Liverpool FC Forum

GYBS wrote:

s@int wrote:Yes its a terrible indictment of this forum that people CHOSE to pick up on the negative aspect and argue about it, and NOT ONE PERSON chose to pick up on the positive that Gerrard would be fit to play against Real Madrid.

Or the positive in the fact we won last night without him and didnt have to risk him and he will be even more ready for the next game .

now just slow down gybs!! are you saying we won the game last night AND without risking are main man when he was'nt needed 

all this when he was just coming back from a tricky injury that may have flared back up??

are you sure 

mistyred wrote:Can you imagine if we all agreed on everything how
boring this forum would be.

There would be nothing left to discuss, we would all
have to go to maypaxes daily ridles

hay you stay out i need those points   

GRAHAM01 wrote:

GYBS wrote:

s@int wrote:Yes its a terrible indictment of this forum that people CHOSE to pick up on the negative aspect and argue about it, and NOT ONE PERSON chose to pick up on the positive that Gerrard would be fit to play against Real Madrid.

Or the positive in the fact we won last night without him and didnt have to risk him and he will be even more ready for the next game .

now just slow down gybs!! are you saying we won the game last night AND without risking are main man when he was'nt needed 

all this when he was just coming back from a tricky injury that may have flared back up??

are you sure 

i know shocking isnt it mate 

GYBS wrote:

GRAHAM01 wrote:

GYBS wrote:

s@int wrote:Yes its a terrible indictment of this forum that people CHOSE to pick up on the negative aspect and argue about it, and NOT ONE PERSON chose to pick up on the positive that Gerrard would be fit to play against Real Madrid.

Or the positive in the fact we won last night without him and didnt have to risk him and he will be even more ready for the next game .

now just slow down gybs!! are you saying we won the game last night AND without risking are main man when he was'nt needed 

all this when he was just coming back from a tricky injury that may have flared back up??

are you sure 

i know shocking isnt it mate 

my head is spinning i think i better go for a lay down   

taff wrote:Statement from LFC that he was 50/50 and waiting late fitness test.  Hard to get positive about that

Rumour from journalist that he was fit on the weekend and could have played = oh no Rafa doesnt care about the league.

I honestly dont know what else to say Saint.  Why doesnt Heimdell just say I got that wrong and was quick to doubt Rafa.  Then I would respect him

Bad Bob wrote:

s@int wrote:

taff wrote:Statement from LFC that he was 50/50 and waiting late fitness test.  Hard to get positive about that

Rumour from journalist that he was fit on the weekend and could have played = oh no Rafa doesnt care about the league.

I honestly dont know what else to say Saint.  Why doesnt Heimdell just say I got that wrong and was quick to doubt Rafa.  Then I would respect him

You mean like he did with Reina before our CL game against Inter when he played Itandji in goal against Barnsley (when we went out of the FA CUP) or more like when he played Hobbs against Reading (when we lost 3-1 and was the begining of the end as far as our title hopes went) before our CL game against Marseille?

As I said before .... its not as if he doesn't have previous form is it ? Thats not including the times when Gerrard and Torres have been benched/ rested/ taken off.

I have no problem saying that it looks like Evans got it wrong, but for anyone to act as if it was unthinkable for Rafa to have done just that is curious, because we all know its something he has done before and no doubt will do again when it suits.

No argument about the Reading game...Rafa obviously had Marseilles and then the Mancs the following weekend in mind on that day (of course, his job may have depended on winning in France but hey ho...).  As for Barnsley in the FA Cup I don't think it's the same thing at all.  How many Carling Cup and FA Cup matches has Reina played in the last few seasons, regardless of what our next game is?  Sure, he played against the Bitters but the derby's a bit of a special case.  Rafa tends to use the back-up keeper in domestic cup ties.

Anyway, my issue is that, while it wouldn't have been completely without precedent not to play Gerrard ahead of the CL, it would have been pretty unusual for him not to even make the bench if he was as fit as Evans made out.  The other thing muddying the water on this particular discussion is the fact that we're talking about a hamstring injury here and we have been recently burned by Torres' problems with a recurrence.  In light of the nature of the injury, I think applauding Rafa for being prudent rather than jumping to the conclusion that he was prepared to sacrifice the league for the sake of Europe is more fair.

Bad Bob wrote:Ahh, but what did our good friend Heimdall suggest as a result? 

TBH I am not sure now mate........ I can't find anything in here now its been merged  

s@int wrote:

Bad Bob wrote:Ahh, but what did our good friend Heimdall suggest as a result? 

TBH I am not sure now mate........ I can't find anything in here now its been merged  

Not to worry, I found it for you and edited my post above accordingly.

Not trying to pick a fight with this, incidentally, just showing that the implication was there.  As I was saying to Mick earlier, I'm a lot more neutral about Rafa than I have been in the past but I think there's some limits to what he can be criticized for.