by Ciggy » Mon Mar 15, 2010 11:03 am
With 8 games left in the league no its not time to ditch Rafa and bring in a caretaker for the remainder of the season, I think May the 9th 2010 will be Rafa's last game in charge and the club and rafa will part company.
Is Rafa to blame for this seasons failings absolutly, is he alone in that? no the players are also responsible for the terrible season we are having.
Rafa's mistakes this season all started when he sold Alonso, Hyypia & Arbeloa, and paying 17 million on Glen Johnson & 20 million for an injured player, a play maker that was supposed to replace Alonso that we have seen a handfull of times its now March he was supposed to be available last October.
Rumour has it we cannot afford to pay for him because his contract was appearance based I think Alberto will be on a plane back to Italy in the summer, only to return to England for CL games or for Italian friendlies with his national team.
IMO Rafa should have paid 20 million for a world class striker, given Torres's injury record. I think Glen Johnson is an excellent player but his defending leaves a lot to be desired, we would have been better keeping Arbeloa and playing Johnson on the right wing, a massive improvement on Dirk Kuyt.
Dirk Kuyt another mistake from Rafa playing an out of form player that is clearly knackerd from playing nearly every game this season, knackerd because he's all over the pitch, knackerd because he gives the ball away and runs around chasing it back, only to give it away again once he has it.
I like Dirk dont get me wrong, I wish all Liverpool players had his fight and determination, but as a footballer he isnt very good.
He does work hard for the team and he does run a lot but so did Linford Christie only he had pace, Dirk however does not, has no technical ability, he cannot dribble past players and when he gets the ball at his feet his feet seem like they are stuck in the mud cause he can't turn with the ball so another attack breaks down or he will get crowded out by other teams players and ends up losing posession. Not to mention he has been out of form practically all season yet continues to be the first name on the team sheet and hardly ever gets subbed until the game is nearly over.
His flaws and errors might not be so glaringly obvious if he was played in his natural position as a striker and to be in that box at all times instead of playing midfielder, winger, left back, right back, defender because he is all over the pitch in every single game, he was bought as a striker but is not playing as one and that is not down to Dirk that is down to Rafa.
Another reason that we have been so poor this season is Alonso's replacement that fella masquerading as a Brazilian footballer in midfield 2nd name on the team sheet another Rafa favourite. He was bought as an attacking midfielder was supposed to be Gerrards replacement but has been turned into a poor mans version of Mascherano doing the same job but not as good, conceeding silly free kicks, and doing a very good job immitating a crab passing it sideways, has no flair, doesnt score goals, and offers nothing attack wise, this fella is supposed to be our playmaker.
He should be no where near our starting 11 never mind being in it every single bloody game, a squad player at best and is not good enough for LFC who are out to win trophys we wont be winning anything in the near future if this fella becomes a permanent fixture for years to come.
Its not his fault he plays every game like Kuyt its Rafa's he picks the team he's picking these two players, when the team needs something different, they both need dropping Aqualini needs to play and Benayoun or Babel need to replace Kuyt on the right.
Insua is another problem, but the kid has something and has shown glimpses so I wont write him off just yet, plus we are hardly gifted with left backs and with Aurelio always injured there is no one else to take his place, we will just have to ride out the season and hope Insua doesnt get injured.
Another problem with Rafa is he swaps players like for like, he doesnt gamble on different players changing the game, he doesnt drag off players that are playing shite or drop them. He doesnt wipe the floor with them at half time, they just dont fear him. His tactics are for us not to get beat first and formost and keep possession we are so predictable, so boring, we cant score and pass and move football has become a thing confined to the history books.
What is not Rafa's fault this season is senior players and our captain playing absolute dog shit, Stevie has only one thing on his mind and thats the WC and not to get injured before it, and he certainly doesnt want to be fighting for 4th place, or playing in the Europa league. And when we are not in the CL next season they have no one else to blame but themselves. Injuries havent helped either but other teams cope so I cannot use that as an excuse mind you Chelsea dont have Ngog as backup for Drogba and that comes down to the owners for lack of investment.
I like Rafa and I dont enjoy saying any of this, I like him as a person even though many dont including half of our fans.
He has given us some great times and I thank him for that, and his down fall will be because of the likes of Kuyt, Lucas resulting in us not winning many games because they are in the team.
I have a whole lot to say about the owners and everyone knows I hate them, and they are part of the bigger picture and they will be the downfall of the club, if and when Rafa leaves and a new man is brought in they will still be here and things will get worst so long as they are in charge of running the club.
There is no-one anywhere in the world at any stage who is any bigger or any better than this football club.
Kenny Dalglish 1/2/2011
REST IN PEACE PHIL, YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.