Rafa's Post Match Interview

[Guest]

How do yo make that out? He was injured for most of last season, and quite a bit of this.

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.

Thing is, I can see you using the same reasoning when our next manager will be running out of ideas mate.

Rafa has made mistakes but I haven't seen a manager not doing any to date. Rafa has always corrected his mistakes by offloading under-performing players. As for Glen Johnson being average, well I have to disagree. He's had a dip lately, but you cannot judge a player after 6 months or so, and it's more so irrelevant because the team is playing badly as a whole, so who would look good in it?

Johnson couldn't put a foot wrong at the start of the season and people were lauding his merits. 'At last' Rafa had bought an attacking right back! People are never happy.

[ronanm]

Thing is, I can see you using the same reasoning when our next manager will be running out of ideas mate.

Rafa has made mistakes but I haven't seen a manager not doing any to date. Rafa has always corrected his mistakes by offloading under-performing players. As for Glen Johnson being average, well I have to disagree. He's had a dip lately, but you cannot judge a player after 6 months or so, and it's more so irrelevant because the team is playing badly as a whole, so who would look good in it?

Johnson couldn't put a foot wrong at the start of the season and people were lauding his merits. 'At last' Rafa had bought an attacking right back! People are never happy.

1- I said Johnson was better than average going forward but the guy cannot defend and is injury prone. Is he worth £18m? Who looked at the team last year and said "Yes, the final piece of the jigsaw is to spunk £18m on a DEFENDER who is good going forward but cannot really defend?" And as for the "team playing badly as a whole" bull, at £18m you're expected to step up and encourage the team by looking after your business in your part of the pitch at the very least.

2 - Who replaces Alonso with a guy who's injured for 3 months of the season?

I wouldn't use those reasons were someone else to come in - I would be shocked if someone could repeat the same mistakes that indicate a chasm of common sense. RB learns from his mistakes by offloading players - that only seems to be the case as there are so many mistaken transfers to pick from. There's no skill in that.

[PTP]

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.

Just opinions though isn't it - For me it was a huge a gamble - and it's played a major part of putting us in this position. It's all very well saying next season he will be good - **** next season - next season we could potentially not even be in the Europa, never mind the Champions league!! - We won't even be able to afford to keep him the cunt

I personally think it was a **** up. - Forget about Alonso going - players come and go - what happened was, we had around £20m to spend and we desperatley needed a 'creative' centre midfielder as we were very short in that department. We signed someone who was crocked, and to me looks like he is still about 10 games away from being fit. By which time, jeez hat eto think were we will be in 10 games.

So we struggle through the seaosn, lose other players with injuries, lack any real depth or quality in the side, results go against and we have fallen apart.

I'm not saying thats purely down to signing aquilani - but it was a gamble, and it hasn't paid off.

Now onto lucas! this will put the cat amongst the pigeons. If lucas is our best midfielder! then no wonder we are ****. He is nothing better than average. He is, and i hated the **** when he was at us for this sort of reason - Danny Murphy. Murphy, was another, nothing more than average but was in a liverpool team that was so ****e at times, his averageness was better than the rest of the inept clowns.

Lucas, is a tidy little player - but he does nothing, ever, that makes me think - ****ing hell great little buy, or he should start every game - he plods about in midfield, looks like he is dipping his toe in cold water when attempting to tackle, and he is ****ing amazing at passing it 5 yards to the right.

He is a young lad, and good luck to him - but he is 3rd choice at best for one of the two midfield roles. Due to aquilani's absence he has had to step up into first choice, and he isn't good enough for that

[Guest]

1- I said Johnson was better than average going forward but the guy cannot defend and is injury prone. Is he worth £18m? Who looked at the team last year and said "Yes, the final piece of the jigsaw is to spunk £18m on a DEFENDER who is good going forward but cannot really defend?" And as for the "team playing badly as a whole" bull, at £18m you're expected to step up and encourage the team by looking after your business in your part of the pitch at the very least.

2 - Who replaces Alonso with a guy who's injured for 3 months of the season?

I wouldn't use those reasons were someone else to come in - I would be shocked if someone could repeat the same mistakes that indicate a chasm of common sense. RB learns from his mistakes by offloading players - that only seems to be the case as there are so many mistaken transfers to pick from. There's no skill in that.

