Thommo 'optimistic' on SSN

[Redlife]

Link to a video of the interview: http://www.skysports.com/skysports/a...238265,00.html




The text on the SSN website is fairly negative, but if you saw the full interview, he made some good points.


He said that overall Rafa's reign has been positive and we've moved in the right direction. The thing that struck me though was that he said he hadn't expected us to win the title this season anyway, so to be written off - even this early - is no big surprise.


And I think that's the key thing; I thought this could be our year, and so did a lot of us, but realistically it was never going to happen. We signed too many new players during the summer, and there was no way they were all going to settle in and be successful straight off. We needed those players, but it'll take a while for them to settle. In the next transfer window and the next we might only sign a couple more; it won't be such an upheaval.


The other key point is that our stalwarts (Carra, Sami, Stevie G, Xabi) are all playing below par at present, which has made it even tougher for the new guys to bed into the team. If they had all been on top form, then it would have been easier for Bellamy, Pennant, and the rest.


We played like sh#t yesterday, and I was as angry as anyone, but as Rafa always says, if they all keep working hard, then good form will follow, and another CL spot and maybe a cup. We've been saying "Next season, next season will be the one" for too long now, but realistically that's what it might take.

[Tom]

Wise words. Thank **** someone is speaking them in public.
The amount of rafa bashing on here and in the media has been more depressing than the performance.

If shanks had been around today, the phone-in muppets and internet crew would have got him sacked in 2 years.

[Redlife]

Of course for their website Sky picked out the bit about Stevie G playing out of position and being unhappy, handily leaving out the other very positive stuff Thommo said.

[ronan]

i fail to see why the buck is stoping at rafa's door,
a lot of the players need to take a long hard look at themselves today
did they do enough,did they give it their all?

[ronan]

Of course for their website Sky picked out the bit about Stevie G playing out of position and being unhappy, handily leaving out the other very positive stuff Thommo said.

**** sky.

[Red Chilli]

i fail to see why the buck is stoping at rafa's door,

He's the manager, it's his responsibility to pick players who are in form or at least in the right frame of mind.

[ronan]

so if say,you were in charge youd have dropped
alonso,gerrard and carra as
well as finnan reina hyppia and garcia or gonzales.
because none of them are "in form"
just who would you have played?

[Morph]

He's the manager, it's his responsibility to pick players who are in form or at least in the right frame of mind.

and if he'd picked pretty much anything less than the players he picked to start there would have been uproar.