Sunday, January 10, 2010

Gloom Gloom and More Gloom

Here we go again. 

Possibly, sell players to a total of 16M and and spend only 1.5M to buy. 

Just like the previous two windows of players transfer, we see yet again just how many steps we are actually taking to move 'forward'. In reality, the steps 'forward' here would be to reduce the debts of our club, and not to strengthen the team. Debts which was not there before the two twats took over. Is it surprising that we have not won any silverware since their arrivals?

Another heart-breaking thing is we will, yet again, miss out on signing quality players. Just like in the past when other teams,  such as Arsenal (their scouts do not deserve the praises given them, I feel) outbid us for the players Rafa had pinpointed because we either 'lacked' the fund or the board took its sweet time in haggling the price. This time we could miss out securing the likes of Maroune Chamakh and Arda Turan. Even the so-called done-deal for Maxi Rodriguez at 1.5M is not a done-deal yet. I can already see it, other managers need to just wait and see which players Rafa shows any interest in and then offer more money. 

Now, imagine if we do not qualify for the CL next season (I personally believe we will). The lost of potential income from the CL would mean either the owners (if they don't sell the club which I believe they won't be able to at the value they put on the club) pay the interest out of their own pockets or tell the manager to sell players to cover the debts and the wages. It is not like we have a large stadium to generate income like the Mancs (which by the way has the biggest debts) and Arsenal to cover the expenses and debts.

So, seeing how stingy our owners are at the moment, it could only mean that we will be selling players like Torres and buying almost-expired players or just look for free transfers. And where will that take us? Slowly downwards towards the relegation zone because each season after that we will fail to qualify for European football. Or worse when the owners, having at last squeezed us dry, leave us unattended and we end up like Leeds.

Which good manager in his right mind would want to come to us? And how long will Rafa continue to be 'stubborn' and stick around, having spent at best 12.7M net a season throughout his tenure so far, when other big clubs are beckoning him non-stop? How long can he be expected to create 'miracles' when competing against so many other clubs that spend so much more? How much pressure will he be able to withstand, when his two predecessors amidst less pressure, succumbed to heart failures?

The idea of having a big stadium itself then, which was planned for so many years now but has yet to materialise, would be a joke because we won't be able to fill it with fans. Irony that the twats missed somehow I guess. 

Yesterday, Tom Hicks Jr the vice-president was reported to have used harsh words against a fan in an email that includes 'idiot' and "Blow me f*** face. Go to hell. I'm sick of you." He has apologised for it if were to believe the reports, but if it were true just shows how he regards us fans. He will definitely Walk Alone, with the two twats at his sides. He can be contacted at tohjr@hicksholdings.com

YNWA

51 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well said, John Aldridge. Rafa has messed up LFC big time.

Khan said...

Haha well said indeed!

Anon, that is really pathetically messed up.

Go on, believe the so-called reporter/journalist but not the horse himself:

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/01/12/reds-legend-john-aldridge-denies-calling-for-liverpool-fc-boss-rafa-benitez-to-be-sacked-100252-25581088/

Anonymous said...

Roll out the Rafalution boys........

Com'on, what's the excuse this time after the loss to Reading...

oh ya sure the ref robbed us....forgot that

Anonymous said...

or maybe the ball wasn't round enough...

Anonymous said...

Lets list out a host of possible excuses why Liverpool were dumped out of the FA Cup and let Rafa decide which excuse is convenient to him..

Anonymous said...

at least Tom Hicks Jr did the honorable thing and resign..Rafa? He has no dignity to resign

Anonymous said...

No one asked for Ferguson's head when Manu lost to a League One side!
A Good Man Does Nothing

Khan said...

“You can never cheat the people of Liverpool.”
Bill Shankly.

“If you’re lost in a fog you stick together. That way you don’t get lost. If there’s a secret to Liverpool FC that’s it.”
Bob Paisley.

Anonymous said...

I thought you didn't care about Man Utd.

Go read their blogs/websites and yes there are calls for his removal but not to the extent of our clown manager.

Anyway Ferguson is a proven manager in the premiership ( I loathe to admit it) but Rafa is a serial failure in the premiership.

Anonymous said...

Quoting the wise words of Shankly and Paisley in order to justify the mediocrity of Benitez?

