Davvo

If we do, we should be within 3 points of Spurs after beating them in 5 weeks time. They're badly short of strikers, and could definitely drop 3 or more points in the next 3 games. There's been lots of talk about having to win against a big team to show we're good enough, but our performances this last week showed me enough. Take that form forward to these next 3 winnable games, and Spurs will be coming to us under a lot of pressure from both us and Arsenal.

I don't understand why people take issue with the seperation of Rafa LFC manager, with Rafa Chelsea manager. Why would anyone wish well of Chelsea for f***'s sake. Dressing it up as hoping Chelsea catch the Mancs is ridiculous, because it's simply not going to happen.

If QPR can pay £12.5 for Samba, and lord only knows what they were willing to pay for Crouch, then I'm pretty sure they'd go min £15M for Carroll. West Ham, obviously, have already agreed a bigger fee than that. I'm not at all convinced Long is a player capable of performing for a top team, seems to have mid table/championship written all over him.

Nah, I'd happily pay double whatever Long is worth for him. He'll be invaluable for some club with the right system, but don't think he'd ever adapt to the way we are trying to play.

Can't say as I watch Chelsea that closely, but their results and some of the stuff coming out of the club suggest Rafa's got a battle on his hands. I'd be much more interested in, and supportive of Rafa's career if he was overseas.

I see what you're saying, but can't imagine feeling the same way to be honest. For me, we are more likely to catch Chelsea than they are the Mancs, though if I'm being honest, both scenario's are very unlikely. Maybe it's just me being optimistic, but I can't imagine following football any other way to be honest. I also have to say, that there's been little evidence to suggest Chelsea's players are going to suddenly start buying into Rafa's methods, they're c**** and deserve to fail badly in my opinion. I'd happily take the Mancs winning the league, if we were to finish fourth and Chelsea fifth. As that's still at least mathematically more probable than Chelsea catching them, I'll keep believing it's possible.

Given that we are closer to Chelsea than they are to the Mancs, that makes the default position for a Liverpool fan, one of wanting Chelsea to lose doesn't it ? Spurs, Arsenal, and possibly Everton, are the only games I'd begrudgingly want Chelsea to take anything at the moment, and even then probably a draw if anything. I'm not suggesting we've anything more than a slim hope of catching them, but it's greater than the possibility of them catching the Mancs. That position could alter as the season goes on, and if the gap between us and Chelsea doesn't narrow, but for now, f*** Chelsea, and by association, f*** rafa quite frankly. The Mancs are currently averaging 2.5 points a game. Even if they were to drop to a level of 2pts per game for the rest of the season, Chelsea would have to win every game to catch them. If you really don't want the Mancs to win the title, then City are the only alternative. Personally, now that they've got a 19th title, I'm far less bothered about them winning. I'd rather they didn't, but I'd definitely prefer them to beat Chelsea in a league game right now, rather than the other way around, no question at all. Chelsea are in a bad state, there's a big collapse in them for sure.

Really? Still ?

He is when compared to Maradona.

Sounded like your average 18yo Brit to me. Good argument for media/communications training again though, but the whole industry is more interested in cash than anything else.

You're not factoring in Rosie's share.

Not even from fans of their team ? Keegan got pilloried by others.

Burton is an objectionable c***, the other two I can ignore really.

From recent comments, I suspect he still scribbles in his banta book to be honest. The internet has a cross section of society, for better or worse.

I'd imagine their answer to the reverse question would be similar. Both the Rodgers and Rafa threads have gone way past tedious in the provoking/responding stakes.

I guess because I thought we were talking about what is happening rather than what we want to happen. Not sure there's much mileage in discussing fantasy formations. As for the 2nd bit, I think SG is very well suited to this set up agaisnt the stronger teams, even more so if Lucas was anywhere near his previous level.

We did for 45 against mancs, and 90 against Norwich and Oldham. I think you know exactly what I meant Earl, and it seems we intend to deploy a busy AM in tougher games, or a 2nd striker/trequartista in games where we expect to dominate possession.

Can you count them on the fingers of one hand ?

Hopefully he's just smashed, and been taken in by the faux Walrus.

This, all day long. The advanced role behind the strikers is not your usual 'hole' role in the way we seem to be looking at setting up in the tougher games, it's more about closing down and sheer athleticism, similar to how Sissoko was deployed in bigger games.

I did wonder if that's why Jim White had climbed to the roof.

You've now got me wondering if I dreamt this as part of some late afternoon blackout. That would be far more believable.

He was on the roof of the SKy building earlier. Pointing out the lit up Wembley arch, gesturing in the direction of various London grounds, Paris and Milan. Unless my geography's wrong, he pointed completely the wrong direction for Milan, but there we go. It was a new low even for him (which is ironic).

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