It's not the draw yesterday...

[reds123]

that will cost us the league.

It's the mess we've done vs West Ham, Fulham, Hull, Stoke and Everton when the team was in a comfortable position to add an 8 point advantage. When many of us were saying this back last month, some responded: don't be negative!

Now the team will feel the pressure much more and every game is going to be a cup game. This is all due to stubborness of Rafa in trying to play 4-5-1 with 2 defenive mid. vs ****e teams and playing the hard worker alone (13 games without a goal) upfront.

And don't tell me that in September we were saying: this year 3rd is ok.

After the purchase of Riera and Keane, we were saying: this is our year!!!

[meffin]

we wont finish above villa this year

[Elvoz]

we wont finish above villa this year

i,ll take that bet how much you want on it ?

[Matt]

We've been saying 'it's our year' every year for as long as I remember.

Ultimately, and I think it's now a case of when rather than if, we don't win the league at least we'll know where it went wrong. And reds has a point, if we'd have done the job at home against those other sides last night wouldn't have been quite such a bitter pill to swallow.

I was wondering about the size of the Anfield pitch. Maybe I'm just thinking about the start of each season on FM2009 but our pitch seems smaller than Old Traffords and i would have thought that would benefit sides who come to park the bus and play compactly.

[Matt]

we wont finish above villa this year

Bit extreme.

[reds123]

We've been saying 'it's our year' every year for as long as I remember.

Ultimately, and I think it's now a case of when rather than if, we don't win the league at least we'll know where it went wrong. And reds has a point, if we'd have done the job at home against those other sides last night wouldn't have been quite such a bitter pill to swallow.

I was wondering about the size of the Anfield pitch. Maybe I'm just thinking about the start of each season on FM2009 but our pitch seems smaller than Old Traffords and i would have thought that would benefit sides who come to park the bus and play compactly.

Totally agree with the argument of the size pitch though Arsenal last won it in Highbury which wasn't big either.

Teams find it much easier to play 11 behind the ball at Anfield rather than Old Trafford but this is due to many facts. For ex. Utd have Ronaldo, Nani and Giggs as wide players. We have Riera, Babel and Benayoun who are not the same class as those of Utd's. And Babel rarely begins at Anfield! And many times we have Kuyt as right wing!

[el matador]

benitez's stupid decisions will keep costing us points and the league is a dream which we wont achieve.

its almost like rafa doesnt want us to win the league so he's playing teams that he knows wont win games and its all to do with his powerfight with parry and the owners.

i believe that rafa is doing this on purpose to prove a point to the owners and parry in that its my way or no way at all.

personally, benitez is now in a **** heap of a mess. With every point we drop, his reputation drops a little further. Calderon offered him the madrid job at the end of this season, and based on that firm offer benitez made his move on the owners and his demands.

calderon has now left madrid and although im sure one of the candidates will want benitez to take over, what's the chance of him actually getting in.

its not the team anymore, its definitely the manager.

[Reece]

I'm sorry but there is no bloody way Rafa would be doing this on purpose And even if he was, he can't really affect the player's performances on the pitch can he, so are they in on it too as they've been pretty poor recently as well.

[el matador]

I'm sorry but there is no bloody way Rafa would be doing this on purpose And even if he was, he can't really affect the player's performances on the pitch can he, so are they in on it too as they've been pretty poor recently as well.

all you've got to do is look at yesterday's team.

Why didnt alonso start and why did lucas get in the team ahead of him against a very physical wigan side ?

Why when the game was turning against us didnt he bring alonso on to shore up the midfield, which we had clearly lost in the second half ?

why when they equalised, did he take gerrard off and bring keane on to replace him, instead of taking off lucas or masher to bring on an extra forward to win the points back ?

all you need to do is to look at bruce's changes, with 10 mins to go they had on up front mido, camara and rodellega - three strikers. He takes gerrard off and puts keane on instead of him which clearly implies that the formation he wants to keep is the 4231 and he doesnt think keane can play upfront and so played him in gerrard's position instead.

He trusts babel upfront who has scored only one goal this season compared to keanes 6 or 7.

He wants keane out, he wants full control over the transfers and he wants parry out. Until he gets all that, the stupid decisions continue and we will drop like a lead balloon.

Im not being funny and i dont give a **** about conspiracies but rafa is orchestrating this on purpose to prove a point to the owners.

[Reece]

You can say whatever you want but you will NEVER convince me that Rafa is deliberately sabotaging things. It's just plain ridiculous. He's always been accused of making strange decisions so you can't suddenly turn around and say he's making them now because he wants us to do badly. That is an insult to the guy.

[JudgeRed]

Iim sorry mate, I agree with Reggie- do you honestly believe that Rafa would wish his team to not win the league. If he wins it, it enhances his reputation, and shows his way was the correct way.

People say that titles arent handed out in January, well they arent handed out in February either. There is still a **** load of football to be played, its not time to throw in the towel just yet.

[el matador]

You can say whatever you want but you will NEVER convince me that Rafa is deliberately sabotaging things. It's just plain ridiculous. He's always been accused of making strange decisions so you can't suddenly turn around and say he's making them now because he wants us to do badly. That is an insult to the guy.

dont tell me reg, you've never heard of anybody in the work place deliberately manoevering situations around to suit their means. It happens everyday in every workplace and football is no different.

the whole manager v owner debate is about managers serving their interests before those of the owners.

there can be no other explanation for such bizarre and ridiculous decisions other than he has another agenda.

[PTP]

I think now the players know they have bottled it, rafa knows he has bottled it, the whole country can see it.

Now the best thing would be for the players and manager to get together and go out and get ****ing bladdered, let of some steam, chill out, relax and build up some team spirit and release the pressure that has built up.

After that, go and enjoy themselves on the pitch - pick a strong attacking line up, keep it simple now rigid rules or anything and just let them play football

i'd go with

reina

Arbeloa
agger
carragher
aurelio

gerrard
mascherano
alonso

keane
torres
kuyt


Stick with it for 5 games running. Make sure we get men in the box, don't make unneccesary changes and just get back to ****ing basics!

[Elvoz]

no offence but what a load of ****ing ****e to say he is blowing it on purpose
ffs

[el matador]

no offence but what a load of ****ing ****e to say he is blowing it on purpose
ffs

once he gets what he wants the results will start to pick up