First…

I Caled for Houllier’s head about 2 years before he went, but the reasons for me where obvious, there was no transition, the team didn’t look as if it was going to improve, and the players being bought were almost all poor quality.
I cant remember what we payed for Diouf, Cheyrou, Le tallec, Cisse and the like, but if Rafa had bought them he would have been crucified.

What I have seen under Rafa is a steady improvement and glimpes of what he is trying to acheive, at the end of last season, we resembled the “crushing machine” that Valencia became under his tutorage.

The players are markedly better, the football at times has been sublime,(not something I ever remember under Houlliers reign) and we are considered one of the great teams again.

I know we haven’t won the league and I have my doubts whether under the present regime in the boardroom, whether it is even possible given the transfer funds situation.
What I do see clearly and without any doubt in my mind is that no other manager of any quality would want the job that Rafa has and I doubt that even if they did that they would do as good a job.

Liverpool fans who dont understand the innequality
of the playing field when measured against the finances of the mancs and Chelsea, and now other clubs such as Man City and Spurs need to think long and hard about what happened in the past under previous managers when we could compete financially.
This has been our best time as a football club for a long time and we need to buckle down and support the club, not read rubbish,(newspapers) listen to rubbish (talksport)and watch rubbish(sky sports).
If any of you have any doubt’s about what lies in wait for us if Rafa quits or is sacked, cast your mind back to those wonderful years under that great manager Graham Souness, the man who brought us such great players as Mark Walters, Neil Ruddock and of course who could forget Julian Dicks.
If you think their are better managers out there you are right, but with the funds available and the state of the club this is the calibre of manager we will get, and those of you calling for Rafa’s head, this is the calibre of manager you will deserve.

Oh and just in case you are reading Graham, you were a decent player but as a manger you were terrible and as a pundit you are a digrace, when you have managed one team and it has improved then maybe you have some right to critisise but until then please keep your poisionous mouth closed( sorry needed to get that of my chest)

Rafa will resign if those 2 clowns sell Torres.

This is how easy for those two monkeys to get Rafa out of the way in the club

Excellent blog Gerry! It was well worth the wait!!

I do sympathise for Rafa. No man with his track record or any for that matter should go through what he is going through. The stress piled onto him from the media, our owners and some so called supporters and ex players has made him age much quicker. It is even worse than what a prominent politician will endure.

Hopefully we will be vocal in our support for the team and for Rafa against Man City and the alleged news that Riera and Benayoun following Van Perise to Belgrade for the placenta treatment will bring them back in time as well.

Having Gerrard, Johnson and Agger back is already a boost. If United can beat them so can we!

5yearplan..

I think his name is Graeme not Graham…

Skeat really… who gives a fuck… a twat is still a cunt by any other name!

Souness was an embarrassment as an LFC manager. His purchases were hideous and his sales (Beardsley) were outrageous, so he should not be opening his mouth to even breath let alone comment when the subject of Rafa’s transfer history comes up.

It is worth taking a look at the Treble Season DVD if you have it lads. What you’ll see is a team that defended reasonably well and broke faast and in numbers. The sheer number of games we won with a breakaway goal is staggering. That fast break is perhaps the one thing we are really missing right now… though I think there is a reason for that.

Comparing Rafa to either Ged or Souey is like comparing an Aston Martin to a fuckin Nissan and Honda.
Sure you’ll get decent mileage from the other two, but of the 3, the Aston is the one that will put you into bed with a Supermodel!

Gerry, well said. and about time too.
I also took offence to an article from a Malaysian LFC fan criticising Rafa and arguing for him to be replaced by one of five Managers (see below). I normally do not write, as I have a damn rusty pen. But I just could not stand it and he is my reply, yet unpublished in the editor of our E-newsletter of the Liverpool supporters Club of Malaysia:

Sir,

I wish to rebut Mathew Yong called for Rafa’s head. (LSCM’s E newsletter, 14 Nov 2009).

1. Other managers can do better:
Rafa should be replaced by one of five candidates: Mourinho, O Neil, Mancini, Rijkaard and van Basten. Ha! Aren’t these the five who were all defeated, one time or another, by Rafa’s LFC? Which manager in his right mind would want to come here and must sell players before they can buy? LFC has no money. Rafa managed to sell Alonso, Arbeloa and Keane (oK, so he was returned to Spurs) and was to have two big name signings last year. In the end Johnson only came. He wanted Villa and Silva but could not buy them. He wanted Michael Turner but had to settle for Kygiakos instead. The Americanos obviously took the money to fill the bank loan and its interest. No Manager worth his salt is going to touch LFC by a long, long mile. Indeed we should be grateful that Rafa had not gone out to moan and lament about his predicament. He had taken a punch on the chin by the yanks but kept quiet and just got going. But here we are having an impatient fan calling for his head. What a great and sad irony.
2. Alonso:
Rafa sold Alonso. Nonsense. Rafa wanted to keep Alonso. He even took Alonso to Thailand and Singapore. If he had wanted to sell Alonso he would have done so earlier. Fact is Alonso wanted to leave. Even up till the Thailand trip Rafa was not sure if Alonso wanted to leave and had to have a word with him then. Sure, Rafa wanted to sell him in July 2008 in favour of Gareth Barry. Mind you I would have also sold Alonso then. He was very poor for season 2007/8. He only came good last season, probably his best ever. For Stg 30 million, Rafa needed the funds to buy Silva and Villa but held back till the 11th hour. Unfortunately the yanks allowed only one big purchase(Johnson) and took the rest of the money away when Rafa had counted on buying one more player.
3. Tactics: Rafa had of course changed tactics with every team he faces. He is the ultimate Manager in this regard. It would not be possible to be second in the league last term if he had not made changes to suit his opponents. The only reason why the writer had asked for Rafa’s head is because of the current results. So we blame Rafa: Let me ask you this: Did Rafa deliberately kick Torres and Gerrard till their hamstrings tore? Then are many injuries-many due to friendly internationals- is that his fault too? And the flu problems picked up by some of the players, those were deliberately infected by Rafa? Only one problem regarding the injuries I would concede: Aqualani. He was expected to have recovered by end August as assessed by the Medical staff by his recovery took longer. In fact during Fulham game we can fill a whole team-a darn good team too- with those injured/sick (Cavaleiri, Kelly, Carra, Skrtel, Aurelio, Johnson, Gerrard, Aqualani, Reira, Lucas, El Zhar).
4. Kristen Nemeth: Rafa loaned him out and should have kept him. I hope your writer will check first before writing. Nemeth is a good young striker. He wanted first team action which LFC is not able to provide. I mean even Babel doesn’t get to start let alone Nemeth. He was then loaned to Olympiakos for one year to get some action there as well as in part exchange to buy Kyrgiakos. This will make Nemeth ready for first team action next season.
5. Summary: In short, Rafa is the man for LFC. He loves the Club, loves the fans and want success more than anyone of us. OK, so he is human and makes mistakes. Many of the mistakes were not his. Calling for his head is so very wrong and unfair. He is the same manager who has won us trophies despite the handicaps. He got us to N0 2 spot despite meagre budgets. Sure, it has been very disappointing, so far. We have lost too many games. We had too many injuries. Too much bad luck and bad decisions from referees. In many games we played well but lost due to luck and bad referees. We aren’t winning as we should. With other clubs like Man City, Spurs and Aston Villa now outspending us- and they don’t have to offload their best players-how do you expect to improve without money? We know we can do better, surely. But that is not just down to the manager. If anything Rafa has brought in more money into the club by way of the CL than he has buying players. Instead, we should be shouting for the heads of American owners- who only gave empty promises but really are the ones who have caused this problem.

Gerry – you are so right…

Some of our football under Houllier was beyond dire at times…I did feel sorry for the man…but in the end he just kept making too many mistakes so all in all it was best that he moved on…

But how some people can not see the difference between that and Rafa is baffling…under Rafa we look awesome at times (when we can put out a team close to full strength)…we defend higher up, we press higher up, we pass superbly (short and long), some of our movement is sublime…sure we dont always do this, sure we dont always win…but this is down to so many other factors already mentioned ad nauseum in here…that only the truly moronic can fail to see just how far Rafa has taken this club (and just how far he could take this club given the proper backing)…’

This is NOT blind faith or loyalty – but intelligence – something the naysayers suffer from a severe shortage of…

In fact there was a post made on the TIA forums (I think – it may have been another website) a year or so ago that tried to explain what Rafa is trying to build…its a shame some of the dumb arses havent read it…but it was about how Rafa was progressing us from a Counter Attacking side to a Dominating side…the model he had used at Valencia (based on what he learned from one of the greatest Sacchi at Milan)…

Again – seriously – if you know anything about the game how can you not know this…how can these morons continuously stick the boot in…they are so ill informed, so stupid it boggles my mind…I struggle to conceive of people who are that stupid…yet they must exist…they keep causing issues with FS’s blood pressure….

Knight,

Good counter…
Could you provide me the link to the LFC Fan club in Malaysia?
Thanks.

Knight,
well written and the pen seems not that rusty after all. Just a minor correction on point 3. I think both Gerrard and Torres got a groin and not hamstring problem.

Excuse me for not reading the comments before posting me own. I will catch up, but with this subject being something close to my heart I had to get my two cents in…

Firstly bravo Gerry. I knew your thoughts on the subject anyway, but it’s good that you dedicated a blog to it. And nice to know you have been busy. I thought you’d been “fixing” the lap top again!

Anyway, it’s hard to know where to start really but…
When Kenny Dalglish packed in the job, he said in a famous interview “I couldn’t stay any longer. It would have given me a heart attack.”

Sadly, that proved quite a prophecy. But the difference between what happened to Souness and Ged, is Souness nearly gave the rest of us one an all.

Obviously the club hired Souness to keep alive the Liverpool Way, as always our keep it in the bootroom philosophy. But it was clear from the start that the ego that is Souness was intent on breaking down all that had gone before and implementing the Souness Way – something we are still recovering from.

If you think back there wasn’t really that much sympathy for Souness at the time of his heart problems…
He never had a heart attack like Ged. He announced he was going into hospital for a triple by-pass. And though it was emotional to see him leading out the team for the 91 FA Cup Final, you have to remember he had already had that infamous story printed in the Sun and printed on the anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy. So that in itself had already sealed Souness’s fate – something he is still very bitter about which shows in his constant attacks on Rafa. I think the horrible bastard actually hates the man because of pyschopathic jealousy, believing he should be loved by us.

