Rafa

[red g]

Isn't that pretty much what Rafa came out with the other week?

So what happens then if we're out of the CL in the next few weeks and fail to qualify for next seasons? If this happens the purse strings will be tighter and we'll find it even more difficult to break back into the top 4 as we'll need to strengthen the squad with a smaller budget and with players attracted by the europa league....Torres, Gerrard, Mascherano and Aquilani won't hang about here if we're not playing in the CL.

It won't be much of a longterm move then will it?

hiw many top midfiielders were available at around 18million? who would you suggest we go?

I am very confident in this guy think he will be a superstar for us, maybe Rafa knew with the lack of cash this season would be a right off anyway unless gerrard/torres stayed fit for a season which aws never going to happen.

So why not buy for the future, when the here and now is so bleak

[Exiled_red]

This was the season Liverpool were meant to stake a claim in the Premiership. With the player who has replaced Alonso being injured for a third of the season, it doesn't help with the short term success, nor the long term (financial knock ons etc)

£4-5m we seriously don't have. Had Liverpool sold more players and brought in more money for Rafa to spend, the 18m doesn't look as bad but Rafa hasn't done so. The strength in depth - I hate that term - looks fairly bleak.

This may be a naive view but I still believe Rafa went into the summer believing that he had more money to spend than he eventually did. If this is the case maybe he would have done things differently, I don't know.

With Aquilani we initially believed he would have been playing by the start of October, so would probably have missed ~7 games, which isn't ideal, but we should have done much better than we have. Although in fairness our poor form hasn't been solely down to missing Alonso/Aquilani there's more to it than that. So although Aquilani might have improved us somewhat if he'd come into the team at the start of the season it's difficult to say how much things might have been different by.

[the rev leeroy brown]

as much as i am pissed off at this moment in time and as much as i protest that rafa must go, we'd be in a world of **** if he did. the owners buckled to the pressure rafa put on them when he signed his new contract to empower him with full control of our whole club. as a result we let a number of key personnel go in the summer with rafa now undertaking their jobs. this has to go down as a monumental **** up on both sides. it is far too much for one man to take on no matter how much rafa wanted it. he is under so much pressure and has too many things to concentrate on now rather than just football matters. he must relinquish some control back to other members of staff again. but that is also the reason why we cant sack him or let him walk. as was said on sunday supplement on sky sports this morning, if rafa walked we would have nobody to take on all the roles rafa is trying to perform. as a result i beleive if rafa walked our club would slowly crumble for the remainder of the season. we MUST take some repsonsibilty off rafa and come the end of the season or even end of 2009 make a decision on rafa's position as manager.

[FatTony]

hiw many top midfiielders were available at around 18million? who would you suggest we go?

I am very confident in this guy think he will be a superstar for us, maybe Rafa knew with the lack of cash this season would be a right off anyway unless gerrard/torres stayed fit for a season which aws never going to happen.

So why not buy for the future, when the here and now is so bleak

I think he'll be a hit too, but at what cost?

Losing Alonso and replacing him with a player who was likely to be out for the first 3rd of the season is a huge risk, and if we do drop out of the CL as a result of the hole thats been left in Midfield, it will not have been a good decision, it will have been disasterous. We'll be down potentially around £30m in next seasons finances from TV rights alone, down probably some £20m if we drop out at this stage this season.

If we think times are tough at the moment, imagine what it'll be like next season without european footy.

I'm convinced that a couple of seasons outside of the top 4 will see the departure of Gerrard, Torres and Mascher.

[the rev leeroy brown]

If we think times are tough at the moment, imagine what it'll be like next season without european footy.

I'm convinced that a couple of seasons outside of the top 4 will see the departure of Gerrard, Torres and Mascher.

without europen ( CL ) footy we will be the next leeds. we cant sustain ourselves without the money it provides.

also, i'm convinced masher will be gone next summer regardless. if the rumours of his missus giving him 1 more year with us are true anyway. i cant see ste ever leaving us now but one year without euro footy and a poor start to the next campaign would defo see torres leave.

