21 Dec 2009

Baby steps to success? Why LIVERPOOL fans should put up with the current heartbreak...

On Boxing Day, Liverpool reach the halfway point in the season with a ‘make or break’ game against Wolves. The club’s fans have endured a torrid season so far with nothing but small victories to cheer, and great wins against Man United and Everton overshadowed by points subsequently being dropped . It’s fair to say that we’ve all felt the pain, and many are at the end of their tether…but all is not lost, argues CHRIS SEVERS.

I’ve thought long and hard on the problems at Liverpool this season and I refuse to buy into the simple answers of Xabi Alonso and Rafa Benitez. Having no luck is also no real excuse, you make your own luck in this game and Liverpool simply haven’t been doing it.

The problems stem from the top and they’ve dripped down into every nook and cranny, multiplying and spreading like a disease. It needs to stop, and Boxing Day can be the day to stop the rot and turn it around, but only if we really want it to.

Xabi Alonso?

Firstly, Xabi Alonso’s absence is not the reason we’re sitting on 27 points, 13 behind Chelsea at Christmas. That’s far too simplistic and simply cannot be true. People have strange memories, and the way Xabi’s name is banded about after a defeat you would be questioning yourself as to whether Liverpool actually won the league with Alonso or not.

Xabi Alonso is a fantastic player and had 2 great seasons with us, but also 2 very averages ones. With Alonso in the team we were solid, but still dropped points regularly, most notably at home to so-called lesser teams.

Of course during that period we were allegedly a 2 man team consisting of Gerrard and Torres. Now when we’re defeated it’s revealed to us that we were actually an all conquering 3 man team, Alonso included.

It’s impossible to make a case against the all powerful spin machine of the gutter press and the knee-jerk know-it-all’s of Sky’s punditry but the least I can do is try and provoke some common sense where it might be wavering.

The so-called 'Rafa Benitez problem'

Secondly - the Rafael Benitez problem. The man has found his time in England marred by controversy, huge highs, tragic lows and most of all a bucket load of indifference. His closed mannerisms and bullish attitude rub a lot of people up the wrong way.

He’s not very quotable so the media don’t feel the need to keep him sweet, and he doesn’t appear to be a man of the people so the fans don’t feel much attachment to him. It seems that he’s found himself very much a maverick in England. Constantly second guessed, regularly derided and criticised, he’s been fighting an uphill battle from day one. This season though has found Rafa facing his toughest challenges yet.

Missing out once again on first choice target Gareth Barry, and forced to sell to buy, Rafa found himself taking a gamble on Alberto Aquilani. After being advised by the medical team that Aquilani would be fit by October, this quickly became re-adjusted week by week, so much so that even now the Italian playmaker is just beginning to be eased in.

I’m sure that Rafa’s grand plan for the season didn’t involve an injury crisis, but these kinds of events should also be anticipated. We should also remember that Liverpool had lost 2 of their opening 3 games to the top 4 hopefuls of Tottenham and Aston Villa while we had our 1st team playing (barring Aquilani) so it’s evident that the problems where there before the injuries started.

Alonso is missed sure, but his absence isn’t the problem now. Maybe in those opening games the team missed Alonso’s reassurance, but the players on that pitch are men and should be able to step up and walk through the wall for the club if needed.

Team full of leaders


We’ve found ourselves in a snowball of confidence draining depression. When Arsenal scored their equaliser last week, I’ve never seen confidence drain so quickly from a team. Motivation shouldn’t really be lacking in a team full of leaders.

We have a team consisting of a few national team captains such as Benayoun and Mascherano, not to mention Gerrard, and leaders behind the scenes; Carragher, Reina and Torres all have the potential to be inspirational on or off the pitch. These are the players that need to stand up and be counted.

We then have the problem of players who seem to have lost the fire. Babel has faded to black, clearly wanting out and more and more evidently not good enough to hold down a first team spot.

Albert Riera has looked disinterested all season; short spells in the team have seen him spend half of his time on the floor and the other half standing with his hands on his hips. I would be in favour of Rafa shipping both of them out in January or at most this summer.

Lucas and Kuyt: unfair criticism?

Two players who I believe have come in for harsh criticism are Kuyt and Lucas. Kuyt’s form has dropped this season, but of course so has the whole teams. Last year Kuyt was the most affective wide player in the league with goals and assists (depending whether or not you count Ronaldo). This season he has looked slow, but he doesn’t shy away, he seeks the ball and tries to make things happen. I find it unfair to see players like that criticized so harshly.

The second player unfairly critcized is Lucas. My problem is that the criticism of both Lucas and Kuyt is not constructive at all. Shouts of “He’s not fit to wear the shirt” are ridiculous, and seem to be fueled with a mix of alcohol and ignorance on most occasions.

I feel Lucas has improved greatly this year, putting in a few excellent performances along the way and not shying away from the ball. Evidence of this is backed up by Opta stats which place Lucas in the top 5 in the Premier League for both successful tackles and completed passes.

It should also be noted that Javier Mascherano is in both lists. It frustrates me to see players criticized when they are actually putting in the effort.

David Ngog

This brings me onto David Ngog. I nearly dropped my pint glass when I heard a conversation in The Pilgrim pipe up about why we never signed Michael Owen. Why on Earth should we pay him to wear the shirt after he forced a transfer out?

Ngog has been fantastic for us this season. Outscoring Owen in the league, and achieving a better goals-to-game ratio than him in all competitions, even after the former reds hat-trick in Wolfsburg. Our problems this season I feel haven’t stemmed from a lack of goals, but a lack of a settled defence.

The over analysis and hysterical reporting of our set-piece defending for example seems to have seeped through to the team, affecting confidence at the back. With belief shattered at the back, the rest of the team can’t open up and express itself, knowing that we have a soft and vulnerable underbelly.

Defensive problems

I feel that is something Rafa needs to sort out first and foremost. Over the last 5 years Liverpool has been one of the tightest defenses in the league, with Pepe Reina winning 3 Golden Glove awards. If defensive problems are at the forefront of our ‘to do’ list, then I feel that we already have the right man in place to do the job.

Rafa’s transfer dealings have been the subject of much scrutiny, but the reality is that under Rafa we have had the strongest team since before Souness sunk the ship in the 90s. Year on year we have improved, until now. It looks like we’ve taken a backwards step.

However, I don’t believe this team has reached its peak. This year a league winning chance had arrived. It was accepted that all the teams chasing the title would lose more than usual, and this has been the case, although we’ve been more vulnerable than most. With a 13 point deficit and a crisis of confidence, it looks almost impossible to make up, but we must start by setting ourselves small targets.

We have seen the potential of this team; with or without Alonso we can beat anyone on our day. All the teams around us will drop points, and any team thinking their position is secured by Christmas is clearly new to the game of football.

Under Rafa’s tenure I’ve certainly seen more outrageous comebacks, this one will just be a little more drawn out. The league might have eluded us again, but we should be used to this by now; after all, it has been 20 years.

First thing’s first: get some confidence back, restore some pride, starting with Boxing Day’s match against Wolves. We’ve exactly half a season to get 8 more points than Aston Villa, and 10 more than United. Is that really so unrealistic?

