Portsmouth Away

[robslappa]

If they're fit enough to play 25 minutes they're fit enough to start? Sorry thats bollocks. Just complete bollocks.

 

Did you see the state of Torres at Everton? The last 20 minutes he was on the pitch was like watching a sumo chasing a flea as he ran round (or tried to) after defenders. He was fucked.

 

By bringing him on with 15 minutes left it meant he was up against 2 tired centre backs and could just go out full pelt. It worked a treat. Distin and Campbell wouldn't have switched off like they did for our last 2 goals in the first half.

 

You're very right about N'Gog he's fucking woeful. Can't believe we signed him.

 

You're right I did see Torres the other night and he was fucked. But wasn't that down to a challenge earlier in the game? Even if it wasn't he would still have been in the side ahead of Ngog.

 

A half fit Torres is surely better than a half fit Ngog.

 

On Wednesday it was clear Torres was done in, it was taking him ages to get off the floor but if he was injured that badly the Manager would not have put him on the pitch tonight, he wouldn't risk him. He's too important - ala Gerrard.

 

But you could clearly see tonight that he was fit enough. His movement when he came on didn't look like he was injured. And if it was just down to match fitness then the minutes he had the other night would have only streghtened him.

[ScottyT]

Scolari out banners and mass booing at Stamford Bridge, crazy.

[snez1]

You're right I did see Torres the other night and he was fucked. But wasn't that down to a challenge earlier in the game? Even if it wasn't he would still have been in the side ahead of Ngog.

 

A half fit Torres is surely better than a half fit Ngog.

 

On Wednesday it was clear Torres was done in, it was taking him ages to get off the floor but if he was injured that badly the Manager would not have put him on the pitch tonight, he wouldn't risk him. He's too important - ala Gerrard.

 

But you could clearly see tonight that he was fit enough. His movement when he came on didn't look like he was injured. And if it was just down to match fitness then the minutes he had the other night would have only streghtened him.

 

You could see he was fir enough fr 15 minutes though mate. If he'd been on for an hour maybe he'd have bee shaged. And like i said, i'd rather have Nando at his best late on in a game when Distin and Campbell were tired too. I think it worked. We'll never know for sure if he was fit enough to have started and got through an hour or more today, but Rafa and his staff will have genuinley thought he couldn't and decided it was best to use him from the bench.

[jsjazz]

"Rafa you fucking cunt"

"Rafa you retarded cunt"

Nice. Frustration is one thing, but this sort of shit is out of order.

 

Lots of defenders on the pitch- but first half we passed and moved well. Best moment for me was when Aurelio ran onto the ball and shot wide from the edge of the box- there were about 5 red shirts flooding forward in a line! Great to watch.

 

As Sir Roger has said, we only have 2 or 3 players who can produce that touch of magic, one of whom has a hamstring injury having played almost every minute of the season, and one who looked absolutely knackered on Wednesday, having had two hamstring injuries already this season. Much of the time we are going to have to be organized and control the game and wait for the breaks. What's more worrying is how we keep conceding soft goals especially from free kicks- these are proving the difference between 1-0 wins ala the mancs and 2 points dropped- almost happened again today.

 

It's going to be a bumpy ride challenging for the title, and I'm not sure some of our fans can handle it. Not just on this forum, but at the game, the tension and anxiety is palpable. Fortunately our players seem to be handling it better than the fans. We've waited 19 years for a decent challenge- Enjoy the ride while it lasts!

[Catch22]

Scolari out banners and mass booing at Stamford Bridge, crazy.

 

Imagine what people would say about Lfc if they saw this forum on match day?

 

Ray Wilkins is so thick; he always makes me laugh

[lawrie]

I love winning like that - despair to delight in the last minute, brilliant. This thread though, jeez, some of you really need to look at yourselves. A special mention to those like Cardie and Scotty who managed to maintain some sense of perspective throughout, wish there were more of you around

[ScottyT]

I love winning like that

 

Nothing better.

 

Fuck all that 'winning comfortably' lark.

[Jerry St. Clair]

Some disgraceful comments in this thread. Sick cunts

[JMARKH]

Happy with the win and made up we went for it after equalizing, more of the same please. As I and others have said before we will beat most teams if we throw caution to the wind when needed as we are better than them.

[ScottyT]

happy with the win and made up we went for it after equalizing more of the same please.

 

Well in, lad.

