rafa

[Mike]

everything that could have been thrown at you, everything you could be accused of, you served it up on a silver f***ing salver tonight. on a velvet cushion on a silver salver. truly mind bending stuff by obtusio tonight.

 

what formation?

one striker? at home to wigan???

pennant starts? hes not even made the subs bench in 4 months?

where was the urgency? the modus operandi?

2 players in the midfield who between them have played once in 3 months?

the obligatory wait until 75 minutes for the first substitutions, then 80 then 85...disastrously late, especially when one player - kewell - was desperate and needed to be off at half time.

 

thats 4 years rafa, no progress in the league, out of the race by xmas once again. its down to you.

[MFletcher]

Hardly.

 

Strong team tonight. The players let him down.

 

I'm sure he's just as pissed off about it as you.

[Guest GrandpaSimpson]

After Newcastle lost tonight they played "Your Own Worst Enemy" by Springsteen. Could easily have been played at Anfield too.

[Cunny]

it wasn't his best game ever was it?

[smicer07]

Obtusio? You daft bell.

[psl]

Hardly.

 

Strong team tonight. The players let him down.

 

I'm sure he's just as pissed off about it as you.

 

So he takes credit when the team wins but the team takes the criticism for a draw or defeat?

[RafaShanks]

Hardly.

 

Strong team tonight. The players let him down.

 

I'm sure he's just as pissed off about it as you.

 

I'm feckin fed up of "it's the players fault"

 

Rafa's stubborness and failure to learn from his past mistakes is also to blame.

[Guest Linton]

Hardly.

 

Strong team tonight. The players let him down.

 

I'm sure he's just as pissed off about it as you.

 

 

Maybe. But he is responsible for the players he put out there and to see that they are properly motivated. If he isn't responsible for how the team performs, who is?

[anfieldgaz]

Hardly.

 

Strong team tonight. The players let him down.

 

I'm sure he's just as pissed off about it as you.

 

 

The team HE has bought, the team HE lined up in that way.the team HE played one up front and two holding midfielders at home to complete dross.........it all makes sense now!

 

HE has to take most of the blame tonight and not the players.

[Earl Hafler]

everything that could have been thrown at you, everything you could be accused of, you served it up on a silver f***ing salver tonight. on a velvet cushion on a silver salver. truly mind bending stuff by obtusio tonight.

 

what formation?

one striker? at home to wigan???

pennant starts? hes not even made the subs bench in 4 months?

where was the urgency? the modus operandi?

2 players in the midfield who between them have played once in 3 months?

the obligatory wait until 75 minutes for the first substitutions, then 80 then 85...disastrously late, especially when one player - kewell - was desperate and needed to be off at half time.

 

thats 4 years rafa, no progress in the league, out of the race by xmas once again. its down to you.

 

I'm 6'5". I reckon there's about 2" at the end of my left big toe that still thinks Rafa can do it.

[Earl Hafler]

Hardly.

 

Strong team tonight. The players let him down.

 

I'm sure he's just as pissed off about it as you.

 

If you think that's the only reason you're deluded

[alias75]

Theres enough blame to go round i think, and Rafa must take his fair share of it, but some of our players are performing so below what they've shown they can do. Pennant was obviously ready to play today wasn't a bad game to put him back in.

 

The team he picked tonight was a strong one given the players we have, the problem is the players we have arent strong enough.

[Mike]

Obtusio? You daft bell.

 

why? i think he's obtuse. like calling ferguson demento. i like it

 

but you can call me a daft bell.

[Guest GrandpaSimpson]

I'm feckin fed up of "it's the players fault"

 

Rafa's stubborness and failure to learn from his past mistakes is also to blame.

 

 

Agree.

 

 

His silly subsitutions piss me off too. Lets take Gerrard off in the derby, as if he has to show everyone how great he is. Win matches and win the league, then we'lll think you're f***ing great.

[MFletcher]

The team HE has been forced to make concessions to put together. Pennant - not a first choice player and so on.

 

Look, I was very happy with the team before the game. The players are given a formation, instructions and then have to go out and do it. A team consisting of Gerrard, Torres, Alonso, Mascherano, Aurelio, Reina, Finnan etc. should be capable of beating a team in the bottom three at home. They didn't because they took the lead and decided the game was won.

 

I'm sure Rafa is going apes***, because he'll know that a lot of his detractors will pounce on a result like tonight and use it as "evidence" that he's some kind of clown masquerading as a Premier League manager.

