If we had won in Athens NO ONE would question Rafa

[Thants]

[if]If I ruled the world Milan would have their titles stripped for cheating. We would have then won! Obviously I would have also bought LFC and put Kevin Davies up front. [/if]

[Carra_is_legend]

But, Rafa picked Zenden and Pennant, and we didn't win...

 

It was also the day that Peter Crouch - who was on fire at that point of the season - realised the manager had no faith in him.

 

Pennant was our best player that night.

 

Agree with the Crouch bit. The Italians were shitting themselves and we handed it to them on a plate by not playing Crouch until the last few minutes.

[Faustus]

Taking Maschernao off was a strange one as well. It just gave Kaka the freedom to play freely in the space between defence and midfield and allowed him to set up Inzaghi's second.

 

Quite a few bad decisions that day.

[JMARKH]

Moronic decision to play Kuyt up front on his own against a team with the rolling stones at the back. We did well to get there but then fucked it up. Besides even if he won Rafa would still be questioned as it is the league on which you are rightly judged on, not cup competitions.

[hamstrung]

Taken us apart but we won.

 

We where a better team in Athens than Istanbul and Milan were the reverse.

 

They were there for the taking.

 

We did win, but there's a reason that games like Istanbul are once in a lifetime.

 

I'd agree he made mistakes in Athens, and I'd also agree we should have won. I do think there was a need to try avoid the mistakes made in 2005 though.

[RobbieOR]

If your aunt had a set of testicles, she'd be your uncle, Jens.

 

In the words of the Spanish. If my Tia had cojones she would be my Tio.

 

 

That is the image of Zlatan.

[RobbieOR]

Taking Maschernao off was a strange one as well. It just gave Kaka the freedom to play freely in the space between defence and midfield and allowed him to set up Inzaghi's second.

 

Quite a few bad decisions that day.

 

To be fair we were behind so its natural to take a holding player for an attacker.

[Carra_is_legend]

We did win, but there's a reason that games like Istanbul are once in a lifetime.

 

I'd agree he made mistakes in Athens, and I'd also agree we should have won. I do think there was a need to try avoid the mistakes made in 2005 though.

 

Couldn't agree more. He should have sent Crouch on ages before he actually did though.

 

It is actually one of the biggest problems with Rafa I think - he does his analysis on the opposition and decides on tactics BEFORE the game but he hardly changes things during a game even if his analysis about the opposition were wrong.

 

I had a real bad feeling before the Athens final, I was sure they will be looking for revenge and be all over us but after 20 mins, I was convinced they were slow, shit and were there for the taking.

[OnizukaEikichi]

Its always bout the IF

[Dirty Parry]

See the usual rafa apologista are out again. It was a game milan were scared of US yet our manager decided to set out to defend rather than go for the win.

 

Bollocks to him. he's just a FAT SPANISH WAITER

[goatboy59]

 

No one would question Rafa.

 

Dear God......

[Guest Ulysses Everett McGill]

 

No one would question Rafa.

 

Dear God......

 

Always knew Terence would win in the end, who's laughing now eh Christopher?

 

A clue you say?

 

Not you

 

Because your dead

 

Ha

[Guest the boy]

Taken us apart but we won.

 

We where a better team in Athens than Istanbul and Milan were the reverse.

 

They were there for the taking.

 

Do you care to listen to yourself?

 

What right did we even have to be in Athens and Istanbul? What right did we have to be battling into extra time in another semi? In every one of those seasons we had both a squad AND team worse than a dozen around us in that competition. Benitez alone carried us to those finals.

 

 

 

Besides even if he won Rafa would still be questioned as it is the league on which you are rightly judged on, not cup competitions.

 

And those such as yourself would continue to place irrational expectations upon him. To perform to the level of managers lauded by our own fans as 'special ones' or the greatest ever with a squad a fraction of the price, with a club in turmoil. Yet season on season, this apart so far, he's got closer to them. Yet you'd fuck him off at the slightest change in fortune!

[goatboy59]

Benitez alone carried us to those finals.

 

 

Do you listen to yourself?

[Guest the boy]

Do you listen to yourself?

 

would any other manager in the world, any, have had the remotest chance of making two European Cup finals in three seasons surpassing Juve, Barca, Milan, Chelsea, Inter et al, with that squad?

 

The great Mourinho, the answer to all our woes, who'll come here and from a position completely alien to any club he's ever been at win us the league, outwitted in three successive semi finals. Against a team dwarfed by his own.

 

What I wonder is, when those call for O'Neil, Hodgson, you know, those sorts of names which we're most likely to attract, are they prepared for us to go out at the group stages, or last 16, more often than not?

 

 

Using Europe as a stick to beat Benitez with doesn't even begin to beggar belief.

[shaunstrudwick]

The decision not to start Crouch still baffles me to this day.

 

Bellamy should also have come on for the last 15-20 mins as well.

 

at 62mins

[DJLJ]

Do you care to listen to yourself?

 

What right did we even have to be in Athens and Istanbul? What right did we have to be battling into extra time in another semi? In every one of those seasons we had both a squad AND team worse than a dozen around us in that competition. Benitez alone carried us to those finals.

 

 

 

 

 

And those such as yourself would continue to place irrational expectations upon him. To perform to the level of managers lauded by our own fans as 'special ones' or the greatest ever with a squad a fraction of the price, with a club in turmoil. Yet season on season, this apart so far, he's got closer to them. Yet you'd fuck him off at the slightest change in fortune!

 

Surely not even you are this stupid?

[Carra_is_legend]

Using Europe as a stick to beat Benitez with doesn't even begin to beggar belief.

 

I agree with that. I wouldn't agree with your "Benitez alone..." comment but yeah, for all his faults, it is a bit naive to beat him with the Europe stick.

[shaunstrudwick]

Quite a few bad decisions that day.

 

edit - Rafa's worst game

 

EVER

[shaunstrudwick]

Couldn't agree more. He should have sent Crouch on ages before he actually did though.

 

It is actually one of the biggest problems with Rafa I think - he does his analysis on the opposition and decides on tactics BEFORE the game but he hardly changes things during a game even if his analysis about the opposition were wrong.

 

I had a real bad feeling before the Athens final, I was sure they will be looking for revenge and be all over us but after 20 mins, I was convinced they were slow, shit and were there for the taking.

 

yep - even the lucky Inzaghi goal did not dent my belief at the bar at half time

 

2nd half we didn't make the right changes and we fucked up

[Kevin D]

The decision not to start Crouch still baffles me to this day.

 

Bellamy should also have come on for the last 15-20 mins as well.

 

Gerrard was also not as accomplished in the ,now aptly titled, "Gerrard role" as he is today. Bellamy should definitly have been on, the Milan defence were having trouble with the slowest fastest player I've ever seen.

 

Bringing up Athens to defend Rafa is strange at best.

[Red Nick]

Even if we had won in Athens it wouldnt have changed the players we bought and the situation we now find ourselves in.

 

We have to deal with the situation of today not if Rafa had won one or Two CL Titles.

[goatboy59]

The more pertinent view would be to say "had Rafa won us number 19"

 

And that seems a more plausible stance to take, given how close we came.

[Whelan]

Does Chastity Bono count as an Auntie with bollocks?

[harryo63]

would anyone swap istanbul for the title last season?