Nineteen defeats in a season

[Section_31]

Ferguson mentioned it in an interview earlier. A mocking smile broke across his face as he did so. We're a fucking joke.

 

Their time will come. More debt than us, and a handful of world class players, probably less than us in actual fact. Ferguson is everything, everything, and when he's gone - unless they've got new owners with a LOT of money, their day in the sun will be officially over.

[Wezza]

None of them received a hero's welcome.

 

Repped for Nininini Nineteen, 19, Ni-nineteen 19 19,19,19,19 reference, as horrifying as nineteen defeats in a season is.

[ARockWithACape]

People keep talking about money, but Spurs are set to finish fourth and they had a similar net spend while they spend less than we do on wages. Villa have had a bit of investment, but they're still spending less than us. Seventh is unacceptable.

[Total Longo]

In amongst all of 'The season starts here' type of rubbish articles, the only one that struck home to me as a partial explanation of the demise. was a low-key interview with Yossi ( mid-season some time ) where he stated that the realisation that we weren't going to be in the Premiership shake-up had hit everybody hard from top to bottom and whilst he felt everybody was trying their hardest, that the stuffing had been knocked out of the squad & a sense of melancholy had set in.

 

Fucking pussies, that was the perfect time to show a bit of grit and determination, instead of wallowing.

[johnnyboy]

Fucking pussies, that was the perfect time to show a bit of grit and determination, instead of wallowing.

 

the players were demoralised before the season even started

[Total Longo]

the players were demoralised before the season even started

 

Granted, but whining mid-season about the position the club is in is hardly helping anyone and basically giving them a ready made excuse for more failure and abject performances.

[Hermes]

Do you think the manager was privately happy going into the season without proper cover for his main striker who he knew was suffering physically?

 

All of the 60 million raised in player sales in the past 15 months should have been reinvested back into the side but the debts on the club prevented this from happening.

 

He spent £40m on a full back who can't defend and a midfielder who even when fit was not selected.

 

Do you not think a forward was a bigger priority?

[King Emlyn]

I honestly can't get my head round the fact people are still defending him. Some of the arguments being used are breathtaking. It's all pretty pointless tbh so i'm swerving this debate from now on, it's going nowhere; if he relegated us they'd still be defending him, i'm convinced of it.

[BolshieBastard]

The lack of Torres was obviously a significant factor, but so was the lack of a viable alternative. I still find it bewildering that so many Reds remain entirely uncritical of the decision to sell the £20m Robbie Keane after half a season of being used in a typically (for Rafa) strange way. Of course those six months weren't great, but come on - it was six months! And he was treated like a twat.

 

Compare the way he was used to the way Crouch was used when he arrived and went through a run of, I think, 17 games without a goal. Rafa just kept picking him. Keane on the other hand got barely a run and when he did play, he got hooked with a predictability that'd have had even the bookies turning their noses up at it.

 

Rafa's sale of Robbie Keane was entirely unforced - it was quite simply about his stupid, self-defeating political games. Well that particular game got him what he wanted: Parry's exit and his new contract. Unfortunately, it also left the squad unacceptably light up front. Rate him or not, Robbie Keane is an infinitely better goal threat in Torres' absence than Kuyt, Babel, N'Gog, Voronin or any other bum Rafa might have played there. If there was a need to balance the books, why not sell Dossena, Voronin, Babel, Degen, El Zhar, Plessis, etc, etc?

 

Sell those six and keep Keane and you've got a stronger squad in my view. Actually give the lad a run of games, consider talking to him and reassuring him that he's a good player and maybe, just maybe, he'd have put in some performances for us. But that's not Rafa is it?

 

Players are simply pawns in his tactical and political manoeuvres. His chickens came home to roost this season, though: Keane, Alonso and Hyypia all left because of the way they treated, in my view. It's also my view that we'd be many, many points better off right now if they were all still here.

 

He spent £40m on a full back who can't defend and a midfielder who even when fit was not selected.

 

Do you not think a forward was a bigger priority?

 

These two posts sum up just about everything and are spot on. We were in trouble from the moment Keane was sold and depended on Ngog as Torres' alternative.

 

The great form of the last 12 or so games last season covered up not just the future impact of keane's loss but also the lack of cover for Torres.

 

And it keeps coming back to the money he's had. Last season he bought players whose open market valuation was 40 m quid. Like it or not, if anyone else had of bought those players they'd have to have shelled out 40m quid.

