Liverpool FC Forum

[maguskwt]

If we change manager and had this exact same squad next season, i am convinced we would fare far better.

Of course you can have your own view point just as anybody else 

Do you feel that Rafa has got the best out of the players at his disposal this season ?

Or are we where we should be as his hands are tied financially etc etc etc ?

Listen, yes, his hands were tied financially this season... as I have stated many times. The squad last season played superb football and challenged for the title all the way. This squad was assembled by Rafa if you haven't forgotten and it was about to lose Arbeloa and Alonso, key members of the team. Remember that as a team catching up, we cannot spend on par with the likes of Man U and Chelsea and expect to surpass them. Their managers are not pushovers. Instead Rafa had to spend only as much as what he raised. With the big void left by Alonso, Aquilani was a desperation buy by Rafa. He was a young promising Italian International who would only cost 5 million euros up front. Rafa was probably promised funds for next summer but not the previous summer. And then there was the whole fiasco about buying a defender and in the end had to settle for 1 million dollar Greek. In the mean time funds are not available anymore for a striker or a winger. It is strange because we were talking about buying the likes of Tevez. If Tevez didn't want to come to us then there should be a replacement. In a nut shell the whole off season was messy. It's as if Rafa wasn't told clearly how much in funds were available to him. And as if things which can go wrong will go wrong, our key players of last season, Benny and Riera  were injured for extended periods. With injuries to Skrtl, Agger, Gerrard and Torres as well, the team struggled at the start of the season and never really recovered. I'm not saying Rafa is blameless, but the Owners should at least bear 50% of the blame. And this is AT LEAST. After all this was around the time when RBS probably started to pressure the two to pay back 100 million. And this is probably when the transfer funds were retracted with Purslow saying the 20 million on top of sales by Rafa was actually for renewing of contract of existing players. Now who's fault is that?

[maguskwt]

you know what... I give up on this place... I don't even care if Rafa walks or gets sacked and we get a new manager anymore... let's just see what this new manager can do with the current squad under our current situation next season, shall we?

[account deleted by request]

you know what... I give up on this place... I don't even care if Rafa walks or gets sacked and we get a new manager anymore... let's just see what this new manager can do with the current squad under our current situation next season, shall we?

I am sure that whoever we get (even fat sam) will do better in the league than we have achieved this season. Heimdall on a bad day could have got more out of this squad in the league mate 

The problem is not can we improve (because I have no doubts that we can), the problem is how much will our rivals improve BECAUSE they have CL FOOTBALL the money it generates and the prestige it brings to attract better players.

[stmichael]

Do you feel that Rafa has got the best out of the players at his disposal this season ?

To be honest I doubt any of his ideas or instructions this season have been to tell the players not to show any desire, passion and fight, which is exactly what I've seen from certain players in certain games.

[maguskwt]

you know what... I give up on this place... I don't even care if Rafa walks or gets sacked and we get a new manager anymore... let's just see what this new manager can do with the current squad under our current situation next season, shall we?

I am sure that whoever we get (even fat sam) will do better in the league than we have achieved this season. Heimdall on a bad day could have got more out of this squad in the league mate 

Nah... Heimdall will be spending most of the time coming on this forum and arguing with Ciggy... 

[Sir Roger]

Do you feel that Rafa has got the best out of the players at his disposal this season ?

To be honest I doubt any of his ideas or instructions this season have been to tell the players not to show any desire, passion and fight, which is exactly what I've seen from certain players in certain games.

The players must take their share of the blame defiinitely. But the buck stops with Rafa.
If he has allowed them to play so badly or hasnt the ability to make them play better than he shouldnt be doing the job.

[Big Niall]

The manager has spent 6 years and a lot of money putting this squad together. I said a while ago I thought we'd finish 7th and that looks odds on (assuming we hold off Everton).

An absolute disgrace.

[account deleted by request]

Do you feel that Rafa has got the best out of the players at his disposal this season ?

To be honest I doubt any of his ideas or instructions this season have been to tell the players not to show any desire, passion and fight, which is exactly what I've seen from certain players in certain games.

So why have they remained on the field ? Why has Rafa not seen they wern't trying and hauled them off at half time or before? Why does he persist in only making subs after 60mins.

Surely if an example had been made by dragging someone off after 30mins or so it might have provided the kick up the backside that the rest needed?

If a player or players aren't trying IT IS THE MANAGERS JOB to ensure they don't play again until they are.

[SouthCoastShankly]

If we change manager and had this exact same squad next season, i am convinced we would fare far better.

Of course you can have your own view point just as anybody else 

Do you feel that Rafa has got the best out of the players at his disposal this season ?

Or are we where we should be as his hands are tied financially etc etc etc ?