[robslappa]

You could see he was fir enough fr 15 minutes though mate. If he'd been on for an hour maybe he'd have bee shaged. And like i said, i'd rather have Nando at his best late on in a game when Distin and Campbell were tired too. I think it worked. We'll never know for sure if he was fit enough to have started and got through an hour or more today, but Rafa and his staff will have genuinley thought he couldn't and decided it was best to use him from the bench.

 

Fair comment about them coming on and causing problems, cos they did.

 

But I would argue that we shouldn't have unfit players on the bench. If they're fit enough to sit there then they're fit enough to start.

 

What if Mascherano and Babel got injured in the first ten minutes? That has to be a consideration. If it's not then why have subs? They cant all be there for the 60th minute substitution.

[Ponz]

.

That said, it may have been a good result but we were awful in that game. Maybe people are happy because they expected us to be shit with that line up but we were woeful in possession, no cutting edge, and we looked like Pompey did, a mid table team. We really need to start playing well or we will come unstuck.

 

I thought we were excellent in possession with Yossi and Aurelio particularly impressive. We just lacked a physical presence in the final third with Campbell having poor Ngog for breakfast.

[snez1]

Fair comment about them coming on and causing problems, cos they did.

 

But I would argue that we shouldn't have unfit players on the bench. If they're fit enough to sit there then they're fit enough to start.

 

What if Mascherano and Babel got injured in the first ten minutes? That has to be a consideration. If it's not then why have subs? They cant all be there for the 60th minute substitution.

 

Agree, you couldn't have 3 o 4 players on the bench every week who only have half an hour in them. But given how weak our 11 was today, we had to have them on the bench. He took the risk that could have gone wrong if Masch had got injured and it paid off. Maybe Speo could've been on the bench too, but i thought he got it right today.

[redrosetints]

Iff you can'tenjoy a game like that, then you've lostyour footballing soul. Real Roy of thr Rovers stuff.

 

As for Rafa, well whatever you think of him, he's balls of steel and still prepared to back his jugement. Noone else would play a totally new formation and with your inspirational captain out injured rest your three best players.

 

Rafas ball's rock.

[robslappa]

Agree, you couldn't have 3 o 4 players on the bench every week who only have half an hour in them. But given how weak our 11 was today, we had to have them on the bench. He took the risk that could have gone wrong if Masch had got injured and it paid off. Maybe Speo could've been on the bench too, but i thought he got it right today.

 

I know what you're saying, but we really only had Lucas and Gerrard missing. Benitez chose to start without Alonso, Torres, Riera and Kuyt. Why? Carra, Skrtl, Dossena and Arbeloa all started after the other night? If they weren't injured then they should have played.

[snez1]

I know what you're saying, but we really only had Lucas and Gerrard missing. Benitez chose to start without Alonso, Torres, Riera and Kuyt. Why? Carra, Skrtl, Dossena and Arbeloa all started after the other night? If they weren't injured then they should have played.

 

We're never going to agree on this. I didn't expect Torres or Xabi to start today. I think Riera was more to do with the formation and his form, which i can take and for Rafa to drop Dirk you know he's no where near being 100%.

 

Anyway, let's leave it now. You think he was wrong i think he was right. Neither of us will change the other's mind, let's just be happy that right or wrong we got 3 points in the end.

[RedKnight]

All I'll say is that this game displays the thin line between success and failure.

[robslappa]

We're never going to agree on this. I didn't expect Torres or Xabi to start today. I think Riera was more to do with the formation and his form, which i can take and for Rafa to drop Dirk you know he's no where near being 100%.

 

Anyway, let's leave it now. You think he was wrong i think he was right. Neither of us will change the other's mind, let's just be happy that right or wrong we got 3 points in the end.

 

You're right, let's leave at that.

[Royal Family]

 

I am critical of Rafa myself and have never suggested he is perfect by any means but the absolute obscene bilge & bile peddled by ( amongst others ) Fowler God 1984 , Unrighteous , Royal Family , Baz1969 , Tom R ( who is is usually one of my fave posters ) , Antynwa , House Of Dirk , Bazza 66 , 1892 LFC was born , should surely have no place on any decent Liverpool FC forum.

 

Arrogant self-righteous nonsense. If you can't see that there's a difference between valid criticism and unnecessary abuse of the manager (which indeed is "obscene" from some posters) then that's your problem - but don't tar everyone with the same brush. Or is this simply a list of people whom you disagree with?

 

Either way these comments reflect very very poorly on you. Either way, I'll wait for you to tell me what i've written that is "obscene bilge and bile", or I'll wait for my apology. Of course, i'm, sure i won't get either.

