The OFFICIAL Liverpool Supporters thread

[EC Unique]

Any of yee read the Sunday World yesterday? Rafa got a serious touch

[bingobus]

Any of yee read the Sunday World yesterday? Rafa got a serious touch

Roy Curtis has been on Rafa's back since day one. A joke of a journalist. Heis argument was very poor, basically saying that the CL success counts for little on the basis that any team in a cup competition can have its day, he backed this up by saying Greece have won the Euro's and that Millwall, West Ham, Portsmouth, Cardiff have all receached the FA cup final in recent years. These are once off runs for these teams, Liverpool have been in the last 4 of the CL on 3 occassions under Rafa. Hardly comparably to a cup run in a competition where a lot of the bigger teams don't take too serious.

[Over the Bar]

Benitez also won the CL with another man's team which he inherited.  He can't take too much credit esp given his ineptitude in the transfer market since then.

[Hound]

Benitez also won the CL with another man's team which he inherited.  He can't take too much credit esp given his ineptitude in the transfer market since then.

...apart from Torres, Mascherano, Skrtel and Reina of course

[Over the Bar]

Benitez also won the CL with another man's team which he inherited.  He can't take too much credit esp given his ineptitude in the transfer market since then.

...apart from Torres, Mascherano, Skrtel and Reina of course

Granted but Torres & Mascherano's quality were never in doubt even before they joined Livepool. 

[Hound]

Benitez also won the CL with another man's team which he inherited.  He can't take too much credit esp given his ineptitude in the transfer market since then.

...apart from Torres, Mascherano, Skrtel and Reina of course

Granted but Torres & Mascherano's quality were never in doubt even before they joined Livepool. 

While most of us jumped up and down when Torres signed, there were lots of people who had misgivings about him, that he was only suited to be a big man at a (relatively) small club and he couldnt do it in big games (in particular a reputation of always playing poorly v Real Madrid). And (bizarrely) Mascho couldnt get his game at West Ham!!

[under the bar]

While most of us jumped up and down when Torres signed, there were lots of people who had misgivings about him

Don't worry about it.  Every team has them!

[full back]

While most of us jumped up and down when Torres signed, there were lots of people who had misgivings about him, that he was only suited to be a big man at a (relatively) small club

Sure he still is 

[Mentalman]

While most of us jumped up and down when Torres signed, there were lots of people who had misgivings about him, that he was only suited to be a big man at a (relatively) small club

Sure he still is 

Scorch! Pow!

[Hound]

Rafa on the LFC website:

"I don't have any problem with the pressure. But if people analyse the situation properly, it's changed a lot because other teams are signing big players."
 
He added: "I'm surprised by some things people have said. When I spent a lot of money on Torres, he couldn't play for a couple of games because he was injured, but everybody was telling me he had to play because I'd spent so much on him.
 
"But then there was a game of United's, where they had Hargreaves, Nani and Tevez on the bench, players who had cost £20m and maybe £30m, and nobody said anything.
 
"At Liverpool, though, if I leave a Torres or a Keane out, then everybody talks about it.
 
"If I put a player in another position, suddenly 20 experts are going on about it. Experts of what, though? I don't know.
 
"They are analysing things without knowing why they have been done. And then another team can have a bench full of £20million players, and nobody says anything."

Is this a hint that Robbie Keane is going to be dropped shortly...

[AZOffaly]

He also spectacularly misses the point. If other teams have a 20 million pound man on the bench, he's either injured or being replaced by a 25 million pound man. Not by Dirk Kuyt or Yossi Benayoun.

[Mentalman]

He also spectacularly misses the point. If other teams have a 20 million pound man on the bench, he's either injured or being replaced by a 25 million pound man. Not by Dirk Kuyt or Yossi Benayoun.

Very True.

[Uladh]

Sami Hyypia has spoken of his disappointment at being omitted from Liverpool's UEFA Champions League squad.


New regulations dictate that clubs must include at least eight home-grown players in their 25-man party.


Finnish defender Hyypia has been one of the unlucky imports to miss out and will be left in England as the Reds get their European campaign underway against Marseille next Tuesday.


The veteran centre-half admits he is shocked to have missed the cut, but still hopes to play a crucial role for the club this season.


"The manager's decision to leave me out of the squad is a big disappointment for me," he told the Liverpool Echo.


"I understand it's partly because of the UEFA regulations, but despite that, the news came as a surprise to me and a shock too.


"But the club had a 'perfect' timing for this: they didn't want me to move elsewhere, so that's why I was told the news of having been left out, just after the transfer window had closed.


"The club went public to say there had been offers for me, but turned them down. So perhaps that means I am still part of the plans for this season.


"I don't know if I would have wanted to move on, had I heard the news about the squad when the window was still open."


UEFA regulations stipulate four players must be 'association trained' (produced by an English academy) while four must be 'domestic association trained (produced by the club's academy).


As such, Liverpool have named Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard, Jay Spearing and Stephen Darby as their 'domestic' players, with Robbie Keane, Jermaine Pennant, Steven Irwin and Martin Kelly filling the other spots.


While Hyypia is disappointed to miss out at this juncture, a new list will be submitted prior to the knockout stages - should Liverpool make it that far.

[corn02]

No Plessi or El Zhar either. Feel sorry for Sami - hopefully will be back for the quarters if we get there.

[slow corner back]

How is this ruling affecting the other english clubs? I cannot see Chelsea or Arsenal having too many home grown acadamy products in the top 25? Must be a few other high profile players left out.