Listen, yes, his hands were tied financially this season... as I have stated many times. The squad last season played superb football and challenged for the title all the way. This squad was assembled by Rafa if you haven't forgotten and it was about to lose Arbeloa and Alonso, key members of the team. Remember that as a team catching up, we cannot spend on par with the likes of Man U and Chelsea and expect to surpass them. Their managers are not pushovers. Instead Rafa had to spend only as much as what he raised. With the big void left by Alonso, Aquilani was a desperation buy by Rafa. He was a young promising Italian International who would only cost 5 million euros up front. Rafa was probably promised funds for next summer but not the previous summer. And then there was the whole fiasco about buying a defender and in the end had to settle for 1 million dollar Greek. In the mean time funds are not available anymore for a striker or a winger. It is strange because we were talking about buying the likes of Tevez. If Tevez didn't want to come to us then there should be a replacement. In a nut shell the whole off season was messy. It's as if Rafa wasn't told clearly how much in funds were available to him. And as if things which can go wrong will go wrong, our key players of last season, Benny and Riera  were injured for extended periods. With injuries to Skrtl, Agger, Gerrard and Torres as well, the team struggled at the start of the season and never really recovered. I'm not saying Rafa is blameless, but the Owners should at least bear 50% of the blame. And this is AT LEAST. After all this was around the time when RBS probably started to pressure the two to pay back 100 million. And this is probably when the transfer funds were retracted with Purslow saying the 20 million on top of sales by Rafa was actually for renewing of contract of existing players. Now who's fault is that?

Ok so say I agree and Rafa shares the blame 50%. If he stays what stops him making the same stupid mistakes year in year out?

If Rafa is worth 50% of the problem he still needs to go. No manager can be at our club and contribute so much to our failings.

[Sir Roger]

Do you feel that Rafa has got the best out of the players at his disposal this season ?

To be honest I doubt any of his ideas or instructions this season have been to tell the players not to show any desire, passion and fight, which is exactly what I've seen from certain players in certain games.

So why have they remained on the field ? Why has Rafa not seen they wern't trying and hauled them off at half time or before? Why does he persist in only making subs after 60mins.

Surely if an example had been made by dragging someone off after 30mins or so it might have provided the kick up the backside that the rest needed?

If a player or players aren't trying IT IS THE MANAGERS JOB to ensure they don't play again until they are.

To some the answer is get more players.
More players doesnt mean they will try harder

[tonyeh]

The squad last season played superb football and challenged for the title all the way.

You know...this just isn't true Mags. Liverpool payed superb football ONLY for a short period in last seasons run in. It generally wasn't THAT great for the rest of the time. We scraped by in a lot of games and drew 11 largely against opposition Liverpool could have (should have) beaten comfortably.

[Ben Patrick]

you know what... I give up on this place... I don't even care if Rafa walks or gets sacked and we get a new manager anymore... let's just see what this new manager can do with the current squad under our current situation next season, shall we?

How bad do we have to be before you think the manager is not performing ?

We were knocked out of the champions league at the group stage having lost half of our games.
We were knocked out of the FA cup at home to a side that at that moment in time were in the bottom 6 in the championship.
In the league we have lost as many as won and away from home our form has been almost relegation like.

But we can blame most of this on injuries and the manager having his hands tied ?
We lost a key player in Alonso, but a) he didnt have to sell him.
b) he replaced him with someone who has a shocking injury record and who nearing the end of the season...even when fit the manager doesnt seem to rate.
We could have went and got Sneijder for less money and he is a far superior player for me.
The manager has also allowed us to go through a whole season with Ngog as our no2 striker. He wouldnt get into any other side in the top half of the premiership imo.

Its that bad a situation it almost makes me laugh.

[maguskwt]

The squad last season played superb football and challenged for the title all the way.

You know...this just isn't true Mags. Liverpool payed superb football ONLY for a short period in last seasons run in. It generally wasn't THAT great for the rest of the time. We scraped by in a lot of games and drew 11 largely against opposition Liverpool could have (should have) beaten comfortably.

Man U and Chelsea scraped for 1-0 wins all the time... that's how you win championships... how many time was it that that Macheda lad won Man U games in the dying minutes at the end of the season? So too was the Man U teams during the late 90's and early 2000's.

True that the draws hurt us in the end but doubles on Man U and Chelsea, 4-0 thrashing of Real Mardrid, 5-0, 4-0, 3-0 wins at home. Goal Difference better than the champion Mancs. Please, criticise for Rafa for what has happened this season. But don't say we didn't play good football last season. At the end of last season even Ferguson was worried about us for the next season. He was playing mind games in the press saying Liverpool will spend. Probably didn't know then that Alonso was on his way out.

[maguskwt]

Ok ok wait... I've said I've given up on this place... I'll hold my hands up and won't bother talking sense into you lot anymore... you guys deserve a new manager like Alex Mcleish... 

[tonyeh]

The squad last season played superb football and challenged for the title all the way.

You know...this just isn't true Mags. Liverpool payed superb football ONLY for a short period in last seasons run in. It generally wasn't THAT great for the rest of the time. We scraped by in a lot of games and drew 11 largely against opposition Liverpool could have (should have) beaten comfortably.

Man U and Chelsea scraped for 1-0 wins all the time...

It doesn't matter what Man U and Chelsea do, though Mags. What matters is the assessment of what Liverpool does and last season, we didn't play that well for the better part of it.

What's truly infuriating is that after the Real Madrid CL game, the team went into a genuine attack minded spell of games that produced some of the best football I'd seen in years from a Liverpool side, proving to everyone that they have it in them and that they could beat the best (with multiple goals) on any given day.

This season Liverpool have reverted back to the ultra boring, conservative, cowardly, one demsional, tedious performances that I thought were a thing of the past.

That's what matters...not what Man U does.