Lots of negative stuff about Rafa

[einar]

Crouch is far more versatile than that though. Yes he can be played direct but he actually is much more effective when you get the ball into wide areas and have people playing off him, feeding off his knock-downs or giving him crosses he can get on the end of. I don't have the skill to put together a compilation video but if I was to go through his goals & assists last season you'd find very few come from kicking the ball from deep. Indeed, if we revert to spanking the ball from the Sami / Carra position to Crouch on the edge of the opposition box then he, and we, will struggle against decent, good sized defences because it's far too predictable and defenders over 6ft can do enough to nullify him.

The Pompy game this season was a case in point where Rafa had the smart-arse idea of putting Crouch on Johnson and sending the ball 60 yards to that corner of the pitch. It worked once or twice but after that Pompy got to grips yet we persisted in trying to do it, not even bothering to try and attack in other ways.

Crouch has shown he can play on his own to devastating effect (Arsenal) but that he can also link up well with others, such as his partnership with Kuyt last season. The thing is when your two supposed leading strikers start only 1 in 4 matches together it's not surprising they cannot make more of a name for themselves. I mean it'll be interesting to see of Torres starts more than 15 games this season with any other striker in a two-man attack. I think in the league already he's probably started 2 or 3 games at most with any other individual and we're almost a third of the way through. Yes he's had injuries and been "rotated" but that's a shocking way to treat a 23M investment, just as it was a shocking way to treat Crouch last season as he got 15 starts with Kuyt and 6 with Bellamy.

You make a good point.

The way I see it is that Rafa wants to play a different game now. Your points on Crouch are all true but Rafa clearly believes that we can be more effective doing things differently. And the way we are playing now, pace is not a good asset, it is a necessity.

Would we have gotten more points if Crouch had played more in the past few weeks. For sure. But I think Rafa has decided that we had gone as far as we could with the way we have been playing the last 3 seasons. Now he is changing and Crouch´s assets are not the first thing we need any more. He is in others words, trying to take the club forward. And if that means sacrificing points until the team gets to grips with a new way of playing, then so be it.

And I for one respect Rafa even more to have the courage to stick with it.

[paulcooper4]

sense from the senseless - again

[El Jefecito]

You make a good point.

The way I see it is that Rafa wants to play a different game now. Your points on Crouch are all true but Rafa clearly believes that we can be more effective doing things differently. And the way we are playing now, pace is not a good asset, it is a necessity.

Would we have gotten more points if Crouch had played more in the past few weeks. For sure. But I think Rafa has decided that we had gone as far as we could with the way we have been playing the last 3 seasons. Now he is changing and Crouch´s assets are not the first thing we need any more. He is in others words, trying to take the club forward. And if that means sacrificing points until the team gets to grips with a new way of playing, then so be it.

And I for one respect Rafa even more to have the courage to stick with it.

Quality post, obviously resulted from some thinking. Kinda stands out after you've been reading DJS/Rashid/... all day

[einar]

Quality post, obviously resulted from some thinking. Kinda stands out after you've been reading DJS/Rashid/... all day

Thanks mate

[alunevans]

my view is this

if rafa isn't in the top 4 this season he must go

if rafa doesn't get us in the top 2 next season he should go

all things being equal of course.

otherwise no.

in my view we'll finish top 4 this year. so as things stand i wouldnt be looking at this until late 2008 or 2009. ie maybe not may 2009 if its obvious that 2nd is not achievable in the 2008/9 season (ie out the race by christmas etc)

[Red Chilli]

my view is this

if rafa isn't in the top 4 this season he must go

if rafa doesn't get us in the top 2 next season he should go

all things being equal of course.

otherwise no.

in my view we'll finish top 4 this year. so as things stand i wouldnt be looking at this until late 2008 or 2009. ie maybe not may 2009 if its obvious that 2nd is not achievable in the 2008/9 season (ie out the race by christmas etc)

If we don't finish in the top 4 I think he'll walk.

He's a proud man but if he isn't making progress and we're not in the champions league, he'll walk before he's pushed.

[Redlife]

We're unbeaten in the league.



Yeah, sack the ****.

[alunevans]

You make a good point.

The way I see it is that Rafa wants to play a different game now. Your points on Crouch are all true but Rafa clearly believes that we can be more effective doing things differently. And the way we are playing now, pace is not a good asset, it is a necessity.

Would we have gotten more points if Crouch had played more in the past few weeks. For sure. But I think Rafa has decided that we had gone as far as we could with the way we have been playing the last 3 seasons. Now he is changing and Crouch´s assets are not the first thing we need any more. He is in others words, trying to take the club forward. And if that means sacrificing points until the team gets to grips with a new way of playing, then so be it.

And I for one respect Rafa even more to have the courage to stick with it.

the flaw in this post though is that the strikers he IS playing (kuyt) have no pace at all. in which case i don't get why its kuyt over crouch. in fact he's shipped out the fast players (eg bellamy) and brought in slower players like kuyt and voronin.

not that i rated bellamy ever but i don't see how this analysis stands up, unless i read it wrong which is possible

[El Jefecito]

We're unbeaten in the league.



Yeah, sack the ****.

I see you haven't had the lobotomy either

[El Jefecito]

the flaw in this post though is that the strikers he IS playing (kuyt) have no pace at all. in which case i don't get why its kuyt over crouch. in fact he's shipped out the fast players (eg bellamy) and brought in slower players like kuyt and voronin.

not that i rated bellamy ever but i don't see how this analysis stands up, unless i read it wrong which is possible

List the different attributes that they each have and then see if you can work out why Rafa picked on over the other.

[einar]

my view is this

if rafa isn't in the top 4 this season he must go

if rafa doesn't get us in the top 2 next season he should go

all things being equal of course.

otherwise no.

in my view we'll finish top 4 this year. so as things stand i wouldnt be looking at this until late 2008 or 2009. ie maybe not may 2009 if its obvious that 2nd is not achievable in the 2008/9 season (ie out the race by christmas etc)

I hope it is not that simple. I think it is a question of progress in a certain time, not this place in the table at this time.

May 2009

Arsenal 87
Man U 85
Liverpool 84

Rafa sacked?

[einar]

List the different attributes that they each have and then see if you can work out why Rafa picked on over the other.

I wish I had mastered the English language like you.

[El Jefecito]

I wish I had mastered the English language like you.

It's ironic, I have 30 inidians that report to me and ALL of them speak better English than I do

[einar]

It's ironic, I have 30 inidians that report to me and ALL of them speak better English than I do

Come on mate, that sentence was perfect.

[Iceman]

Does anyone remember the stick he got in 2005 of this " Zonal marking" ? .............All the pundits said it wouldnt work, the tabloids blasted him about it .............yes their were teething troubles but we are now consistently one of the meanest defences in the prem............... with zonal marking

Rashid's point earlier about managers arnt allowed time these days is pointless

Rafa is not building for now ( although the odd pot is very nice) the way he is rebuilding the club from the academy up suggests he is building a dynasty

anyone who thinks he should be sacked in the middle of this rebuilding process, quite frankly, is stupid

No pain no gain

perhaps all you doubters should go and support the scum............ they look as tho they could win the prem this year.

but when the drunken one retires/Gets sacked/becomes senile.......... and we return to our rightfull place please dont say " I always had faith in Rafa you know"






your posts in this thread could come back to haunt you