That's it

[rjlfc]

I very nearly came on here ranting and raving, but I've calmed down so will try and keep this sensible and balanced.

 

Rafa no longer has my support and I think it's better he goes. Simple as that. Never in all my years of support have I seen such gutless, ordinary, insipid performances week in week out, from both the manager and players. Ultimately though, putting aside the lack of investment which has been done a million times, we still got a hell of a strong group of players that should never in a million years be regularly beaten and embaressed the way we are. The buck stops with Rafa.

 

I lost count of the number of times I said last season when we scraped results or dropped points when playing Lucas and Masch. It is so blatantly obvious its embarassing and making us a laughing stock. But you could arguably get away with it by playing quick/attack minded players in the wide positions. But to continually play Kuyt whos so out of form its untrue and then Aurelio or even Doss today its unreal. It then doesnt matter who we play, Pompey or Spurs or Villa or Chelsea, we are so easy to play against its unreal. But its the continual, repetition of these blatant selections and tactics that have sucked the life out of our team.

 

At 1-0 down today, with 10 men and playing poorly in the 2nd half, would it have been the end of the world to throw on Ngog and play 3 at the back? You dont get points for losing 1-0, just go for it for gods sake. But you just know, never in a million years its going to happen.

 

Decent players are getting the life and flair sucked out of them. Continued favouratism to poor players and tactics has driven me to the edge and today has broken the camels back. I do actually think he's a very good manager, but has taken us as far as he can and we're now going backwards. He's totally lost sight of the spirit of football and has been blinded by his own tactics, statistic and stubborness. People are worried about who would replace him, but being 100% honest I think I could name a dozen managers without even blinking who could get better out of the players than we're currently getting. Maybe they won't be the answer long term but its a sad fact that the game is now up for Rafa.

 

I'm genuinely gutted for him as he clearley loves us and things could have been so different, but I can't bear what I'm seeing anymore. We need someone with a fresh outlook. I'd rather lose 3-0 having a right go at a team for 90 minutes that what we've witnessed today, but you know what I wasn't even surprised, and thats the damning fact.

[chrisbonnie]

I very nearly came on here ranting and raving, but I've calmed down so will try and keep this sensible and balanced.

 

Rafa no longer has my support and I think it's better he goes. Simple as that. Never in all my years of support have I seen such gutless, ordinary, insipid performances week in week out, from both the manager and players. Ultimately though, putting aside the lack of investment which has been done a million times, we still got a hell of a strong group of players that should never in a million years be regularly beaten and embaressed the way we are. The buck stops with Rafa.

 

I lost count of the number of times I said last season when we scraped results or dropped points when playing Lucas and Masch. It is so blatantly obvious its embarassing and making us a laughing stock. But you could arguably get away with it by playing quick/attack minded players in the wide positions. But to continually play Kuyt whos so out of form its untrue and then Aurelio or even Doss today its unreal. It then doesnt matter who we play, Pompey or Spurs or Villa or Chelsea, we are so easy to play against its unreal. But its the continual, repetition of these blatant selections and tactics that have sucked the life out of our team.

 

At 1-0 down today, with 10 men and playing poorly in the 2nd half, would it have been the end of the world to throw on Ngog and play 3 at the back? You dont get points for losing 1-0, just go for it for gods sake. But you just know, never in a million years its going to happen.

 

Decent players are getting the life and flair sucked out of them. Continued favouratism to poor players and tactics has driven me to the edge and today has broken the camels back. I do actually think he's a very good manager, but has taken us as far as he can and we're now going backwards. He's totally lost sight of the spirit of football and has been blinded by his own tactics, statistic and stubborness. People are worried about who would replace him, but being 100% honest I think I could name a dozen managers without even blinking who could get better out of the players than we're currently getting. Maybe they won't be the answer long term but its a sad fact that the game is now up for Rafa.

 

I'm genuinely gutted for him as he clearley loves us and things could have been so different, but I can't bear what I'm seeing anymore. We need someone with a fresh outlook. I'd rather lose 3-0 having a right go at a team for 90 minutes that what we've witnessed today, but you know what I wasn't even surprised, and thats the damning fact.

