lets be honest..chelsea are streets ahead of us

[Sarb]

I don't care about Europe now. I want the Premiership

[Reece]

no one's questioning europe. but does anyone think we could have destroyed 'arry's team the way chelsea did in their first league game with a new manager that had never managed in the premiership....etc etc.

Not sure what the relevance of them having a new manager is when we are discussing Rafa, but we did beat Pompey 4-0 last season, albeit not on the first game of the season but again not really sure what the relevance there is.

[Reece]

I don't care about Europe now. I want the Premiership

Rashid was the one who brought up Europe when he compared our passing to other teams in Europe. So people then countered with the fact that we are pretty damn good in Europe.

I'm sure we all want the Premiership over Europe.

Waits for someone to say "apart from Rafa".

[Rashid]

I said Europe not because of the CL but because of the league comparison, not only are we one of the dullest sides in England but also Europe.

[Reece]

Yeah well I'd take a dull win in the CL.

Or the league for that matter.

[Sarb]

Reece we don't attack teams enough. We have players like Babel, Torres, Gerrard, Keane now and Lucas who are all attacking players and (don't know about Lucas yet) very good at it. Thing is they get made to defend too much imo. We've got 4 solid defenders and usually two holding midfielders so these guys should be allowed to go and express themselves, score two or three goals then sit back.

We don't do that game in game out. There is too much of this arty tactics keep it tight etc and sometimes there isn't any need

[Rix007]

If we won the league playing this dull football would you be happy? YES YES YES, I've been praying for 18years now, my poor knees are a wee bit sore

Also, I don't think many teams fancy meeting us in Europe
Agree there also, teams don't fancy us but also teams don't FEAR us.

Look guys all I'm saying is that we need to play more attractive football and start winning comfortably...Looking as Liege in the week, we need to finish these teams off(no disrespect to Liege).Also check Sunderland, we needed to win by at least 2 / 3 goals...Winning breeds confidence and confidence breeds success.
I think we got a great squad..Its only the first 2 games, I hope Rafa gets in 2 more good players and start getting this team going.

[Rashid]

If we buy Barry then we could end up playing 4 Central Midfielders in midfield. When Skrtel comes back Carra could play right back. It defensive pragmatism it's worst. We don't express ourselves, our style of play is that of a mid table team.

[Reece]

Reece we don't attack teams enough. We have players like Babel, Torres, Gerrard, Keane now and Lucas who are all attacking players and (don't know about Lucas yet) very good at it. Thing is they get made to defend too much imo. We've got 4 solid defenders and usually two holding midfielders so these guys should be allowed to go and express themselves, score two or three goals then sit back.

We don't do that game in game out. There is too much of this arty tactics keep it tight etc and sometimes there isn't any need

There isn't one person on this board that would love us to play like Arsenal at their best, or Barca, or Brazil. But we scored a bucket load of goals last season which would suggest we aren't as defensive as you try and make out.
I admit the first two games of the season have been pretty dour from an attacking point of view. I'm hoping that once we have Masher and Babel back we will revert back to the 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 formation that served us well at the end of the season.

[Resu]

Look guys all I'm saying is that we need to play more attractive football and start winning comfortably...Looking as Liege in the week, we need to finish these teams off(no disrespect to Liege).Also check Sunderland, we needed to win by at least 2 / 3 goals...Winning breeds confidence and confidence breeds success.
I think we got a great squad..Its only the first 2 games, I hope Rafa gets in 2 more good players and start getting this team going.

I think you have to high expectations here. You go to places like that expecting to win, but not by several goals.

[Rashid]

There isn't one person on this board that would love us to play like Arsenal at their best, or Barca, or Brazil.

Noone is expecting that, just basic pass and move, no hoofing and stopping the disgusting "2nd ball scrap" we have and stopping our wide players acting as 2nd fullbacks would be a start.

[Exiled_red]

Arsenal played the most attractive football in Europe last year ...but won nothing.

If it comes to style vs substance I'd rather play dull football and win stuff than attractive football and win nothing.

We need to start winning and worry about how we win after!

[Rashid]

What's really laughable is that here on Est we have a queue of whiney little bitches who are slagging off our style of play after two games when one was away in Europe (and LFC has always played like that in away Euro games) and one was the curtain raiser in the Premier League at a tough place to go where the untouchable Arsenal and also Chelsea won by a single goal last season.

I am talking about the style of play of the last 4 years, or even the style of the last 10 years. And Babel, Mascherani and Lucas would have made no difference to it plus they were there last season too when we played much of the same. Our style of play is sunday league at times.

[rage]

Not sure what the relevance of them having a new manager is when we are discussing Rafa, but we did beat Pompey 4-0 last season, albeit not on the first game of the season but again not really sure what the relevance there is.

because we never seem to expect our new managers to hit the ground running anymore. they all have 3, 4 or even 5 year plan that we humour. there's acycle developing here reece whether we want to admit it or not and rafa has THIS SEASON to break it.

[rage]

What's really laughable is that here on Est we have a queue of whiney little bitches who are slagging off our style of play after two games when one was away in Europe (and LFC has always played like that in away Euro games) and one was the curtain raiser in the Premier League at a tough place to go where the untouchable Arsenal and also Chelsea won by a single goal last season.

Throw into that the fact that two of our best players are away in China and you've got to ask what the **** these idiots are talking about, where is the perspective?

I suppose the fact that they are conversed with is a damning indictment of anyone that bothers to reply to their idiotic blatherings.

our style of play has been crap back to the days of evens. nothing to do with 2 games.