Liverpool FC Forum

by **Owzat** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 9:26 am

Must win game so Heimdall decides to start the thread and that worked out the same way most of his contributions do on here......

Just about sums Rafa up, a glorious win in his favourite competition then a defeat at the hands of a team who haven't won in the league since November (14 games) Typical botched job of team selection, some of the poor choices predictable, but I'm sure he tries to be unpredictably crap with other choices. WTF was going on with Skrtel? Why was El Zhar starting ? And when is Rafa going to work out Kuyt as a solo striker is doomed to fail more than it works? He drops the one player in scoring form (Benayoun) and starts with another who is so shit it hurts (Babel)

And we're 0-1 down 1/3 of the way into the game so Rafa, in his ultimate wisdom stupidity, doesn't make a change until 2/3 of the way through the game. I think he wrote our title off in his head a while back, but isn't as honest as some on here credit him for. He had written this game off when we went 0-1 down and was planning for his favourite competition. I am now convinced he is only capable of winning enough games to win the odd straight knockout or the two-legged Champions League. Proof further in how we struggle through the group stages, if we could win enough games to win the Premiership then we should breeze through the CL group stages - we don't.

Enough is enough, time for Rafa to go off to his spiritual home at the Bernie Inn. He could well take us to a third CL Final in five years, like Real Madrid did between 1998 and 2002 :-

97/98 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 4th in La Liga
99/00 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 5th in La Liga
01/02 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 3rd in La Liga

Look similiar to our record in 04/05, 06/07 and possibly 08/09? Not finishing in the top two but reaching/winning the Champions League. Their last three league titles saw them flop (relatively speaking) in the Champions League :-

02/03 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Semi-Final
06/07 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Last 16
07/08 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Last 16

By the way, we've won our 27th Premiership game of the season only four times so yesterday's result shouldn't be too much of a shock, tied in with our poor record at Boro. I think we now face a scrap to hold onto 3rd let alone with Chelsea for 2nd, shame for some fans Champions League is more than consolation for our league failings which are now all too easy for other fans to knock. They predict our failure in September, we make it reality by the end of February (or more often January, December or November)

by **Sir Roger** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 1:26 pm

Owzat wrote:Must win game so Heimdall decides to start the thread and that worked out the same way most of his contributions do on here......

Just about sums Rafa up, a glorious win in his favourite competition then a defeat at the hands of a team who haven't won in the league since November (14 games) Typical botched job of team selection, some of the poor choices predictable, but I'm sure he tries to be unpredictably crap with other choices. WTF was going on with Skrtel? Why was El Zhar starting ? And when is Rafa going to work out Kuyt as a solo striker is doomed to fail more than it works? He drops the one player in scoring form (Benayoun) and starts with another who is so shit it hurts (Babel)

And we're 0-1 down 1/3 of the way into the game so Rafa, in his ultimate wisdom stupidity, doesn't make a change until 2/3 of the way through the game. I think he wrote our title off in his head a while back, but isn't as honest as some on here credit him for. He had written this game off when we went 0-1 down and was planning for his favourite competition. I am now convinced he is only capable of winning enough games to win the odd straight knockout or the two-legged Champions League. Proof further in how we struggle through the group stages, if we could win enough games to win the Premiership then we should breeze through the CL group stages - we don't.

Enough is enough, time for Rafa to go off to his spiritual home at the Bernie Inn. He could well take us to a third CL Final in five years, like Real Madrid did between 1998 and 2002 :-

97/98 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 4th in La Liga
99/00 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 5th in La Liga
01/02 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 3rd in La Liga

Look similiar to our record in 04/05, 06/07 and possibly 08/09? Not finishing in the top two but reaching/winning the Champions League. Their last three league titles saw them flop (relatively speaking) in the Champions League :-

02/03 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Semi-Final
06/07 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Last 16
07/08 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Last 16

By the way, we've won our 27th Premiership game of the season only four times so yesterday's result shouldn't be too much of a shock, tied in with our poor record at Boro. I think we now face a scrap to hold onto 3rd let alone with Chelsea for 2nd, shame for some fans Champions League is more than consolation for our league failings which are now all too easy for other fans to knock. They predict our failure in September, we make it reality by the end of February (or more often January, December or November)

Nail on the head there mate
Yet another "baffling" team selection with a predictable outcome
If I was a player I would think twice about scoring if I wanted to play the next game
:laugh:

by **Scottbot** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 1:33 pm

Does anyone think the result would have been different if Carra had been at right-back with Yossi in for El Zhar? I don't for one minute. That was 11 players well and truly off their game yesterday. As bizarre as it was playing Skrtel at RB, every player looked flat and frustrated. Team spirit looked pretty shot from the moment the own goal went in as all the fight (which has been there this season) went out of us.

by **mkingdom** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 1:42 pm

Why try players in new positions when anything but a win ends our title challenge??