Baby steps, baby steps...

Chris Severs


76 comments:

  1. I agree with nearly everything you've said, although i'm still not totally convinced by Lucas, i still feel that his performances may only be looking better because of everyone else lacking in performance, but i'm willing to wait.
    The blame now-a-days always seems to lay with the manager, and i can't see much that Rafa did wrong with the team he put out for the match at Pompey.  I think the players should get more of the blame (i'm not saying Rafa's not at fault for everything that's happened this year), no-one's looking interested, Gerrard clearly isn't leading as a captain should and we've got a team of 11 FULL internationals we should be breezing past teams not contending european football no matter what tatics the manager chooses to play.

    P.S.
    <span>"Kuyt was the most affective wide player" - it's effective...
    </span>

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  2. This is pathetic. The problems begin and end with Rafa. I've been of the view that we should leave him to get us through this tough period, but the performances and decision making against Everton (result hid a dire performance), Arsenal and Pompey have convinced me that the only baby steps we're taking are rapidly backwards.

    There isn't even a hint that he's doing the right things. Conservative, scared, gutless decisions to play an uber defensive midfield against the poorest team in the league, and in every game really, reaped the reward they deserved.

    If his approach doesn't convince you then maybe the 8 points we're behind fourth spot (don't even mention top) might? And that's with a trip to Villa looming large on the horizon.

    Go now Rafa, for the sake of the club you claim to love.

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  3. we have to play this team in the next game vs wolves, be ruthless!
    Reina
    Johnson Agger Carragher Aurelio
    Benayoun Gerrard Aquilani Riera/Babel
                   Kuyt Torres
    OR:
    Reina
    Johnson Agger Carragher Aurelio
                       Lucas
    Gerrard        Aquilani       Babel/Riera
                    Benayoun
                   Torres

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  4. O how I love fickle fans (this is targeted at the previous guest quote).

    How come fans change thier opinions more frequently then they wipe thier arses.
    A brief look at what I mean:
    - Benetiz when he arrived at liverpool the fans were very excited seeing his track record at valencia....(Put all of a sudden he became mr rotator) well if you followed his record he was always a rotator.
    - Benetiz plays with two defensive midfielders (well he played with two with valencia also).....
    - Benetiz signs morientas (fans what a world class signing) - he flops (fans benetiz fault) when we all wanted liverpool to sign him...
    - Crouch when we signed him and his first 11 matches (fans what have we signed) when he was sold (fans why have we sold him)
    - Mascherano and Alonso in centre (fans why need two defensive midfielders) then towards end of last season (we found the perfect balance with mascherano, alonso and gerrard just infront).
    - Babbel needs to be given a chance and afterwards when performance is not good babbel is crap should be sold.
    - Benyoun when signed is a average player now the fans boo when he is subsituted.
    This is just a few of many points I can make...

    All i m saying my fickle liverpool fans think before you talk.....If we win majority of our next ten games and your going to change your view then better not talk now....
    just like your view last season was different to this season.

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  5. You mention 8 more than Villa and 10 more than United - I suspect those teams are targets that both City and Spurs have as well - In short I think we need around 68pts to ensure 4th given the charge Villa and Spurs have on which means we need another 41pts from 20 games. That's 2 pts a game territory which is almost league winning form. Not likely given the current performances. Equally you say build confidence from the Wolves game - we should have done that with Wigan but yet again we didn't. After Wolves comes Villa away - along with Spurs at home, City away without doubt our most crucial set of games ! The time for baby steps are gone we need some giants out there.

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  6. Ruthless?? I would be surprised if any of these - Benayoun, Riera, Babel, Aquilani start. Rafa would rather play with a Mascherano on one leg than use any creative players. Perhaps they are all not fully fit, but that still doesn't negate the fact that Rafa hardly used them when they were fit and some of them (wait! all of them at some point) openly complaining about not getting chances as opposed to Kuyt and Lucas. I am not questioning the stats, I am sure all the above players would have better stats if given equal opportunity and backing.

    Under Rafa, we were never a creative/attacking force (don't give me that stat attack on no. of goals scored last season. Yeah, we scored a lot but that was when we were chasing, rather than when we were leading the title race. Rafa got defensive, as always and the result was 13-odd draws), so defending was one thing we used to do well, it seems that even that ain't working this time around.

    So we are left with a team full of defensive players and joke of a manager who gives these ridiculous press conferences and blames everyone else other than himself for this rubbish-brand of football we are playing. Last I heard, he was blaming the "perfect" referee, before that the owners and before that  - failure to get hold of Barry who'd complete his system in which Keane would fit. Wow! what a Jacka$$!

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  7. Ruthless?? I would be surprised if any of these - Benayoun, Riera, Babel, Aquilani start. Rafa would rather play with a Mascherano on one leg than use any creative players. Perhaps they are all not fully fit, but that still doesn't negate the fact that Rafa hardly used them when they were fit and some of them (wait! all of them at some point) openly complaining about not getting chances as opposed to Kuyt and Lucas. I am not questioning the stats, I am sure all the above players would have better stats if given equal opportunity and backing.

    Under Rafa, we were never a creative/attacking force (don't give me that stat attack on no. of goals scored last season. Yeah, we scored a lot but that was when we were chasing, rather than when we were leading the title race. Rafa got defensive, as always and the result was 13-odd draws), so defending was one thing we used to do well, it seems that even that ain't working this time around.

    So we are left with a team full of defensive players and joke of a manager who gives these ridiculous press conferences and blames everyone else other than himself for this rubbish-brand of football we are playing. Last I heard, he was blaming the "perfect" referee, before that the owners and before that  - failure to get hold of Barry who'd complete his system in which Keane would fit. Wow! what a Jacka$$!!

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  8. This is the best article I have read on this site or many other sites I visit concerning Liverpool.
    I think all the fans like myself are frustrated and when you feel like that you want to point a finger at someone. so we sort of doing it without thinking that our action actually could cause more problem for the club we love.
    what s the point of scaking Benitez at the middle of the season, I really dont see any good coming from that.
    one thing I slightly disagree with you is about Alonso. I do think we missed his passing ability from defensive position, his contribution in defending corners and free kicks(as he is good in air and has organistional skills) and his leadership, last season in many games when things were not going well, could hear him and Carragher shouting instruction to players, I also understand in the dressing room he had the biggest influence on spansih players.
    I agree your points on Kuyt and lUcas and also totally agree with oyu about Owen coming back to liverpool.Lucas has done well however the combination of him and Maschrano in midfield had been a failure but as you said calling him for everything and giving him abuse is silly. another issue is, we keep saying get Aquilani in, I really dont think he is ready, I think the solution to Liverpool at this stage is, fist move Gerrad deeper and play Yossi in front of him and second give Pacheco a chance. Il ived In Barcelona and still have ocntact with friends and they all have been telling me he is a top top star. I also hope we try Johnson in the right midfield for few games, for me his defensive qualities are not great but he can be more feective in that postion.
      I just want to thank you examine things in Liverpool without letting your frustration influence your judgment.  

