The OFFICIAL Liverpool FC thread - Arne to Slot right in?

[charlie stubbs]

terrible performance today.gerrard really hasnt been at it this season imo.  poor defending for both goals.insua appears to be a complete liability.selection of dossena bewildering to say the least when babel and benny sitting on the bench.  dont think making changes mid season the way forward but im really starting to lose faith. cant see us stringing a run together at the min.  has rafa lost the dressing room?

thought would beat wigan,pompey and wolves then big game v villa and spuds these games are now absolutely massive

[Norf Tyrone]

Is Rafa cracking up? Is this Lpool's escape clause?

Bentez: "I have seen the replay and for me it is not a sending-off, but anyway the referee was perfect. He didn't make any mistakes. Now Javier is injured, and I will say again the referee didn't make any mistake."

Press: "We don't understand? You say the referee didn't make a mistake?"

Bentez: "No he was perfect. Perfect. He was perfect."

Press: "So why was it not a sending-off?"

Bentez: "I have seen the replay, for me it's not a sending-off, but anyway. Perfect."

Press: "Was there any particular reason why players like Gerrard or Torres couldn't get it together and perform?"

Bentez: "No, the referee was perfect so Torres, he didn't have any problems."

Press: "You were a goal down before the sending-off, the average observer wouldn't say you were controlling the game at half-time. Why do you say it turned the game when you were a goal down already?"

Bentez: "If you see we created a couple of chances and we have plenty of possession in the first half I was convinced we could change the game."

Press: "Can you just explain what you said about the referee?"

Bentez: "Perfect. No mistakes."

Press: "But you say he made a mistake with the sending-off."

Bentez: "Perfect."

Press: "Don't you think Torres was fortunate to escape being penalised for that elbow?"

Bentez: "The referee was perfect."

[Tony Baloney]

Gone by March. He can't lose as he'll get a big pay day and some mugs in Spain will give him a job.

[charlie stubbs]

Is Rafa cracking up? Is this Lpool's escape clause?

Bentez: "I have seen the replay and for me it is not a sending-off, but anyway the referee was perfect. He didn't make any mistakes. Now Javier is injured, and I will say again the referee didn't make any mistake."

Press: "We don't understand? You say the referee didn't make a mistake?"

Bentez: "No he was perfect. Perfect. He was perfect."

Press: "So why was it not a sending-off?"

Bentez: "I have seen the replay, for me it's not a sending-off, but anyway. Perfect."

Press: "Was there any particular reason why players like Gerrard or Torres couldn't get it together and perform?"

Bentez: "No, the referee was perfect so Torres, he didn't have any problems."

Press: "You were a goal down before the sending-off, the average observer wouldn't say you were controlling the game at half-time. Why do you say it turned the game when you were a goal down already?"

Bentez: "If you see we created a couple of chances and we have plenty of possession in the first half I was convinced we could change the game."

Press: "Can you just explain what you said about the referee?"

Bentez: "Perfect. No mistakes."

Press: "But you say he made a mistake with the sending-off."

Bentez: "Perfect."

Press: "Don't you think Torres was fortunate to escape being penalised for that elbow?"

Bentez: "The referee was perfect."

a fan of rafa but really trying my patience with these inept performances and ridiculous press conferences.  no leadership no fight.did the referee select a left back to play on the wing?did the referee continue to select insua when he has been awful?did the referee leave natural wide platyers in babel and benny on the bench?1st stupidly guarantees 4th place(look what happened last year after stupid rant) adding extra pressure to a team with no confidence.  then does a contradictary press conference blaming the ref for everyting.  think it was a harsh sending off.  liverpool owned the ball for 30 mins and could barely make a chance not refs fault

[under the bar]

wtf was that interview about??  Looks like a man who should be a in a straight jacket!

[Doogie Browser]

I had Glen Johnson in my Fantasy Football side but I didn't get any points for his assist on saturday 

[nifan]

Insua is a very good young player who is being played far too much.

Even United losing and Chelsea drawing doesnt matter much - Villa, Spurs and Arse all winning more damaging I reckon.

[brokencrossbar1]

This season gets more and more depressing as time goes on.  After feeling a bit optimistic last week, the whole thing seems like it is a shambles.  The whole thing has been fcuked over by players, manager and owners and they all must take responsibility.  As it stands liverpool could finish 9th or 10th as the are playing so poor, Rafa hasn't just lost the dressing room he has lost all grasp of reality!  Selection decisons are baffling and to me the players don't look in good shape, the touch is off and they seem slow on their feet.  This could be a confidence issue but it could also reflect the training that is going on.  Coupled with the injuries and a lack of leadership on and off the field I can't see ant prospect of things getting better. 

