Priorities

[jsjazz]

I can understand why he might rest players, BUT there is no guarantee that the rested players will then win the two league games.

If you rest players to prevent them getting injured in a "lower priority" match, there is no guarantee they won't get injured in training or crossing the road.

I personally would rather play the best team available in every game, except those players who are injured or look tired in training. However, I'm pretty sure Rafa wants to win as many games and trophies as possible, he sees players in training more than we do, he's the appointed manager so I'll go with whatever he decides. All depends on whether you still trust him I suppose.

 

Don't think Rafa can win this one, he'll get slaughtered for picking a weak team for the FA cup which is the trophy we have the best chance of winning according to some, yet often these are the same people calling for his head if we're not clear at the top of the league by a gazillion points.

 

On the plus side, the team against Newcastle was a bit of a surprise but it worked then, so hopefully if he does change things for Sunday lets hope its a similar performance.

[zigackly]

We're in a bit of a dip in form at the moment and we should be looking at the cup tie on Sunday as an opportunity to turn things around and get the heads back up. Playing Everton should always be a massive motivation, and benig able to knock them out and progress in the cup should be a bigger one. Not to mention we shouldn't be looking beyond the next game: we could rest players for this and they could get injured in training on Monday. Win this one and we'll be more confident for Wigan. Beat them mid-week and we'll be in good stead for the Chelsea game. All massive games at the moment and we should be looking to win all three and get on a run if we're serious about wanting silverware this season. Success breeds success.

[ToxtethTerror]

I'd take 3 points over the FA Cup itself.

[Torvald Utne]

we should play the likes of nemeth and pacheco, they will probably get beat but there will be no shame because they beat a bunch of kids, but and it's a big butt...they might actually win, could you imagine the shame of being an everton fan when that happened?

[Brownie]

I take it these people who aren't arsed about the Cup wouldn't be looking for tickets if we got to the final then?

[Juan Galonso]

Spot on as ever Brownie. Yeats lifting it in 65 for the first time was my grandads finest moment as a Liverpool fan, the Newcastle whitewash in 74, The double in 86 and Rushie hitting the camera with his third, the Hillsborough final in 89 and the emotion of that final, the season saving Sunderland final in 92, the Owen final in 2001 in part two of the treble and the Gerrard final in 06. Now to some, the FA Cup is beneath us. Scandalous state of affairs. What happened to ''Liverpool FC Exists to win trophies, it has no other purpose''.

 

We had people lose their lives who went to cheer us on to Wembley 20 years ago this year. Now over the past few months I am hearing the FA Cup doesn't mean anything to some people on a post I started about the same thing as this recently.

 

I don't have a problem at all with people saying they would rather get three points that is fair enough and understandable but for some to say they don't care about the FA Cup as they have done on here recently like I say is scandalous.

[lebron]

I can understand why he might rest players, BUT there is no guarantee that the rested players will then win the two league games.

If you rest players to prevent them getting injured in a "lower priority" match, there is no guarantee they won't get injured in training or crossing the road.

I personally would rather play the best team available in every game, except those players who are injured or look tired in training. However, I'm pretty sure Rafa wants to win as many games and trophies as possible, he sees players in training more than we do, he's the appointed manager so I'll go with whatever he decides. All depends on whether you still trust him I suppose.

 

Don't think Rafa can win this one, he'll get slaughtered for picking a weak team for the FA cup which is the trophy we have the best chance of winning according to some, yet often these are the same people calling for his head if we're not clear at the top of the league by a gazillion points.

 

On the plus side, the team against Newcastle was a bit of a surprise but it worked then, so hopefully if he does change things for Sunday lets hope its a similar performance.

 

 

No guarantee, but there are quite significant changes in odds for it to happen!!! I'm getting a bit fed up of this drivel about "playing your strongest team all the time". Some people really need to wake up and smell the coffee. Since when has Ferguson and Wenger done this. I really thought the rotation debate was over and done with. OK, you want to believe that we should keep the same players every game. Look at Torres (who did that last year), how fit has he looked this year? Look at Kuyt, who was excellent in the spring and continued his good form at the start of this season. How good does he look now after running into the ground every game so far this season. Keeper and centre half could probably get away with not rotating too much (Carra looks knackered most of the time, but I think that's more of an Henchozesque thing...), the other players will get tired/lose form/get injured, takes no medical degree to figure that out...(I don't have one, but am fairly well read on this topic...).

