Liverpool Banter Archive September 15 2010

 

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15 Sep 2010 22:47:52

Mourinho was just mentioning in an interview he couldn't believe when his Chelsea were hammering us 4 - 1 at Anfield a few years ago the Liverpool fans (us) were singing for our team. Called it "completely impossible". If we get taken over & get some money in for transfers & the new owners want their own man i honestly reckon Mourinho would come if asked. Supposedly he was a Liverpool fan as a young fella.
I HONESTLY believe if he came & we gave him time to knit his own team together we could dominate again for years.
I know a lot of our fans don't like him but if he won us the league i think they'd change their minds pretty quick.
And why would he up sticks fast again like he has done at Chelsea & Inter as he'd be managing the best club with the most amazing fans in the world.
If only!
Anyone agree?
He only spent loads of cash at Chelsea really.
Mainly in seasons 1 & 2.
So its not like he'd over spend.
He took Barca to the cleaners with the Eto'o / Ibrahimovic transfer last summer.
They are normally the ones who do the screwing with transfers but he screwed them.
What ya think guys?
Ed, what you reckon?
Surely the potential to win the league would keep the haters off his back.
Would hate to see him at the Mancs.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 22:38:56
Of course the league is most important, and fans & press are quick to laugh at us for not winning it forgetting how much we've won since 2000. Chelsea would swap a fair few of their league titles for that big cup now anyway. .

Our silver matches the best.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 22:36:12
Sorry to say this but at the end of this season, Liverpool should look to cash in on Fernando torres.

I think the guy is class when he wants to be, But is more often than not lazy, And for the last 2 seasons seems to be either injured or carrying an injury.

I no some people will slate me for this but before you do bare in mind,

1- How often do you see torres name on the team sheet, Only to end the game with the pundits saying how he wasnt involved/ didn't look fit/ went missing ect.

2- All those who say, We need another striker to help torres coz he can't do it alone, Wasnt he alone in his first season, And played fantastic.

It seems to me he dosnt want to play for LFC anymore, It also seems he dosnt want to play in England anymore.

Welcome all opinions, Would like your's also Ed {ed's note - I would rather wait and see how the season goes before making any kind of decision.}

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 22:18:59

It does my head in when I come on here to read some of your whinging negativity. We're a team in decline. F* k that. I'll put our Silver in the past ten years down against anyones. European cups, Uefa cups, FA & League Cups, European Super cups. .everything but the league. So what - it'll come.

Be f*cking proud for Godsake - have some faith & some balls.


Its called opinions man.
Nobody forces anyone to come on any site.
If this site was all roses it'd be the most boring site around but its a great site because of peoples up & down opinions & not many other sites if any have the Editor leaving comments back which makes it a more intimate site as such.
So enjoy it for the beauty of opinions.
Kev

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 22:01:35
It does my head in when I come on here to read some of your whinging negativity. We're a team in decline. F* k that. I'll put our Silver in the past ten years down against anyones. European cups, Uefa cups, FA & League Cups, European Super cups. .everything but the league. So what - it'll come.

Be f*cking proud for Godsake - have some faith & some balls.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 21:29:27

Reading through the comments regarding Rafa I can understand comments from both sides, those reflecting on Rafa's successes and those focusing on his failings (although one or two of these I suspect are Manc mischief makers). Personally I think that the time was right for Rafa and LFC to part company. Consistently attacked in the media, particularly during the season when he managed to finish second in the league. Undermined by the owners, this was borne out by producing a net profit in the transfer market in 3 of the 6 years of his tenure. Unfortunately until next January we will have to wait to see what restrictions Roy will have to contend with.
Rafa did have his failings, but what managers don't?
The thing with Rafa for me is that Rafa 'Got It'.
Possibly one of things that let Rafa down was that he'd become a Fan as much as anyone. Not only passionate about doing well on the pitch but also passionate to the point of he and his family becoming adoptive scousers.
For me there there are the iconic moments from Rafa ending up in a bar in Leverkusen with fans and having a pint, whispering instructions behind his hand on the sidelines at PSV, sitting cross-legged during the penalty shoot out with Chelsea (allowing fans seated behind him to see the penalties!), even the so called 'rant' pointing out to the media and F.A. the imbalance by both meted out to Taggart (had the lads not managed to feck up against Middlesbrough it may well have been viewed differently, who knows). Ready to help fans out at various functions, not seeking any recognition. A prime example was his donation to the HJC. Like I said Rafa had his failings, but for me you can't deny his affection for Liverpool both the City and the Club.


The Leverkusen thing happened in his first season.
I know what you mean though. He did have Liverpool in his heart definately but in my opinion his ego ultimately made us and him suffer.
If you think he was passionate then why didn't he once even smile when we scored.
I see lots of other successful managers celebrating (even with just a smile) then going back to re shaping the team within 10 seconds or less. But he never once from my memory did. Why not?
Honstly the only time i can remember him smile was when he slipped at West Ham & fell on his butt.
But i give you he did have Liverpool in his heart.
But he (again my opinion) put his ego before the well being of the club which was it for me.
Sorry if you disagree but it is just my opinion.
Kev

 

 

15 Sep 2010 21:28:58

Reading through the comments regarding Rafa I can understand comments from both sides, those reflecting on Rafa's successes and those focusing on his failings (although one or two of these I suspect are Manc mischief makers). Personally I think that the time was right for Rafa and LFC to part company. Consistently attacked in the media, particularly during the season when he managed to finish second in the league. Undermined by the owners, this was borne out by producing a net profit in the transfer market in 3 of the 6 years of his tenure. Unfortunately until next January we will have to wait to see what restrictions Roy will have to contend with.
Rafa did have his failings, but what managers don't?
The thing with Rafa for me is that Rafa 'Got It'.
Possibly one of things that let Rafa down was that he'd become a Fan as much as anyone. Not only passionate about doing well on the pitch but also passionate to the point of he and his family becoming adoptive scousers.
For me there there are the iconic moments from Rafa ending up in a bar in Leverkusen with fans and having a pint, whispering instructions behind his hand on the sidelines at PSV, sitting cross-legged during the penalty shoot out with Chelsea (allowing fans seated behind him to see the penalties!), even the so called 'rant' pointing out to the media and F.A. the imbalance by both meted out to Taggart (had the lads not managed to feck up against Middlesbrough it may well have been viewed differently, who knows). Ready to help fans out at various functions, not seeking any recognition. A prime example was his donation to the HJC. Like I said Rafa had his failings, but for me you can't deny his affection for Liverpool both the City and the Club.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 21:14:52

Reading through the comments regarding Rafa I can understand comments from both sides, those reflecting on Rafa's successes and those focusing on his failings (although one or two of these I suspect are Manc mischief makers). Personally I think that the time was right for Rafa and LFC to part company. Consistently attacked in the media, particularly during the season when he managed to finish second in the league. Undermined by the owners, this was borne out by producing a net profit in the transfer market in 3 of the 6 years of his tenure. Unfortunately until next January we will have to wait to see what restrictions Roy will have to contend with.
Rafa did have his failings, but what managers don't?
The thing with Rafa for me is that Rafa 'Got It'.
Possibly one of things that let Rafa down was that he'd become a Fan as much as anyone. Not only passionate about doing well on the pitch but also passionate to the point of he and his family becoming adoptive scousers.
For me there there are the iconic moments from Rafa ending up in a bar in Leverkusen with fans and having a pint, whispering instructions behind his hand on the sidelines at PSV, sitting cross-legged during the penalty shoot out with Chelsea (allowing fans seated behind him to see the penalties!), even the so called 'rant' pointing out to the media and F.A. the imbalance by both meted out to Taggart (had the lads not managed to feck up against Middlesbrough it may well have been viewed differently, who knows). Ready to help fans out at various functions, not seeking any recognition. A prime example was his donation to the HJC. Like I said Rafa had his failings, but for me you can't deny his affection for Liverpool both the City and the Club.

 

 

15 Sep 2010 21:13:27

{ed's note - someone like Michael Laudrup or maybe Di Matteo. I would still take Drogba, Rooney would be a disaster for us, he sold his story to the S*n out of spite. I am sorry but that lad is a disgrace and deserves every bit of abuse he gets.}


Didn't think of Laudrup actually. good one & he's a Liverpool fan to boot.
Di Matteo seems like a humble kinda fella & may be a bit like a young Roy so again maybe so ya?
Rooney as a player could only be good for us, i know what you mean by the way he slagged off the city & all the other stuff (crap) that comes with him.
Im from Ireland myself & heard about some of the stuff he said - idiot!
But in my humble opinion as a player we could / would be better with him in it.
If Drogba was 24/ 25 again he'd be the dream buy.
Cant believe Houllier never knew about him.
Id only seen him play against us & one other match & he looked a real player even then nearly a decade ago. Cant believe how we missed out on Laudrup too as a player over one small thing in his contract he was offered back in the late 80's.
What an opportunity missed!