So, even though I always believed in the Liverpool way/tradition of not sacking managers, getting shut of that prick was always good riddance to bad rubbish in my book.

As for Ged, how could anybody not feel nothing but love and sympathy towards the man after what happened to him. In my book, the way the Kop welcomed him back stands right up there with our supporters finest moments… Inter Milan 65, FA Cup Final 65, St. Ettienne, Rome 77, Istanbull, etc.

And it was that love and sympathy that kept too many of us – myself included – far too loyal to the man. It was obvious before his heart attack that he should have gone as he was unable to take the club any further. But I have no regrets for the loyalty we showed Ged. He thoroughly deserved it. And, as far as I’m concerned, he should always be remembered fondly as the man who steadied the ship and brought back some success and hope. Allez Le Ged…. still a staunch red, a defender/supporter of the club. And in my eyes a thoroughly decent man.

In fact, he is someone the likes of Souness and Whelan should take a lead from. But make no mistake… these ex-reds who attack Rafa at every chance are not stupid. They know quite well that Rafa is our one and only hope at the moment. They know how good the man is, and they know he has done a great job. Sadly, they are only interested in making a name for themselves and a few quid. Heart attack… I hope they fucking choke on their filthy lucre every self-promoting, traitorous man jack of them.

I’ll leave my thoughts on the media till later, but anyone who has been around here for awhile knows what I think of them fucking vultures.

And I want to leave on this…
If you listen to reds on Rafa you will see 2 main differences in the pro and anti Rafa camps…
Age and the amount of time spent supporting LFC and following football.

That’s not to say the Rafa out brigade are all young post Istanbull band wagon jumpers. But you will find the vast, and I mean vast, majority of them are.

And not all pro Rafa reds are aul arses like meself. But ask any aul arse who has been around for a long time and they will all tell you the same thing…
Rafael Benitez is the best manager we have had since Bob Paisley, but he is faced with a mess that is even worse than Shankly inherited.

Sadly though, the whole point of that last sentence won’t even dawn on the Rafa out brigade.

Great Blog Gerry and it about time our fans wake up to reality not the shit shouted by even thicker people in the media. For me Rafa is the best Manager since Paisley and I am including Kenny in this line up as well. Kenny was responsible for the demise of Liverpool when he did nothing about an aging squad then left when he realized the enormity of his task and after Hillsborough he did not have the fight left to undertake it. When Souness came in he wielded the big stick too quickly and too ruthlessly and you can add brought in shit as well. I could not stand watching Liverpool under Ged Eye it must rank as one of the worst eras since I have been watching Liverpool. I hated the way we played then and could not wait for him to go. It was just not the Liverpool way I was brought up on.

How, even some of our own fans cannot evaluate and see what Rafa is capable off is beyond me. Our run in last year gave a glimpse of what we will become if we stick with and support the man. This was also achieved while dealing with all the crap heaped on him and a transfer budget of a mid table team. Yet still some people think he should be replaced. These people need a big reality check and an even bigger kick up the arse. It is just a matter of time until we hit the form this team is capable of and then all these maggots will climb back into their holes, until they find something else to have a go at him for. Its disgusting and worse coming from our own supporters I could not even imagine what and where we would be if he upped and left.

Skeat, You will have to join as a member first. Subscription is only RM80/year. ((Stg14/-annually).
Let me have your e-mail and I’ll have an application form sent to you, apart from the new E-Newsletter.

YKLeong, thanks. groin injury it is.

Souness got the job because had done made a decent effort in his first management job @ Rangers.He inherited a team in steep decline , exemplified by the 4-3 game V Palace in 1991.He won the cup in 1992 and he bequeathed a mess to Evans, who was an improvement but couldn’t break the 70 point barrier over 38 games.
Houllier did well @ first but his French players were a shambles and the rot set in after 2002.If Rafa did sell Torres, he could buy 6 players in the £15 mill category-2 in defence,midfield and attack.If that is what he chose to do, I could see a lot of merit in it.Torres picks up a lot of injuries and even though he is as good as HENRY, an injury prone player is not much help, we would of beaten Brum had he played.Owen could of been sold earlier for £30 million, instead of receiving a nominal fee in 2004.

See someone’s been at the wikki baccy again

Don’t need wiki Fatty.I have been a Red since 1980 , when I was 5!.

I love the way you daft kunts call me Fatty as if it’s some sort of insult. Pathetic. I call me fucking self it. Just like you told us you got all your info from wikkipedia.

Oh 80, eh, when we was winning everything and you got your mam to buy you the shirt for Crimbo so you could have the upper hand over all your Manc supporting mates in school in Milton fucking Keynes or the likes. Am I supposed to be impressed.

You daft bastard. It’s bollox like you that this blog is about and bollox like you that is ruining my club and all it stands for. Have you ever even been on the kop, you gobshite?

And you and your ilk can rag me all you like for that. I couldn’t give a toss. I assure you I take being insulted as a compliment by Kings Of The Kop who’ve never fucking stood on it, and don’t even know what it means to be a Koppite.

You and the likes of you have no idea what it means to be a Liverpool supporter. In fact, I doubt you really know the meaning of support and loyalty.

And no. I’m not saying all that because I am Scouse. Men like Knight, Keith, even Gerry who writes the bloody thing in the first place understand the idea of support and what it means to be a Kopite. It’s called The Liverpool Way.

Even LB one of Rafa’s biggest critics on here knows quite well when it’s time to show support and time to criticise and when he does criticise there’s some point to it – not just some idiotic tantrum pulled out of his arse.

How do you think Kopites earned their reputation… We weren’t like other football fans. We stood by our own through the wind and the rain. And that means men who have came to Anfield from all over the world since the late 60′s and early 80′s.

But instead of getting into an argument about your rights to your opinion and your rights to follow LFC, I’ve an idea… Why not fuck off and join that Jamie Wankar fella’s blog. He’s a Liverpudlian just like you and it seems his blog is tailor made for shites like you.

FFS. If the likes of you was around in the 60′s, Shankly would have been sacked. We’d have ended up like other similair sized football clubs such as Sheffield Wednesday/United and we’d have still been wallowing in the 2nd division.

It’s fucking so ironic it’s laughable. You moan and moan about what is going on instead of being amazed by this club’s history and giving it the sort of support that made that history possible. Yet it is the likes of you that could eventually drive Rafa off and see us sink back into the 2nd division – when the likes of you will slink off, saying they’re shite, I don’t support them anymore.

And the likes of the decent lads in here will be left amongst the wreckage. But there again, I know for a fact it will be much more enjoyable on the terraces when you and your kind are all gone.

Why do I know that as fact… I’ve lived through it, mate. And that started way before the great days of the 80′s.

LFC Supporter… PAH!

Don’t see whare you are coming from.1)I am from Liverpool and moved south when I was 12.2)You refer to yourself as Fatty.3)I can’t help, that I wasn’t born earlier.
You display your ignorance by using language a 10 year old uses.You said that the Reds would win the title this season!.If you can’t beat BRUM in seven attempts-says it all.

Well said Gerry, and of all the muppets and past players, Ronnie Whelan, a Liverpool great, has been sniping at Rafa for a very long time. This muppet was a manager of a team in Cyprus and now sits on tv and lives off his Liverpool fame and slates Rafa at every opportunity. The next time someone comes across him at a Liverpool Legennds event, plese tell him to shut it.
As for Stan Collymore and Tony Cascarino, they are not even worthy of a reply.
In Rafa we trust. YNWA.

Skeat, oops, sorry. Please write to [email protected].

i cant believe burgerman just came on here and said that selling torres might not be a bad idea.

incredible… we might as well sell gerrard, johnson, mascherano, and reina. we could easily get like ten to fifteen $10-15 million pound players with that money!!!

that would win the title : O

haha, nice dollar sign i threw in there…

Sell Torres and buy 6 players.

HA! With what, the change Rafa finds behind the seats in the director’s box cos that’s all the bloody money he’ll be getting from them bastards.

And that BM is why I go off on the likes of you. You make the most ridiculous bloody statements that you pull from your own arse as if it’s God’s given truth. And, even worse, you use that drivel to constantly snipe at the man in charge – the only bloody man holding a sinking ship together, and fighting the good fight on our behalf.

And by the way, he is a Spaniard. So whether you are from Liverpool, (which I seriously doubt), or not, it’s no bloody excuse.

I only even made the point to show that I’m not some mad zenophobe who thinks you have to be from Liverpool to support the club or have an opinion. But, on the other hand, no matter where you are from you aren’t entitled to just piss all over everything and get away with it unchallenged.

Knight must have spent an awful lot of money to come here recently, for all that expense, time and effort he was treated to 2 awful bloody displays. Granted, he got to see us do the Mancs. But has he moaned once? Has he fuck.

And I know that the mass majority of the lads on here, regardless of where they are from, are cut from the same cloth or I wouldn’t bother my arse coming in here.

In fact, I know had them lads been born in Liverpool they would be at the match week in week out – because they demonstrate that on here all the time.

Roarin Red is the last I can think of… came over from Belfast, not a cheap trip, got served up a draw against Brum… what did he do? Came in here saying what a great time he had.

You on the other hand have just taken me to task for supporting the team after all we can do is draw against the Brummies yet again… Do you not see the difference?

And I may be rough around the ages, but let you assure of something… When needed, and when I think it’s called for, I will talk in the sort of dockyard language that I learnt as a young kid in the Boy’s Pen.

However, I would never revert to the juvenille spitting of dummies and whingeing 10 year old speak that I see you and your kind reverting to in here after every setback.

I repeat…
LFC Supporter… PAH!

Anyway, I’m off out now to pay for me Debreceni tickets. Yes. That’s the game that could see us crash out of the CL. Yes. I knew that when I booked the flight, hotel and match tickets. No. That’s not a cheap do for what could be a very bad night.

But you know something, I won’t be moaning after the game if we are out. I’ll be having a laugh and a pint and a sing-song with the other 2000 lads who have managed to get tickets.

Does that make me some sort of Uber Fan? Does it bollacks. I consider myself very lucky to be in the position to go. Shit, I could have been a Leeds fan. Then I’d really have something to moan about.

