Liverpool FC Forum

[puroresu]

Totally agree with Redknapp.  Regardless of what we do in the cup this season it still doesn't change the fact that in the league we are no closer than we were when Rafa came.  Fighting for 4th is nothing short of disgraceful.

[The_Rock]

When I said Rafa will never win the league I was called anti-Rafa, funny how some folk are.Is Jamie anti Liverpool too?

Thats right dude......people here call me anti-rafa when i just say its time for a change... When people are unfair with rafa, i do support him (beasley's article)....but this doesn't change the fact that i think he has taken us as far as he can....

BTW This job is also taking its toll on rafa....most of his close friends whom came with him here from spain have already left....

Think it would be best if rafa walked away...

[lakes10]

next season if rafa is still boss gerrard may as well get this out of the way at the start of the season and tell us at that point we will be involved in a battle for fourth with city, spurs, everton etc

If Rafa is still here next season Gerrard might not be, he is not getting any younger and might look for a team that can win the prem.....If Rafa is still here we will not be that team.

[nobybob]

next season if rafa is still boss gerrard may as well get this out of the way at the start of the season and tell us at that point we will be involved in a battle for fourth with city, spurs, everton etc

-ever the optimist as usual YAWN

[nobybob]

All the anti-rafa brigade drawn in by the title of the thread like flies to sh!t----OOOOh look another opportunity to have a go at rafa , so predictable you all make me laugh.

[Toffeehater]

redknapp may just be right but i feel that he's jealous of rafa , we can win cups under rafa but not the premier league , under rafa

[Ade]

No Lynds was right, it was Pompey Away. That was the game which convinced me we would not mount a challenge as it was obvious right there that we were going to continue with Rafa style even when the game was crying out for a sensible selection. We didn't score there where Torres and Gerrard were absent, and we didn't score against Birmingham the following weekend either where once once again Torres warmed the bench. Two weeks later, after the "restings" to keep him fresh, Torres got injured of course (with a muscle strain) and it was all downhill from there.

We were and are plenty good enough to be in the shake-up i am absolutely convinced of it. The meddling and tinkering with "options" and "possibilities" has undermined our challenge massively. The fact that in both of the games where we have come up against Chelsea we have been much the better team is of no surprise to me whatsoever. Unfortunately, the additional fact that we will very likely be hard pressed to finish within eight points of them once it's all totted up at the end is of no surprise to me either. No, we've shot ourselves in both feet with both barrels and it musn't be allowed to happen again.

On a slightly seperate note, Arsenal are still showing no real signs of slowing down. They are kind of showing the delayed gazelle effect in reverse as a great many of their players have played in almost every game and Wenger has steadfastly refused to go down the route of bizarre team selections. In copntrast, Ferguson must be hoping for a little delayed gazelle of his own as Man Utd sit five points adrift with twelve games to go. I wonder if he had his time again whether he would have rested Ronaldo and Rooney Away to Bolton.

Rafa talks of "gambling" with his team selections, and he does. Wenger gambles as well though. He gambles on putting out the strongest team that he possibly can in just about every single game. He gambles that even if his players are tired, the momentum they carry will get them over the line in most if not all matches. He gambles that the enthusiasm the players will feel as they lead the title race will give them an extra yard, as well as the rhythm and cohesion which they have built up will come to their naid when they need some inspiration. Wengers gamble may not pay off of course. Ultimately, Arsenal may run out of steam and win nothing. I must say though, that the type of gambling he's gone for is precisely what I'd like to see the Liverpool manager employ. Lets build a team, not two teams and lets go all out for the title.

You're right as usual Mick. But I'd add an extra factor. When teams come to play Arsenal in Feb, when Arsenal have been riding high for months, playing well, with a settled team and high on confidence, a lot of teams go out half-beaten before they start. When teams come out to play us, at pretty much most stages of the season, they know that our team is unsettled, lacking rhythm and with players not sure their place is even guaranteed for the following week. Even when we were near the top of the league in the autumn, the likes of Brum, Wigan and Pompey could scent blood when they saw Stevie and Torres on the bench.

We're not building up enough momentum under rafa. It's ridiculous that the players don't even know the starting 11 till 90mins before kick-off.

I hope DIC take over and pump enough money for us to buy the players we need for next season. But I won't be sorry if they pay Rafa off at the end of this one. He hasn't got what it takes to win the Premiership.

