One Moment

[1892-LFCWasBorn]

Easy, thats well out of order, I agree with a lot of what you say but whatever anyone thinks of Dirk as a footballer one thing he most definitely isn't is a shithouse. He never hides no matter how much of a shocker he's having, he works his balls off and he steps up to take penalties in the most high pressure situations, now if you were calling our other Dutch winger/striker a shithouse then i'd reluctantly agree.

 

And I dont rate Dirk, the sooner he's not a regular the better but shithouse? No way at all.

 

It's not Dirk's fault that he plays every week.

 

I apologise if I overstepped the mark.

[PaulMcC]

I thought Gerrard looked tired but no way should he have been taken off.

 

I don't think it was any fuck you to the fanes about Keane or anything either. Just a shit sub.

 

I was at the game tonight and i think loads want him out now.

[snez1]

You've slagged people off for weeks/months on end for posting what you did because of one substitution. Have a look what you've said to people who've expressed concern about the manager/tactics/substitutions et al and then read your own post again. This isn't I told you so, but rather take a look at yourself.

 

That's because while i didn't always agree with Rafa's decision i believed in him so I argued his case against those who slagged him off because I thought he was doing what he was doing for a footballing reason, right or wrong.

 

Tonight's substitution was not a football decision. It was laced with political bullshit and had no logical what so ever. If we'd drawn 1-1 tonight and he hadn't made that change i'd still believe in him, but that was done for himself, not the team.

 

He gets slagged for sticking with Dirk for example, but i believe he sticks with him because he genuinely believes he should be in the team. I don't believe he swapped Keane for Gerrard tonight to help us win the game and that is what is unacceptable and soul destroying to me.

 

Get the difference?

[robslappa]

No I don't. It's an opinion and you're entitled to your's like anyone else.

 

BUT, because of one epiphany you've decided the manager isn't up to it, but a lot of people have expressed the same concerns as you in your opening post and you as well as certain others have rounded on them and not just disagreed with them you've totally lambasted them which is out of order.

 

Yet after ONE subsititution you've had a right go at the manager accusing him of exactly the same as some people have been saying for a long time.

 

There's a difference between having an opinion and slagging people off for having theirs. You've done the latter on many occasions recently and all of a sudden you are right. That's the difference.

[discuit]

Thats an excellent post.

[havarantagain]

This season especially was about a real challenge. Except for the other main contenders under performing we would have been moaning a lot sooner than we currently are. A disaster in the making. lets hope Raffa reads a few of these boards and gets the general drift soon. In times of uncertainty you play your strongest team every game not tinker with line ups because you think it saves players. Win the fucking game first.

[stringvest]

Look, there is no point in having Rafa sacked in the middle of the season. We should wait until the end of the season and take stock then. This may be seen as a glitch and we may come back and win the league or go close. Or, this may be the start of the slippery slope and we may end up 6th.

 

Benitez has made some dubious decisions lately, and none of them have come off, but he can't continue to be wrong for the rest of the season. If he is, he'll get what's coming to him anyway.

[Red Paul]

Is "shithouse" word of the month on here?

 

I see the word every other thread and frankly none of the posts in which it appears ever seem to make any sense.

[snez1]

No I don't. It's an opinion and you're entitled to your's like anyone else.

 

BUT, because of one epiphany you've decided the manager isn't up to it, but a lot of people have expressed the same concerns as you in your opening post and you as well as certain others have rounded on them and not just disagreed with them you've totally lambasted them which is out of order.

 

Yet after ONE subsititution you've had a right go at the manager accusing him of exactly the same as some people have been saying for a long time.

 

There's a difference between having an opinion and slagging people off for having theirs. You've done the latter on many occasions recently and all of a sudden you are right. That's the difference.

 

It's not really about me thinking he is a good enough manager though is it? I know he's a fucking great manager. The point is, what he did tonight wasn't right for this club, he did it for himself. I've lost faith in him as a man, not in his tactics.

[zigackly]

I'm certainly finding it incredibly hard to keep the faith at the moment. Most of the time I can see the reason for what he does, even if I don't agree. This season there's been some strange decisions made and I can't justify the way he's managing the team really, at the moment. It will take a big turnaround in form to restore my faith in the man right now. The most depressing thing is that we've had the best opportunity to go for the league this season since we last won it, and it feels as if it's being thrown away. I could cry at the moment. I've not felt this low about football for a long time, if ever.