Maybe he couldn't do better with the money he had? Still, losing Alonso can't explain 12 defeats in 30 games!

People were saying the same things when Houllier was sacked. In general it's the same tripe being offered as arguments.

There are no guarantees that whoever comes in, will be in a position to do better. Not with the current financial plight and the constraints on buying players. Man. City have got nearly unlimited money and Chelsea have just repaid their debts. I can't see us stealing a march on them.

Rafa has done fantastically to make us contenders until this season. Something went wrong but I am convinced that the changing the manager is not the answer to our ills. You may disagree, only the future will be testify if I was wrong or not.

[Armchairkopite]

I'm absolutely gutted for Rafa.

But hes lost his edge plain and simple, where is the Rafa that wopuld never bow to media or player pressure?

Carragher was pathetic last night out play broke down because of his distribution on countless occasions. He needs to trust Lucas and Aquiliani to pass the ball around because his long balls are destructive to our play.

You cant afford to conced possesion the way he does, hes a wreckless player and Rafa needs to man up.

[ronanm]

Maybe he couldn't do better with the money he had? Still, losing Alonso can't explain 12 defeats in 30 games!

People were saying the same things when Houllier was sacked. In general it's the same tripe being offered as arguments.

There are no guarantees that whoever comes in, will be in a position to do better. Not with the current financial plight and the constraints on buying players. Man. City have got nearly unlimited money and Chelsea have just repaid their debts. I can't see us stealing a march on them.

Rafa has done fantastically to make us contenders until this season. Something went wrong but I am convinced that the changing the manager is not the answer to our ills. You may disagree, only the future will be testify if I was wrong or not.

It's not the same tripe. Money should have been better spent than it was. You do not buy players who have been on the long term-injury list (what sort of medical did he have ffs), you do not buy a defender who struggles to defend for £18m. We should have won it last season - any other season under RB we have not been contenders. Simple as. I hope I am wrong. I really do.But, it's obvious stuff this isn't it??

[Armchairkopite]

Now onto lucas! this will put the cat amongst the pigeons. If lucas is our best midfielder! then no wonder we are ****. He is nothing better than average. He is, and i hated the **** when he was at us for this sort of reason - Danny Murphy. Murphy, was another, nothing more than average but was in a liverpool team that was so ****e at times, his averageness was better than the rest of the inept clowns.

Lucas, is a tidy little player - but he does nothing, ever, that makes me think - ****ing hell great little buy, or he should start every game - he plods about in midfield, looks like he is dipping his toe in cold water when attempting to tackle, and he is ****ing amazing at passing it 5 yards to the right.

He is a young lad, and good luck to him - but he is 3rd choice at best for one of the two midfield roles. Due to aquilani's absence he has had to step up into first choice, and he isn't good enough for that

I agree with you, I am a fan of Lucas but hes not good enough to hold down a starting bitrh in the centre YET! the key problem with Lucas is his positioning and I think this could be Rafas fault. He gets way to close to players when asking for the ball rather then taking up a slightly more advanced position that could take two opposing players out of the game.
Hes always available for the Safe pass but he needs to look ahead and get into the space.

[Vermilion]

Another bad result and another wind up merchant putting the boot in. Need t get behind our cub not pull the manager apart ynwa.

The reaction on here has stunned me, and for the first time i'm ashamed to be a red, the bile aimed at a manger that's only trying to do his best with everything going against him is a ****in disgrace.

Yes we are unhappy, as fans we are devastated yes, but some fans are spouting such juvenile ****e, absolutely childish crap said with such hatred, well grow the **** up.

[TheElephantMan]

I blame Carragher and Insua for our rubbishness last night. Carragher can't stop hoofing balls to nobody, just play a short pass if there's nothing on!!! Insua takes the ball forward, loses it and pelts back to recover his position - is he completely stupid?! He must cover some ground over the course of a game and it's all down to his own ineptitude. I have said this many times, but I hope I never see Babel in a red shirt again. Doesn't care, doesn't get forward, doesn't get back, doesn't do anything.

Frustrated.

[Guest]

It's not the same tripe. Money should have been better spent than it was. You do not buy players who have been on the long term-injury list (what sort of medical did he have ffs), you do not buy a defender who struggles to defend for £18m. We should have won it last season - any other season under RB we have not been contenders. Simple as. I hope I am wrong. I really do.But, it's obvious stuff this isn't it??