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  9. my main concern at the moment is that although i really appreciate everything Rafa has done so far, and dont think he has been as bad this season as people make out (i largely blame the players), i am now questioning whether he is the right man for the short-term.  If we could scrap this season, Take 4th and have money in the Summer i would be delighted for Rafa to stay and go again next year.  Unfortunately, we cant.  so how long do we continue down this slippery path, knowing the end result could well be disasterous?

    I was not in favour of making a quick fix when things were not going well early in the season, but we have played 1/2 the season now, out of 3 competitions and no sign of improvement.  Can rafa turn the dooma nd gloom surrounding Liverpool or would a change in manager see a change in fortune and in form that accompanies most maagerial changes.

    I would prpose seeing if the situation changes in the next 3 games, and if not, then replace Rafa with Kenny Dalglish until the Summer when all efforts should be made to secure Mourinho (if not sooner shoudl they crash out of Europe).

    as i say, i have fully suported Rafa throughout his time, but we are very close to the time where you ahve to say he is not the man to change the fortunes of the club this season.

    thoughts?

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  10. Great Article...LETS ALL GET BEHIND THE TEAM AND MANAGER! We will always be a great club...its time to show why! YNWA

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  11. Yes. We can excuse Benitez how much we want. The problem is that it wont help. There is a gravity in this that cant be stopped. The manager could be a genius, but 4 wins in 17 matches does something with a club, the fans, players, staff, owners. Something happens with the trust. Something happens with the faith. Just think about this; the only thing that could save the manager (and the season) is LFC winning every remaining game, winning EL and finnishing second/third in the leauge. A couple of years ago many of us might think that was possibe. Now, deep down, we know it wont happen. Cause we dont have the trust or faith anymore.  That is why he has to go. We still love him, but we dont trust him.

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  12. what were the "baby steps" to success?? 

    I see a list of perceived problems, but I would've thought the 'baby steps' would've been signs that you see the club is moving forward, not just a list of why the commonly stated problems are unfair?

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  13. I agree with most of it. And in my opinion at first the players are to blame. I never thought, i would ever say this, but the most underperforming players are Gerrard, Benayoun and Riera (and of course Babel)! Gerrard is playing as worse as he never did before. Plus he doesn't look like he is giving erverything on the pitch. Don't know why but that's not what we need right now! Probably give him a break!

    For me, we should keep Benitez, try to get some money from the sales of Babel, Dossena, Degen and Voronin! If we get 10m £ from them, invest it in Van der Vaart, he would be the player we need: excellent freekicks, can play on the left, right or centre of midfield or as a second striker! Then put Gerrard back in midfield.

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  14. Agab - I think that fans were most optmistic because of the way Rafa's Valencia had played us off the park, with skill, pace and passing, not just because of his track record.  We thought that that's what we had to look forward to in years to come.

    Unfortunately 6 years later, after watching a midfield four of Dossena, Lucas, Mascherano & Kuyt we feel no closer to that type of football than when he arrived (and I do remember the dross that Houllier used to put out, with him even regularly using Heskey on the left wing!)

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  15. if Ronaldo is excluded from the discussion of productive midfielders, why is Kuyt, a career striker, included?

    I look at what I see happening on the pitch, not just merely depend on stats to judge a players performance, and from right midfield Kuyt does NOT make things happen - he merely lays the ball back off to the defence or plays a 1-2 pass 6ft in the air.  He does however have a knack for popping up for tap-in rebounds; maybe because he is naturally a striker!

    Lucas on the other hand has very good passing stats because he just plays it safe at all times and does not advance into dangerous positions where the opposition will put pressure on him to make quick decisions with the ball - that does not make him one of the best passers in the league!

    Forget baby steps, that just takes us back to where we were seasons ago; the team needs a new overall approach, which comes from the manager

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  16. We need to change to a 4-4-2 formation, Drop Gerrard back alongside Lucas or Aquilani and play Yossi or Ngog alonside Torres. Drop Kuyt for now cos he is lacking. Kuyt's work rate is superb but his control is poor and he doesn't have any pace. Lucas has improved greatly this year but still only a bench player. Maybe play Johnson wide right and Kelly or Degen a right back which would give us so much more pace in the team.

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  17. We have been waiting SIX seasons to see the fruit of Benitez's work. We were patient and haven't won anything in three years. We believed in Rafa and gave him more fan support than Whiskey nose gets at Old Trafford.

    And the more power and support Rafa Benitez got, the crazier he got. We play dour football, we don't win trophies and we  listen to an endless list of excuses.

    No, enough is enough. We are loyal but we are not stupid. Rafa will never win a Premier League title at Anfield. This is patently obvious now to most Liverpool fans. He must be replaced in June.

    We need attacking football and creativity at Anfield. Frank Rijkaard, formerly of Barcelona, is the man for the job. No more dour football, no more Houllier and Benitez negativity. 

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  18. What a load of crap

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  19. Agree in that we have not had a settled defence, but have had 3 additions to the back four, Agger is the first, hardly played last year. Then we have Insua and Johnson. Insua looks inexperianced and Johnson still needs to settle in. Agger does not seem to be his assuring self, only one with credit is Carra, as expected.

    Midfield, no issues even with Lucas, giving his best and improving cannot ask for more and the same with the rest except for Babbel, Reira, both non-existent.

    As for Gerrard, seems to complain most of the time at the Ref like torres. Get stuck in the game rather than complaining at the Ref.......

    Ngogg- Fantastic, so far best player bar carra at moment.....

    Gerrard needs to play like we know he can...we are back to playing through the middle, lack of width even Kuyt is not providing this and we know Yossi prefers to cut in. Feel the lack of width is the issue. Get Babel on the right and Reira on the left open up th emiddle for Torres. Only option at moment.

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  20. Thanks for the spelling tip.

    Jay - I didn't include Ronaldo as he used to play wherever he felt like. His contribution obviously was far greater than Kuyts but if anything Kuyt and Ronaldo had switched roles since their arrival in England with the latter becoming a striker.

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  21. Results speak for themselves- yes i will watch every game in hope but my main concern is how demotivated the players look including Gerrard. Do the players really give there all for Benitez- i get a sick feeling they dont which indicates a lack of trust in his gameplans, formations & negative style of football. Can they comeback- i have not given up & will be cheering their run home. Personally- i dont think Rafa is the man for the job & watching the players body language on the pich emphasises this. Do i hate Rafa- no-he is part of my team but obviously his days appear numbered. I hope fellow Liverpool supporters do not take insult on my honest insight -like everyone else its just my  opinion & this great club needs hard honest answers to go foward.

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  22. Isn't the hint he's been doing the right things evident over the last 5 years and not the last 5 months?

    The signing of Aquilani really shows us that Rafa wanted to have a more attacking team this season, as it was common knowledge that all we needed to do was turn our home draws into wins. Injury has clearly forced his decisions.

    If we were playing at our best and still losing then I'd be worried and think about a change of manager. We're massively underperforming though and every team Rafa has put out should be good enough to win their games.