 

great post, and highlighted bit somes it up for me, i was watchign the game with my villa supporting mate, and i described my lack of surprise at our loss, as to how he felt when villa where utter s**** for the past 20 years, i just expect it now

 

ive wanted Rafa out on many on an occasion, but he`s tap danced on the trap door too many times for me as well now, he really does have to go, im upset when i hear sports news, or when i read the internet to see he hasn`t yet been sacked, and i never even felt that bad under houllier

 

he should go now, and i mean NOW, let us get a replacement, even if its only short term asap, because we`ve got villa and up in a little over a week ,id rather the impetious a new manager would give ua, heading into that game

[Leo No.8]

At 1-0 down today, with 10 men and playing poorly in the 2nd half, would it have been the end of the world to throw on Ngog and play 3 at the back? You dont get points for losing 1-0, just go for it for gods sake. But you just know, never in a million years its going to happen.

 

This is the kind of thing that bothers me. Portsmouth were there for the taking today and we played two holding midfielders and a left back on the left side of midfield. Their confidence grew as the game went on and we weren't doing much.

 

Then at 1-0 down, Rafa made no changes to a system that clearly wasn't working in an effort to make things happen. We look totally predictable, its very easy to set a team up to stop us playing at the moment.

 

Bottle us up down the middle where all the quality is, out wide we've got absolutely nothing.

Edited December 19, 2009 by Leo No.8

[Damian_de]

we`ve got villa and up in a little over a week ,id rather the impetious a new manager would give ua, heading into that game

You're right, of course. Beating Villa is more important than continuing with a plan which has done nothing but take us forwards for 5 years. Good thinking.

[john_lfc]

He's completely lost the dressing room now

 

He has cracked up

[Bootle Buck]

This is the kind of thing that bothers me. Portsmouth were there for the taking today and we played two holding midfielders and a left back on the left side of midfield. Their confidence grew as the game went on and we weren't doing much.

 

Then at 1-0 down, Rafa made no changes to a system that clearly wasn't working in an effort to make things happen. We look totally predictable, its very easy to set a team up to stop us playing at the moment.

 

Bottle us up down the middle where all the quality is, out wide we've got absolutely nothing.

 

Leo, he has become too predictable and as stated many times too stubborn. He seems to have the "world's against me' attitude and I will prove them wrong. However, it has backfired on him. He has lost the players and any confidence from last season is gone. The players look so unmotivated and frustrated and only a strong manager can pick them up from this. I am afraid Rafa's man management is not his strongest asset.

Edited December 19, 2009 by Bootle Buck

[CaptainXabi]

Leo, he has become too predictable and as stated many times too stubborn. He seems to have the "world's against me' attitude and I will prove them wrong. However, it has backfired on him. He has lost the players and any confidence from last season is gone. The players look so unmotivated and frustrated and only a strong manager can pick them up from this. I am afraid Rafa's man management is not his strongest asset.

Careful now, you'll be called a heretic for that statement. But it's obviously true.

[rjlfc]

You're right, of course. Beating Villa is more important than continuing with a plan which has done nothing but take us forwards for 5 years. Good thinking.

I obviously dont agree with the poster who wants someone in just for the importance of the villa game. However, with regards to your point, where exactly are we 5 years into that plan? 7th in the league, on a downwards spiral, beaten by bottom of the league comfortably. Lost I don't know how many games this season, out of the CL against no real big teams. Playing football that is boring, dour, insipid, predictable. Decisions to play players regardless of form (or even ability in some cases). Decisions to play players that shows a fear of the opposition team rather than a real desire to win (and that against a team bottom of the league). Our problems are so blatant it's embaressing - it's like groundhog day every time we play.

 

sorry mate but 5 year plans have gone out of the window totally. We're all over the place.

[Stevie H]

This is the kind of thing that bothers me. Portsmouth were there for the taking today and we played two holding midfielders and a left back on the left side of midfield. Their confidence grew as the game went on and we weren't doing much.

 

Then at 1-0 down, Rafa made no changes to a system that clearly wasn't working in an effort to make things happen. We look totally predictable, its very easy to set a team up to stop us playing at the moment.

 

Bottle us up down the middle where all the quality is, out wide we've got absolutely nothing.

even with ten men we could have changed things and had a real go at them, death or glory s***. was never going to happen was it? and it should have done.

[Bootle Buck]

In the past seasons we have bought and sold the likes of Crouch, Bellamy and Keane, who are better than any attacking options(Torres apart) we have now.

Edited December 19, 2009 by Bootle Buck

[DJS]

In the past seasons we have bought and sold the likes of Crouch, Bellamy and Keane, who are better than any attacking options(Torres apart) we have now.

 

Not only in terms of ability, but players like Bellamy would have put up a fight today.

