Sack the bored (article about Rafa)

[BFG]

That article brought shame on me and a metaphorical tear to my eye. One thing is for sure, for all the sh*t Rafa is putting up with he deserves to mentioned in the same breath as Shankley. We will probably never get such a devoted and honest guy managing our club again.

But no man is bigger than a club. Not even Shankley. For all the truth spoken in that article there were many fallacies. Firstly, we have improved year on year but by very small margins. The only reason we have touched top place with 52 points in February is because the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and even scum are going through their worst periods this millenium.

If Rafa leaves this summer my heart will sink at the loss of a great man. If Rafa stays I will sigh at keeping an above average manager.

I disgaree that our improvement is by 'very small margins' mate. Rafa took over a weak squad and he has improved it massively in his time and he's done it without spending more than our main rivals. If he'd been given huge money to get to where we are now then I think you'd be right but he's caught up by spending similar amounts to our rivals (in terms of net spend I imagine it's a lot less) who have also improved every year he's been here.

The quality in our playing staff is by far and above what it was when Rafa came, the youth setup actually has some players to be excited about and we're a big big force in Europe again.

Think back to the days of not always qualifying for the CL under Houllier, getting spanked when we played a decent team in Europe and a fifth European title being a distant dream. The man's done a ****ing superb job, noone could have done better than him to this point in my opinion.

[Cormack74]

Sack the bored
Pat Dolan – The Star mail: [email protected]


When I picked up one of the Sunday papers, when it came to reporting Liverpool’s fight back at Pompey, everything continued along the lines of ‘Liverpool in Crisis’ theme. It was a fairytale – a disgusting manipulation of the truth.

What a wonderful piece of irony from a tabloid journalist.

[RedReet]

Interesting one.

I wholeheartedly agree with the general tenor of the article, and think it articulates the way I myself, and many others feel about the treatment Rafa is receiving at the moment.

However, what it does not say is that Rafa can be his own worst enemy and has shown flawed judgement at times which may cost us come the end of the season.

Having said all of that, what manager has never got it wrong from time to time? And one of the great things with Rafa (particularly with respect to his transfers), is that when he has got it wrong, he's been quick to identify and resolve that situation (Morientes, Bellamy, Keane). Above all else he is OUR manager and IMHO deserves our unwavering support until such a time as we are no longer improving or he has done something so terrible as to burn his bridges with us.

Certainly to say we are in crisis or generally poo is laughable. A cursory glance at the table will show there are 18 clubs more in crisis or poo than us at the moment, and hopefully by the end of the season that will be up to 19

That’s the point, all managers make mistakes but how come it’s generally only Rafa’s mistakes that the media focus on? Sometimes he doesn’t even mistakes and still gets slaughtered (Portsmouth being the most recent example).

That’s why he probably didn’t mention it in this article, because everyone already knows all about it as it dominates every other media source.

[Craig_H]

That’s the point, all managers make mistakes but how come it’s generally only Rafa’s mistakes that the media focus on? Sometimes he doesn’t even mistakes and still gets slaughtered (Portsmouth being the most recent example).

That’s why he probably didn’t mention it in this article, because everyone already knows all about it as it dominates every other media source.

Because of the four highest profile managers in the PL, at the four biggest clubs, he's the only one who hasnt won the league.

Scolari has obviously been sacked now, but he was due to be scrutinised by the media, and it was only his first season.

The media, whilst sensationalising, will also look at the (most) basic facts.

Rafa gets stick because he's been here for a good few years now, has spent huge sums and has never come close to winning the PL.

That's not me criticising him, it's me answering your question as to why he gets more negative media attention.

[RedReet]

So until you win the league, every decision you make should be questioned and at times ridiculed? Wise up. Until you win the league you should get absolutely no credit for what you’re doing / trying to do?

And if Rafa wins the league this year, will he be allowed to spend the next four in decline like Wenger without anyone batting an eyelid?

And your justification is that he’s been here a few years and never came close? So why this year when we’re more than close are his methods being questioned even more and when he guides his team to top, it’s only by default and will inevitably blow up?

To tell you the truth, the media writing all this crap about the club / Rafa, doesn’t really bother me that much, it sells papers and that’s their job. It’s the selection of ‘supporters’ that believe and regurgitate this crap as if they know what they are talking about that annoy me, and when it ends up putting more unnecessary pressure on the club, annoys me even more.

And if you think that by winning the league anything is gonna change, then more the fool you.