    I just feel that players like Gerrard need to show why they're leaders.

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  23. Baby steps -

    Beat Wolves -

    Beat Villa (Or maybe even an encouraging display and a point would help)

    Get to January - Wheel and deal and bring in someone who could boost the team

    Get rid of some of the detracters, i.e. Babel and Riera. If we could get over £10m for both of them I would be happy.

    'Baby steps' refers to us just thinking about a fresh start and setting small targets and building from there.

    I'm not Rafa and haven't even a fraction of the knowledge he has on football or the workings of the team, but as I've pointed out it seems defensive confidence is the problem that must be adressed first.

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  24. <span>The players are to blame? All of the players besides Carra & Stevie were signed by Benitez. They didnt ask to come to the club. They dont ask to be on the team sheet. The dont choose the formation and tactics and make the subs. Who is the man that needs to motivate these players? Saying that Gerrard is underperforming? I think he is finally sick and tired of having to bail Liverpool out. Come tell me if Lucas is any better than Babel. Babel is a striker that has been converted into a winger by Benitez. Obviously that is not the position for him but Benitez persist with him being there and mainly gets used as a sub and in return looks average but is always in the Netherlands lineup. Lets lay all the blame on the Owners, players, the FA, the Refs, and the supporters that dont want to get behind Benitez. What should we hold Benitez accountable for then?      </span>

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  25. I'm sorry to break it to you but support doesn't really count for much in a title race. It's all about money and that's why the biggest spenders win the league.

    Frank Rijkaard is absolutely not the answer to Liverpool's problems. He's tactically naive, and would cause even more trouble with the owners than Benitez. Didn't Liverpool knock Rijkaard's Barcelona out've the Champions League a couple of years back?

    The owners would only employ a manager who they could have control of. I doubt that would be Rijkaard.

    If Benitez was to go in the summer which I am against, the only man I'd be happy to see come in would be Guus Hiddink. I doubt we could afford him though.

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  26. oh ok - win every game and sell players 2 of our genuine wide men with the hope that someone else is letting quality players go for even cheaper in January..  Got it

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  27. I think the term 5 months not 5 years is the comment which struck me the most.
    Rafa has been given 5 years and we havent achieved a great deal.  The CL Success was with GH squad and a 4-4-2 formation and then the FA Cup success was majorly GHs squad inherited.

    I think Rafa needs to go.  His tactics are all wrong, his formations now dont make any sense (why play 7 defensive minded players against the bottom club in the league) and his player choice is wrong.

    Babel has the potential to be a huge star, but he needs to be motivated, it strikes me that Rafa is quite cold hearted and expects players to just listen and learn and then adapt, but it doesnt always work out like that.

    He also has the habit of leaving players out after they have played a blinder which doesnt make sense.

    He also has this habit of picking players who dont offer us anything (Lucas, Dossena, Kuyt).

    Yes Lucas has had a few good games, but im pretty sure if you stuck Jay Spearing in the middle of the park he too would have good games if picked consistently.

    Dossena isnt a left winger

    Kuyt although i do love him to bits as he works hard up and down the wing, he just doesnt offer us anything.  He needs to play up front with Torres with Benayoun and Masch in the centre of midfield and Gerrard wide Right (he has the best crossing ability in the team) and on the left you can have Aurelio.

    Im not sure why he persists with Insua, yes he looks good and scored a great goal in the carling cup, but defensively he makes 5-10 mistakes a game.

    End of the rant, im a liverpool fan through and through but something has to change.. We are 8th in the league!!!!

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  28. Great Article 
    Thank you for this and keep up the excellent work 

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  29. benitez your time is up

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  30. There is no doubt Rafa has made mistakes, however this is the same team that did so well last season. Too many big name players are going missing, Gerrard has been rubbish this season, Carra, Agger and Skrtel have been poor, even Nando hasnt turned it on yet. Injuries have played a part in this but their seems to be a lack of leaders on the park?

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  31. Hi Chris, excellent article. Realistically I believe Rafa has a window of opportunity.

    The injuries are all but cleared and Aquilani is available and has looked useful from the short bursts we have seen. I think the sheer amount of pressure building means it is make or break time for Rafa. I personally, at this moment, hope that Rafa can pick up the pieces and start delivering results. He is the focal point and the guy with the responsibility and must therefore now get the tactics and formations right and his team firing on all cylinders again.

    Should he start delivering results hopefully the delirium will die down. In the mean time I just hope that every Liverpool fan gets behind him and the team!

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  32. Youre the joke if you call yourself a True Red. No better than the press.

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  33. Still dont get why you lot dont like riera, when he came on he created the goal. He has been injured most of the season and has only played 2 games..DONT sell Riera.

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  34. We have no choice but to put up with it; however, I think at the end of the season, Rafa goes.
    Xabi's absence not crucial? Are you serious?? I challenge you to watch any of the games that Xabi played in. He would always drop in the holes to prevent the pass that would split our slow defence. Remember, Javi gets a lot of press because he tackles the ball off an opponent;however, Xabi was just as effective. Often he wouldn't take the ball out right, but would force the offensive player to either halt his progress or force the player to square his ball, which is just as effective as tackling the ball away from the player. If you have played the game, you will greatly appreciate players who can halt an counter-attack to let your team get back and set up.
    Rafa not to blame? Why not? Who put Dossena out on the pitch against Portsmouth? Why did he not play Yossi or Babel?
    You say Babel and Riera want out, why wouldn't they? Regardless what they do on the pitch, they cannot get regular time. Babel scores a scorcher, his reward: bench time.
    You talk about Ngog, we had Keane and traded him back. You say Xabi is a fantastic player, but we try to replace him with the world's best square passer in Barry. Rafa cites confidence is our problem, so what does he do, side a team that is defensive in nature against the bottom dweller. That does our confidence a lot. What it says to anyone is Rafa had no confidence in his players.
    All of this falls on one person's shoulders: Rafa.  I will support Rafa this season because he is our manager; however, come the end of this season, I want him out.  In fact, I would be happy to pay a portion of my pay for moving expenses.

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  35. simple, we need quality players, I'm just sick of the semi players we have. Benitez can win a league and the CL easily with better players. He needs to sign the right players and get rid of the rubbish we have.

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  36. Wow! a sound, logical and conclusive argument. How refreshing!

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  37. Chris,
    Having gone through your past articles on 17 Nov / 1 Nov / 26 Oct, I haven't seen any NEW defenses from you on Rafa, other than keep repeating that "he has done some great things over the past 5 years / made some great comebacks before, so let's believe he could do this miracle again for the rest of this season". Yet, the FACTS are, between 26 Oct to now, (1) LFC is OUT of the ECC (vs. yet to be out) and (2) 14 points behind league leaders (vs. <10 points then). Also, LFC's 27 pts in the 1st 18 games of this season was the WORST START in Rafa's 5.5 year tenure. Yes, that's even worst than his 1st year when LFC finished 5th.  So, what POSITIVE CHANGES have you seen in Rafa from then to now for you to believe that he will, all of a sudden, lead the team to a positive direction? 
    You've made 3 NEW points in the article, but none of them could help defend (but only weaken) your arguments:
    1) You NOW believe that injuries "should also be anticipated", while on 1 Nov you believed that injuries were "unforeseen and came week in and week out". ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. Injuries could NOT explain the 14 point deficit behind the league leader today.
    2) You mentioned that Rafa acquired the injured crock (AA) when his "1st choice" Barry was gone. Spot on. May be you should check with your colleague Jamie Kanwar to explain the impact of such move on the performance this season. I am sure he could also give you a list of better alternatives Rafa should have picked instead.
    3) Lack of confidence. You've rightly brought up the question, but you forgot to provide the answer. May be let me try to do that for you: The players (esp. SG) are definitely worth the blame on this issue, but it's the manager's #1 task to instill confidence in the team. But the facial expressions  of the players in recent games tell you that the manager has NOT done enough on this. To put it another way, the players might very well have lost confidence on the team, or to be more exact, ON THE MANAGER.
    Jamie often talked about "blind faith" Rafa supporters. Looking at the lack of substance in your arguments in this article (other than "trust Rafa, he will do something good for the rest of the season despite creating the mess so far this season), you seem to be one of them.
    But I STILL credit you for sticking with your stance on Rafa (yes, a SINCERE appreciation), although it is completely opposite to the facts that are emerging. At least, you are better than LFC fans who swing their positions  from time to time. Cheers.
    I am sure you won't post my comments because of the contents involved, but I do look forward to your reply. Cheers.

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  38. Mcdonaldtaf, A leopard doesnt change his spots. Do you really think Rafa is going to change his tactics & formations? If he does then maybe things will change but I still want him out. I lost my faith in Benitez 2 seasons ago. Rafa needs a miracle to turn things around, will that miracle come round though?

    I hate seeing us in this position and would also like to see us turn the corner but we have been hearing the same thing all season and everytime the same thing is repeated it gets worse.

    Lets face it, we can argue till we are blue in the face, we will not change opinions (Pro Rafa vs Anti Rafa) and that is how it will be until there is change at LFC. 

    By the way, I answered your questions, go and have a look. I am going on holiday now so if you have any other questions I will answer them in the New year. 8-)  

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  39. Actually, the more I think about it, little steps to success is an appropriate theme. First, we start with frames on one half of Rafa's office and the his entire closet. In February, we empty out the left side of his desk. In March, the right side of his office's wall and desk. In April, remove the center drawer and guest chairs. In May, remove all furniture, save a desk and paper. Now that is success.

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  40. Mcdonaldtaf, just a reminder before I go.

    The answers are in the Martin O' Neill article...

    YNWA, not in Benitez's case though... 

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  41.  Funny stuff :-D

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  42. Totally agree, Max.  The point you keep making in various posts is a valid one: What has Benitez won since building his own team?  Whether people like it or  not, the CL - and to some extent, the FA Cup - were won using a core squad assembled by Gerard Houllier.

    I also love the double standard here when people respond to that point: the typical retort is 'It was benitez's genius that won us the CL; Houllier wouldn't have won with the same squad'.  If that's the case, what happened to Benitez's genius in the league that season?  5th pace finish with 58 points.  Genius indeed.

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  43. i think every true liverpool fan needs to get behind the players and the manager, with players confidence obviously low the groans greeted when simply a player miss places his pass does not help, the players need the fans to get right behind them and become that 12th man again and almost suck that ball into the net, these players haven't become bad over the summer and nor has Rafa, back to back wins starting with wolves and villa will help these are must wins games simple as, and although everyone knows Rafa is a little negative the injuries haven't helped, the back end of last season was the best attacking football we have seen from liverpool for many years, but you can only do that with a balanced team and confidence, i think reira on the left gave us this balance and is underrated big time Stevie G needs to pull his finger out like everyone else in the team when playing for liverpool it should be honour, yes this season has been a disaster but the only way we are going to get out of this mess is to stick together, changing the manager as far as i am concerned is not an option, there is no guarantee a new man will come in  and do well look what souness did !!! the yanks need to give him real money if you pay peanuts you get monkeys, we all know liverpool with silva and villa in the team would be up there with chelsea but that would take £50m the yanks have sold off assets and now have millions spare they need to reduce the debt and give the boss some real money, chelsea, man utd, spurs, man city even villa all have more money to spend when you have to sell first before you can buy that is a big problem, alonso was a quality player but wanted to go yes maybe rafa could have treated him better but he always wanted to go back to spain and we all knew that, it was always going to happen sooner rather than later, as for Aqualini this player looks quality but will need time but i personally would like to see him a gerrard in the middle, Reira on the left and Johnson on the right hes looks a quality right winger to me and maybe bring in one of the younger players for RB and play 2 up front, finally and sorry to go on - liverpool fans have always been regarded as one of the best for sheer support and humour i think alot of us need to get the feeling back cheer the team for the full game they need our support now more than ever, rafa will get there

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  44. A lot of Kuyt's goals last year were when playing up front. His record of goals and assists from wide is ordinary when compared to the likes of Pires or Ljungberg.
    Lucas provides almost no goals or assists. We can never play him and Mascherano together with Kuyt wide and be an effective attacking force. If our manager thinks otherwise he's simply wrong.

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  45. Valencia were never a great attacking side tho..they were  very efficient one. We made them look better than they were becuase we were very ordinary that night. I think people got a little carried away with that showing. Valencia won the league in 02 with a top scorer that managed 7 league goals. And he was Baraja, a midfielder!!! This doesn't suggest dazzling attacking football.

    Valencia were known as "the machine"... hardly a tribute to the quality of their football but more a comment on their solidity and efficiency.

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  46. Riera is one of those who wants to leave..he's been angling for a return to Spain since the summer. Won't surprise me if he goes in Jan.

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  47. True supporters. To me they are the ones who wear their heart on the sleeve prepared to make the tough calls. I believe everyone on this forum will support Liverpool if we were to lose every game. unfortunately things are not working within the club & i don't think its a lack of us fans cheering. History shows when an EPL team is under performing including the star players the problem starts at the top. Why do people pretend this is a Rafa witch hunt when it pure concern for the team i've supported through good & bad for 35 years. I have seen our mighty club down but never with such a lack of spirit which really bothers me. I repeat -this is not personal against Rafa but team lineups, positions, strategies ,defensive style of play & constant excuses i cannot applaud. The passion i have for LFC will always be there & if people want to say we have no problem & constantly reflect back to a time machine at Istanbul i can't- yes THE GREATEST COMEBECK EVER- now can we look whats going on today & remember constructive critisism is positive not negative. Have an opinion TRUE Liverpool fans -you deserve it!!!.

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  48. So we beat Barcelona on away goals and that makes us superior to them and him tactically naive?

    Isn't Avram Grant tactically superior to Benitez then because he's repeatedly beaten Benitez teams in the last 3 years?

    Who cares if we knocked them out, you don't judge him on that alone. He built a stunning team, without spending mega millions and won 2 la ligas and a European cup. I think he might know something about football. And i've never seen any Benitez side play football anywhere near the quality of Barca 2004-206. Were you calling him tactically naive then? No i doubt it.