But it’s just a shame some of the other lads on this blog can’t go. I know they’d give their right arms for the chance and they’d support and laugh whatever the outcome.

Tatty bye for now.

Sell Torres and buy 6 players. It is a bit like saying the a Chamber orchestra with 100 players can be trimmed down to just 40 because it cuts out the 60 players, saving on their salaries and the quality of the music is not too badly affected. This plays right into the fans of H&G.

FS is right. I spent a lot of time, effort and money going to see the games against Sunderland, Lyons and the Mancs. Loved the trip and have no regrets, even though we lost to Sunderland (we did not play well but lost to an alien object) and Lyon (unlucky at the end). But the win against the Mancs is something I will always cherish. The added bonus was to have FS sitting next to me and to celebrate with. I did not tell him this but actually his presence was an obstacle to hugging some nice dames sitting next to him, on the other side of me. I would have preferred that. That is not to say that I do not like FS, but that I find it rather therapeutic to hug the ladies.

Funnily enough the media jumped on the same bandwagon last year with regards to Arsene Wenger. One of the greatest and most revolutionary managers England has ever seen, a few long term injuries to key players and the papers seem to get it into their heads that he has taken the club as far as he can and that he should be sacked.

Bear in mind that Fabregas was injured for a lot of the season, Eduardo and Rosicky missed the entire season, Toure had malaria as well as Gallas, Clichy and Sagna missing large parts through various knocks and niggles. On top of that, our “star” striker from the season before had decided he was going to spend entire games standing offside because Arsenal weren’t as sexy as AC Milan.

Unfortunately all of this negative drivel eventually started seeping through to the fans and some deluded idiots starting calling for Wenger to be sacked.

For these reasons I have sympathy with Liverpool as they are basically in the same boat. I would be overjoyed if you could finish the season above Manchester Shitty (not least because a certain lanky bloke is now plying his trade there), and I am confident that once this season of rebuilding is over Liverpool will come back a better and stronger team. At which point of course the media will declare what a brilliant manager Benitez is and couldn’t understand how anybody doubted him.

Haha! Nice one Knight, made me chuckle that.

About a week ago I ordered Soccernomics from Amazon but the bloody thing didn’t get delivered even though they said it was dispatched. Bastards.

Nice blog Gerry, I was hoping that Houllier wouldn’t be able to return after his heart attack. That sounds harsh but I honestly thought our best run of games came when Phil Thommo took charge of the side in the latter half of the 2001-02 season. When Houllier returned in the summer of 2002 he decided to get rid of players who played very well for us and he replaced them with complete shite! I think we finished 5th in 2002-03 and went 16 games with a win. I was begging for him to be sacked during that season.

As for the Souness era, I wanted him fired after his first season. Even though we won the cup we went from a good team to a shite team overnight. Most of my heroes were sold to Aston Villa (so it seemed at the time) and we were a bit of a joke. I remember going to Selhurst Park, Highbury and Stamford Bridge in the freezing cold on a yearly basis and seeing us get beat. I’ll never forget a night against Crystal Palace where I was running late for the match and was sprinting towards the terrarce. I slipped on the wet ground and twisted my knee. It fucking hurt and was swollen like a balloon. Still soldiered it to the front of the terrace behind the goal on a horrible night in shitty Selhurst Park only to see the Reds lose a Carling Cup tie in extra time. I was 14, my mate (Hine’s brother) 11 years old. Players like Piecnic, Paul Stewart and Mike Marsh were donning the green kit in those days. Fucking hell.

Time will tell how good Rafa is compared to our managers of the past. I’ll reserve judgment until he comes to the end of his reign here.

I read something somewhere recently. It may have been someone in here. That if Harry Redknapp won the Champions League, FA Cup, got to a Carling Cup final and another CL final and finished 5th, 4th, 3rd, 4th and 2nd in his first 5 years at Spurs he’d be lauded as a genius. Never mind the fact he’d have spent more dough than Rafa.

You did read it in here LB. It’s one of my favourite come backs. As for all the arguing and finger pointing, I’ve had enough. Well, for now I have. It’s boring and complete bollacks, but no doubt I’ll do it again when I think it’s called for.

As for the media bias, well I’ve said my piece many times. As far as I know, this all started back when we became a threat to the London and Manchester based media’s darlings… Arsenal and Man U. It’s always been the same.

It got worse after Munich. But in all fairness, that was more from grief and goodness. Times we’re nicer back then, and people were kinder. Liverpool FC done all they could to support them through them horrible times. And it has to be remembered that Matt Busby once played for LFC and was a lifelong friend of Shankly’s… a fact few of our new found fans seem to be ignorant of.

I wish some of them would do a bit of homework before spouting their ignorance. I’d even recommend they read some Man U players books from the time. I know some of you like to read the footy books. I don’t. But I would recommend George Best’s proper official biography, written like biographies should be… by proper legends, once, at the end of their careers. Not 7 of them by the time they’ve played a few games in the reserves.

But anyway, I would recommend George Best’s, The Best Of Times. Well, at least the chapter on Shankly. It gives a good insight as to how we were seen by the enemy.

As for reading anything in the press today, I wouldn’t wipe me arse on it. It’s pure sensantionalism aimed at selling as many papers as possible. And any LFC reporting is written from only two angles…
1: LFC are a twat of a club. They are rightfully sinking under a horrible stubborn ruthless Spainiard.
2: An over the top rebutle by the few reporters, such as Evans/Barrett, who are on our side.

You’ll find more sense coming from the likes of Evans and Barrett but you’ll find no unbiased balance.

As for the newer mediums of Sly and Talk Shite, they are dominated by complete idiots like Paul Merson, Ronnie Irani etc and are just complete drivel at the best of times. But don’t think the people that run these things are idiots. They know what they are doing… making as much money as possible. What’s the best way to do that… Shock Jock tactics no better than the likes of that Steve Cohen and the fella you bastards have just made me suffer, Jamie Wankar.

It’s nothing but self promotion and greed. But that disgusts me when it is done by ex-players who have been given a wonderful life by LFC.

Souness has an axe to grind. It’s obvious and a fast man on a blind horse can even see the man is nothing but a bitter prick. Redknapp and some of the others are just thick and don’t realise how the media are manipulating them. And then you have the likes of Ronnie Whelan, Ray Houghton who are prepared to spout shite to any source that will listen – and, most importantly, pay them a few bob for the bollacks they spout.

In a nutshell – it’s gotten far worse. It’s none stop. It’s without doubt an agenda as it’s completely see through. But that’s not to say it’s not damaging to the club. As sadly far too many of the fans we attract these days believe the hype and sensationalism. It’s a sad fact of the times we live in. And they just can’t be arsed learning the truth of what is happening today and the history that made this club what it is today.

Sad times, indeed.

Knight, you were more than welcome to have parked next to them. Lovely as they were, their constant daft chatter, rooting through their handbags, picture taking, friend phoning/texting, fixing of make up and other such shite was driving me mad.

And LB I’ll raise you Selhurst Park for hitch hiking over the Pennines to Bloooody Barnsley, on a freezing cold, rainy November night, with 2 quid in your pocket, only to be chased all round the town by shit kicker woolybacks armed with stanley’s.

To be honest, that’s the sort of thing I meant in a few of my comments. Believe it or not, them times were great. They breed proper camaradarie. I still have friends I met in the Boys Pen in the 60′s. And like I said, no doubt had most of you lads been around at the time I’d have met you along the way.

In all reality we had fuck all else to do. No Computers, comfy houses and all the comforts back then. But what these lads have to say is the truth…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3EUacn31F8

A crying shame that it’s a dying way of life.

Wow….
http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/sport/reds-sign-luton-youngster-1947564.html

See H&G have really pushed the boat out investing in the squad

Talking of Evans, he’s gone mad this week…
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article6920901.ece

Loads of links there an all.

FS, thats one thing I’m glad I avoided. Being chased by knife carrying nutters! Sounds funny though. Hitch Hiking to Barnsley.

Thats a bit different to the VIP seats I enjoyed at Wembley for the U21s on Saturday. The match was shite though and Hines didn’t even get a game. The free food at half time and after the match made up for the boring game. I had a prawn sandwich

It was never really that bad LB. There was some really bad incidents. And I kopped it a couple of times meself, but it mainly consisted of a lot of running around with no real fighting. All this shite in films and books nowadays, is just that… invented shite, fiction.

Sadly Hysel will always stain our record. That sounds awful. It’s not meant to disrespect the victims of that terrible disaster. So I hope you know what I mean. And if you read old Liverpool supporter books, you’ll see there was never any real Liverpool FC firm.

It was all about having a laugh really. Mainly skint young fellas getting all over Europe/England by hook or by crook and having a party.

We were welcomed all over Europe and regularily won the best behaved supporters award. We even used to chant about it.

Sadly some fellas like Steve Cohen – a Chelsea Supporter who had the awful Head Hunters amongst them – are determined to re-write history and will use any lie possible to slag LFC.

That’s one of the reasons why I get so mad when our own fans turn on us. We get bashed enough from the outside.

We were no angels. And in them days, Scousers and Mancs would litterally try to kill each other at any opportunity. But the truth is we only ever really had them problems when we played them. Man United had a huge violent following that wreaked havoc wherever it went.

I know that might seem like biased bollacks. But the facts are there to be seen. And the fact is, when we were winning supporters awards, they were hated and feared everywhere they went.

This is another thing that has been swept under the Sly/Prem carpet. But look up their past. In fact, look at the season they spent in division 2. They were awful. Rioting in small provincal market towns up and down the country, terrifying the locals and causing complete havoc – that the small local police forces were almost powerless to stop.

So I suppose not having to suffer that shite anymore is one thing we should thank the prawn sandwiches for, eh mate.

Who is this Jamie Wankar guy?

This season has been a mad one for falling out with ‘fellow’ Liverpool fans. Usually at work I’m slagging off Man United fans but this year I seem to spend more time telling Liverpool fans why Rafa shouldn’t be sacked.
On the Monday night against Birmingham when we were 2-1 down, a ‘friend’ [haven't heard from him since my reply] sent me a text saying he was ‘fucking loving this. bye bye you fat spanish fuck’. Apparently we’re getting Mourinho next season too on his information.
These fans seem to have bloody short memories. They want rid of a manager who last season got us our highest ever points tally. This season we’ve never had a full team out and yet none of this filters through.
The last time we won the league I was in first year in grammar school. I think the fans I was surrounded back then were a lot more mature than the ones I’m surrounded by now.