[Reece]

I know it's Tomkins but I like this article

There are lies, damned lies and statistics. And there is the absolute guff spouted by pundits who wouldn't know a fact if it bit them in the part of their body they speak out of.
paul tomkins


Of late, I've been wondering if Rafa Benítez is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. Now I'm just starting to believe that's too mild a way to put it. I have never known a manager so unable to win even when he wins. One defeat in 33 ‘main competition' games, and still the flak flies.

And as I will prove, some of the criticism could not be more wayward.

If ever there was an almost perfect example of how he can't win, it came at Portsmouth, following the midweek Mersey marathon.

To put it in perspective, if Rafa had played a weakened team at Everton in the FA Cup, he'd have been lambasted for not taking the competition seriously (yawn), and for not understanding the local derby.

He went with a strong team, to try and win the game and keep the momentum going, not least because Mersey derbies have a habit of being blown out of proportion: lose, and it feels like the end of the world; win, and you can get a massive fillip.

But Lucas was sent off for two yellows, when only one was a foul. Steven Gerrard had already limped off injured at the start, and Liverpool were left to play extra-time with ten men and a clearly leggy Fernando Torres. So much then for fielding your best players to win the game early and then be able to rest them: the advice every man and his dog was giving Benítez in the past.

Already physically shattered, a deflected goal in the 119th minute was similarly tough on the psyche. It was a body blow to the, er, mind. So the received wisdom was no use whatsoever on Wednesday.

What it did do was leave a tired, dejected team shorn of its captain and with its best striker seeing the recent run of games take its toll, having returned from a long injury problem to be thrown into a busy schedule.

So what does a manager do in this situation? Play his best players, who were clearly tired (and two of whom – Torres and Alonso – weren't 100% fit), or use the squad and hope that a little less quality and/or experience is compensated for by far greater freshness, plus the hunger to impress?

After all, Gerrard had just succumbed to an injury from playing too much football; what if Torres followed suit?

With Spain unlikely to rest him on Wednesday, there was a chance that the Reds wouldn't even get to the upcoming vital weekend break (the one big bonus of going out of the FA Cup) with the striker's hamstrings intact. So Rafa wasn't resting him to keep him fresh for Spain; he was trying to avoid another lay-off.

Ultimately, extreme situations demand extreme measures.

I don't think the result made Rafa a genius, just as having drawn or lost would not have made him a chump. Had everyone been 100% fit and sharp, then it's a risky judgement call you can perhaps question. But they weren't. Clearly.

However, there was one very logical reason why, in the circumstances, it was a gamble worth taking. The Liverpool subs looked so sharp precisely because they were entering into a game with the opposition starting to tire, and in which those three Reds wouldn't need to rely on stamina – just a short burst of effort that didn't need to be sustained.

What Rafa did in the face of fatigue was pair Torres, Kuyt and Alonso up against an equally tired second-half Portsmouth side, when their quality could tell. Ideally the game would have been won by then, but if it wasn't, they were there to win it late on. After all, Alex Ferguson has done that countless times in the past, keeping his stars in reserve in case he needed them to come on and win the game.

Had that trio started the game, it could quite easily have been a case of them tiring before the south coast side. Who knows? It's certainly not unlikely after the midweek exertions, and a whopping 210 minutes of football since Pompey played last Saturday. Either way, it's an almost impossible situation for the team to play to the best of its ability.

Mixing metaphors somewhat, I just wish the baying hounds would cut Benítez at least a little slack. I honestly can't recall a top manager being criticised even half as much as the Spaniard – and this with trophies, constant Champions League qualification (and annual progress to at least the semi-finals, bar 2006), along with radical improvements in the league.

After Torres scored the winner on Saturday, one commentator said that Liverpool need to keep him fit and 'nurse him'; yet there was widespread condemnation before the game for not starting him. So you need to nurse players like Torres and Gerrard, just never rest (i.e. 'nurse') them. Oh, okay.

Then later that evening, it was said Liverpool would not have won fielding that side against better opposition.

Which was ludicrously bereft of logic because Liverpool were playing Portsmouth, and that's the only team the manager could pick a side to beat. Did Rafa select that same XI against Chelsea last week? No. Did Rafa have to pick a side on Saturday to beat Manchester United or Arsenal? Of course not. It was Portsmouth.

