Whats the Point?

[Craig_H]

Actually Syd I can point to an improvement as to why I think we can bridge the 21 point gap. Our away form.

Am I right in thinking we've only dropped 2 points away from home this season? That's a massive improvement over the past couple of seasons.

If we hadnt been ****e in our home games, i'd be more confident that the 21 points was about to be bridged.

As for the away form, it's been superb. But just like it's too early to judge us negatively, it must also be too early to judge over-positively...no?

We won 6 aways last season. We have won 4 this time. If we win 9 more, that'll be 7 additional away wins and 21 extra points.

Only 9 to go

[Craig_H]

The problem with the naming of the 'good' players is that rafa rotates them with the poorer quality 'squad' players. When Torres is fit and well there is No guarantees he is going to play and in fact Rafa has gone with the inferior Crouch or Crow, same with Xabi/Mascha with Sissoko.

If the likes of Riise, Momo, Sami, Crouch, Kuyt, Crow, Kewell, Aurelio, Itanje, Pennant could raise there game to a Premiership winning standard then we would have a chance. FFS momo, Riise and Sami can't even pass the ball properly under pressure.

Bingo, bango...

[Craig_H]

Our first team is much stronger I agree, but it wasn't just the first team that needed overhauling. Our squad was paper thin, we needed to sign a few squad players to cover for injuries and make us strong enough to compete.

Sure some of the players aren't top quality, but what team has a squad full of really top players. Every team needs it's squad players to come in and do a job when required.

I think our problem is that we have too many players of similar ability and therefore have no clearcut first XI. Perhaps it is a case of just having too many players full stop, but I don't think we have too many average players.

I can understand bulking out the squad once you have a first team that's quality all over. We're not far off that, just wingers lack.

But even with a first team XI that is class, you have to play them regularly and get some continuity and understanding.

[Pacman]

If we hadnt been ****e in our home games, i'd be more confident that the 21 points was about to be bridged.

As for the away form, it's been superb. But just like it's too early to judge us negatively, it must also be too early to judge over-positively...no?

We won 6 aways last season. We have won 4 this time. If we win 9 more, that'll be 7 additional away wins and 21 extra points.

Only 9 to go

That's fair comment.

I'll stop being positive if you stop being negative then?

[The Erectile Banana]

I can understand bulking out the squad once you have a first team that's quality all over. We're not far off that, just wingers lack.

But even with a first team XI that is class, you have to play them regularly and get some continuity and understanding.

I agree with that.

I think it would be highly beneficial if Rafa picked his strongest side and played that side consistently for the next 4-5 weeks to build up some momentum. Once you have built up a head of steam you can rotate to an extent without doing much harm.

[AFII]

We have to many players. I have said that the whole season.

We can cope without players like Riise, Sissoko and Crouch without any problem at all IMO. So why keep them when we really don't need them?

Left back without Riise. Aurelio, Arbeloa and Insua.
Left midfield without Riise. Babel, Kewell, Aurelio and Benayoun.

Central midfield without Sissoko. Gerrard, Alonso and Lucas.

Strikers without Crouch. Torres, Voronin, Kuyt and Babel.

Rafa has built his pyramid but he also has started to build a second one, one we don't need.

[Craig_H]

I agree with that.

I think it would be highly beneficial if Rafa picked his strongest side and played that side consistently for the next 4-5 weeks to build up some momentum. Once you have built up a head of steam you can rotate to an extent without doing much harm.

Spot on mate. Once the confidence & momentum juggernaut (sp?) is rolling, then it takes more than a bit of rotation to stop it.

I wish we'd just start to push it down the slope before we tinker with every little detail.

[Imy]

What worries me about Rafa's team is the sheer lack of creativity/genius, i really thought by now he would have been able to crack the premiership maybe even playing like how HIS Valencia team did, pass and move football of the highest quality.

Creativity wise we have Banayoun and we had Garcia, both players i doubt would get in to the other 'big 3'. Pennant's already failed at a big club, Kewell is always injured and Babel who does look to have raw quality may be overpriced.

The system he plays is overly defensive, he worries overly on the opposition as opposed to concentrating on how our players can score goals and win games.

[****theforumwoolsoff]

Of this place or any other football based forum?

Surely its a place for opinions? different views?

Why can't people question Rafa without being abused?

Its getting very similar to the Houllier years, lines are being drawn and let battle commence. For example I already know whatever happens Tom will defend Rafa until the dying end and CAD will doubt him till its all over.

No one is right and no one is wrong. But for the record I was right on Houllier.

You're wrong.

This is nothing like the Houllier years, far ****ing from it, despite the claims of a few internet gob****e drama queens, who are desperate for it to be.

[Guest]

Can people pass me some pop corn please ?

[el matador]

I can understand bulking out the squad once you have a first team that's quality all over. We're not far off that, just wingers lack.

But even with a first team XI that is class, you have to play them regularly and get some continuity and understanding.

getting the team to play effective attacking football is the final hurdle. All sides are built from the back, and then once the defensive side is sorted out you start to find a balance between winning 1-0 and 3-1.

At this moment we are somewhere in between being a 1-0 side and a side that can comfortably put aside teams.

[5aq1b]

You're wrong.

This is nothing like the Houllier years, far ****ing from it, despite the claims of a few internet gob****e drama queens, who are desperate for it to be.

I went as far as wanting us to ****in lose under Houllier so he could just ****off ASAP. This is far from it, we have the best chance of achieving the holy grail in years!

[thesilverfoxlfc]

People forget the good Houllier did for us and almost died for the cause

[Morph]

People forget the good Houllier did for us and almost died for the cause

I don't think anyone forgets it at all, but after 2001, there wasn't really much else he did for us was there

[Kenneth]

People forget the good Houllier did for us and almost died for the cause

That's what we need, a few more near death experiences. There's a fine line between success and failure and that just might do it