I’m surprised you never picked up on this FS, but the telling statement from #19 for me is
“If you can’t beat BRUM in seven attempts-says it all.”

Notice … “if you” …yes, that’s right YOU.
What the fuck is that?
I thought you were born in Liverpool?
I thought you were a die-hard Red?

I know I was and am… and I would never…. repeat… NEVER… refer to the Reds as YOU… it is WE.
But you don’t have to be born in Liverpool to know that. I have a yank mate who was born in 1981 and has never been to England, let alone Anfield. I converted him to the cause and he never ever refers to the Reds when in conversation as anything other than US, or WE.
“Did you see US today? Oh, WE were terrible!”

If you are a Liverpool Supporter, it always has been WE… it IS WE, and it always will be WE, until the day I die!

Burgs, you gave yourself away lad, and that’s all we really need to know!
Now what was it you were saying about Wenger, again?

34… you don’t want to know Gerry. It does exactly what it says on the tin… Wankar!

Here you go Gerry. Be warned. It’s woeful…
http://therepublikofmancunia.com/reaction-from-the-enemy/

Aitch, I really can’t be bothered anymore, well, as I said, not right now anyway.

Like MTMC just said, it’s daft. But sadly the only thing that will stop it is a league title. Our last five years aren’t enough no more… Fuck me I’ve waited longer for a bus.

The only thing about the souness era i look back on with fondness was the introduction of rob jones.I really like johnson and i think he will become a great liverpool player under rafa.And this is by no means a slant on johnsons ability.But i think if jones hadn’t had terrible injury problems that effectively ended his career for liverpool and england prematurely.He would have acheived legendary status.He had everything you could want in a right back.He was excellent going forward and suberb at defending.He never gets a mention due to his very short career.But if i had to choose my best ever pool team based on players i have seen play during my time.Jones would defenitley get the nod at right back.And i once saw the great steve nicol score a hatrick from right back.But he would only make my(IMHO)best ever team as back up to rodders.
YNWA

First of all Gerry, I still remember Jack Charlton’s Irish team in USA ’94, comprised of average players with an ability to fluidly interchange positions and work for each other. If that’s not total football I’d like to know what is. I have been hooked since. I won’t even talk of the fan support, closest to my beloved Reds.

I count myself SQUARELY among the many diehard Kopites, through thick and thin like The Who, won’t be fooled again. I still insist, how does a “two man team” feature Gerrard, Torres and Alonso? Somebody’s ‘rithmetic is bogus here!

For all the misinformed, there exists a Liverpool Way, a culture that’s fast disappearing from the beautiful game, in which fans are integrally part of the club culture, and managers aren’t sacked through the media. This explains our 18 managers since inception (1892)!

What is Rafa’s greatest achievement thus far? Not even Istanbul compares to his keeping us competitive, sans resources, for his entire tenure. Eat that! None of Mourinho, Hiddink or SAF have had to work under anything close in difficulty. To prove there’s no fluke, one needs to look afresh at Valencia’s success (versus the Spanish big two), plus the myriad relegationbattles our gaffer participated in his native land. Let fairness prevail, let truth be paramount. If Rafa can be taken to task for apparent “failure” to land no. 13 so can Moyes and Wenger. Both outdo Rafa the Red in EPL managerial longetivity. If his spending record is questionable, then why aren’t Spurs, Newcastle and even recent drawing specialists, Man City, be taken to task?

Don’t buy the media hypocrisy, let’s stand with the greatest team on earth.

We are the Reds and no one ever will. YN(Ever)WA(Ever)!

This my 1st post and thanks gerry for your blog as im on the other side of the planet and look forward to it. my family are scotish and kenny was mt fav when i was a boy so the pool became my team. i cant wait for the day to stand in the stands at anfield…it sounds like a bloody privalege just being there!!! as for a nz pool fan our commitment comes at getting up at 4 in the morning to watch every game live, i bloody love sky! anyway enoughy o me crap…the thing that pisses me off when reds fans call for a new manager is the idea that a replacement is just waiting to take over, i cant think of anyone that a, we can afford or b, a better manager than benitez…our gaffer has beaten most teams and most managers so i am confident when we get thru our injurys that we shall see football that we played last season and improve on. cheers

Funny enough I just watched Rob Jones on LFCtv the other day. Good interview with a decent lad. To be honest, I missed most of Jones time when I was in the States but I saw enough to know how good he was. But you’re post reminded me of something I’d been meaning to say in here for awhile….
When Kuyt and Johnson get a run together and start to gel, I think our right wing will start to look something like the good old days of Jimmy Case backed up by Phil Neal.

As footballers, the two pairs aren’t that alike really, but it’s the same sort of combination… a grafter backed with a classy attacking full back.

As far back as I can remember, LFC always had great pairings… St. John/Hunt, Tommo/Cally, Keegan/Toshack, Hansen/Lawrenson, Dalglish/Rush to name just a few. But they also had the unsung pairings like Case/Neal that never got all the praise but were everybit as essential. And I think it will be the same soon… Torres/Gerrard will get all the accolades. But I reckon Kuyt/Johnson are going to be some pairing. They seem made for each other, each compensating for the others failings, each complimenting the others game/skill.

Lads, havent been on for a while, but have read through the comments. Some i wont comment on because they are blatant ‘grenade droppers’.

Some good comments frmo the rest though, good read.

Just wanted to get something of my chest.

It frustrates me to bits when refs have a direct impact on the results.

Henry just decided to stand offside and then juggle the ball with his hand before setting up the goal, best impression of maradonna.

Even worse, Russia had two men sent off for what can be describe as humerous. In fact, i dont think anyone could properly explain what they were for.

Anyway, I’m off to bed. Just came into look for something from earlier today, couldn’t find it, but noticed that I missed a post #27.

Welcome Fab The Ledge. Please ignore my nastiness and obscenties today. I’m not usually like this. Usually I’m far worse. Sorry Jack.

But in all seriousness, I wish I’d noticed this lad’s post earlier in the day. I remember making the same points last season, only I was laughing at the ignorance of the Arsenal fans whingeing on Talk Sport phone ins and calling for Wenger’s head. Fucking idiots.

But hopefully some of our own will take note to what the Arsenal lad had to say in here today… Yes, there is the odd one off wonder like Blackburn but even that is a thing of the past. And true lasting success has always came from stability. There is no magical formula. And footy might have changed beyond all recognition but somethings are constant.

Like when we found Shankly, the trick is to find the right man for the job, let him get on with it, don’t panic and stick by him when things get rough – as they always do – and with a bit of luck you reap the rewards.

Shame the Arsenal and Manc idiot kneejerkers couldn’t have got Wenger and The Tramp the sack when things went against them. But the same daft bastards who wanted their managers out are now the ones on the phone ins laughing at our troubles, taking the piss out of Rafa and gloating. Do we have to bloody help them?

Thanks again Fabtheledge. Seeing our more short sighted fans are keen on qouting/complementing all things Arse/Wenger, hopefully they’ll see how idiotic they are being. But sadly I think the meaning of irony is something that won’t register with them.

Funny they’ve all avoided this blog. But no doubt they’ll be back at the first opportunity.

Which brings me to this… BM I appologise for the way I spoke to you today. At least you had the bollacks to come in here when it was obvious the Rafa out brigade would be on a hiding to nothing. I wish you’d show a bit more patientce and loyalty, but at least you showed you had more balls than the rest of them.

Night, night.

Just watched the IRE vs cheating cunts match and I’m livid! Just when we we’re on to something special (reaching the world cup) some self proclaimed honest decent player decides it’s OK to cheat his ass off ruin the whole show, FUCK YOU you Frech prick, I have lost all respect for that CUNT!!!!!
Sorry for the outburst, had to be said!!

Think ive found BM in his Gooner kit.
http://images.clipartof.com/small/71308-Royalty-Free-RF-Clipart-Illustration-Of-A-3d-Chubby-Burger-Man-Standing-And-Facing-Front.jpg

Super stuff Gerry,

One of the most dissappointing aspect about our bad run is the fact that i`ve spent more time arguing with our felow so-called LFC fans.I`m trying to tell some to take a step back and look at the bigger picture and see what a great job Rafa`s doing considering the circumstances he`s worked under.
The media is such a powerful force even if it is littered with dummy`s.Sadly,so many people out there choose to trust what they decide to spout and outside,as Gerry said,the majority of LFC supporters who see the reality.

I think Ged took us as far as he could at the time but will be forever grateful to him for the progress he made in his tenure.

Souness was the worst of all,some of his decisions were scandelous plus after his interview with the sun the writing was on the wall.(Literally)

The Irish were robbed tonight Gerry but Henrys handball was just one of those things the ref missed.I`m sure if the shoe was on the other foot and it was an Irish player who done it,there wouldn`t be too mant complaints over here.A total injustice and although i`m not a big fan of international football that was the best performance from an Irish team i`ve seen.Hard luck.

.

Firstly, welcome to the blog and thanks for your great comments FabTheLedge and red kelly.
But I really just came in here to say that despite what I said about Trapattoni in the blog, Ireland were magnificent tonight in Paris. We may not have the best players in the world but they were brilliant this evening and gave it everything. They really went after France and were the best team by a mile, and had they been a little more clinical with the chances they created we’d have won the game comfortably.
Had we lost on penalties or through a decent French goal we would reluctantly accept it but to be cheated the way we were was just heart breaking for the players and the fans. Thierry Henry is a cheating bastard and I hope he slits his throat with one of those poxy fucking razors he’s always advertising.
I actually thought the ref had a great game and I don’t blame him because he couldn’t see it from his position but the fucking linesman is looking right at it and firstly fails to see two French players in offside positions and then misses the most blatant hand-ball I have ever seen in my life, he actually touches the ball twice to get it under control. Kevin Kilbane said he and a couple of other Irish players asked Henry about it after the game and he said the ball just hit him, which just proves that he’s not only a cheat but he’s also a liar as well.
For those who haven’t seen it, check it out on the link below, it’s a fucking disgrace!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nva_xYbN2rs&feature=response_watch

This Jamie Kanwar guy is …pathetic.