In the post-match TV analysis it was all about how Liverpool will get 'nowhere near' the title with this squad; having just gone top of the table with 13 games remaining (even if United were still favourites with two games in hand).

And there's me thinking the Reds had been challenging all season long, sometimes without Gerrard, often without Torres.

The same was said on TV on Sunday morning: journalists declaring Liverpool's squad as too weak to mount a title challenge –– whilst that very squad is clearly making a challenge. It's like three blind mice leading equally vision-impaired followers.

(Please, fellas, if you're reading, stick with it, but I've a lot to vent. The facts are on their way. Read them, and consider their implications.)

The result is the only justification of team selection, whether you get the winner in the first minute or the last.

I said last week, when Man United score late, it's the sign of a great side; when Liverpool do, it's luck. And yet even before Torres came on, Kuyt had put the Reds 2-1 up with a goal that was wrongly chalked off for offside, while Pompey's opener looked offside. And Liverpool are 'lucky'?!

Had that Kuyt goal stood, there's a fairly good chance Liverpool would have won without their two stellar names even featuring, and yet the Setanta pundits and Sky journos were adamant about how Liverpool are too reliant on Gerrard and Torres.

Again, I ask people to go check Manchester United's results without Ronaldo and Rooney. And again, I ask people to see how many games Liverpool have won without Torres and Gerrard this season.

If you can't check, let me do it for you: United lost five league games last season. Rooney missed four of them, Ronaldo missed three, and they did not play together in any of those defeats. Of these opponents, only Chelsea were a team in the top eight, so it's not skewed by difficult games.

In the 12 league matches Rooney did not start, United's accrued a 69-point average when extrapolated over 38 games, as opposed to the 87 they actually racked up. In the seven games Ronaldo did not start, the average would have made an even worse total: 65 points. Or the tally that saw Everton finish 5th.

Shockingly, in the four games in which neither started –– against Manchester City, Bolton, Sunderland and Spurs (again, no giants, but admittedly one derby) –– they dropped half of the available points: meaning an average of 57 if extrapolated over 38 games. Or equivalent to finishing 8th, like Portsmouth.

(Also, of the three league games Ronaldo missed at the start of this season, United dropped five points, which is the form of a mid-table side.)

Yes, United have other good players all over the pitch, but do these facts not suggest that they are overly reliant on their best two attacking players?

While United have coped well in the last few games without Rooney, without either him and/or Ronaldo on a regular basis, the form book suggests that they are not a title-winning side. Indeed, far from it.

(Of course, if United did not have these players on a very regular basis, or indeed at all, they'd try to buy similar replacements; just as Liverpool obviously would in the case of Torres and Gerrard.)

Now look at Liverpool without Torres and Gerrard this season.

Gerrard has failed to start four league games –– Villa, United, Fulham and Portsmouth. Two of those are clearly very tough fixtures, against top-three sides. Two were at home, two away. And yet Liverpool's record is won two, drawn two. Over 38 league games, that is worth an impressive 76 points.

Due to injury, Torres has failed to start no fewer than 15 league games. These resulted in ten wins, four draws and just one defeat. Over a 38 game season, that ratio would earn an incredible 86 points. That is a title-winning tally; last year United got 87, but needed only 86.

Perhaps due to Torres playing at least half a dozen games when lacking sharpness, Liverpool have actually fared better without him; with him starting, the Reds have won five and drawn five, which is 76 points in terms of form over 38 games. (Though he did win the weekend's game from the bench.)

It gets even more amazing. In each of the two league games Liverpool started without both Torres and Gerrard, the Reds won: against United and Pompey. It's only two games, of course, but it's a 100% record. Or 114 points over the course of a season! (Silly, I know, when based on such a small sample, but a 100% record is a 100% record.)

Yes, these are statistics – but then league tables are formed from similar statistics relating to win, lose or draw, which are the most important kind. And yes, United's figures are based on last season (when they won the title) and Liverpool's this season (as they challenge for it). Even so, it's valid.

But even I was shocked at how remarkably disparate the win/lose/draw statistics were. I'm no genius; I just sat down and bothered to check some team sheets and calculate some figures, rather than just make ignorant assumptions like the McPundits.

So why are Liverpool the team perceived to rely on just two players? Why does someone like Tim Sherwood say that United don't rely on their key men and Liverpool do?

Why isn't the truth –– that United cannot seem to cope very well without Ronaldo, and certainly not well at all without both him and Rooney –– more well known?

