You'll Never Walk Alone??????

[chadrtc]

I have no problem with that. Vitriol, short memories and blinkered negativity I do dislike.

Spot on!

[pezzzer]

Two problems though mate...

82 points isnt a genuine title challenge.

The reading game was only halfway through the season and the season lasts 38 games.

There is no stability in the TEAM, let alone the board room. The board room stuff is out of his hands. The stuff that IS in his hands, he messes up. Stability at the top is helpful. Stability in the team is crucial. He needs to realise the latter.

DJS your still not getting it mate.
rafa has NOT HAD THE SAME MONEY allocated to him for FIRST CHOICE PLAYERS like chavs/mancs have had.

rafa has had spurs/newcastle style budgets and competed well imo considering how nu and th have done.

once dic have come in we can get rid of all the 2nd rate **** and rafa can bring in his FIRST CHOICE PLAYERS and then we will see.

[Sarb]

But why is Rafa buying 2nd rate ****e though? Why not save his money rather than developing an average squad and overpaying for players like Pennant who is never more than a £3m player.

Why not give younger players a go rather than the average players he's got in his squad like Pennant, Voronin, Kuyt, Itandje, Aurelio, Benayoun. There is a lot of money spent on those players when possibly someone in the reserves may have done just a good a job. He should have saved his money and bought one quality winger and another quality striker. That could have been done in the money he has spent on squad players who wouldn't even get in at the other top three clubs. Just seems like a case of 'Right, I'm not getting more than £20m to spend this summer, so instead of buying Quaresma, Simao etc, I'll buy 4 players who are average' when all he needed was a winger and a striker. Makes no sense

[Craig_H]

DJS your still not getting it mate.
rafa has NOT HAD THE SAME MONEY allocated to him for FIRST CHOICE PLAYERS like chavs/mancs have had.

rafa has had spurs/newcastle style budgets and competed well imo considering how nu and th have done.

once dic have come in we can get rid of all the 2nd rate **** and rafa can bring in his FIRST CHOICE PLAYERS and then we will see.

Since rafa's been here, the difference in money spent between us and Man Utd is about £10m...

So i think i AM actually getting it. You're not, however.

[Craig_H]

But why is Rafa buying 2nd rate ****e though? Why not save his money rather than developing an average squad and overpaying for players like Pennant who is never more than a £3m player.

Why not give younger players a go rather than the average players he's got in his squad like Pennant, Voronin, Kuyt, Itandje, Aurelio, Benayoun. There is a lot of money spent on those players when possibly someone in the reserves may have done just a good a job. He should have saved his money and bought one quality winger and another quality striker. That could have been done in the money he has spent on squad players who wouldn't even get in at the other top three clubs. Just seems like a case of 'Right, I'm not getting more than £20m to spend this summer, so instead of buying Quaresma, Simao etc, I'll buy 4 players who are average' when all he needed was a winger and a striker. Makes no sense

People say 'but rafa has been buying poor players' as if it's a defence of him

[mersey86]

Since rafa's been here, the difference in money spent between us and Man Utd is about £10m...

So i think i AM actually getting it. You're not, however.

The difference, in part, is that United were in "finished mode" and have been able to replace 1 or 2 players a season with top tier buys. Rafa was in "rebuilding mode" and has had to stretch out similar money over a lot more players.

[Craig_H]

Right, so the money excuse is no longer valid then.

[Icon]

The simple reason we are not competing with the scum / arse / chavskis is that we have been and seem to remain in a period of constant transition.
And as long as we continue to renew players season after season and rotate game after game that won't change to quickly.

[mersey86]

Right, so the money excuse is no longer valid then.

If we keep Mascherano and bring in 1 other top signing this summer, I'd say the money excuse loses a lot of its valdity. When we have 3 or 4 20m players, then we should be nearer than we are.

[dww]

I think part of the problem is that we have been unable to use this season effectively to grow and improve players and integrate them into our pattern of play. Partly due to external pressures and partly the timing of our piss poor performances which have pressurised certain games unnecessarily (like the last CL group game).

