Rafa Benitez

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

Bottom line: he needs to change his tactics if we are ever going to win the league.

Away from home we are far too negative.

Of course it doesn't help that 3/4 of the squad isn't of the caliber/consistency required of a title winning team. But Rafa bought most of them didn't he.

The worst is the lack of fight, and confidence. Rafa's goes on about "mentality", where is it.

In the Cups he's the man, but they jury is out in the league. He still hasn't clocked the Premiership has he?

I think we can all agree that rotation isn't a problem, if you are rotating quality with quality, but we haven't got the resources for that.

I don't see our underachievement ending in the League without investment. If Rafa's forced to sign mediocre players because of lack of funds we'll end up nowhere.

I'm tired of seeing the mancs and arse playing great football, and the chavs over-powering the league while we do neither and we meekly surrender away from home regularly. It's just not right.

[Diego]

don't think tactics are the issue, i think motivation is...

we lack all heart...

we don't want it enough...

and i think thats his biggest weakness...

[LFCman]

It's quite embarrasing really. If we put some fight and effort it then I could accept it but it's just gutless. Do they even care ffs?

I'm starting to get the feeling back under GH where defeat became the common feeling where you are just used to it.

[Red_hot]

Of course it doesn't help that 3/4 of the squad isn't of the caliber/consistency required of a title winning team. But Rafa bought most of them didn't he.

And Rafa will sell them as well.

More or less everything else you say is right but he can only work with what he has got. If it doesnt work he will shift them out and (try) to bring in players that will.

[kurtangle01]

i think you hit the nail on the head regarding investment, niall. we don't have the resources to go out and spend £50,000,000 in one summer on 2-3 players.

hopefully next summer rafa will feel that we've got a big enough squad and will only go after 1 or 2 players. i feel that 2 or 3 of the current squad will be quietly shipped out like nando and josemi were.

our away for is a concern and it has to improve to the standard that it was last year.

i just wonder that if we had played 4 or 5 **** teams away from home at the start of the season and won them would we have seen better and more confident performances at highbury, old toilet and scumford bridge?

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

don't think tactics are the issue, i think motivation is...

Sorry but watching us away from home this season, we sit deep, don't commit men forward and beyond the ball. There's no aggression, intent to attack and dominate. Our passing, movement and creativity is complete no-existant or just ****e.

Yet it's the complete opposite at home.

It's got to stop. I'd rather we had a right go, lost 4-0 away every time rather than sit deep and meekly surrender like we've been doing recently.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Sorry but watching us away from home this season, we sit deep, don't commit men forward and beyond the ball. There's no aggression, intent to attack and dominate. Our passing, movement and creativity is complete no-existant or just ****e.

Yet it's the complete opposite at home.

It's got to stop. I'd rather we had a right go, lost 4-0 away every time rather than sit deep and meekly surrender like we've been doing recently.

Agree with that, at least go out on your shield if you lose. I hate losing, gives me a knotted feeling in my gut.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

i just wonder that if we had played 4 or 5 **** teams away from home at the start of the season and won them would we have seen better and more confident performances at highbury, old toilet and scumford bridge?

Not if we had approached them the way we have. The performance against Sheffield United for example was a joke. That's a ****e team and we didn't have a go until we went 1-0 down. Dare I say it, but it reminded me of a GH game from the dark days.

[Diego]

Sorry but watching us away from home this season, we sit deep, don't commit men forward and beyond the ball. There's no aggression, intent to attack and dominate. Our passing, movement and creativity is complete no-existant or just ****e.

Yet it's the complete opposite at home.

It's got to stop. I'd rather we had a right go, lost 4-0 away every time rather than sit deep and meekly surrender like we've been doing recently.

thats exatly what i mean about lack of motivation, they don't have their heart set in and i think thats he's biggest weakness, we went into this game scared thinking we might lose, look at man u, the think the can beat barcelona with their reserves cause their mind is set that way. we didn't fight to day, we didn't come out there to win, we came out there hopeing for a win and thats the differencs....

as Vince Lombardi said "Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser." and that was us tonight...

[FatTony]

How long will Rafa get with the team playing like this?

I know there are plenty of people who will jump on anyone who says the manager should go, but there comes a point when that is the only option. Whether this is that time is open too debate, personally I think the end of the season should be it and if we finish below 4th place he should do the right thing and go.

As has been mentioned, Rafa has decided to blow his money on a group of average players when 2 top players may have been the better option. His transfer dealings are more miss than hits. He also strikes me as being one of the most arrogant of all managers, not in a full on egotistical media barrage as with Mourinho, but he will not budge and admit when he's got things wrong. I'm sure deep down he now knows Gerrards best place is in the middle and that a match by match rotation policy is not working, but he'll be buggered if he's going to be pushed into that decision by people like you, me and the media. Rafa knows best. Whats made this even more difficult is that these two particular controversial tactics have been under scrutiny from day 1 and just what would it say about the man if the likes of the daily tabloids, richard keyes, souness and the man down the end of my street are all proven right. Live by the sword die by the sword, he will not change.

Once more, we are out of the title race well before xmas, even quicker than last season with what many believed to finally be Rafa's team (his players, his tactics) and look where we are. 12 games in, closer to relegation than 1st place and just 1 point ahead of new boys Reading.The Champions league qualification and the odd cup win is destiny at a team like LFC, the tradition and financial clout of this clubs puts us in an unfair advantage to most teams, but consistency and title challenges are where the real managers prove their worth and lets be honest, he's not at that level yet.

Will he ever be?

[Morph]

Whatever happened to giving a manager a decent amount of time to get things right?

Thats whats wrong with supporters today, theres no patience.

[rushscored4]

Sack the ****er...

[Shaggy]

He also strikes me as being one of the most arrogant of all managers, not in a full on egotistical media barrage as with Mourinho, but he will not budge and admit when he's got things wrong.

Sorry mate, but with the greatest respect I think that's bollocks.

He recognises when he's made a mistake in the transfer market and bombs non-performing players out in no time.

In terms of tactics and how he wants us to play - what's he supposed to do? Abandon his footballing principles entirely in a knee-jerk fashion? That type of thing is for crap managers like Keegan and Eriksson who have no real conviction in any footballing philosophy. The great managers have a true, clear and defined philosophy which they stick to, and Rafa has his. You're either with him or you're not and I for one am with him all the way.

Personally I believe in his principles and it's good to have a man at the helm with such courage in his convictions.

[blacky]

Whatever happened to giving a manager a decent amount of time to get things right?

Thats whats wrong with supporters today, theres no patience.

Is waiting 16 years not patient enough? The club is what we follow and beleive in not the individual manager or group of players. I think Rafa needs to be given time and talking about sacking him at the end of the season is madness but I also think that Rafa needs to start realising that the tactics and training methods he uses which worked so well in La Liga may not be suited to the Premiership.

[Diego]

i don't think he's as stubborn as that though mate. he knows when he's wrong and he will admit it, but he's just not one that washes his dirty laundry in full public display. rotation and stevie in the middle are not the base of our awfull start, it's something els and deeper...

i think if this continues and and run of bad luck continues he will resign by chice and admit his part in it, i think he's an humble man, and know his mistakes and take responsability for them, but as he says. managers have to lead by example, and we have no idea how it is behind closed doors ant at melwood, only image we have of him is the public one. have you seen the post match interview he gave, he was beaten well beaten mentally he looked sad and vulnerable yrt he kept his head and cool, and was as always gracious in defeat...

an as for but consistency and title challenges he's prooved that he's a top boss by his achivements at valencia...