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 21:02:01

Mourinho who would spend huge sums then leave us in the lurch.}


To be fair he didn't spend much with Porto or Inter.
He took Sneijder for a snip from Real.
Sold Ibrahimovic & took in Eto'o, yet made something like a £40m profit from that move alone.
What was Guardiola thinking?
Kev

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 20:57:52

2 quick questions for you all including you Ed:
If you could take one player from another EPL team who would it be?
And if you could choose any manager to lead us right now if Hodgson had turned it down who would you want?

My answers for what they're worth:
Rooney (i know, sorry)
Mourinho surely {ed's note - I would sign Drogba, hate him but he would be the perfect foil for Torres and is a far better player than Rooney. Manager would be someone young and hungry who would stay to build a legacy, not Mourinho who would spend huge sums then leave us in the lurch.} I hear ya on Drogba but he is not young nor hungry anymore (or for much longer at least), i woulda picked him too but for his age.
So long term surely Rooney would be different class for 5 - 8 years.
And sorry i meant Mourinho coming in now in our current situation (no dosh). At least he might instill a little spirit in the club. He wins wherever he has gone (to now). And if he could turn Anfield back to the fortress like it was we'd have some hope. (Hasn't lost at home since 2004 i believe with his teams in the league - lost 2 - 1 to Barca in Champs Lg with Chelsea though).
But i respect your opinion. so who would you bring?
Who is a young, upcoming & hungry manager?
Just look at Neil Lennon at Celtic (fans not too happy right now).
Moyes?
Leonardo?
Koeman? {ed's note - someone like Michael Laudrup or maybe Di Matteo. I would still take Drogba, Rooney would be a disaster for us, he sold his story to the S*n out of spite. I am sorry but that lad is a disgrace and deserves every bit of abuse he gets.}

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 20:33:37

2 quick questions for you all including you Ed:
If you could take one player from another EPL team who would it be?
And if you could choose any manager to lead us right now if Hodgson had turned it down who would you want?

My answers for what they're worth:
Rooney (i know, sorry)
Mourinho surely {ed's note - I would sign Drogba, hate him but he would be the perfect foil for Torres and is a far better player than Rooney. Manager would be someone young and hungry who would stay to build a legacy, not Mourinho who would spend huge sums then leave us in the lurch.}

 

 

15 Sep 2010 20:31:59

"Macca be sounding like he be smoking to much wacky backa', he's brain be messed up talking sh*t like he caught syphilis from a slappa, me run the microphone like I be the don rappa, your posts are boring me I might just go take a nap-aaaa"

-note for those obsessed with using proper grammar at all times, the above post is spelt like it is to be said or rhymed-

ICD

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 20:27:55

Oh God i've landed one here. The point i was making about opinions is not whether one is right or wrong. You should respect the opinions of others regardless of whether you agree, then create a discussion why you do not think this way. To think your opinion is right and the other wrong is arrogance, pure and simple. And arrogance is borne out of a lack of intelligence and respect. People may agree or disagree but opinions can never be fact. People can disagree with my opinion and that is perfectly acceptable. But to say "you're wrong, i'm right" is not acceptable. I hate arrogant t* ts.

PS Sammi Khedira is the twin of Milan Baros!

Bob the RedAgreed Bob,
That'd be Gazman you're talking about i assume?!
Or Soulman maybe?
I liked Rafa until what happened with Paco. then i started to see a different man. and then it snowballed to all the numerous fall outs he had so it was time for him to go really. Probably should have happened back in Jan / Feb to be honest when he said we were guaranteed top 4 finishing position, then when it looked like we wouldn't make it he said we don't need champs lg football anyway. Oh how i cringed when i heard that before goin to work to face Manc fans the next day.
What a terrible memory!
Kev.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 20:05:36
Oh God i've landed one here. The point i was making about opinions is not whether one is right or wrong. You should respect the opinions of others regardless of whether you agree, then create a discussion why you do not think this way. To think your opinion is right and the other wrong is arrogance, pure and simple. And arrogance is borne out of a lack of intelligence and respect. People may agree or disagree but opinions can never be fact. People can disagree with my opinion and that is perfectly acceptable. But to say "you're wrong, i'm right" is not acceptable. I hate arrogant t* ts.

PS Sammi Khedira is the twin of Milan Baros!

Bob the Red

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 20:05:13

The last few seasons when liverpool had a corner or a free kick against them i used to close my eyes as i could not bear to watch, the kick would come into the box and all the oposition players would burst into the box completely unmarked, HOW the hell did Rafa not see this massive problem?? ?

At least now i can watch the game with my eyes open! !

YNWA

 

 

15 Sep 2010 19:58:11

GAZMAN IS A MUPPET!

Rafas tactics did not win the UCL in 2005
We struggled against WESTHAM! !?? to win the FA cup and that was down to Steven Gerrard.
In 2007 we were beat by an old AC Milan while stubborn Rafa left Bellamey on the bench.
Bar that we won nothing.
We did not win the BPL in 2008-2009.
Rafa bought in some great players but mostly he wasted money on crap played good players outta position and left a team bereft of balance or confidence.
Read between the lines no player regrets him leaving.
King Kenny diplomatically stated time was right to go.

Rafa so far with a team that won everything with JOSE has managed to lose the SUPER CUP! BORE DRAW HIS FIRST SERIE A GAME AND STUMBLE TO A HARD FOUGHT DRAW AGAINST FC TWENTE IN THE UCL! !

Watch the Road to Istanbul and see how we scrapped through the group and knockout stages it was the players passion that won the big one INSPITE OF RAFA.

That was the problem with Rafa the team had not only to contend with the opposition but also his crazy attitude and tactics.

INTER will destroy his reputation a process he had long since started on Merseyside.


Could hardly agree more except you didn't mention he also left Crouch (Champs Lg top scorer 06/ 07) on the bench until 80 mins vs ageing Milan side too!
Tactical master my bare butt

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 19:52:04

In reply- You are on the wind-up mate, or a Utd fan getting kicks. Do you know how hard it is to GET to the champions league final? Look at the teams we beat on the way you numpty. ANYBODY that knows football knows how hard it is to get to the final. Do you want me to list the teams we beat on the way? And were you celebrating that night or sitting in the corner with your finger up your arse moaning how rafa got the starting line-up wrong? Have a word with yourself mate.

Every true Liverpool fan knows that it went sour for Benitez when he let Alonso go. And to make more of a mockery of your argument, Benitez came the closest out of any Liverpool manager since 1990 to winning the title two years ago mate so I don't see your argument that, to quote "the league for one which all us fans have had as our #1 priority the last few seasons since Man U have been catching up to our 18 titles" AND you stating the bleeding obvious to say the least.

And to go onto signings, Torres for 22 mill? did you not like that one? Alonso for 8? no good? Mash for 18? (the best def mid in the world) still no good for you? Reina? (was it 8?) the best keeper in the prem?

SO, did you celebrate when we won the champions league Kev? because I did.And I was proud when the lads were beaten by Milan two years later too, having done brilliantly to get there.

Have a think Kev.

Gazman

Gazman

Kev's Reply:
Dear Gazman. .er Gazman?
You are blinkered man.
All you named above are the fairly positive thing in Benitez's reign.
I named both in my argument because i'm open minded YOU NUMPTY!
The bad out weighs the good but you will never say that. How many leagues did he win with us?
His so called tactics nearly blew the Champs lg final in 05 & did blow the final for us in 07.
Open you eyes & look at the blatantly obvious facts!
You mention all his transfers above that have gone well. .what about the ones that were pants?
Aquilani? Lucas? Babel? Cavellieri, Josemi, Nunez (who was part of the Owen transfer) who he could easily have said no to. .there are many more.
Then how about leaving Sami go?
Leaving Keane go at a loss?
Alonso who he tried pushing out for a more expensive player with far less ability (proven at the world cup)?
Not giving Crouch or Benni a chance even when they played well and scored? They were on the bench (if lucky) next game?
Rafa also sometimes (most weeks) listened far too much to his so called fitness coaches & left them half pick his teams for him as the players were "tired" according to these "experts".
Sorry now mate but i have worked with pro boxers and fitness pros for years who all train harder than any footballers yet they are ready & able whenever required. His fitness team were so good they couldnt even get a 30 - 31 year old Fowler (Legend) back properly fit in nearly 18 months. I wish i could have spent 6 weeks with him & i would have had him much slimmer etc than they did! Fact!
Who hired the fitness people? Rafa!
Dont forget he also fell out with Paco back in 07 if memory serves. .that is when thing actually started to go ti*s up in most people i've spoken to's opinions!
Cause they started seeing Rafa's now well publicised ego for probably the first time.
Ask yourself one question: What is the one thing in football that wins you titles, games etc? Goals?
Well why would a supposedly amazing manager leave his team with only one, yes one (injured) proven goalscorer? This has been the case since Keane was dumped like an unwanted puppy. Roy has also kept this trend up of not getting a decent partner / backup for Fernando. A recipe for disaster surely.
Is it a coincidence we finished so low last season with only one forward (Torres) in & out of the team all the time.
Check the facts Gazman Gazman if that really is your name & take your finger outta my arse!

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 19:49:46

YNWA
YES THEY HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO BE STUBBORN SO 2 LEAGUES IN SPAIN EUFEA CUP FA CUP CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNERS ANOTHER FINALE
IN ATHENS 2ND IN THE LEAGUE ALL THIS WITH THE YANKS OWNING THE CLUB . NONE OF THE ABOVS NAMED MANAGERS HAD TO SHOW A PROFIT ON TRANSFERS RAFA DID IN HIS LAST 3 WINDOWS.
HOW DO YOU EXPECT HIM TO COMPETE ?.

His failures was mainly due to bad substitutions, playing players out of position, zonal marking on set pieces and waisting millions on rubbish, look at wenger, ok they don't win much but are very competative and he spends vey little money

YES I DO LOVE LIVERPOOL FC THATS WHY ILL DEFEND WHAT I BELIEVE IS RIGHT FOR MY CLUB NO
MATTER IF I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO BELIEVED IT.
SOUL MAN.

But the mere fact that few people agree with you should make you realise that maybe the club was right to sack Rafa, i remember staying in the kop for over half an hour after a game singing support for him and i apreciate the early success he achieved but the time had come for change

 

 

15 Sep 2010 19:40:40
Very good point to my original post. No doubt Benitez would have made Moores realise that to compete at the high end would cost millions. Moores knowing that he didn't have the business acumen to run a club with revenues to match knew his time was up. However i doubt the decision to suddenly usurp DIC with the yanks was Benitez' doing. No one could ever claim that masterstroke was anything other than greed on Moores' behalf.

team for tomorrow night:
Reina, Johnson, Agger, Carra, Konchesky, Babel, Meireles, Poulsen, Pacheco, Cole, Ngog. Although i would prefer Kelly at RB and Johnson pushed up.

Bob the Red

 

 

15 Sep 2010 19:37:01

Interesting the comments/ opinions about Benitez. I find it a little odd that one person's opinion is ridiculed and vice versa. It's a tad arrogant to say my opinion is right and yours is wrong.

WHAT?? ??

It's a bloody strange argument if you think you'er opinion is right and the other persons is also right?

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 19:28:55
RE: Gerard Houllier vs Rafa Benitez; the zing and zang of liverpool

Style of Play:

Garard Houllier was a little too attacking in his play, left too many holes at the back and mistakes that cost liverpool sucess.

Rafa enjoyed immiediate success because he was able to make the team more defensive minded. This bought us Champions league success with Garard Houlliers players in 2005.

Houllier guided Liverpool to six trophies during his time in charge. Benitez's Champions League win in 2005 was achieved using a team that was largely the result of Hollier's work.

"Twelve out of 14 in Istanbul were players Hollier's signed or developed

Houllier left Liverpool with a team that was in Champions League football n top 4.

Benitez left liverpool wit a team out of champions league n 7th and most of good players wantin to leave

Transfers:

While everyone is aware of Garard Houllier's tactics of recruiting the youth of France for liverpool was not successful. We now know that many of these potienal great players never made it because they where no up to physical demands of premiership and mentally fast pace of football.

Rafa Benitez truly did buy world class proven players. pro footballers, and didn't invest in the youth. Torres, javier Mascherano, Xabi alonso, garcia, Arbeola

This brings Rafa Immediate success but costs the club in the long run because youth suffers.

zing and zang:

I believe Rafa needs a Houllier; someone actack minded to balance his defensive mind.

Like how the NFL has two coaches. one for attack and another for defense.

I think Houllier was a better manager of people and developer of players.

Rafa Benitez knows how to bring quality players and pick up more points by playing defensive. How to get Cup Success.

 

 

15 Sep 2010 19:20:24

I think kelly should be thrown in the deep sunday against manu and move johnson to RM
my team sunday

reina
kelly carragher agger koncheskey
poulson
gerrard
johnson meirles cole
torres

that wud give the scum trouble. .

Good call, Think this team would give most teams trouble, we need to go for the throat, i'd also have Amoo and Pacheco on the bench.

 

 

15 Sep 2010 19:18:09

Saw this posted this morning on the Rumours page and can't say I was surprised, but this guy does have some great points. In fact, I was nodding with approval at what this Julian guys was saying. reading what is happening today then it makes more sense.

* NOT AN APOLOGY - MORE AN EXPLANATION *

I am Markus von-Hohenzollern-Viet.
In fact, that's not my real name, but one I invented to prove the viral of a viral campaign on the web.
I have been impressed with the standards of retorts and pure abuse that sometimes passes as posting on here.

To the man who wrote that "no arms dealer over my dead body!" - not sure he meant the pun as intended, but ask yourself about the dodgy owners of clubs worldwide.
The French chairman who tried to have a rival killed.
The Dutch chairman who was involved in a drugs cartel.
The chairman of an English club involved in financial theft; or the one who had a business rival beaten senseless; or the one who was financing the club through a mixture of drug-dealing and theft.
My point about Viet and his profession was all about highlighting how easily we foget and ignore where people's cash comes from if it means making our club strong!

We were nearly owned by a man whose political life is mired in death, financial irregularity and oppression.
We could have been taken over by a man representing a regime that is knee deep in the deaths of political prisoners and what they consider subversive elements.
So being owned by an arms dealer is a mere trifle!

Adnan Khashoggi is one of the best known arms dealers and is feted across the world by governments.
US arms dealers and their British counterparts are treated to dinners at Chequers and The White House - and BAE Systems (one of the largest UK employees) makes planes and weapons of death. Yet we gave them a government grant, then huge contracts and a Queen's Award for Industry.

My point is that with the madlong rush to make us great again, we have been prepared to toy with a number of odd, or maybe even dubious characters. Football has ever been so. We are conveniently blind to issues when we want to be and rail and rage against minor ones when we are irritated.

The game is inherently dodgy and to illustrate that, consider the agents who push players to move on a regular basis; the under the counter payments to managers (Clough and Graham); the ludicrous bonus payments for failure to players and managers; the missing millions from clubs like Portsmouth that were highlighted in the media and the mismanagement of the game by mny of the governing bodies. Hard to argue with sanity, fair play and financial prudence in your mind isn't it?

That brings me back - finally - to Markus von Hohenzollern-Viet. A viral campaign and one that has highlighted how easy it is in this game to get tongues wagging. Don't be samrt after the event and post "well I always knew" and "it never fooled me mate!" It was never meant to do that. It was intended to get people talking and asking questions. We are in danger of aching and wanting so much for a new owner that the person or group we get, may be worse than the mess we are in now.

We are panicking.
I am unhappy and distraught as a Liverpool fan of 30+ years at the way things are progressing(!) on and off the pitch, but there maybe more of a darkness ahead than we think.

This will be my last posting on this issue and I will not be responding to any postings about this particular one. I expect abuse from irritated posters who just need to vent their anger over . . . in most cases anything! BUT I also expect to read from some of the more enlighted posters about the salient points in my arguments.

Markus von Hohenzollern-Viet was a creation designed to highlight our fear of the future. My only hope is that as we panic, scream and shout for our future to be sorted out, we don't plunge headlong into a maelstrom of madness that will finally see Liverpool FC as an average mid-table team with (as Steve Parker has said on here a few times) just finishing as "an average club with a massive history."

Julian West

 

 

15 Sep 2010 19:16:53

WORST CASE SCENARIO H&G find the cash to repay the RBS and carry on striping the club.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 19:05:09

15 Sep 2010 18:36:23
Interesting the comments/ opinions about Benitez. I find it a little odd that one person's opinion is ridiculed and vice versa. It's a tad arrogant to say my opinion is right and yours is wrong.

