A different perspective...

[einar]

Thats a right load of toss. Some valid points, but Rafa is not going to piss off because a tiny number of fans want Maureen and he "doesn't feel appreciated". The majority of us want Rafa to stay.

I do however put a lot of blame for our poor start on Rafa's shoulders, he is the manager after all. This is pretty much the same squad (other than a few exceptions) that almost won the league last season, so we should be doing better than we are. The Aquilani transfer was a huge gamble, but if we beat Utd on Sunday (and we bloody well could do) we're within touching distance and in a few weeks will have the young Italian lad in the squad. If Rafa was right and Aquilani is the real deal, we'll be in with a good shout for the title, but its very important that we lose no more ground on the leaders. With the African Nations Cup coming up and Chelsea's transfer ban, they'll drop some points in the new year and if Aqua hits the ground running, we'll have a new attacking dimension to our game, we'll be on the fookin rampage.

Aquilani could make our season.

I know that he is not gonna quit. The point was to put the whole thing in perspective and point out how ridiculous it is to ask for him to be sacked now.

[Molby]

I know that he is not gonna quit. The point was to put the whole thing in perspective and point out how ridiculous it is to ask for him to be sacked now.

Yeah - its a long season ahead - we just have to dig ourselves out of it, hopefully Aquilani will hit the ground running and make Rafa's job easier over the next few months.

I'm not so sure as you Einar, i hope Rafa doesn't think his time is up, and decides himself he wants to move on....i still think he is the man to take us forward out of this rut, but the only way he will go, will be on his terms, he won't be sacked.

As it is, he is one of LFC's biggest assets, it's already been said here, who else would accept this job at present, working with the constraints he has.

Lets be honest, if the money was there - do you not think Silva or Villa would be here now? of course they would.

Rafa is still the man.............(for now)

[bertie]

This is how I see it

http://www.thisisanfield.com/2009/10...afa-could-qui/

Outstanding article. We're fecking blessed to have this bloke in charge. Its stuff like this article that separates us from the rest. I'm at the Scum game on Sunday & am 100% confident that if the fans (i.e us!) get behind the bloody team and sing our hearts out, encourage every pass, applaud every tackle we'll stuff the ******s.

Its an old'un but a good'un.... "Form is Temporary, class is permanent"

[einar]

Yeah - its a long season ahead - we just have to dig ourselves out of it, hopefully Aquilani will hit the ground running and make Rafa's job easier over the next few months.

I'm not so sure as you Einar, i hope Rafa doesn't think his time is up, and decides himself he wants to move on....i still think he is the man to take us forward out of this rut, but the only way he will go, will be on his terms, he won't be sacked.

As it is, he is one of LFC's biggest assets, it's already been said here, who else would accept this job at present, working with the constraints he has.

Lets be honest, if the money was there - do you not think Silva or Villa would be here now? of course they would.

Rafa is still the man.............(for now)

The list of players he did not get is quite something.

just for the fun of it

Johnson.Vidic.Agger.Evra
Gerrard.Mascher.Barry.Silva
...........Torres.Villa

and do I think if he had had such backing we would have won the league by now? of course I do.

[BrianF80]

The list of players he did not get is quite something.

just for the fun of it

Johnson.Vidic.Agger.Evra
Gerrard.Mascher.Barry.Silva
...........Torres.Villa

and do I think if he had had such backing we would have won the league by now? of course I do.

I don't believe the Villa story so whack Gerrard behind Torres and play Alves at RM!

[einar]

Or Walcott

[johnly]

I'm a glass half full guy, I still think we'll do well this season and at least win something although I'm not sure what yet. All I know is I want Rafa to stay and continue the work he has begun. As everyone knows, the behind the scenes nonsense needs sorting. Egos need putting to one side and they have to admit that its time to go just make sure that they hand over the club to someone who actually gives a **** and won't **** us over.

I believe Aquilani will be a star. The lad has a lot of pressure on his shoulders when he comes back due to our current run of form, but I believe we'll get through. A few good results will get the train back on track, I hope so anyway

[Morv2en77]

Honestly wish I could be at both the Lyon and Manu games and sing my heart out in support of both RAFA and the players.....only if I am not so far off in asia ..... The team needs us at the moment, and rather than posting stuffs such as who ought to be sacked and who ought to be blamed, we should be standing together and giving our voices ( ALL OUT ) for them.

This is just a small blip in a long season for us...remember last year during the bad december/january spell on the field?? we all (at least I) thought the title chase is over, but then we started going on a roll against RM and then Manu and suddenly, we are back in the chase and playing some great football in the process. That point of time, i reckon never ever to again lose hope with this team and players.

So lets all dig in and give em our best support, not that the team is short on support or anything like that, but just that the team lacks confidence at the moment, and its somehow flowing over to us, the fans....So lets reverse that and show the team we BELIEVE in em....

9 games out of 38 does not define a season... I still believe we will be there or thereabout come May. So lets all stand up and make it count as FANS

p/s : I am not stating that we are not doing out part as fans....just that maybe we ought to UP IT a little especially those who seem to have lost faith in LFC, RAFA and the players...

[Skrtelmania]

Agree with the original post, after watching Man City this season am gutted Barry isn't a Liverpool player. Also an interesting Rafa quote from his Lyon press conference -

"We signed three players in the summer, but we wanted four," he says. "If the fourth had been a good signing, maybe it could have been really important, but now we are happy with the players we have got."

