Time for a Change??

[alunevans]

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.

there were no mourinho chants at the ground tonight.

there was booing at the end. thats it.

[Nic83]

It's not about support for Torres. It's about the negative approach you get when you start two defensive midfielders when Gerrard drops at the same time.

We never once really took this game. we managed 8 shots on their goal. For 93 ****ing mins - 8 shots. With Kuyt in a 4-4-2 you would have drive and power through Gerrard at CM instead of Alonso on Prozac.

Its sounds simple because it is ****ing simple.

[Red_hot]

What were all these great chances though? City yes. Tonight no.

Noone is saying he does no wrong. He has made mistakes yeah but the blame doesn't rest solely with him does it? The players are every bit as much to blame. They are getting paid stupid amount a week to go out there and play and half of them look like they can't be arsed. If anyone is getting slagged it should be them.

[alunevans]

What were the chants about Maureen?

There weren't any. The rumour was started as a result of a mischevious post by someone here. He was calling pro Mourinho posts here "Jose chants". There were none at the game itself.

[carlton]

Almunia
Sagna Toure Gallas Clichy
Farbregas Flamini
Eboue Hleb Rosicky
Adebayor

Yeah mate ok Arsenal play that formation and it works for them. One of the many reasons it works for them is that they have the players and the players have the skills to make this formation work. Im not sure we do.

[Guest]

"Best fans in the world".

That phrase really pisses me off. It's a throw back from our past when we were winning everything at home and in Europe.
It's easy to be a fan in those circumstances.
The reason people are critical of the team nowadays is because we care about the club and are not happy at watching us settle for 4th every year. We should be challenging for the title after 18 years

It was a bit OTT really to say that Rafa should be replaced. I like Jose but I don't think he's better than Rafa. Rafa kicked his butt numerous times, whilst having a fraction of his spending power.

We should all calm down. A draw against Wigan doesn't mean we're going backwards. Far from it.

[andyinswinton]

there were no mourinho chants at the ground tonight.

there was booing at the end. thats it.

Ta. That had put me in an even worse mood!

[Fowler_God]

Taggart rotates, fair enough. Where are the Scum in the league? He has lost thrice and drawn twice. Beating Chelsea at home and beat us away.

Rafa rotates. Lost twice, drew eight times!

so were 6 draws worse than Taggart with all the cash and time he has had on his squad! Lets sack Rafa for not working a miracle in 4 years

[BobTheCharmer]

when I saw the line up I was worried. where were the goals coming from?

Finnan? how many has he scored? one?
Carra? when rafa first came he said he wanted 5 a season or something and he was attacking corners yet now he never looks likely.
Ardebola? he attacks well when played at full back but he's not ever to blast one in.
Aurelio? no goals, poor freekicks but he did look better against city.

Masher? very little goal threat.
Pennant? no goal threat at all.
Alonso? The odd pearler every season yet still not enough for someone of his ability.
Kewell? Hasn't scored for ages.

Then you have Gerrard & Torres. We now have two get out of jail cards in the team.

I do just wish Torres was a little more Fowler than Owen. But that is extremely harsh on a lad that is scoring in nearly every game at present.

I'm not that angry tonight. Probably because I half expected it. Besides there is more to life than football, look at poor Kevin Wicks in Eastenders, imagine what Dianne and the kids are going through.

Its games like these that I'm sure Martin O'Neill would get more out of this squad of players. I'm in no doubt at all. Forget money & moaning about number 1 targets etc, work with what you have. 99% of managers get judged on that and have to work within the refrains of a budget. Rafa does not get the best out of his players in the Premier League. But I don't doubt we wouldn't have had number 5 or have reached the final year without him.

Its catch 22. What would you rather have? Missing out on number 19 by a few points and Utd fans giving you **** as usual or claiming number 5 and at least ramming that back their cunting throats for a year while they inch ever nearer to our 18 titles. At least we have that in the bag. But time stands still for no man.

[alunevans]

Yeah but mate it's not the first time he's done this though, is it?

Birmingham at home. Torres didn't start for "tactical reasons". Where you there for that one as well? Bet you paid £30 plus to watch Kuyt and Voronin play up front, didn't you?

And then there was the debacle that was Reading. Not starting Torres and Gerrard away to Pompey, he got lucky with that Gerrard sub against the ****e, Blackburn away with Kuyt up on his own. Hell, even last years European Cup final was a tactical **** up IMO.

It's a worrying trend, and it keeps happening.

No its not the first time he's done it. I think at his core he is fundamentally negative. He has many qualities that is for certain. And for all the comments about the supposed "****e" he's bought, the squad (while still having gaping holes down the flanks) is loads better than when he joined. And I mean ****ing loads better.

The problem is that he is deeply negative in my view and I don't believe negative managers are successful.

The fact that he plays Kuyt, an honest but limited workhorse is one example of it.

Playing one up front tonight and only changing it and deciding he'd fancy all 3 points after all with 6 minutes to go.

There are other things about his management that baffle me and run counter to everything that the likes of Shankly, Paisley and the likes taught us about the game too.

But for all his good points, he is negative, his team bores me to tears, and he was well happy hanging on for a 1-0 win tonight. The thing is, Bruce was fairly happy with 1-0 too because, like most managers in his situation, he knew that at 1-0 they were 1 freak moment away from getting the point he came for.

An attack minded manager would have set his team out to destroy that lot tonight. We created very little. Tonight was not the Man City game where I felt we played well and only poor finishing killed us.

Tonight we were just ****, and the manager got exactly what his negative approach deserved.

[alunevans]

Babel is the only other attacking player that offers some kind of goal threat. Crouch, Voronin and Kuyt simply don't score or create enough.

Rafa played our two best attacking players upfront, nothing wrong with that.

Our two best attackers are Torres and nobody??

[alunevans]

But against a player like Bramble? Crouch, Voronin and Kuyt should be having a field day against a player like that.

Exactly andy.

[Nic83]

I'd have nobody over kuyt or voronin any day

[alunevans]

What treatment,he's serving a ban cos of his own stupid reaction during a game and thus can't play

Crouch was available to play tonight. He was sat on the bench and came on with 7 minutes to go once Rafa panicked and realised he'd better try and get the 3 points after all.

The reason he didn't play tonight was NOT because he was serving a ban, but because Rafa CHOSE not to play him.

One up front against bleedin Wigan was Rafa's tactical masterpiece.

[spud_gun]

I'd have nobody over kuyt or voronin any day