Why isn't Rafa praised for getting so many great results without his key men this season, rather than just constantly criticised?

Why isn't Ferguson accused of being lucky or relying on Rooney and Ronaldo to get him out of trouble?

I'll leave you (and anyone in the media who reads this) to draw your own conclusions. But based on these figures, if I were Alex Ferguson and United lost Rooney and Ronaldo to serious injury, I'd be very worried.

[Craig_H]

So until you win the league, every decision you make should be questioned and at times ridiculed? Wise up. Until you win the league you should get absolutely no credit for what you’re doing / trying to do?

And if Rafa wins the league this year, will he be allowed to spend the next four in decline like Wenger without anyone batting an eyelid?

And your justification is that he’s been here a few years and never came close? So why this year when we’re more than close are his methods being questioned even more and when he guides his team to top, it’s only by default and will inevitably blow up?

To tell you the truth, the media writing all this crap about the club / Rafa, doesn’t really bother me that much, it sells papers and that’s their job. It’s the selection of ‘supporters’ that believe and regurgitate this crap as if they know what they are talking about that annoy me, and when it ends up putting more unnecessary pressure on the club, annoys me even more.

And if you think that by winning the league anything is gonna change, then more the fool you.

Did i say it was right? Did i say every decision 'should' be criticised? No, i didnt. I merely explained why i feel it happens, with no mention of how justified it is or isnt.

Obviously the selling papers part is right and with LFC being such a big club and attracting huge interest, stories about them will always sell papers. Even when fans bite and fall for it (like you), they come wading in, huffing and puffing - which is just the reaction they want.

I think if we win the title, it'll change to a point, yes. The more he wins, the more 'beyond judgement' he becomes, hence why Ferguson gets a much easier ride from the press.

Anyway, i wont carry on because it seems to wind you up and you seem like a very angry man right now, so take a deep breath and calm down.

[RedReet]

But you are implying that the majority of stick is a result of Rafa’s failure to win the league and it will change as soon as he does. I disagree. I didn’t realise the media were as obsessed as the fans about winning the Premier League.

As I’ve mentioned, I don’t particularly care what certain people in the media think or say about our team, but I do get bored speaking to people in work, in the bar, or even reading online who take these bias opinions and make them their own, just because the team aren’t winning 10-0 every week. You can start certain conversations or read certain posts headings and know right away exactly how it’s gonna develop (usually depending on what the MOTD or Sky panel say).

More alarmingly, it’s rumoured that Scolari was due to get sacked shortly after his media relationship deteriorated, as it was perceived as a sign of the pressure getting to him. Once the fans in the stadium booed against Hull that was the final nail in the coffin, although post-sacking interviews with fans showed that the majority thought he should have got more time. The situation isn’t too dissimilar here, and I’d be devastated if we lost Rafa due to a media witch-hunt and a small minority not appreciating what he’s doing for the club.

[Shaggy]

That Tomkins article is spot-on. Yeah we know in his world everything is always rosy, but those points you cannot ignore.

Also liked this from The Times...

Lucky, lucky Liverpool



I think we all knew what the headlines were going to be as soon as Fernando Torres nodded in that 92nd minute winner. As the men on the pitch and the fans in the stand celebrated in the way only a last minute winner can be, the hacks in the press box had already written their match reports; and there's no way they were re-writing their critical words of the manager and his selections just because of a late winner.



"Late Torres winner gets manager off the hook"



"Rafa the rotator strikes lucky"



The lazy press, bar the odd few exceptions, seem to have a typecast of each club and report on that typecast no matter what.



For Arsenal they are brilliant to watch, producing flowing football and have some of the best youngsters around. Yet Wenger is never criticised, despite going without silverware for over 5 years and currently 12 points off the pace in the league and in grave danger of missing out on a Champions League slot for next season.



Chelsea have spent incredible sums of money, yet are currently sat 4th in the league, dropped yet more points at home over the weekend and have won only 4 of their last 11 matches. But they are known as a brilliant counter attacking side and one of Europe's best. A handful of fans may have unfurled a "Scolari Out" banner over the weekend, but you won't find the nation's press and media asking questions of him. I put that banner and the booing down to the small time "new fan" Chelsea have following them these days. A side with only 3 league titles and no European Cup wins in their entire history now trying to hound out a manager halfway through a season as they've dropped a few points.



Anyway, back to the point being made.



