Rafa on Stevie in the middle

[Morph]

He also said in the full interview

" When Steve Gerrard scored 23 goals last season, mainly from playing on the right, no one questioined whether he should play on the right or in the middle"

a very good point I think

not really, it was questioned all last season

[desertscouser]

Rafa justifies his decision to play gerrard on the right against arsenal to find the right balance with the players that were available to him. He then says 'it wasn't bad'. Infuriating. His team selection and tactics clearly didn't work against arsenal (or united, bolton or everton for that matter) with us getting torn to pieces in a pathetic display.

Its unacceptable to play that clown zenden full stop, let alone play him in the middle in place of one of the best midfielders in the world. Rafa screwed up and continues to screw up and that is why we have had a shocking start to the season thus far losing each of our big premiership game. When momo and alonso play i can understand stevie playing on the right but when one of them is out then stevie HAS to play in his favourite position.

all eyes are on rafa today. If we do not beat a team as **** as boro who are managed by a novice without a coaching badge then it will be a disgrace.

[Fagan]

[Kiwi]

In the Arsenal game perhaps not, but overall this season by playing Gerrard wide, what have the results been like & how many goals has he scored?

He's out of form which is clear to see, but he's more likely to discover it by playing in his preferred position, surely?

Unless Pennant was a stop gap signing, why not play him week in week out on the right?

I think you actually need to put the no goals in context. Gerrard has had the finishing ability of Crouch during
his 18 match spell last year. He has had so many shots both on/off target that if it had been one of our strikers,
there would have been a god almighty uproar that he was not worthy of pulling on the red shirt.The lack of
composure was there again midweek and I'm wondering if last years goal tally has become somewhat a millstone around his neck.

[Joe Le Toff]

From Sky
"Steven is a player that likes to go forward and always when you go forward you need to come back.
"

The above is the most pertinent reference for me that Rafa doesnt like playing Gerrard in the middle because he doesnt get back, a point that has been discussed at length in these forums.

I ****ing hope he doesnt stick Zenden in the middle again today though.

[Red_Al_77]

Gerrard should just keep his gob shut and give 100% wherever he plays. Its called being professional. I'm sick and tired of his moany approach to things. He has been generally poor all season wherever he has played.

On the other hand Rafa has to shoulder some blame, not for playing SG out wide, but for not buying a decent winger after 2 bloody seasons of looking. If Pennant is the best right winger we can muster after all that time then it doesn't say much for a/ his ability to pick a winger and b/ the club's ambition. We are still 3 or 4 players away from a very good team, a team that can challenge the top 3 regularly.

[Morph]

Gerrard should just keep his gob shut and give 100% wherever he plays. Its called being professional. I'm sick and tired of his moany approach to things. He has been generally poor all season wherever he has played.

On the other hand Rafa has to shoulder some blame, not for playing SG out wide, but for not buying a decent winger after 2 bloody seasons of looking. If Pennant is the best right winger we can muster after all that time then it doesn't say much for a/ his ability to pick a winger and b/ the club's ambition. We are still 3 or 4 players away from a very good team, a team that can challenge the top 3 regularly.

We don't know what he had in mind for Alves, for all we know he might have played right wing or as a wing back.

The club didn't give him enough cash for Alves, and they fluffed it when trying to sign Simao, Figo or even Solano. So I don't think it's Rafa's inability to spot players, he just hasn't got the cash to get all the players he wants in.

[Red_Al_77]

Yet we paid over the odds (£6.8mil) for Pennant? Doesn't add up sorry.

[bazza76]

you should listen harder good sir

[bazza76]

Yet we paid over the odds (£6.8mil) for Pennant? Doesn't add up sorry.

He wants players who want to join Liverpool, All the players wingers mentioned enough didn't show enough of a desire to play for Liverpool IMO and in think LFC's management opinion too. IF they had, they would have been here, the ball was in their court on numerous occasions.

