THE post match reaction thread....

[Red Chilli]

If he wont change it, he wont win the league.

In your opinion, but it remains to be seen.

Say what you will about La Liga, i think the Premiership is more competitive, there's more of a 'anyone can beat anyone' situation and for that reason, you cant waste the quality you have.

As for Torres getting injured/suspended, you cant just not play him for fear of that. What's the point? If he's injured or suspended he cant play, but when he's fit and available, he also doesnt seem to play much. We're not achieving anything by sitting him on the bench.

The point about Torres and injury/suspension was referring to the need for another world class striker, not whether Torres is dropped.

[215liverpool]

Whats so fckin funny?

Do you really think anyone will take you seriously with comments like that on your 2nd post?

As coops would say........"**** off!

2nd post or 662nd post. What the **** does it matter?

Just because you've got 6 million posts it doesn't make you the ****ing oracle.

Kiss this and grow up

[Craig_H]

When I left the ground today I couldn't help but wonder how much of an impact Pako's departure has had on Rafa and the players. That's not to say that I think he "won us games" but he obviously had a lot of influence behind the scenes.

My main concern is how pedestrian and short of ideas we've looked recently. The rotating for rotatings sake can't be helping. What happened to earning your place? It seems under Rafa though that no matter how well you do you'll be rotated out and no matter how badly you do you'll be rotated in. We're not an under sevens team where everyone will get their turn.

No way should our best players be rotated at this stage of the season. How often did Arsenal "rotate" Henry or the mancs Ronaldo? Not often! Yet Rafa is continually leaving our best players out for rotations sake.

This is especially true for strikers. Aldridge said as much on City too, strikers need a run and when they're playing and scoring, for feck's sake, leave them in. Because when they're on it, they're really on it. Especially strikers like Torres, 3 in 4 games. And even Crouch, when he's fit, on form and confident, he's capable of being prolific. But as Aldo correctly pointed out, he's devoid of confidence and this constant rotation will sap it out of other players too. Whatever you do, you're not gonna guarantee yourself a game. Where's the extra incentive to play well? They talk about competition for places, but the effect is negated with this rotation because rather than thinking "there's another lad wanting my place, i'd better play well" they'll be thinking "no matter how i play, i'm gonna get rotated". Terrible mentality and more importantly, not a winning one.

[Red Chilli]

For those who are asking for world class wingers, it's time to name names.

Suggestions please

[alunevans]

You may well have a point alun. But we havent had top notch wingers for ages, yet we've usually been able to unlock defences. Even allowing for that, i'll temporarily agree with you and say the wingers need to be improved upon.
But then that takes us to the next question - who do you get? There arent too many top class wingers out there.

Robben, for all his antics, would've been great (fitness permitting). SWP would too IMO. Neither seem(ed) to be feasible options. Where else do you look? I'm stuck for ideas. Quaresma? Mancini? Either could be hit or miss really.

I dunno mate cos I don't watch European football enough to know who I'd go out and get. But I do know that our wingers aren't adequate - in my view anyhow. A winger who is merely adequate just isn't good enough for what we'd need.

I can't answer about who else is out there and available. And maybe nobody is.

But it doesn't make the wingers we have good enough just because there's nobody we can attract at the mo.

I agree with pretty much everything you've said about Torres by the way.

[Craig_H]

In your opinion, but it remains to be seen.



The point about Torres and injury/suspension was referring to the need for another world class striker, not whether Torres is dropped.

Yeah but every striker could get injured, part and parcel isnt it?

Nobody has TWO world class strikers, other than Barcelona.

If someone gets injured, you cant legislate for that. Dont get me wrong, i'd love to see another WC striker, but it's not realistic IMO.

As for the rotation - current (the last 3 years and this season) evidence strongly suggests it wont win us the league. In fact, can you think of any recent title winners who have chopped and changed weekly, and still won the league?

[Craig_H]

I dunno mate cos I don't watch European football enough to know who I'd go out and get. But I do know that our wingers aren't adequate - in my view anyhow. A winger who is merely adequate just isn't good enough for what we'd need.

I can't answer about who else is out there and available. And maybe nobody is.

But it doesn't make the wingers we have good enough just because there's nobody we can attract at the mo.

I agree with pretty much everything you've said about Torres by the way.

Well then it's the old rock and hard place, isnt it? Because if they ARE insufficient, it's all academic, as there's nobody else to replace them with...

Where the fook is Paul Anderson??

