The real reason for the recent bust up?

[carrsim]

i don't know this fellah posting the info but i would like to share one small ting that i didn't bother posting as at the time i thought it was probably exaggerated bollox.

Some of my colleagues were over at anfield to do some filming ("up close" for those of you in Asia)

as guests with macca in the directors box, apparently our american snitch, sorry foster, and a few people with him expressed a little surprise and anger when torres did not play (i think the game was brum at home)

obviously as a red, one of our presenters took great delight in telling me this upon his return- with i'm sure a certain embellishment that "a few questions were being asked" of rafa.

i laughed it off at the time (obviously it was ages ago) but reading this reminded me of it.

based on bigfooty and his a-rod story, maybe this is more of that lack of understanding that only more communication can fix?

[tomasjj]

So, in short, the Yanks are with Andy Gray on this rotation topic?

[carheex]

One game

Dropped, rested, benched, rotated....call it what you want, but Torres has been out of the starting line up more than once, I can assure you!

[loco_law]

Dropped, rested, benched, rotated....call it what you want, but Torres has been out of the starting line up more than once, I can assure you!

Yeah, he was injured for a while. :whatever:

[spud_gun]

Tranny?

[sonsofthedesert]

Dropped, rested, benched, rotated....call it what you want, but Torres has been out of the starting line up more than once, I can assure you!

You do know enough about football to know that players do not play when they are injured, don't you?

[Johnny]

Dropped, rested, benched, rotated,INJURED....call it what you want, but Torres has been out of the starting line up more than once, I can assure you!

[bobbyfallon]

So, in short, the Yanks are with Andy Gray on this rotation topic?

andy gray is a c-unt all americans are c-unts and andy gray is a c-unt

[dom9]

I would say the real reason behind the recent bust-up is a combination of the Americans, as is their nature, being cunts and that they, much like the British media as a whole (and I'm specifically referring to Andy Gray here) are blind to Rafa's genius.

Not much racism going on there.

[Morph]

Come on anyone with a bit of sense can work out where torres was injured or rested, and off top of my head i can only think of pompey and brum, where i thought rafa's decision was a bit odd. The pompey one is maybe understandable as it was just after the international break. The brum one fair enough call it an error if that's what you think, all mangers make them, even the best. Although we don't know, he might have picked up a slight knock in training and rafa was maybe trying to not play him.

Anyways if hicks really does have a problem with this then he's a retard

[Dhav]

Not much racism going on there.

Not at all. **** the Americans

[Gazmo1]

Not at all. **** the Americans

The Amercians aren't a race, they are an epidemic!

[thesilverfoxlfc]

Well he shouldnt be dropped anyways cause we are a different team when he plays. He is also a very fit lad that can handle himself so there is no problem with him being tired after every game.

Also the onwers should have no influence in team selection so they better back off

[BrooklynRed]

Most of their sports have rolling subs, so everyone plays every game but no-one plays for long in each game (ice hockey, basketball, American Football). The exception is baseball, but even the outfielders spend most of the time sat on their arse in that game, so you're hardly going to need a rest. They rotate pitchers though, as their arms do get sore if they play too often.

Sort of, but you're discounting the star system, the BIG MONEY players... In American football/basketball/baseball/hockey, you have your starters; One player at every position who is the best at that position that starts every game. These are the star players, the ones with big contracts, the ones you expect to play every game. But with football and basketball, other players rotate in and out-- basketball is about 8 people total per game (5 starters who rotate in and out with 3 subs), American football, especially on Defense, you rotate players in and out, and on the offensive skill positions (wide receiver, running back, etc), depending on what play and situation you have. In baseball, they rotate pitchers and, because the season is 162 soul-crushingly boring regular season games (sorry Rocket), lots of players rotate in and out of the starting line up once in a while, just to give them a day off.

HOWEVER, and this is where I think Hicks doesn't get it, the most expensive players in American football/basketball/hockey, the "stars", always play every game if they are healthy. Always. You always play your best available players, PERIOD. I can see how Hicks would be surprised to see his $48 million investment sitting on the bench, healthy. You never "rotate" starts for your quarterback, starting running back, star receiver, left tackle or defensive ends or linebackers (American football), your point guard or dominant forwards and centers (basketball), your 1st shift line in hockey; They always start if they are healthy.

Of course, none of the sports have the physical demands (running 90 minutes nonstop, once you're subbed out you cant come back in --only baseball) that football has. So, it would be ridiculous for Hicks or anyone who OWNS A FOOTBALL TEAM not to know that players need a rest once in a while.

MY personal problem with Rafa is that he doesn't just give our best players a rest every once in a while; He is constantly playing different starting line-ups, rotating players in and out, benching players that seem to CLEARLY be in form, and while he says he is managing their fitness, it is clear that he is making moves that look to create match up problems for the opposition. I respect that. However, we have a team with 1 great striker and 6 great midfielders who, if everyone is healthy, should all start. This is not so much a problem in American sports where you have one star player who WINS the starting role in training camp before the season and it is his job to lose. At Liverpool, the goal is to be at least two deep in every position precisely so Rafa can plug in players, mix it up, and keep the opposition guessing. That is simply uncommon and outside the experience of most American sports.

I think the key for the owners is that they should hire a manager (done) and then back him to manage the team (his job). Tinkering with on-field decisions rarely happens here, but when it does. it's news. The fact that we have not lost a match in the league and look to be on track for moving along in the Champions League (knock wood) tells me that, whatever he's doing, Rafa knows best. I won't say I always agree or that I always understand (I do think he waits too long to make substitutes when we are struggling as if waiting for some bit of magic), but if you look at the overall record, it speaks for itself; Rafa is a winner. Give him the tools and he'll craft a champion. Forget questioning him, the answer should be "Whatever you need." But most importantly, if your own a football club, try and figure out how the game is managed.

[BrooklynRed]

The Amercians aren't a race, they are an epidemic!

:whatever: