Villa (a) Post Match Thread

[saj]

I guarantee Rafa will not win the title for Liverpool this season.

Mate, he's never going to win it unless he changes his mentality. Rafa really did study the AC Milan team too hard. Rafa needs to realise this Seria A mentality will not win the league. Even Seria A has now moved on from that ultra defensive style - look at Inter, Roma and even Milan now. We need him to go back to the way he was thinking after February last year. Rafa really is digging hiw own grave. If we keep playing the way we are and Rafa keeps the wrong players, I really hope Rafa isn't our manager come this time next year.

[Tee]

If we do not improve our quality of football (regardless of is we win, lose or draw) I will seriously consider changing my sig. I felt sick watching that dross yesterday and had a distinct feel of deja-vu from Houlliers days.

[Kenneth]

If we do not improve our quality of football (regardless of is we win, lose or draw) I will seriously consider changing my sig. I felt sick watching that dross yesterday and had a distinct feel of deja-vu from Houlliers days.

No required. The Houllier references are pretty appropriate in the main. We're getting more and more conservative and defensive and the side is less and less settled with every game. We rely on individual brilliance to paper over the cracks. We have a team that is weaker than it's individual parts. Need to turn things around fast but does Rafa have the ideas to do it?

[Tee]

No required. The Houllier references are pretty appropriate in the main. We're getting more and more conservative and defensive and the side is less and less settled with every game. We rely on individual brilliance to paper over the cracks. We have a team that is weaker than it's individual parts. Need to turn things around fast but does Rafa have the ideas to do it?

I know.

Problem is I geuinely like Rafa and really believe in what he is doing - but when those players cross the white line it just seems to be going pear shaped.

Going back to yesterdays game...Why is there no movement in our play?
Why do our players play so many ****in back passes? Why do the defenders panic and just hoof it down the channels? Why was Ngog preferred to Babel? Why was Keane out on the left? Why does Carra run forward with the ball, check back and pass it back or hoof it? Why did we sign Dossena? Why did we want Gareth Barry? Why did the chicken cross the road?

The only person to come out with any credit this season has been Pepe. What a keeper we have. The best.

[donpisci]

I didn't see the game yesterday, but after reading through this thread, it sounds as if we did well!

[Kenneth]

"The only person to come out with any credit this season has been Pepe. What a keeper we have. The best."

[saj]

"The only person to come out with any credit this season has been Pepe. What a keeper we have. The best."

Yep - he seems to have has upped his game considerably and he was already world class.

[Fierce]

So, it wasn't pretty, and pretty much all of the decisions made were strange. But I'd have begrudgingly taken a point before k-o yesterday, and I'd have begged for a point when Torres limped off... It's a better point than taking one at home to Newcastle; it's a better than a point than one at home against Spurs, and it's better than being beaten and schooled by Fulham.

It's no bed of roses; we're not overloaded with world class talent for every postion; we will miss Gerrard and Torres if, and when they're out. Any fan that expected more was deluded. But it's September, we're unbeaten despite a tricky period when we have had little form, and a few quality players have been unavailable.

We're on the same amount of points as Chelsea, the league leaders. We're in the Champions League, for the 5th year running (We only qualified twice in the 5 years before Rafa took control); Liverpool's wage bill is dwarfed by the other 3 contenders and we consistently spend less on transfers than the likes of Chelsea, Utd, Spurs even Newcastle and Citeh at times. Yet some of our fans are more than unhappy, and the Manc-lovers down at Sky think Rafa deserves the sack... If the Sky commentators had been judged so harshly in their roles, they'd spend their lives on the dole.

Edit: Lifted from elsewhere, but a good post imo

[El Jefecito]

damning and 100% accurate. Rafa needs to sort out this **** or pack his bags. I'm still fuming after that display.

for all the rafa lovers no a point at villa is not a disaster but playing the way we did is. also this is not a one off blip!

Why play keane on the left? anyone of the rcdnw brigade please why did we play keane on the left with a 1 million pound kid upfront? what position were lucas and yossi playing?

i read el jef talk about alonso again earlier somewhere, well amigo i don't remember the love child of kuyt and lucas doing much in our midfield either.

i remember talking about 10 games and we'll know, well rafa i reckon the utd game is make or break for you. i don't care if we're top after 3 games. playing like this and i'll bet everything i own that we'll not even be top 6 come xmas.

And isn't that typical of your mindset. I provided a rational exposition of Xabi's performance and then you take a dig and retort with 'the love child of kuyt and lucas'. I mean that is just pathetic, are you even capable of anything other than knee-jerk, irrational over emotive ramblings?

[Kenneth]

So, it wasn't pretty, and pretty much all of the decisions made were strange. But I'd have begrudgingly taken a point before k-o yesterday, and I'd have begged for a point when Torres limped off... It's a better point than taking one at home to Newcastle; it's a better than a point than one at home against Spurs, and it's better than being beaten and schooled by Fulham.

It's no bed of roses; we're not overloaded with world class talent for every postion; we will miss Gerrard and Torres if, and when they're out. Any fan that expected more was deluded. But it's September, we're unbeaten despite a tricky period when we have had little form, and a few quality players have been unavailable.

We're on the same amount of points as Chelsea, the league leaders. We're in the Champions League, for the 5th year running (We only qualified twice in the 5 years before Rafa took control); Liverpool's wage bill is dwarfed by the other 3 contenders and we consistently spend less on transfers than the likes of Chelsea, Utd, Spurs even Newcastle and Citeh at times. Yet some of our fans are more than unhappy, and the Manc-lovers down at Sky think Rafa deserves the sack... If the Sky commentators had been judged so harshly in their roles, they'd spend their lives on the dole.

Edit: Lifted from elsewhere, but a good post imo

If you can't refute specific criticism, come out with generalities.

[Assassin]

"The only person to come out with any credit this season has been Pepe. What a keeper we have. The best."

Not bad for a winger who is being played out of position

[El Jefecito]

Remarkably, he's probably the one player Rafa signed who was never played out of position. Even Reina has been played out of position (albeit in a pre-season friendly)

What lengths will some people go to, to put the boot in. That's just pathetic.

[Fierce]

If you can't refute specific criticism, come out with generalities.

Que?

[El Jefecito]

If you can't refute specific criticism, come out with generalities.

Or just pure make **** up, like quite a few do on here.

[Kenneth]

Que?

All of the questions being asked of Rafa after the villa game etc, a bland post about how we haven't lost and are qualifying for the CL more than under Houllier adds little.