[sir roger]

Arrogant self-righteous nonsense. If you can't see that there's a difference between valid criticism and unnecessary abuse of the manager (which indeed is "obscene" from some posters) then that's your problem - but don't tar everyone with the same brush. Or is this simply a list of people whom you disagree with?

 

Either way these comments reflect very very poorly on you. Either way, I'll wait for you to tell me what i've written that is "obscene bilge and bile", or I'll wait for my apology. Of course, i'm, sure i won't get either.

 

Just checked the thread back Royal Family & you are totally correct and I apologise ( and have pm'd you to this effect ). I don't agree with what you said but you should never have been in the list of names I posted.

 

Don't agree with your suggestion that my post was arrogant , self-righteous nonsense however , and to be honest you seem to make exactly the same point I do about the difference between criticism & abuse , and having read your posts again I can't imagine you agree with the tone of the posts I highlighted either.

[JMARKH]

That's a bit unfair IMHO. Any manager would say that to his holding midfielder at that stage. If he'd shouted 'get forward' then they'd played the ball through the gap he'd left Rafa would be crucified for panicking.

 

Not at all, fortune favors the brave in this league and I would rather we lose the odd match pushing forward and going for it if it means winning at the death like we did today. I am not happy with that mentality from Rafa if indeed he was telling mascherano to get back. He should be encouraging players to go forward in the latter stages of the game if we are drawing. Two wins and a defeat is better than 3 draws and we should go for it more as when we do we get our just rewards like we did at Man City and as we have done today.

[Section_31]

This thread is an absolute fucking disgrace.

 

Whatever people think of Rafa, and I have my own serious doubts, he deserves respect. When you think of some of the shit some managers get away with, spiteful horrible bastards like Ferguson who've had linesmen and refs sacked as the result of a personal vendetta, or other managers who've taken bungs from agents and see their clubs purely as a vehicle to move onto something better of find a bigger payday, or others who parade up and down touchlines with their fingers over their lips trying to taunt fans.

 

Rafa is a class act, he's a great man, and he's brought us some of the best football nights many of us can rememeber - and whatever you feel about his decisions in a football sense, the man doesn't deserve any of this shit.

[taliesin08]

Top of the league deal with it.

[sir roger]

The last thing I'll say about's tonights game is that noone will ever explain why Torres, Alonso, Kuyt and Riera never started. If they were fit enough for the bench then they should have started and judging by how they performed when they came on they were no less sharper than anyone else on the pitch.

 

You have to ask yourself why were they rested? Why? If fatigue was such an issue then they should stay at home this week. If it's not an issue then why didn't they start?

 

There's no way on God's green earth that Ngog should ever start a league game for Liverpool Football Club yet he was afforded almost 55 minutes. Why?

 

Obviously I don't know rafa or the coaching staff , but I assume Torres was only fit enough for 30 minutes tops & Alonso similar as he was carrying a knock as was mentioned early in the thread. The choice is then plain , they either start & try to get to half time or come on late on if they have to , in the hope that we are comfortable enough that they don't need to. As it happened they did need to come on & both made sizeable contributions against a tiring Pompey team.

 

Don't see Dirk & Albert as automatic starters anyway , Riera has been poor lately & it's quite funny to see Rafa being slaughtered for not starting his 'lovechild' / ' Holder of dodgy photos of Rafa ' after he has been battered for playing Dirk in each game. Dirk's substitution was perfectly timed and he had his best game for some time ( possibly because the opposition had slowed down so his lack of pace was not as significant as usual )

[JMARKH]

This thread is an absolute fucking disgrace.

 

Whatever people think of Rafa, and I have my own serious doubts, he deserves respect. When you think of some of the shit some managers get away with, spiteful horrible bastards like Ferguson who've had linesmen and refs sacked as the result of a personal vendetta, or other managers who've taken bungs from agents and see their clubs purely as a vehicle to move onto something better of find a bigger payday, or others who parade up and down touchlines with their fingers over their lips trying to taunt fans.

 

Rafa is a class act, he's a great man, and he's brought us some of the best football nights many of us can rememeber - and whatever you feel about his decisions in a football sense, the man doesn't deserve any of this shit.

 

I don't think he should be called a cunt but at the same time I don't think he is a class act, he comes across as a nice bloke but I think he can also be spiteful as the way he has handled the Robbie Keane affair and the academy proves. He has fell out with a lot of people so there are definite flaws within his character.