You May Just Get What You Wish For

[Cliff M]

"Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it"

 

Hence our gaffer: always asked for a couch and got a standard lamp (or whayever it was at Valencia). So now, he gets loads of cash, backing from the new and old owners and what do we get? A single point in most games! Inconsistency, poor finishing, defeat by Besiktas, not playing the same team when we've won...

 

Loads of opportunities and can't put the onion in the bag. WTF? I think there's something wrong in our camp. Mad team selections, daft rotation policy, change for changes sake, bizarre substitutions or lack of any at the right time...it goes on and on.

 

Are we missing Paco? Is Stevie overshadowing the whole team? Is there some gypsy's curse?

 

I think we shoulkd bite the bullet and get rid of Rafa. There, I've said it. I know we are good in cup competitions, but I want the league. Rafa has proved he can't deliver it.

[Guest SpiritualWarrier]

Is that the forum hounds I hear in the distance ?

[Redwire]

Is that the forum hounds I hear in the distance ?

 

So you want Rafa sacked as well?

 

Maybe all those who want him out should tell us here?

[alias75]

I think those people wanting rid of Rafa better be careful they dont get what they wish for, there arent many better managers out there that would come here.

 

Lets judge the style of play once Agger, Alonso and Torres are back and playing regularly, at the moment we're missing 3 players that are very important in how we play yet we're still unbeaten and have just got a point away to a team thats won their last 7.

 

We're playing badly missing some key players and still getting decent results.

[Fagan]

as much as im disgusted with our performances this season, our complete lack movement and the fact that arsenal who finished behind us last season are playing football that is leagues ahead of us.

 

as much as rafa's rotation is now proving to be rubbish

 

its just far too early to be thinking about sacking him

 

were 6 points off the top only still (god knows how), if we play like this for the rest of the season and dont make any strides towards getting closer to challenging then yes i can accept his departure

 

but not now, him leaving now will do us no good in the middle fo the season

[Fagan]

I think those people wanting rid of Rafa better be careful they dont get what they wish for, there arent many better managers out there that would come here.

 

Lets judge the style of play once Agger, Alonso and Torres are back and playing regularly, at the moment we're missing 3 players that are very important in how we play yet we're still unbeaten and have just got a point away to a team thats won their last 7.

 

We're playing badly missing some key players and still getting decent results.

 

 

i agree that agger is a huge loss for us, but why the hell did rafs waste so much time on heinze and leave us exposed if agger or carra get injured?

those questions have to be asked

[RafaShanks]

i agree that agger is a huge loss for us, but why the hell did rafs waste so much time on heinze and leave us exposed if agger or carra get injured?

those questions have to be asked

 

Completely agree.

 

As for injuries excuse, that's why we have the squad that we have and a bit of a s**** excuse.

 

Rafa has finally the squad that he wanted and has fecked it up with his constant tinkering.

[Guest SpiritualWarrier]

This is Houllier's last season all over again, poor negative football and concentrating too much on what the opposition can do.

 

Safety first will not win the league. Playing players in different positions than what they are used to is is bordering on insanity.

 

We have the players to attack, to entertain, to win the league, but Rafa doesn't know what to do with them and he's the one who bought most of them now

[Guest sniffer]

as much as im disgusted with our performances this season, our complete lack movement and the fact that arsenal who finished behind us last season are playing football that is leagues ahead of us.

 

as much as rafa's rotation is now proving to be rubbish

 

its just far too early to be thinking about sacking him

 

were 6 points off the top only still (god knows how), if we play like this for the rest of the season and dont make any strides towards getting closer to challenging then yes i can accept his departure

 

but not now, him leaving now will do us no good in the middle fo the season

 

The difference is that Arsenal players run into space, ours play mainly ball to feet. Ten passes and we are twenty yards behind where we started. Surprised you hadn't noticed that.

[Guest Linton]

He's one of the best around but we will NEVER play attacking football like Man U or Arsenal under him. Just look how Valencia played, effective but not very pretty.

[Frosty Jack]

This is Houllier's last season all over again, poor negative football and concentrating too much on what the opposition can do.

 

behave

[RafaShanks]

behave

 

Unfortunately the truth.

 

Todays starting line up is more proof of it.

[alias75]

This is Houllier's last season all over again, poor negative football and concentrating too much on what the opposition can do.

 

Safety first will not win the league. Playing players in different positions than what they are used to is is bordering on insanity.

 

We have the players to attack, to entertain, to win the league, but Rafa doesn't know what to do with them and he's the one who bought most of them now

 

Dont agree under GH we played negative even when we had all our players fit, at the moment we're missing 3 key players, 3 players that get us passing and in Torres someone thats head and shoulders above any of our other forwards, we're still getting decent results while still playing pretty badly.

[Guest SpiritualWarrier]

behave

 

Nice repost, care to elaborate ?

[Guest Portly]

I think those people wanting rid of Rafa better be careful they dont get what they wish for, there arent many better managers out there that would come here.

