Chris Bascombe

[WaltonRed]

Yeah, who? Who is this mysterious figure that will win us the league playing like Arsenal or Barcelona? On a tight budget I might add, and a whole lot of rebuilding to do if he wants us to play that way.

 

I wouldnt be arsed about playing Barca or Arsenal esque football or winning the league. Coming close would be nice.

[spider-neil]

I'm firmly in the 'rafa must stay camp' but I have concerns, concerns in that I don't think rafa is going to change his mindset so will find it difficult to win the league

 

a) fullbacks and wide midfielders

I think to be successful your fullbacks need to be psuedo wingers and the wide midfielders have to hunt for goals. our fullbacks are like 3rd and 4th center backs, not enough momentum going forwards but incredibly difficult to break down. you've got to go for it we've only lost three times this season but we are miles off the pace we would have been better served gambling more which probably would have resulted in more losses but would have definately gained us more wins.

 

b) early season rotation

I seriously don't see the point in it, the early part of the season is all about momentum and establishing partnerships, rotation is part and parcel of the game but rafa was mixing and matching for fatique and fitness at portsmouth our 5th league game for fuck sakes.

 

c) second striker

our second strikers aren't second strikers at all they are more like 5th midfielders, they are asked to drop too deep, they are too far from goal to really hurt teams, do I rate our seconds strikers, no, no not really but their effectiveness is being curtailed severly with the role they are asked to play.

I will also add I wish we'd move away from big striker/little striker with the big striker asked to sacrifice himself to create space for his free scoring partner and move towards a free scoring striker who is partnered with a second striker who creates a shit load of chances for him and the team, a 'true' number 10.

 

these are my concerns but I don't see any of the above changing anytime soon under rafa although I am encouraged he went for alves possibly the most attacking fullback going and also our approach to games in the first four games of the season.

[Moschops II]

I wasnt advocating bringing in someone now by the way.

 

Also, being Liverpool would still attract people. Its not even debatable.

 

Well, it clearly is debatable. 'Being Liverpool' didn't seem to be enough for Klinsmann.

[Paul]

It's a real shame that people are resorting to sarcasm now. This thread was a modern day TLW rarity - a proper heated debate where both sides were fully engaging with each other.

 

I've repeatedly said I don't want Rafa to go; I just think he has to go if he's lost the players (an "if" I've conceded is not certain). I've also said I wouldn't do anything without a highly qualified replacement and that it's almost impossible to find one who's available mid-season anyway. When I cited Rijkaard, it was merely illustrative (I could also mention names like Scholari and Hiddink, too). However, I actually want Rafa to do the job. The issue is that my head says he can't anymore.

[Cardie]

He won the league title x 2, and a CL in his first 3 seasons.... his NET spend isn't much worse than Rafa's.

 

His Net Spend?

 

I was under the impression it was originally Laporta and Sandro Rossel's Net Spend and then Laporta since they are the ones who buy the players and tell Rijkaard who to play.

[redrosetints]

I think the current "fans' favourite" (ie both Rashid and Paul have mentioned him) is Rijkaard. So all we need is for him to be sacked from Barcelona for not doing well enough there and away we go.

 

Good idea that, lets get in a guy who has won La Liga and a Champions League, eh ?

[WaltonRed]

Well, it clearly is debatable. 'Being Liverpool' didn't seem to be enough for Klinsmann.

 

Fair enough but was the contract put in front of him awaiting a signature? He probably rang Parry to ask where it was and found his phone.

 

Joking aside, your'e right it was'nt but Bayern are a club he has played for.

[Carra_is_legend]

Well, it clearly is debatable. 'Being Liverpool' didn't seem to be enough for Klinsmann.

 

Give the two clowns a few more months and we will struggle to get a top class player in - never mind a manager.

[aws]

I'm

 

speechless?

[Moschops II]

Fair enough but was the contract put in front of him awaiting a signature? He probably rang Parry to ask where it was and found his phone.

 

Joking aside, your'e right it was'nt but Bayern are a club he has played for.

 

Yes, they were, which is almost certainly one of the reasons he went there rather than coming to us. Look around at the best European managers, and the vast majority would have similar reasons for staying put. If you're Mancini, are you really going to hand your notice in at Inter to come and work at Liverpool? If you're Schuster, you're going to walk away from Madrid to be one of Tom Hicks' "employees"?

 

We're still a huge club, but people are kidding themselves if they think we can just click our fingers and any manager we fancy will suddenly be in the job.

[Rashid]

His Net Spend?

 

I was under the impression it was originally Laporta and Sandro Rossel's Net Spend and then Laporta since they are the ones who buy the players and tell Rijkaard who to play.

 

But Rijkaard has to use what he is given. Fancy that, a coach concentrating on coaching the team.

[redrosetints]

I wouldnt be arsed about playing Barca or Arsenal esque football or winning the league. Coming close would be nice.

 

It would wouldnt it and thats the whole point mate. Those of us who want Rafa to stay actually believe that our best chance of eventually challenging, is to stick by Rafa. You may disagree, which is cool, but when you say 'coming close would be nice' is inferring to me, perhaps incorrectly, that somehow thats now what 'we' want. We all want to challenge for the title, we all want to do well in europe and for me, our european record is more than enough to buy Rafa his last two seasons. I believe he will get us 4th, though that isnt a massive issue to me, and I believe we wil beat Inter to progress in the CL.

 

Rijkaard, as one touted, has won things, he is a very good manager but his record is no better than Rafas. WE say that we dont want to ship out players to reaplce them with players who arent better and were talking about doing it to our manager, or worse, getting someone in who is nowhere near as good.