Great blog, Gerry.

With regards to Houllier, am in agreement with many others here who said he had to go & his anti-football tactics were really difficult to stomach.

But have to say Houllier deserves plenty of thanx & respect fer the 2001 season. Those games against the arse & Deportivo Alaves will always live long in memory. That was a fantastic season & our feat even managed to overshadow the scum winning the league.

Souness? Incredible. Thought he’d fessed up to making a few mistakes during his managerial career at Anfield but he genuinely seems to have a grudge to grind against us.

Maybe Rafa should do a Mourinho & bitch-slap him with the ‘what the fook have ye won & who the fook are ye managing now?’ retort.

(*sorry off topic*)

Aitch, have been meaning to ask ye this, seeing that ye’ve got Eddie as yer gravatar.

Did you manage to catch Maiden at the Royal Court during the No Prayer Fer The Dying tour?

Wot a show . . .

5 out of 5 for the blog Gerry. Excellent stuff. Great comments thereafter as well lads.

FIFA/France/Cherry Henry; robbing bastards the lot of them. Too fucked off to say any more.

Away to fix my door.

I only came in to say I just saw the goal. Fucking woeful. If I was Irish I’d be going mental. I feel really sorry for you lads.

You’ve been robbed twice. First with the sly seeding melarkey and then this. I tell you something, I quite like France, the French and French footy. They’ve been lovely to watch over the years. But know… well, I don’t know about Henry cutting he’s throat, but that Platini bastard he must be dancing up and down. It should be at the end of a rope.

One pure bitter prick that.

I didn’t see the full game. I didn’t know it was on telly. I had all the kids and grandkids over last night. So I only got to see the goal this morning.

Henry has admitted it now. But, and I hate to say this lads, but this football nowadays. Cheating is just a part of the game. It’s wrong but it’s accepted. Doesn’t make it any easier to take though.

I hate international football, but I watch the Euros and the World Cup. One of the things I like about the world cup is watching all the fans. And I’m sure most other footy fans enjoy watching all the different supporters put on a show. Such a shame the Paddies won’t be there.

It’s on Sly Sports as I’m typing. They just showed Henry saying to Dunne… “I cheated.”

Don’t think he’ll lose any sleep over it, but at least the man has fessed up. As for the other fella though, Platinni, something should be done about this man and his goal post moving. What a prick.

Sorry lads.

FS, my dear friend..Never mind the disturbances from their texting and calls. I would still have preferred at least the therapeutic hugs (two for each goals and one final hug when YNWA was being sang..actually I don’t mind more hugs if they had wanted it too). If offered to exchange seats I would have gladly snapped it up. Cheers, mate. maybe next time!

I did not see the France v Ireland game. Pity about the handball by Henry, normally a gentleman and a great player in my reckoning.

Comment by Tony Barrett on LFC Selling Torres in The Times:

November 18, 2009
Ahead of TheGame: Liverpool owners wouldn’t dare sell Torres

AfernandotorresafpIn today’s e-mail bulletin, Tom Yates asked: “Rafael Benitez has said that he’d quit Liverpool if George Gillett and Tom Hicks sanction the sale of Fernando Torres, but couldn’t this be seen as great news for the American co-owners since it presents them with an opportunity to reduce club debt by selling Torres and an inexpensive way of offloading Benitez? All of course in the same week that Jose Mourinho stated his wishes to return to the Premier League. Surely, all together, this makes a tempting scenario for Gillett and Hicks.”

Tony Barrett responded: “Firstly, I think the way Benitez answered what was a hypothetical question about Torres’s future was significant. To quote from the interview which appeared in The Times on Monday, “Asked whether an offer of £100 million or more would tempt Hicks and Gillett to sell the superstar striker, the Liverpool manager smiled and said: ‘It won’t happen, I’d quit’.

“It was a hypothetical answer, delivered with a smile, to a hypothetical question. There is no offer on the table for Torres and there has been no indication from anyone at the club that he could be sold. It also goes without saying that any manager worth his salt would consider his future if his star player was sold without his consent.

“Hicks and Gillett have heaped debt on Liverpool Football Club having vowed not to do so, they have failed to start work on a new stadium despite promising to do so within 60 days of takeover and they have spoken to Jurgen Klinsmann behind Benitez’s back. In the eyes of the club’s fans these are cardinal sins but the anger caused by them would be outstripped by some distance were they even to consider selling Torres. They know that, Benitez knows that and Torres himself knows that.

“The only doubt that exists concerns the club’s debts. Liverpool have to make £30 million in interest payments per year under the terms of the current refinancing agreement. Should Liverpool fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League then the fear is that there will be further cuts made to the club’s budget and that could have an impact on the buying and selling of players.

“Torres is their most saleable asset by some distance but even taking this into account it remains unthinkable that the owners would be foolish enough to sell arguably the finest forward in world football to one of their rivals. Surely no-one would be that stupid?”

And what do you think of the possibility of getting Ruud van Tinseltoy to join LFC? Hmm. ex LFC forward Owen goes to Man United. And ex Man United forward Ruud van Tinseltoy goes and joins LFC. Who is better: Owen or RvN?

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/109013/Liverpool-Spurs-and-Fulham-on-red-alert-/

“Surely no-one would be that stupid?”

But they’d be that greedy and couldn’t give a toss what anyone said or tried to do about it – especially their friend Rohfa. Thing is though… There’s no way Torres would join anyother English club and he wouldn’t play for Real. So in all reality he’s left with Barcelona?

Knight mate… that’s the Daily Star you are reading there. Quick tip – STOP!

I wouldn’t even believe the date on the top of the page. As for Rude Manc Horseface… why? It would be worse than Morientes.

A bit more time on my hands. Loved the quip I’ve spent more time waiting for the bus FS. The talk about back in the old days has a lot of merit. The respect was genuine and not forced for the media consumption. Bobby Charlton is a friend of my Dads, he liked to watch Rugby and that is how they met and how my Dad ended up as a Manu supporter. Not that he gives a fuck he is through and through a Rugby man. He just does it as a wind up for me because he knows that I am passionate about it. BC would often come to St Helens and watch my Dad and have a drink with him afterwards. I also met him here in SA when we came back in 68’ and ManU toured out here in the 70’s They where all sportsmen first and super stars second and I loved nothing better than to listen to the stories of them touring and the things they got up to. They had a bond that crossed the boundaries of the different sports and they all respected each other for what they had accomplished. I have been very fortunate, because of my Dad, to sit in the same company of many international sports stars of yesteryear and respect and being down to earth is very much what they all have in common.

The fans in those days where different also. It was one big family and they all looked out for one another. Saints played Wigen in the 66’ Final at Wembly, my Dad was Captain at the time. One of his friends took me (6 years old) on the train to Wembly, as my mother was in the players box. We won and he got rat arsed after the game and lost me. Saints supporters picked me up took me to the train going back to St Helens and looked after me all the way home. His wife was mad as hell when he arrived and said that he had lost me, until the Fans who looked after me walked up and said no problem love here he is. Good old days

Talking of Jackie Charlton, I remember when Holland was playing Germany, hate at first sight between these two teams and there was a running battle between Rykaard and Voeller. Voeller and Klinsman took the art of diving to new heights in those days. Rykaard took exception and continued spitting into Voellers afro until he reacted and they both got sent off. They asked Jackie what he would have done. Simple I would have chinned him he replied, there is no place in football for that he said.

Getting back to matters at hand, this Liverpool team, squad and set-up is developing into something very special. It frustrates the shit out of me that fans cannot see it. From the academy upwards, the reserves are once again, with the youngsters, top of the log. Our first team squad is as good as anybody’s despite the lack of investment and despite the pathetic saga that is our ownership. We are set to become a major force, like in the Shankly and Paisley years for many years to come. That is all down to one man, Rafa. You can ignore it, explain it away and even make pathetic attempts, according to what agenda you have, to undermine it. The fact remains that we have improved year in, year out, under Rafa even under the above circumstances, that on any given day we can take on and beat anybody and I mean anybody even when we do not have our full compliment of player available. Yes when we have the list of injuries that we have had we have struggled, but who wouldn’t. I still think we are in with a shout for the title this year, but I am more than convinced that this squad will win us the title very soon. As the youngsters get older and more experience so will our strength in depth get better and better despite the handy cap of our two twats. We need to have faith, we need to stick together and support Rafa and the team no matter what. We are on the right road, but we will be derailed if things are torn apart and if Rafa walks or is pushed. Now more than ever real fans have to stand up and be counted. It’s very easy to support a team in the good times. The test of a real supporter is to support the team in the bad times. This team will be something special give it time and give them and Rafa the support they need.

I see Henry’s come out and said he told the ref its was handball but the ref said “your not the ref” – yeah Platini was the ref

What a way to lose a game, Pepe Le Pew – your a wanker

Right back to our problems – What we need now is a big performance against City its a six pointer

Gerry, I’m half Irish and feel exactly the same way you do. If we had to go out, why couldn’t it be to a piece of sublime skill from someone. This just leaves a sense of injustice and a very bad taste.

I have just heard Henry’s comments on the French radio.

He says that he could not see the ball due to the two Irish defenders in front of him and the ball just hit his hand. Simple as that and they have now qualified.

I have lost all respect for the man. Just bloody admit it!

BTW, the majority of the French people I have talked to are also gutted about the way that they have went thru’. People have been apologising to me today as if it was their own fault. At least there is still some human decency left.

Although I know that quite a few French guys who wanted Ireland to win, so that clown that they have as a manager/coach would get the boot.

So in the end no-one wins.

Anyway, back to the boys in red. A nice win at the weekend will pick me up and then it will be Hughes that the press will be hounding. 5 points from the last 18 – he must be rubbish!

Great stuff that Keith. But like you said… different times. In fact, I think I’m turning into me Dad and I’m dreading when I start telling the kids to “Turn that bloody racket down!”

But messing aside, it’s good that the genrations that have came after us weren’t brought up like us – not expecting too much out of life and being happy with what we got. I made sure all my kids were told they could be or do anything they wanted in life. All 4 have gone to university and have gone on to, and will go onto, achieve really good things in/with their lives.

I’m very proud of that, and coming from what I came from, I have every right to be. But this gimme it and gimme it now attitude of today, even when it’s impossible to give it, well it’s beyond me.

