uncle bob

If Babel ever hopes for a regular start then he better visit the Wizard of Oz as he has no courage for the physical side of the game. A couple of knocks early on and he disappears. Technically he is very good and great pace but no heart

Riera a decent player but no a great player, so don't be too carried away. Maybe asking our fans to be objective regarding Dossena is difficult, on one side trying to support him yet deep down knowing he just will not cut it in the Prem. The knives came out quite easy for some regarding Riise and even Kuyt however I digress, for me Dossena is pi** poor and I hope we get shut sooner rather than later before his valuation falls through the floor. I pray he doen't start against Chelsea

just sell him asap - very poor full back worst we have had since Josemi even Riise was better

Same can be said for Kuyt, but it doesn't stop his detractors. Heskey would be a very big backward step and how would Kuyt, Keane or Nemeth etc feel

For you failing to understand our attitude to our manager in 1968 (two years after winning the league) compared to our caution in suggesting we wait a few months before awarding our current manager a contract. Rafa aspires to be a Shankly, Shankly aspired to be no one but himself.

wow, for some reason I always thought you were a LFC supporter. life's full of mysteries

Shankly had already won the league twice, the FA cup for the first time and was robbed by a corrupt ref from being the first British club to win the Champions League. He also made us a family.

If you don't know the difference between Shanks and Rafa then I doubt you are a real LFC fan. Shanks took us out of the gutter and raised us above all others, founded a dynasty and remained one of the people. We talk about trophys now rather than survival because of the great man and his able assistant the real uncle Bob.

Fair point being lost by Rafa's RA RA Girls. I agree lets just wait and see

The bulk of the squad he took over won the Champions league. Yes the squad is better but after the level of spending so it should be. Not advocating sack Rafa just a little wait and see.Maybe we will find out how much he does care for Liverpool or maybe its a stepping stone to his first love Real Madrid.

Who is advocating sack Rafa. All thats being argued is lets wait a bit longer, we had a good start last season that was fu*ked up at Reading. If Rafa loves us so much why oh why would he walk. We are talking 6-7 months FFS not a bloody life time. I wonder how many would be shouting give Rafa the £20M now if it was out of their pockets. £20M is a top class player so just calm down with the hysterical hyperbole. And yes he has spent nearly £200M on players and recoped half by selling players he bought but then didnt fancy, so its no great shakes to improve a squad with that level of spending. Whats Wengers net spend over the last 4 years?. I am waiting to see one of our young players make the grade and FFS dont include Lucas.

Your the one who used the children's schooling argument -

So we should give Rafa a 5 year contract NOW so he can plan were his children will be going to school in 2 years time.

That ignores the fact that there is a lot of quality/creativity in the squad, but you need a mixture of hardworking and skillfull players to win the league, not one or the other

A question to all those who believe Rafa has Liverpool etched in his soul. Why would Rafa stay if he signed a new contract NOW rather than at the end of the season. If he wanted to leave, I doubt a contract would stop him, and if he loves us so much and I believe we can all agree he doesn't need the money, why wont he wait till April/May for a new contract.

Of course the squads better, try reading other posts. Only a complete moron would spend £200M on players and not improve the squad. Therefore its a silly point you are making.

Making a squad over achieving is what top managers do - remember Brian Clough. I agree he has not got all he wanted, but as stated previously he has done OK. Also do you believe Barry is the difference to winning the league?. Alonso has definitely upped his game, so were would the great improvement be. For me its essential he gets us a couple of quality full backs, but that is a different argument. For me the Board would be wrong to give Rafa a 5 year contract at the moment, until we see how we progress in the league.

I agree, Kuyt has been one of our best players this year, how about cutting the guy some slack. If Babel put half as much effort into his game as Kuyt then he may, and I say may start a few more times, but for goodness sake a little support please for the hardest working guy in the team. Sammy Lee and Jimmy Case were not the most gifted footballers but they were an integral part of the TEAM, just as Kuyt is today.

Come what may IMHO Rafa will one day manage Real Madrid, it is his team don't forget.

Torres Keane Babel Skrtel Masch Reina Alonso Agger Dossenna Kuyt all first choice. No manager gets all he wants but of late Rafa has done OK. Agreed he didnt get Barry but most people I speak to believe Villa's valuation was over the top for a 28 year old.

Nothing to stop discussions on a new contract, and depending on what happens towards end of season, both parties could sign. But please stop believing we are finished if Rafa 'ups sticks'. We are one of the top clubs in the world and who can say which coach would be interested if Rafa left. The argument by some is we have a better team now than when he took over. That maybe true, however that group of players with a few additions in 2005 WON the Champions league but also £200 million has been spent on new players, so we should be a better squad. Like I said before if Rafa loves the club as much as some posters believe than no real harm will be done in waiting 6-7 months. It appears that some are being stampeded into a rushed decision because of some sh*t in southen biases media.

Nobody here is advocating sack Rafa. The debate relates to the timing of his new contract. He has 20 months to go on the current contract and we have had a good start to the season, however we were unbeaten till the Reading game last season so all I am suggesting is we wait till near the end of the season. Rafa has also reduced the level of rotation of key players, maybe because he now believes in his first 11 more, but what ever the reason why not wait. If Rafa cares for us as much as some posters believe, why would he just up and leave, he is already a wealthy man because of Liverpool so his family have no financial worries, lets just see were we are in April.

So its official then - give Rafa what ever he wants because he is bigger than the club. Try and remember this club lost Shanks and still progressed. Most top coaches in the world would love to manage us. Rafa would be a loss but not the end of the world. Lets just see how we progress this season before new contracts are issued.

Why the panic its just the southern media trying to stir things up. I would sooner wait until the end of the season before we open new contract talks. Lets see where we finish, its been a good start results wise but why not keep a little pressure on the manager, it works for players. He now knows the league is the priority for most fans, therefore why disrupt focus with contract negotiations