Liverpool FC Forum

by **Owzat** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:41 pm

It had defeat written all over it from the minute the team and formation were known. No width, Sissoko on the pitch, three strikers playing in a cr ap formation and Reading made most of it. We didn't get the decisions but you can't expect to get even an even break of those, you make your own luck and Rafa made a hash of the team. I'm sure I've said before that he tries too often to out-tactic every team he plays and all we needed to do today was play a half decent side in a 4-4-2 formation and I'm sure things would have been much different.

And yes some of the players were awful, but the truth is for the formation to work those players would have had to have played well and frankly I have little positive to say about Sissoko, Voronin or Crouch. In fact I'd suggest that their inclusion was nearly as deflating as the formation. Taking off Gerrard and settling for defeat was just as deflating, that the manager simply accepts defeat. Maybe Gerrard is pivotal to winning in Marseille, but if he was going to take him off, and Carra, and Torres (one way or another) then why include so many white elephants and giraffes?!?!?!?! Resting players won't guarantee success in the next match, players playing well could have. What happens if we have no Torres? Kuyt has 96 mins football to his name in the last six matches, Voronin and Crouch were next to useless so are we entirely going to depend on Gerrard? He's scored NINE goals in the last ten games, and ten overall this season. Crouch, Voronin and Kuyt have 14 goals between them this season

Yes Rafa had his eye on Tuesday and the timing of this match was laughable, Rangers even got their match postponed as the SFA backed them in their bid for progress even though they only need a home draw against Lyon (who asked the same and were turned down). But we're again prioritising the Champions League, there is no rule written that you can't beat a side like Reading away then win your next game and the game after that. Rafa effectively wrote off the three points, decided if that XI couldn't win then so be it. Whether we win or lose on Tuesday we will have even more pressure to beat the mancs and a defeat then on top of one or maybe two preceding it will make this one of the worst weeks in Rafa's tenure. It stinks way too much of the 2002/3 season when we went 12 games unbeaten and then failed to win in Basel and were consigned to the UEFA Cup. If history repeats itself will Rafa get that final season before the chop? Will we win the Carling Cup and will that be enough?

I see all the usual tripe coming out, "it's not the end of the world because we're still competing on four fronts". Get real, it's a long way to go in the Champions League and the FA Cup isn't even begun. We face a tough task to win at Chelski in the League cup and Arsenal are now seven points ahead of us and we've used up our game in hand. As with Houllier, Rafa hit a high and has not managed to make that final step forward. Like Houllier he has spent plenty and we still don't look capable of winning week in, week out like the champions do. It is only one defeat in the league, it's three already this season (1/8) and we've drawn near enough 1/3 of our games. That one league defeat is three points dropped, six draws equals TWELVE further points dropped and that's the same as four defeats.

And one of my many thoughts when the final whistle went was that Rafa is too focused on the Champions League and you take ALL the Premiership Champions and they managed just one Champions League win and one other final BETWEEN THEM. Suggests that they get the balance right or tilt in favour of domestic success, Rafa's managed as many finals and wins in three seasons as they've managed combined in fifteen, but he has yet to show anything like title winning form which the others have - and the mancs even managed both in the same season. Rafa can't even qualify and maintain a league challenge.

And as for the Marseille game being crucial to funding, maybe it is. But the bottom line is he spent plenty in the summer and the previous summer and the summer before that. And what have we to show for it? Well I can tell you we are ONE point better off this season compared to the corresponding fixtures last season. The money shouldn't depend on progress in the Champions League, even if it does is Rafa spending it that wisely? We've a young squad and yet Rafa rests and rests and rests them. We don't need a squad to compete with the best, looks like Rafa wants two teams to compete with them and that could take forever to assemble at this rate.

Maybe we should all 'give up' after 24 games, look forward to next season where the story will probably be the same and the same again the following season. I might not be so worried if it were the mancs top, we're used to them having good starts, but they're just lying in the wings with them AND Arsenal to beat. And noone should write off Chelsea, perhaps we should wait until all three stop spending money or improving, have a bad start so we can win it...............

by **oakton** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:42 pm

roberto green wrote:playing momo and mascha aswell as Gerrard in the centre was silly not to mention voronin and crouch and torres up front,

No shape what so ever and no title again,Arsenal go ten points clear tomorrow then it is over:angry:

and the defence as well! If Rafa is prepared to play Hobbs, why bring in Riise at the same time when he is clearly the weaker full back? should have bring back finnan and use arebloa on the left.

We didn't have a left wing at first, Riise was the left back and left wing today.

Rafa got everything wrong today. he is on drugs!

by **maguskwt** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:42 pm

jeff capes wrote:anybody who thinks rafa is going to wake up one day a changed man ,is day dreaming.

the only thing positive i'm expecting from rafa is him leaving.

but truthfully i've seen this comedy style of management before at liverpool.

i've been seeing it for the last 10-15 years.

is it too much to ask for a decent solid manager at liverpool.
thats all we need to win a league title ,but mysteriously we end up with these strange quirky managers.

for me its time to stop messing around with managers who players don't respond to or sulk because they can't watch the hatton fight.

the only control benitez has over players is the rotation system, without this he would have no respect.

time to bring some charisma to the place.
even moronio would get 100% out of the players, instead of sulking players making a point about team selection.

that was not our players wanting to win the league, that was about sulking losers who want their boyfriends in the team.

its time ship the manager and these suspicious type of males out the club, maybe they prefer it up at arsenhole.

hear hear... jeff capes and heimdall has emerged again...

by **Leonmc0708** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:46 pm

roberto green wrote:I think A few more bad results and Benitez is gone and if this happens lets wind are clocks back 5 years because we will have to start all over again because not only will he go but the spanish contingent will follow suit then its start all over from scratch again,with another manager that hasnt got a clue?

by **liverpool eng** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:47 pm

ok murphy

I think fergison was need to 10 years to get the first cup ,, and he get the carling cup ,,

10 years for carling ..!

