Portsmouth Reaction

[Brownie]

I'm merging all of these threads.

[RedKnight]

And then tomorrow you'll be saying you love him. You are as fickle as they come, Simon.

[1892-LFCWasBorn]

I'd take him over Benitez any day.

 

Then again, I'd take Simon over Benitez at the moment.

 

Hmmmmmn. Not sure about this.

[JER]

Yes - he would have the respect of the players, and today's defeat, and the appalling football served up this season makes qualifying for the Champions League highly unlikely unless we do something now.

 

Were it not for a last gasp Yossi equaliser against City, and an extremely dodgy penalty against Birmingham, it would be even worse right now.

[Barrington Womble]

to be honest his after match comments have fucked me off way more than the performance or his lunatic team selection. I expect the latter 2 and put us down for a loss on my coupon as i expected nothing else. But to come out after the game and make those comments, he's either delusional, which means we should give him some time off to spend in a loony bin or he just thinks we're fucking dickheads who believe any shite he spouts. I favour the latter - he thinks we're fools and is taking us for a ride. The sooner he fucks off the better - the thing is he won't walk away and I don't believe there is anyone at the club interested in making that level of decision. They should never have given him 5 years last year - but then it didn't take a genius ot see that either.

[Red Mist]

As long as he brings Zamora and Dempsey with him, and of course Zidanny Murphy, I'd welcome him 'Hodgo' to Liverpool FC.

[thompsonsnose]

Spuds.

Hes toast.

 

Ive been watching lIverpool since 1974 cup win, ive never before seen the air of resignation that now hangs over us. We are in freefall.

[Hermes]

Id say we are 1 bad defeat away from the Kop turning on him.

 

The Wolves will be set on him?

[Kevin D]

It always amazes me how self-important people get after we've lost. That there are numerous threads on the issue is insufficient, they must start a new one and be heard over everybody.

 

The same with Cunting Autoplay.

[thompsonsnose]

Im livin in hope

(Livin in hope)

[Guest simon]

And then tomorrow you'll be saying you love him. You are as fickle as they come, Simon.

 

Sinse when maybe at the begining of the season he had my backing like most fans but now he doesnt and he hasnt for ages now. How does that make me fickle?

[JMARKH]

The sending off made no difference, it was the cowardly tactics from a manager who today I thought was a disgrace, we are Liverpool yet he acts like Mick Mccarthey with his shithouse tactics. 2 defensive mids against fuckin Portsmouth, you get what you deserve and hopefully Rafa will get what he deserves as well. His P45. I am disgusted.

 

Shankly 50 years ago as well built the club up from the 2nd division, the pride and spirit he installed mocked in trying to keep it tight against a bottom of the league Portsmouth. I dont even mind if we go down fighting but today is not what Liverpool are about, there is nothing anyone can say in trying to justify the way the manager set the team out.

 

Rafa may as well spend the spare time he has with his family as obsessing with football dvds and sussing out the tactics that the likes of Avram Grant employ are not working. Having the common sense and balls to attack shit teams is obviously not his forte.

[DJLJ]

Evening Echo | Benitez: Mascherano dismissal costly

 

Benitez: Mascherano dismissal costly

 

19/12/2009 - 15:06:29

 

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez believes the first-half dismissal of Javier Mascherano signalled the beginning of the end for his side as they fell to a 2-0 loss at Portsmouth today.

 

The Argentinian midfielder saw red shortly before the interval after recklessly crashing into Tal Ben Haim, although his feet did not leave the ground.

 

Liverpool were already trailing to a Nadir Belhadj goal when they were reduced to 10 men and Frederic Piquionne added another late on to complete the scoring.

 

Benitez said on Sky Sports: “If you analyse the first half we were doing well, even with their goal but then came the Mascherano incident.

 

“We were a good team in the first half and the sending off changed everything.

 

“We had some chances, we should have scored, we were controlling the game and everything changed with Mascherano.

 

“Now we have to hope we can win our next game.”

 

Pompey’s victory will ignite hope of survival in the Barclays Premier League.

 

The result also means Avram Grant maintains his unbeaten record against Benitez after posting two wins and two draws during his time at Chelsea in the 2008 season.

 

Grant was thrilled to claim the scalp of Liverpool having narrowly missed out to leaders Chelsea in midweek.

 

“Today we played like a team,” he said.