 

We seem to have got into another of those situations where the manager somehow can't see what is obvious to everybody else. It was quite clear from the starting line-up that we were going to create hardly any chances. Two defensive midfielders on the pitch together, one of whom (Sissoko) is in bad form, and Dirk Kuyt as a lone striker. It was blindingly obvious that it wasn't going to work. We were lucky not to be two goals down by half-time, and in spite of their recent record, Blackburn turned out to be not that good.

 

It was a bit unfair to Kuyt, who has come in for a lot of post-match flak, because he is a good hardworking player to forage alongside a genuine goal-poacher, but on his own he is hopeless. He can't hold up the ball and his first touch is awful, the ball usually just bounces off his foot and he then has to get control of it.

 

I think we all agree that we now have an excellent squad of players, but the way we played in the first half at Blackburn, none of the players seemed to have a clue what they were supposed to be doing when they got the ball. More often than not, it ended up with Sami Hyypia. Benitez doesn't seem to have coached any patterns of play - we were just passing the ball around aimlessly hoping that something was going to happen.

[Guest SpiritualWarrier]

Dont agree under GH we played negative even when we had all our players fit, at the moment we're missing 3 key players, 3 players that get us passing and in Torres someone thats head and shoulders above any of our other forwards, we're still getting decent results while still playing pretty badly.

 

But did not Rafa say at the start of the season that he now has the players to cover every possibilty ?

 

Granted we miss those players, but would they play every week under Rafa the Rotater - I doubt it, so to me I cannot accept this arguement.

[Hassony]

Nice repost, care to elaborate ?

 

there is no point comparing him to GH's last season because they are different managers

[McBain]

If i ask myself this question

 

If Rafa is still in charge in 5 years time do i expect us to have won number 19?

 

The only answer i have is no

[Igors Uncle Dave]

I have always been right behind Rafa and all he has done to date. There is something amiss. Pako leaving has had a massive effect in the camp and unless things change very quickly we could be in deep trouble. I was bored watching the game today, no imagination, playing pass after pass but not actually going anywhere. Possession is great but when your creative player is in such a forward position then nothing will happen. Ryan Babel is a mistake, I didnt like the purchase and thought that he was the wrong option. I think I might be right there. We play with no width, our wide players just want to come inside all of the time.

 

So where do we go from here? Rafa needs to get things sorted behind doors quickly. The injuries are not helping but we still have big names around. Its time to start playing to our strengths. Get Gerard in the midfield with Momo or Masha. Kewell has started now so get him wide. Give El Zah a run wide on the right with two strikers. Its time to take the bull by the horns and stop changing things around so much. Give the lads a chance with a steadied side.

 

I feel for Rafa, he is a top manager and things are not going well. The next few weeks will be interesting.

[alias75]

But did not Rafa say at the start of the season that he now has the players to cover every possibilty ?

 

Granted we miss those players, but would they play every week under Rafa the Rotater - I doubt it, so to me I cannot accept this arguement.

 

Ok we have alternatives but they are not all of equal ability. I think Rafa set us up to to be tough to beat but we did have a couple of chances and with a bit of luck could have won that game which would have been a good result. As for players being rotated i think you'll find Agger and Alonso very rarely get rotated and once Torres has settled into life in the PL hes another that will play most weeks.

 

For all his rotating Rafa has a core of 6 or 7 players that he very rarely rotates and the 3 that are missing fall into that category.

[Hassony]

If i ask myself this question

 

If Rafa is still in charge in 5 years time do i expect us to have won number 19?

 

The only answer i have is no

 

i would say yes, bcause there is no way the board will keep him if he hasn't won the league by then (don't think rafa will stay either)

[Chas]

Todays starting line up is more proof of it.

 

Today's starting line-up was one player away from being right (Kuyt/Crouch) - it was the way the team played that was wrong

[Guz]

We have the players to attack, to entertain, to win the league,

 

Maybe half the problem is that we simply don't?

 

A good run of results (including 3 wins out of 3 in Europe) will see us right back in there and we're only 3pts behind United and level with Chelsea if we win our game in hand but we need to get back to winning ways. I'm fully behind Rafa, am still confident hes the right man for the job but there are some concerns and these need to be rectified very soon before we slip out of the race.

[McBain]

i would say yes, bcause there is no way the board will keep him if he hasn't won the league by then (don't think rafa will stay either)

 

Are you answering the same question?

[Owen1978]

He's one of the best around but we will NEVER play attacking football like Man U or Arsenal under him. Just look how Valencia played, effective but not very pretty.

 

Thats a load of tosh, compared to our current standard of football, Valencia played like Brazil. Even when we were on top of game, we still lacked the composure, guile and killer instict of rafa's valencia. Valencia had some very good footballers!, which are better players than most of our team.

 

Valencia, basically played ugly football to what spanish league is accustomed to, but compared to PL standards they would be up the with Chelsea, Manyoo in the manner of play