[nobybob]

When I said Rafa will never win the league I was called anti-Rafa, funny how some folk are.Is Jamie anti Liverpool too?

I think SG might put in a transfer request in the Summer if Benitez stays as the team is going nowhere under him. He only stayed last time because after the CL win he thought we'd make progress and we did the first season. Now we compete with Everton,City,Villa and watch Arsenal (who spent very little) play much better football and finish 20 points above us, not to mention Manure & Chelsea.

So surely by your reckoning then if rafa is so bad and will never win the league there must be fu.ck all down for ARSENAL and their future chances in the premier BECAUSE under rafa LIVERPOOL have finished above ARSENAL in 2 of the last 3 years.

LMAO fantastic WENGER  behind us for 2 out of the last three seasons, that MUST mean that rafa is a much better manger and tactician there can be no other reason.

So rafa haters tell me why wenger finished behind rafa give me the reasons---and then ill just say "no they are not reasons just excuses " like you fellas do with rafa OK

[Big Niall]

Wenger built a team that went unbeaten the whole season in the league, he then took a few years to rebuild nearly a whole team on little money and now they challenge for the title playing great football. Wenger has won the league three times already on little net spending.

Well, what's your comeback?

[hello_red]

Couldnt give a about arsenal or Wenger to be perfectly honest. I only give a about my team and jy team si playing awful football at the minute.

what to do... what to do.

[Emerald Red]

We went out the title race against Portsmouth away months ago.

No it was after Portsmouth..... maybe Wigan was our last chance.

I always said it after Reading.

Apart from one 20 million pound player that Rafa was allowed to get, what other big improvement was made to the squad enough to  challenge and win the league this year realistically? The answer is none. People set their sights far too high. I'm sure if he had the coin and backing he would have sorted our biggest problem out and that's our wide area's. Weren't we meant to get Smao or Quersma?

[Big Niall]

£13m for Babel,£10 for Kuyt, £6m Crouch, £4m Pennant, how much was Gonzalez? is prob somewhere between £35-£40m spent and not one real quality player to show for it (Crouch is okay though)

Recent LFC managers seem to be able to pick out decent defensive players but struggle in attack, SG,fowler,mcmanaman, redknapp and Owen all came through the ranks. Torres is the only one (Litmanen never given chance), Alonso looked like he would be has gone off the boil for a long time and Masch isn't really attacking.

[SouthCoastShankly]

All the anti-rafa brigade drawn in by the title of the thread like flies to sh!t----OOOOh look another opportunity to have a go at rafa , so predictable you all make me laugh.

As predictable as your tongue up his ar$e

[Emerald Red]

£13m for Babel,£10 for Kuyt, £6m Crouch, £4m Pennant, how much was Gonzalez? is prob somewhere between £35-£40m spent and not one real quality player to show for it (Crouch is okay though)

Recent LFC managers seem to be able to pick out decent defensive players but struggle in attack, SG,fowler,mcmanaman, redknapp and Owen all came through the ranks. Torres is the only one (Litmanen never given chance), Alonso looked like he would be has gone off the boil for a long time and Masch isn't really attacking.

I laugh when people refer to these so called mega money signings.

So you think these were the first choice solutions? How much for Eto'o, Messi, Mancini, Quaressma, or Villa? 11 million? You'd be having a laugh. You look at our most expensive signings in respective area's of the pitch all made by Rafa. Right now those players are forming the backbone of our team and have been a massive step up from what was available in the past. When I say backbone, I  mean these players occupy positions directly down the middle from front to back. It's our wide area's that are the major problems that have yet to be filled with real quality. Quality that will cost.

These other players you've mentioned are nothing but second or even 3rd choice forced buys simply because a lump sum of 20+ million it would cost for a 1st choice player has never been available or has been reluctantly held back for cut priced squad fillers.

Oh, and Babel was 11m. Not 13.

[nobybob]

Wenger built a team that went unbeaten the whole season in the league, he then took a few years to rebuild nearly a whole team on little money and now they challenge for the title playing great football. Wenger has won the league three times already on little net spending.

Well, what's your comeback?

good so we are both agreed wenger is a very good manager

so why was it that rafa managed to attain a higher finish in the league twice in the last three years?. "cos wenger was rebuilding his team" you say. OK when he last won the premier it was the 2003-2004 season and he has not won it since. does your own manager not deserve the same credit and time you afford wenger to build his own team cos whilst he has been doing it he has been finishing above wenger ?
well whats your comeback ?