Was this game really the one to play a new RB (when we have a decent one playing at CB) and to give El Zhar his chance, when Benny is in great form???

Hard to justify these sorts of decisions.

As I said 2 weeks ago, I think we'll be lucky to finish 3rd.

We haven't looked anything like good in the league since xmas and we will limp to the finish line.

Same old, same old...depressing.

Big changes needed this summer.

by **Sir Roger** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 1:44 pm

Scottbot wrote:Does anyone think the result would have been different if Carra had been at right-back with Yossi in for El Zhar? I don't for one minute. That was 11 players well and truly off their game yesterday. As bizarre as it was playing Skrtel at RB, every player looked flat and frustrated. Team spirit looked pretty shot from the moment the own goal went in as all the fight (which has been there this season) went out of us.

Good old zonal marking
The best weapon for mediocre teams against mighty LFC
:glare:

by **frankp57** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 2:30 pm

Scottbot wrote:Does anyone think the result would have been different if Carra had been at right-back with Yossi in for El Zhar? I don't for one minute. That was 11 players well and truly off their game yesterday. As bizarre as it was playing Skrtel at RB, every player looked flat and frustrated. Team spirit looked pretty shot from the moment the own goal went in as all the fight (which has been there this season) went out of us.

That in itself is a poser that is quite rightly asked in the one sense but there again why the need for us fans to ponder it so often. How often have we seen a line-up before a game and thought "Oh :censored:

!!"

Maybe if he had started with square pegs in square holes and we still lost then there is some justification in saying that things wouldn't have been any different. Sadly, yesterday, like on so many other occasions his strange team selection has backfired on him (and us!!) and it only lends himself open to attack.

Often its getting to the stage that you can second guess him if you conjure up the least likely alternative in your own head instead of what would seem the simplest.

I haven't been on here long so I don't know if there was much said about the game at Stoke. But to illustrate the point I'm making, Torres was set to come on and with Kuyt playing the lone striker role (don't get me started on that!!) the most logical substitution would have been a straight swap. But no. Riera came off (who may well have been a supply source to Torres), Benayoun who was playing wide right went to wide left and Kuyt moved from lone, central striker to wide right.

These sort of changes do not only disrupt the players directly concerned but also the others. For instance whoever the full-backs were behind Riera and Benayoun may also have been scratching their haeds.

I know us fans were.

by **TheLad** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 2:31 pm

Sir Roger wrote:If I was a player I would think twice about scoring if I wanted to play the next game

Liked that.

by **frankp57** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 2:54 pm

Scottbot wrote:Team spirit looked pretty shot from the moment the own goal went in as all the fight (which has been there this season) went out of us.

Very worringly, why is team spirit shot. We have just beaten Real Madrid in their own backyard and our spirit has gone after conceding a goal against Middlesbrough!!.

Maybe the players pick up the managers negative vibes more than we realise. Rafa in his post match interview mentioned that we failed to take our chances in the first 30 minutes and that after their first goal the game became very difficult.

Is this him saying his coaching style is somewhat one-dimensional. Maybe he picks a team that has to score first or we will find the game very difficult if we concede first. Maybe the players themselves realise this.

I know we have come from behind a few times this season but how much of that was down to the manager and how much of that was down to our captain taking the game by the scruff of the neck (Hull) or coming up with a spectacular late winner (Middlesbrough at home). Also against Man Ure we were gifted an oggie out of the blue to get us back in it. Against Citeh away, did the sending off help us. Obviously Benitez takes some credit but not to the extent of putting him in the "super coach" category.

The one game that you would have to say he changed things completely through his substitutions and change in style (to our benefit that is) was Wigan at home where we ended up with virtually a back two as we went for the winner. Maybe there are others.

I must admit after that game I thought that we are really going to have a go this season but then, unfortunately, the coach has reverted back to his norm and many of his substitutions/team selections have produced a negative effect (again for example v Everton in the league at home when one of his masterstroke substitutions took us from the front foot to straight onto the back foot).

In short, how many of the games this season where we have dropped points, have been as a result of the opposition getting themselves back into the game or more of a case of being let back into the game.

by **akumaface** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 4:49 pm

Well, didn't watch the game and thus the pain was not that bad. If we were closer to Man U and lost, I would be more upset. Realistically, our hope for the title were long gone after the Man city game. I think that was probably a very good starting lineup and it is expected for us to struggle as we haven't had any so called easy game against anybody. But i was surprised we lost as I was thinking more of a draw. I really think we need to get more English players as many foreign player just doesn't know what it means to play in the FA cup or the league. (but i'm not English either haha). Most foreign players don't live in England during off season, so, they don't can go hide and don't have to face the criticism. Anyway, I know English players are expensive but we need to find a balance somehow.

by **heimdall** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 6:47 pm

Owzat wrote:Must win game so Heimdall decides to start the thread and that worked out the same way most of his contributions do on here......

