Injuries? Bollocks

[BG1973]

my personal opinion is that rafa is playing games with the board.

He knows the squad is better than our results suggest but he wants to prove a point to the owners that their lack of investment has caused us to fall behind the other big three and the chasing pack.

In reality, the loss of torres and gerrard cannot be underestimated but rafa has also biased his tactics and team formation to prove this point.

At the start of the season (after alonso left) he should have moved gerrard to the middle with masher so that we could get our play moving forward as neither lucas nor masher can do that. (at least until aquilani was fit)

But guess what rafa already knew that we wouldnt be able to get moving and kept with lucas - masher partnership. Gerrard was getting completely lost in midfield and was ineffective.

When torres was injured why did he persist with one up front knowing full well that neither ngog or kuyt can perform that role. The ball gets punted up front, their centre halves invariably win most headers and then we are under pressure again.

We have played awfully this season and people can bleat on about our injuries but torres and gerrard missed 20 odd games between them last season and we still finished second.

Why when we were desperately crying out for some creativity or a spark in the final minutes against blackburn did he not bring on aquilani. The bollocks about him not being fit is rubbish as he's played both gerrard and torres when they havent been fully fit before. There was no excuse not to give aquilani the last 20 mins against blackburn - so that we could try and win the three points.

My point is that rafa can turn it on when he wants and can turn it off when he wants. He is playing games and for that reason im annoyed with him.

if you honestly believe that then you need therapy.

[el matador]

Is it a certainty that we'd have won if he'd put Aquilani on?

there's no guarantees in life but at least try your best.

By putting him on rafa would have made it clear that we were trying to win the match -whatever the result. By leaving him off it we settled for a point.

[DannyMan2006]

But of course the "net spend mockers" will have us all believe we've spent as much as if not more than the Mancs. Cursory glances at the respective squads tells you all you need to know.

Man Utd spending looks better due to a good production line of young talent, some make the first team (Fletcher), whilst others are sold for decent money (Richardson).

Hopefully the foundations were put in place this year for us to start producing some top young talent.

[red g]

there's no guarantees in life but at least try your best.

By putting him on rafa would have made it clear that we were trying to win the match -whatever the result. By leaving him off it we settled for a point.

Of his decision to keep Aquilani on the bench at Ewood Park, Benitez said: "He is fit now, the ankle injury has healed. But I feel this was a difficult, physical place to come and not the right time to throw him on.

"He will be better getting his chance in a home match with our fans behind him. It is a difficult decision when someone is not fully match fit, he could make a mistake and it would set him back. i do what is best for Liverpool fc long term not what is best to keep the internet warriors happy, it is easy to see, no? "

from Rafa's own words, long term interests!!!

[RedReet]

"

from Rafa's own words, long term interests!!!

Exactly. But it’s only now that we have been enlightened as to what his long term interests really are. Crafty little bugger.

[BillobShaisley]

It really grinds my gears listening to some of this ****. Liverpool could have 30 players out and still beat my local team because they have an entire squad of players who cost more than anyone in my local team.

When Fergie can lose 14 players and still have the likes of Carrick (20mil), Anderson(20mil), Nani(20mil), Tosic(who?..16mil) etc etc etc it's not going to effect the team as much as Liverpool who lose a few top players (and have others returning to fitness) and have had to make up the squad with free and 2mil players.

It's not ****ing rocket science! We only have a right to come 4th based on what we have invested, we're 3 points from 4th despite the ****test run in history and looking pretty good for that 4th spot, maybe even 3rd. We can be a little dissapointed about that given last seasons achievments, but we've no right to get angry about it

[red g]

It really grinds my gears listening to some of this ****. Liverpool could have 30 players out and still beat my local team because they have an entire squad of players who cost more than anyone in my local team.

When Fergie can lose 14 players and still have the likes of Carrick (20mil), Anderson(20mil), Nani(20mil), Tosic(who?..16mil) etc etc etc it's not going to effect the team as much as Liverpool who lose a few top players (and have others returning to fitness) and have had to make up the squad with free and 2mil players.

It's not ****ing rocket science! We only have a right to come 4th based on what we have invested, we're 3 points from 4th despite the ****test run in history and looking pretty good for that 4th spot, maybe even 3rd. We can be a little dissapointed about that given last seasons achievments, but we've no right to get angry about it

[el matador]

Of his decision to keep Aquilani on the bench at Ewood Park, Benitez said: "He is fit now, the ankle injury has healed. But I feel this was a difficult, physical place to come and not the right time to throw him on.

"He will be better getting his chance in a home match with our fans behind him. It is a difficult decision when someone is not fully match fit, he could make a mistake and it would set him back. i do what is best for Liverpool fc long term not what is best to keep the internet warriors happy, it is easy to see, no? "

from Rafa's own words, long term interests!!!

this lad is an international footballer and not some inexperienced youth team player who cant handle making mistakes.

The excuses dont wash with me. They do with you.

At the end of the day nobody was happier than me when we recruited him from Valencia. I spent a year in Barcelona watching valencia on the tele every week. Its its no exaggeration to say they were sensational. Rafa had created this team with flair, power, pace and defensive solidity - pretty much everything we lacked in houlliers last season.

I was ecstatic when he was officially presented as our manager. I will never forget 2005 as long as I live but the honeymoon is well and truly over and im no longer as convinced as I was 4 seasons ago that he was the man to bring us back.

For one man to have as much power as he does is dangerous and he basically has the club by the balls. When it ends it will end badly - and it wont be rafa that suffers.

[herpritmann]

surely you mean tevez instead of torres? as we bought Torres just before scum bought Tevez?

No we paid £17 mil for Def M when we needed someone like tevez can you picture Torres & Tevez playing together.

[BFG]

No we paid £17 mil for Def M when we needed someone like tevez can you picture Torres & Tevez playing together.

Yeah they'd be great. Watching people like Lampard walk through our midfield wouldn't though.

[Chrono]

It really grinds my gears listening to some of this ****. Liverpool could have 30 players out and still beat my local team because they have an entire squad of players who cost more than anyone in my local team.

When Fergie can lose 14 players and still have the likes of Carrick (20mil), Anderson(20mil), Nani(20mil), Tosic(who?..16mil) etc etc etc it's not going to effect the team as much as Liverpool who lose a few top players (and have others returning to fitness) and have had to make up the squad with free and 2mil players.

It's not ****ing rocket science! We only have a right to come 4th based on what we have invested, we're 3 points from 4th despite the ****test run in history and looking pretty good for that 4th spot, maybe even 3rd. We can be a little dissapointed about that given last seasons achievments, but we've no right to get angry about it

So you are only as good as the money you spend?

[BobTheCharmer]

So you are only as good as the money you spend?

Basically until rafa has the same amount to spend as fergie and the same amount of time yes. ah but wait what about the amount city now have? ah thats right until we have our own arab, rafa can't and shouldn't be judged ever.

**** it, lets sign the club over to rafa and let him do what he wants with it.

[red g]

So you are only as good as the money you spend?

the premiership table over the last 10 years would tend to indicate that most of the time

[red g]

No we paid £17 mil for Def M when we needed someone like tevez can you picture Torres & Tevez playing together.

are you kevin keegan?

[dww]

I'm honestly not sure that Tevez is all that good. Certainly he seems to have many of the faults of Kuyt and cost twice as much. He is in some ways better technically but he is less good wide and worse in the air. I'd guess their PL scoring records are not as different as people make out and Tevez will have played more in a central attacking role.