Every time Liverpool concede a goal from a set piece it's put down to zonal marking. The pundits hark on about it in every post-match analysis, stating how they don't like it and it doesn't work. Yet non of them have enough of a brain to realise that Liverpool have had the best defensive record in the league over the past 3 or 4 years using that system. None of them ever question the man marking system when another side concedes a goal from a set piece do they? It's lazy and it's all part of the typecast associated with each club.



They state we are nothing without Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard and will struggle in a big way without them. Yet somehow we've managed to sit top of the league for large parts of the season, with Torres spending most of that time sitting in the stands through injury. We managed to beat United at home without Torres or Gerrard in the side. We beat Chelsea away without Torres in the side. We beat Portsmouth on Saturday without Gerrard in the side. All of which is ignored when reverting to type in writing those reports or asking questions at a press conference.



Where Alex Ferguson rests his players and keeps his players fresh, Benitez rotates or drops them; damaging their confidence and ruining all chance we have of winning the league. When Man Utd win by the odd goal away from home despite hardly having a shot on target, they are deemed unstoppable. When Liverpool win by the odd goal away from home, despite having chances to score 6 or 7 goals, we are deemed lucky.



The side Benitez sent out at the weekend surprised everyone. We can argue the rights and wrongs of it until the cows come home, but he got the result, came home with 3 points and the key players were only required for the last quarter of the game at most. Job done. The game could have been, and should have been, over long before then. We had enough chances to win it before the introduction of the so called rested stars. That was always the plan. To try and win the game with the side put out, and if not, then the others were on the bench to come on and change things if needed. It worked, and yet the manager is still grilled post-match over his selection and policy of resting players.



Torres, Alonso and Kuyt all had gruelling games in midweek against Everton and left the field on their knees. All will be turning out for their countries this week, and I think Rafa knows that they will play for the majority of those games, so wanted to give them a chance to rest. Even if they play the full 90 minutes for their countries, they will have had a rest this weekend, and then have another week or so off until our next game, returning with batteries recharged.



That result put us back top of the league, albeit for only 24 hours, yet the manager was being interrogated in the way he would if we'd just drawn away from home at relegation candidates and looked in grave danger of missing out on the lucrative top 4 finish; a little bit like Arsene Wenger maybe? I wonder if he was dragged over hot coals yesterday afternoon after falling further behind in the race for 4th place, never mind the race for the title.



The media treatment of Rafa Benitez is a disgrace.



I was critical of him after the Wigan game, mainly for his removal of Steven Gerrard and the defensive approach to those games. And I still think that criticism was justified, as is all constructive criticism when required. But when the criticism is constant, no matter what the result, then it starts to become a little tedious.



On Saturday we may have started with a different system and players in unfamiliar positions, but for me, it was an improved performance from other recent games on the road. We attacked, and even when we went 1-0 and 2-1 down, I still thought we were going to win the game. We went forward, attacked in numbers and I just knew it was a matter of time before we scored again. That's something I couldn't say about the games at Stoke and Wigan, and it was a refreshing change. We ended the game with Torres, Kuyt, Babel and Benayoun playing upfront and going for it, which is exactly the way we need to be finishing those games, as there is no margin for error anymore. Every game is a must win.



Is it too much to ask for games to be reported on, without letting a vendetta against a manager dictate the tone of that report?

[RedReet]

Both articles are very good, encouraging to read.

Tompkins always gets a lot of stick, but he often researches the stats that I want to back up arguments but just couldn’t be bothered looking for.

[dww]

Extrapolating from samples of 4 is a bit ****ing ridiculous. I know it is a counter argument to a really ridiculous argument that seems to inviting for the rest of the press and there is some merit to it in that sense but as a stand alone article it is painfully onesided.

[BG1973]

But you are implying that the majority of stick is a result of Rafa’s failure to win the league and it will change as soon as he does. I disagree. I didn’t realise the media were as obsessed as the fans about winning the Premier League.

As I’ve mentioned, I don’t particularly care what certain people in the media think or say about our team, but I do get bored speaking to people in work, in the bar, or even reading online who take these bias opinions and make them their own, just because the team aren’t winning 10-0 every week. You can start certain conversations or read certain posts headings and know right away exactly how it’s gonna develop (usually depending on what the MOTD or Sky panel say).

