Liverpool FC Forum

by **tonyeh** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:59 pm

Bermenstein wrote:That was very hard to watch. The team were desperately nervous.
Ngog for Keane was very bad for Keane's morale. I know Keane is not playing great at the present time, but I don't think that Ngog (£1M) will offer any better options than Keane (£20m).
There were plenty of times in the past when Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler or Michael Owen had poor games, but they were always able to get a goal out of nothing in a split second. I would put Keane in that category of being able to nick a goal out of nothing, so giving him just 60-70 mins play is robbing Liverpool many goals.

I know there are posters out there who despise people coming on bickering and complaining about Lpool and Benitez, but I think the complaints are justified at the moment. All is not right, and going top tonight by a point is just papering over the cracks.
Chelsea, Arsenal & Man Utd wont slip up too many more times, so we need to fully take these oprtunities when they come along.

It was job half done tonight.

Make sure you start the next match thread will ya?

by **andy_g** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:01 am

by **Sabre** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:04 am

Not Too Xabi wrote:I am big fan of Rafa but I find his stubborness very frustrating at times.

Once he's devised his plan of how we should set up and play he won't deviate from it. It's like he's convinced beyond all doubt that his pre-game planning can't fail. He makes his subs at very set times and seems to have even planned them before the game as they often don't make sense in the context of the performance (today and against Villa stick out in my mind).

Also, once he's got an idea in his head about how to play a player, he won't deviate from that either reardless of what it does to that player.

I don't rate Babel at all but Rafa doesn't seem to want to give him more than the last 15 mins of a game. He's had Keane down as a 60 minute per game man and has done from the start of the season pretty much and continues to try to play him as a lone striker. Meanwhile other players seem to get played with blind faith.

Rafa just seems to have developed plan A and isn't willing to conceed that we could need a plan B, never mind have the conviction to change to it when things aren't working and I fear this could ultimately be our downfall.

This lad with 18 posts is a regular newkitter.

When we're talking bóllocks you can see him lurking the threads almost every day.

I think it's a reasonable criticism that, and today's game was a good example, we played two strikers, but we abused from trying to finnish early the plays, yet, Rafa made a striker for a striker substitution (and probably the wrong one). As much as I'm pro Rafa he does have that stubborness *sometimes*. And it's stubborness because he has a deep variants book.

by **bunglemark2** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:06 am

What's a deep variants book mate ?

by **Sabre** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:08 am

Sorry, I meant that he's a good tactician and knows to give good different solutions to different problems that the opposition throws at him.

But today, I have to agree it was not the best example to talk about Rafa's reading of the game.

by **devaney** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:09 am

Can't blame Rafa or any single player for that performance. Difficult to pick out a star performance from any one Liverpool player.For once Benayoun stood out and for the right reasons. I think the pressure of title talk is getting to the team including Gerrard who has looked poor over the last few matches apart from his well taken goal against Marseille.

by **Richj** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:09 am

Should never of let Crouch go, At least when teams came to Anfield to play with 10 men in their box we could play ugly football and play balls into the box knowing he would get on the end of them.
What was Rafa thinking playing Ngog when Babel was fit.
6 points lost now at home with Stoke, Fulham and now West Ham.

by **Rush Job** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:16 am

LegBarnes wrote:
bavlondon wrote:Rafas not a man manager though. We cant expect him to change his style of management to accomodate 1 player can we? Keane should buck up and make the most of his time so that Rafa doesnt keep subbing him. I know its harsh but under Rafa its the only way he will survive. If not he will be out after 2 years maybe.

A good manager will have alot of styles and fit the players he has to make the best of what he has got.

Plus rafa bought this player remeber if he doesn't fit into the system that is rafas fault why pay 20 mil for a player that don't fit into your system.

Making any sense ?

Rafa wanted Barry though.... and ended up with Keane.

by **lewerty** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:21 am

should have spent 20million on huntelear

by **LegBarnes** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:23 am

Rush Job wrote:
LegBarnes wrote:
bavlondon wrote:Rafas not a man manager though. We cant expect him to change his style of management to accomodate 1 player can we? Keane should buck up and make the most of his time so that Rafa doesnt keep subbing him. I know its harsh but under Rafa its the only way he will survive. If not he will be out after 2 years maybe.

A good manager will have alot of styles and fit the players he has to make the best of what he has got.

Plus rafa bought this player remeber if he doesn't fit into the system that is rafas fault why pay 20 mil for a player that don't fit into your system.

Making any sense ?

Rafa wanted Barry though.... and ended up with Keane.

so save the fu.cking 20 mil don't spend it just bcos you can't get the player you want no excues.

by **Ciggy** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:25 am

Ive just got back up out of bed, cause i cant sleep cause Rafas subs where bizzare tonight to say the least.
Im goin back to bed god i am gutted.

by **heimdall** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:27 am

Rafa has a big variants book then does he, has he lost the key to it or something, how often does his substitutions produce a goal, how often does he change tactics in the middle of a game? Am I missing something here apart form a team capable of getting motivated by their manager and therefore able to score goals against fecking West Ham and Fulham at home!!
This is clearly just a poor joke now, I personally hope Rafa doesn't get the contract extension, he doesn't deserve it after the last few matches, in fact this season we have scraped a lot of narrow wins but haven't once truly controlled a match, we are arguably worse than the second half of last season, it's just that the other top teams are also wobbly at the moment but that won't last for ever.

by **LegBarnes** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:29 am

heimdall wrote:Rafa has a big variants book then does he, has he lost the key to it or something, how often does his substitutions produce a goal, how often does he change tactics in the middle of a game? Am I missing something here apart form a team capable of getting motivated by their manager and therefore able to score goals against fecking West Ham and Fulham at home!!
This is clearly just a poor joke now, I personally hope Rafa doesn't get the contract extension, he doesn't deserve it after the last few matches, in fact this season we have scraped a lot of narrow wins but haven't once truly controlled a match, we are arguably worse than the second half of last season, it's just that the other top teams are also wobbly at the moment but that won't last for ever.

problem we have no is the manc always look like scoring they will steam roller the prem now you wait and see bcos fergie no matter how old he gets knows what attacking football is and teachs his players this on the training field. :nod

by **Sabre** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:32 am

Rafa has a big variants book then does he, has he lost the key to it or something, how often does his substitutions produce a goal,

As often as we've done come backs and got goals in the last minutes of the match?

This is clearly just a poor joke now, I personally hope Rafa doesn't get the contract extension, he doesn't deserve it after the last few matches, in fact this season we have scraped a lot of narrow wins but haven't once truly controlled a match,

Are you sure you're from Norway and not from Madrid mate?

I only remember something similar when Capello won the league and he wasn't offered a new contract

Come on

by **lewerty** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 12:34 am

dont forget the manc have got a trip to japan for that club cup thing hopefully a few injuries and tireness along the way

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