I was a big Rafa fan as many would tell you, so i'm always going to give the examples that supports my view. However he made mistakes, like all managers. He was never liked by the media from the off and they had the knives out for him very early on. Therefore anything he did wrong was stuck under the microscope and given maximum attention. He didn't help his cause either with his relations with them e.g he was slaughtered for his team selection against Burnley in Jan 2005, then he was 'given' the accusation of tinkering too much with the team, whilst Fergie et al was left alone despite the facts that they actually tinkered more than Rafa ever did.

His poor pre/ post match comments didn't help either. His relationships with other managers were frosty at best, however i'd tell Bruce and Fat Sam where to stick it. They used the media against him.

He most definitely improved the squad from the one inherited, there can be no doubt about that. Under the final years of Gerard we were struggling to make any impact in the league and in Europe. Under Rafa we were voted the strongest team in Europe in 2008, consistently in the latter stages of the CL, beating all teams Barca, Inter, AC, Chelsea, Arsenal, Benfica, Porto, Real Madrid. Arguably the best in Europe. He had issues at home admittedly but apart from the first season, we comfortably qualified for the CL year on year.

His biggest mistake? No doubt the selling of Alonso and the failure to replace like for like was massive. But the actual unsettling of Alonso in wanting to replace him with Barry was arguably the biggest head scratcher and no one can ever dispute that. The failure to replace Keane (buying him in the first place was wrong) was another issue and this was the start of the finish.

He probably deserved to go when he did. But do not let the awful last season cloud his overall excellent record with us. Nobody would have forecast in the summer of 2009 the unexplainable season we were due to have. There were few warnings. Can anyone explain this? It goes further than Alonso who we must all remember was utter tosh in 2007/ 08.

Signings are another subjective viewpoint. Benitez stated when he joined that 50 pro's on the books were not good enough. 50! He stated he could not replace them all at once but would do it over time, if given the resources and time. However with no Abramovich in sight, signings were going to be pretty hit and miss and again there were some barmy one's, which in hindsight you have to just look and scratch your head. He admited in 2007 that he had to take gambles with cheap signings and knew at the time that some would fail, but hoped that enough of the £5/ 6M players that he signed would turn out to be successful. Where i could name one great/ good signing, someone else will mention one or even two crap one's.

With the joining of the yanks, it was probably the worst pairing, Benitez not known for his grandeur relationships with any Board, certainly did not take to the way the Yanks ran the club. He had allies in the fans but this took up too much attention as Benitez grew tired of consistently having to buy cheap players. Whether he was under the impression that £20M players were to be the order of the day and spat his dummy out when it didn't come off who knows.

To me, Benitez will be seen as a success. I have no issue with him going when he did. My biggest, single criticism of him was his complete and utter failure to blood the youth, despite him saying for several seasons that youth is the way to go. He bought some fantastic players Alonso, Reina and Torres who are simply world class. He bought some duds as well Josemi, Nunez, Morientes.

That's my view. You can pick it to pieces and make your points. I welcome it. Remember not saying i'm right, just my opinion. Interesting to see what others think.

Bob the Red

Good post. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was Rafa that 'pushed' Moores and Parry into the deal with H&G because he wanted more transfer money. I think something might come out in a book in the future. Then remember he allegedly sided with Hicks in his 'fall out' with Gillett. he was really good at picking fights. But I agree the anti Liverpool media and press did 'go' for him unfairly since summer 2004.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 18:36:23
Interesting the comments/ opinions about Benitez. I find it a little odd that one person's opinion is ridiculed and vice versa. It's a tad arrogant to say my opinion is right and yours is wrong.

I was a big Rafa fan as many would tell you, so i'm always going to give the examples that supports my view. However he made mistakes, like all managers. He was never liked by the media from the off and they had the knives out for him very early on. Therefore anything he did wrong was stuck under the microscope and given maximum attention. He didn't help his cause either with his relations with them e.g he was slaughtered for his team selection against Burnley in Jan 2005, then he was 'given' the accusation of tinkering too much with the team, whilst Fergie et al was left alone despite the facts that they actually tinkered more than Rafa ever did.

His poor pre/ post match comments didn't help either. His relationships with other managers were frosty at best, however i'd tell Bruce and Fat Sam where to stick it. They used the media against him.

He most definitely improved the squad from the one inherited, there can be no doubt about that. Under the final years of Gerard we were struggling to make any impact in the league and in Europe. Under Rafa we were voted the strongest team in Europe in 2008, consistently in the latter stages of the CL, beating all teams Barca, Inter, AC, Chelsea, Arsenal, Benfica, Porto, Real Madrid. Arguably the best in Europe. He had issues at home admittedly but apart from the first season, we comfortably qualified for the CL year on year.

His biggest mistake? No doubt the selling of Alonso and the failure to replace like for like was massive. But the actual unsettling of Alonso in wanting to replace him with Barry was arguably the biggest head scratcher and no one can ever dispute that. The failure to replace Keane (buying him in the first place was wrong) was another issue and this was the start of the finish.

He probably deserved to go when he did. But do not let the awful last season cloud his overall excellent record with us. Nobody would have forecast in the summer of 2009 the unexplainable season we were due to have. There were few warnings. Can anyone explain this? It goes further than Alonso who we must all remember was utter tosh in 2007/ 08.

Signings are another subjective viewpoint. Benitez stated when he joined that 50 pro's on the books were not good enough. 50! He stated he could not replace them all at once but would do it over time, if given the resources and time. However with no Abramovich in sight, signings were going to be pretty hit and miss and again there were some barmy one's, which in hindsight you have to just look and scratch your head. He admited in 2007 that he had to take gambles with cheap signings and knew at the time that some would fail, but hoped that enough of the £5/ 6M players that he signed would turn out to be successful. Where i could name one great/ good signing, someone else will mention one or even two crap one's.

With the joining of the yanks, it was probably the worst pairing, Benitez not known for his grandeur relationships with any Board, certainly did not take to the way the Yanks ran the club. He had allies in the fans but this took up too much attention as Benitez grew tired of consistently having to buy cheap players. Whether he was under the impression that £20M players were to be the order of the day and spat his dummy out when it didn't come off who knows.

To me, Benitez will be seen as a success. I have no issue with him going when he did. My biggest, single criticism of him was his complete and utter failure to blood the youth, despite him saying for several seasons that youth is the way to go. He bought some fantastic players Alonso, Reina and Torres who are simply world class. He bought some duds as well Josemi, Nunez, Morientes.

That's my view. You can pick it to pieces and make your points. I welcome it. Remember not saying i'm right, just my opinion. Interesting to see what others think.

Bob the Red

 

 

15 Sep 2010 18:12:42

"have heard from fellow Liverpool fans and work colleagues questioning the role of Sammy Lee in the coaching team at Liverpool (a good LFC player but not as good as Jimmy Case who he replaced as No8 on the right of MF). They argue that Sammy is the reason why the likes of Pacheco, Spearing and Shelvey will not make significant breakthroughs this season. They also suggest the Benitez era went downhill when he joined the coaching team after Paco left because of Sammys negativity about some squad member (Babel, Pacheco, Reira). Is this believable or unbelievable?"

It went downhill so much that Liverpool managed to come second in the premier league in his first season.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 17:55:28
YNWA
YES THEY HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO BE STUBBORN SO 2 LEAGUES IN SPAIN EUFEA CUP FA CUP CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNERS ANOTHER FINALE
IN ATHENS 2ND IN THE LEAGUE ALL THIS WITH THE YANKS OWNING THE CLUB . NONE OF THE ABOVS NAMED MANAGERS HAD TO SHOW A PROFIT ON TRANSFERS RAFA DID IN HIS LAST 3 WINDOWS.
HOW DO YOU EXPECT HIM TO COMPETE ?.
YES I DO LOVE LIVERPOOL FC THATS WHY ILL DEFEND WHAT I BELIEVE IS RIGHT FOR MY CLUB NO
MATTER IF I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO BELIEVED IT.
SOUL MAN.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 17:38:39

15 Sep 2010 17:26:42
'I will support Hodgson but I don't know one Liverpool fan who wanted him? do you?'

Yes, I did want Roy as our manager - I love Kenny Dalglish and the memories he gave me as a player (& manager) but he's hasn't done the job for near to ten years (and even longer than that successfully.) To have appointed him would have felt like the kind of hysterical decision that Newcastle would make.

The difference between winners and losers is to make the correct decisions without sentiment.

It was also time to get a british manager in after Houllier & Benitez (who both have left the club and its infra-structure in very good nick, debt aside) but who have may be lost the club some its heart. Hodgson is a good coach, that's what the club needs, not some high-profile foreign manager that would only rip it up and start again - we can't afford that anymore.