[FatTony]

without europen ( CL ) footy we will be the next leeds. we cant sustain ourselves without the money it provides.

also, i'm convinced masher will be gone next summer regardless. if the rumours of his missus giving him 1 more year with us are true anyway. i cant see ste ever leaving us now but one year without euro footy and a poor start to the next campaign would defo see torres leave.

I'm not convinced that Gerrard would stay with a couple of seasons out of the CL, he's running out of time now and who would blame him if things do go tits up?

I agree with you about Mascher, he'll be at Barca next season.

[the rev leeroy brown]

I'm not convinced that Gerrard would stay with a couple of seasons out of the CL, he's running out of time now and who would blame him if things do go tits up?

I agree with you about Mascher, he'll be at Barca next season.

gerard has won every major honour there is to win with us except the one all liverpool fans want.....the league. he came out and said the reason he stayed with us was that to win the league with another team would not mean anything to him. to win it with us would be the only way he wants that medal. he's 30 (?) next year. that leaves him another 6 years theoretically to win it with us. i think he'll stay no matter what.

[FatTony]

gerard has won every major honour there is to win with us except the one all liverpool fans want.....the league. he came out and said the reason he stayed with us was that to win the league with another team would not mean anything to him. to win it with us would be the only way he wants that medal. he's 30 (?) next year. that leaves him another 6 years theoretically to win it with us. i think he'll stay no matter what.

Hope you're right

[Roboklopp]

Whelan should **** right off. Why would eafa sign another 5 year contract if he wanted to "manage anywhere in Europe"? Not helpful comments at all from someone in his position of influence.

[Shaggy]

I didn't even bother reading that tripe from Whelan, but I have to say...and it's a sorry state of affairs, but I think he's an absolute cunt. I don't know what his problem is with Rafa but you know he's relishing this - he tried to destroy the man when things were going great.

Ronnie, you were a great player for LFC but **** off with this ****e. You, McMahon, Houghton....why don't you all **** off.

[Rix007]

Rose tinited glasses off now - Its time Rafa leaves and we bring in someone else.
Our season is practically over in November..

[flyboy]

the best possible conclusion to this would be pellegrini gets sacked at real and real come for rafa. i think he at least deserves the dignity of not being sacked thus it would be like parting on mutual terms plus the yanks cant afford to compensate rafa and his backroom anyways.

[red g]

Rose tinited glasses off now - Its time Rafa leaves and we bring in someone else.
Our season is practically over in November..

great idea!!! thats out transfer budget blown for the next 2 years paying everyone off.

[flyboy]

as much as i am pissed off at this moment in time and as much as i protest that rafa must go, we'd be in a world of **** if he did. the owners buckled to the pressure rafa put on them when he signed his new contract to empower him with full control of our whole club. as a result we let a number of key personnel go in the summer with rafa now undertaking their jobs. this has to go down as a monumental **** up on both sides. it is far too much for one man to take on no matter how much rafa wanted it. he is under so much pressure and has too many things to concentrate on now rather than just football matters. he must relinquish some control back to other members of staff again. but that is also the reason why we cant sack him or let him walk. as was said on sunday supplement on sky sports this morning, if rafa walked we would have nobody to take on all the roles rafa is trying to perform. as a result i beleive if rafa walked our club would slowly crumble for the remainder of the season. we MUST take some repsonsibilty off rafa and come the end of the season or even end of 2009 make a decision on rafa's position as manager.

he asked for it,he got what he wanted in the summer and hasnt delivered .period

[Vermilion]

I didn't even bother reading that tripe from Whelan, but I have to say...and it's a sorry state of affairs, but I think he's an absolute cunt. I don't know what his problem is with Rafa but you know he's relishing this - he tried to destroy the man when things were going great.

Ronnie, you were a great player for LFC but **** off with this ****e. You, McMahon, Houghton....why don't you all **** off.