No it's not obvious. Even with our substitutes we should have been good enough to have beaten Reading, let alone been better than losing 12 games out of 30. Saying that it's down to this is too simplistic IMO.

We beat United 4-1 last season with Lucas and Mascherano in central midfield, Carra at right back, Skrtel and Hyppia at centre midfield. How do you explain that most of these players cannot give a better showing this season? Add to that the fact that we played a lot of matches without Torres and Gerrard.

What has changed this season, apart from Alonso gone? Ideally Aquilani would have fitted in progressively into the side, that was the idea. Nowt wrong with that.

[PTP]

I agree with you, I am a fan of Lucas but hes not good enough to hold down a starting bitrh in the centre YET! the key problem with Lucas is his positioning and I think this could be Rafas fault. He gets way to close to players when asking for the ball rather then taking up a slightly more advanced position that could take two opposing players out of the game.
Hes always available for the Safe pass but he needs to look ahead and get into the space.

don't get me wrong - i don't want to be too harsh on the lad - my point is more that he is never ****e, or never good - he is just average - imo his performance is always the same. The difference is this

When liverpool are playing well - his average performance looks poor
When liverpool are playing **** - his same average performance looks good.

thats what i hated murphy - maybe harsh, it wasn't murphy I hated so much, just the fact that he was nothing more than average, but in a ****e side people thought he was good.

He can find space and sit there all day long, receiving the ball from the left back and then passing it 10 yards square to the right back.

He doesn't offer anything else though that is 'match winning' - Mascherano does, - in terms of his unreal tracking back and tackling, that has won us matches, lucas isn't that kind off player - alonso did, with some brilliant range of passing and the odd goal, even just strikes from distance that may have caused problems - lucas doesn't have it in him

At the moment - he is good for being a 3rd choice. It's not his fault he has found himself as first choice.

[Armchairkopite]

I blame Carragher and Insua for our rubbishness last night. Carragher can't stop hoofing balls to nobody, just play a short pass if there's nothing on!!! Insua takes the ball forward, loses it and pelts back to recover his position - is he completely stupid?! He must cover some ground over the course of a game and it's all down to his own ineptitude. I have said this many times, but I hope I never see Babel in a red shirt again. Doesn't care, doesn't get forward, doesn't get back, doesn't do anything.

Frustrated.

Glad to see we watched the same game.

Carragher is a disease in our team, hes a player whos ego has run away with itself imo and I get no pleasure is saying that let me tell you.

He constantly undermines Lucas in the middle of the park by refusing to pass it to him.
He has taking his leadership role in the back line and the box to new lows with his poor decision making.
He will cost Rafa in the end.

[Armchairkopite]

don't get me wrong - i don't want to be too harsh on the lad - my point is more that he is never ****e, or never good - he is just average - imo his performance is always the same. The difference is this

When liverpool are playing well - his average performance looks poor
When liverpool are playing **** - his same average performance looks good.

thats what i hated murphy - maybe harsh, it wasn't murphy I hated so much, just the fact that he was nothing more than average, but in a ****e side people thought he was good.

He can find space and sit there all day long, receiving the ball from the left back and then passing it 10 yards square to the right back.

He doesn't offer anything else though that is 'match winning' - Mascherano does, - in terms of his unreal tracking back and tackling, that has won us matches, lucas isn't that kind off player - alonso did, with some brilliant range of passing and the odd goal, even just strikes from distance that may have caused problems - lucas doesn't have it in him

At the moment - he is good for being a 3rd choice. It's not his fault he has found himself as first choice.

Youtr focusing on the wrong player though. Lucas actually does his job quite efficently but when your overlooked by senoir players that clearly do not rate you what can you do.

[Chazza]

Glad to see we watched the same game.

Carragher is a disease in our team, a pathetic excuse for a player whos ego has run away with itself imo and I get no pleasure is saying that let me tell you.

He constantly undermines Lucas in the middle of the park by refusing to pass it to him.
He has taking his leadership role in the back line and the box to new lows with his poor decision making.
He will cost Rafa in the end.

Bit Harsh!!!, I agree his distribution is poor but a disease??

[Reece]

Carragher is a disease in our team, a pathetic excuse for a player whos ego has run away with itself imo and I get no pleasure is saying that let me tell you.

What a classy and respectful thing to say about a great servant to the club.