Rafa- 'Rotation has worked'- or words to that effect...

[kop-al-74]

If Rafa really thinks his rotation has worked, he wants his head testing. He wants taking round the back of the nearest building at Melwood and his head kicking until it sinks in.

Personally, the reason I think we've had a sh*t season is Rafa's poor attempt at a goatee. It's got to go. Start the campaign now.

I thought it was only there until we lost our first game.

[Sarb]

Hasn't worked in the league

[rage]

of course rotation works, if all u value is having a fit squad at the end of the season. the fundamental question is has rotation improved our chances of winning the league in the four seasons he's been here? has it ****!

My problem isn't rotation, its over rotation. Over complicated rotation of players and tactics early on in the season means we're always playing catch up by Xmas.

Two things need to take place if Rafa lasts longer than next season.

Rafa should start with a settled side, win some games and then rest players that appear to be tired.

Of course an improved squad will help also. Here we need to concentrate on 2 or 3 quality positions, no more central midfielders, defensive attackers or wanna be gangsters and porn stars. 1 fullback, 1 winger and 1 striker.

Doesn't matter if we win the league or not, we need to be competing at the business end of the season. Not done that since Roy Evans!

[dww]

How can rotation have worked when we were dropping points left right and centre a few months back and we're 14 points off the top of the league?
The point of rotations is to rest players and still win games - which is something we clearly didn't do.

I think the point is that over the season you maximise the teams potential. The problem with performance around Christmas was not rotation IMO but a failure by the core attacking players to function (mostly Gerrard and Torres) and a lack of enough players who offer a goal threat who suited being played together.

Added to the fact we had one of our key attackers (Babel) adapting to the league.

I think if you want to accuse Rafa's policies of having a flaw it has been the amount of changes in staff who are in the core players he wants to rotate. However looking on here most people wanted to see more and not less changes in those areas.

[Zambian_Red]

The rotation did not cost us that, the lack of quality on the wings, not killing teams off and a lot of pens conceded did that.

What has hampered our season is not the fact of rotation but too many draws as we couldnt finish of the game off as well off the pitch distractions an dmost importantly quality right winger and a potent striker

[El Jefecito]

of course rotation works, if all u value is having a fit squad at the end of the season. the fundamental question is has rotation improved our chances of winning the league in the four seasons he's been here? has it ****!

My problem isn't rotation, its over rotation. Over complicated rotation of players and tactics early on in the season means we're always playing catch up by Xmas.

Two things need to take place if Rafa lasts longer than next season.

Rafa should start with a settled side, win some games and then rest players that appear to be tired.

Of course an improved squad will help also. Here we need to concentrate on 2 or 3 quality positions, no more central midfielders, defensive attackers or wanna be gangsters and porn stars. 1 fullback, 1 winger and 1 striker.

Doesn't matter if we win the league or not, we need to be competing at the business end of the season. Not done that since Roy Evans!

All bull****ting, prediriclections, competing opinions aisde that is the key question. And I have to agree, it hasn't helped. But there are three factors to be considered:

1/ IMO We should rotate at the end of the season not at the beginning.
2/ The squad is not strong enough TODAY to support rotation, and,
3/ We've been rotating formations AND players. We need to rotate players.

If we address 2 and 3, 1 will be inconsequential and we will see the REAL benefit of rotation.

[MrMichael]

http://www.football365.com/story/0,1...391218,00.html

OK, the topic has been done to death and is a bit dull....but, am i alone in finding this a bit alarming?

I thought the last few weeks had shown rafa had learned his lesson, the proof will be in next seasons pudding of course, but to me that doesnt bode well.

Man, what's with all the negativity coming from you at the moment? Its getting a bit silly really.

We flagrantly are not yet quite good enough to match the top 3 teams. By the end of the season I think we'll have around 75 points, with the champions about 10 points ahead. I'd say that'll be about right.