[Red_Al_77]

He wants players who want to join Liverpool, All the players wingers mentioned enough didn't show enough of a desire to play for Liverpool IMO and in think LFC's management opinion too. IF they had, they would have been here, the ball was in their court on numerous occasions.

So we only sign players who want to play for Liverpool even if they aren't up to the required standard? That is backward thinking. Its just plain crazy to think Pennant is the best we could have got for that money who wants to play for the club. I just don't think Rafa / the board's transfer policy / ability to pick the right player is good enough. We are wasting money again. Its clear to everyone that we have to buy two or three nailed on first XI players like we did with Kuyt and not squad players.

[Morph]

Yet we paid over the odds (£6.8mil) for Pennant? Doesn't add up sorry.

Well it does add up doesn't it, when we were looking to sign Solano or Figo we only had about 1mil - 1.5mil to spend on a winger and the board wouldn't stump up another mil to sign them. Simao was all set to come over, until they decided to up the price and we didn't pay the extra 1-2mil. Same applies with Alves, we wouldn't stump up the extra 1-2mil.

He said at the time he was tkaing a gamble with Pennant, sometimes they pay off sometimes they don't, it looks at first glance that this won't but thats football. Who would you have signed for the 6.8mil, which isn't actually 6.8mil yet at all, and more likely around 3.5mil.

.Adds up just fine to me, Rafa wants the players, board got no money end of.

[Red_Al_77]

Well it does add up doesn't it, when we were looking to sign Solano or Figo we only had about 1mil - 1.5mil to spend on a winger and the board wouldn't stump up another mil to sign them. Simao was all set to come over, until they decided to up the price and we didn't pay the extra 1-2mil. Same applies with Alves, we wouldn't stump up the extra 1-2mil.

He said at the time he was tkaing a gamble with Pennant, sometimes they pay off sometimes they don't, it looks at first glance that this won't but thats football. Who would you have signed for the 6.8mil, which isn't actually 6.8mil yet at all, and more likely around 3.5mil.

.Adds up just fine to me, Rafa wants the players, board got no money end of.

No its 6.8mil rising to 8mil as was stated at the time. The board have got the money if they can spend 6.8mil on a player like pennant. Its false economy to waste 6.8mil on a risk rather than spend some more on a proven international.

[bazza76]

So we only sign players who want to play for Liverpool even if they aren't up to the required standard? That is backward thinking. Its just plain crazy to think Pennant is the best we could have got for that money who wants to play for the club. I just don't think Rafa / the board's transfer policy / ability to pcik the right player is good enough. We are wasting money again. Its clear to everyone that we have to buy two or three nailed on first XI players like we did with Kuyt and not squad players.

Thats not the case Al, well I never said if players werent up to the required standard we should sign them lol.
Ok well look at Pennant, He is a young wide right mdfield player, exactly the position we were trying to fill, with experience in the Premier League and had the best ratio of successfull crosses in the whole of the Premier League last season, and he is English. Has plenty of room for improvement.
Not only that, but if were to believe the whispers, some of the players were saying good things about him, which i'm sure they were.
As for Gonzales, to see his potential, all we had to do was look at his form in La Liga before he joined in the summer. Still steeling in and can only get better IMO. We made a few very average signing when Rafa first arrived, but with little time, and money, it was Rafa making the most of a bad hand.
Personally, I dont blame Rafa for some of the signings not working out, this happens at every club, without exception. There is planty more to come from Rafa and his signings, i'm just supprised that because of our dodgy start to the season seemingly alot of people are jumping on one of the most tallented managers in the worlds back.
For the record, I back Rafa and his way of doing thins 100% and that is the way it has to be for him to be successfull.

[Morph]

No its 6.8mil rising to 8mil as was stated at the time. The board have got the money if they can spend 6.8mil on a player like pennant. Its false economy to waste 6.8mil on a risk rather than spend some more on a proven international.

Okay must have got my figures wrong, but isn't that the idea of a gamble? He said it was a gamble so he obviously was restricted by something wasn't he. How many proven top class right wingers are you going to get for 6.8mil, none I would say. He used what he had for what he thought was best.