micmij

Gerrard Downing Enrique To be honest, though, that was a high quality performance and in normal circumstances you could give a good argument for a number of others to be in there. Suarez, Johnson & Skrtel in particular were also very good. Suarez's movement off the ball is mind-boggling at times.

Are we now the only team that hasn't scored in the last 11 mins?

Enrique Suarez Sterling

Suarez Enrique Agger

Allen Reina Suarez

I know it's a very simple (and probably completely unrelated) thing to say, but if his management is anywhere near as good as his interviews we're onto a winner here. That press conference was very impressive.

I hope you're right! Though, there's a couple of those criteria near the top where we're down the pecking order.

I think that one of the fears, though, is that there won't be a DOF now - and without a mind-blowing DOF it's going to be hard to entice the type of player that we need to the club with Rodgers as the focal point. Maybe in 2-3 years, if things go well, but not now. The question is - do we have that kind of time? The answer is - no.

From the outside looking in, this whole process seems to be very reactive. I'd have hoped that they were working behind the scenes in the last couple of months, at least, to cover all eventualities - I mean, surely they didn't just decide to fire Kenny when they saw the quality of his powerpoint skills! If there was a possibility that it may happen, the owners needed to be ready to move. BANG - Kenny's gone, BANG - here's the new manager, BANG - business as usual. And if there's no better option than Kenny willing, ready and able to step in, then don't do anything. I don't care if it's Rafa or Van Gaal, but I really believe that we need somebody of that pedigree to come in. I think it's true, too, that if Van Gaal comes in as DOF, then there's not so much of a reliance on the manager being a 'senior' figure - as, essentially, Van Gaal would be calling the shots. Is the Van Gaal as DOF rumour, more-or-less confirmed? If so, is it just a case that the owners want to present the new management structure at once, and want to choose someone that Van Gaal is comfortable with?

I hope so, maybe I'm getting all wound up about nothing

Actually, I wasn't specifically responding to your post or having a go at you. There seems to be a groundswell in opinion that we haven't spoken to Rafa - and that we aren't going to. If that's true, then it is happening for a reason, and I just put 2 and 2 together re: Carra and Stevie, but it could be based on somebody else's opinion entirely or the owners own business policies - it could be as simple as that. As a supporter of this club, though, I understand where Rafa took us and, to some extent, what was going on behind the scenes in his last couple of seasons here. In my opinion, it's not surprising that he got a 'bit tetchy', but what he did from a footballing perspective is without question. That's why I don't understand the apparent refusal to talk to him. Sure, they may not follow the same footballing philosophies, but do they even know what Rafa's is?

Sorry, it just seems like some of the names that are being considered (and I include Martinez in that) are madness. If the owners truly respect and regard the opinions of the players, they should only be asking them one question - "Under which manager were you the most competitive?", not "Do you get on with XYZ and is he a good bloke?" The more time goes on, I'm coming around to the conclusion that Rafa is absolutely the best option - and I don't think anyone else is close. That we'll most probably end up with someone else and not even speak to the man is baffling to me.

If Carra and Stevie's opinions matter so much, what about Carra as player/manager with Stevie as his #2!!! They're both young.

When we finished 2nd in 2008-2009, I think we all thought we were 1 or 2 signings away from winning the title. Looking back, if we had been able to keep a hold of the same squad (I think Sammi, Xabi and Alvaro left and weren't adequately replaced) we would have come pretty close to winning it the following season. In fact, I'd argue that the quality at the upper end of the Premier League has been in decline ever since, but we weren't to know that at the time. I keep thinking about that season, the quality and style of some of our play. Rafa built that and didn't quite get to finish the job...

Yeah, I don't get it either. If he hadn't have done it he'd have gotten more stick - particularly in his home country. He's a professional footballer, it was the freaking World Cup, the last minute of the match, and there was no 2nd chance. What was he supposed to do? I've never intentionally hand-balled in my life, but in that situation I would have. I wonder if in Uruguay it's seen as a really heroic thing (to have taken a bullet for his country - so to speak)? There appears to be some well-considered pieces coming out regarding the inconsistencies in the ruling. Is the tide slowly turning and is it only a matter of time before somebody in the mainstream media runs with it?

Gerrard Johnson Skrtel

Regarding the first 2 parts of the ruling - 1. Mr Suarez used insulting words towards Mr Evra during the match contrary to FA Rule E3(1); 2. the insulting words used by Mr Suarez included a reference to Mr Evra's colour within the meaning of Rule E3(2); A friend of mine has literally just got back from being married to his partner in Argentina. I told him about this story and wondered whether he had heard the term "Negrito" whilst he was in Argetina. Not "Negrito", but he said that everywhere they went her friends referred to his partner as "Negrita" - which bears out the assertion by a bunch of people early on in this thread that, by correlation, "Negrito" isn't an insulting term at all. He said it roughly translated to "sister", "friend" - real term of endearment. She's not black, either, so he doesn't think that it implies a reference to colour, either (although, that's certainly where the word originated). Sure, Luis was probably trying to get under Vera's skin, but I don't think even ruling 1 applies if you're trying to be a bit of a prick and say something along the lines of, "Settle down, pal". If ruling 1 doesn't apply, then all the rest are null and void, too! I know there's probably people on here who know more than me about the law, but isn't there a defense to say that you have to reasonably know that your actions will offend/break the law before you can be punished for them. If Luis knew that his Scum teammates called Vera "Negrito" then he wouldn't expect that it would cause offense, would he? Or am I totally off? Can only imagine what sort of place Luis is in right now trying to understand how this blew up so big

Usually, just happy to read (and vote for MOTM) - but this has me very angry.

How many years is 'due course' again?

Those FA rules regarding appeals, etc. are with regard to their own competitions. Sure, the club may not be appeal to FIFA or CAS (to reduce or even overturn the ban), but Luis Suarez has now been branded a RACIST - can the player himself bring a case against the FA for defamation, considering that they don't seem to have the evidence to support their decision? I think this decision goes WAY beyond Liverpool Football Club losing a player for 8 games - at the top of the list, perhaps, being the potential commercial ramifications. For that reason (and the obvious belief that the player has been dudded), I think the club will do anything in its power to quash this decision.

Bellamy Skrtel Suarez

Suarez Adam Henderson

Lucas Bellamy Coates

Lucas Suarez Henderson

I'm moving on. I feel sorry for the kids - I was MUCH more distraught when Keegan left (when I was 8).