Rafa's Post Match Interview

[el matador]

we seem to have Rafa The Robot in charge these days. Ever since he got a slapping from Hicks for criticising the owners (remember the tracksuit and the "I am just the coach" interview), he just seems to repeat the party mantra "we must work hard", "we must be positive" etc.

It seems that he has either been threatened not to criticise the owners and the quality of the squad or has been promised something... The only explanations I can think of are; that he was threatened with the sack without a payout if he kept moaning, that he has been promisd funds if he keeps a positive demeanour in the meantime or that he was promised that he would be given control of the academy and Parry got rid of, if he promised to toe the party line in future and he is now keeping to his side of the bargain...

rafa the robot has built a robotic team for us too.

we have no imagination, there is very little movement from the system that he chooses and it all looks too regimented. We dont have a creative player on either flank and our system doesnt suit the players that we have.

Instead of changing things to make the best of what we have, we see the likes of kuyt on the right who struggles to look like a championship winger and benayoun who isnt a left winger (or even a right one).

Not really what you expect from a liverpool fc side.

[el matador]

Cunt.

FFS sake - he is entitled to his opinions without being called a cunt.

[Guest]

rafa the robot has built a robotic team for us too.

we have no imagination, there is very little movement from the system that he chooses and it all looks too regimented. We dont have a creative player on either flank and our system doesnt suit the players that we have.

Instead of changing things to make the best of what we have, we see the likes of kuyt on the right who struggles to look like a championship winger and benayoun who isnt a left winger (or even a right one).

Not really what you expect from a liverpool fc side.

All the points you make is all down to confidence, not to the way Rafa has built the team. We were scoring goals for fun last year. Saying that Rafa has built a robotic team is complete bollocks, no offence mate.

[PTP]

rafa the robot has built a robotic team for us too.

we have no imagination, there is very little movement from the system that he chooses and it all looks too regimented. We dont have a creative player on either flank and our system doesnt suit the players that we have.

Instead of changing things to make the best of what we have, we see the likes of kuyt on the right who struggles to look like a championship winger and benayoun who isnt a left winger (or even a right one).

Not really what you expect from a liverpool fc side.

last night it happened so often and your 'robotic' team is the perfect way of putting it.

We have zero pace in the side, especially from the midfield areas. - We have noone in midfield who looks capable of getting the ball and driving forward and making up say 20 yards of space quickly and putting the opposition on the back foot - it's just 20, 5 yard passes left to right before someone thinks this is going nowhere, so try and chip it forward to nothing.

There was a number of occasions last night, were reading pretty much just themselves with 6 men around the edge of the box and it just killed us. We didn't know what to do - we never tried to get the ball to the byline and whip it in. We just passed around in front of them and then sadly lack the quality to cut through them arsenalesque. - We'd keep possesion till it went out wide to say, babel, kuyt, benayoun - who would then just cut inside straight into the wall of six reading defenders who clear it easily.

[BFG]

FFS sake - he is entitled to his opinions without being called a cunt.

If he wants to call the manager of Liverpool Football Club a 'deluded fool' and a 'disgrace to the club' then I don't see why he shouldn't expect to be called a cunt by Liverpool fans. Especially when he's got two simultaneous threads basically saying the same things and he only logs on to stick the boot in.

[el matador]

All the points you make is all down to confidence, not to the way Rafa has built the team. We were scoring goals for fun last year. Saying that Rafa has built a robotic team is complete bollocks, no offence mate.

we have always played in a regimented style under rafa - even last season we were effective, efficient rather than spectacular.

We dont play good football and losing alonso has turned the machine into a bunch of disjointed parts.

we look awful - look at teams like fulham who manage to play attractive football and get results. If they can do that without the likes of gerrard, torres and our other so called big names why cant we ?

Its down to the management style which apart from a couple of seasons in five or six hasnt really worked in the league for us.

[Shaggy]

If he wants to call the manager of Liverpool Football Club a 'deluded fool' and a 'disgrace to the club' then I don't see why he shouldn't expect to be called a cunt by Liverpool fans. Especially when he's got two simultaneous threads basically saying the same things and he only logs on to stick the boot in.

Exactly. His opinion is fine but the way he expresses it, and abuses the manager, is galling from a so-called Liverpool supporter.

[carheex]

rafa the robot has built a robotic team for us too.

we have no imagination, there is very little movement from the system that he chooses and it all looks too regimented. We dont have a creative player on either flank and our system doesnt suit the players that we have.