Whether this implies he had the funds taken away from him (very probable in my opinion), or that the 4th player was Barry, or that the 4th player was someone else...I haven't got a clue. Still it raised an eyebrow on this cold morning...

[DannyMan2006]

Agree with the original post, after watching Man City this season am gutted Barry isn't a Liverpool player. Also an interesting Rafa quote from his Lyon press conference -

"We signed three players in the summer, but we wanted four," he says. "If the fourth had been a good signing, maybe it could have been really important, but now we are happy with the players we have got."

Whether this implies he had the funds taken away from him (very probable in my opinion), or that the 4th player was Barry, or that the 4th player was someone else...I haven't got a clue. Still it raised an eyebrow on this cold morning...

Rumours we were in for a winger, possibly Simao.

[PTP]

Agree with the original post, after watching Man City this season am gutted Barry isn't a Liverpool player. Also an interesting Rafa quote from his Lyon press conference -

"We signed three players in the summer, but we wanted four," he says. "If the fourth had been a good signing, maybe it could have been really important, but now we are happy with the players we have got."

Whether this implies he had the funds taken away from him (very probable in my opinion), or that the 4th player was Barry, or that the 4th player was someone else...I haven't got a clue. Still it raised an eyebrow on this cold morning...

i was thinking the same myself regarding Barry

[DannyMan2006]

Honestly wish I could be at both the Lyon and Manu games and sing my heart out in support of both RAFA and the players.....only if I am not so far off in asia ..... The team needs us at the moment, and rather than posting stuffs such as who ought to be sacked and who ought to be blamed, we should be standing together and giving our voices ( ALL OUT ) for them.

This is just a small blip in a long season for us...remember last year during the bad december/january spell on the field?? we all (at least I) thought the title chase is over, but then we started going on a roll against RM and then Manu and suddenly, we are back in the chase and playing some great football in the process. That point of time, i reckon never ever to again lose hope with this team and players.

So lets all dig in and give em our best support, not that the team is short on support or anything like that, but just that the team lacks confidence at the moment, and its somehow flowing over to us, the fans....So lets reverse that and show the team we BELIEVE in em....

9 games out of 38 does not define a season... I still believe we will be there or thereabout come May. So lets all stand up and make it count as FANS

p/s : I am not stating that we are not doing out part as fans....just that maybe we ought to UP IT a little especially those who seem to have lost faith in LFC, RAFA and the players...

Well said. But have faith - The Anfield crowd will not let us down on a big European night and a game against our biggest rivals. We could be playing in the conference and we'd still be up for these types of games.

[DannyMan2006]

Thats a right load of toss. Some valid points, but Rafa is not going to piss off because a tiny number of fans want Maureen and he "doesn't feel appreciated". The majority of us want Rafa to stay.

I do however put a lot of blame for our poor start on Rafa's shoulders, he is the manager after all. This is pretty much the same squad (other than a few exceptions) that almost won the league last season, so we should be doing better than we are. The Aquilani transfer was a huge gamble, but if we beat Utd on Sunday (and we bloody well could do) we're within touching distance and in a few weeks will have the young Italian lad in the squad. If Rafa was right and Aquilani is the real deal, we'll be in with a good shout for the title, but its very important that we lose no more ground on the leaders. With the African Nations Cup coming up and Chelsea's transfer ban, they'll drop some points in the new year and if Aqua hits the ground running, we'll have a new attacking dimension to our game, we'll be on the fookin rampage.

Aquilani could make our season.

Agree 100% on the Aquilani point. I've been making the same point since day one. He is the player brought in to replace Alonso and is the second most expensive signing in our history. You could argue it was obvious we would miss him.

Rafa took a gamble on Lucas getting us through it and results wise it hasn't really paid off, but some luck has been on our side in that Chelsea have already lost a couple and United could be in the same boat if we beat them.

It may on the face of it look like a complete disaster, but we're not far from being on form. A bit more luck and Torres would have put one of his chances away and we could have beaten Chelsea, luck with injuries in the international break and we'd have rolled over Sunderland. We've been **** this season yet could have been one point of the top today.

Yet despite not getting the luck these past couple of weeks, a win over the Mancs and we are 4 points of them and at the most 6 points behind Chelsea. Add a win over Lyon and the place suddenly looks a lot brighter - All with Aquilani still to come in.

[DannyMan2006]

i was thinking the same myself regarding Barry

No doubt we would have started the season better and he is a more solid player than Aquilani. But what LFC lacked was (and is) creativity in midfield in the final third. And Aquilani is a far more vibrant and expansive player than Barry.

Trust me, when he adapts (and if) he will release Gerrard from his shackles and let Stevie operate in the final third. Our biggest problem so far has been Gerrard having to leave Torres's side and go looking for the ball in midfield. No need for me to explain what problems that causes as it's been painfully obvious.

For me Rafa has played poker this season. Right now he is looking a fool as his hand is not as strong as he would have hoped. But he's waiting for an Ace and the final card may yet be one that wins him the hand. Poker is not win with the first cards dealt - but it can be lost.

But like any game, it only matters who is the best at the end of the game. We're not even a quarter way through yet.

[Icon]

TBH - I have come to the conclusion that I wouldn't do the job for all the tea in China, as much as I think I would love to.
I really would like to see any one of us on here last more than a day doing Rafa's job.