Smacks of desperation isn't it?

Khan said...

Anon

What serial failure are you referring to? Care to list them?

I guess it would be the failure of not winning the premiership that you are referring to. Well, we have repeated it like a zillion times why we think Rafa has overachieved since taking over. You don't agree, fine.

Now, do your part and tell us why you think he should have achieved that and which year he should have won the premiership since his arrival at the club. Or why we should be on top of the league this season.

And please do not leave any facts while you are justifying your opinion. Do not leave any circumstances that is surrounding our club.

By your reckoning, "Ferguson is a proven manager in the premiership" now but then he too was a "serial failure" when he did not win the premiership for a period much longer than Rafa's tenure at LFC so far. Care to counter-argue this fact?

Talking is easy. Taking potshots is easier. Giving opinions without substantiating is the easiest I guess.

Khan said...

Well, it is a pity that you can't see the relevance of the quotes above. Sums up a lot about you.

Khan said...

One more glaring fact:

"at least Tom Hicks Jr did the honorable thing and resign..Rafa? He has no dignity to resign"

Honorable? Honorable? Go and check his position further up the scale and then talk about him being honorable. This really tickled me.

Anonymous said...

So far you haven't justified why Rafa is a better manager than Houllier in the premiership.

Anonymous said...

Not winning the title isnt the main issue. The main issue is LFC should be challenging. So out of 5 seasons Rafa in charge, how many seasons have we ended up challenging?

Progress? what progress? if u were to compare with Houllier?

Anonymous said...

Rafa is a very selfish manger. Tom Hicks Jr is equally bad. But at least Hicks Jr admitted to what he did and stepped down.

Rafa? Keep blaming others for his failures. Never owns up.

Anonymous said...

Rafa is bad, Houllier is bad, Paisley is bad, Shanks is bad, but only K.Rajagopal is best! Remember, he won us the SEA Games gold medal! ha..ha..ha..

Anonymous said...

K Rajagobal is certainly ten times better than Rafa, the clueless manager of LFC!

Anonymous said...

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/sport-news/liverpool-fc/2010/01/15/off-the-fence-liverpool-fc-boss-has-taken-club-as-far-as-he-can-55578-25605445/?

Anonymous said...

http://www.thisisanfield.com/2010/01/15/carra-says-sorry-shame-about-rafa/?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1243372/Andy-Townsend-This-bunch-Liverpool-just-mediocre.html?ITO=1490

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/pool-need-to-take-financial-hit-and-replace-benitez-2014963.html?

Khan said...

Oh God..still with the Houllier comparison. If the below are not achievements, giving the circumstances (yes, these matters if you know your LFC),then what are they:

Champions League Win, Carling Cup Final, FA Cup, CL Final, CL Semi-Final, League standings 5th, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, and 2nd.

Give Rafa 100M a season and see what else he will achieve (no guarantees of course but then to each his own in our believes). Currently, we are somewhat the 6th most expensive squad in the PL and with the 8th highest on wages. What kind of miracles would you expect from a team with those fact?

BUT, we hope even with those shortcomings, something could be achieved because there is no guarantee in football. It has been proven that something could be achieved by a team/underdog/a team that go against the odd, just like in the cup runs or CL. And as supporters we always root for our team to achieve that.

There is something wrong with the team,yes, and Rafa has its flaws, yes, but not to the extent he should be sacked now. Because that will take us further behind because I don't think there's any other better manager available to do a better job than him, giving the circumstances.

We are having a bad season so far and if we were to look for the 'scapegoat', it is not as simple as 'blame it on Rafa'. If it were that simple, then no teams will lose.

Maybe someone should show me the statistics that shows the manager of a club who has spent LESS than Rafa but has achieved MORE than him. That someone will not be able to, because there is none.

All these are writings on the wall to be read by all, which cannot be just swept under the carpet. Repeated like a zillion times but are ignored for whatever reasons.

Anonymous said...