[Walrus]

I'm 6'5". I reckon there's about 2" at the end of my left big toe that still thinks Rafa can do it.

[Guest RedLegend]

Players have to take their share of the blame. Undoubtably.

 

As does Rafa. He bought most of them. He coaches them. He picks the team and sets out the tactics.

[Toni]

everything that could have been thrown at you, everything you could be accused of, you served it up on a silver f***ing salver tonight. on a velvet cushion on a silver salver. truly mind bending stuff by obtusio tonight.

 

what formation?

one striker? at home to wigan???

pennant starts? hes not even made the subs bench in 4 months?

where was the urgency? the modus operandi?

2 players in the midfield who between them have played once in 3 months?

the obligatory wait until 75 minutes for the first substitutions, then 80 then 85...disastrously late, especially when one player - kewell - was desperate and needed to be off at half time.

 

thats 4 years rafa, no progress in the league, out of the race by xmas once again. its down to you.

 

Considering our defence is rocked by injuries, the 11 shots on target vs their only one, i think it was the right formation. rafa protected the leaky back 4 with mash and alonso replacing off-form kuyt with a roaming gerrard.

 

We were a tad unlucku but still no excuse for drawing vs wigan at anfield.

 

But is it the manager s fault?

 

Today the story of the whole season repeated itself. we do not have enough cutting edge and the reson why is that we lack a couple of quality players. Whose fault? failure to compete financially with top clubs

[MFletcher]

Agree.

His silly subsitutions piss me off too. Lets take Gerrard off in the derby, as if he has to show everyone how great he is. Win matches and win the league, then we'lll think you're f***ing great.

 

And yet the player who replaced him was about to score the winning goal until Phil Neville decided to handball on the line? We scored, and won, from the resulting penalty.

[Mike]

The team HE has been forced to make concessions to put together. Pennant - not a first choice player and so on.

 

Look, I was very happy with the team before the game. The players are given a formation, instructions and then have to go out and do it. A team consisting of Gerrard, Torres, Alonso, Mascherano, Aurelio, Reina, Finnan etc. should be capable of beating a team in the bottom three at home. They didn't because they took the lead and decided the game was won.

 

I'm sure Rafa is going apes***, because he'll know that a lot of his detractors will pounce on a result like tonight and use it as "evidence" that he's some kind of clown masquerading as a Premier League manager.

 

not saying he's a clown, doubt anyone here is: but his methods are not working and he is not anywhere near a premier league winning manager.

[psl]

The team HE has been forced to make concessions to put together. Pennant - not a first choice player and so on.

 

Look, I was very happy with the team before the game. The players are given a formation, instructions and then have to go out and do it. A team consisting of Gerrard, Torres, Alonso, Mascherano, Aurelio, Reina, Finnan etc. should be capable of beating a team in the bottom three at home. They didn't because they took the lead and decided the game was won.

 

I'm sure Rafa is going apes***, because he'll know that a lot of his detractors will pounce on a result like tonight and use it as "evidence" that he's some kind of clown masquerading as a Premier League manager.

 

Who's job is it to ensure that the players don't do that?

 

Its not as if there hasn't been signs is it? I've lost count of the number of times we've been scrambling around in the opposition box in the last 5 minutes of games because we've only decided to play after an equaliser or our failure to score to that point.

Edited January 2, 2008 by psl

[Guest newfavouriteplayer]

 

that's the wrong shape.

[Mike]

Considering our defence is rocked by injuries, the 11 shots on target vs their only one, i think it was the right formation. rafa protected the leaky back 4 with mash and alonso replacing off-form kuyt with a roaming gerrard.

 

We were a tad unlucku but still no excuse for drawing vs wigan at anfield.

 

But is it the manager s fault?

 

Today the story of the whole season repeated itself. we do not have enough cutting edge and the reson why is that we lack a couple of quality players. Whose fault? failure to compete financially with top clubs

 

yeah we could do with a few more 20 million pound players. so could everyone. it minimises the risk of getting it wrong with a player. we've still spent enough to be able to beat wigan at home though...and if you don't think we have, frankly, you are having a laugh.

[Guest GrandpaSimpson]

And yet the player who replaced him was about to score the winning goal until Phil Neville decided to handball on the line? We scored, and won, from the resulting penalty.

 

 

You think Rafa is great, fair enough.

 

I held on as long as I could thinking Houllier was the man for the job, the parallels now are uncanny.

 

 

All is not well though.

[Earl Hafler]

 

In the league.

 

And we won that when he had fewer options. Where's the progression ?