More alarmingly, it’s rumoured that Scolari was due to get sacked shortly after his media relationship deteriorated, as it was perceived as a sign of the pressure getting to him. Once the fans in the stadium booed against Hull that was the final nail in the coffin, although post-sacking interviews with fans showed that the majority thought he should have got more time. The situation isn’t too dissimilar here, and I’d be devastated if we lost Rafa due to a media witch-hunt and a small minority not appreciating what he’s doing for the club.

exactly my friend.

I have a problem with this thread full stop. Someone replied to me saying why does it have to be black and white on this forum? I agree..I'll tell you what's black and white. The fact that we won against portsmouth means Rafa's team was justified and we can start a thread about how smart Rafa's retort was. If we'd lost those same people would have been up in arms and anyone defending Rafa by saying 'forwards need more rest than defenders' would have been shot with **** by this thread starter and many others. If we win Rafa is great and if we draw or heaven forbid lose he's lost the plot.

I agree with you I just don't think people appreciate what Rafa has done / is doing for this club. One bad result and the wolves come out and it pisses me and many others off.

[Craig_H]

But you are implying that the majority of stick is a result of Rafa’s failure to win the league and it will change as soon as he does. I disagree. I didn’t realise the media were as obsessed as the fans about winning the Premier League.

As I’ve mentioned, I don’t particularly care what certain people in the media think or say about our team, but I do get bored speaking to people in work, in the bar, or even reading online who take these bias opinions and make them their own, just because the team aren’t winning 10-0 every week. You can start certain conversations or read certain posts headings and know right away exactly how it’s gonna develop (usually depending on what the MOTD or Sky panel say).

More alarmingly, it’s rumoured that Scolari was due to get sacked shortly after his media relationship deteriorated, as it was perceived as a sign of the pressure getting to him. Once the fans in the stadium booed against Hull that was the final nail in the coffin, although post-sacking interviews with fans showed that the majority thought he should have got more time. The situation isn’t too dissimilar here, and I’d be devastated if we lost Rafa due to a media witch-hunt and a small minority not appreciating what he’s doing for the club.

The majority of the stick IS about his failure to win the league. Because that's the consequence of all the perceived mistakes added up.

People can say he does this wrong, this wrong, this wrong etc etc, and this contributes to not winning the title.

With the others, they can list the mistakes, but the ultimate vindication is the expression 'but they have won the league'.

It's like our game at Pompey, although that uses the same theory on a smaller scale. Rafa apparently got the team wrong, formation wrong, tactics wrong, etc etc...but the easy and emphatic reply is "but we won, so i didnt get it wrong" and he's entitled to say that.

Same concept works with the league title.

[RedReet]

Don’t agree at all. Why are expectations so high in the Press that he has to win the league? I can understand that with supporters who are desperate for it, but why are the press crucifying if he fails?

Press predict 3rd or 4th for us every year for obvious reasons, so why if Rafa doesn’t finish 1st is it so criminal? Surely progress every year under difficult circumstances is some sort of achievement, and although maybe shouldn’t be applauded, surely shouldn’t be under such scrutiny.

To tell you the truth I don’t really get were you’re coming from, and the Portsmouth comparison doesn’t really help. We won the game, but that still wasn’t good enough, so using your scale theory, winning the league still won’t be good enough. We’ll either have been too boring or the other teams handed it to us on a plate as the earlier reports were suggesting. It’s all well and good saying we won the league so Rafa was right, but what happens as soon as we hit the first bad patch next year, it would be a fluke and the same questions will be asked.

For some reason Rafa has a different criteria to meet with the Press and I’m sure it’s not just to win the league.

[BG1973]

Don’t agree at all. Why are expectations so high in the Press that he has to win the league? I can understand that with supporters who are desperate for it, but why are the press crucifying if he fails?

Press predict 3rd or 4th for us every year for obvious reasons, so why if Rafa doesn’t finish 1st is it so criminal? Surely progress every year under difficult circumstances is some sort of achievement, and although maybe shouldn’t be applauded, surely shouldn’t be under such scrutiny.

To tell you the truth I don’t really get were you’re coming from, and the Portsmouth comparison doesn’t really help. We won the game, but that still wasn’t good enough, so using your scale theory, winning the league still won’t be good enough. We’ll either have been too boring or the other teams handed it to us on a plate as the earlier reports were suggesting. It’s all well and good saying we won the league so Rafa was right, but what happens as soon as we hit the first bad patch next year, it would be a fluke and the same questions will be asked.

For some reason Rafa has a different criteria to meet with the Press and I’m sure it’s not just to win the league.

Amen.