If I had control of things I would bide my time with Rafa until the Chelsea Inter games are played in the CL.  I reckon Chelsea will beat Inter and that will put real pressure on Mourinho as the CL is all that Moratti wants at this stage.  A push here and a shove there and Morinho would be the ideal replacement for Rafa.  He may have a huge ego but he is a fine coach and could bring the best out of this team in my view.  the reality is that they are not bad players but sometimes they need to hear that from someone else and I reckon the Special one would jump at the chance to work with Gerard and Torres. 

[Billys Boots]

Morinho would be the ideal replacement for Rafa

Not Hiddink??

[brokencrossbar1]

Morinho would be the ideal replacement for Rafa

Not Hiddink??

He would be ideal given that the Ruskies are not going to South Africa and he has time on his hands.  the problem is that the Russian Mafia, sorry, Roam owns him and he is basically his bitch!  If he could be pulled away from his role in Chelsea and Russia then yes, he would be ideal too.

[Billys Boots]

I have a feeling that Gazprom have lost the loving feeling with poor oul Guus - he's notorious for being 'soft' with players, and I've heard that the Russian squad were on the piss between the first and second leg of the qualifiers.  I think Hiddink could do a good job at Anfield - he's a football man.

Mourinho, on the other hand, would spend his day trying to wind up the Kop - it would have massive entertainment value, but could kill the club.

[mackers]

Can Liverpool afford to pay off Rafa and employ either Hiddink or Mourinho?? There's only one answer there I'm afraid.

Always was a Rafa fan but his actions are getting harder to defend, N'gog should've partnered Torres, and if he has to keep playing a left back on the wing to cover Insua we have WAY too many defenders on the pitch against bottom teams in the league.......I thought he learnt his lesson on this at the end of last season.

[brokencrossbar1]

Can Liverpool afford to pay off Rafa and employ either Hiddink or Mourinho?? There's only one answer there I'm afraid.

Always was a Rafa fan but his actions are getting harder to defend, N'gog should've partnered Torres, and if he has to keep playing a left back on the wing to cover Insua we have WAY too many defenders on the pitch against bottom teams in the league.......I thought he learnt his lesson on this at the end of last season.

I would be a Rafa fan too but for the sake of the club something has to give.  The Yanks have money intheir pockets from the sale of their Ice Hockey teams, at the minute they are owners of an asset that is depreciating in value each week.  £15m might seem like small change if they lose £50m in the value of their asset and the club doesn't qualify for next seasons CL.  If, as Boots says, Hiddink is out of favour with the Ruskie tehn I would beat the door down and offer him a short term contract to the end of the season, give him the incentive that if they qualify for for CL that he will get a contract for say 5 years on x amount of money and I'd say you would see things improving under him.  Look what he did with Chelsea last season, and as I said above the players have not become bad players over night and as Armagh, Kerry and Tyrone showed the new manager effect works wonders

[stevo-08]

Morinho would be the ideal replacement for Rafa

Not Hiddink??

He would be ideal given that the Ruskies are not going to South Africa and he has time on his hands.  the problem is that the Russian Mafia, sorry, Roam owns him and he is basically his bitch!  If he could be pulled away from his role in Chelsea and Russia then yes, he would be ideal too.

I reckon the problem is that no decent manager would want anything to do with the Liverpool job so I'd doubt very much if jose or hiddink will be coming. The club is on the verge of going bankrupt, and it's run by a pair of gobshites who dont speak to each other. There'll be plenty of job offers for the special one, hiddink, etc to consider ahead of the Liverpool post.

I've always been a rafa fan even though some of his decsions have been frustrating, to say the least. But after 18 games in PL this season, the results have just been appalling, and the manager has to take responsibility for that. Yes they've been absolutely plagued with injuries, but even still, it's no excuse for the performances which have been as bad as I've ever seen. The defence is just ridiculous, kuyt is gone backwards, benny seems to have lost his appetite and gerrard & torres just seem fed up. The players have to accept alot of the blame, but it all reflects poorly on rafa.

I still think the owners should persist with Rafa until the end of the season before getting rid of him (or by some miracle he resigns). Of course the big risk is that Liverpool finish outside the top 4 - Torres would be gone in a heartbeat, and you'd be lucky to get Steve Staunton to manage the team.

[Doogie Browser]

If Torres would be 'gone in a heartbeat' if you fail to qualify for the CL does that not nail the myth then that he is a dyed-in-the-wool Pool fan?