I THINK I AGREE. I LOVE HAVING KENNY BACK INVOVED AT THE CLUB. PRESUMABLY IF WE GET BACK TO WINNING EUROPEAN TROPHIES KENNY WILL BE FIRST UP THE STEPS AS OUR AMBASSADOR, JUST AS BOBBY CHARLTON HAS DONE FOR MUTD IN RECENT YEARS. DIDN'T RICK PARRY GO UP THE STEPS FIRST IN ATHENS? IF SO I THINK KENNY WOULD BE FAR BETTER.
BUT I THINK EVERYBODY WOULD ADMIT THAT IF KENNY HAD BECOME MANAGER AGAIN, THAT HIS FOOTBALL NAME, FANTASTIC SENSE OF HUMOUR AND LOVELY SMILE WOULD BEEN GREAT TEAM MORAL.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 17:33:07

GAZMAN 100 percent right about rafa.dont let the so called lfc fans get you down stand and fight your corner. i will defend rafa as long as i think he was the right man to take us forward no matter what abuse i might get for spelling / puncuation.
these so called fans who say everything he did right was luck and every thing bad was his foult
are prats. like ive allways saidrafa made misstakes
was he stubborn yes .are wenger/ taggart / special one stubborn? i think so.
soul man.

REPLY

Taggart and the special one have a right to be stubborn with all the success they have had! !

I think you are the stubborn one, sticking by a manger that was failing to be successful at a club that you are suposed to love, did you enjoy our seventh place last year?

Why would anybody criticise your spelling?

YNWA

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 17:26:42
'I will support Hodgson but I don't know one Liverpool fan who wanted him? do you?'

Yes, I did want Roy as our manager - I love Kenny Dalglish and the memories he gave me as a player (& manager) but he's hasn't done the job for near to ten years (and even longer than that successfully.) To have appointed him would have felt like the kind of hysterical decision that Newcastle would make.

The difference between winners and losers is to make the correct decisions without sentiment.

It was also time to get a british manager in after Houllier & Benitez (who both have left the club and its infra-structure in very good nick, debt aside) but who have may be lost the club some its heart. Hodgson is a good coach, that's what the club needs, not some high-profile foreign manager that would only rip it up and start again - we can't afford that anymore.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 17:12:53
GAZMAN 100 percent right about rafa.dont let the so called lfc fans get you down stand and fight your corner. i will defend rafa as long as i think he was the right man to take us forward no matter what abuse i might get for spelling / puncuation.
these so called fans who say everything he did right was luck and every thing bad was his foult
are prats. like ive allways saidrafa made misstakes
was he stubborn yes .are wenger/ taggart / special one stubborn? i think so.
soul man.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 16:46:47

Liverpool's formation on weekend
- - - - - - - torres- - - - - - - -
j.cole- - - - - - - - - - - - -babel
- - - - - - gerrard- - - - - - - -
- - - Meireles- -paulsen- - - - -
konschesky- carra- agger- -johnson

agreed?

 

 

15 Sep 2010 16:27:23

My whole issue is I just don't see Hodgeson being an improvement on Benitez. Ive played in teams where all the players were happier with the manager because he was a mate and it was a disaster.

REPLY

Nobody is saying he should be a 'mate', but someone they look upto, respect, listen to what they say and WANT to work hard to impress him due to the admiration they have for him, i would'nt expect them to be drinking buddies, or go to the cinema together

I think Rafa was tacticly a good manager, but had NO man managment skills, bought badly, substituted badly, loved zonal marking in set pieces, and constantly played players out of position

I do agree that the new owners could find their own manager, in fact unless we have instant success unfortunately we could have a new manager every fortnight like Man City do! !

YNWA

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 16:08:26
{ed's note - players terrified of Shanks? Not at all! They were in awe of him, there is a huge difference. Same with Mourinho, the players love Mourinho but they are in awe of him, it is not about fear of the man but fear of letting him down.}

Ultimately its about respect ed.

My whole issue is I just don't see Hodgeson being an improvement on Benitez. Ive played in teams where all the players were happier with the manager because he was a mate and it was a disaster. Benitez wasn't media friendly and the anti english press had a field day when the wheels came off - I think that had much more to do with his downfall - in the fans and players minds (as well as poor results).

I will support Hodgeson but I don't know one Liverpool fan who wanted him? do you?

I personally would have let Dalglish be caretaker manager until the takeover happened. Who's to say the new owner(s) won't want there own man in charge? I would if I was spending 600 mill! So, if that happens - we are stuck with another managers cast offs.

Gazman

 

 

15 Sep 2010 16:08:00
WHO CARES WHAT THE BOARD THINK! do you know who the board are? most people here know more about football than half of the board mate, and the other half of the board don't support Liverpool you plum!.

WOW gazman, you call me a plum,

Quick question how many people have sided with you backed you up or anything.

What does it matter if half the board don't SUPPORT LFC,

Did Xabi alonso, Javier Mascherano, John arne riise, Pepe Reina, Daniel Agger, Dirk Kuyt, BILL SHANKLY, no they didn't (at least not born to) but they all new how to make LFC a success.

So please go back to your paper (colouring book) and let the grown ups talk Football eh kid, Because if you had 1 more brain cell it would be lonely.

Gazman = Mr Ferguson stop trying to disrupt us ahead of our big game with your shower of SH*TE

 

 

15 Sep 2010 16:02:24

Gary glitter is going to buy lfc for a pritt stick and some glitter. Good source Ibz

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 15:54:22

- Ferguson has close relationships with his players? Shankly? what are you smoking? they were/ are terrified of them. Even Mourhinho doesn't suffer fools. You talk s* te {ed's note - players terrified of Shanks? Not at all! They were in awe of him, there is a huge difference. Same with Mourinho, the players love Mourinho but they are in awe of him, it is not about fear of the man but fear of letting him down

You watch the way Ferguson treats Scholes, Giggs, Neville infact all his players, after the Charity shield for example he was going around all his players putting his arm around them, laughing and joking with them, ok they also fear his anger but you can see that they are close to him and play their hearts out for the respect and admiration they have for him and as for the others well i think ed said that for me, would Rafa be like this, No

Maybe, just maybe it's you that talk's sh* e

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 15:48:57

I have to say that when and not if the liverpool takeover happens i belive that liverpool should but Kenny Dalglish as honoury chairman like niall quinn is at sunderland , i belive this would be recognition of
a great palyer, manager, and his current role as ambassador, .
after getting overlooked for managers job

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 15:00:30
The whole of liverpool board room disagree with you about rafa, The whole liverpool Squad disagree with you, The whole Liverpool fan base disagree with you, and yet your still saying we will miss him, i don't think for 1 second you no more than the board.

GAZMAN REPLY

WHO CARES WHAT THE BOARD THINK! do you know who the board are? most people here know more about football than half of the board mate, and the other half of the board don't support Liverpool you plum!.

 

 

15 Sep 2010 14:56:51
Rafa didn't win the champions league, stevie g, dudek and carra did. Rafa didn't win the 2006 f.a cup, again stevie g did. To be honest if you take stevie g out of rafa's team, what would we have won? Thought so. I think rafa had his moments, but those were cancelled out by his faults as the pool manager. Torres, reina, alonso, masch, etc were fantastic buys but honestly? How many times did he get it wrong in the market? For every good player he bought he bought 10 average or poor ones. Facts. Rafa good enough for the reds job? No. Roy hodgeson? Probably not. King kenny? Absolutely, even though he is getting on in age. Roy evans? Same as king kenny. Why them? Easy-ATTACKING, CREATIVE, LIVERPOOL FC TYPE FOOTBALL!
Red bl00ded!

 

 

15 Sep 2010 14:51:52
You'er wrong, most of the best managers ever have all had close relationships to their players, Mourinho, Shankly, Ferguson, some players need an arm around them, even Gerrard has spoken how much he prefers it in his Autobiography, it depends on each individual, but i always think it's better to get players to want to please you than make players feel they have too, and let's face it agree or not Rafa's approach did not work.

- Ferguson has close relationships with his players? Shankly? what are you smoking? they were/ are terrified of them. Even Mourhinho doesn't suffer fools. You talk s* te {ed's note - players terrified of Shanks? Not at all! They were in awe of him, there is a huge difference. Same with Mourinho, the players love Mourinho but they are in awe of him, it is not about fear of the man but fear of letting him down.}

 

 

15 Sep 2010 14:50:20

To Blair Mayne YNWA,

If you have seen Jova so far he cannot have instilled any confidence into you. Id go with babel if neville was playing. Likelihood is though O'Shea will return to right back.

