Time for a Change??

[Fowler_God]

Best line- 'I take each game, game by game.'

How can he explain rotation?!

Your someone who is caught up in the media bollox! How come when Rafa changes his team he 'rotates'? but when taggart changes his line up its skillful managing or he is 'only resting' players.

Makes me sick when so-called fans are fueling all this ****e the media spout. Gerrard and Torres have started the last 4 games over chrimbo sooo what angle are the media tw*ts going to come from now?

[andyinswinton]

I think that the penny has got to drop with Rafa and if it means some disgruntled fans then so be it. I think if there were chants for Mourinho tonight then that is wrong but all this in Rafa we trust stuff is bollocks also.

Sometimes these kinda results happen but when you go 4-5-1 at home against a bottom three side with two strikers on the bench, I think the fans are right to make a point. There were 40,000 reds there tonight all spending their hard earned cash and deserve better than that.

[ningnangnong]

I am bitterly, bitterly disappointed by tonight's result, like the rest of us.

We should have been hitting 3 or 4 past Wigan at home tonight - a team who have never scored against us in the league!

I was baffled by Rafa's team selection and formation for the game - with Crouch available again he should have been starting a game like this one to prove his worth. I was also surprised by the selection of Pennant, who hasn't been seen for weeks and weeks due to injury, and was put straight back in for a simply 'must win' home game.

Our wide players just aren't good enough though with Kewell and Pennant tonight not having the 'quality' when it's needed most, be it with their final ball or the lack of goals they offer. And I won't even start on the fact that Gerrard wasn't in his 'best' central midfield role (where he does the most damage to the opposition running from deep).

So, what about Rafa then?!

Yes, as has been said, in the cup competitions he's up there with the very best, but from what has been seen since he's been at LFC it just doesn't happen for him where it counts most, in the league. He did manage it at Valencia against the big boys of Real and Barca, so he is capable of it, so why not over here so far?! Too much tinkering? Not finding the balance right when the big cup games are played around a busy league period? Resting players when there's no need for it? It's just baffling!!

On paper we have our best squad in years - ok, the quality of the squad players could be better in areas, but the bulk of our first team squad should be more than good enough to beat the 'lesser' sides week in week out shouldn't it! So why do we continue to drop points at home to the likes of the Birmingham's and Wigan's of this world each year?!

My fear is that Rafa is walking on very thin ice and his job is most certainly at risk. If we're still in the same position come May then it could be it for Rafa, unfortunately (as I like him and still have hopes that one day the title will be his and ours). However, my main fear is that should Rafa lose his job we then risk losing our very best players too. The sack for Rafa could see our star names moving on also as a few are here mainly down to the manager (i.e. Torres, Alonso, Reina, and possibly more), and I'd hate to lose the likes of those three as they are all top quality and should be the backbone of our side for years to come.

LFC are really in a difficult situation here and with the stadium fiasco ongoing the future really is up in the air with the Yanks in control. My biggest fear of all is that G & H push Rafa out, the stadium mess continues to be just that, a mess, and we end up with a new manager who'll rightly have his our ideas and want his own players alongside him meaning some of the best players in the squad move on.

This really is a tough time for us Reds, when really it shouldn't be as we've got the quality - I've no doubt about that! For the forseeable future I see this continuing, with the new stadium mess ongoing, the Rafa situation continuing to be a worry, and I can also see us losing the likes of Mascherano come June too! I'm desperately disappointed about most things to do with LFC at the minute (apart from being relieved that we have both Torres and Gerrard who have been carrying us of late), and unless our fortunes change for the better soon I fear that worse is to come in time!

For now though I'll continue to support Rafa and the squad in the hope it turns round quickly from the 'indifferent' month or so we've just had/currently having, as I really believe this lot are capable of getting us up there, but with the top three winning almost week in week out seeing us dropping points against the likes of Wigan at home just isn't going to make things better!

YNWA

Excellent post mate.

Well structured and all, not just 'Rafa is ****'.

[Lerpwl]

Eh, he has been backed in ONE window, not two or three, ONE. He need to have the chance to go for his first choice targets in window after window. That is how you build a great team.

Not quite true as he has more than most managers have had. And anyhow if he got his 1st choice as you say he probably wouldn't play them in most game stogether !!

You need to\get real and see whats in front of your eyes!! It's been there for enough seasons for you to realise now surely , oh sorry blind loyalty to a manager makes you a better supporter, support the club not the individuals that's what fans should do!

[Nic83]

What were the chants about Maureen?

[alunevans]

its all rafa's fault cause he buys the ****e players, he puts out ****e formations, his tactics are boring and negative....so its all rafas fault....get someone to replace him in NOW!!!!

i don't think he's bought many ****e players to be fair.

reina
agger
mascherano
alonso
torres

every manager will buy crap (and so has rafa) but for me that's not his flaw.

his flaw is that he is fundamentally negative.

i said so after the everton game, except he got lucky and so everyone lined up to back him, and he proved it again tonight. only this time not so lucky.

at 1-0 he was happy to sit on it and scrape the narrow win.

aim low as he often does, and you deserve what you get when the smack in the gob inevitably comes.

from the moment i saw the team tonight i became anxious.

terrible selection. terrible approach. a thoroughly miserable evening and it cost £36 which i don't have too.

i hope the gutless freaks on the pitch enjoy their money - we all know who they are!

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

What were the chants about Maureen?

He's a big poofter.

[tomasjj]

What were the chants about Maureen?

Only in this thread mate....plenty here though.

[Nic83]

Yeah but what were the chants?

[Nic83]

Only in this thread mate....plenty here though.

I thought someone said they were singing about mourinho in anfield?

[alunevans]

just seen rafa's post match interview. he looked absolutely shattered and ready to cry

good. cos that's how i felt tonight too. except he GOT paid for it while i paid for the privilege. and he was the goon he presented me a negative spectacle against ****ing wigan, while i was the innocent party. i defended him when he was criticised after city. but tonight he deserves every ounce of criticism he gets for the way he approached this game.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

i don't think he's bought many ****e players to be fair.

reina
agger
mascherano
alonso
torres

every manager will buy crap (and so has rafa) but for me that's not his flaw.

his flaw is that he is fundamentally negative.

i said so after the everton game, except he got lucky and so everyone lined up to back him, and he proved it again tonight. only this time not so lucky.

at 1-0 he was happy to sit on it and scrape the narrow win.

aim low as he often does, and you deserve what you get when the smack in the gob inevitably comes.

from the moment i saw the team tonight i became anxious.

terrible selection. terrible approach. a thoroughly miserable evening and it cost £36 which i don't have too.

i hope the gutless freaks on the pitch enjoy their money - we all know who they are!

[Guest]

As a sense of perspective, who really thought we were gonna win the league at the start of the season. It wasn't realistic isn't it ?

And it's still not finished. Would you all be throwing in the towel half way into the season ?

[Red Chilli]

Yeah but what were the chants?

There's no evidence of any.

tomas was talking about on EST not at the match

[alunevans]

1 ****ing striker upfront against bloody Wigan at home!!!

Pathetic tbh

People kept banging on about how 'close' we were, well lets be honest, it was only due to us getting a easy first half to the season

we will fall miles behind now the big 3 aways come. sad but true

As for the fans booing at the end, we call ourselves the best in the world, yet do that?

i didn't boo, but i don't blame anyone who did. how many people would boo at a gig if it cost you £36 and it was THAT ****ing awful. **** em.