Liverpool FC Forum

by **Ciggy** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 9:40 am

So the next few games will pan out our season and tell us where we really are in terms of just fighting for a CL spot or actually part of the BIG 4. Yes we are a big club, we are the most successfull British club in terms of silverware, but the we still havent got our hands on the Premiership Trophey.

We have one of the best young managers around to guide us to it, and his transfer dealings bringing lots of youth in is only good for us fans to know he has a long term plan at Liverpool.F.C. and he wont be going anywhere for a while.
Rafa has looked much better this week when Ive seen him on TV, he wasnt looking to good since the loss of his father and me and my family where dissgussing it how much pressure is on his shoulders, the same pressure that left Gerard Houllier needing open heart sugery, pressure to bring success.

I know Rafa has been given 5 years to bring us tropheys he has already led us to 4 finals of which 2 we won plus the biggest one of all. The players looked tired against Luton and Bolton so imagine what mental tiredness Rafa was going through? The loss of his father, being in Japan, flying to Spain then back to Liverpool for the heavy pileup of fixtures over the holidays, cant have been easy on the man.

Plus he is not like any other manager he lives and breathes football 24/7 god help poor Montse she said he even talks about us in his sleep.
And I would'nt want any one else managing us we have to thank Rick Parry and David Moores for doing their homework and bringing Rafa from La Liga to us, same goes for them running the club, okay they may dither a bit in the transfer market, but they have never in the past dont forget it.

Gerard Houllier was given a licence to sign practicly any player he wanted so the club where never mean, we have an awful lot to thank them for.
Ok we cannot compete with Chelsea but hey I wouldnt want money grabbin bastardos playing for us any how ONLY HERE FOR THE MONEY.

We want players that play for the shirt and know what it means to have the honour of playing for LFC.
I watched a Shankly DVD through the week, and Rafa resembles him a lot. It was funny they interviewed Kevin Keegan he was saying they where playing against West Ham and they had 5 England Internationals in the squad, and Shankly said now Kevin see him meaning Bobby Moore, he's been on a bender for 5 days, he's feeling really rough, get at him hes :censored:

.
We won 3-0 after the match Shankly went to Kevin and said I was lying he's Englands best.

Just little things like that, I believe Rafa instills belief in the players they are better than other players that cost twice as much as they did, and as JBG said in some topic in the Advanced Debate section Steven Gerrard has had his best season so far in a Liverpool shirt, and its portrayed on the pitch theres an air of good feeling of team spirit all throughout the squad and its down to Rafa and the results, the clean sheets, the new aditions and Steven doesnt feel he is carrying the team now, like he has done for years.

So Spurs up next, Manure, Chelsea, Arsenal the outcome of these games will tell us either how far we are behind them in terms of consistancy or we are actually challenging them and becoming a major threat, I have to be honest I used to dread playing Arsenal, Chelsea and Manure at the theatre but I dont fear us playing any of them now, if anything they will be fearing playing us.

by **thegreedo** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 10:21 am

Spot on Lynds, great post as usual!

I think your point about the growing team spirit is bang on. The Bolton game illustrated this to me more than ever, they showed real fight and determination, last year we would have lost that game!! And then the Luton game just served to back up this point even more (although I don't think you'll see us play worse than in that 1st half for a long time!!).

In short, at the halfway point I'm more than happy wiyh what Rafa's doing!

by **darwisigila** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 10:45 am

we are on the right track and with additional players, we can be a fearsome team again...dont care what jol said......i hope rafa can find the right player to play for us..

by **bigmick** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 11:44 am

Sitting here eating me poached eggs and that was a nice way to start off saturday Lynds, great post. I thought your point about Moores and Parry was a really good one and one which we have all overlooked. I think most people had heard of Benitez before he came, but he would not have been many peoples number one choice to take over. Those of us who had long since lost any type of faith in Houllier were not really ready for another foreign manager so those two have to be applauded for finding this extremely impressive Spaniard.
There isn't a player that's still here to the best of my knowledge who hasn't played better under Rafa than he did previously and this says a lot not just for his man management, but also for his meticulous work on the training ground with his backroom boys and the players. Whats also very impressive is the way he has gone away from his favoured style to a more traditional 4-4-2 and yet with the fluidity we afford Gerrard and the drift of our defence, we still look like a team from overseas to me. He has done a fantastic job.
As to where we are, my feeling is that we have gatecrashed the top three to make it a top four. Chelsea are probably 10-15 points a season better than anybody else and TBH I think Manure are probably 3-6 points ahead of us aswell. I expect us to finish third, a comfortable distance ahead of Arsenal. There is no doubt however that we are on the rise. Whether we can ultimately overtake Chelsea given their stupendous buying power remains a doubt for me but one things for sure, it's a pleasure to watch Liverpool again.

by **thegreedo** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 12:05 pm

bigmick wrote:Sitting here eating me poached eggs and that was a nice way to start off saturday Lynds, great post. I thought your point about Moores and Parry was a really good one and one which we have all overlooked. I think most people had heard of Benitez before he came, but he would not have been many peoples number one choice to take over. Those of us who had long since lost any type of faith in Houllier were not really ready for another foreign manager so those two have to be applauded for finding this extremely impressive Spaniard.
There isn't a player that's still here to the best of my knowledge who hasn't played better under Rafa than he did previously and this says a lot not just for his man management, but also for his meticulous work on the training ground with his backroom boys and the players. Whats also very impressive is the way he has gone away from his favoured style to a more traditional 4-4-2 and yet with the fluidity we afford Gerrard and the drift of our defence, we still look like a team from overseas to me. He has done a fantastic job.
As to where we are, my feeling is that we have gatecrashed the top three to make it a top four. Chelsea are probably 10-15 points a season better than anybody else and TBH I think Manure are probably 3-6 points ahead of us aswell. I expect us to finish third, a comfortable distance ahead of Arsenal. There is no doubt however that we are on the rise. Whether we can ultimately overtake Chelsea given their stupendous buying power remains a doubt for me but one things for sure, it's a pleasure to watch Liverpool again.

Agree with an awful lot of what you said there mick but do you really see us that far behind the scum?

They undoubtedly have a phenomenal amount of talent in there squad but most of it is all concentrated into the forward area's. I honestly can't think of a time when I've been more underwhelmed by a manure defence and midfield as I am now. Even their bench is no longer frightening. Maybe I am looking through red-tinted spectecles but I honestly feel while we may fall short of them for attacking options over the rest of the field I think we look like the stronger of the two.

Am I kidding myself??

by **bigmick** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 12:15 pm

thegreedo wrote:Am I kidding myself??

Nah definately not mate. After all I've predicted a 3-6 point gap which is absolutely nothing. What I'm saying is that we have caught them in essence, ther is no gap to speak of. I also agree with your reading of their squad strength except to say that I think they have signed two straight into the team defenders in the window which will improve them greatly. In midfield they are average at best and I think we are the equal of them, give or take a result or two.

by **thegreedo** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 12:25 pm

bigmick wrote:
thegreedo wrote:Am I kidding myself??

Nah definately not mate. After all I've predicted a 3-6 point gap which is absolutely nothing. What I'm saying is that we have caught them in essence, ther is no gap to speak of. I also agree with your reading of their squad strength except to say that I think they have signed two straight into the team defenders in the window which will improve them greatly. In midfield they are average at best and I think we are the equal of them, give or take a result or two.

Yeah, you're right in what you're saying mick, I think the comparisons in the defensive area's could be interesting, Although I rate Evra from his performances in the C/L for monaco he would do well to dislodge a fit Heinze and it will be interesting to see who out of Agger and their new CB (forgotten his name) adapts best to the Prem.

Still think we'll emerge as the russians biggest threat though.

by **Paul C** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 12:34 pm

Good post Lynds, I think the season is going well and we continue to improze under Rafa, I totally agree about the comments comparing Rafa ans Shanks cos I've always thought that Benitez goes about things like Shankley and has a very similar mentality, I'm very glad that we've signed Agger as I think the lad is a great player and being young he will get even better :cool:

Fingers crossed we can sustain our form and challenge Man U for the second place and automatic qualification to the Champions League

by **yckatbjywtbiastkamb** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 10:07 pm

bigmick wrote:it's a pleasure to watch Liverpool again.

i was reading through this thread and at the same time gathering my thoughts wondering what to post, then i came across this little piece of wisdom.
i could sit here for an hour trying to sum everything up but that just says it all for me really.

by **Lando_Griffin** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 2:57 am

We have progressed further than the boss himself thought we would in such short time.

F*cking bang on Rafa - keep it up!

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