Look at the stats. Fergie, Wenger and Grant all rotate as much as Rafa does over the season. Our key players play all the games when fit and ready. Torres has started what now, 25 league games. One more than Ronaldo isn't it? Gerrard always starts when fit. So do Mascher, Reina and Carra. Those are undoubtedly our best and most consistent players. Other players in other positions have been rotated more, primarily because of form, fitness, developing, and all sorts of other, sensible reasons. Rotation is a complete white elephant.

If anyone on this board can say that they believe, having watched the players this season, that we should have won the league with this squad, they're wrong. ManU, much though I hope they don't, should win this league, with Chelsea and Arsenal just a few points off. The amount of money in one, and the combination of money and time in the other two, have put them ahead of us over the course of the last few seasons, and we've not quite yet bridged the gap.

We're closer than we've been up to now though. In Mascher and Torres we've added 2 world class talents. We now need to add a couple more and we really will have something. Then, if we don't compete across the whole season, we can start to blame things like rotation and team selection. Otherwise the discussion is pointless, and worry seriously unfounded. Cheer up a bit man ffs.

[barnes10]

rafa is building the club in his name. this means setting out his policies and tactics from the start so the whole club moves in the right direction. this includes rotation and it includes defensive solidity and stopping the other team's game as part of our game plan. this will never change and i don't think it should.

every club needs to rest its 1st 11 and to replace injured players. it all boils down to the quality they're replaced with and no-one will convince me otherwise.

don't forget that rafa was gunning for the league before he was told 'fail to qualify for the cl knockout stages and you're sacked'. now fook me but if i heard that from my bosses then it'd soon be making an about turn. hence reading and a few of the league results until marseille. as we know the whole place was in turmoil until feb when we started putting things right.

rafa's done very little wrong in my eyes and everyone who criticises the policies he's followed conveniently overlooks significant realities that the man/club face. be it finances, orders from the board, player abilities etc.

rafa's done a massive and brilliant job for us since he's been here and we cannot upgrade him for any other manager on the scene at the moment. any change will be a change for the worse I believe. I just can't see another who'd have pulled off what he has now who I'd have more belief in going forward.

[kop-al-74]

rafa is building the club in his name. this means setting out his policies and tactics from the start so the whole club moves in the right direction. this includes rotation and it includes defensive solidity and stopping the other team's game as part of our game plan. this will never change and i don't think it should.

every club needs to rest its 1st 11 and to replace injured players. it all boils down to the quality they're replaced with and no-one will convince me otherwise.

don't forget that rafa was gunning for the league before he was told 'fail to qualify for the cl knockout stages and you're sacked'. now fook me but if i heard that from my bosses then it'd soon be making an about turn. hence reading and a few of the league results until marseille. as we know the whole place was in turmoil until feb when we started putting things right.

rafa's done very little wrong in my eyes and everyone who criticises the policies he's followed conveniently overlooks significant realities that the man/club face. be it finances, orders from the board, player abilities etc.

rafa's done a massive and brilliant job for us since he's been here and we cannot upgrade him for any other manager on the scene at the moment. any change will be a change for the worse I believe. I just can't see another who'd have pulled off what he has now who I'd have more belief in going forward.

I agree with all you say.To replace Rafa will be taking more than one step backwards.

It's now at the point where everything is in place to challenge.We need 2 or 3world class attacking signings.That will make the difference.No more squad players.

[carlton]

I agree with all you say.To replace Rafa will be taking more than one step backwards.

It's now at the point where everything is in place to challenge.We need 2 or 3world class attacking signings.That will make the difference.No more squad players.

Thats a good call about no more squad players. We need to complement the squad with 2-3 top class signings. After seeing Plessis debut I am confident that our youngsters who are on the verge are being prepared in a way that will enable them to make a reasonably smooth transition to the first team and therefore be viable squad players in preference to bringing in players from other clubs.

[saveferris]

Any new signings shouold be ones challenging for a first team place, the problem in my opinion is that on too many occasions the players wo have been rotated in have failed to perform and I include Kuyt and Babel in that as well.

