Liverpool FC Forum

Lando_Griffin wrote:

bigmick wrote:

s@int wrote:So realistically without Torres, goals were always likely to be a problem, what I didn't expect was our defensive frailties.

Defensively S@int the stats aren't too bad, but I've been increasingly concerned over these last few weeks about the  slight styling which is going on.

The centre halves are seemingly rotated dependant on the opposition, and whether or not they occasionally sling a high ball into the box. Hyppia plays sometimes, Agger the others. It doesn't really work ona  regualr basis, we've tried it before so we know, it doesn't work. Yes if you're playing a modern day Wimbledon it makes sense to draught Sami in, but we know from experience if you rotate the centre-halves refgularly you suffer eventually.

Equally, at full back why did Insua play at Blackburn? Dossena can't be tired surely as he has probably played one game in two. Dossena had infact put a couple of decentish performances in, so why play Insua? You could then argue, having taken the decision to play him, why not leave him in as he had a solid enough debut?

Instead we rotate it back, Dossena comes back in and he and Riera on the evidence of the first goal today don't communicate with each other.

In all honesty, from a defensive point of view Dossena is absolutely awful, and if there's a worse defender at left back in the Premiership I haven't seen him yet. Having said that, the fella Abissomour Abou or whatever the feck he was called who played for Spurs against us was absolutely awful, and I think he might have been a left back.

Whatever anyway, too much styling in defence and too much Dossena.

So now it's wrong to take the "worst ever signing" out and give a kid a chance?

It gets better, it really does!

Did you miss the part where Riera didn't start against Blackburn, perhaps meaning that Insua was a better partner for Babel?

Or is it just par for the course that you slag Rafa off instead of looking at the actual facts?

It seems fairly obvious that Insua is the better defender, but Dossena the better attacker. Given Riera's willingness to track back, and Babel's inability in this area, could it possibly be that Insua was picked to;

a.) Prove himself,
b.) Add defensive strength in the absence of a willing winger,
c.) Take the anticipated physical battle typical of Balckburn's approach?

You'd have thought we'd have lost the game, the way you're having another pop...

Give it a rest, for chuff's sake.

hahahaha,the funniest thing I `ve heard in ages. Insua is fukcin Maradona for Dossena. Dossena better atacker,hahahaha,what he does when he gets the ball? He HOOFS it every time cause he is slow. You should not defend Rafa`s mistakes,you should praise some other things

Lando_Griffin wrote:

s@int wrote:

bigmick wrote:

Lando_Griffin wrote:

bigmick wrote:Well whether or not you choose to believe me Lando, I do quite like Rafa I think he's broadly done a decent job, I've said so many times. Had we not fecked around with mass rotation for four seasons this wouldn't be our first title challenge underhis tenure, he has made some fine signings and some excellent decisions. He's probably the best defensive coach around I reckon, and I think he acts in the main in a dignified manner which is becoming of a Liverpool manager.

I do though ask the question about certain decisions which I think are wrong. Not bringing Keane on as sub was nothing to do with tactics, it was about making a point. I say that to be kind to the manager, because if he's just spent 20 million quid on a striker who was incapable of being an improvement on what Dirk Kuyt was offering on Saturday, then his judgement is terrible and he is an idiot. We know though that his judgement isn't terrible (Dossena aside) and that Keane is a better striker than Kuyt. That he didn't bring him on is a metter of fact, and I guess till the books come out we'll never know why. My contention is though that whatever point he was making, wasn't important enough to put the team getting three points at more risk than was necessary, which it did.

I retain the perogative to make such points on here, despite "quite" liking the manager.

Do you think you would agree with any other manager's decisions 100% of the time?

Whilst any other team's fans would be basking in our obvious progress, some seem more interested in saving face.

Why?

100% of the time? Not a chance. Ask any two people who have an interest about football a number of questions and they'll NEVER agree 100%. That's one of the reasons I find it so odd when people get so fired up if you dare to say you disagree with the manager on any issue.


As for the "basking in our obvious progress" bit, I am just about the only poster on here who thinks we were goiod enough to launch a title challenge in each of the last three seasons, not just this one. In many ways, I've been Rafa's biggest advocate strange as it may seem.

And as for saving face, it's never really been important to me but since you bring it up, it would be difficult for anyone to say I was 100% wrong about mass rotation surely? I said if we cut back we'd challenge, we've cut back and we're challenging.

I love us being top as much as the next man, except I want us to actually win it and when something happens which I think is detrimental to our chances I'll say so. If we win it, people can argue till the cows come home about who's saved face, who was right all along, who called it totally wrong and all that old sh!t. I personally couldn't give a feck, just so long as we win it. Step one is giving ourselves the very best opportunity.

Spot on Mick. Did everyone always agree with Shanks , Paisley, Dalglish ......... no. They got things wrong, they made mistakes just as Rafa does.

It makes me laugh when I read some of the rubbish spouted on here at times. If we were at the game, you back the team 100%, once the game is over you go to the pub and discuss the game. You discuss the ref, the players AND the managers decisions.

That's not being disloyal thats being a normal football fan. Same on here, I am sure if Rafa came onto the site people would be a little more circumspect in their posts, as he doesn't we are more open about our views. I thought that was the idea of a football forum, that people could express their views?

Or maybe we should all be sat writing how happy we were to draw another home match. How we think that every decision Rafa makes is sheer genius and every player we have is the best in the world.