 

Most of us want to see Alonso/Gerrard/Torres play every game. It's not going to happen, so stop sulking already! (if it happens, I'll be furious btw, I really don't want to see Torres end up like Owen - hopefully Rafa/Spain and the respective medical staffs will have taken the point by now...)

 

Edit: This was not aimed particularly at you jsjazz. Your post and specific comment was a good trigger for me to blow off some steam though...

[Juan Galonso]

No guarantee, but there are quite significant changes in odds for it to happen!!! I'm getting a bit fed up of this drivel about "playing your strongest team all the time". Some people really need to wake up and smell the coffee. Since when has Ferguson and Wenger done this. I really thought the rotation debate was over and done with. OK, you want to believe that we should keep the same players every game. Look at Torres (who did that last year), how fit has he looked this year? Look at Kuyt, who was excellent in the spring and continued his good form at the start of this season. How good does he look now after running into the ground every game so far this season. Keeper and centre half could probably get away with not rotating too much (Carra looks knackered most of the time, but I think that's more of an Henchozesque thing...), the other players will get tired/lose form/get injured, takes no medical degree to figure that out...(I don't have one, but am fairly well read on this topic...).

 

Most of us want to see Alonso/Gerrard/Torres play every game. It's not going to happen, so stop sulking already! (if it happens, I'll be furious btw, I really don't want to see Torres end up like Owen - hopefully Rafa/Spain and the respective medical staffs will have taken the point by now...)

 

Depends who you are playing though doesn't it. Put it this way if the mancs were playing us in the FA Cup do you think Fergie would rest players then? It is a game against our local rivals that could have a huge impact either way on our season so I for one want to see us put the best possible side we can out. If we get through and get say, Kettering town in the next round then by all means rotate a little then but not against those fuckers on Sunday.

[millomred]

Juan made a good point in that Rafa picked probably what most supporters would have said was his strongest team last Monday and we did`nt play, so making changes on Sunday might not be a bad thing. I think that he will still play Carra, Gerrard, Torres plus i think that Babel could be in for Keane , i think that he could change the keeper too. I for one would`nt disagree with Babel but i`d leave Pepe in.

It would be intresting to find out what supporters think is our best 11, I bet there would be quite a few different combinations.

[FrenchEyeGlass]

All i know is.

 

I fucking hate the bitters

 

To even give them a replay, i wouldnt be able to bare it.

 

I havnt been able to stand the tossers since monday.

 

I cant wait for us to end their fucking season.

 

I would never sacrifice this game.

 

We have got enough quality to beat A) A shite everton team B) A wigan team without palacious and heskey and a no longer super zaki

 

They are nowhere near as good as they were at the start

 

But to reiterate

 

i fucking hate them blue cunts :|

 

(p.s. not all. just the ones who come out with comments like ''justice. cant let murderers go around winning titles can we'' et al

 

cunts

[jsjazz]

Lebron- as I said, I would play the strongest team, EXCEPT the players that look tired or are injured- and as we don't see them in training every day, whereas Rafa does, I trust the team he puts out. I don't believe he ever puts out a team that he doesn't think can win the game- of course, it doesn't always work out that way.

My point was more that we shouldn't dismiss any competition as trivial, because you can't guarantee that you'll win the competition you prioritize. Maybe I could have expressed it better!

[robslappa]

Since when has Wigan been one of the toughest grounds in the league? The thought of resting players in a Derby so they can play in a game against an even weaker team than we're playing on Sunday is quite frankly nauseating.

 

But it wouldn't surprise me.

[King Emlyn]

Spot on as ever Brownie. Yeats lifting it in 65 for the first time was my grandads finest moment as a Liverpool fan, the Newcastle whitewash in 74, The double in 86 and Rushie hitting the camera with his third, the Hillsborough final in 89 and the emotion of that final, the season saving Sunderland final in 92, the Owen final in 2001 in part two of the treble and the Gerrard final in 06. Now to some, the FA Cup is beneath us. Scandalous state of affairs. What happened to ''Liverpool FC Exists to win trophies, it has no other purpose''.

 

We had people lose their lives who went to cheer us on to Wembley 20 years ago this year. Now over the past few months I am hearing the FA Cup doesn't mean anything to some people on a post I started about the same thing as this recently.

 

I don't have a problem at all with people saying they would rather get three points that is fair enough and understandable but for some to say they don't care about the FA Cup as they have done on here recently like I say is scandalous.

 

I hear what your saying John and you make some good points, but to be fair the FA cup is low down on many teams priorities now, it's a sign of the times. I'm not saying it's right but i am saying it's the way it is, it's certainly not just us.It's a good post though.