Liverpool FC Forum

The Real Deal wrote:4-5-1 is for teams ARFAID to play. its the "we are scared of getting beat" formation!

Apparently it's also for teams who score the most goals in the league, like we did last season...playing 4-5-1 (or, more accurately, 4-2-3-1).

heimdall wrote:

Emerald Red wrote:

heimdall wrote:

Emerald Red wrote:

heimdall wrote:

Emerald Red wrote:

lakes10 wrote:

Emerald Red wrote:

lakes10 wrote:

Ciggy wrote:All you anti Rafa's who do you want for manager then? Enlighten us all please.

Im intrigued.

hold on, put your bra back on, i have seen no posts that are saying sack rafa, what i have seen are posts that say he is to blame for the state of the team right now. the owners gave him free run with the 56mil, he picked the plyers today, he told them how to play.

it is down to a manager how a team plays.

Lakes, how long have you been watching football for? There's more variables than just the manager.

well i am 37 today so take 2 years off that.

a manager makes a team, he builds the team, he tells them how to play....when they get it wrong the get the blame thats why they get the sack if they keep getting bad results.

So it has f*ck all to do with the other team's performance, luck, desire from players, etc etc? Tell me, this team we'd on was more or less the same team we done United with at OT last season. So, since when does a world beating side with world beating players all of a sudden become so poor that it's the managers fault that he picked such a side?

OK so why bother getting big name managers then when they clearly have so little influence on the team performance? 

Because sometimes even the underdog or the little people can have their day in football? Some of you would swap Harry Redknapp based off a lucky win last season and this one over a manager that really does have his work cut out for him managing one of the biggest, and most skint clubs on the planet, yet still manages to bring us in line with the likes of your Barca's, Madrids and United's of the world who are loaded.

yeah £120million net spend over 5 seasons is a bit of a squeeze isn't it, must make us one of the poorest clubs in the world. 

Heimdall, see what you know about facts and figures, I can write on my fingernail. Leave it out. Out of the whole squad that played in Istanbul, can you tell me how many are now still playing for us? For 150 mill, like you claim, our current squad is a bargain at that.

oh I'm sorry did we let all the other player leave on free transfers?

You must have enormous fingernails. 

We have a team, we don't have a squad, that has been our problem for the last 5 years and it is still a problem and it's NOT all down to money. We should have several academy players ready by now but instead we bring in fluff players from abroad to fill the squad who have no skill and no passion.

The_Rock wrote:

Emerald Red wrote:

The_Rock wrote:

only me wrote:If Rafa thinks that we can replicate last season performance with more or less the exact players his tripping - last season was pure heroism from the lads but it's no substance for lack of a deep talented squad ,Johnson was the only positive addition this pre-season and thats not enough ,Lucas and Babel have no place in Liverpool and no way in starting eleven if Rafa can't see it he will feel it ,Today was the first dose.

If Rafa think he can place the whole season on Torres and SG back's he is facing bitter disappointment ,they need help meaning another quality striker and another creative Mid.

Yes he is a genious tactician but there is a limit to how long you can cover your weaknesses.

Good point....noone seems to remember we were very lucky in quite a few games last season (with all the sending offs....against alonso). So many last minute goals....

If Benitez thinks we can replicate that this season....then i think he had really lost it.

Are you sure you're not sitting there with a United or Chelsea top on?

Are you sure you ain't bending over for benitez ?


Supporting the team doesn't mean blindly accepting all the mistakes (or repeated mistakes over and over again) by the coach.

Emerald Red wrote:

The Real Deal wrote:

Ciggy wrote:

Tottenham Dave wrote:One thing I would be concerned about were I a Liv fan, is the lack of options on the bench.

Not 100% sure about your squad depth.

I like Benayoun, think he's got some quality, but quite honestly, I thought our bench was much stronger, and we're only going for 6th!

Well played today mate you where better than us all over the park and deserved the win, some gobsh!tes here blame Rafa.

You have a rich owner though, we have a pair of robbing b@stards that have just stole our transfer kity and paid it to the RBS to the tune of 60 million.

How can Spurs have Pavlechenco, Crouch, Defo, and Keane. 4 strikers.

And Liverpool have Ngog, Voronin, and Torres?

Rafa out !!!

LOL CIGGY.

Hi. Anyone think that Crouch and Keane should have been on our bench???