Sadly not every player we have is the best in the world and Rafa makes mistakes just like any other human being.

To say that people are "picking on Rafa because of where he comes from" is idiotic. How come Torres seems to have universal approval across the site if thats the case? I think its more due to the fact that he knocks goals in for fun rather than where he comes from which matters.   

We are writing posts on a football forum, they have no impact whatsoever on Rafa. If our posts mattered in the slightest outside this forum I am sure Hicks and Gillett would be out on their ear already and DIC busy building our new stadium.

Some people need to take a chill pill relax and enjoy the football debate rather than worrying if someone doesn't like Rafa. We are not kids, "if you don't like my friend I am not playing with you"   

BTW TOP OF THE LEAGUE IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH! League champions IS good enough. If and when we achieve that .... then its a job well done. You get nothing for being top in December, but a nice shiny cup for winning the League.

No, so when people say that want a home-grown/English/British manager, then that's nothing at all to do with where they're from, is it? (Look back at past threads if you wish to argue the toss.)

Opinions expressed in the pub don't get written down and broadcast globally. Half of the shart expressed on here would result in an impromptu lesson in how to take a punch if said in the boozer, I feel.

I'm not getting into another spat with you. I really can't be bothered with it.

But you surely must see why I get so annoyed at reading constant negativity and overreaction?

LegBarnes wrote:

Petar wrote:

Lando_Griffin wrote:

bigmick wrote:

s@int wrote:So realistically without Torres, goals were always likely to be a problem, what I didn't expect was our defensive frailties.

Defensively S@int the stats aren't too bad, but I've been increasingly concerned over these last few weeks about the  slight styling which is going on.

The centre halves are seemingly rotated dependant on the opposition, and whether or not they occasionally sling a high ball into the box. Hyppia plays sometimes, Agger the others. It doesn't really work ona  regualr basis, we've tried it before so we know, it doesn't work. Yes if you're playing a modern day Wimbledon it makes sense to draught Sami in, but we know from experience if you rotate the centre-halves refgularly you suffer eventually.

Equally, at full back why did Insua play at Blackburn? Dossena can't be tired surely as he has probably played one game in two. Dossena had infact put a couple of decentish performances in, so why play Insua? You could then argue, having taken the decision to play him, why not leave him in as he had a solid enough debut?

Instead we rotate it back, Dossena comes back in and he and Riera on the evidence of the first goal today don't communicate with each other.

In all honesty, from a defensive point of view Dossena is absolutely awful, and if there's a worse defender at left back in the Premiership I haven't seen him yet. Having said that, the fella Abissomour Abou or whatever the feck he was called who played for Spurs against us was absolutely awful, and I think he might have been a left back.

Whatever anyway, too much styling in defence and too much Dossena.

So now it's wrong to take the "worst ever signing" out and give a kid a chance?

It gets better, it really does!

Did you miss the part where Riera didn't start against Blackburn, perhaps meaning that Insua was a better partner for Babel?

Or is it just par for the course that you slag Rafa off instead of looking at the actual facts?

It seems fairly obvious that Insua is the better defender, but Dossena the better attacker. Given Riera's willingness to track back, and Babel's inability in this area, could it possibly be that Insua was picked to;

a.) Prove himself,
b.) Add defensive strength in the absence of a willing winger,
c.) Take the anticipated physical battle typical of Balckburn's approach?

You'd have thought we'd have lost the game, the way you're having another pop...

Give it a rest, for chuff's sake.

hahahaha,the funniest thing I `ve heard in ages. Insua is fukcin Maradona for Dossena. Dossena better atacker,hahahaha,what he does when he gets the ball? He HOOFS it every time cause he is slow. You should not defend Rafa`s mistakes,you should praise some other things

Dosser has one of best crosses in team apart from gerrard of course so what is wrong with what Lando said he is better attacker.

He just sucks as a defender hense why I think he could be tried as left midfielder for 1 game then sold once his value goes up £2.50. 

Ciggy wrote:I dont understand why people are being slated for not being happy about us not turning dross over at home.
It fecked us up last season 13 draws is the reason we failed to win the league, and the same pattern is emerging once again with 4 draws at home already.

This league title is available for any of the top four to grab by the horns and say we want it, but it doesnt look like any fecker wants it.
This is our best chance ever to win it since Rafa has arrived its ours to feck up.
We could have been atleast 9 points clear at the top if we had turned them draws into wins, but we are not 9 points clear because we have failed to beat dross who park a bus and 10 men behind the ball.

And why Rafa failed to bring on a forward instead of a midfielder in a game we needed to win is anyones guess
I am a Rafa fan but he fecked up on saturday, doesnt mean I dislike the man I am unhappy about some of his decisions at times the stubborn streak.

I am also a big Kuyt fan but he should have been hauled off on saturday because he clearly wasnt fit, but he was left on the pitch when we had players on the bench that could have won us the game.

And the blame lays clearly at Rafas feet.

I'm in this camp as well.

HAppy as larry that we're top of the league, but nervous as hell that these draws against teams we 'should' be beating will come round and haunt us come the end of the season.

Some blame falls on players. some blame falls on Rafa.

If Keane had played the same way Kuyt had on saturday... would he have stayed on for the full 90minutes?

--

Its funny, rafa was misquoted by the rag last week as saying that "For us to win the league we need Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal to mess up their season"

and although he didn't actually say that... its turning out to be quite true!