Now if we take the second place and four points behind/record points total/playing some of the best football we've played for years etc etc as not a flash in the pan or a fluke, we must also give the manager credit for taking us there over five years. There's no question that that team, playing in that way, was a long way removed from the team which he had when he took over. In that sense, it is easy to make the argument that there had been "progression", and for the purposes of this thread, lets just assume it as a given.
So how did we get from there to here? Is it just one of those things, just an unexplainable bliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip that will right itself given time? Is it simply that we've been a bit unlucky, what with balloongate, a couple of injuries to key players, Aquilani not actually being "ready in a month" etc? Is it perhaps that Rafa wasn't given enough money to spend in the Summer? We know he spent 38 million quid or thereabouts but pulled in 33, is it not his fault and the reason that we aren't doing better is simply because he wasn't given more cash? Did he think he was getting more and then had the plug pulled (the "plughole theory"), is it "fecking Purslow
" and actually his fault? Did we over invest on Johnson even though he's top notch, and would we have been better off getting a different right back, Gareth Barry instead of Aquilani perhaps? Is our decline the result of a gradual disillusionment with rafa's "coldness", his lack of "the arm around the shoulder" approach gradually wearing thin with players? Are we paying the price for too many of the squad being not up to it, too many "option and possibility" buys?
Lots of questions there. I'll open it up with the "Lucasgate" theory. I think it was a very poor piece of judgement to take a view that Lucas/Masherano could hold the fort until the more creative midfielder was available. I'm not necessarily blaming Lucas (although he isn't good enough to be fair to the lad) I'm blaming Rafa for thinking he could hack it initially, then even worse solving the problem by moving Gerrard back and then continually revisiting it to prove it doesn't work.
Quite simply, given our personel we shouldn't have bought Aquilani unless we were prepared to play Gerrard in central midfield. It was excusable just about for a game or two, but not to stick with it.
Oh Ok then, get me mug of Horlicks on the go and I'll grab me book and see if I drop off.
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