Rez

Great point Rez but can you see Roy playing Ryan LW come Sunday.

Blair Mayne YNWA

 

 

15 Sep 2010 14:42:17

All things considered and posts read. .

1. Takeover - We can all say the takeover is "really close" or "due to be completed by. .", as many have done so on this site, and, as we don't have new owners ALL have been proved wrong in months gone by. When the club gets bought, god only knows what the new owners aims for the club will be and more importantly what they plan to invest in the squad.

2. New Stadium - Whilst having a new stadium will bring in more revenue, I don't see this as being critical to Liverpools future. Without a decent squad and success on the pitch I think many fans will not be committing to ridiculous ticket prices to watch an average team at best.

3. The squad - I like Woy, I think he will be good for us in the long term, shipping out the over aged players for our reserves and getting us more homegrown talent for the future.

My only disappointment so far is that we have been left with a squad with no natural wide players and no pace. Torres is fast yes, but he is one player from the usual 11 picked each week.

I appreciate his reluctance to bring just anyone in to fill the voids, but being selfish and going to the games this season, we are severaly lacking creativity, pace and width.

Too many players in the same mould. . Maxi, Jovanovic, Kuyt that just can't take a player on and get to the goal line.

Rant over almost - it just amazes me at the players you see moving each window and you think - he would fit in well with us - but then nothing materialises. Adam Johnson, Defoe, Van der vaart even Darren Bent. And then there's always the pathetic deal for Alonso. . could have asked about Saviola, VDV, Sneijder, Marcelo etc as makeweights.

Can't wait for tomorrow night. At least Meireles and Cole will give me some entertainment!

* *WELSH KOPITE* *

 

 

15 Sep 2010 14:40:18
Lets just stop this crap about playing G Johnson at right midfield, Have you not seen how he has looked going forward recently? it`s as bad as his defending.!
He just wanders up to his opponent and stands there trying to work out what to do, nothing positive at all. Drop him and play Kelly who is a much better defender and more positive when in possesion at present. Perhaps Johnson will then wake upi.?

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 14:24:37

15 Sep 2010 13:47:12

Kenny Dalglish was in London head office of UBS yesterday afternoon - something finnancial perhaps?

Is that not the bank that made millions with nazi gold?

 

 

15 Sep 2010 14:12:02

It doesn't matter to me what you think mate because these things happened under Benitez. He wasn't the players best mate and I think that's how it should be.

You'er wrong, most of the best managers ever have all had close relationships to their players, Mourinho, Shankly, Ferguson, some players need an arm around them, even Gerrard has spoken how much he prefers it in his Autobiography, it depends on each individual, but i always think it's better to get players to want to please you than make players feel they have too, and let's face it agree or not Rafa's approach did not work.

 

 

15 Sep 2010 14:06:13
Squad Roy should play for Steau

Reina

Kelly Wilson Agger Konchesky


Meireles Shelvey


Amoo Cole Pacheco

Babel


Subs; Maxi, Jovanovic, Ngog, Skrtel, Jones, Poulsen, Sterling

I disagree. Although a good idea to start with if we do need to pull a goal back or nick a late winner then we will need some fire power on the bench. Torres and Gerrard although been playing not so great recently will be able to do this and can at least be on the bench.

Can someone please tell me why we are still playing two holding midfielders at home? Shouldn't we be going all out attack and make teams fear coming to Anfield!

 

 

15 Sep 2010 14:06:02

To Blair Mayne YNWA,

If you have seen Jova so far he cannot have instilled any confidence into you. Id go with babel if neville was playing. Likelihood is though O'Shea will return to right back.

Rez

 

 

15 Sep 2010 14:03:40
I think kelly should be thrown in the deep sunday against manu and move johnson to RM
my team sunday

reina
kelly carragher agger koncheskey
poulson
gerrard
johnson meirles cole
torres

that wud give the scum trouble. .

 

 

15 Sep 2010 13:57:36
Boys, stop with all this we need to see Shelvey etc. playing tomorrow night and save Gerrard, Torres etc. What we need is to play the best team and get some cohesion going and some confidence. We are looking very very poor at present and the only way this is going to improve is to play the same team for a few games, nobody needs a bloody rest yet.!
Roy changed the team that played OK against Arsenal when they played the Europa qualifier and then changed that to play City, how well did that work? We need to get the season going as we are in danger of stagnating.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 13:47:23

Squad Roy should play for Steau

Reina

Kelly Wilson Agger Konchesky


Meireles Shelvey


Amoo Cole Pacheco

Babel


Subs; Maxi, Jovanovic, Ngog, Skrtel, Jones, Poulsen, Sterling

I disagree. Although a good idea to start with if we do need to pull a goal back or nick a late winner then we will need some fire power on the bench. Torres and Gerrard although been playing not so great recently will be able to do this and can at least be on the bench.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 13:30:29

One of the 1st names i would have on my team sheet on Sunday would be Jovanovic. The reason being is that Old Strawberry Nose will probably play his and Beckhams love child (Gary Neville) and Jova's pace will destroy him.

Blair Mayne YNWA

 

 

15 Sep 2010 13:09:06

To ed.

Watching and reading about young Adam Hammill today only confirms what I thought at the time. Letting him and Paul Anderson go without giving them a chance has got to be a mistake. Maybe they wouldn't have been regulars but we will never know. I only hope Amoo and the likes get a chance soon before they have to leave to prove themselves.

I hope Adam gets the move to the prem his performances deserve {ed's note - I used to get a lot of stick on Liverpool forums for bigging up Hammill and Anderson and calling for them to be given a chance. I remember people pointing out how wrong I was when they 'only' got moves to Championship clubs so they can't be all that good. I am so looking forward to being able to say 'I told you so' when Hammill gets his Prem move!}

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 13:08:51
We will see if it was a mistake to get rid of Benitez won't we? It makes no difference to me as a Liverpool fan if you wanted him out or not, or if you thought he was lucky winning la liga twice with Valencia, or if he was lucky winning the champions league and getting to the final again with Liverpool or coming the closest to winning the prem with Liverpool for 20 years? It doesn't matter to me what YOU think mate.

I know what happened and I know that in one season we turned Chelsea over home and away, Utd over home and away - (winning 4-1 at Old Trafford) beating Real Madrid 4-0 in Real's heaviest EVER champions league defeat. It doesn't matter to me what you think mate because these things happened under Benitez. He wasn't the players best mate and I think that's how it should be. Don't tell me not to defend a man who brought some great times to our club, If that makes me a muppet in your book then er, I don't care son.

Maybe his time was up, but don't try and tell me how to feel about something when my week hinges on it mate, and at the moment I don't see that getting rid of Benitez was such a good idea, judging by our displays. So, now let me get back to my newspaper and you can get back to your xbox.

Gazman

 

 

15 Sep 2010 13:08:02
To mr gazman

The whole of liverpool board room disagree with you about rafa, The whole liverpool Squad disagree with you, The whole Liverpool fan base disagree with you, and yet your still saying we will miss him, i don't think for 1 second you no more than the board, players and fanbase, even manure and everton are GUTTED we sacked him (says it all), so just accept you maybe wrong.

gazman = is that you Rafa, go on mate your with milan now.

 

 

15 Sep 2010 13:07:39

From the Madhouse: A tale of delusion and self-loathing. . .

1. Things will get better soon
2. We will be back to where we rightly belong
3. Stevie G will be happy and satisfied to stay
4. Torres loves the club, he won't leave
5. There's good times coming guys with the money we're going to get from the new owners
6. People are still scared of us
7. Don't worry, Roy knows what he's doing
8. Shut up and support the lads
9. Get behind the team all you muppets!
10. Real fans never slag off their clubs!
11. We are going to be back in the Champions League next year
12. Everyone wants to sign for a big club like us
13. Our voice is listened to by the club . . .

"An average club with a massive history!"

A Longtime LFC fan, supporter, devotee and lover of all things LFC. :(

 

 

15 Sep 2010 13:04:49

"To macca

if the ed says your source is credible then that's good enough for me, i believe you have a credible source now and will be reading your post with a lot more intrest from now on mate.

bigfish"

Naming one's source privately to the Ed doesn't confirm the authenticity of the person's claim. Ed, has Macca's source confirmed to you his link with Macca? I wouldn't think so. Anyone can name names. I can give a list of LFC board members and high profile persons connected to the club. That does not mean I have access to them. Even if I had access, it is highly unlikely that they would part with information that could jeopardise the position of the club in any deal. I don't believe a word what Macca says only because he has been proven to be wrong. Nothing personal against the guy. {ed's note - I can see your point, but he has also got some stuff right. I think with rumours you have to take every single one with a pinch of salt, this is why I am very loathe to put anything I have heard onto the site. One wrong thing is enough for people to dismiss everything you say from then on, even if everything else you say is correct. No one will ever have a 100% record, it is just not possible.}

 

 

15 Sep 2010 12:59:06

Squad Roy should play for Steau

Reina

Kelly Wilson Agger Konchesky


Meireles Shelvey


Amoo Cole Pacheco

Babel


Subs; Maxi, Jovanovic, Ngog, Skrtel, Jones, Poulsen, Sterling

 

 

15 Sep 2010 12:58:33

Come on Gazman admit defeat. Rafa had to go.
For someone who was apparently a master tactitian, he continuously played players out of position and could never make a decent substitution. (exception of Hamman in the UCL final).