[Brownie]

I agree with Stringvest; now is not the time to make changes. I'll be judging the season at the end of it, and Rafa's job too I suppose.

 

Thank god that contract hasn't been signed (as a few people always said it shouldn't be).

 

I also agree with what Robslappa's saying (not necessarily aimed at Snez though) as I started having serious doubts after the Gerrard substitution in the Derby about 18 months ago.

[Red Paul]

It's not really about me thinking he is a good enough manager though is it? I know he's a fucking great manager. The point is, what he did tonight wasn't right for this club, he did it for himself. I've lost faith in him as a man, not in his tactics.

 

Are you sure?

[snez1]

Also, i don't think i've been very clear. The loss of faith i have in Rafa is not a case of me having a bitch fit over him picking Dirk instead of Babel, rotation or zonal marking, it's simply because tonight was a massive indication to me that now he feels he is far more important than the club, such was the unbelievable nature of that decision. It wasn't a debatable footballing decision. I'm sure i've argued with many (or slagged off many as it's been put) about Rafa's decisions on here because i trusted him and believed there was always logical in what he did, right or wrong, that would help us. Tonight, there can be no debate. It was fucking ridiculous.

[PaulMcC]

Why do you think he done it?

[Brownie]

Also, i don't think i've been very clear. The loss of faith i have in Rafa is not a case of me having a bitch fit over him picking Dirk instead of Babel, rotation or zonal marking, it's simply because tonight was a massive indication to me that now he feels he is far more important than the club, such was the unbelievable nature of that decision. It wasn't a debatable footballing decision. I'm sure i've argued with many (or slagged off many as it's been put) about Rafa's decisions on here because i trusted him and believed there was always logical in what he did, right or wrong, that would help us. Tonight, there can be no debate. It was fucking ridiculous.

 

To be fair mate, what Rob is saying is pretty accurate. I've had a few ding-dong (and enjoyable to be fair) debates with yourself about isolated substitutions which I have thought made no logical sense but because you disagreed it was a different story. Now you have the doubt about a substitution and it's valid? It is a bit rich, but I respect your opinion.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

Is it Rafa's fault Lucas tripped Koumas in the penalty area? Because I felt we looked comfortable till that incident. Our problem is not killing off games by taking our chances. We have a far bigger game on Sunday, he was right to take Gerrard and Torres off. And he was right to rest Alonso.

 

Tonight was really gutting because the team did not take their chances to kill the game off.

 

The Chief needs to get his act together, I wouldn't play Lucas again this season. Get him to work on his tackling and improve that side of his game, he gives away too many silly fouls.

 

It is not over, it is only the end of January, we are normally at least out of the race by this time, we are still in the mix. Let's move on guys and focus on Chelsea. Your only as good as your last game. And we need to improve on ours starting Sunday.

[snez1]

Are you sure?

 

When i heard the words "Ya, he was tired" i was certain mate. Come on, Robbie Keane for Steven Gerrard when we have 5 minutes to win a game? The same Steven Gerrard who is in red hot form, our only consistant source of goals. The same Robbie Keane that he has written off and obviously doesn't trust or rate?

 

You couldn't make that up. It was about as likely to have been a footballing decision as Rafa replacing Pepe with Sami.

[Red Paul]

Why do you think he done it?

 

Because Gerrard looked tired, a few days before the Chelsea game and the whole world said Keane, the 20M striker, should be playing more?

 

Sounds reasonable to me.

[Brownie]

Is it Rafa's fault Lucas tripped Koumas in the penalty area? Because I felt we looked comfortable till that incident. Our problem is not killing off games by taking our chances. We have a far bigger game on Sunday, he was right to take Gerrard and Torres off. And he was right to rest Alonso.

 

Tonight was really gutting because the team did not take their chances to kill the game off.

 

The Chief needs to get his act together, I wouldn't play Lucas again this season. Get him to work on his tackling and improve that side of his game, he gives away too many silly fouls.