Instead of changing things to make the best of what we have, we see the likes of kuyt on the right who struggles to look like a championship winger and benayoun who isnt a left winger (or even a right one).

Not really what you expect from a liverpool fc side.

20 games ago we were premier league runners up. It isn't Rafa's fault that players left and he wasn't given funding to replace them. And it isn't Rafa's fault that all of the contenders for top 4 are able to strengthen. Tghis team is virtually the same one that came 2nd in the league - I blame the players for our piss poor season 100%.

[el matador]

If he wants to call the manager of Liverpool Football Club a 'deluded fool' and a 'disgrace to the club' then I don't see why he shouldn't expect to be called a cunt by Liverpool fans. Especially when he's got two simultaneous threads basically saying the same things and he only logs on to stick the boot in.

he is still entitled to his opinions even if he's totally out of order. Rafa doesnt deserve to be called these sorts of names and even though it hasnt worked out for us under him he still deserves respect as an LFC manager and a human being.

Hopefully chewie will take something from this thread and look at what he says in the future.

[saj]

I think Maxi Rodriquez and Javier Mascherano look like brothers

[el matador]

20 games ago we were premier league runners up. It isn't Rafa's fault that players left and he wasn't given funding to replace them. And it isn't Rafa's fault that all of the contenders for top 4 are able to strengthen. Tghis team is virtually the same one that came 2nd in the league - I blame the players for our piss poor season 100%.

its down to the loss of alonso. I think gerrard realised that we werent going to function properly without him (as its been proven in the past when he was missing) and i dont believe he is motivated to play for rafa.

the players need a kick up the backside and i dont think rafa is the man to do it. Im surprised that sammy lee hasnt laid into some of them because they need a good kicking.

But the system and the tactics arent down to the players. Im not saying its all down to the players or the manager but they all need to look at themselves.

[PTP]

20 games ago we were premier league runners up. It isn't Rafa's fault that players left and he wasn't given funding to replace them. And it isn't Rafa's fault that all of the contenders for top 4 are able to strengthen. Tghis team is virtually the same one that came 2nd in the league - I blame the players for our piss poor season 100%.

But we could argue that we only lost Alonso from the first team - and rafa chose to spend £20m on someone who was crocked - leaving us desperately short for the first 6 months of the season.

I do agree tho - it's not just down to Rafa, he has made mistakes, but he players need to look at themselves too.

We had ****ing internationals on the pitch last night!! Players who have played at the highest level in the premiership and the champions league - and they looked like a bunch of ****ing unfit amateurs at times.

[ronanm]

Ultimately, we were outplayed by a Championship side who have not won in 6 games. Completely outplayed over 2 legs.

[Guest]

But we could argue that we only lost Alonso from the first team - and rafa chose to spend £20m on someone who was crocked - leaving us desperately short for the first 6 months of the season.

I do agree tho - it's not just down to Rafa, he has made mistakes, but he players need to look at themselves too.

We had ****ing internationals on the pitch last night!! Players who have played at the highest level in the premiership and the champions league - and they looked like a bunch of ****ing unfit amateurs at times.

Aquilani was the best we could have gone for. And as Rafa said, he's been given a 5 year contract, not a 1 year one. This argument has been done to death and doesn't hold for me.

It's not down to Alonso going surely? It's as if him leaving has left a gaping hole in our midfield. If you look at it closer, you'll see that Lucas has been our best player in midfield this season, holding his own more than anyone else. Mascherano and Gerrard have been far below their best, and that maybe explains why we're not even half ****e this season.

[ronanm]

Aquilani was the best we could have gone for. And as Rafa said, he's been given a 5 year contract, not a 1 year one. This argument has been done to death and doesn't hold for me.

It's not down to Alonso going surely? It's as if him leaving has left a gaping hole in our midfield. If you look at it closer, you'll see that Lucas has been our best player in midfield this season, holding his own more than anyone else. Mascherano and Gerrard have been far below their best, and that maybe explains why we're not even half ****e this season.

How do you make that out? He was injured for most of last season, and quite a bit of this. Did you think last season "I hope we go for Aquilani?" Rubbish.

As for Alonso's departure, what was done with the rest of the money - £18m on a poor defender who is better than average going forward and is injured quite a lot? That £18m could have gone a a decent defender and another player and would have been better spent.