Friedel (Blackburn - £2M), GK Brad Guzan (Chivas USA - undisclosed), FB Nicky Shorey (Reading - undisclosed), FB Luke Young (Middlesbrough - undisclosed), CB Carlos Cuellar (Rangers - £7.8M).

Out: CB Olof Mellberg (Juventus - free), GK Thomas Sorensen (released), MF Patrik Berger (Sparta Prague - free), ST Luke Moore (West Brom - £3M).

Last Season: 6th in the Premier League (60 points)(71 goals for, 51 goals conceded, 9 clean sheets)

Overview: Last season, in my own personal previews, I picked Aston Villa to finish 8th. I also said that "6th or 7th was a possibility". More than possible it turned out, as Martin O'Neill guided the Birmingham club into Europe in his second season at the helm. The club earned 11 more points than the previous term and added 21 more goals to the equation (granted, they also let in 10 more goals). The Big Question now becomes, can Villa build on that 6th place finish or is that the ceiling for the claret & sky blue crowd?

The problem with such Big Questions is that they often prompt other smaller questions. Has Villa added enough quality? Will all the backline signings gel? And let us not forget the neverending questions over Gareth Barry's future.

At the beginning of last season, the issue was squad depth. Midway through the summer, it looked as if that could become an issue again. But, O'Neill hasn't spent his whole summer bickering with Liverpool over the transfer of his captain -- he's actually made some signings.

After choosing not to bring Scott Carson on permanently, the Villans desperately needed a quality 'keeper. The Northern Irish manager got two; the ever excellent Brad Friedel and the possibly excellent (one day) Brad Guzan. While Friedel isn't quite old enough to remember when the ball had laces on it, he is getting on in years. Yet, his form continues to be excellent.

Villa also brought in some reinforcements directly ahead of its net-minder, namely replacing the solid centerback Olof Mellberg (who left on a Bosman for experienced match-fixers Juve) with Curtis Davies (who was a target last summer) and the SPL-tested (ha-ha) Carlos Cuellar. Davies is young/promising (sort of) and Cuellar has shown his quality with Rangers (not to mention, European experience). O'Neill will miss the injured Wilfred Bouma for a spell, but has Luke Young and Nickey Shorey to shore up the full-back positions.

Also added to the mix is Steve Sidwell. After moving from Reading to rot on the Chelsea bench for two years, the midfielder is fresh out of suspended animation and ready to return to action. But, will his game suffer from hibernation sickness? Initially, I included him in my fantasy team (Go Clash City!), but have since had second thoughts and replaced him. Martin O'Neill, however, does not have this same luxury. It'll be interesting to see how he performs.

Speaking of luxuries, Villa does have some when going forward. John Carew, when not injured, can be a force to be reckoned with (13 league goals last term). Gabby Agbonlahor was no disappointment either, having chipped in with 11. Yet, surely the bright spot for Villa has to be Ashley Young. Included in the Premier League Team of the Year, the young winger has pace to burn and will most certainly improve upon his 8 league goals this campaign and beyond.

So, as it stands Villa haven't really gotten any worse. But, have they gotten better?

A lot of that will be answered by their captain, Gareth Barry. You don't need me to rehash the summer-long saga that's been his on-and-off again move to Liverpool. As it stands now, the England international is likely to stay with the Villans. I'd bet against a January move (since he'll be cup-tied) and there aren't many clubs willing to shell out £18 million.

But, there IS a reason for all this nonsense. There is a reason Martin O'Neill is fighting to keep him at the club. Barry was (and historically has) been inspirational and the driving force for Villa for years. His grit, determination and ability to play three positions (and play them well) -- left back, left midfield or center midfield -- makes him invaluable.

Aston Villa without Gareth Barry is not a Aston Villa that qualifies for Europe. At least not immediately. Having to replace him would be a pain the manager would much rather not worry about right now.