As when I looked at our bench I was in Horror!

We havent got the squad to do it!

We should have got Hamann back as a squad player, he's looking for a new club, and Owen.

Holy f*ck!

Aye, sure we should have went for Jan Molby for a squad player. I hear he's looking a kick about these days.

Emerald Red wrote:

heimdall wrote:

Emerald Red wrote:

The_Rock wrote:

only me wrote:If Rafa thinks that we can replicate last season performance with more or less the exact players his tripping - last season was pure heroism from the lads but it's no substance for lack of a deep talented squad ,Johnson was the only positive addition this pre-season and thats not enough ,Lucas and Babel have no place in Liverpool and no way in starting eleven if Rafa can't see it he will feel it ,Today was the first dose.

If Rafa think he can place the whole season on Torres and SG back's he is facing bitter disappointment ,they need help meaning another quality striker and another creative Mid.

Yes he is a genious tactician but there is a limit to how long you can cover your weaknesses.

Good point....noone seems to remember we were very lucky in quite a few games last season (with all the sending offs....against alonso). So many last minute goals....

If Benitez thinks we can replicate that this season....then i think he had really lost it.

Are you sure you're not sitting there with a United or Chelsea top on?

So you win the prize for the first person to come out with that old cherished immortal line. Well done, I'm a bit annoyed though as I had my money on Ciggy. 

Heimdall, come on - everyone knows you're a closet bitter. 

Sucks to be a scouser this weekend though. On the bright side at least we only lost by the one goal and away from home. 

Bad Bob wrote:

The Real Deal wrote:4-5-1 is for teams ARFAID to play. its the "we are scared of getting beat" formation!

Apparently it's also for teams who score the most goals in the league, like we did last season...playing 4-5-1 (or, more accurately, 4-2-3-1).

The Real Deal wrote:

Emerald Red wrote:

The Real Deal wrote:

Ciggy wrote:

Tottenham Dave wrote:One thing I would be concerned about were I a Liv fan, is the lack of options on the bench.

Not 100% sure about your squad depth.

I like Benayoun, think he's got some quality, but quite honestly, I thought our bench was much stronger, and we're only going for 6th!

Well played today mate you where better than us all over the park and deserved the win, some gobsh!tes here blame Rafa.

You have a rich owner though, we have a pair of robbing b@stards that have just stole our transfer kity and paid it to the RBS to the tune of 60 million.

How can Spurs have Pavlechenco, Crouch, Defo, and Keane. 4 strikers.

And Liverpool have Ngog, Voronin, and Torres?

Rafa out !!!

LOL CIGGY.

Hi. Anyone think that Crouch and Keane should have been on our bench???

As when I looked at our bench I was in Horror!

We havent got the squad to do it!

We should have got Hamann back as a squad player, he's looking for a new club, and Owen.

Holy f*ck!

Aye, sure we should have went for Jan Molby for a squad player. I hear he's looking a kick about these days.

Your Solution???

Un-tested reserves! just like Rafa!

spearing?   who?

He broght fowler back for FSake.

anything is possible.

question now should be. how long should we give benitez?

or should we blame the yanks for a little longer!?

bavlondon wrote:

s@int wrote:

Love how whenever you mention something valid in hindsight after a result like today, then you're looking through "rose tinted specs" bollox comes out. Balls.

For a start, who could he have picked? Alonso handed in his f*cking transfere request. He wanted to split, so that left Lucas or Spearing. Take your pick.

Riera was the only other viable option in place of Babel. Now, judging from Babel's roasting of Johnson mid-week there, it's no surprise that he got the nod, or maybe it was just a simple case of Riera not being match fit or a slight injury problem? Again, this is the side that battered United at OT, and beat Chelsea at home comfortably last year. Didn't heard droans of "duff team selection" then. Short memories and all that.

To be fair Rafa could have bought a player who was actually fit ?

It is a slight hinderance but otherwise he would have cost a lot more. If Villa was out for the same period and we signed him would you be saying the same thing?

The problem is that we have not built up more strength in depth. We have basically just improved our 1st team of which a key player is currently injured. We have not improved the quality of our bench which is the real issue.

Bad Bob wrote:

bunglemark2 wrote:

Bad Bob wrote:

bunglemark2 wrote:We don't have enough cover at the back and the manager - as would be expected of him - HAS to put it to the owners to stump up the cash for cover. He didn't and we suffered today.