    Fair enough you don't want him to manage us but let's keep some sense of reality here.

    Didn't Barnsley dump us out of the FA cup a year or so back? I suppose their manager was better than Rafa eh..must have been his tactical superiority that saw to that..

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  49. Spot on ! Benitez is ruining every prospect player! Babel if he was played regularly as a striker would be much more effective.  Guy Roux once said the exact same thing about benitez, and he said that benitez has no proper treatment for his players, he was reffering to the Djbril Cissé case, how benitez ruined that player.  He is doing the exact same thing with babel. He was tipped to be the new Thierry Henry, but with that lame about of playing time given to him and not even in his best position by benitez, it's quite normal the lad ain't performing. That's because benitez like Jaimie always says, favors the likes of Kuyt.  Wait, Kuyt was a striker before benitez converted him into a right winger? It would not surprise me if Benitez one day lines up Orelio in central midfield..ohh wait, he already did that right ?  Everyone thinks benitez is a great tactician, he is NOT!  making subs at the 80th min and expect magic to happen aint tactics. Benitez, again like Jaimie said, won the CL with Gerard Houllier's squad+Dudek's heroics.  He won the FA CUP against West Ham !! on penaltys ! and that because of gerrard's wondergoal ! That ain't tactics, that is just luck. 

    And now, I can't even stand reading his lame after match comments. Blaming the ref for that porthsmouth defeat is just *no words to describe this*  And now im reading ( I don't know if it's true or not ) that “Three Liverpool players are absolutely against Benitez to remain at the club."
    “Gerrard looked disinterested in training and Benitez had a go at him but Stevie wasn’t having any of it and the two aren’t currently talking.”

    Gerrard did not looked disinterested only in training, everyone can see his not playing at his best on the field, and that's not because of fitness! He just looks disinterested with the game.

    Benitez will ruin our club if he stays.

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  50. Don't forget we are missing Albert Riera
    Our tem should really loook like this

    Reina
    Jonshon Carragher Agger Aurelio
    Benoayoun Aquilani Mascherano Riera
    Torres Gerrard

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  51. I'm sorry but I can't help but feel your argument about Benitez ruining players is almost completely invalid.

    Djibril Cisse, has he ever proved us wrong for selling him? From his first season it was obvious to me anyway that he was not the man for the job. He had a terrible first touch, average link up play and very little creative skill. If Benitez had stuck with Cisse up front than where would Torres be today?
    Injuries never helped his case but he was only here a couple of seasons and to say Benitez ruined him is ridiculous.

    As for Babel, you seem to be justifying your case on the assumption that Babel was definitely going to become a world star. The new Thierry Henry you say? Oh well if someone said that then I guess we should crucify Rafa on that basis. Wasn't Cheyrou meant to be the next Zidane? What about El Hadji Diouf?

    I think you need to stop believing the hype (or the agents) and look at what's infront of you. Babel had a good u-21 tournament that one time, but Karol Poborski had a great Euro 96 too. Milan Baros was superb in Euro 2004! As were Greece. One tournament doesn't make the player. Babel only has himself to blame. Benitez has no agenda against Babel, if Babel was good enough, he would play. I don't know what he's like around the place but it looks from the outside that his attitude stinks.

    I'm sure Dirk Kuyt doesn't feel ruined. If he felt that way he would leave. Kuyt started off as a striker, but his style doesn't fit the system Benitez decided to go with. Rafa clearly prefers 1 up front with 3 players between the striker and 2 midfielders. That striker needs to have pace to make that work, Kuyt lacks it. But his industry and positional play work well in his right forward position. I agree that Kuyt lacks a creative touch, and I also agree that we need better options in both the right and left forward positions. For now though, I don't think Kuyt is one of the major problems.

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  52. Thanks for reading my articles and making your points in capitals so I don't miss them.

    I'll try to deal with your points.

    1. Injuries on a general scale should be anticipated. Every team suffers injuries at one point and that's why it's important to build a squad. Injuries to individuals are unforseen and can change week in, week out. I thought that at least would be obvious.

    2. I'm sure Jaimie could have given me a list of endless replacements for Alonso. Would it not be silly and premature to judge the signing of Aquilani 5 months into a 5 year contract? I think it should also be noted that Liverpool didn't pay £18m for Aquilani, it was as low as £1.5m straight up if my sources are correct. If Liverpool's cash really was that tight at the time then our options may have been very much restricted.

    3. I did indeed bring up the problems, and I don't have all the answers, otherwise I'd be manager. What I did suggest is taking stock of past positives and building from a fresh start and remembering that we have the ability to beat and outplay any team. That was my answer to a crisis of confidence, which I had stated also.

    You talk about blind faith, may ask did you have your eyes closed when we were top of the league last year? Where you still criticizing Rafa? Did you call him lucky when we won 11 straight games including famous victories over Real Madrid and Man U? Did you criticize his signings of Torres, Reina,  Mascherano, Alonso, Benayoun, Agger, Luis Garcia, Robbie Fowler? Or even at the time when Babel, Riera, Morientes and Keane were signed? By the looks of Keane's form at Tottenham this season including his supposed organization of a banned Christmas party in Dublin it would seem Rafa has actually made some very good shouts.

    I could give you a list of every top four manager and remind you of all the flops they've signed. Everyone does.

    What really fascinates me is that when Liverpool are getting beat there seems to be so many more detractors about, commenting and giving their two pence. Where they about when we were in a title challenge in barely 7 months ago?

    Thank you for pointing out my blind faith, I clearly couldn't see it, being blind and all. This season is the first time under Rafa we've actually taken a step back, and it's not even half way through yet. Yet I'm hearing some very short sighted arguments.

    You talk about facts, as does Rafa (you might have a lot in common afterall), but the facts are that in May we had our best Premier League campaign in 20 years. We broke our own personal record there, in the toughest league championship that has probably ever existed, and it seems that the least people expect is for us to go ahead and break through the barrier again.

    Before Benitez took over we had been a UEFA Cup team for almost 2 decades. Here's another fact, under Rafa we became the number 1 ranked team in Europe for 2 years. Wow, that's a nice fact.

    Our defence has been criticized a lot this season, but here's another fact, we've had the best defence in the league during Rafa's time more often than not. So I'd say he's pretty well qualified for sorting out the difficulties at the moment.

    I guess there are some other facts that you like out there, like Torres and Reina smashing Liverpool records for goals and clean sheets respectively. I think they were Rafa signings, hard to recall though.

    I'm sure during all the highs (for which there have been many in the last 5 years), you stuck to your guns. In no way did you jump on the bandwagon when the boat started to rock. I'm sure you're not 'one of them'.

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  53. Thanks for reading my articles and making your points in capitals so I don't miss them.  
     
    I'll try to deal with your points.  
     
    1. Injuries on a general scale should be anticipated. Every team suffers injuries at one point and that's why it's important to build a squad. Injuries to individuals are unforseen and can change week in, week out. I thought that at least would be obvious.  
     