Just about sums Rafa up, a glorious win in his favourite competition then a defeat at the hands of a team who haven't won in the league since November (14 games) Typical botched job of team selection, some of the poor choices predictable, but I'm sure he tries to be unpredictably crap with other choices. WTF was going on with Skrtel? Why was El Zhar starting ? And when is Rafa going to work out Kuyt as a solo striker is doomed to fail more than it works? He drops the one player in scoring form (Benayoun) and starts with another who is so shit it hurts (Babel)

And we're 0-1 down 1/3 of the way into the game so Rafa, in his ultimate wisdom stupidity, doesn't make a change until 2/3 of the way through the game. I think he wrote our title off in his head a while back, but isn't as honest as some on here credit him for. He had written this game off when we went 0-1 down and was planning for his favourite competition. I am now convinced he is only capable of winning enough games to win the odd straight knockout or the two-legged Champions League. Proof further in how we struggle through the group stages, if we could win enough games to win the Premiership then we should breeze through the CL group stages - we don't.

Enough is enough, time for Rafa to go off to his spiritual home at the Bernie Inn. He could well take us to a third CL Final in five years, like Real Madrid did between 1998 and 2002 :-

97/98 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 4th in La Liga
99/00 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 5th in La Liga
01/02 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 3rd in La Liga

Look similiar to our record in 04/05, 06/07 and possibly 08/09? Not finishing in the top two but reaching/winning the Champions League. Their last three league titles saw them flop (relatively speaking) in the Champions League :-

02/03 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Semi-Final
06/07 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Last 16
07/08 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Last 16

By the way, we've won our 27th Premiership game of the season only four times so yesterday's result shouldn't be too much of a shock, tied in with our poor record at Boro. I think we now face a scrap to hold onto 3rd let alone with Chelsea for 2nd, shame for some fans Champions League is more than consolation for our league failings which are now all too easy for other fans to knock. They predict our failure in September, we make it reality by the end of February (or more often January, December or November)

Thanks for that Owzat, what I really needed was yet another person, who I respected on this forum, sticking the knife into my back. You've convinced me that there is no point in me posting any more as with every post people just seem to dislike and hate me more and more. Life is hard for me at the moment and I used to really enjoy coming onto this forum to discuss the team which I love but I just don't need this abuse as it's genuinely depressing me so I'm gone.

by **Sabre** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 6:50 pm

You see Heimdall, I don't hate you. If there's anything I can do to help you out in the real life problems which doesn't involve kissing you, then I'm all for helping you. If you had your computer broken and you hadn't money to repair, I'd do it for free. You don't do that to people who you hate.

I only give stick to the content of your posts. The same applies for Owzat and everybody else.

by **ruskiy playmaker** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:43 pm

Thank God I didn't watch this game yesterday. It really irritates me how this team beats Real and then looses to Midlesbrough in the same week. We really do need to find some players who give a :censored:

about the league.

by **RichardLFC1** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:49 pm

Anyone know why arbeloa didnt play yesterday?

Gerrard must have put 5 or 6 balls in the box that was just begging to be put in the back of the net but with no Torres there Kuyt El zhar just put them high wide and straight at the keeper.

Were in serious danger if not already of becoming a two man squad. Without Torres and Gerrard both 100% fit We dont seem to have a hope in hell.

Sunderland on tuesday see what Rafa does diffrent. For me if Torres is fit we should win it without Torres Who knows

by **tonyeh** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 8:03 pm

heimdall wrote:
Owzat wrote:Must win game so Heimdall decides to start the thread and that worked out the same way most of his contributions do on here......

Just about sums Rafa up, a glorious win in his favourite competition then a defeat at the hands of a team who haven't won in the league since November (14 games) Typical botched job of team selection, some of the poor choices predictable, but I'm sure he tries to be unpredictably crap with other choices. WTF was going on with Skrtel? Why was El Zhar starting ? And when is Rafa going to work out Kuyt as a solo striker is doomed to fail more than it works? He drops the one player in scoring form (Benayoun) and starts with another who is so shit it hurts (Babel)

And we're 0-1 down 1/3 of the way into the game so Rafa, in his ultimate wisdom stupidity, doesn't make a change until 2/3 of the way through the game. I think he wrote our title off in his head a while back, but isn't as honest as some on here credit him for. He had written this game off when we went 0-1 down and was planning for his favourite competition. I am now convinced he is only capable of winning enough games to win the odd straight knockout or the two-legged Champions League. Proof further in how we struggle through the group stages, if we could win enough games to win the Premiership then we should breeze through the CL group stages - we don't.

