Rafa calls for change

[El Jefecito]

Believe me mate, i'm far from niave but we don't need to stoop to their tricks to succeed. One of the reasons we are a different type of club to Utd & Chelsea is that we've never moaned about such stuff. i'm a great believer in doing your talking on the pitch not off it. would paisley have bothered with such stuff, not a chance but we'd still have gone out & beat the likes of Pompey.

I can see where you are coming from, but still it's worthwhile to wring any advantage we can out of the FA/EPL.

[Morph]

i'm not denying we've had our more than our fair share of early kick offs but thats the way it goes i'm afraid. I think that Rafa continually going on about it may effect the players mindset in this and later games. The TV deal clearly doesn't stipulate how many early kick offs any one club can have, we are happy to take the cash and are therefore at Sky & Setanta's mercy. It would be a joke to tell Sky you can't have certain clubs playing at certain times after international matches.

You're still not getting it mate, it's not about certain clubs it should apply to all clubs, we shouldn't have more more than our fair share after internationals. Either they should be should be told they can televise an evening game or they can pick certain matches but there has to be a fair balance. Just because they're behind the tv deal shouldn't give them the divine right to pick what they want. We can't stop them so it's up to the FA or the PL to step in and this is obviously why Rafa's speaking up.


For my money i hate the fact that Rafa is becoming a moaner. i detest Mourinho, ferguson & wenger for their moaning ways but rafa's getting as bad. He continually compares the English system to spain, about fixtures over Xmas, winter breaks, reserve teams playing in the lower leagues etc. we play in England not spain.

Interesting that you think he's a moaner, i think he's intelligent in what he says and it trying to make the game better for those involved. The reserves playing in the league wouldn't just help us it'd help promote grass roots football and bring more young players through to give the national team more of a shot at winning something. The subs bench idea is also a good one, an extra 2 subs helps to being young players through. For the record i'm not sure he ever complained about the winter break more that he found it unusual that we play so many games here in england over crimbo, but it's something he's gotten used to. I wouldn;t be a fan of a winter break, but I can see the benefits it would offer. You might call fergusson and mourinho and even wenger moaners, but what do they have in common they are winners, and if Rafa is a winner then what does it matter. More people will sit up and take notice, and his words might have more impact. For the record i don't think he's a moaner and find it surprising you think he's 'becoming' one.

As for not getting behind the manager, don't make me laugh, i've supportred the Reds all my life and as Rafa won't read any posts on here, my comments won't shake rafa up will they. I love rafa but if i think he's wrong on an issue, i'll say so and by doing so it doesn't manke me any less of a fan.

Never said it makes you less of a fan, your choice if you chose to interpret what I've said in that way, but in my opinion you're dead wrong about him being a moaner

[Morph]

Believe me mate, i'm far from niave but we don't need to stoop to their tricks to succeed. One of the reasons we are a different type of club to Utd & Chelsea is that we've never moaned about such stuff. i'm a great believer in doing your talking on the pitch not off it. would paisley have bothered with such stuff, not a chance but we'd still have gone out & beat the likes of Pompey.

It's not tricks is it, he's making a fair point, why should we take up the ringer? because we're Liverpool FC and we don't act in that manner? if so then that is naive really

[captainfog]

It's a fair comment tbh, we play a silly number of games anyway without internationals. However, i don't see how the early kick off makes any difference. It only a couple of hours early. You couldn't play on sunday after every midweek game because teams in Europe would only ever play on sundays and when the FA cup started everyone would play then

[Larakin15]

DOnt get me wrong, i love Rafa and respect the great man, but I must agree with others in saying I wish he wouldnt moan so much. We have a huge squad now to cope with exactly this type of situation (after he moaned about wanting the funds to build the squad).

Yes the other top managers do this, hence why we always call them whingeing ****s, and I do not want to stoop to their levels. I dont want excuses ready for if we lose, just to get on with the job of bringing home the title. Just taking the red-tinted glasses off for a minute....

[sid]

The way i look at it, what preparations do these guys need?? They've been training all week and played a full game if not 2. Rafa stop your bloody whinging and pick from your squad you like to rotate anyway.

[red g]

The way i look at it, what preparations do these guys need?? They've been training all week and played a full game if not 2. Rafa stop your bloody whinging and pick from your squad you like to rotate anyway.

errrrrrr tactics? this isnt jumpers for goalposts football you know!

[fred_plasticine]

rafa seemed to be happy to criticise wittily between the lines until the cl final last season. now he seems ever so compfortable to make his opinion heard and doesn't mind saying it over and over again. the more i think of it the more i liked the way he used to go about these issues.