    2. I'm sure Jaimie could have given me a list of endless replacements for Alonso. Would it not be silly and premature to judge the signing of Aquilani 5 months into a 5 year contract? I think it should also be noted that Liverpool didn't pay £18m for Aquilan upfront, it was as low as £1.5m straight up if my sources are correct. If Liverpool's cash really was that tight at the time then our options may have been very much restricted.  
     
    3. I did indeed bring up the problems, and I don't have all the answers, otherwise I'd be manager. What I did suggest is taking stock of past positives and building from a fresh start and remembering that we have the ability to beat and outplay any team. That was my answer to a crisis of confidence, which I had stated also.  
     
    You talk about blind faith, may ask did you have your eyes closed when we were top of the league last year? Where you still criticizing Rafa? Did you call him lucky when we won 11 straight games including famous victories over Real Madrid and Man U? Did you criticize his signings of Torres, Reina,  Mascherano, Alonso, Benayoun, Agger, Luis Garcia, Robbie Fowler? Or even at the time when Babel, Riera, Morientes and Keane were signed? By the looks of Keane's form at Tottenham this season including his supposed organization of a banned Christmas party in Dublin it would seem Rafa has actually made some very good shouts.  
     
    I could give you a list of every top four manager and remind you of all the flops they've signed. Everyone does.  
     
    What really fascinates me is that when Liverpool are getting beat there seems to be so many more detractors about, commenting and giving their two pence. Where they about when we were in a title challenge in barely 7 months ago?  
     
    Thank you for pointing out my blind faith, I clearly couldn't see it, being blind and all. This season is the first time under Rafa we've actually taken a step back, and it's not even half way through yet. Yet I'm hearing some very short sighted arguments.  
     
    You talk about facts, as does Rafa (you might have a lot in common afterall), but the facts are that in May we had our best Premier League campaign in 20 years. We broke our own personal record there, in the toughest league championship that has probably ever existed, and it seems that the least people expect is for us to go ahead and break through the barrier again.  
     
    Before Benitez took over we had been a UEFA Cup team for almost 2 decades. Here's another fact, under Rafa we became the number 1 ranked team in Europe for 2 years. Wow, that's a nice fact.  
     
    Our defence has been criticized a lot this season, but here's another fact, we've had the best defence in the league during Rafa's time more often than not. So I'd say he's pretty well qualified for sorting out the difficulties at the moment.  
     
    I guess there are some other facts that you like out there, like Torres and Reina smashing Liverpool records for goals and clean sheets respectively. I think they were Rafa signings, hard to recall though.  
     
    I'm sure during all the highs (for which there have been many in the last 5 years), you stuck to your guns. In no way did you jump on the bandwagon when the boat started to rock. I'm sure you're not 'one of them'.

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  54. i think alot of people listen to the so called experts on tv and the papers which to me all seem very anti liverpool and anti rafa, every time we conceed a goal its the zonal marking, yet teams who go man for man also conceed goals and nothing is said about the defending just good attacking play, has anyone also noticed how many goals liverpool have conceeded this season to wonder strikes that could have gone anywhere there was even 2 against pompey !!! this just shows the luck we're having any mistake is in the back of the net, reina had 1 save and the 2 "could go anywhere shots " its happened all season liverpool have most of the play and the other team have 1 shot and its a goal, luck does play a big part of football if stevie G's deflected shot had gone it we might actually have won the game even with 10 men yet the keeper makes a great reflex save that he probably will never make again in his life, we played poorly yes but still had the chances to have won it just needed a bit of luck, and ref's decisions are also going against us and that happens in football when you're down everyone kicks you, the only way to respond is to get up dust yourself down and get your head up, it will only take a couple of wins even lucky wins to get things back on track yes we've lost more games than last season so have man utd who also look poor but uptil now have looked strong at the back and that has been the difference, liverpool need to buy 2 players in jan a winger with pace and skill and a striker to partner torres and rude van horseface would be ideal cheap and can score goals, everyone knows liverpool lack pace going forward also reading rafa will again have to sell to buy in jan despite the yanks now having money, how many people honestly think a club can challenge on that kind of budget - and if rafa goes which alot of people seem to want who in their right mind would want to come in and manage us with no money for players a massive debt and the owners doing everything they can to ruin the club, yes mistakes have happened at the top right down to the players but the board now have to put up or shut up back rafa with real money in jan or sack him and get any monkey in with the peanuts on offer, its not good managing debt by selling players and buying cheap ones and finshing 8th the team needs investment and serious money too just to play catch up, the club needs a lift the fans need a lift a big spend in jan with the right players coming in would help, villa by the way and spurs will fade the 4th spot is still very much up for grabs

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  55. Chris, great article....the best ever written at this site. Not sure what is your arrangement is like with Liverpool-Kop and Kanwar but I believe the popularity of this site will soar if such sound arguments are put forward with the big picture in mind. Unlike someone who only knows how to criticize and find faults that suits his own agenda. Shame on you JK!

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  56. Riera is one of those that wants to PLAY - when he was fit and couldn't even get into an underperforming team as ours was, murmurs of discontent were heard because he was fit and worried about losing his place in the national team in a world cup year.  Surely that's understandable right?

    I'm sure from Kuyt's bitching when he got dropped by Holland, that it wouldn't take the fan's favorite long at all to start finding his voice if he were finally (deservedly) dropped from the Liverpool side for a sustained period of time also

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  57. lmao @ how Riera and Babel ALWAYS get listed as part of the blame for this season, as part of our great underachievers, even though they've barely played!

    Carrard manages to pick up on the fact that Gerrard has underperformed this season, but omits everpresents such as Kuyt, Masch, Lucas, Insua, Agger etc, to instead place the blame for this season at the feet of subs; Benayoun, Riera and of course, Babel.  Ridiculous!

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  58. I also believe that Riijkard would be the man for the job, and have been saying it ever since he left Barcelona - the team that HE revitalised and is now recognised as the greatest club in the world.  So what if Rafa managed to knock him out of a cup competition once; many managers have knocked Rafa out of cup competitions in the same time period, so by extension of your theory we do have many viable and superior candidates to succeed Rafa after all!

    I was expecting Liverpool to aspire to play in the manner of Rafa's Valencia when they played us off the park a few years back, but swiftly became apparant that the formation may have been the template but the style of play definitely wasn't.  We are no closer to playing the sweeping, quick & crisp, technically dominant football that that team displayed than we were 6 years ago

    (p.s. where does all this stuff about the owners wanting a "Yes man" come from?? 
    They probably don't want someone as petulant and divisive as Rafa has been, but that would be no different to any other owners really...)

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  59. Kuyt has a free role, much like Ronaldo did - actually, that's one of the main reasons (besides his "work rate") for which people keep commending him! i.e. his tendency to disappear from the right "allows" Johnson the space to go on his marauding runs up the wing

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  60. back then Spanish football wasn't even more accessible to us than the Premiership, as it is now, so a lot of basis would've been from the performance that we saw against us and just hearing about his record in winning the league in Spain

    (would've been funny if the Premiership wasn't watched over there so  much and Madrid had taken Benitez expecting performances like the one spanking we gave them last season, being unaware of what his teams are usually like also...)