What??? Benitez feels sorry for Liverpool fans? I don't believe this.. The fans are taken for a ride by useless players who are not fit to play for LFC. Wonder why Rafa has bought these kind of players? Citing money is not true. There are so many "fighter" and "motivated" players available in England. And why can't he use the successful youth players. These youth are more determined than those headless chickens. Why just blame the yanks when Rafa has to look at himself. 225 mil pounds is not a small amount. Why can't the players that he bought couldn't even play properly against lowly teams? He has made LFC look like a latin team. Our identity is slowly changing. No one fears us anymore! At least before Rafa, the fear was there but now? Just look at what had happened to us. Blame the yanks? It is Rafa who lost the plot. Heard about the scuffle with Stevie? That sounds the death knell for Rafa. Hiddink has already knocked the door. Good bye Rafa, thanks for the good old days. LFC has to move on and shed its latino image.

Khan said...

Hmm the same majority of players that took us to the 2nd spot last season, the best point tally in the PL, best goal tally, least goals conceded, missed the league title when two goals in two drawn games would have made us champions.

Yeah, wonder why the 'stupid' Rafa bought these players.

Stupid Rafa, who has spent a net of 12.7M a season, which currently, his spending is negative. Stupid Rafa for playing all those young players and giving them the responsibility of going against players of higher calibre.

Stupid of him for putting us at no. 1 ranking in europe. He should have just let us fans be happy with the non-expectations that lasted for 20 years before his arrival. Stupid of him for winning the CL and coming so close last season in the league.

Stupid of him for not buying the Messis, Ronaldos, Ibrahimovics, Maradonas, et al. Instead he bought the Babels and the Lucases. Damn!, is he stupid or what?

Stupid Rafa for producing players like N'gog, Pacheco, Darby, Kelly, Ecclestone, Insua, Spearing for the future. And then stupid of him for having to play these youngsters because of the feckin injuries to other players, which is Rafa's fault too of course. Stupid of Rafa for having to play the likes of Gerrard and Torres when they were carrying injuries since the start of the season.

And the list go on and on.

Khan said...

I agree too that Rafa should give the youngsters from the reserves a run, starting today. I bet they will play their hearts out compared to some of the first choices we have seen lately. And also give some the 'rest' that they need. A golden opportunity today since we have players out due to injuries.

Khan said...

By the way, read what was said in the papers about Mourinho's idea of coming to LFC? Not a direct quote but something like LFC must be stable first, must have money to buy players like the current top 4, bla bla bla.

What a farce! As if when the factors demanded were there, Rafa needs to be replaced.

Even Torres asked for more money from the owners to buy quality players. But what does he know, he only one of the greatest strikers in the world.

Anonymous said...

Aon 10.43am,

In total agreement with your analysis.

I guess some people will never accept the truth, Mr Khan included.

Stop blaming the owners, the injuries etc when LFC cant even beat lowly teams. What happens on the pitch is the full responsibility of the manager. the buck stops with the manger.

Dont worry, when Benitez is gone, the blind followers of Benitez will be gone as well.

Khan said...

Clearly a case of pot calling the kettle...tickles when the word 'truth' is mentioned. From someone who can't even substantiate an argument when called upon, who will go into hiding when LFC wins, someone who says 'truth' but doesn't say what is the 'truth'.

'Analysis' is another word that tickles the funny bone by the way.

I guess it will be people like you who will not wait long and become frustrated and then support a winning team akin a glory hunter. That's it if you even support Liverpool. Whilst people like us will continue to support LFC even if Liverpool is relegated. How about that tit for tat?

Normally I would welcome a good debate, but you sir/ma'am, do not provide that at all. When asked to substantiate an argument, your statements are mostly an attack on the opponent when you can't justify it. So I guess we are wasting our time here because you have not/will never convince me in changing my mind about Rafa. If that is not your agenda, then I advise you to go find a site where all the Rafa bashers are seated and hope you enjoy the glorious moments in life with the others there.

Anonymous said...

Typical Rafalogists... What argument to substantiate? LFC fans cannot be glory hunters forever. 5 years on and still having an unsettled team.. What about back up players? Who's going to cover Torres, Gerrard, Masha, Carra, etc. It's not about money but the intelligence of the manager. CL 2005 fluke. FA cup 2006 fluke. Runners up 2009 fluke. Under Rafa the whole team is unattractive and boring. If you don't agree, I don't care because thousands of fans at Anfield booed the team including Rafa! But don't hide under the pretax for LFC fan and chase others who disagree with you. That is not the way!