[Sir Bob]

I think Rafa going public on this one is the point that has annoyed some of us, not the fact that he's complaining.

If he feels we are getting a raw deal, let the Premier League know through the proper channels. He didn't have to have a rant on the League managers website.

[dww]

I think Rafa going public on this one is the point that has annoyed some of us, not the fact that he's complaining.

If he feels we are getting a raw deal, let the Premier League know through the proper channels. He didn't have to have a rant on the League managers website.

I think the fact is that he has complained a lot to the FA/PL and got sod all done. The fact is that both organisations are resistant to change unless they get public pressure to do it. It's a shame but Fergie, Mourinho and others have shown that this is the way to get changes effected and once that standard has been set you have to play the game.

[Pacman]

I think Rafa going public on this one is the point that has annoyed some of us, not the fact that he's complaining.

If he feels we are getting a raw deal, let the Premier League know through the proper channels. He didn't have to have a rant on the League managers website.

He's complaining on behalf of everyone not just Liverpool though. Have you seen his interview? He is saying after international matches on a Wednesday the league matches should then be on the Sunday. He doesn't just mean our game he means everyone. What is the problem with that? Why would anyone get annoyed by comments like that? Should he be told by his own fans the Shut the **** up?

[Kenneth]

He's complaining on behalf of everyone not just Liverpool though. Have you seen his interview? He is saying after international matches on a Wednesday the league matches should then be on the Sunday. He doesn't just mean our game he means everyone. What is the problem with that? Why would anyone get annoyed by comments like that? Should he be told by his own fans the Shut the **** up?

No, he shouldn't. He's doing what he thinks will be effective, and I'm happy to trust his judgement. I couldn't really give a stuff about what non Liverpool fans make of his complaints.

[red g]

MANCHESTER, England (AFP) - Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez's criticism of bias in the Premier League scheduling.

Benitez claims that Liverpool have been getting a raw deal over kick-off times following international and European matches.

United's early kick-off at Everton on Saturday comes in the wake of the international break and Ferguson is in full agreement with Benitez, citing the example of Chelsea's meeting with Tottenham last season.

The United manager said: "It's difficult of course and we've had to do it so many times. I know Rafa's complaining and he's quite right to complain because it's an unfairness against teams that should be addressed.

"Rafa's comments were interesting and I did the stats myself and over the last five years we've had more lunchtime kick offs than anyone. How you complain about these things and I don't know if they'll listen anyway.

"You would think it deserves some sort of attention and you take last year's example.

"Chelsea had a Sunday game against Tottenham and had a Tuesday European tie and the Premier League changed it to the Saturday, giving Chelsea three days rest to prepare for the European game, fine, but it gave Tottenham only a day and a half's rest after their European game.

"They said they have to be fair to teams in the Champions League but their job is to be fair to teams in the Premier League so I can't understand that.

"We got a lunchtime game after the semi-final of the European Cup and asked for it to be changed and they said no, that it wouldn't be fair to Manchester City, who had no game at all that week. Wonderful.

"I think Rafa's got a good point that if there's an unfairness then it has to be addressed."

Ferguson, who could include Wayne Rooney in his squad at Goodison Park after a month out with a foot injury, admits Argentina international Carlos Tevez will take time to reach peak sharpness.

He added: "He'll have better fitness. With the way the fixtures have panned out we haven't really had a lot of time to work on him.

"He was away last week in Australia and he only came back on Tueday. For us to then play at lunchtime on Saturday, it's hard for us really to give him any endurance work, which he really needs but the games are helping him."

[Sir Bob]

He's complaining on behalf of everyone not just Liverpool though. Have you seen his interview? He is saying after international matches on a Wednesday the league matches should then be on the Sunday. He doesn't just mean our game he means everyone. What is the problem with that? Why would anyone get annoyed by comments like that? Should he be told by his own fans the Shut the **** up?

The games couldn't possibly be put back to the sunday because the CL starts and we amongst others have to play on the Tuesday.

And I'm not telling Rafa to shut the **** up, all i'm doing is expressing my opinion. I'm sure Rafa doesn't read this site and even if he did, i'm sure he's man enough to take my mild criticism on the chin.

[Pacman]

The games couldn't possibly be put back to the sunday because the CL starts and we amongst others have to play on the Tuesday.

And I'm not telling Rafa to shut the **** up, all i'm doing is expressing my opinion. I'm sure Rafa doesn't read this site and even if he did, i'm sure he's man enough to take my mild criticism on the chin.

Sorry mate my post wasn't aimed specifically at you I know you didn't tell Rafa to shut the **** up but others on the thread did which I find a bit disrespectful.