Top 4

[Dhav]

TBF, this is bollox. Torres was obviously knackered and out attacking play improved when he came off. Rafa had to gamble the result of the game on the finishing of N'gog and the gamble didn't pay off. While I'm sure that Torres would have taken some of the chances N'gog missed, we may not have made those chances if he stayed on. Football isn't as simple as Top stiker stays on = we win.

So he thought he would take off our most potent goal threat, the best striker in the world, and bring on an inexperienced and unproven 21 year old who is at best a mid-table player (and that's being generous) because that would give us a greater chance of winning? . In no man's language does that give us a better chance of winning and if Rafa thought that then I give up

I don't believe there is any correlation between Torres coming off and us creating more chances. If he wanted to bring on Ngog he should have taken someone else off, and paired the two up, and if Torres was so tired rest him against Benfica. But like **** would Rafa prioritise a league game ahead of a European one, even when he has guaranteed fourth and not winning yesterday has royally ****ed up our chances of getting.

Torres, Reina and Gerrard are our only world class players, may be Mascher as well at a push, and they should play as much as possible in critical games where we must win. But one didn't start and the other didn't finish.

[Armchairkopite]

I was gutted when he took Nando off. Look at the Villa game. Did **** all for 89 minutes, then that.

Mixed feelings now though. Nando was clearly bollocksed in Benfica and spent the next two days thigh deep in ice. His display yesterday was a tired one and, as usual, their centre-backs were kicking through the back of him (why is Nando the only striker in the league who has this done to him with such regularity?). We improved almost immediately when he went off.

Amen brother

[Craig_H]

So he thought he would take off our most potent goal threat, the best striker in the world, and bring on an inexperienced and unproven 21 year old who is at best a mid-table player (and that's being generous) because that would give us a greater chance of winning? . In no man's language does that give us a better chance of winning and if Rafa thought that then I give up

I don't believe there is any correlation between Torres coming off and us creating more chances. If he wanted to bring on Ngog he should have taken someone else off, and paired the two up, and if Torres was so tired rest him against Benfica. But like **** would Rafa prioritise a league game ahead of a European one, even when he has guaranteed fourth and not winning yesterday has royally ****ed up our chances of getting.

Torres, Reina and Gerrard are our only world class players, may be Mascher as well at a push, and they should play as much as possible in critical games where we must win. But one didn't start and the other didn't finish.

Spot on.

It seems as though when we do well, the usual fanclub cant wait to don their cheerleading outfits and praise rafa to the hilt - but when we **** up, it's never his doing. He made all the right decisions and the reasons for our failure can range from the shade of the grass, to the brightness of the floodlights - anything, as long as the finger isnt pointed at the one man whose actions play the biggest role in whether or not we win games.

[Kenneth]

So a knackered torres was unlikely to score a winner? Don't believe that at all. Keep him on, rest him all week.

[Guest]

Spot on.

It seems as though when we do well, the usual fanclub cant wait to don their cheerleading outfits and praise rafa to the hilt - but when we **** up, it's never his doing. He made all the right decisions and the reasons for our failure can range from the shade of the grass, to the brightness of the floodlights - anything, as long as the finger isnt pointed at the one man whose actions play the biggest role in whether or not we win games.

Rafa. He's going to be here for at least another year and I'm so looking forward to such posts.

[Vermilion]

'Liverpool fc exist to win trophies'.....hah, just not the europa league it seems.

[Kenneth]

'Liverpool fc exist to win trophies'.....hah, just not the europa league it seems.

Or the Champions League next year.

[red g]

Or the Champions League next year.

[red g]

Rafa. He's going to be here for at least another year and I'm so looking forward to such posts.

good luck defending him....as the longer this goes on the more on your own you will be.

[Vermilion]

Or the Champions League next year.

Realistically...it's gone already..

Win a trophy this season...

[Vermilion]

good luck defending him....as the longer this goes on the more on your own you will be.

Can't go on longer than this season..of that i'm confident.

If we had money to spend next season it would be a very different one imo.

If we don't have money..then we won't get a top manager...and we won't buy players...so i don't understand what people think will change.

In europe we'll likley be crap without Rafa, and in the prem without regular good investment...you'll always be found out.

[Craig_H]

Can't go on longer than this season..of that i'm confident.

If we had money to spend next season it would be a very different one imo.

If we don't have money..then we won't get a top manager...and we won't buy players...so i don't understand what people think will change.

In europe we'll likley be crap without Rafa, and in the prem without regular good investment...you'll always be found out.

A new manager might get world class players performing to their highest capability. And he might even leave them on the pitch.

[red g]

Can't go on longer than this season..of that i'm confident.

If we had money to spend next season it would be a very different one imo.

If we don't have money..then we won't get a top manager...and we won't buy players...so i don't understand what people think will change.
In europe we'll likley be crap without Rafa, and in the prem without regular good investment...you'll always be found out.

a change in mentality and i would be happy

[Guest]

good luck defending him....as the longer this goes on the more on your own you will be.

YNWA, good times as well as bad times, that's the spirit.

[banditos]

Out of curiosity, did the people slating Rafa for subbing Torres actually watch the Brum game, coz in the game I watched on Sunday, our attacking play [B]vastly[B] improved, IMO, once N'gog replaced an ineffective (due to exhaustion) Torres. We created 5-6 great chances to win it, which we probably wouldn't have created had Torres stayed on.
I was probably as frustrated as anyone when N'gog fluffed half of those chances, but I don't see it as entirely Rafa's fault that he is our best option to replace Torres up front.