I think it's very nice

in other side rafa get the fifth champions for liver in the first season .!
and FA cup in the second season.!
champions final in the 3rd.!

and now the team go in wright way to get the premier .!

finally

rafa is the best

by **GOAT** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:48 pm

liverpool eng wrote:goat

how old are you ?

are you watch liverpool before rafa is coming?

liverpool eng

where are you from?

have you ever been anywhere near liverpool in your life?

Do you speak English?

Evidently not

by **liverpool eng** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:51 pm

GOAT

are liverpool only for english speakers ?

by **mungi** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:54 pm

obiously the result is disappointing. have faith in rafa. he will bring us the title. remember this is our first loss in the league this season. if arsenal win tomorrow and stretch the lead to 10 points it will be hard. that is why we need to back the team and rafa.

by **GOAT** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:55 pm

Well it would help. Instead i have some little rat dude from god knows where talking a load of sh.ite to me that i can barely understand and trying to tell me how to support my home town club

In my opinion rafa rather f.ucked up today, it was madness

Oh and also i am rather pis.sed off and a bit bladdered so this is my disclaimer if i say something stupid on here tonight

by **destro** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:57 pm

Owzat wrote:Well I can tell you we are ONE point better off this season compared to the corresponding fixtures last season.

We had 22 points from our first 15 games last season compared to 30 from our first 15 games this season ?

by **Leonmc0708** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:59 pm

GOAT wrote:Well it would help. Instead i have some little rat dude from god knows where talking a load of sh.ite to me that i can barely understand and trying to tell me how to support my home town club

In my opinion rafa rather f.ucked up today, it was madness

Oh and also i am rather pis.sed off and a bit bladdered so this is my disclaimer if i say something stupid on here tonight

LEts leave the bashing to the team and not each otehr please.

by **teamleader1** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:04 pm

Owzat wrote:It had defeat written all over it from the minute the team and formation were known. No width, Sissoko on the pitch, three strikers playing in a cr ap formation and Reading made most of it. We didn't get the decisions but you can't expect to get even an even break of those, you make your own luck and Rafa made a hash of the team. I'm sure I've said before that he tries too often to out-tactic every team he plays and all we needed to do today was play a half decent side in a 4-4-2 formation and I'm sure things would have been much different.

Exactly!

Rafa shot himself in the foot again today, Im really begining to wonder if hes actually capable of playing a settled side or system!

He seems obsessed with making changes against every team we play.

ffs Rafa stop fking around!!!!

by **ivor_the_injun** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:08 pm

It was a bad day at the office, no need to be calling for anyone's head.

In this league, you generally earn your luck, and maybe Rafa got a kick up the backside from the gods by fielding what was a risky and possibly a slightly disrespectful starting line up.

I'm disappointed on many levels, but at the end of the day Reading looked hungry and we didn't. Even in the last 10 minutes when we had most of the play, we weren't exactly an unstoppable attacking force, and maybe that's what's holding us back from the next level. In games where they need a goal, Chelsea, Man U and Arsenal look like scoring, but in all fairness we really didn't. Even the Crouch effort that hit the woodwork didn't get me particularly excited, as the players just moped back to their positions. Disappointing lack of urgency all round, I thought.

If you're looking to win the title, every game is a big game. Many clubs have Liverpool come to their place, and they raise their performance levels accordingly. Every season we seem to travel to the likes of Reading and Birmingham, and seem to expect to win purely because we're Liverpool FC. Time will tell if this serves as an temporary setback or a fatal error in the context of this year's title campaign.

by **Stev1eran** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:12 pm

[quote="burjennio"]stop all this "if we cant beat Reading.." :censored:

because Utd drew with Reading and lost to Bolton and no1s writing them off quote]

We've already given them a good tonking this season and I bet they were crapping themselves until they saw Rafa's team selection. It didnt take them long to suss out tactics did it ?
As for Manure I'm not interested in them except when they lose. You would not hear Old Rosy Nose say words to the effect that they were giving up after 70 mins.
Why cant Rafa play the same team thats winning its previous games, give or take the odd change for injury etc. take the game to them and when you have them beaten then take off your key players ready for the next match.
IMHO if we dont win the next 2 games then RAFAs P45 may well be on the table. I think we will have taken a backward step cos a new gaffer will have his own ideas and his own fave players.

by **liverpool eng** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:14 pm

ok
I'm sorry GOAT

put I think taht RAFA is the best coach in the world now,, isn't?

and in your first post you don't said today ;(

I think the refree then the player is the reson for this lost.
after that maybe rafa have some mistake .

but the team have a good position after the goal .!
this let me say rafa have a good squad for to night

and I hope to be with you in match inside new anfield

good night,, and nice to meet you

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