It is not over, it is only the end of January, we are normally at least out of the race by this time, we are still in the mix. Let's move on guys and focus on Chelsea. Your only as good as your last game. And we need to improve on ours starting Sunday.

 

I think you answered your own question there. Lucas has been tackling like that since... forever so it was bound to happen.

[robslappa]

It's not really about me thinking he is a good enough manager though is it? I know he's a fucking great manager. The point is, what he did tonight wasn't right for this club, he did it for himself. I've lost faith in him as a man, not in his tactics.

 

How can he be a great manager if he is constantly fucking things up and doing things for himself which a lot of people have said he's done for a while? How can you have faith in his tactics when it's obvious he's lost the fucking plot and have faith in the man? Surely it's the man making the tactical decisions.

 

But, that's not why I had a go at you. The reason for my ire was the fact that you've had a right go at people recently for expressing the same concerns as you, but because you've seen the light it's all of a sudden fine. You really need to look at your own posts to see what I mean.

 

It's not always black and white, the man has done things for this club that I never thought I would see again, but for a long time it's been plainly obvious to me anyway that he will never deliver what we all want. Some people have said he will and I could accept that for a while but can anyone honestly say we will win the league with Benitez?

[Red Paul]

When i heard the words "Ya, he was tired" i was certain mate. Come on, Robbie Keane for Steven Gerrard when we have 5 minutes to win a game? The same Steven Gerrard who is in red hot form, our only consistant source of goals. The same Robbie Keane that he has written off and obviously doesn't trust or rate?

 

You couldn't make that up. It was about as likely to have been a footballing decision as Rafa replacing Pepe with Sami.

 

Don't see enough proof of that myself. Plenty of speculation and rumour, mind. No proof though.

[Anny Road]

I have to agree. We need a late goal lets take Gerrard off. Makes no fuckin sense.

Knacked he may be but was he not in the FA cup final etc etc.

There you go Robbie you have 7 mins to score a goal and when you don't you will be more depressed than before you went on..

[PaulMcC]

When i heard the words "Ya, he was tired" i was certain mate. Come on, Robbie Keane for Steven Gerrard when we have 5 minutes to win a game? The same Steven Gerrard who is in red hot form, our only consistant source of goals. The same Robbie Keane that he has written off and obviously doesn't trust or rate?

 

You couldn't make that up. It was about as likely to have been a footballing decision as Rafa replacing Pepe with Sami.

 

 

Why do you think he took Gerrard off snez?

[snez1]

To be fair mate, what Rob is saying is pretty accurate. I've had a few ding-dong (and enjoyable to be fair) debates with yourself about isolated substitutions which I have thought made no logical sense but because you disagreed it was a different story. Now you have the doubt about a substitution and it's valid? It is a bit rich, but I respect your opinion.

 

Come on Ian, if we've had debates about substitutions it's been about things i could at least argue for. The worst decision was the sticking to 451 at Stoke. I thought that was wrong but could at least see why he might have wanted to keep it at 451 (keep Stevie up the pitch which nearly won us the game), but can you honestly say you think he swapped those 2 payers tonight to win us the game? If so you must think he has the tactical nous of Rashid.

 

Robbie Keane is being forced out, hasn't been in form and was behind N'Gog at the weekend yet you seriously think Rafa would want to take off his best player, top scorer, captain and our onl real threat of a goal left on the pitch for him with 5 minutes to go to win a game?

 

If someone can offer me an explantion then fine, but "he was a bit tired" doesn't wash with me. It was some fucking message Rafa sent out.

[robslappa]

Also, i don't think i've been very clear. The loss of faith i have in Rafa is not a case of me having a bitch fit over him picking Dirk instead of Babel, rotation or zonal marking, it's simply because tonight was a massive indication to me that now he feels he is far more important than the club, such was the unbelievable nature of that decision. It wasn't a debatable footballing decision. I'm sure i've argued with many (or slagged off many as it's been put) about Rafa's decisions on here because i trusted him and believed there was always logical in what he did, right or wrong, that would help us. Tonight, there can be no debate. It was fucking ridiculous.

 

I've no problem with your opinion. I've no problem with people who think Benitez is the best option for us.

 

But I do have a problem with the fact that because you've reacted to one result you're all of a sudden right. Especially after the way you've had a go at some posters.