Rafa - I'm here to stay

[Guest]

The scum made at least 4 changes on saturday, including their 2 cm's (a key area of the pitch), and Rooney and Ronaldo - arguably their best two players this season. So that is like Rafa "rotating" Gerrard and Torres - but I don't see Fergie getting stick for it.....

Fergie is winning, that's the difference. If Rafa had a record of let's say 9 consecutive wins earlier this season, we wouldn't be discussing about that.

And the regularity and wins on the trot was the hallmark of our team the last 2 seasons. It's gone a bit pear shaped this season, but it hasn't got anything to do with rotation. We lost the league last season and the season before because of slow starts. This time around we've started well (which proves that Rafa has learned something) but we've been poor since the start of the year. That has been our demise.

[Shaggy]

The scum made at least 4 changes on saturday, including their 2 cm's (a key area of the pitch), and Rooney and Ronaldo - arguably their best two players this season. So that is like Rafa "rotating" Gerrard and Torres - but I don't see Fergie getting stick for it.....

Exactly. They made more "rotations" than us last year and won the title. It's about the quality of player you can bring in.

They brought in Hargreaves & Saha.

Rafa is slowly piecing together a great squad and with a little more time he can add more Mascheranos, more Torres...so to speak, and be able to rotate quality with quality like Chelsea and United do.

Rotation my arse. It's just a short-sighted, blinkered tabloid-style "catch all" excuse for our shortcomings.

[carlton]

On the contrary, if he stops over-obsessing with rotation for rotation's sake, stops changing the formation almost every game, stops being unduly cautious in his approach and stops adjusting his own team's mentality to account for inferior sides, then i've no real problem.

Rafa 'rotates', Fergie 'rests' or 'freshens up'. the media are obsessed with LFC and'rotation'. I cant wait for the day Rafa can start with 60 million pounds worth of strikers on the bench. We've got 4 games in 10 days, what would you do?

[Harv]

The scum made at least 4 changes on saturday, including their 2 cm's (a key area of the pitch), and Rooney and Ronaldo - arguably their best two players this season. So that is like Rafa "rotating" Gerrard and Torres - but I don't see Fergie getting stick for it.....

thats because the mancs won convincingly

I reckon it would of been different had they lost

[Reece]

The scum made at least 4 changes on saturday, including their 2 cm's (a key area of the pitch), and Rooney and Ronaldo - arguably their best two players this season. So that is like Rafa "rotating" Gerrard and Torres - but I don't see Fergie getting stick for it.....

In fact Vidic was also "rotated", so that is 5 key plays he rotated. Tut tut.

[Dalglish]

Exactly. They made more "rotations" than us last year and won the title. It's about the quality of player you can bring in.

They brought in Hargreaves & Saha.

Rafa is slowly piecing together a great squad and with a little more time he can add more Mascheranos, more Torres...so to speak, and be able to rotate quality with quality like Chelsea and United do.

Rotation my arse. It's just a short-sighted, blinkered tabloid-style "catch all" excuse for our shortcomings.

Is correct

[dww]

Well to me that is admirable.

Benitez has a clear footballing philosophy - one that has served him well. He has a clear idea and knows exactly what he is doing, unlike his predecessor.

Houllier was a blagger. Primarily a defensive coach who looked to use quick strikers to catch teams on the counter, he (embarrassingly) tried to change his style of play on a whim. He tried an attacking style of play for a short time, until it started backfiring and he hastily reverted to type.

I for one am thankful we have a manager who knows what he's doing and will not be shifted from his football philosophy by a load of know-it-alls in the media and on the internet. Benitez has forgotten in the last five minutes what the rest of us on here, combined, know about football...despite Syd's apparent belief that he is Rinus Michels.

I tend to agree with you but I think in some areas a change of emphasis is needed. My opinion would be that the changes Rafa has made indicate he will make the further alterations needed for us to progress. I'm not advocating whimsical style changes but additions to our core style (which I would argue we are seeing with the additional pacy counter attacking we have done in the last few games).