[Red Chilli]

This is especially true for strikers. Aldridge said as much on City too, strikers need a run and when they're playing and scoring, for feck's sake, leave them in. Because when they're on it, they're really on it. Especially strikers like Torres, 3 in 4 games. And even Crouch, when he's fit, on form and confident, he's capable of being prolific. But as Aldo correctly pointed out, he's devoid of confidence and this constant rotation will sap it out of other players too. Whatever you do, you're not gonna guarantee yourself a game. Where's the extra incentive to play well? They talk about competition for places, but the effect is negated with this rotation because rather than thinking "there's another lad wanting my place, i'd better play well" they'll be thinking "no matter how i play, i'm gonna get rotated". Terrible mentality and more importantly, not a winning one.

I don't think Aldo is in a position to be handing out advice about football management to Rafa

[cobain]

Yeah but every striker could get injured, part and parcel isnt it?

Nobody has TWO world class strikers, other than Barcelona.

If someone gets injured, you cant legislate for that. Dont get me wrong, i'd love to see another WC striker, but it's not realistic IMO.

As for the rotation - current (the last 3 years and this season) evidence strongly suggests it wont win us the league. In fact, can you think of any recent title winners who have chopped and changed weekly, and still won the league?

Niente

[alunevans]

This is especially true for strikers. Aldridge said as much on City too, strikers need a run and when they're playing and scoring, for feck's sake, leave them in. Because when they're on it, they're really on it. Especially strikers like Torres, 3 in 4 games. And even Crouch, when he's fit, on form and confident, he's capable of being prolific. But as Aldo correctly pointed out, he's devoid of confidence and this constant rotation will sap it out of other players too. Whatever you do, you're not gonna guarantee yourself a game. Where's the extra incentive to play well? They talk about competition for places, but the effect is negated with this rotation because rather than thinking "there's another lad wanting my place, i'd better play well" they'll be thinking "no matter how i play, i'm gonna get rotated". Terrible mentality and more importantly, not a winning one.

I've said sometihng similar before. It does have a "muggins turn" aspect to it.

Maybe if our centre forwards were of the same sort of quality as the centre midfield it'd work better. But that strikes me as impractical unless we're set to spend 75mill on three more Torres's.

For me Torres has to play whenever he's available. If he wants to rotate the rest of them then thats open to debate, but resting Torres makes no sense to me, especially given that the next game is the League Cup.

Whatever else he rotates, sitting Torres on the bench when he's fit and hungry, only to play either Crouch, Voronin or Kuyt doesn't add up to me.

[kurtangle01]

This is especially true for strikers. Aldridge said as much on City too, strikers need a run and when they're playing and scoring, for feck's sake, leave them in. Because when they're on it, they're really on it. Especially strikers like Torres, 3 in 4 games. And even Crouch, when he's fit, on form and confident, he's capable of being prolific. But as Aldo correctly pointed out, he's devoid of confidence and this constant rotation will sap it out of other players too. Whatever you do, you're not gonna guarantee yourself a game. Where's the extra incentive to play well? They talk about competition for places, but the effect is negated with this rotation because rather than thinking "there's another lad wanting my place, i'd better play well" they'll be thinking "no matter how i play, i'm gonna get rotated". Terrible mentality and more importantly, not a winning one.

Crouch has looked short on confidence since pre-season started and on recent performances shouldn't be anywhere near the team. Torres on the other hand looked dynamite at first but even he must be struggling with this baffling rotation policy. Yes, all the top managers rotate but they rotate players who aren't their match winners. Rafa's just rotating any body at any time for the sake of it.

I was shocked when Torres never started today and I'll tell you what I bet it gave Birmingham a lift aswell.

It's early days yet though but Rafa has to sort his selection policy out if we're to progress this season.

[alunevans]

I don't think Aldo is in a position to be handing out advice about football management to Rafa

He can hand out advice about a strikers mentality though

[Red Chilli]

Yeah but every striker could get injured, part and parcel isnt it?

Nobody has TWO world class strikers, other than Barcelona.

If someone gets injured, you cant legislate for that. Dont get me wrong, i'd love to see another WC striker, but it's not realistic IMO.

As for the rotation - current (the last 3 years and this season) evidence strongly suggests it wont win us the league. In fact, can you think of any recent title winners who have chopped and changed weekly, and still won the league?

Valencia

[alunevans]

Crouch has looked short on confidence since pre-season started and on recent performances shouldn't be anywhere near the team. Torres on the other hand looked dynamite at first but even he must be struggling with this baffling rotation policy. Yes, all the top managers rotate but they rotate players who aren't their match winners. Rafa's just rotating any body at any time for the sake of it.

Agree completely.

The most frustrating thing is that Torres is unbelievable. He has absolutely everything. There is no tactical reason for leaving him out because what is it that this lad is supposed to be incapable of doing?

[kurtangle01]

I don't think Aldo is in a position to be handing out advice about football management to Rafa

That's a good point but he's entitles to his opinion, isn't he? And to be fair he's not the only person saying it is he? He's only saying what most of us are thinking.