mars

Imagine how good they could be a couple of years down the road :biggrin:

Right substitutions at the right time? I'd say yes.

This gets my vote, too. However, I suspect Rafa will play Kuyt just to show he (Rafa) still has confidence in him.

1)Voronin 2)Yossi 3)Crouch And I feel guilty leaving out Gerrard - worked his socks off tonight.

Not a bad result - thought we looked much better in the second half. Kewell and Crouch played well, Sissoko looks to be back to better form, Gerrard came close on several occasions. There's a lot of positives to take from this. As for Kuyt, I really don't know. If push came to shove I would sell Kuyt before I sold Crouch, but had Torres been fit Kuyt would have been on the bench anyway.

Is that the voice of reason? It is, isn't it! Good to hear that again.

After the midweek results I thought we played with great determination and spirit. I think you might want to acknowledge the quality that had to be subbed. Not a great result, but at least we created some chances (have to say I thought Crouch played well).

Call me Mr Deluded from Deludedsville, but hasn't Crouch refused to sign a new contract? I don't know whether this has anything to do with Crouch falling out of favour, but I can't come up with a better reason (and I would include contracts as a footballing reason).

Reina Finnan Agger Carragher Riise Pennant Gerrard Mascherano Kewell Benayoun Torres

My thoughts exactly. And I didn't think Chelsea were a great side to watch.

superrafafragsthebitterssubsthojustconfoundus

But it's Rafa's job that is on the line, and Rafa is paid to make the decisions that win us games (even if they are unfathomable!). Wouldn't you rather have a manager who has the cojones to risk the wrath of a substituted Gerrard, rather than some McClarenesque jellyfish who'll always make the easy decisions?

Before I criticise Rafa for that substitution I want to know what was going through his mind. Was it: A. I know what I can do for a laugh. B. This'll stir up the TLW board. C. Yes, I take off Gerrard and if it goes pear-shaped I'm sure the fans will understand my decision. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, for sure. D. Some other reason that must have been a bloody good one considering the panning he would have got if we had lost. I don't understand why Rafa did what he did, but just because I don't understand that doesn't make the decision wrong. We won, Gerrard wasn't injured and will play mid-week, maybe Sissoko was given a confidence boost by not being subbed, Lucas looks to be a great buy and turned the game, and we won.

Too right!

A brave substitution :wow: Hope Lucas plays well otherwise Rafa is going to be in for a bit of stick.

Ideally you'd want Gerrard to announce that he felt he wasn't playing well enough at the moment to have the captaincy, and that he felt it would be better off with someone who was more inspiring on the pitch. Won't happen, though.

I think you did put your finger on it. Why did we look so tired and short of ideas?

Voronin - only positive I can see. Came on and played with a bit of passion.

Absolutely - Momo was everywhere. Thought Lucas played well - was caught in possession a few times but apart from that looks promising.

Rafa makes changes much quicker these days. It used to annoy me that he would usually wait til the 70th minute before he'd sub someone.

Agree with that. If he learns from this then fine, we have a better player; if not, then he deserves some stick. At least he wasn't diving like a pole-axed Porto player.

Mental note: if Clive Tyldesley is choking, do not administer Heimlich maneuver. Mouth to mouth probably a mistake, too. Is it just me or have we returned to the hoof up the field to move the ball out of defence? I wouldn't mind if we hit a target man, but accuracy was very poor this evening - second game I've thought that about both Reina and Carragher.

"Last week our captain had his head turned by Steve McClaren. The slut. Clearly Rafa didn’t want him to play, nor did any sane Liverpool fan. Our objections were simply brushed aside. Who knows, maybe the toe healed suddenly and we won’t hear more about it. How likely is that though? Did Jesus return as a member of England’s medical staff? Surely that would have been in the paper?" If Gerrard has defied Benitez then I am concerned. The club manager has to have the final say, not the player. Do you think a good manager will allow a player, no matter how talented, to challenge his authority? So, if Benitez did decide to sell Gerrard then I would reluctantly support the manager's decision. At times the "Gerrard must be in the centre" debate made me a tad uncomfortable as it felt like a clash of wills between the two of them. I hope very much that my concerns are unfounded - there's no evidence right now to suggest a problem and if the injury has healed then fine and good. However, I don't have a problem with the article provoking a bit of debate.

I don't have the medical knowledge to vote on this one. Trouble is, I simply don't trust England's medics to put Gerrard's best interests first. I suppose I should admire his commitment to the team, and it's not as if we don't have the best midfield in the world so if the injury worsens we will still have an excellent midfield. Can anyone tell me how much compensation Newcastle finally got when Owen was crocked? I realise the money can never compensate for the loss of a key player, just wondering.

The only way Moyes will be able to rotate the Kirkby Bitters is if the club invest in a merry-go-round.