Anonymous said...

Now Benitez is saying the expectation is too high at LFC. If he cant handle expectation then he'd better step down. Or maybe LFC should be competing in a lower division. Shame on Benitez! LFC dont need a manager with this kind of defeatist mentality.

and guess what? Benitez likens himself to Shankly. Who is he kidding?

Anonymous said...

Anon 8.54pm,

Losing 10 out of the last 20 games does tell a lot about the intelligence of our manager, doesnt it?

Khan said...

Yes, after 5 years we have an unsettled team and is he to be blamed when he was given the money? How can you NOT see that? Do you know of the players he wanted to buy but couldn't because the owners didn't give him money but would rather pay off the debts they put on the club? And we end up with sub-standard players. Argue and substantiate this ONE fact properly and then I might listen to you. Tell me HOW it is not about money but the manager.

And if you don't care, it is because you cannot subtstantiate your arguments. For your information, the boos on wednesday came from supporters like you BUT I know from people who were in the stadium that they had the best time supporting the players and manager in that game especially when there were less people like you in the stadium that day, who are welcome by the owners for the business, because of the weather. No wonder fans in Liverpool will accept Liverpool to be relegated so that some so-called 'fans' would stop 'supporting' the club.

As for being unattractive and boring, I guess you did not cheer our good run last season then.

So, when Rafa says expectation is high in Liverpool, he is NOT telling the truth?

And I speak for myself usually. It is you who started the 'we' business. Another tit-for-tat for you here.

Anonymous said...

Kudos to Benitez..another two points dropped. Rafa deserved it again for putting up a very defensive line up against Stoke. We were second best again against a team who spent a lot less than us.

Unlucky again, Mr Khan?

Anonymous said...

My apologies to you, Mr Khan.

Livrepool were brilliant under Benitez just now, we created chances after chances, our players were brilliant.. Rafa's tactics were spot on as usual.

It's just that luck wasnt with us.

Anonymous said...

BTW, has Rafa's season started yet?

Well, there's always the next game, isnt it?

Khan said...

So Anon, tell me who should have started that would not have been 'defensive'? Don't just mock and give empty talk, give some details if you can.

Anonymous said...

We have listed several link as to why Rafa ought to be replaced. Go read them. Learn to accept that whenever there is negative reporting about LFC, it doesn't always mean they have an agenda against LFC.

But because you are so obsessed with Benitez you fail to see the points.

Cmon take it positively, dont be so lopsided.

Anonymous said...

Ex-LFC player, Danny Murphy sums up well why Benitez ought to go. Here's the link:

http://goal.com/en/news/9/england/2010/01/17/1748881/time-has-come-for-liverpool-to-replace-manager-rafael?

So what if Benitez finished second last season under Benitez. Houllier also did finish 2nd during his tenure.

Anonymous said...

The following are comments by Ian St John, a LFC legend:

St John believes that the Reds have no approach to their game other than using a repetitive 'square ball' tactic, which saw them fail to build on last season's second-place finish with last week's humilating FA Cup exit to Championship side Reading turning the heat up on Benitez.

He said: "We don't have a style of play. I watched Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa the other night and you could see the style of both teams and what they were trying to do.

"When we go out and play, and the last week has just emphasised it, we don't have a style of play. Nobody can say 'this is how we're trying to play' because you cannot see anything.

"It seems to be a case of getting the ball and pass it to whoever is square of you. Today it was punt it up the park time but the other night against Reading it was just square ball after square ball.

"We don't have a system that we used to have when Liverpool got the ball and then were all moving and you could see who was playing to who and who went where. You could see the movement and read the game ahead because the players were reading the game ahead."

Khan said...

And I can show you other opinions that states otherwise. Also articles that give a better insight into what is really going with our team.

So, what is your own opinion?

For the records, again, I am NOT obsessed with Rafa.

My contention is we need funds to compete. A change of the manager will not change that because we have moronic businessmen owners. They thought they could make quick millions when they lied and managed to convince Moores and
Parry to sell the club to them, thinking they will sell it quickly. But the credit crunch failed their plans. They are businessmen first and not interested in sports. Read their 'custodian' history in other businesses.

