teedeepee

Fair point - I can see that I'm fighting a losing battle here. It's only my opinion, but I think Rafa spends more time thinking about how to neutralise the opposition than he does about how to exploit their weaknesses. He's cautious and studied - more so than Whinger, Taggart and Grant I mean. The point I'm making is that Benitez puts a higher value on Kuyt's talents than he would put on a more attacking winger, because of Benitez' ethos. I'm not arguing about the merits or otherwise of the ethos, just pointing out that it's probably the reason why Kuyt has been getting such praise recently.

But of the two philosophies, which do you think more closely resembles Rafa's philosophy? Brownie, you're right - I'm over simplifying things, but the point I'm trying to make regarding Rafa's ethos is summed up nicely by your comments that: "To be a good team, you have to have a good defence first and foremost." It's concede less than the opposition, rather than score more than them. I know that sounds like the same thing but it's the mindset of the individual that I'm trying to point out.

At least extra-time / away goals / penalties would be better than the winners being decided by the toss of a coin..... Lucky tossers | News | guardian.co.uk Football

Everyone has an opinion as to whether or not Kuyt is "good enough", but the real question should be "Is he good enough to do the job Rafa wants him to do?". The answer, in my opinion, has to be yes. Kuyt's goalscoring in Holland could have been the main reason Rafa bought him, but has anyone stopped to think that maybe he wasn't bought for his attacking qualities? Rafa has shown with Valencia, and now with the Reds, that his philosophy can be summed up as "We'll stop you scoring and maybe nick one ourselves." rather than "Doesn't matter how many goals you score, we'll always score more.". To this end, surely Kuyt is almost the embodiment of this philosophy? His ability in the opponent's box is not good enough for him to be considered first or maybe even second choice striker, but his ability to support the striker (s) and track back to defend is as good as anything else I've seen in the Prem. And this is the crux of the issue. Do you replace Dirk with a flying winger who'll score maybe 15 goals a season with another 10 assists but give us fuck all defensively? Benitez has shown his colours by repeatedly picking Kuyt to play the role which he is currently performing so effectively. So when people say "Kuyt's not good enough.", they should say what it is that he's not good enough for.

He puts the laughter in Manslaughter... Class!:lol:

Evening... Good debut from Plessis, on that showing he looks like he'll be cover for Mash / Xabi / Lucas.... what we need though is another midfielder who'll make things happen for us, not another spoiler.

The more I watch us this season, the more frustrated I get and the more worried I get that Rafa might not be the right man for the job. Hand on heart, I want the Prem far more than I want another CL, and I believe that most of you on here would think the same. The Prem is a truer reflection of a teams ability than any cup competition, and the simple fact is that we don't seem to be any closer to winning it this year than we did under Houllier. I know that the football landscape has changed drastically since then, but as a club I can't help but think that we're standing still while Arsenal, United and Chelsea are moving forward. Once again this season we've not beaten any of the top 3 at home and we've failed to beat the mid-table scrappers. The thing is, I don't honestly know if the reason for this is down to Rafa's selection / team set up, or if it's down to the crap going on at the top. Last season I can remember being equally frustrated when we struggled to beat the same, mid-table scrappers and we didn't have any of the boardroom stuff going on to use as an excuse. I'm not saying that Rafa should go, but I am saying that my faith in his ability is slowly wavering.

Not sure that I agree that attacking RBS is going to make one iota of a difference to their decision. This is a HUGE bank; I would expect that this deal, large though it may be, would not come close to the top end of their transactions. The suggestion that they might be put off because of the negative publicity which would surround any "Leeds" style collapse is, frankly, naive. They'd only be put off if they felt that they'd be at risk of not getting a return on their investment. This is a bank, not a charitable organisation dependent on the goodwill and benevolence of the general public.

If you've just been beaten to a pulp by someone and you see someone else approaching you with a nice cup of tea then who in their right mind wouldn't taste the tea? Doesn't mean it's gonna be how you like it though. DIC were heavily criticised just before G&H took over for their "outrageous" plans to sell the club at a profit 5 years after buying it. I'll not relax until somebody gives us some assurance of continuity and stability. Frankly, I don't care who it is as long as they: A) Back the manager with the necessary funds. B) Start the new bloody stadium, and C) Don't saddle the club with more debt than it can cope with. I don't doubt that G&H intended this to be the plan when they took the helm, but they've been torpedoed by the fall in the dollar and the uncertainty over worldwide markets. Talking to Klinsmann was foolish. Publicly stating that you've been talking to Klinsmann was either very very naive, or very very stupid. Or both. Whatever happens, I'm sick of logging on to the BBC website and reading more crap about the club that I love.

He will NEVER score another goal like that for as long as he lives. Not in training, not on FIFA '08, not on the pitch. It was another Kevin Lisbie moment.

I prefer HP sauce myself.

Can someone please tell me why we're still not rid of Graham Fucking Poll? (That's his real middle name by the way...). Every time a referee does something vaguely contentious, his agent must be on the blower to the BBC saying that "Mr Poll is available for comment if needed." He's on the BBC website commenting on Robbie Keane's sending off. I think he's a jumped up little bollocks who loved being in the limelight when he was a ref and now hates being out of it. Didn't he do a biography FFS?

And that's up against some stiff opposition too, in the form of: "How to throw up properly"; "Clothes line Pegs" and the immortal: "Where's my mobile phone?" :thumbup:

Weeksie, I know what you mean, but if they DID print some "more" shite about LFC then surely it's fair game to discuss it on here?

Quote from Football 365: Torres, who scored in Liverpool's 4-0 victory against Bolton on Saunday, told The Sun: "He cannot leave. The fans have given their verdict and it was clear. "Benitez has created a team of people who are indebted to him. It's certain if he goes many players will think about their futures. Benitez is not just another manager. He created a team and put his faith in players that owe him a lot." Anyone gonna have a word in his ear?