[Hermes]

I honestly can't get my head round the fact people are still defending him. Some of the arguments being used are breathtaking. It's all pretty pointless tbh so i'm swerving this debate from now on, it's going nowhere; if he relegated us they'd still be defending him, i'm convinced of it.

 

We may have another 4 seasons to find out.

[Brownie]

I honestly can't get my head round the fact people are still defending him. Some of the arguments being used are breathtaking. It's all pretty pointless tbh so i'm swerving this debate from now on, it's going nowhere; if he relegated us they'd still be defending him, i'm convinced of it.

 

I said the same thing yesterday.

[Kraken]

He spent £40m on a full back who can't defend and a midfielder who even when fit was not selected.

 

Do you not think a forward was a bigger priority?

 

Did he really? Just think, if we'd hadn't dealt with Pompey for Johnson this year we'd have watched the money they owed us for Crouch disappear as they went into administration. I think that's fairly astute financial planning, myself.

 

We've paid, as I'm sure you know, 8m euros for Aquilani so far. We're due to pay another 7m euros this summer. His full transfer fee will ultimately be around 20m euros, to be paid by the end of next summer.

 

You're surely not so biased as to suggest we actually had 40m to spend last summer?

Edited May 3, 2010 by Kraken

[JMARKH]

Pathetic management, he is a failure in the league no doubt about it.

[George Costanza]

Abomination of a season. One I hope to completely forget very soon. Sadly I think the legacy of this season will hit very hard and could potentially shape many future seasons to come.

[Brownie]

Abomination of a season. One I hope to completely forget very soon. Sadly I think the legacy of this season will hit very hard and could potentially shape many future seasons to come.

 

I'm gonna go for the glass half full option; winning the CL in 2005 should have been the legacy for seasons to come but it wasn't so...

[Anny Road]

I think it will get worse. I would not be surprised if Gerrard fucks off in the summer.

[Mathewbet1]

well rafa did promise 19 before the season started.

[George Costanza]

I think it will get worse. I would not be surprised if Gerrard fucks off in the summer.

 

Same applies with Torres and Mascherano.

 

Brownie - I thought that too. It was the perfect springboard to build upon. No money, some questionable transfer decisions and thew two Cancers sought to that. Can't believe even after winning the CL, Djbril fucking Cisse remained our club record buy for a further 2 years.

[straight_red]

I think it will get worse. I would not be surprised if Gerrard fucks off in the summer.

 

Gerrard and Torres will both be off for my money.

 

In a round about way though, it could be a good thing depending on what happens. As this football supporter points out we (and Spurs and City) will need to spend cash to compete next season so if we can get paid over the odds for those two (and whoever is the manager spends the cash wisely) we might be able to bounce back.

 

With City throwing around crazy money we might get near enough £90 million from two players. I wouldn't be too upset of with that.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

Gerrard and Torres will both be off for my money.

 

In a round about way though, it could be a good thing depending on what happens. As this football supporter points out we (and Spurs and City) will need to spend cash to compete next season so if we can get paid over the odds for those two (and whoever is the manager spends the cash wisely) we might be able to bounce back.

 

With City throwing around crazy money we might get near enough £90 million from two players. I wouldn't be too upset of with that.

 

I think a lot of us would be upset. Selling your best players isn't the way to go about rebuilding. What message does that send out to those players staying and potential players coming in ?

[piscinin]

I think a lot of us would be upset. Selling your best players isn't the way to go about rebuilding. What message does that send out to those players staying and potential players coming in ?

 

The same message they are hearing now? "We're fucked".

[Guest Pistonbroke]

The same message they are hearing now? "We're fucked".

 

Things change. We'll have to wait until the start of next season and see where we are at then before writing us off.

[hamstrung]

At least there is a world cup to distract for a few weeks. The Ashes did it for me last summer.

[straight_red]

I think a lot of us would be upset. Selling your best players isn't the way to go about rebuilding. What message does that send out to those players staying and potential players coming in ?

 

I'm not saying it's an ideal sitatuion, but then we're already in a situation that's far from ideal. We've got to be realistic about what's going to happen. Maybe I'm wrong but Torres and probably Gerrard will want Champions League football and will want to leave. If that's the case we've got to make the most of it. It's not like we'd just be selling them for the sake it of it. I'm upset that we're in a position where we have to think about it, but the cash, if spent and spent wisely, could set us in the right direction.