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  61. btw I do think Riera does a good job for the team - he may not be a world beater, but he can beat a man, whip in a good cross, hold onto the ball and packs a mean shot.  Him and Babel on the wings for me, would be a great deal more effective and exciting to watch than Benayoun or assortment of fullbacks on the left, with Kuyt on the right.

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  62. Wasim - Rafa chose these "semi players" - missing out on your number 1 option, with all of his extensive scouting networks that he's set up throughout the world, should leave you with better options than a "semi player"

    When Gareth Barry and an over the hill Robbie Kean are your number one options however...

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  63. Where's Kuyt in that lineup Guest?  When has Rafa proved that Aquilani (who was fit and available for several consecutive games) IS first choice ahead of Lucas?  Since when has Riera been a first choice player?  Hasn't Rafa shown that Insua is now the first choice left back?

    That WAS our first team squad against Portsmouth, with Rafa choosing to play Dossena at left mid

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  64. Chris - we had UEFA Cup football for years because that's all that 4th place finishes earned back then.  It's only recently that 4th place was rewarded with places in a new money-spinning Champions League and Sky made the Premiership the richest league in the world...

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  65. I'm pretty sure Rafa knows the fitness and mentality of Aquilani better than you, so what makes you certain he was fit and available for several games?

    If Rafa was to play him early in a scrappy game and he picked up a knock, then he would be slandered for mismanagement.

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  66. LOL ruthless ? with D.onkey K.ong in the team you can change that to TOOTHLESS. Play Nando with Ngog or Pacheco or Babel, NO MORE KUYT. Just his presence shows we arent an attacking, pass and move side. Kuyt moves but cannot pass.

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  67. Chris - not just because played for us months ago before starting his bench duty, but because Rafa's excuses as to why the £20m still wasn't getting any sort of significant game time for the reserves were due to the nature of the games themselves, not due to the fitness of the player. 

    A player can pick up an injury from a scrappy tackle during training just as easily as they can pick up an injury during a game.  For example, Aquilani has apparantly now picked up an injury during training despite his cotton wool treatment for the first team. 
    A case for mismanagement??

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  68. Headline news!!!

    Rafael Benitez has included himself in the game against Wolves, this is after Fernando Torres has come out and said that the players are to blame for the crisis that LFC is in and that the manager should not be sacked. Benitez will partner Torres up front and show the whole team how football is played.

    I wonder if Torres is speaking on behalf of the whole team? What I would like to know is what Stevie G thinks about Benitez at the moment? Stevie should have left when he had the chance to go and play for Chelsea where he could have won the league.

    It wouldnt surprise me if Torres decides to leave if Benitez got sacked or walked. Should that be the case then I will be happy to see Torres go. We have the blind leading the blind at this club. What a joke. To me it looks like we have to many "buddies" at the club. 

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  69. Chris, knocking Babel for being played out of position and saying that he only has himself to blame is absolute balls. It is the manager who is fiddling and making him look average. Lets just remeber that Babel cost 11.5mil, so lets buy expensive players and convert all of them and tell them that they only have them selves to blame for looking like clowns on the field. Kuyt 9mil? I dont care what you say, besides scoring goals only because he is a striker he does absolutely nothing for the team on the right wing.  

    Tell you what, lets convert Lucas into a Striker and then see what happens. Are you going to say that only Lucas has himself to blame for not being good enough as a striker when his only position is in the midfield?

    Exactly!!!

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  70. Good article. Nice to see some balance on here. 

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  71. My contribution is this......too many of us fans are in the "what have u done for me lately" category. There is no context or time frame involved. As such, a bad run this season means the manager should be fired. So far I think the manager has done fairly well in his tenure. Yes we would've liked the title by now and with what took place last season we as fans were surely salivating at the prospect this season. Its been a wretched one to say the least. One thing I've always said on these threads - It takes alot of effort to get near the fron but even a bigger effort to take over the lead. Those who feel that in his time here we should have won the title already aren't IMO realistic at all. Its taken a great effort on all sides to get as close as we did last season and amore of the same is needed to reach the pinnacle.

    Which of the top managers are going to come to a club that has a sell-to-buy policy? One that includes contract extensions as part of the transfer kitty? In this day and age where else in that in evidence at the top of the table? I wonder if Mancini would have taken up the offer, hardly likely. The manager is not perfect. I for one have disagreed a few times with team selection and approach but at the end of the day i think he has done well and believe that at the end of the season we would have achieved a MINIMUM top 4 finish as well as some silverware (Europa, Fa Cup).

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  72. it's funny to see the comments coming from Rush now complaining about some player's being happy to just sit on the bench and not having any pride, and that is the reason why Liverpool are failing.  No doubt a lot of fans will jump on these quotes as great and justified in going after the correct parties at fault for Liverpool's current malaise (i.e. Babel, Riera & Voronin instead of Rafa) seeing as they come from an 'expert', not at all seeing the irony in comparing their reactions when the players have stated their desire to move on if they can't secure a first team place

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  73. it's funny to see the comments coming from Rush now complaining about some player's being happy to just sit on the bench and not having any pride, and that is the reason why Liverpool are failing.  No doubt a lot of fans will jump on these quotes as great and justified in going after the correct parties at fault for Liverpool's current malaise (i.e. Babel, Riera & Voronin instead of Rafa) seeing as they come from an 'expert' and deflect blame from Rafa, not at all seeing the irony in comparing their reactions when the players have previously stated their desire to move on if they can't secure a first team place at Liverpool

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  74. which other manager gets to buy a £20m player that he has no intention of using until the next transfew window??  One that allows you carte blanche to discuss backroom politics whenever you feel the timing is to your advantage, or to amend the clubs targets yourself, according to achieved results?
    I think that anybody would take up that offer!

    The manager has done no better than his predecessors (check the league standings over the years) and rather than being a victim of circumstances as some would attempt to have us believe, he is rather fortunate to have benefitted from joining at an opportune time;  but has failed to take the club forwards with the springboard that regular champions league football afforded the club. 
    It's time to move on and give another manager a chance, before it's too late...

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  75. Sell-to-buy policy?

    Please provide the proof that Benitez has had to sell to buy. Go find a statement where LFC have said anything like this. Benitez has made up his own stories and the media publish those stories. The time has come where he can no longer hide his failures.

    He was asked if he would resign should we not make a top 4 finish which he has guaranteed and his answer was that lets think about that after the game against wolves. He knows his days are numbered and it is showing. 

    Mr Benitez, your time for making excuses are up...    

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  76. Chris, one month has gone and Rafa has indeed heeded your advice to take the "baby steps", except that the "steps" are in exactly the OPPOSITE direction you have been preaching for... So the "God" you have placed your entire blind faith on has let you down, yet AGAIN for another month. Given that your "baby step' article has been empty of substance anyways (simply asking others to join you in putting blind faith on your God Rafa, stop listening to other people questioning his ability, he is our ONLY savior for LFC blah blah), you should consider recycling the article again by putting another title like "snail steps", etc..

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