[dww]

This is supposed to be a football discussion and in an (probably vain) effort to get it to remain so I've deleted all of the recent posts purely centred around poster personality. Could an effort be made to keep the discussion some what on topic.

[Guest]

This is supposed to be a football discussion and in an (probably vain) effort to get it to remain so I've deleted all of the recent posts purely centred around poster personality. Could an effort be made to keep the discussion some what on topic.

Spoiler

[Johnny]

Exactly. They made more "rotations" than us last year and won the title. It's about the quality of player you can bring in.
They brought in Hargreaves & Saha.

Rafa is slowly piecing together a great squad and with a little more time he can add more Mascheranos, more Torres...so to speak, and be able to rotate quality with quality like Chelsea and United do.

Rotation my arse. It's just a short-sighted, blinkered tabloid-style "catch all" excuse for our shortcomings.

The reason why we are debating in the "Pennant,deadwood" thread.

[Pacman]

The fact Rafa ships out his underperforming signings so swiftly (Morientes, Josemi, Kromkamp...you know who I mean) is about as clear an indication that he "learns from his mistakes" (or at least recognises them) as you could possibly get.

Well to me that is admirable.

Benitez has a clear footballing philosophy - one that has served him well. He has a clear idea and knows exactly what he is doing, unlike his predecessor.

Houllier was a blagger. Primarily a defensive coach who looked to use quick strikers to catch teams on the counter, he (embarrassingly) tried to change his style of play on a whim. He tried an attacking style of play for a short time, until it started backfiring and he hastily reverted to type.

I for one am thankful we have a manager who knows what he's doing and will not be shifted from his football philosophy by a load of know-it-alls in the media and on the internet. Benitez has forgotten in the last five minutes what the rest of us on here, combined, know about football...despite Syd's apparent belief that he is Rinus Michels.

You say it's "rotation for rotation's sake" - he says there's a reason for every change.

I know who has more insight.

And rotation isn't the problem anyway. You've been listening to Richard Keys too much mate.

Exactly. They made more "rotations" than us last year and won the title. It's about the quality of player you can bring in.

They brought in Hargreaves & Saha.

Rafa is slowly piecing together a great squad and with a little more time he can add more Mascheranos, more Torres...so to speak, and be able to rotate quality with quality like Chelsea and United do.

Rotation my arse. It's just a short-sighted, blinkered tabloid-style "catch all" excuse for our shortcomings.

Couldn't agree more.

You're a good lad for a manc.

[Craig_H]

Well to me that is admirable.

Benitez has a clear footballing philosophy - one that has served him well. He has a clear idea and knows exactly what he is doing, unlike his predecessor.

Houllier was a blagger. Primarily a defensive coach who looked to use quick strikers to catch teams on the counter, he (embarrassingly) tried to change his style of play on a whim. He tried an attacking style of play for a short time, until it started backfiring and he hastily reverted to type.

I for one am thankful we have a manager who knows what he's doing and will not be shifted from his football philosophy by a load of know-it-alls in the media and on the internet. Benitez has forgotten in the last five minutes what the rest of us on here, combined, know about football...despite Syd's apparent belief that he is Rinus Michels.

But it doesnt work!

[AFII]

But it doesnt work!

There isn't a single manager in the PL that is great both in europe and in the PL, not even Fergie or Wenger.

[Guest]

But it doesnt work!

No it works. It takes time to implement something that players aren't really used to.

The past 2 seasons we've been very good in 2/3 of the league, but paid the price for poor starts. We've started well this year only to have a blip at the turn of the year.

[Rashid]

Mourinho was... he got his team to the semis two years in 3... coupled with league title wins. Wenger got his to a final 18 months ago. It depends where your bread is buttered.. if you want the league you go for a manager who can get you it, if you want the CL you go for Rafa although I am sure the Anfield crowd has a lot do with it too... Rafa's record in the CL with Valencia wasn't anything to write home about.