He didn't?  And we know this how?  Come on, mate.  There's fair criticism (selecting Babel ahead of Benayoun today) and then there's baseless speculation.  We're all frustrated with the 'performance' today but let's not get carried away. 

Here's what I base this on mate....

How many times this week and last have you read where RB has said "We have no money to spend...". Know what that looks like to me ? Looks like he's airing his dirty linen in public again. Looks like he's having a spat with the owners again.
Know what I think he should have done instead ? Got a blank sheet of paper out and did a little maths: What we recouped from sales this summer vs. what we invested in players (all NET figures, mind....factoring in the actual cash spent on Johnson, netting off what we were owed for Crouch...).
And THEN said to the owners in private : we are in trouble at the back....and put it right.

Completely.  Baseless.  Speculation.

I'll speculate then that we have only an 18 year old as cover....

bavlondon wrote:Rafa sounds depressed.

heimdall wrote:

Bad Bob wrote:

The Real Deal wrote:4-5-1 is for teams ARFAID to play. its the "we are scared of getting beat" formation!

Apparently it's also for teams who score the most goals in the league, like we did last season...playing 4-5-1 (or, more accurately, 4-2-3-1).

But without Xabi and only having Lucas and Mascha inmidfield it is wrong for Rafa to continue with 4-5-1 isn't it?

Ahhh, so you agree with Lando that Alonso really was the key to making the whole thing tick?  He'll be chuffed! 

(IMO, we may wish to consider dropping Gerrard back and playing Benayoun behind Torres but the formation works for us and should not be messed with.  Moreover, and more to the point, this formation is not inherently negative: as we've demonstrated over and over again in the last season and 1/3.)

bunglemark2 wrote:

Bad Bob wrote:

bunglemark2 wrote:

Bad Bob wrote:

bunglemark2 wrote:We don't have enough cover at the back and the manager - as would be expected of him - HAS to put it to the owners to stump up the cash for cover. He didn't and we suffered today.

He didn't?  And we know this how?  Come on, mate.  There's fair criticism (selecting Babel ahead of Benayoun today) and then there's baseless speculation.  We're all frustrated with the 'performance' today but let's not get carried away. 

Here's what I base this on mate....

How many times this week and last have you read where RB has said "We have no money to spend...". Know what that looks like to me ? Looks like he's airing his dirty linen in public again. Looks like he's having a spat with the owners again.
Know what I think he should have done instead ? Got a blank sheet of paper out and did a little maths: What we recouped from sales this summer vs. what we invested in players (all NET figures, mind....factoring in the actual cash spent on Johnson, netting off what we were owed for Crouch...).
And THEN said to the owners in private : we are in trouble at the back....and put it right.

Completely.  Baseless.  Speculation.

I'll speculate then that we have only an 18 year old as cover....

bunglemark2 wrote:

Bad Bob wrote:

bunglemark2 wrote:

Bad Bob wrote:

bunglemark2 wrote:We don't have enough cover at the back and the manager - as would be expected of him - HAS to put it to the owners to stump up the cash for cover. He didn't and we suffered today.

He didn't?  And we know this how?  Come on, mate.  There's fair criticism (selecting Babel ahead of Benayoun today) and then there's baseless speculation.  We're all frustrated with the 'performance' today but let's not get carried away. 

Here's what I base this on mate....

How many times this week and last have you read where RB has said "We have no money to spend...". Know what that looks like to me ? Looks like he's airing his dirty linen in public again. Looks like he's having a spat with the owners again.
Know what I think he should have done instead ? Got a blank sheet of paper out and did a little maths: What we recouped from sales this summer vs. what we invested in players (all NET figures, mind....factoring in the actual cash spent on Johnson, netting off what we were owed for Crouch...).
And THEN said to the owners in private : we are in trouble at the back....and put it right.

Completely.  Baseless.  Speculation.

I'll speculate then that we have only an 18 year old as cover....

See, now you're speaking in fact.   I'd wager Rafa recognizes that fact too and is just as worried about it as you are.  I'd even go so far as to speculate that he's trying to do something about it before September 1st but that, of course, is not based on anything but my gut feeling (and the rumours in the press that we've been after Turner, Distin, Scocroft etc.).