The rotation has worked as our players look relatively fresh, however its one thing being fresh, it doesnt mean the same if we arent challenging though.

Saying that if we had beaten Utd then we wouldnt have played a rotated side on Saturday I feel (or not rotated as much) and could have been closer.

[Woobus]

How can rotation have worked when we were dropping points left right and centre a few months back and we're 14 points off the top of the league?
The point of rotations is to rest players and still win games - which is something we clearly didn't do.

I dont think you can put our bad spell down to just rotation. Before we got key injuries to Agger, Alonso, Gerrard and Torres we were top of the league. With them out or recovering from injury we had a bad dip in form, when they got back on form and we got cover for defense we have looked like the team we were at the start of the season.
Add on top of that the amount of fighting going on between Manager and owners and the players not being sure if Rafa would still be there come x-mas then I think rotation has been blamed for to much this season.

[lfcruleus]

Man, what's with all the negativity coming from you at the moment? Its getting a bit silly really.

We flagrantly are not yet quite good enough to match the top 3 teams. By the end of the season I think we'll have around 75 points, with the champions about 10 points ahead. I'd say that'll be about right.

Look at the stats. Fergie, Wenger and Grant all rotate as much as Rafa does over the season. Our key players play all the games when fit and ready. Torres has started what now, 25 league games. One more than Ronaldo isn't it? Gerrard always starts when fit. So do Mascher, Reina and Carra. Those are undoubtedly our best and most consistent players. Other players in other positions have been rotated more, primarily because of form, fitness, developing, and all sorts of other, sensible reasons. Rotation is a complete white elephant.

If anyone on this board can say that they believe, having watched the players this season, that we should have won the league with this squad, they're wrong. ManU, much though I hope they don't, should win this league, with Chelsea and Arsenal just a few points off. The amount of money in one, and the combination of money and time in the other two, have put them ahead of us over the course of the last few seasons, and we've not quite yet bridged the gap.

We're closer than we've been up to now though. In Mascher and Torres we've added 2 world class talents. We now need to add a couple more and we really will have something. Then, if we don't compete across the whole season, we can start to blame things like rotation and team selection. Otherwise the discussion is pointless, and worry seriously unfounded. Cheer up a bit man ffs.

Absolutely spot on, consisyancy is the key, world class players are that because they consistantly perform at that level over a season, we have 3 arguably 5, Utd have 5 arguably 7, Chelsea have 6 arguably 8, even Arsenal have 5 or so with the potential to be a lot more, of the players who are actually rotated at Liverpool none of them could argue they have consistantly performed in a way that they should not be dropped.

[RedProf]

rafa is building the club in his name. this means setting out his policies and tactics from the start so the whole club moves in the right direction. this includes rotation and it includes defensive solidity and stopping the other team's game as part of our game plan. this will never change and i don't think it should.

every club needs to rest its 1st 11 and to replace injured players. it all boils down to the quality they're replaced with and no-one will convince me otherwise.

don't forget that rafa was gunning for the league before he was told 'fail to qualify for the cl knockout stages and you're sacked'. now fook me but if i heard that from my bosses then it'd soon be making an about turn. hence reading and a few of the league results until marseille. as we know the whole place was in turmoil until feb when we started putting things right.

rafa's done very little wrong in my eyes and everyone who criticises the policies he's followed conveniently overlooks significant realities that the man/club face. be it finances, orders from the board, player abilities etc.

rafa's done a massive and brilliant job for us since he's been here and we cannot upgrade him for any other manager on the scene at the moment. any change will be a change for the worse I believe. I just can't see another who'd have pulled off what he has now who I'd have more belief in going forward.

That's a top post.

There are day to day realities Rafa has to work with which at times tie his hands.

There is nothing to say we cannot win it next year. Progress isn't always linear, we could have a fantastic season and come 1st.

[Nic83]

Rotation is just an excuse to keep players happy