[JMARKH]

Mourinho is a better manager than Benitez and we should get him

[aws]

Yes, they were, which is almost certainly one of the reasons he went there rather than coming to us. Look around at the best European managers, and the vast majority would have similar reasons for staying put. If you're Mancini, are you really going to hand your notice in at Inter to come and work at Liverpool? If you're Schuster, you're going to walk away from Madrid to be one of Tom Hicks' "employees"?

 

We're still a huge club, but people are kidding themselves if they think we can just click our fingers and any manager we fancy will suddenly be in the job.

 

Any top manager will want money and time as well as tradition. We can currently only offer the last.

[WaltonRed]

Yes, they were, which is almost certainly one of the reasons he went there rather than coming to us. Look around at the best European managers, and the vast majority would have similar reasons for staying put. If you're Mancini, are you really going to hand your notice in at Inter to come and work at Liverpool? If you're Schuster, you're going to walk away from Madrid to be one of Tom Hicks' "employees"?

 

We're still a huge club, but people are kidding themselves if they think we can just click our fingers and any manager we fancy will suddenly be in the job.

 

Well I didnt and I dont think anyone else has said those two who are obviously going nowhere at the minute.

 

There are thought people out there who would leave there jobs or are currently out of work or are soon to be out of work.

 

When we evaluate Rafa in the summer and if he does indeed leave then by that time the managerial merry go round will throw up some available managers.

[WeAreTheBest]

Yet he is still in contention for the league. I'd take Rijkaard like a shot, if not him then Hiddink.

 

It's funny that you're obsessed with him because the Barca supporters on RAWK dont seem so keen on him, they seem to think it's all others work including Ten Cate, the players are allowed to do as they please ie Ronaldinho fucking off to advertising campaigns non stop and Spanish_Fan was saying their fitness is dreadful.

[sh#t waffle]

But Rijkaard has to use what he is given. Fancy that, a coach concentrating on coaching the team.

 

Wicked. I cannot wait to see what gems Tom tells Rijkaard to play.

[sh#t waffle]

It's funny that you're obsessed with him because the Barca supporters on RAWK dont seem so keen on him, they seem to think it's all others work including Ten Cate, the players are allowed to do as they please ie Ronaldinho fucking off to advertising campaigns non stop and Spanish_Fan was saying their fitness is dreadful.

 

I don't know why, as I don't follow Spanish football, but I've always had an assumption that that's the case. He just doesn't strike me as a genius manager.

[redrosetints]

Any top manager will want money and time as well as tradition. We can currently only offer the last.

 

Yes but hurry, stocks of Tradition are running out fast, get yours today .....

 

Ring 0800 'Stick it up your ass Hicks' Toll Free

[Cardie]

But Rijkaard has to use what he is given. Fancy that, a coach concentrating on coaching the team.

 

I don't think much coaching goes on if I'm honest, certainly not on the fitness side.

 

Must say though Rash it's a refreshing change to see you champion a manager who values effective football over pretty football to the point of telling the players to get the ball upfront quicker, release it to the pacy striker quicker

[Moschops II]

Well I didnt and I dont think anyone else has said those two who are obviously going nowhere at the minute.

 

There are thought people out there who would leave there jobs or are currently out of work or are soon to be out of work.

 

When we evaluate Rafa in the summer and if he does indeed leave then by that time the managerial merry go round will throw up some available managers.

 

Don't we want one of Europe's best managers then? One who's at or near the top of his domestic league, with a solid track record in Europe? I would. I just can't think of any who are about to get sacked, or who would walk out on their jobs to come to us (especially in our present state).

 

Of course, once we lower our standards to people who are "out of work or are soon to be out of work," then yeah, it's a lot easier. Allardyce... Staunton... Lawrie Sanchez... maybe we could even see if Glenn Hoddle was interested?

[WeAreTheBest]

I don't know why, as I don't follow Spanish football, but I've always had an assumption that that's the case. He just doesn't strike me as a genius manager.

 

Heres one of the posts from Spanish Fan :

 

This is probably the best squad in our history. Last year we threw the league away against a very average side who were struggling for more than half a season when Capello was getting rid of the Galacticos mentality. We went to Getafe in the Spanish Cup semifinal and blew a 3 goal lead. Rijkaard tactical approach against Liverpool was awful. The players too many times switch off during games (remember Liverpool first goal at the Camp Nou with nobody in front of the free kick taker), and the fitness levels of the players are poor. We get by because we have a lot of talent in the squad but I don't think the coach is getting the best out of it.

[Carra_is_legend]

There are thought people out there who would leave there jobs or are currently out of work or are soon to be out of work.

 

Like who? Wenger? Shuster? Rijkaard? Slur Whiskeyface? O'Neill? Capello?

 

Rijkaard is the most likely one to be jobless in the summer and his record is only "similar" to Rafa's. Others are doing relatively well in a "steady" environment.

 

Mourinho? Probably, but then he will most likely expect a big transfer kitty which we can't afford now.

[WaltonRed]

Don't we want one of Europe's best managers then? One who's at or near the top of his domestic league, with a solid track record in Europe? I would. I just can't think of any who are about to get sacked, or who would walk out on their jobs to come to us (especially in our present state).

 

Of course, once we lower our standards to people who are "out of work or are soon to be out of work," then yeah, it's a lot easier. Allardyce... Staunton... Lawrie Sanchez... maybe we could even see if Glenn Hoddle was interested?

 

By that I meant international managers who could be available after the euro's rather than those on the verge of the sack.

[Moschops II]

By that I meant international managers who could be available after the euro's rather than those on the verge of the sack.

 

Oh, right. Well, let's hope Hicks offers Hiddink more money than he gets from the Russians then, eh?