Rotation

[red g]

its nearly as boring as the we are a 2man team line !!!

[Pacman]

Written by Ben Blackmore

on Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Rafa Benitez has to be the only manager in England who can dump the Italian champions out of the Champions League - on their own turf - and get criticised for doing so.

Liverpool moved ominously into the last eight of the Champions League for the third time in four years on Tuesday, yet despite a European record that Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger dream about, Benitez instantly faced scarcely-veiled criticism.

It surrounded Fernando Torres, who had just leathered in his 26th goal of a wonderful season, justifying a huge Benitez gamble in spending £20.1 million on the Spanish superstar, who had scored just 14 goals the previous season for Atletico.

Liverpool had just beaten Inter, and looked comfortable doing so, so what could Benitez expect as his first question?

This is what he got: "Fernando Torres is in wonderful form, but should he have played more games at the start of the season, and can Liverpool fans expect to see him play every game until the rest of the season?" Or words to that effect.

Now I won't mention names, but anybody watching coverage of the game on T.V will know who I mean when I then turn to an even worse comment: "How many goals could Torres have scored had he not been in and out of the team all season? Wouldn't Liverpool fans swap the Champions League for the League?"

More criticism of Rafa's 'rotation policy', where apparently he has dropped Fernando Torres more times than Paul Robinson drops footballs.

So here is a fact for all those who bang on with this 'if only Torres had played more games' nonsense.

Of the Premier League games that Torres has been fit for this season, he has been rested only twice, the last of which came six months ago. The only other game he came off the bench for was on his return from injury against Fulham. A game he scored in and Liverpool won.

Cristiano Ronaldo meanwhile, has been rested three times, and United lost one of those games away at Bolton.

Liverpool aren't trailing United because Torres missed two games, they are trailing because they are not good enough over the course of the season - yet.

The two games Torres was rested for, came just two weeks before he picked up a thigh injury that saw him miss over a month of the season. Maybe Rafa knew something.

After all, Frank Rijkaard suffered similar criticism for resting Lionel Messi, right before the Argentine also suffered a muscular injury.

As crazy as it sounds, maybe Rafa knows more than these clueless pundits who continue to use magnificent victories like Tuesday night to bash the Liverpool boss.

I wouldn't bet against him having a second European Cup in his locker to prove it in May.

http://sport.setanta.com/en/Blogs/A-...-about-Torres/

[cled the red]

Written by Ben Blackmore

on Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Rafa Benitez has to be the only manager in England who can dump the Italian champions out of the Champions League - on their own turf - and get criticised for doing so.

Liverpool moved ominously into the last eight of the Champions League for the third time in four years on Tuesday, yet despite a European record that Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger dream about, Benitez instantly faced scarcely-veiled criticism.

It surrounded Fernando Torres, who had just leathered in his 26th goal of a wonderful season, justifying a huge Benitez gamble in spending £20.1 million on the Spanish superstar, who had scored just 14 goals the previous season for Atletico.

Liverpool had just beaten Inter, and looked comfortable doing so, so what could Benitez expect as his first question?

This is what he got: "Fernando Torres is in wonderful form, but should he have played more games at the start of the season, and can Liverpool fans expect to see him play every game until the rest of the season?" Or words to that effect.

Now I won't mention names, but anybody watching coverage of the game on T.V will know who I mean when I then turn to an even worse comment: "How many goals could Torres have scored had he not been in and out of the team all season? Wouldn't Liverpool fans swap the Champions League for the League?"

More criticism of Rafa's 'rotation policy', where apparently he has dropped Fernando Torres more times than Paul Robinson drops footballs.

So here is a fact for all those who bang on with this 'if only Torres had played more games' nonsense.

Of the Premier League games that Torres has been fit for this season, he has been rested only twice, the last of which came six months ago. The only other game he came off the bench for was on his return from injury against Fulham. A game he scored in and Liverpool won.

Cristiano Ronaldo meanwhile, has been rested three times, and United lost one of those games away at Bolton.

Liverpool aren't trailing United because Torres missed two games, they are trailing because they are not good enough over the course of the season - yet.

The two games Torres was rested for, came just two weeks before he picked up a thigh injury that saw him miss over a month of the season. Maybe Rafa knew something.

After all, Frank Rijkaard suffered similar criticism for resting Lionel Messi, right before the Argentine also suffered a muscular injury.

As crazy as it sounds, maybe Rafa knows more than these clueless pundits who continue to use magnificent victories like Tuesday night to bash the Liverpool boss.

I wouldn't bet against him having a second European Cup in his locker to prove it in May.

http://sport.setanta.com/en/Blogs/A-...-about-Torres/

Anybody got the E-Mail address for Jamie Redknapp, Richard Keys or any of the other numpties who constantly harp on about the so called rotation of Fernando and send them this article??!!