[Sion]

In the past seasons we have bought and sold the likes of Crouch, Bellamy and Keane, who are better than any attacking options(Torres apart) we have now.

 

If we hadn't have sold Bellamy we wouldn't have bought Torres.

[Frosty Jack]

I lost count of the number of times I said last season when we scraped results or dropped points when playing Lucas and Masch.

 

please list the instances last season that they played together, and what the score was.

there's more to this.

[Earl Hafler]

If we hadn't have sold Bellamy we wouldn't have bought Torres.

 

If we hadn't signed Babel we could have.

[Maldini]

If we hadn't signed Babel we could have.

 

We needed a LM, we just signed the wrong one.

[Earl Hafler]

We needed a LM, we just signed the wrong one.

 

Aye, just saying that we didn't sell Bellamy just so we could sign Torres.

[Metro]

Hasn't anyone noticed that a lot of the goals we are letting in are coming from the flanks? Johnson is a suspect defender and Insua hasn't exactly set the place alight. On top of this I remember early in the season Johnson was making foray after foray down the wing and creating all kinds of confusion. Now you see him doing it just once or twice a match, if that. Is he playing to orders?

We have no threat up front. Quite often we play with one striker with the result that the ball rebounds back via the opposition and our defence gets under pressure again. I found it incomprehensible this afternoon how a defence who has let in so many goals was able to cope with Torres quite comfortably most of the time. The nearest we came to a goal was via a fluke. And now it will get worse. Mascherano is out for four matches so who have we got for midfield to cover the centre backs? Lucas and no other.

[Frosty Jack]

Mascherano is out for four matches so who have we got for midfield to cover the centre backs? Lucas and no other.

 

Aquilani might not be a bad tackler, none of us know, but at least this will force a new system, whatever it is. but as someone else said, it isn't system alone, its poor form of too many key players.

[Conrad]

I doubt we'll see much from Aquilani in the next 4 matches

[Stevie H]

We needed a LM, we just signed the wrong one.

sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes, he eats you.

[Metro]

I doubt we'll see much from Aquilani in the next 4 matches

 

 

I strongly suspect we won't see much of him for the rest of the season. Wouldn't surprise me to read next summer that he has gone back to Roma.

[stonty]

I strongly suspect we won't see much of him for the rest of the season. Wouldn't surprise me to read next summer that he has gone back to Roma.

 

 

 

Repossessed cos we default on the payments

[anfieldgaz]

I very nearly came on here ranting and raving, but I've calmed down so will try and keep this sensible and balanced.

 

Rafa no longer has my support and I think it's better he goes. Simple as that. Never in all my years of support have I seen such gutless, ordinary, insipid performances week in week out, from both the manager and players. Ultimately though, putting aside the lack of investment which has been done a million times, we still got a hell of a strong group of players that should never in a million years be regularly beaten and embaressed the way we are. The buck stops with Rafa.

 

I lost count of the number of times I said last season when we scraped results or dropped points when playing Lucas and Masch. It is so blatantly obvious its embarassing and making us a laughing stock. But you could arguably get away with it by playing quick/attack minded players in the wide positions. But to continually play Kuyt whos so out of form its untrue and then Aurelio or even Doss today its unreal. It then doesnt matter who we play, Pompey or Spurs or Villa or Chelsea, we are so easy to play against its unreal. But its the continual, repetition of these blatant selections and tactics that have sucked the life out of our team.

 

At 1-0 down today, with 10 men and playing poorly in the 2nd half, would it have been the end of the world to throw on Ngog and play 3 at the back? You dont get points for losing 1-0, just go for it for gods sake. But you just know, never in a million years its going to happen.

 

Decent players are getting the life and flair sucked out of them. Continued favouratism to poor players and tactics has driven me to the edge and today has broken the camels back. I do actually think he's a very good manager, but has taken us as far as he can and we're now going backwards. He's totally lost sight of the spirit of football and has been blinded by his own tactics, statistic and stubborness. People are worried about who would replace him, but being 100% honest I think I could name a dozen managers without even blinking who could get better out of the players than we're currently getting. Maybe they won't be the answer long term but its a sad fact that the game is now up for Rafa.

 

I'm genuinely gutted for him as he clearley loves us and things could have been so different, but I can't bear what I'm seeing anymore. We need someone with a fresh outlook. I'd rather lose 3-0 having a right go at a team for 90 minutes that what we've witnessed today, but you know what I wasn't even surprised, and thats the damning fact.

 

An absolute superb well balanced post.......... i think if we are all honest wed all agree with it!!