Ed the Wool

I'd agree with you if I thought we had a cat in hells chance of getting any of those (with the exception of O'Neil, I can't stand him). I don't think we do though. Any new man, wants money to bring his own players in. We can hardly meet our interest payments, let alone bank roll a 'war chest'. I doubt the owners would even be able to borrow 30-50 m to gve to a new manager, which they'd lump on the club along with the other 250+ m. I don't have the answer. I just see the writing on the wall at the minute, and I can't see a way out of it. But I've no optimism about attracting a top class manager. None at all. And I think when/if Rafa goes, we'll see a load of players go with him.

The other massive difference between then and now is we don't have a board who will give a manager money, and we don't have a club that earns 20-30m a season to be invested in the team.

Look back at Hicks other sports teams. And then read up on the whole Klinnsman affair again. Robson might have been an exaggeration I'll grant you, but how much faith do you have in these two f*****s? Because if you've got any, you're a braver man than me. As a top professional manager, you want a club where you have every chance of succeeding, and in the day and age that means access to money.

God I hope that's sarcasm. I think you are one of the best posters on here normally. As I said in another thread (it might have been earlier than this one), why would any top class manager want to come and work in this circus? Do you seriously think Hicks and Gilette will cough up top money for a top level manager and a transfer budget? It'll be Bryan Robson or McClaren or Pardew or some other mid level manager who wants LFC on CV and will come in even with the promise of no money, and they'll make a terrible f***ing mess of it. I think it's inevitable anyway to be honest, under these owners, sucking all the profit out of the club for the debt they lied about, we're going no where but down the table until they leave. How far down remains to be seen, but City and Leeds both get 30-40 000 a week and it hasn't stopped them heading down a division or two. I'm preparing for the worst, and I'm an optimist at heart. I never thought we'd have a run like this under Rafa, it's just brought forward my worst fears about these owners and the direction of the club.

He's just not the same without Chaka deemus.

We are heavily in debt. There's no transfer budget without selling. You board might withdraw funds at any minute if one of their businesses needs a cash injection. The two owners hate each others guts. Oh and there's probably 10 teams in the league not burdened with debt outspending us on players Anyone who thinks we are going to get anyone of the quality of Hiddink or Mourinho, on those terms, which are no secret in football ARE OUT OF THEIR TINY, *********, KNEE JERKING minds. Dalglish won't f***ing touch it. Why would he?

It's a mad world. And much though I don't like Hughes, I don't think he's average. Inexperienced maybe. City are going balls out for 4th.

Agree it's not just the system. To me that's the key to changing things on the pitch for the better as quick as possible. But I've been of the view for a while (since Reina came out and said it in August/Sept) that what happened over the summer regarding budgets and transfers ripped the heart and guts out of a team on the brink of winning the league. The players saw the writing on the wall months ago, Rafa is bull headed and professional enough to think he could manage, duck and weave his way out of it. I think he underestimated the guts of some of the players. I blame the owners mainly. We are rotten at the core. The Shankly way of everyone at the club pulling toward success on the pitch died with the takeover. Until we get that ethos back, Shankly's Liverpool Way is dead. We now operate like the Man City of old. Newcastle. Leeds. Spurs. It absolutely makes me sick to the stomach.

It'll have to be Spearing then. The Aquilani gamble looks like it's going to finish Rafa off. It was a huge risk at the time. It's monumentally backfired.

The Masch/Lucas axis just isn't working. They both sit too deep and there's f***ing acres until Torres. Opposing teams have two lines of 4 breaking up everything we go forward with, because there's no support. Kuyt is having a woeful run of form, seemed like he lost the ball everytime today (and I'm a big supporter of Dirk). Yossi looks half fit and is reliant on confidence. Gerrard has looked under par for weeks.

I hope we get to t*** Fulham at some point. I was in the home end earlier this season at Craven Cottage, and apart from nearly being thrown out, their fans were disrespectful small timers. Add to wanting to erase that particular game from memory.

That's a bonkers comment Kev. It's just not rooted in the realities of the modern game. I'd love to win that trophy, don't get me wrong, but the club needs 4th place more for a number of reasons, not least money and the ability to attract top players. That said, we should be going all out to win it.

Agree with some of your points. What's your alternative? I thought he took the youth system over in the summer?!

Pity they didn't stop him coming in as well. The baldy f***.

Agreed, and I'd add the lack of a decent alternative that would come in and work with no money in this total f***ing circus. I've said it before, and I've been saying it for a year or so, if they sack him, and we get a Klinnsman or a Souness, we're looking at a Leeds situation. The players will all f*** off and we'll be in freefall. I'm not enjoying what is happening at all, in fact I felt myself wobble slightly after the game today, and any other manager, in any other situation I think I'd be waivering. But I honestly believe Rafa Benitez is what stands between total meltdown and having a chance of progressing, even under these owners. We need to get behind him, because if we get these f*****s out, he'll repay us. I'm sure of it. That might sound a lot of faith after 3 wins in 15, but the alternative is just too horrific to contemplate.

Agree with that too. I certainly have no pity for that second half performance. But I do have some sympathy for the players that have worked their b******s off for the club, only to see the owners f***ing the team progression through their greed. Would that get to me as a player? I'd like to say I'd be professional, but yeah, it'd f***ing get to me. It's like a f***ing millstone round our necks. And it's been there since the summer. Certainly the results suggest something is going on. The team should have bounced back by now.

Lucas played well today. Can only remember one bad pass. There's half a dozen players, including Gerrard, Carragher and Kuyt that are way ahead of him in the under performing stakes. With SG I think it's down to injury. The rest of them f*** knows.

Second half was f***ing gutless. Reminds me of that period after Christmas we had in 2005. Except there's no happy ending in view like 05, bar the FA Cup. I'd love Carragher or Gerrard to come out and blame the owners publicly. Say that they are sucking the club dry, and it's ruined morale and ruined the season. Pile the pressure on the f*****s to sell. I'll guarantee if they sell it'll be like a cloud lifting. Rafa needs to f***ing ream some of the players though after today. Not f***ing good enough second half, and it was mental weakness and lack of effort. Unforgivable.

Pretty much sums it up for me. Don't know if Gerrard is carrying a knock, or if the officiating was getting to him, but he was well below par today. And he didn't look up for rallying the troops either.

I know the f***ing feeling.

So frustrating. Should have been home and dry here. s*** luck and s*** refereeing. Hope we can turn it round in the last 20. A lot of it is mental, they look dispirited.

Webb might, the best clueless c***. Not the first time Webb has given us nothing.

Hicks will do what he did at the Corinthians if he gets the chance. He's like a gambling addict that keeps thinking the next bet will be the one that makes everything alright. Gillet won't go unless Hicks does. Our only hope is a vanity buyer. The banks won't give a f***, RBS pretty much proved this when they extended in the summer. We're on a knife edge, it's been like that for at least about 12 months, possible more. And when you think Rafa called them out after Athens, we've been on the slippery slope for over 3 years in terms of investing in the team and the club.

It's all about the TV money. The minute Murdoch decides it's worth less, it'll go into free fall.

Just logged on to post the same thing, with the exception of the 'it's on' bit! This season has a LONG way to go yet, Chelsea are going to struggle with the ANC, Utd don't look unbeatable by any means. Arsenal are still inconsistent. City, Villa, Everton, Spurs are all capable of wins against the top teams. I'm dreaming, and we've shown nothing to suggest it yet, but if we put 5 or so wins together on the bounce, we'll go right up the table. If H&G would just f*** off, and Aquilani be a cracker, it'd feel like Christmas.