The Mancs have the same problem with the Glazers who so far has put 800M debt on manure. But at least they didn't bother fergie for so many years and gave him funds to buy quality players. And with a big stadium and a good business plan with the merchandise, their problem is not as big as ours. Only now we see them having to sell to maintain the club. Look at Ronaldo's sale. Even after selling at 80M, the club recorded a profit of 40M only. Take out Ronaldo's sale, and the club would have made a loss of 40M. Wait and see what happens to manure in not so a distance future when they have to sell Rooney et al. Even this season they are already showing signs of cracks, when fergie cannot splash the money anymore on players. And they were in singapore recently trying to convince people to buy their bonds to generate funds. But of course, genuine business people are not stupid to be taken for a ride. Similar to whomever our owners have approached to sell some stakes of our club. All failed because they put a ridiculuos value on the LFC, when in reality we have nothing but debts. Maybe a new stadium will entice someone to invest, so that's why we see now the talk of the stadium to be built speedily arising.

Our owners have not come out with a single cent from their own pockets. Bought the club with borrowed money, and now we have to sell players to pay the interest on the debts. Just the interest! And just like the Glazers, they have put unto the club personal expenses up to millions. And any manager will have to continue doing what Rafa has to do. Our small stadium generates low income and if we dont qualify for CL, we are in deep shit.

Will a new manager change our fortunes overnight? Will he be able guarantee success when these circumstances continue to surround us? Will the injured players suddenly be okay again? Will he have large amount of funds to buy quality players? Will he be better than Rafa? If yes, then I will support the decision to sack Rafa.

Lots of fans do not want to see that the very survival of our club is at stake. They only see the surface and at face-value. Rafa understands this and I feel he is staying because he loves the club and is saving our ass in the long run. Buying cheap players because he HAS to and then sell them for high profit. And at the same time try to remain strong in the league and challenge the rest. And all this while the UK media is making a mockery out of him, ignoring his records and successes in la liga and in the BPL. And I feel Rafa has done a good job at it in creating the balance of saving the club AND keeping the team strong, which we saw last season. Until this year when his spending has been negative when he had to sell more than he could buy. And now, the UK media have succeeded in turning him into a joke and some fans have bit the hook and calling for his head. How long will he be stubborn enough to stay when he can easily walk into a more stable club elsewhere? And I believe when he do walks away, we are really screwed.

Khan said...

As long as the owners do not allow the manager, any manager, to spend big money, we will continue to be screwed and slide downwards. And while we are wounded with injuries, other teams see us as a good scalp. And all these have affected the players and creating havoc with their confidence, compounded with the frustration on the field.

Even Mourinho said he will not come to our club (whom I hate and wouldnt want him here and I feel is no better than Rafa)until he is sure he will be given large funds to compete. If that were the case that the owners gave the club large funds to compete, then Rafa is good enough for the task, so why would we need the likes of Mourinho?

If ever Rafa is sacked, it will probably be because he refused to sell more players for the owners to pay off the interest/debts. And we have seen how he held onto some players because he knew if he had sold them, the money would have disappeared too. If he is sacked, then we will have a yes-man as a manager, not a top-notch manager (who will all refuse to come -- except if they are lied to by the owners and duped into coming), and we will slowly slide downwards when he is given less and less money to buy quality players. Either that or we will be put into administration and relegated when the owners dump us.

All these are the darkest scenario which I hope doesn't happen to our club. We are only 4 points off 4th placing and there are many games to go. Realistically, that should have been our target early in the season. But Rafa overachieved, hence the high expectations. That's the standard he has brought unto us which was missing for two decades. A good thing? But sadly, when the team needed its fans to support them and understand what is going on at the club, they get the kneejerk reactions and the boos.

Khan said...

On yesterday's game:

Yet again we see how a bollocks the ref is. Not only for the penalties not given, but also for allowing stoke players to climb all over ours. Is it a wonder then our players gets so frustrated that might affect their performance? I am sure they are as frustrated as the fans, after all they have feelings too.

Maybe that is one big problem that is compounding unto the injuries and the lack of funds this season. Imagine giving your all last season but only to see somehow fergie continues to be given ’special treatments’ that win them the league eventually. Then to have decisions going against you so many times that you believe there is a conspiracy against Liverpool. That must be damning indeed.

