It’s about time players like Darby and Spearing got a real chance at Liverpool, because if Rafa had the guts to pick them, he’d be preparing the open top bus route right now.

In 2007-08 Liverpool destroyed the opposition in the reserve league, yet only El Zhar has come through since, while somehow Fergie can pick Macheda at 17 and he scores the 2 crucial goals that win United the league by 4 points.

In fact Man Utd didn’t have to pay for O’Shea (30 appearances), Giggs (28), Fletcher (26), Scholes (21), Evans (17), Neville (16), Brown (8), Macheda (4), Possebon (3), Gibson (3), Welbeck (3), Eckersley (2), Possebon (3), Eckersley (2), Campbell (1) and Martin (1), while for Liverpool only Carragher (38), Gerrard (31), El Zhar (15) and Plessis (1) were brought through from the youth system.

With so many more home-grown players United save a huge amount of their transfer kitty for the big star signings, while Liverpool have to pay silly transfer fees for a mediocre cast of bench-warmers like Dossena (7mil), Lucas (6mil), Benayoun (5mil) and N’Gog (1.5mil), just to make up the numbers on what United get for free.

With new Anfield costing a bundle to design let alone build, Liverpool need all freebie players they can get their hands on. Rafa must’ve learnt from signing Torres and Mascherano, trophies are won by buying truly world class players, not a reserve right-back you could easily have trained up from your kids.

The stats say Liverpool and Man U pay the same on transfer fees most seasons and yet Man U always seem to spend bigger; this is the answer. When Man U spends they spend big and Liverpool can’t match it as they’re buying reserves. This is Rafa’s fault and it’s mainly because of two major weaknesses.

Firstly, he’s too conservative with picking young or English players and secondly he’s too stubborn, because Rick Parry was overseeing the youth team and he didn’t want to go to him or change is mind. Signing Robbie Keane, as bad a decision as it was, didn’t ultimately cost Liverpool; United overpaid on players like Berbatov, it’s just that they made sure to give themselves a second go.