[philred10]

no but i did go to the same school as vic wakeling's (head of sky sports) daughter. only problem is that was 17 years ago, was in the same class as my sister shame they didnt keep in touch.

did anyone else notice we had four changes from the weekends lineup, surely a respectable proffessional like keys couldnt have failed to mention that rotation worked a treat, oh dear.

[Shaggy]

Written by Ben Blackmore

on Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Rafa Benitez has to be the only manager in England who can dump the Italian champions out of the Champions League - on their own turf - and get criticised for doing so.

Liverpool moved ominously into the last eight of the Champions League for the third time in four years on Tuesday, yet despite a European record that Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger dream about, Benitez instantly faced scarcely-veiled criticism.

It surrounded Fernando Torres, who had just leathered in his 26th goal of a wonderful season, justifying a huge Benitez gamble in spending £20.1 million on the Spanish superstar, who had scored just 14 goals the previous season for Atletico.

Liverpool had just beaten Inter, and looked comfortable doing so, so what could Benitez expect as his first question?

This is what he got: "Fernando Torres is in wonderful form, but should he have played more games at the start of the season, and can Liverpool fans expect to see him play every game until the rest of the season?" Or words to that effect.

Now I won't mention names, but anybody watching coverage of the game on T.V will know who I mean when I then turn to an even worse comment: "How many goals could Torres have scored had he not been in and out of the team all season? Wouldn't Liverpool fans swap the Champions League for the League?"

More criticism of Rafa's 'rotation policy', where apparently he has dropped Fernando Torres more times than Paul Robinson drops footballs.

So here is a fact for all those who bang on with this 'if only Torres had played more games' nonsense.

Of the Premier League games that Torres has been fit for this season, he has been rested only twice, the last of which came six months ago. The only other game he came off the bench for was on his return from injury against Fulham. A game he scored in and Liverpool won.

Cristiano Ronaldo meanwhile, has been rested three times, and United lost one of those games away at Bolton.

Liverpool aren't trailing United because Torres missed two games, they are trailing because they are not good enough over the course of the season - yet.

The two games Torres was rested for, came just two weeks before he picked up a thigh injury that saw him miss over a month of the season. Maybe Rafa knew something.

After all, Frank Rijkaard suffered similar criticism for resting Lionel Messi, right before the Argentine also suffered a muscular injury.

As crazy as it sounds, maybe Rafa knows more than these clueless pundits who continue to use magnificent victories like Tuesday night to bash the Liverpool boss.

I wouldn't bet against him having a second European Cup in his locker to prove it in May.

http://sport.setanta.com/en/Blogs/A-...-about-Torres/

HALLELUJAH!!

[Colemere]

You are Richard Keys and I claim my £5.

No, I'm not having a dig at Rafa, merely just thinking outloud

[Skillz]

Anyone see Redknapp after the game saying he hopes Rafa stops his continual resting of Torres after this run of form. Although I'm no fan of Souness the pundit you could see in his face he just wanted him to shut his trap.

How many times has Torres actually been rested, 3, 4 times? No more than Rooney and Ronaldo I'd guess. Redknapp = big time muppet.

You see this is why people say there is an agenda against us. It is clear this line of thinking was to be the "Status Quo" for the night.

Agenda driven bull**** that really isn't worth talking about TBH. Just blank it out.

[Woobus]

Is it a coincidence that our recent upturn in form has been a result of Rafa's change of apporach to his usual policy, the reason for us battling on just two fronts could just be an excuse for Rafa realising that chopping and changing is not the way to go in England. In 2005 we were only fighting on two fronts and rotation was still the way to go.

I might be wrong but this seems to be Rafa's approach every season. He rotates alot at the start so the key players are still raring to go at the end of the season when all the finals are. Also think the amount of rotation at the start is due to him trying to blend the new players in without to much pressure.

[lfc1394]

Thing is until we win the title, the press will harp on about this.
My problem isn't resting Torres, it's making 5-8 changes in the starting line up, no more than 2-3 max. If he sticks to this next season we will do well.
If he wants to make wholesale changes do it in the cups. I think I speak for most fans, when saying i couldn't give a flying **** about the FA or Carling cups, if it means we are closer to the league.

[BFG]

Thing is until we win the title, the press will harp on about this.
My problem isn't resting Torres, it's making 5-8 changes in the starting line up, no more than 2-3 max. If he sticks to this next season we will do well.
If he wants to make wholesale changes do it in the cups. I think I speak for most fans, when saying i couldn't give a flying **** about the FA or Carling cups, if it means we are closer to the league.

The more top, top players we have in the squad, the more consistency we'll see in the first 11.

How many times do Gerrard, Carra, Reina, Torres get rested? Ideally we need another 3 or 4 majorly good players then we have the core of 7 or 8 players that play nigh on every week.

[MattB]

Piss poor isn't it. If one mainstream journo just looked at the facts he could highlight the fact that the rest of them are tits in one article.