Enough is enough, time for Rafa to go off to his spiritual home at the Bernie Inn. He could well take us to a third CL Final in five years, like Real Madrid did between 1998 and 2002 :-

97/98 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 4th in La Liga
99/00 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 5th in La Liga
01/02 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 3rd in La Liga

Look similiar to our record in 04/05, 06/07 and possibly 08/09? Not finishing in the top two but reaching/winning the Champions League. Their last three league titles saw them flop (relatively speaking) in the Champions League :-

02/03 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Semi-Final
06/07 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Last 16
07/08 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Last 16

By the way, we've won our 27th Premiership game of the season only four times so yesterday's result shouldn't be too much of a shock, tied in with our poor record at Boro. I think we now face a scrap to hold onto 3rd let alone with Chelsea for 2nd, shame for some fans Champions League is more than consolation for our league failings which are now all too easy for other fans to knock. They predict our failure in September, we make it reality by the end of February (or more often January, December or November)

Thanks for that Owzat, what I really needed was yet another person, who I respected on this forum, sticking the knife into my back. You've convinced me that there is no point in me posting any more as with every post people just seem to dislike and hate me more and more. Life is hard for me at the moment and I used to really enjoy coming onto this forum to discuss the team which I love but I just don't need this abuse as it's genuinely depressing me so I'm gone.

Ah relax Heimdall, he's only kidding. Take the rough with the smooth.

At least your life hasn't been threatened

by **bigmick** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 8:08 pm

heimdall wrote:
Owzat wrote:Must win game so Heimdall decides to start the thread and that worked out the same way most of his contributions do on here......

Just about sums Rafa up, a glorious win in his favourite competition then a defeat at the hands of a team who haven't won in the league since November (14 games) Typical botched job of team selection, some of the poor choices predictable, but I'm sure he tries to be unpredictably crap with other choices. WTF was going on with Skrtel? Why was El Zhar starting ? And when is Rafa going to work out Kuyt as a solo striker is doomed to fail more than it works? He drops the one player in scoring form (Benayoun) and starts with another who is so shit it hurts (Babel)

And we're 0-1 down 1/3 of the way into the game so Rafa, in his ultimate wisdom stupidity, doesn't make a change until 2/3 of the way through the game. I think he wrote our title off in his head a while back, but isn't as honest as some on here credit him for. He had written this game off when we went 0-1 down and was planning for his favourite competition. I am now convinced he is only capable of winning enough games to win the odd straight knockout or the two-legged Champions League. Proof further in how we struggle through the group stages, if we could win enough games to win the Premiership then we should breeze through the CL group stages - we don't.

Enough is enough, time for Rafa to go off to his spiritual home at the Bernie Inn. He could well take us to a third CL Final in five years, like Real Madrid did between 1998 and 2002 :-

97/98 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 4th in La Liga
99/00 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 5th in La Liga
01/02 Real Madrid - Champions League Winners, 3rd in La Liga

Look similiar to our record in 04/05, 06/07 and possibly 08/09? Not finishing in the top two but reaching/winning the Champions League. Their last three league titles saw them flop (relatively speaking) in the Champions League :-

02/03 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Semi-Final
06/07 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Last 16
07/08 Real Madrid - La Liga Champions, Champions League Last 16

By the way, we've won our 27th Premiership game of the season only four times so yesterday's result shouldn't be too much of a shock, tied in with our poor record at Boro. I think we now face a scrap to hold onto 3rd let alone with Chelsea for 2nd, shame for some fans Champions League is more than consolation for our league failings which are now all too easy for other fans to knock. They predict our failure in September, we make it reality by the end of February (or more often January, December or November)

Thanks for that Owzat, what I really needed was yet another person, who I respected on this forum, sticking the knife into my back. You've convinced me that there is no point in me posting any more as with every post people just seem to dislike and hate me more and more. Life is hard for me at the moment and I used to really enjoy coming onto this forum to discuss the team which I love but I just don't need this abuse as it's genuinely depressing me so I'm gone.

I had a feeling you weren't posting any more because of the abuse you've been getting heimdall. I think that would be a mistake TBH. Take a week or two off by all means, but don't let others stop you from doing something you enjoy. I get it myself and that's what I generally do, once it stop being enjoyable to post I leave it alone for a bit.

Generally what happens then though is I read the forum, and there is so much nonsense being talked I can't resist putting em right :laugh:

Either that or someone mentions rotation and I'm like a bisto kid, wafting in on the smell.

There's no question thouhg that the forum has got more fractious this season, and it's not improved because of it. Hopefully the manager will either leave or sign a new contract soon, and either the excitement of getting a new manager or the resignation that we've got three more years at least of utter bullsh!t will calm everyone down a bit :cool:

.

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