Portsmouth 2-0 Liverpool - POST MATCH

[gentingfrmhell]

torres is our only hope! not rafa not kuyt not anyone!! gerrrard used to pull us out of all this ****, but i guess hes gettign old! come on torres! u can do it!

[Leyton388]

No, you problem is you have such short memory, you said 5 years of Rafa was the problem, that shows you have an extremely short memory.

No i didn't. I said rafa has been here for 5 years and no point did i say in my posts that 5 years of rafa was the problem! Just like 3 years under houllier was not the problem. The season is almost half way over and we look as bad as anything under houllier or souness. Come on you have to admit it is fun to have a bit of banter to try and cheer ourselves up after such a **** defeat.

[pondus]

Looks like Rafa was attempting to blame the ref in the broadcast on Sky a few mins ago. Can't agree I'm afraid.

The ref is a retard who has no idea what he is doing. He should be taken outside and done with like they do sick animals. He sure didn't help things.

[Rafa Justice]

I'm not sure Dalglish would be able to make the impact required in modern football, he's been out of management for 10 years

Agreed. And how the **** would any of the foreign lads understand him?

[Exiled_red]

Post Match? Post mortem more like.

I wasn't impressed with the starting XI. Dossena and Kuyt will not create on the flanks, whilst Lucas and Masch will create nothing in the center. Placed too much burden on Gerrard and Torres.

TBH I'm fed up of saying the same thing about Rafa's line ups, week in, week out. I can not see why he keeps putting out the same **** line ups that are devoid of creativity.

Yes, the luck is going against us every week - but we're hardly helping ourselves putting out a team that is more solid than creative.

I'm confused by what we've been trying to do this season, the teams we have put out have been less creative than last season and I don't understand that. Last season we typically had a midfield of Mascherano, Alonso, Riera and Kuyt. This season Alonso and Riera have been replaced by less creative players and the absence of an alonso-type player in the team has IMO affected Kuyt's game, forcing him deeper, where he has a less attacking threat.

For the next games we need to change the system, we no longer have the players to play as we did last season, so I would be tempted to arrange the team and go 442, with a midfield of (R-L) Benayoun Gerrard Mascherano Riera, and with Ngog and Torres up front. Mascherano is suspended so Lucas could come in for him, and I still believe Aquilani is not fit, so can't be considered as a starter. This team would be much more creative but should still have a strength through it and should be able to dominate games again, because we haven't been doing that recently either

[Mattshark]

rafa has a style based on arrigo sachi's much heralded 'catenaccio' method of football.

Its based on a strong defence and stopping the opposition from playing. It works really well in Italy but not in the EPL and that's been proven by our results over the past 5 seasons.

Last season was a fluke where we were carried by gerrard, torres, alonso and benayoun.

Rafa's methods have been proven not to work. How much more proof do we need before we make the change ?

We should contact inter and ask if they could swap jose for rafa. From whats been said they probably wouldnt be averse to it.

For those who champion rafa - its time to open your eyes and look at the devastation that this season has brought.

Rafa's time has come to and end.

Why was last season a fluke?

This is the only very poor season we have under him?

[andrewces38]

Post Match? Post mortem more like.

I wasn't impressed with the starting XI. Dossena and Kuyt will not create on the flanks, whilst Lucas and Masch will create nothing in the center. Placed too much burden on Gerrard and Torres.

TBH I'm fed up of saying the same thing about Rafa's line ups, week in, week out. I can not see why he keeps putting out the same **** line ups that are devoid of creativity.

Yes, the luck is going against us every week - but we're hardly helping ourselves putting out a team that is more solid than creative.

That sums it up for me too , no creative player in a midfield 4 thats pretty negative **** from Rafa I think

[DannyMan2006]

I think if Rafa could admit and say the team wasn't good enough he'd get a bit more slack. But if he thinks we are playing well in the first half he seriously needs to think again.

I don't actually think his job is in danger if I'm honest, but something needs to change.

[Mattshark]

No i didn't. I said rafa has been here for 5 years and no point did i say in my posts that 5 years of rafa was the problem! Just like 3 years under houllier was not the problem. The season is almost half way over and we look as bad as anything under houllier or souness. Come on you have to admit it is fun to have a bit of banter to try and cheer ourselves up after such a **** defeat.

And you don't think that Rafa's previous seasons means he deserves till the end of this season at least?

It is, I wouldn't be on here otherwise.

[Exiled_red]

It really feels like this is the end of something. Just Rafa's reign or us as a force I don't know. I don't want Rafa to go but I just cannot see another way out- and even that might not rescue us.

I really hope I can cheer up in time for Xmas cos right now I feel very very sad.

We need to change the system for the next game, we've stuck with it through this bad run and the common theme throughout has been a lack of creativity and the inability to dominate games, the system we play is now longer suited to the players we have, we need to adapt it

[Mattshark]

I'm confused by what we've been trying to do this season, the teams we have put out have been less creative than last season and I don't understand that. Last season we typically had a midfield of Mascherano, Alonso, Riera and Kuyt. This season Alonso and Riera have been replaced by less creative players and the absence of an alonso-type player in the team has IMO affected Kuyt's game, forcing him deeper, where he has a less attacking threat.

For the next games we need to change the system, we no longer have the players to play as we did last season, so I would be tempted to arrange the team and go 442, with a midfield of (R-L) Benayoun Gerrard Mascherano Riera, and with Ngog and Torres up front. Mascherano is suspended so Lucas could come in for him, and I still believe Aquilani is not fit, so can't be considered as a starter. This team would be much more creative but should still have a strength through it and should be able to dominate games again, because we haven't been doing that recently either

Reira is injured isn't he?

To be honest, I think Gerrard needs to have some time off at present, he has been very poor this season.

[redkop]

His point was valid though, regardless of how it was put.

Our style of play, or lack of, is the worst I've seen in 35 years (living memory)

Yes, yes 35 years I've not seen such a poor Liverpool team. Something is very very wrong with the tactics, the coaches and the training. Total revamp is required immediately.

[el matador]

Agreed. And how the **** would any of the foreign lads understand him?

If Kenny can get gerrard playing back to his best it would make a massive difference to our side and Im sure he would respond to dalglish.

not just him but also carragher and johnson. Torres has said on record that his future isnt linked to benitez.

Those four alone would be enough to get us back up the table. But the dalglish thing would only be a temporary appointment.

[Mattshark]

I think if Rafa could admit and say the team wasn't good enough he'd get a bit more slack. But if he thinks we are playing well in the first half he seriously needs to think again.

I don't actually think his job is in danger if I'm honest, but something needs to change.

I don't think he would to be honest, I think he'd criticism for being negative.

[SimonNo7]

Man City 1 up and probably going above us tonight!