But then the young fellas nowadays just think we are daft old dinosaurs and can’t understand us. Where we see loyalty, patientce and support, they see stupidity and a weakness of settling for less than we should get/have. I had some young fella bollack me for that at a match last season… “You auld farts do my head in.” And on and on he went, moaning about all things LFC and bollacking my generation for letting things fall apart, without a single thought for who built it up in the first place.

Oh well, never the twain shall meet as they say.
But I just pray they don’t get their way over this, or I truly believe we as a football club will be firmly up shit creek.

Anyway, as An Lin said… on to Saturday. Hopefully it’s onwards and upwards. I was going to go but I can’t. It’s a 12:45 kick. Which means leaving Friday and probably not getting back until Sunday night, spending a small fortune and I’m off to Debrecen Monday.

So, it’s the telly for me and just hoping we have a team to feild. Things seem to be looking up on the injury front. Looks like we’ll have Gerrard, Agger and Johnson back. That will make a real difference. Just waiting on Nando now. There’s a kid that understands the old ways. What a lad he is. No bloody chance of him going anywhere.

And old man’s rant over… did you see that Yossi and Riera might be back within the week. Fucking amazing. Apparently they’ve been to get that Placenta treatment that Wenger/Van Persie has been getting skitted for all week. Seems it’s a modern day miracle!

Bah humbug!

Seems he’s changed his tune then Lurgie mate. Probably ashamed. He seems a nice fella Henry. And earlier on it was getting reported that he admitted it. And he was caught on camera, sitting on the deck next to Dunne after the game. It clearly shows him turning to Dunne and saying, “I cheated.”

Makes it no easier to take though. Oh well, as you say on to Saturday. Let’s hope we wipe the deck with them.

Right got to go and get some bloody work done. Wasting far too much time in here.

I really hope we put in a good performance along with a good result on saturday.Its important we start to gel as a team again and start playing like we all know we can.I`d like to see Aqualini get more than 10 mins this time.Its obvious Rafa has to break him slowly back into action.His fitness should be improving everyday so he`ll be ready play more minutes.

You’re right Timmy, no way can Aquilani be thrown into this one but I’m sure he’ll get a bit more pitch time as I wouldn’t be surprised to dee him playing a big part against Debrecen.

Can’t even think who will field at the moment though… Ngog, broken nose and seems Torres got a training session in. Babel or Dosenna on the left. Johnson, Gerrard, Kuyt all carrying knocks. And I could go on but it’s Rafa’s job to sort it.

Been listening to a bit of Talk Shite about last night’s game. They’ve been talking the usual nonsense – ban/shoot Henry, throw France out – as ever pure drivel and cack. The more sane people are calling for a replay, and for technology to be used. I can’t see them replaying it meself and I always say no technology. But that’s just because I love the game as it is and hate seeing them fuck about with it.

But obviously something has to be done. What? I don’t know, and I haven’t heard any sensible suggestions really. And just taking this game as an example, I think it was tinkering with the game/rules that caused this fuck up anyway – the seeded play offs.

That was a out and out rip off. And I wouldn’t even be surprised if it was Platinni who got onto Blatter and got it done when it looked like France mightn’t qualify.

Well whatever it was, it was wrong. And as if missing the world cup wasn’t bad enough for the fans and players, well the whole republic’s population, how much will this have cost the Irish FA?

It’s got to be mega-millions.

Oh well, money and the world cup…. Argentina at 10 to 1. Well worth a punt. Think I’ll be throwing a few bob at that.

There always has and always will be cheating in sport. Gutting when it happens to your team but that is how the cookie crumbles I’m afraid.

Rafa said Ngog should be ok to play despite the broken hooter. I think Babel will play on the left. Gerrard will start and so will Johnson as they trained in the week.

Riena
Johnson, Skrtle, Agger, Insua
Kuyt, Masch, Scapegoat, Babel
Gerrard
Ngog

Robbie Keane actually came out and said that Platini was probably on the blower to Blatter having a grand old laugh about it all.

I`m not for bringing technoligy into the game.Bad decisions from refs have been happening since the dawn of the game.It`s human error that is part of the game.Some decisions go for you and others against.
Liverpool were denied the title in 1972 when on the last day John Toshack scored what seemed to be a late winner at highbury.It was ruled out for offside.That was later proved to be the wrong decision.It cost the reds the title to Derby county.
The thing is back in `72 there wasn`t the saturated media coverage there is today.Nowadays everything is under the media microscope.Trivial things such as tackles get three days coverage with opinion from past players,managers and refs.

Feckin hell,Jeff Winter is more famous now than he ever was as a ref.Every time a dodgy decision has been made,he`s plastered all over Sly Sports for his opinion,which as always favours the refs decision.

Did Henry handled the ball?Yes.He did cheat?Yes.Did he get away with it?Yes.Will he lose sleep?Maybe,i`ve always admired him for his manner.Somehow i do believe he cares about his image.I think last night was initially an instinctive action but did he really think he`d get away with it?Maybe not.
The stakes are high for the French.They,particularly Henry will take the flak for it but when they`re on the plane to SA next summer will they feel sorry for the Irish?Like hell they will.You could see by the way the French backroom staff celebrated last night,like they`d did the great train robbery and got away with it.
I`ll say one thing about their manager,if they want to progress in the Tournament they should seek another manager.How Dominech is still in that job i`ll never know.

Sorry to go on about the Irish thing in an LFC blog,but i guess its understandable today.Its the biggest talking point in Ireland since Saipan 2002.

Anyhoo,on to Saturday and i`m glad N`gog will be ok to play.The lad is beginning to improve.He leads the line well and will give Gerrard the space to do his thing in the hole.I think Kuyt can do a job there if needed but he would tend to drop off more into Gerrards space and it might get a bit clustered there.N`gog will play on the shoulder and he seems to have intelligent movement also.
Anyway Kuyt is better right side and he and Johnson compliment each other well as FS said earlier.

Gerry top blog mate,thanks again. Cant wait for the PROPER footy to resume on Saturday. I see man shitty have got no wins or maybe one in six against us at anfield so I’m in positive form just knowing that. although it was tough watching Ireland go out last night the one good thing is that Dunne an given will still be devastated on Saturday and that can only work in our favour. As for Ireland, well you can say it was cheating you can argue every case under the sun,they put themselves in that position so just a case of hard lines. As for henry i’d love to go off on one but to be honest i’d have done the exact same thing myself.
So it really seems we’re gonna need a big performance on sat and im feeling confident we can get the right result.

LIVERPOOL 3 MAN CITY 1

opps dunnes away,just given in that theory!!

I fuckin hate cheating TT. Ireland would have been bouncing if they had made it to SA. Put a bit of a feel-good factor around the place.

So, what about this for a solution.

The referee has ten seconds before he can confirm that it’s a goal (thanks talksport) and then in this time the opposing team can have the time to put their case.

The ref can then ask the player in question if he is culpable i.e. did you fuckin’ hand-ball? If he says yes – no goal. If he says yes, it’s a goal and he’s a scumbag for the rest of his life!

Job Done.

BTW, LB’s line-up is spot-on, apart from the Scapegoat lad. Who said we didn’t have any money

Puchong re #52,
I’ve been a lifelong Maiden fan, since the first album.
I’d undergo a fuckin Swedish sex-change operation and have Adrian’s baby if he requested it.
(er… well okay, maybe that was going a bit far, but he is a fuckin genius of a guitar player!)

And the sickest thing about that statement (er, not the “Adrian’s baby” bit, but the “lifelong fan” bit) is… I’ve never seen them live!

And I even had the chance to see them live in L.A. once… it was all last-minute, with backstage passes…
…AND would have gotten to go up on stage with all the roadies, dressed in black robes, for a “whoah-oh-oh” chant thing they did on that tour…
…but alas, I was on my flying course and had my Private Pilot exam scheduled for that day.
(sad thing is, even though I passed the bastard, I never actually went on to be a pilot.)

And YES… that does make me a complete and utter gobshite!

But I do occasionally pop in the “Rock In Rio” DVD (best concert DVD ever) on my BIG screen TV, so its maybe the next best thing! In fact, that’s exactly what I’m gonna do right now!

Apologies for the interruption to service… We now return you to our regularly scheduled football blogging!

some red-related info for a change.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article6922306.ece

Let’s hope we are in for a good surprise when the teamsheet is put-out on Saturday morning.

Gang, sorry to double up on TT and the “irish thing” but I am completely pissed off after last night. I really think what Henry did NOT do was disgusting. He could have owned up and got the goal ruled out. It would have given him an incredible affirmation as a role model etc etc. A lot of people talk about Paolo di Canio and also about Robbie Fowler and the non-penalty vs Arsenal. Imagine what Henry could have done ? It was the most watched match in the world yesterday. He really had a chance to create something instead he ran away and celebrated his cheating and then tried to justify what he did.

I’m Irish and I’m furious that we were kicked out of the World Cup in this manner (not to mention the rigged draw). I’d have been disappointed to lose in any manner but this fucks me right off. Football is rotten. It’s run by gangsters and pimps, sucked on by a scaberous slimeball leech media as well as agents who whore their “products” around and poison whatever minds they have.

Henry is (was) the guy who has everything. The lifestyle of a king along with the money, adoration, the story, the languages, the cool image, smooth talking….. no better than Ronaldo or Drogba or Vinnie Jones when it comes down to it. Classless wanker. Prick threw it all away to sneak a shower of worthless mercenaries into FIFA’s invite only party.

This will never be forgotten Terry boy, don’t you worry about that. As for FIFA well as the song went last night “you can stick your world cup up your ….” (respect our senior blog members).

And before anyone here asks me the obvious question as to what I’d think if it was one of our lads who done it. I’d hope we’d have the class to do the right thing. I hate cheats, even ours. Henry not only let himself down last night but he stained the whole french team. As for that imbecile of a manager well it only shows what the French Football Association must be like. We have as much chance of getting a re-match as …. fill in the blanks. There is a right way of doing things but these greedy men know nothing of that. They mouth their hypocrisy. They kill the game.

Right. I really apologise for this rant but I do think that there is a bit more understanding here in this space. It’s got people who are worldwide and generally have a bit more than a parochial view of the world.

Next comment is back to the ‘Pool.

Don’t know why any of you Irish lads are appologising. I’d be going proper bonkers mental if I was Irish. But the thing is, what can be done about this cheating that really is getting out of hand?