 

“From game to game we are playing better and today we deserved the win.

 

“We played on Wednesday against a team in first place at home, and we showed ourselves if we can do things well at the bottom of the table we can still surprise the other team, and today it went well.”

 

Pompey midfielder Michael Brown added: “We’ve been playing well in general. It was a fantastic result for us.

 

“It’s a matter of getting some points and three points is fantastic against a strong Liverpool team with a lot of talent. It’s an enjoyable day for us.”

[Brownie]

THERE'S A FUCKING THREAD ALREADY OPEN! Will this self-importance never end?

 

Negged and merged.

[Brownie]

Nice one to whoever merged it.

[Chinandeler Bong]

Not related:

 

Man City to make statement at 7.30pm.

 

Anyways , Look at Utd now 3-0 down at Fulham , another opportunity wasted I see.

[BigBadCarra]

Disappointed, very disappointed with the result, but as much as Rafa is not getting results, can we afford to sack him financially and also if we did give him the boot, which other manager would be stupid enough to work for Statler and Waldorf then?

 

Nevertheless I'm starting to really fear for Rafa now and he is really up against now, but I don't think the owners will do the dirty work, because we haven't got a pot to piss in.

[Walton Park]

I fucking cant wait for Tomkins next article. They are hilarious. He will probably try and find a positive out of the sending off or some bollocks like that.

[Barrington Womble]

I fucking cant wait for Tomkins next article. They are hilarious. He will probably try and find a positive out of the sending off or some bollocks like that.

 

the positive is Masch wanted christmas off anyway to have a nice rest before joining barca in january .... :whistle:

[ratcatcher]

Personaly im with Dave and id prefer to see Sammy Lee he is bound to know the team inside out and he cant be any worse than a man wanting to be sacked.

 

Sammy Lee would do a great job, the reality is anyone bar Rafa would take this team forward.

 

Not a difficult task.

 

This is the same Sammy Lee who bolton appointed manager and sacked soon afterwards? The same Sammy Lee who sacked off a couple of their better players according to their fans?

 

Sorry, no! I think Sammy is as much a problem with our form as Benitez is.

[Paulie Dangerously]

I was going to start a new thread but I wont bother now. I've had with Rafa. The sending off was the best thing that could've happened for him today as he could blame that for defeat instead of the truth.

 

After we spooned the derby Moyes motivated his understength squad to come back from 2-0 down against Spurs, then to keep battling against Chelsea away and somehow record a result. Benitez could not motivate his players to beat the bottom of the table club, and frankly it's a disgrace.

 

I've had enough. I no longer want him at this club. I know we're stuck with him until he resigns but I want it to be sooner rather than later.

 

I'm trying not to sound like some of the whoppers on here normally but I probably am. Frankly I'm not arsed, I just can't see us progressing any further with him at the helm. Last season when we beat United, and then Real we were unstoppable UNSTOPPABLE he couldn't reign us in. He didn't have to manage us, we just went out and STEAMROLLERED teams. Then the summer came and he started his management shite again, be careful not to lose. Shite

[Royal Family]

I fucking cant wait for Tomkins next article. They are hilarious. He will probably try and find a positive out of the sending off or some bollocks like that.

 

Lots of positives. It gives Lucas more playing time; Torres completed 90 minutes; Johnson only made one error this week, and not his usual two; Insua won a ball in the air an hour in; and we "controlled" the game, of course. Plenty of plus points to take from that match if only you can look for them.

[bossy]

Im livin in hope

(Livin in hope)

 

Is that for Barry Wom?

[Guest Pistonbroke]

We can't afford to sack Rafa. Can you honestly see those money grabbing bastards forking out 20 million because i can't ? If he was to walk it's a whole new kettle of fish. But if he doesn't he'll be here until the end of the season. I hope he get's some new shoes for Xmas and is pining for the plains of Spain myself because it's -21 and snowing like fuck.

 

If he is to stay then he better grow a pair and motivate the players and himself. Like a broken record at the moment and it's an embarrassment for the club and taking the piss out of the fans.

[bossy]

the positive is Masch wanted christmas off anyway to have a nice rest before joining barca in january .... :whistle:

 

I know someone who has been a top flight ref for years until recently (and a red) and is convinced that Mascherano was determined to get himself sent off that time at the mancs a while back so he could go to Argentina.