And how many times has that happened so far this season? Then you have the media making a mockery out of the manager, everything we do is f'ing joke and then there’s the beachball et al.

Maybe I am delusional, but for the past 20 years I have seen the standard of refereeing in the league getting worse and worse each season. Some of the kids I coached quit football because of a biased referee in a final game in one tournament a few years ago. They actually shed tears all the way back home in the bus. They were kids, under 20 years old amatuers, but maybe professional players get numbed too by these things?

Anonymous said...

Khan,

Some of your comments do not hold.

For example, if our target is just a top 4 all this while, then we needn't have brought in Rafa in the first place because Houllier had already done that. By bringing in Rafa, LFC wanted to improve on that.

Overachieve? Lame excuse. So next time if that's the case, then please remind Rafa (or whoever is the manager) that LFC should't finish higher than 4th at the end of every season because LFC arent supposed to "overachieve" with their lack of fund. We have to make sure that LFC finish no higher than 4th. If we dont, we are said to "overachieve" and with it comes the additional expectation from fans.

In other words, last season, Rafa made a blunder by overachieving.

Anonymous said...

I agree with your assessment of our current owners. They arent real fans and their sole aim is to milk as much money out of LFC.

David Moores and Rick Parry are equally guilty for selling LFC to them. They should have done a proper check.

However we are stuck with the current owners. There's nothing much we can do, however we can't blame them for our inept performance.

What happens on matchday is the responsibility of the manager. We the fans are able to accept if LFC do not win the EPL. We want LFC to put up a good/decent performance every time we play. Of course, we may have off-days.

But look at the kind of performance that we dish out every time we play. Under Benitez, LFC are boring, dull, unattractive, defensive minded and we play without creativity etc2.

On top of that, Rafa persists with players who are perennial non-performers.

Anonymous said...

The problem with Rafa is he is too stubborn and doesnt want to accept responsibility for his failures.

Rafa keeps telling the press that "we controlled the game", "we were unlucky" and "late goals undid our good wor" etc2. But if this is becoming the theme then something is seriously wrong with the way we play. But he sticks with the same formation and the same players who continually fail to make the grade.

Of course a new manager may not guarantee success but at least the new manager will inject new and fresh ideas into the team and change the way we employ our players as well as the way we play.

Anonymous said...

Some more links to articles for you to enjoy:

http://www.liverpoolbanter.co.uk/2010/01/arrogance-the-cause-of-liverpo.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LiverpoolBanter+%28Liverpool+Banter%29

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/forgive-me-father-for-i-have-lost-all-faith-in-liverpool-2018216.html?

Khan said...

The realistic target as mentioned is due to the fact that we did not build on the team we had last season. By right, after coming so close last season, a few additions of quality would have seen us really challenging this season.

But what has happened is the reverse. After the sale of players at the end of last season, we were not given the funds generated (as promised -- 20M promised apparently included players wages and improvement of contract for players already at the club). Aquilani, for example, was bought with only an upfront payment of 5M. And we had to settle for Hercules for 1.5M plus a player loaned to the other side. Realistically speaking, how can we compete against teams that spent 200M in only three transfer windows? So, top four it is to me.

Now, not to say that 'blunders' won't happened and we actually win the league against the odds (as shown last season in which we came so close). But only if we were given what was needed. And on top of that, with the many injuries since day one, the team line-up was disarrayed to the extent we needed to field young guns to take up a man's responsibilities. Hence, the poor performance we have seen so far this season. And of course other factors, already mentioned, come into play for the crappy football we play sometimes. Factors such as some senior players who do not show up during games because maybe they 'deserve' better. How many times have we seen Stevie-me instead of the Gerrard that we know, for example? Yes, he did play with injuries since the start of the season, but sometimes he failed on the pitch as the captain (I know I will get buggered for saying this). And by saying that, it doesn't mean that I don't rate him.I will love to see him playing to the level that we know he is capable of.

All these can't be totally blamed on the manager. I am not saying Rafa is faultless, but we have seen enough of his quality in taking us forward to believe sacking him would be a mistake. And any manager with his list of successes would receive great accolades, especially if he is English. Not to mention what he has done in the youth set-up. But no, the media darlings like Redknapp who has nothing to show are always the 'better' managers than Rafa. Now, how stupid do they think we are?