Last night's Sky coverage was ****e, and prompted me into a pointless rant at the Sky Sports Editor. Here it is in all it's futilty:

As a Sky TV and broadband customer I would like to register my disgust at your coverage of the Liverpool v Inter Milan Champions League game last night.

Leaving the usual complaints about Andy Gray's clear and unashamed bias against Liverpool (and his obvious and undisguised excitement at the mere possibility of a Liverpool defeat), the post game comment from your so called expert panel and Richard Keys, as well as the interview with Rafa Benitez were examples of gutter journalism at its worst.

Jamie Redknapp is frankly an imbecile and a blagger who makes up opinions on the fly, spewing utter ill-informed garbage in what can only be described as a stream of unconsciousness. His post game comments about rotation, resting Torres and Rafa being 'lucky' were factually incorrect and unnecessary - would Manchester United fans be subjected to this idiocy following a win in the San Siro? Is it too much to expect your 'experts' to do a little research and gather some facts on which to base their opinions, or better still, confine their ramblings to events on the pitch?

Richard Keys for his part has no credibility whatsoever, and simply comes across as a journalistic halfwit who is only interested in eliciting sensationalist comment from his panel, regardless of whether those comments have any basis in fact. What about proper, well informed tactical analysis, or is that too much to ask?

Finally, your interview with Rafa Benitiz was AGAIN unecessarily confrontational, continuing what appears to be a crusade to bully and undermine. Why was it necessary to ask about resting Torres in the Premier League, when the interview followed a significant Champions League victory (again leaving aside the fact that Torres has been rested only twice in the league so far - compared with Ronaldo (3 times)?

I am not complaining about a general anti-LFC bias. However I would urge you to reconsider your editorial policy with regards to Liverpool. Stop dragging up the same old non-stories, do your research and afford the club, its manager and fans the respect they deserve - especially after significant performances and results like the one secured last night. I don't think that is too much to ask.

For the record, you do not have my permission to put this message in the public domain.

Made me feel better anyway...

[BFG]

A good read mate.

You put across some good points a lot more eloquently than I could have managed after listening to Redkunts analysis. To think I had this morons poster on my wall as a kid.

[lfc1394]

Finally, your interview with Rafa Benitiz was AGAIN unecessarily confrontational, continuing what appears to be a crusade to bully and undermine. Why was it necessary to ask about resting Torres in the Premier League, when the interview followed a significant Champions League victory (again leaving aside the fact that Torres has been rested only twice in the league so far - compared with Ronaldo (3 times)?

I
Made me feel better anyway...

Plus the whole what the hell do you think you are doing playing Carra right back questioning.

I mean we just one 3-0 over 2 legs, and they still question the guy. :bird:

[blacky]

Redknapp has lost any bit of respect I had for him. He disgraces the captains armband he once wore for the club.

[Pacman]

Last night's Sky coverage was ****e, and prompted me into a pointless rant at the Sky Sports Editor. Here it is in all it's futilty:

As a Sky TV and broadband customer I would like to register my disgust at your coverage of the Liverpool v Inter Milan Champions League game last night.

Leaving the usual complaints about Andy Gray's clear and unashamed bias against Liverpool (and his obvious and undisguised excitement at the mere possibility of a Liverpool defeat), the post game comment from your so called expert panel and Richard Keys, as well as the interview with Rafa Benitez were examples of gutter journalism at its worst.

Jamie Redknapp is frankly an imbecile and a blagger who makes up opinions on the fly, spewing utter ill-informed garbage in what can only be described as a stream of unconsciousness. His post game comments about rotation, resting Torres and Rafa being 'lucky' were factually incorrect and unnecessary - would Manchester United fans be subjected to this idiocy following a win in the San Siro? Is it too much to expect your 'experts' to do a little research and gather some facts on which to base their opinions, or better still, confine their ramblings to events on the pitch?

Richard Keys for his part has no credibility whatsoever, and simply comes across as a journalistic halfwit who is only interested in eliciting sensationalist comment from his panel, regardless of whether those comments have any basis in fact. What about proper, well informed tactical analysis, or is that too much to ask?

Finally, your interview with Rafa Benitiz was AGAIN unecessarily confrontational, continuing what appears to be a crusade to bully and undermine. Why was it necessary to ask about resting Torres in the Premier League, when the interview followed a significant Champions League victory (again leaving aside the fact that Torres has been rested only twice in the league so far - compared with Ronaldo (3 times)?

I am not complaining about a general anti-LFC bias. However I would urge you to reconsider your editorial policy with regards to Liverpool. Stop dragging up the same old non-stories, do your research and afford the club, its manager and fans the respect they deserve - especially after significant performances and results like the one secured last night. I don't think that is too much to ask.

For the record, you do not have my permission to put this message in the public domain.

Made me feel better anyway...