Well, the only real thing I can think of – without messing about with the actual game – is a punishment for the player who’s proved to have cheated.

But then it’s hard to really prove at times, and if it is proved what can you do to the cheating player…
3 match ban? Most times they’d just accept that and go ahead and cheat anyway.
Fine? They mean absolutely nothing nowadays.

So, then you’re left with tinkering with the game.

I don’t want to see some sort of stop/start melarkey while they look at the telly. And how many times have you seen an incident disected to fuck on the telly and nothing has been proved either way.

I could go on about other changes, but what’s the point. I’ve heard millions of them suggested, but none that I’d make.

But as for this specific game, it should be replayed. No doubt about it in my mind. And after thinking about it today, I think it should be a one off game, in a neutral country, 90 minutes, and extra time and penalities if needed.

Trapatoni was right – even if it had ended up a draw on aggregate last night, the French would have had an unfair advantage of extra time at home. Something the Irish wouldn’t have got if it was the case in the first leg.

Also there should be an inquiry into the shameful way they shifted the posts and seeded the play offs. I heard what Robbie Keane had to say today, and even if the lad is wrong, he still has a point.

The game should be seen to be transparent, fair and all above board. And while it’s wrong to blame Platinni (different organisations for a kick off) but I’m surd he was more than happy that France didn’t have to play Portugal.

That’s no slieght on the Republic. They’re one of them teams that can give anyone a game on their day, and teams know they’ve been in a game when it’s finished. But nevermind all the moral or sentimental reasons… There’s mega-millions involved. And for that reason alone, the FAI must persue it even into the courts if they have to.

As for Henry, I don’t think he can be blamed. In all truth, I’d have done exactly the same.

PS… Aitch, Iron Maiden suck. Only 2 metal bands worth a toss – AC/DC and Motorhead.

(*sorry everyone fer this off topic converstaion*)

Aitch @ 75: Wooooah, what a missed opportunity.

Anyway, check this out: http://anfielddevotee.blogspot.com/2008/11/as-me-said-in-me-earlier-posting-me.html

As fer the live stuff, me fave is Live After Death . . .

And FS, disagree with yer assesment (though AC/DC & Motorhead are fooking ace). Yer really showing yer age gramps . . . Turn it down & all that . . .

ps: Did ye see Motorhead play a low-key warm up show at the University’s student union in 89?

Now, now FS, don’t make me go all Burgerbarn on yer chubby arse. That is the kinda statement I would expect from certain wankers in the Rafa-out camp.
“Iron Maiden suck” is equivalent to saying Rafa is a useless manager. (tut-tut, sir!)

I’ve seen both AC/DC and Motorhead live, and I mean in their prime back in the day… and yes, they were both awesome.

Actually one of the guys on Irish television made an interesting point last night, Johnny Giles I think.
He said that in the German league they are currently experimenting with a new way to deal with these type of hand-ball situations.
What they are doing is have the ref ask the player if he handled the ball, if the player says he did then no action is taken and the game carries on, but if he denies handling the ball and it later transpires on the video footage that he did then he gets suspended for 5 or 6 games. That would seem to me to be a fair why of dealing with it.
FS, with all due respects to your last comment. I probably played the game for as long as you did and while I admit that I threw around a few tackles that Tommy Smith would have been proud of, I can honestly say I never took a dive nor delibrately handled a ball in such a fashion. It would never even occur to me to do such a thing regardless of the circumstances and quite frankly I’m surprised to hear you say that Henry can’t be blamed and that you yourself would resort to cheating. Somehow I figured you’d be one of the last people I would expect to do such a thing.
Surely a player of Henry’s standing has a greater responsibility to the game.
I know some people may say it’s a fact of life but it sickens me these days when I see kids playing football in the park and there is always one or two of them who will roll around on the ground trying to hoodwink referees because they see the likes of Drobga and Ronaldo doing it on the telly. Just last weekend I saw this kid playing in a local match and throughout the entire game he was constantly spitting and cursing at the referee, no doubt a Wayne Rooney fan! And I suppose it won’t be too long now before the kids start doing a “Henry”.
Even after the fact, I think if any professional player is shown to be blatantly cheating in any fashion, they should be absolutely hammered by the powers that be and made an example of. I think managers could be doing a lot more to stamp such behaviour out of the game and if they started losing players for a few games through suspension it wouldn’t be long before they acted and took a leaf out of the books of some of the great managers of the past.
You will probably remember that Jock Stein once suspended one of his players without pay for diving to win a penalty and I noticed you mentioned Jimmy Case in one of your earlier posts but maybe you’d like to tell some of the younger lads on here why Bob Paisley sold him?
Anyway as you can probably tell this is a particular bugbear of mine but on a final note, if a Liverpool player did such a thing regardless of the circumstances, I would be absolutely disgusted. As far as I’m concerned cheating should never ever be an option and anyone caught doing it should be hung out to dry.

I did’t really want to get into this discussion.
I’m old school and firmly believe there is no place in footy for such shenanigans… it needs to be stamped out and it needs to be stamped out now!

What we are dealing with in the modern game are a bunch of self obsessed millionaires, with little to no education.

How many dives has Stevie G taken?
How many handballs did Stephane Henchoz get away with?
And those are two examples of least offenders at our team, let alone the Drogbas and Ronaldos of this world.

They do it coz they know they can and coz there’s loads of money at stake.

The idea that we can’t incorporate technology into the game in a way that won’t disrupt it and turn it into the NFL, is ludicrous to me. There’s some fuckin smart people in the world… maybe if FIFA hired just ONE of them, instead of the dickheads they usually give jobs to, we could figure out a way to do it.

One way or the other in this instance, the game is stopped right?
I mean its either a goal and going back to the center circle for a kick-off,
or
its disallowed and a free kick is given after cards have been dispensed.

So why not take 30 seconds for the 4th official to look at instant replays from 2 or 3 of the 59 camera angles on offer???
I mean seriously… what the fuck else is he doing besides taking 90 minutes of fuckin abuse from the managers and their assistants??

of course… had such a system been in place, we’d have lost to Birmingham 1-2.
but wouldn’t have gone down a goal early on to Sunderland
and been 2 up against Lyon as Kuyt would not have been wrongly ruled offside
etc., etc.

Gerry, I think those pesky Germans have been listening to talksport and reading kopblog

Anyway, what the German FA are doing was basically what I was trying to say. FFS, I think that there was a good 2-3 minutes between the ‘goal’ and the restart. Plenty of time to ask the culprit.

As for the 5-6 games ban, what about 10-12 to sort the men from the boys. This behaviour needs to be eradicated from the game!

BTW, there is virtually no chance of a replay, the FFF are refusing to respond to the FIA’s request. Who would have guessed that? Rotten to the core this game is and it makes me wonder sometimes why I bother my arse with it!

(Also, where is Platini in all of this? Not a dickie bird from a guy who can’t keep his gob shut. Il est un vrai cons cette mec.)

I like the German approach (always the sensible and practical nation, don’t you just hate it) and I have a certain amount of sympathy for the Irish, but until technology is used you will continuously have this type of thing happening and continuously have somebody getting shafted. Anyone remember the Hand of God? There is no provision in FIFA to do diddle squat and I will give you all themodss you want that thee will not be any forced replay. If the French offer it maybe but what are the odds on that.

We have to be very careful to label anybody a cheat, except for Drogba and Wanker you can call them anything you want because they did crawl out from under a slime invested rock. It is instinctive, most of these handballs with no intent and 99% of players would do it because there is no thought process involved. Is the onus on the players to own up or on the ref and linesman to spot it. Clearly FIFA states it’s up to the ref and there is no legislation in place to make the player own up to it. The old saying you play to the whistle applies as well. Also the decisions even themselves out, yeah right? Is it fair? Like fuck is it fair but until the top men get their act together and change the rules and use technology to make the game as fair as possible and until you can use video replay to ban players for cheating, to ascertain if the decision is correct, like in Rugby and cricket to a certain extent, it will happen time and time again. The time wasting issue is ludicrous we wast more time seeing players fake injury when rolling around on the ground than a 4th official would take to adjudicate as to the accuracy of a decision. Henry played to the rules, he was not asked and the ref and the linesman where incompetent, that is not his fault. Who would have owned up. I give him credit for saying he touched it. Mo0st would have said I had no idea what happened as it happen to quick. Maradona was even more brazen he claimed it was the Hand of God. Where did it get England? Certainly not into the semi finals.

Talking more LFC, I never go into certain sites to read articles just from past experience with all the shite that they tend to write and more know due to the headlines, I skip over them. Having read one or two of this Jamie Wankers articles out of curiosity, not to mention the headlines and it being brought up in this forum. I would like to pose a question. It is so ludicrously anti Rafa, it’s almost laughable. It makes the chuckle brother seem rational and intelligent. The opposite is true concerning THicks and the midget; he is so far up their arse I am surprised he has not been asphyxiated.

What are the odds that this is a cunning plan, as Boldrick would say, by them to get their views across and undermine Rafa. It is so blatant anti Rafa and pro Twats there has to be an agenda. I actually could not get through most of it but here is a link saying Rafa lied about Aquilani and defending the spade in the ground in 60 days as not a lie.

http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/384641300sp?-11194

Posts 77, 82 and 83; superb. Little to be added except, anyone who says ‘well ya cant blame the lad’ or ‘its not his fault’; Bollocks. Whose fucken fault is it then that he’s a fucken cheat? Is it Irelands fault? Is it mine? Is it yours? Well yes its yours. Why? Because you accept that ‘its a part of life’. Your blaise indifference to corruption and cheating nurtures its propagation and you get the game you deserve as a result. A fucken joke is what it is and anything other than villifying henry condones it

What I find slightly annoying here is the notion that cheating is a new or modern thing. The notion everything was honest in decades gone by. Nobody dived or deliberately handballed in the 60s or 70s? Yeah right.

Morning chaps. Fatty got quite the bollacking there, but you know what…
this is the type of footy argument I love. Dummy spitting after a lose/draw/bad performance isn’t a footy argument this is. So…

Clear a couple of things up, first…
To the best of my knowledge Jimmy Case was let go because of his behaviour. It was a well known fact round Liverpool that Jimmy was a pisshead. I used to see him in the boozer quite often. But it was different back then and seeing LFC/EFC players in the alehouse was a run of the mill occurence. The Everton team of the time where always in me mates alehouse. But Jimmy Case went to far.