Negative and overly cautious. I always felt that Rafa was too scared about losing and worried too much about what damage other teams could do to us, that he forgot that we were a dangerous attacking side.

He also systematically froze out our best players, most notably Alonso.

He had to go, I'm right behind Roy, just hope we can rediscover the attacking creative football again soon.

Got to admit tho, I would have given the job to King Kenny everytime.

 

 

15 Sep 2010 12:55:14

Squad Roy should play for Man Utd.

Reina

Carra Skrtel Agger Konchesky


Meireles Gerrard


Johnson Cole Babel


Torres


Subs; Maxi, Pacheco, Amoo, Kelly, Jones, Poulsen

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 12:52:35

Sundays team

Let's attack utd with
Kelly, carra, agger, koncheskey
Johnson, gerrard, mierlies, Cole
Babel, torres.

Agreed!



Totaly agree pal, the team that played sunday may as well of been picked by rafa, two holding midfielders ok birmingham are a decent team at home but were lfc WTF is going on, RH needs to grow a pair of nuts and not be scared of losing a game, were never gonna beat a team that's gonna sit back and defend with 2 holding midfielders and 1 striker, torres can only do so much,

there's two ways to look at it !
1) if you don't concede you don't lose, the way rafa saw things or
2) if you don't score you don't win,

i honestly cannot see us finishing much above mid table without a drastic change in RH attitude towards games,
and were going to get destroyed by man u if massive improvments are made 5 points from a possible 15 not good enough, the owners should save face now and get martin oniel in now.

RH was ok at fulham because if fulham lose a game so what, but when we lose a game its big news and managers are to afraid to go and win a game when managing a top four team like lfc, they would rather just not lose.

 

 

15 Sep 2010 12:48:26
Team Id like to see against Manure

Reina

M. Kelly Carra(V.C) Agger Konchesky

Raul. M

D. Amoo J. Cole

S. Gerrard(C)

F. Torres R. Babel


Subs

GK- Jones
DEF- Johnson
DEF- Skrtel
MID- Lucas
MID- Jovanovic
ATT- Pacheco
ATT- Eccleston

What you think Ed. {ed's note - I would rather see Pacheco play than Babel myself.}

 

 

15 Sep 2010 12:43:13
I believe I saw Steven Gerrard playing for Liverpool on Sunday so why is so much space taken up with the fact that he might have joined Real Madrid? He didn't and never will!

Mal 4

 

 

15 Sep 2010 12:39:53
Think where in 4 a hiding on sunday ferguson out 2 xploit our weakness lucas and poulson n the middle terrible we are definately playn 4 midtable this season jamie carragher isn't half the player he used 2 be glen johnson was shocking on sunday 18 million wat a waste 5 million would of being loads jovanavic useless and we have 1 striker who can't be bothered 2 carry the dead weight any longer and that includes ngogg , kyut, useless strikers and really, does rh know wat he is doing aqua man gone poulson in i think not and who really cares about rh getn fulham to the uefa cup final he lost remember he is not up to the task martin o neil was the man 4 the job and who knows by xmas the way we are going he, l get fired bring in martin o neil

WARNING

the above tripe contains a moody whiney fan, Who beleive's Martin O'neil to be a good manager,

No MON is at best the changing room CLEANER.
His success comes from SPL, the easiest of leagues in the world (including Saturday Pub League), And only had 1 player world while outside of SPL Henrik Larsson.

He also says David Ngog is deadweight, Was he not scoring for fun this season (untill his injury) in europa league and EPL (inluding leading the line against ARSENAL) and would have won us the game had it not been for a mistake by Pepe Reina.

He then questions Roy Hodgson's ability, The guy has been in charge a matter of months give the guy time to build, He also talks down RH getting fulham to eufa Europa league final saying well he didn't win it did he,

1- He got an average (at best) fulham further than LFC

2- he was beat by a very good Atletico Madrid side, And more importantly a WORLD CLASS diego forlan.

bigfish

 

 

15 Sep 2010 12:39:41

2. he only lost/ wasted the ball maybe once or twice out of many times he had it
3. he was always moving, getting into space and ready to take the ball back
4. the runs he made were smart and well timed, getting into good spaces and creating threats
5. he can pass the ball accurately (long or short) and seems to have a good quick footballing head on him
6. he seemed to bring a more positive attitude out of the other midfield and forward players. We seems to bring the game to the oppostion much more after he came on, is the best way I can describe it.
4. he seems very positive- always seemed to be looking for a forward pass
Well assessed. . but this is what I thought of Aquaman too. .SMF

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 12:34:10

Squad Roy should play for Man Utd.

Reina

Johnson Carra Agger Konchesky


Meireles Gerrard


Amoo Cole Jovanovic


Torres


Subs; Maxi, Pacheco, Babel, Skrtel, Jones, Poulsen

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 11:50:45

I think Lucas is not capable of playing in defence. Hodgson should use him as a AM against Steaua. I know you all would hate him any where on the field but he deserves a chance. .

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 10:46:30
Think where in 4 a hiding on sunday ferguson out 2 xploit our weakness lucas and poulson n the middle terrible we are definately playn 4 midtable this season jamie carragher isn't half the player he used 2 be glen johnson was shocking on sunday 18 million wat a waste 5 million would of being loads jovanavic useless and we have 1 striker who can't be bothered 2 carry the dead weight any longer and that includes ngogg , kyut, useless strikers and really, does rh know wat he is doing aqua man gone poulson in i think not and who really cares about rh getn fulham to the uefa cup final he lost remember he is not up to the task martin o neil was the man 4 the job and who knows by xmas the way we are going he, l get fired bring in martin o neil

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 10:40:16

Ed, I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on Meireles short run-out on Sunday.
I'm no expert and I don't really see all the players movements and passing options quickly enough to know if a player is wasting the ball or not, but I know you watch the games a couple of times. So I'm guessing that you will have been watching the new lad's performance very closely, and you probably looked over the last 15 mins a couple of times.
So I wondered if you (or anyone reading) agreed with any of these impressions I had of Meireles:

1. he was involved in almost every positive move LFC made, and got stuck into the game more in those 15 mins than almost any other player in the team
2. he only lost/ wasted the ball maybe once or twice out of many times he had it
3. he was always moving, getting into space and ready to take the ball back
4. the runs he made were smart and well timed, getting into good spaces and creating threats
5. he can pass the ball accurately (long or short) and seems to have a good quick footballing head on him
6. he seemed to bring a more positive attitude out of the other midfield and forward players. We seems to bring the game to the oppostion much more after he came on, is the best way I can describe it.
4. he seems very positive- always seemed to be looking for a forward pass

I suppose in short he seems to be a great all-round player, and when he came on it seemed like suddenly you could see the difference that it makes to team when you have a player like that. I would go so far as to say he was a revelation, in the sense that I suddenly thought: 'Oh yes, so THAT's what we've been missing, and we didn't even realise it because we've been mostly lost in a morass of very average and uninspired midfield play for the last 12 months.'

I still think we need a winger and striker at very least, but I am really optimistic what this side can do with Meireles inspiring better performances from Steven Gerrard (just by him having someone alongside him who he knows isn't going to just lose the ball, and who is always going to be looking to move it forwards if people make runs)- and the possibilities for variety in attacking play, linking with Cole and Jovanovic more effectively than we've seen, allowing the play to flow more freely, and creating much better quality chances for Torres, etc.
He's not exactly the new Alonso, in the sense of the pin-sharp passing and awareness, but he has other qualities that are maybe even more valuable. In fact, would it be closer to say he's closer to Steven Gerrard in style?