Sven's Prediction: I've said it before, but since I have no problem repeating myself, I'll say it again: I have the utmost respect for Martin O'Neill. Before Liverpool fired Houllier, I thought O'Neill would be the perfect replacement, but because of constant press speculation in the months prior to the vacancy, the Northern Irish man decided he was having no part in forcing a fellow manager out the door. Although England did well with Capello (well, we'll see), I also fancied him for that job. And since he's been at Villa, I've been rooting for his success. He hasn't disappointed.

Yet, I don't think the club is much, if any, better than they were last season. Nor are they any worse. Europe should be more than achievable, as there aren't many clubs outside the Top Four much better than Villa. Retaining 6th place is attainable, but I'll slot them behind Spurs and City and predict 7th. Here's hoping I'm wrong.

And, let it be said, as a Liverpool fan, I actually understand (and kind of side with) O'Neill's stance on the Barry saga. To say Rafa has been less-than-ideal in the way he's dealt with it this summer might be an understatement. Nonetheless, I hope Liverpool twat them in both matches, just to send a message.

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Transfer Rumours: Liverpool

Alright, rabble rousers, settle down. Considering that almost every comments section descends into a cacophony of Aston Villa v. LFC mud-slinging, I expect this to be no different.

It's my beloved Liverpool's turn, and this transfer season is already rather insane.

First, we have the Gareth Barry saga. What a soap opera this is turning out to be. Both sides playing the PR game and sticking to some seemingly useless guns as his price tag rises incrementally with every passing day.

I've seen Brett Ratner storylines that are somehow more fulfilling than this.

My attempt at a simplified timeline:

- LFC offer 10m or so. Villa say no.

- Villa say LFC offered only 4m plus a "mish-mash" of players. Scott Carson weeps at the thinly-veiled insult, for his family knows his gloves are no mish-mash, no sir.

- LFC offer 12m. O'Neill tells 'em to fuck off.

- LFC offer 13m. O'Neill doesn't answer his phone and keeps playing My Little Pony instead.

- LFC offer 15m. O'Neill rolls his eyes and goes back to eating stem cells on dry wheat toast.

- LFC offer some cash plus Crouch, Finnan, and someone else to make the total cash value somewhere close to 15 or 16m. O'Neill yawns, gives the finger, then settles back down on his couch made of human bones to watch Dream Team re-runs.

- O'Neill remarks loudly that it's 18m or sod-all for Gareth Barry. Rafa cries, moans, begs, wonders whether the club can stump up the cash. Meanwhile, he plots how to offload Crouch and Xabi for enough dough to seal the deal.

Somewhere near Birmingham, O'Neill laughs maniacally in his underground bunker, and Randy Lerner seeks young boys online with whom to commit sexual atrocities.

(Did I do alright with this timeline? I think I managed to successfully avoid personal bias)

In successful transfer news, we have signed Philipp Degen on a free, a Swiss left/right-back who played exactly 0 minutes in Euro '08, and the impressive-looking Andrea Dossena, a left-back from Udinese who has been playing well in Serie A and will prove to be very, very useful in that backline. And don't forget 17-year-old Danish striker Nikola Saric!

Outside of that, we've finally shipped off Harry Kewell to Turkey, a move that's upset a number of people considering he's now playing for the team whose fans were involved in a stabbing that killed 2 Leeds United fans when he still played for the Yorkshire club. Oops. Forgot about that one, didn't you, Harry?

John Arne Riise is off to sunny AS Roma for 4 million, and the Xabi-to-Juve talks are quickly becoming as protracted as the Barry will-he, won't-he debacle. So the thought goes, we need to sell Xabi and Crouch in order to finance a move for Barry and/or others, so let's see what happens. Oh, and Anthony Le Tallec's finally off the books for good, to Le Mans for 1.1 million.

There have been rumours about Bentley, Downing, Espanyol winger Albert Riera, David Villa, David Silva, and a whole slew of others. So I pose to you: what's the deal? What's going to happen, and which rumours are absolute pants? Who will be in Liverpool red next season, and who'll be stuck somewhere else wishing they were?

Have at it in the comments.

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