Given that, why would we want an unproven manager to take over? I personally see this season as a blip in Rafa's effort to again make Liverpool a force to be reckoned with in the league, just like last season. If we cannot give him one 'bad' season, then I am afraid no manager will last long at LFC.

Khan said...

I would like to share something from a fellow fan at thisisanfield:

The comment about if Liverpool are in a better or worse position since Rafa has been here is interesting. From an ownership and management perspective there is no debate. Management from a commercial perspective if light years ahead of Moors and Parry, but it does not help us when our two twats suck the life out of us and grab every penny to pay of their debts and expenses.

From a playing perspective, squad perspective, reserve and youth perspective we rae light years ahead of the Ged Eye years. Everyone throws Wenger up as a shinning example and rightly so, but do not forget he inherited a really good, deep and strong squad, which allowed him to concentrate on his youth set-up, giving him years before he had to call upon them and integrate them into his first team squad. That took him all of 6 years before he started seeing the benefits.

By contrast we are starting to see the possible benefits of all Rafa’s hard work, scouting regime and overhauling of the old set-up. All and sundry says he does not give youth a chance, another lie, Ngog 20, Insua 20, Lucas 22, Kelly 19, Pacheo 18, Ayala 18, Ecelston 19, Darby 19 and I could go on. In the wings waiting to break through is even more talent with the likes of Bruno, Ammo, Nemeth (he would have played if we did not have to loan him out to get the Hercules) Ince and plenty of others. To throw this all away because we have gone through a really bad patch which if we really analyze and we are really honest with ourselves, could hardly be described as a Rafa fuck up is just plain madness.

This is the same team that played champagne football last year that have been rocked by all manner of events and circumstances beyond any managers control. Given time (4 points of 4th) and he deserves our full support till the end of the season, unequivocal support, then we can judge him and only then by taking the circumstances into consideration in which Rafa has to operate. Things would be a lot easier if we could have brought striking cover and defensive cover in over the summer, then the horrendous injuries that we have face all season long could have bee managed better.

I am all for bringing in another manager if he would be an improvement but there has not been one sensible argument (Hiddink excluded and why he would consider us under the present regime boggles the mind because he will know he is on a hiding to nothing and would be set up to fail as the present twats have set Rafa up) There is nobody out there that, yes in my opinion, could do a better job under the present circumstances and situation. Rafa has out thought tactically every club manager he has come up against. That he has inferior tools to work with is not his fault. That he has had under 100 mill net spend in 6 years is not his fault, that his squad has been decimated by injuries is not his fault. That he has had zero to spend in the last 3 transfer windows to try and kick on from last years fantastic results is not his fault.

-cont

Khan said...

Under Rafa we have punched considerably above our financial status, yes we are having a bad run and a bad season, shit happens and it does not make us a bad team or Rafa a bad manager. Given time it will be turned around. We as fans need to look long and hard at what we expect from both Rafa and the Team under the current circumstances. We also need to get behind them and support them in these extremely trying circumstances.

As LB continually asks all the CBC’s on this blog, not one of you have come remotely close to explaining how sacking Rafa would benefit us or how we would bring in new players or get the injured ones fit or how we would attract even a half decent manager. Very easy to criticize, moan, and pull apart, try be a little more constructive first.

Rafa would walk into a top position at a club with money and stability. We can thank our lucky stars that he is still here to help us through the shit because I cannot think of one other manager who would not have walked already.

KeithSA

Anonymous said...

Thank you Benitez, you have made LFC great again..as great as Wolves!..

Anonymous said...

We have a manager with a sickening mindset/mentality. No wonder we keep getting sickening results. Serves us right.

Anonymous said...

Gloom Gloom and More Gloom and now we are doom! LFC players are Jekyll and Hyde, one day great another day rubbish! I suspect the main cause is Gerrard. If he doesn't play, the team shows determination and if he plays, they can hardly execute three passes perfectly. Gerrard is a great player but he is not doing his duty as an inspirational captain this season. Ngog has pace and skill but some how loses his vision in the D box. What wrong with this fellows? can't even shoot towards the goal. Are they playing exhibition football?