Lille post-mortem

[Spanishfly]

where was his service today ?

The balls into him were non existant. The pattern used to be alonso to gerrard to torres.

Since alonso has gone, and gerrard is literlly nowhere to be found by our inept midfield, torres will not get any balls to feed on.

Dont look at the problem, instead look at the source of the problem.

Our midfield don't try defence splitting passes. They pass the buck to the next one. Mascherano was trying today, however he's a tackler not a passer!

[Craig_H]

I agree about Kenny, I'd be dead against him coming back as manager for more reasons than one, but Sammy wouldn't be my idea of a replacement, temporary or otherwise.

Thommo til the end of the season?

[Lecter]

I'm not blaming it on the manager. The manager, and their lack of faith in him to succeed (IMO) is the reason for it, but that doesnt make it his fault.

Thats not good enough for me

You pull on the shirt and you should have the desire to want to wear it again

You cant even look at Gerrard or Torres and say they are playing for themselves because their basic skill levels arent even there

[JohnDoe]

I'm all for Kenny as caretaker until the end of the season.

[kemm1]

I'd hope Benitez will fall on his sword at the end of the season - he's destroyed the club sufficiently to not seek the £20m payoff. Sell most of the first team (including SG, Johnson, Kuyt, Babel, Skrtel, Aurelio, Benayoun, Lucas, possibly Torres ()) and start over with a new manager. They're all too injury prone or will raise the funds needed to rebuild a squad. Jose Mourinho, Martin O'Neill, Roy Hodgson or someone at that level.

How?

[JohnOK]

Did the rumour specify over one or two legs?

That was the first question I asked but never got a reply.

[Craig_H]

Would I ****, not if I could hear 5000 or so Kopites singing for me.

Its total bollocks from these premaddonna superstars, look at Mascherano hes surrounded by the same players yet he is performing to a very high level.

It's easy to say that, and i'd probably say the same.

In reality though, human instincts and emotions take over. It's a bit like the money arguments, people say that someone shouldnt do this, or do that because they're on £100k per week, or whatever. In reality, in the heat of the moment and out on the pitch, i very much doubt things like that even enter their heads.

One other thing to remember is that we say what we say as fans and die hards who love the club. 90% of footballers arent fans, not of the club and often, not even diehard football fans. They know they can go elsewhere, jump ship and move onto better things at other clubs. Their mentality differs greatly from a fan's.

[el matador]

Under no circumstances is it acceptable to have a player, never mind the so-called captain, who can't be bothered, no circumstances at all. If he can't be bothered he can **** off as far as I'm concerned. Totally unacceptable.

you must have played football in teams when you were surrounded by players who were so far beneath your level that at times its like banging your head against a brick wall.

The manager picks his favourites and other players who are perhaps more talented and could help the teams balance are overlooked constantly. Rafa's substitution of babel was just laughable when kuyt on the other side gave the ball away at every single opportunity.

Why take off probably our most dangerous player for someone who would struggle to get into championship sides ?

Decisions like that over the course of 5 or six seasons leave player bewildered and deflated. FFS when carra says he isnt bothered if he leaves Liverpool there must be something wrong.

That boy nearly emasculated himself for us in the 2005 CL final and has literally put his body on the line for us. When this lad who is LFC through and through says he's not bothered about staying then the problem isnt the player.

The problem is rafa benitez.

[Philosophia]

Nietzsche observes that hope can "be the greatest evil, for it lengthens the ordeal of man."

Thank god I am no longer hopeful.

[Parr_Zee]

The way how his teams play and the media love in that he gets

I take it you are trying to say that he is defensive. How can a team that starts with Milner, Petrov, Young, Downing, Agbonlahor and Carew be negative?

What don't you like about getting the ball to fast, skillful players, beating people, getting crosses into the box and scoring goals?

[SK]

there's probably fifty better qualified people we could get on a free until the end of the season than sammy lee.

However, I genuinely think that rafa has lost the plot. We are a team thats better without the ball than with. We have no one in the middle of the pitch that can get hold of the ball and do something with it.

We get it, we give it away - that's been the pattern this season and until lucas is removed from the starting line up it will continue to happen. We cannot dominate the middle of the pitch and therefore we end up playing like pansies and losing matches.

For the lucas lovers im not saying that its all his fault but his position is perhaps the most important for us or any other team in that he's supposed to be the playmaker. The player that links defence to midfield seamlessly but the lad is not capable of anything like that.

He's just an ordinary player who isnt good enough to play for a top side.

i was always under the impression, that gerrard's positions just behind the striker is the most important, as it's where the playmakers usually play, or at least a skilfull "second" striker. gerrard is neither. it worked fine while both him and torres were on top form but it looks dire atm.

still we could do with someone who can actaully play football anywhere on the pitch not just in midfield.

i just don't get why rafa doesn't try a different formation, maybe something more suited to the players we have, like a 433, or even a 3412. i remember when he just came to liverpool he constantly changed the formations, and players positions, but now it just seems like he's afraid to do it, and he sticks with something that clearly isn't working.

[Spanishfly]

I would like to see Carra become manager. He's got a good football head, not great on the field anymore.

[Lecter]

I think its D) The sh!t tactics and lack of quality that they are playing with

So the reason hes been **** for England as well is a **** manager, **** tactics and lack of quality also??

Ditto for Torres also??

[Shaggy]

you must have played football in teams when you were surrounded by players who were so far beneath your level that at times its like banging your head against a brick wall.

I have actually. And yes it's frustrating, of course it is, but these are largely the same players who got us 86 points last season. And you always give your best no matter what. Gerrard isn't even doing that.

The manager picks his favourites and other players who are perhaps more talented and could help the teams balance are overlooked constantly. Rafa's substitution of babel was just laughable when kuyt on the other side gave the ball away at every single opportunity.

Why take off probably our most dangerous player for someone who would struggle to get into championship sides ?

Decisions like that over the course of 5 or six seasons leave player bewildered and deflated. FFS when carra says he isnt bothered if he leaves Liverpool there must be something wrong.

That boy nearly emasculated himself for us in the 2005 CL final and has literally put his body on the line for us. When this lad who is LFC through and through says he's not bothered about staying then the problem isnt the player.

The problem is rafa benitez.

He is one of the problems, no escaping that, but the big picture reveals so many problems it's mind-boggling. He's accountable cos he's the manager but I will never blame him entirely for this mess. Never.

[Rich]

Another ****ty result, another example of our players not fitting into Rafa's masterplan. I'm almost beyond caring...

If we are going with our current formation then we need a new right back, a new left back, a new play maker and one pacy, good winger. But right now, I just want Rafa to fall on his sword, we splutter over the finish line with a short term appointment and sort out the utter mess in the summer.

Horrible, horrible, horrible, especially when you look at the Arsenal and United results this week. That was us only 12 months ago.