And on another note: What have LFC got to do to get a penalty? I mean we didn't deserve to win the game, but that's not the point I'm raising. Who was paying the ref? And all sorts of heavy tackles were flying in without a word from him. Fine if that's the standard approach, but in other games I'm sure players would have been booked for half of those challenges, surely? {ed's note - I agree on Meireles, he lifted the whole team with his movement and sureness in possession. He is a far better player in that position than Gerrard is or was and allowed Gerrard to play the way he wants to play. His movement was constant, unlike Gerrard who doesn't seem to move much anymore when playing there, he tends to wander about more than run these days. I have to say that the coaching that Gerrard has received has done him no favours, now he tries to pick his runs and it just doesn't work. Better to have Gerrard at his all-action best for 60 minutes than the half-arsed one we have now for 90. The other players obviously rate Meireles as you could see the lift in the players after his introduction and the way they looked to pass to him at every opportunity. I just hope he can show that kind of ability over 90 minutes at the weekend.}

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 10:14:16
15 Sep 2010 09:10:35

Sundays team

Let's attack utd with
Kelly, carra, agger, koncheskey
Johnson, gerrard, mierlies, Cole
Babel, torres.

Agreed!

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 09:58:30

GAZMAN IS A MUPPET!

Rafas tactics did not win the UCL in 2005
We struggled against WESTHAM! !? ? to win the FA cup and that was down to Steven Gerrard.
In 2007 we were beat by an old AC Milan while stubborn Rafa left Bellamey on the bench.
Bar that we won nothing.
We did not win the BPL in 2008-2009.
Rafa bought in some great players but mostly he wasted money on crap played good players outta position and left a team bereft of balance or confidence.
Read between the lines no player regrets him leaving.
King Kenny diplomatically stated time was right to go.

Rafa so far with a team that won everything with JOSE has managed to lose the SUPER CUP! BORE DRAW HIS FIRST SERIE A GAME AND STUMBLE TO A HARD FOUGHT DRAW AGAINST FC TWENTE IN THE UCL! !

Watch the Road to Istanbul and see how we scrapped through the group and knockout stages it was the players passion that won the big one INSPITE OF RAFA.

That was the problem with Rafa the team had not only to contend with the opposition but also his crazy attitude and tactics.

INTER will destroy his reputation a process he had long since started on Merseyside.

 

 

15 Sep 2010 09:58:03

" Do you know how hard it is to GET to the champions league final? Look at the teams we beat on the way you numpty. ANYBODY that knows football knows how hard it is to get to the final.

Gazman"

It's hard to get there when a club is challenging on all fronts e.g. Inter and Barca. When you have no chance of winning the league by October then it's not difficult for players to get motivated for the CL. The true test for any manager is winning the league.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 09:56:56

And to go onto signings, Torres for 22 mill? did you not like that one? Alonso for 8? no good? Mash for 18? (the best def mid in the world) still no good for you? Reina? (was it 8?) the best keeper in the prem?
SO, did you celebrate when we won the champions league Kev? because I did.And I was proud when the lads were beaten by Milan two years later too, having done brilliantly to get there.
Have a think Kev.
Gazman

REPLY

So what you are saying is that Rafa should have stayed due to his success the first few seasons, which let's face it was mainly Houliers team and should be forgiven for all the dreadful signings he made because he made a few good ones!

We would never have had any more success because every team new our big weakness, zonal marking on set pieces was the way to defeat Liverpool, everybody knew it except for Rafa. And when a possitive substitution was needed Rafa would throw on a defensive mid or change a defender, he gladly accepted draws when we desperately needed a win

I supported Rafa like all Liverpool fans did but the time had come when we was going no where with him at the helm

I think you should have a think and stop being close minded, he could not take us any further, i'm not saying Roy is the right man (only time will tell) but Rafa was certainly not

YNWA

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 09:21:35
Why not play miereles and shelvey in the middle, i watched the reserves last night and shelvy looked really good in the middle of the park he can passs, head and tackle

 

 

15 Sep 2010 09:13:14

Did anyone see the reserve games last night? If so do you agree with me that it was a good performance. Amoo, ince and suso look real quality and I hope Roy plays them in the Carling Cup next week. I was hoping that Shelvey and Wilson would get a game tomorrow but does anyone have any inside knowledge of who will playing and more importantly where I can watch the game as I can't get to Anfield myself

 

 

15 Sep 2010 09:10:35

Sundays team

Let's attack utd with
Reina
Kelly, carra, agger, koncheskey
Johnson, gerrard, mierlies, Cole
Babbel, torres.

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 08:44:58
Kev.

Which absolute fool posted this?:

only just seen it. . about Rafa

Season 1 : Terrible in League, brought in one of the worst players in our long history (Nunez) in part transfer for Owen. .disaster! Josemi? Really Rafa?
In the Champions League final he got tactics all wrong so we were 3 down at half time. .brought on Hamman at half time to keep the score down (Dont tell me he knew Hamman comin on would mean we'd come back 3-3).

Are YOU thick?

WE WON THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE! - the champions league! what more do you want! Rafa's wife? are you stupid. And he got to the final again 2 years later!

Ive said it before and I'l say it again - We made a huge mistake getting rid of Raf Benitez. Watch

Gazman


Er Gazman,
Seriously now kid ask yourself how we improved under the fat Spaniard?
We went backwards in the league for one which all us fans have had as our #1 priority the last few seasons since Man U have been catching up to our 18 titles. We luckily won that Champs Lg. That situation will probably never ever happen in such a big final again. It was not Rafa's defensive switch that changed the game - if you believe that you're kidding yourself. How can you defend a man who bought such rubbish as Lucas for 7m, Josemi for 3.5, Johnson for 17m, Cavalieri for 3m, Babel for 11m then wasted his talent, Sold Keane for a loss cause his ego got the better of him. I could go on.
He fell out with Torres (start of season 07/ 08), Riera (last season), Benny (throughout the last 2 or 3 seasons off & on), Alonso (well documented) & Dudek (Our Champs Lg hero no less), even Hyypia (season 09/ 10). All cause of his ego. He also wanted full running of club which he got & guess what happened then, er LAST SEASON! So i'm sorry now but you are talking outta your nether regions!
Stop being blinkered and get back to reality.
Rafa left us in worse condition than when he found us. Simple as & end of story. The facts are there for all to see!
We had a decent team in 07/ 08 & 08/ 09 until he sold Crouch who he also fell out with & Keane who he treated like dirt and stupidly never replaced them.
If we'd kept Keane or replaced him we could have won the league in 08/ 09 but drew against West Ham & Fulham at home. Cause of a lack of fire power me thinks? Who would you blame for that? Houllier? Souness? No Rafa! But we will recover!
Once this takeover is done Rafa will be just a bad dream hopefully. And finally next time you criticsize a post Gazman - Try reading the whole post as that post was not all anti Rafa. It was a pretty decent effort of being fair to ever


In reply- You are on the wind-up mate, or a Utd fan getting kicks. Do you know how hard it is to GET to the champions league final? Look at the teams we beat on the way you numpty. ANYBODY that knows football knows how hard it is to get to the final. Do you want me to list the teams we beat on the way? And were you celebrating that night or sitting in the corner with your finger up your arse moaning how rafa got the starting line-up wrong? Have a word with yourself mate.

Every true Liverpool fan knows that it went sour for Benitez when he let Alonso go. And to make more of a mockery of your argument, Benitez came the closest out of any Liverpool manager since 1990 to winning the title two years ago mate so I don't see your argument that, to quote "the league for one which all us fans have had as our #1 priority the last few seasons since Man U have been catching up to our 18 titles" AND you stating the bleeding obvious to say the least.

And to go onto signings, Torres for 22 mill? did you not like that one? Alonso for 8? no good? Mash for 18? (the best def mid in the world) still no good for you? Reina? (was it 8?) the best keeper in the prem?

SO, did you celebrate when we won the champions league Kev? because I did.And I was proud when the lads were beaten by Milan two years later too, having done brilliantly to get there.

Have a think Kev.

Gazman

Gazman

 

 

 

 

15 Sep 2010 02:29:24

Also if you actually read the article or have read it before you would know it dates back about a month ago and talks about taking over before the transfer deadline

 

 

15 Sep 2010 01:59:28
RE:Liverpool are 6/ 4 favourites to get Jose Mourinho's as next Liverpool Manager.

Bookies make Liverpool favourites

Also Mourinho's contract in Madrid reportedly allows him to leave the club at the end of each season.


Manchester City are 2/ 1
Manchester United are 10/ 3

 

 

15 Sep 2010 01:28:26


Hope so Macca then you can come back on here and tell me "I told you so".

Blair Mayne YNWA

PS. Who's your source?

Cant really say mate other than he has been at the club a lot longer than most of the people on the board

Macca


BULLs* t! your source is that fat idiot at Koptalk the only person except you claiming Gerrard deal was done.