The money is always only part of the problem as Arsenal have not spent much money recently but they have had a manager in place long term who has built the foundations of the club to mean they have a lot of young players familiar with the teams style of play and as such can fill gaps in the team from this reservoir of players. This season is the first where I think any such claim could have even vaguely be contemplated for us and the more seasons each player gets a few games in the more likely they are to be able to play at PL level.

My worry is that whatever happens at managerial level next season might have to be written off to development again. The only scenario I can see this not being the case in is that in the rest of the season Rafa gets big improvements out of the likes of Babel and Lucas continues his development while we also get a few games for the likes of Insua.

The trouble with doing that is we are in a real battle for 4th and every game at this point look slike it is vital. Maybe that will be good for hardening the attitude of players but it makes it hard to take risks to develop the team in the way Arsenal did last season.

[sambirken]

No. Rafa and the players need to look at the lyrics. Nothing wrong with fans showing their disapproval at the current state of affairs on and off the pitch. After all we pay good money to follow the team.

**** off. good money. you're supposed to be a supporter, not a customer. it's not dixons

[pezzzer]

Since rafa's been here, the difference in money spent between us and Man Utd is about £10m...

So i think i AM actually getting it. You're not, however.

so then
Rio Ferdinand £29,000,000 or Sami Hypia £7,000,000 hmmm
wayne rooney £29,000,000l or Dijibril Cisse £14,000,000
Chritiano Ronaldo £12,000,000 or Jermaine Pennant £6,000,000
Juan Sebastian Veron £28,000,000 or Saliff Diao £5,000,000
Vanislroy £18,000,000 or Milan Baros £7,000,000

the list goes on mate, fergie gets 1st choice targets in year on year and liverpool managers dont.

alonso, reina and now torres are rafa,s only 1st choices i can see and with the exception of torres both were still relativley cheap

hears the equation
world class players+world class funding= success
not as good as players+run of the mill spending= strugle for success
easy

now repeat that back to me so i know you understand :whatever:

[mersey86]

so then
Rio Ferdinand £29,000,000 or Sami Hypia £7,000,000????? hmmm
wayne rooney £29,000,000l or Dijibril Cisse £14,000,000
Chritiano Ronaldo £12,000,000 or Jermaine Pennant £6,000,000
Juan Sebastian Veron £28,000,000 or Saliff Diao £5,000,000
Vanislroy £18,000,000 or Milan Baros £7,000,000

A little too selective, here
the list goes on mate, fergie gets 1st choice targets in year on year and liverpool managers dont.
I'm not sure as to your general point here, but I would state that if Rafa had been able to pick up 2 of the players he tried hard to sign (Alves and Simao), I think our current first team would be right up there.

alonso, reina and now torres are rafa,s only 1st choices i can see Agger? Kuyt? Skrtel even and with the exception of torres both were still relativley cheap

[El Jefecito]

Two problems though mate...

82 points isnt a genuine title challenge.

The reading game was only halfway through the season and the season lasts 38 games.

There is no stability in the TEAM, let alone the board room. The board room stuff is out of his hands. The stuff that IS in his hands, he messes up. Stability at the top is helpful. Stability in the team is crucial. He needs to realise the latter.

Did rotation win us the CL?
Did rotation get us to another CL final?
Did rotation win us the super cup?
Did rotation win us the FA Cup?
Did rotation get us our highest ever points total?

The evidence does not appear to be in your favour.


He needs to realize. You know better, right. You've won league titles, Uefa cups, CLs etc. Pathetic.

[El Jefecito]

Since rafa's been here, the difference in money spent between us and Man Utd is about £10m...

So i think i AM actually getting it. You're not, however.

Rafa has had to buy 20 players where Manure have only been augmenting their squad. One of their wingers (Nani) cost more than all of ours!

You are not comparing apples to apples and you know it (but it doesn't suit your argument, so you'll ignore it I'm sure).