He used to go on the piss with Ray Kennedy and one night the pair of them had a big kick off in some Pub/Hotel in North Wales. Apparently they could have a go aswell as play – they knocked a few fellas out. The police was called. They took off in Jimmy’s car – which I remember was a Ford Capri Ghia with “Jimmy Case of Liverpool FC, Skelly’s Ford World” sprayed on the side. All the player’s used to get free cars from Skelly’s back then.

So soft lad Jimmy wasn’t exactly inconspicous. Anyway, the bizzzies chased them all the way to Liverpool. Jimmy trying to lose them all the way, eventually jumped out the car, gave it legs and was caught hiding behind the bins in some flats in Huyton. Daft bastard.

He’d already been losing his place to Sammy Lee by then. But even if he hadn’t, I’m sure Bob Paisley would have done the same thing… “See the door there Jimmy son? Yeah. We’ll get yourself on the other side of it and don’t come back through it. Bye bye.”

All top managers of top teams at that time would have done exactly the same. But as we all know, them days are over.

Like I said in me first post, I hate the cheating in the game. Something really does have to be done. I just haven’t seen/heard a solution that I agree with. I listed some reasons why in me last post.

And in all truth, the last time we got a result through it, I was made up. And I agreed with Rafa… we have been the victims often enough. We deserved that “Little bit of luck.”

It’s just the way things have gone, and sad as it is, it’s practically considered part of the game now. I know that’s wrong. But it’s fact. Players cheat at every possible opportunity for the least of reasons. But I think Henry acted on instinct, but it makes no difference whether he did or not. It was cheating and because the stakes are so high I think it should be replayed. Like I said, nevermind all the moral issues, or the players and fans being robbed of a world cup, the FAI should not be allowed to lose mega-millions. And if necessary they should take it to court.

And like I said, a one off game (probably in the Millenium Cardiff) should be played, with penalties if necessary to ensure a winner. But also like I said earlier… I think the Republic was cheated months and months ago. In fact, I remember mentioning it in here and I was surprised that none of you Irish lads really went off about it then.

As for cheating personally… the only cheating I ever done was kick lumps off lads that were too good for me as I got older and older. Believe it or not, I started off as a winger, and fell further and further back as the legs went, eventually ending up as an old fashioned sweeper. What a piece of piss that was. I’d have been a pro if I’d have known how easy it was back there. But even being able to see everything coming and being able to read the game and practically wait for it to arrive couldn’t compensate. And after getting sent off for kicking fuck out of (funnily enough) some young German striker that was literally taking the piss out of me (both with the ball and verbally) I knew it was time to hang the boots up. Couldn’t be arsed going and playing that old fellas stuff, so I started coaching.

To be honest, cheating wasn’t much of an issue. But I know I’d have been really hard on any of my players who did.

So personally, I hope you can see I really really hate it.

But as for Henry, in a way it’s a shame that it happened to him. It would have been so much easier to hate say Dropba or Winker for it. But at the end of the day, would I have done it if I’d been in his position – considering what the stakes where – too fucking right I would have. I’d have done it in a heartbeat and no 3,4,5,6 match ban or any fine they could give me would have stopped me.

Does that make it right. Fuck no. It’s dispicable. And like I said in me first post… I can’t understand why you Irish lads were appologising. You should be, and have every right to be, going mental about it.

PS… Aitch, Iron Maiden are cack.

Missed Digger’s and LB’s posts. Behave Digger. Of course they did LB… but it wasn’t ingrained like it is today.

KeithSA

I read that article Of Jamie Wankers…fuck me – I know I shouldnt, but I keep fucking reading them…

Fuck me…the fucking thing is full of half truths and selective reporting…

Worst piece of writing of all time…

He is definitely a stooge for Dumb and Dumber…

Oh and I forgot to say… It’s a known fact H&G planted employees in a lot of fan sites after the Klinsman affair. They were sussed out and fucked off. Looks like this Wankar fella is here to stay though and sadly there’s enough soft bastards about nowadays to give him an audience.

I’ve never heard of the fella in me life. In fact, I’ve never came across that name, Kanwar, in me life but it seems American to me.

‘you should be and have every right to be going mental about it’. Having read Diggers post going mental about it, 1 post later: ‘Behave Digger’. Priceless.

You like that Digger. Thought you needed a laugh, but maybe you have forgot that little thing called irony since you moved the good ol USA.

What punishment should Thierry get?

A) Public hanging
B) 40 lashes
C) Banned from the World Cup
D) Fined one years wages
E) Stripped naked and made to run through Dublin town centre

The Daily Mirror has some hillarious pictures of Henry as Michael Jordan shooting hoops, one with ‘Cheat’ written on the back of his Barca jersey and they have the French flag with a hand in the middle of it. Ha ha ha….

SPORTING CHEATS

Diego Maradona

Probably the most famous cheat of all time. At the 1986 football World Cup in Mexico he used his hand to score a goal against England, undetected by match officials.

Fred Lorz

The marathon at the 1904 St Louis Olympic Games was on a sweltering afternoon. First in was New Yorker Fred Lorz in 3hrs 13mins. It was later discovered he had travelled 11 miles of the race as a car passenger. His lifetime ban was later lifted.

Dora Ratjen

The German woman competing in the high jump in the 1936 Berlin Olympics was really a man called Hermann who hid his genitals by tight binding. He could still only come fourth and did not get a medal.

Panama Lewis

This boxing trainer was jailed for six years for removing padding from Luis Resto’s gloves and putting plaster of Paris on his hand wraps, making his fists dangerously hard when he beat Billy Collins Jnr in 1983.

Sylvester Carmouche

A jockey on a 23-1 outsider in January 1990 at Louisana’s Delta Downs won by skipping a lap in thick fog and rejoining the race in the lead. He was banned for eight years.

Oh you were being ironic! Riiiiight, my bad. See? Theres some more irony for ya. A public apology from Thierry Conry for cheating and a statement concurring with public opinion that a replay is the only fair and just way for this issue to be resolved would be a start LB. The French F.A then agreeing to the replay would be the gracious and correct way to conclude the affair. Oh and then oust that brainless useless corrupt cunt blatter so video replay can be introduced to save our game from total farce.

Digger your easier to wind up than a clockwork Henry. Maybe you both need a spell in Dublin.

If you say so Fatty, if you say so….

Fatty has spoken, it is so

Yeah, business as usual in other words. Meet you behind the bike shed for a ciggie at recess.

Skysports News have announced that there will be a replay of the France vs Ireland match.

It’s on today at 2pm on Sky Sports 2 and HD2.
——–

MTMC they’ve just said FIFA have rejected the appeal. Nothing new for them… say two completely different things in the same breath.

Talking of which, I see Roy Keane is ingratiating himself to his countrymen again. What is wrong with that fella? Is he proper bonkers?

Digger, you never even met me for a pint and back then I would have probably just robbed your ciggies.

Oh and your dinner money. Mmmm!

I’m sure you would Fatty I’m sure you would. Right, schools out for me, off to work, later lads.

FS…mine is a joke. A tv replay.

Ooops sorry lad. I didn’t read it properly. Sky has been grilling everyone all day. They’ve got Wenger on the rack for it right now. And they’ve even had Sarkosy on. Wrong spelling, but you know the President of France fella.

It would be alright if they was trying to get something done about it. I’d even accept them saying what’s done is done. But it’s just the usual shite stirring as usual.

Shame Digger had to go. I’m waiting for Rafa’s press conference. Oh well, suppose I’m just going to have to twiddle me thumbs till it’s on now.

Bored, bored, bored. Waiting for Rafa…

Funny watching Wenger getting grilled. They are quizzing and quizzing him, and trying to get him to call Henry a cheat. The snide comments are verging you are both French, so you both accept cheating.

It’s disgraceful.

Both Henry and Wenger have said it would be right to replay the game. So what more do they want? Probably the sort of punishments LB joked about before.

They seem to forget when Arsenal where accused of cheating – after beating Fat Head Steve Bruce’s Sheffield team – they not only replayed the game but had to pratically fight the FA to reschedule it.

I can’t remember any such outcry the other week when Fat Head not only beat us on an illegal goal but practically attacked Rafa on the side line.

And this is what knocks me sick about footy today. The fucking hypocrisy surrounding it, and the toothless bastards at the FA/UEFA/FIFA not only causing all this mess and doing fuck all to sort it out, is far worse than a decent pro like Henry instinctively handling a ball.

‘kinell… normally I don’t bother about with Rafa’s press conferences. But with all the injuries, and the importance of the game now, due to both teams under performing, I sat here for bloody ages waiting for Rafa to come on.

He just has. But seen there’s even more devilment and mischief to be found elsewhere, they had him on for about 10 seconds.

Apparantely Torres is still out. Other than that, I learned nothing. Oh well, suppose we have Henry to thank for keeping Rafa off the rack today.

First off Jamie Wankar ignore the daft c*nt, by visiting his site you just give him
attention and more hits which helps with sponsorship.
The first time he was brought to my attention it was during a Rafa debate by a
manc fan ( formerly a Huddersfield then Leeds fan ) lifted off that ROM site.
says it all really.
Anyone remember Goshits a G&H stooge who came in here doing his PR work.
Did anyone really expect Plattini’s team not to be going to the WC corrupt bunch
of c*nts that they are. The German way of dealing with it seems to be good as
most cheats do it for personal glory and missing a few matches can mean
missing medals.
Digger did you have a aneurysm watching Henry or are you beginning to get
used to it.
YNWA

PS If anybody wonders if the mancs get help from ex-players.
http://therepublikofmancunia.com/philip-nevilles-still-a-red/
I love showing Everton fan’s that picture it really winds them up
YNWA

Henry:

“Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who definitely deserve to be in South Africa,” “Of course the fairest solution would be to replay the game but it is not in my control.”

“I have said at the time and I will say again that yes I handled the ball. I am not a cheat and never have been. It was an instinctive reaction to a ball that was coming extremely fast in a crowded penalty area.

“As a footballer you do not have the luxury of the television to slow the pace of the ball down 100 times to be able to make a conscious decision. People are viewing a slow motion version of what happened and not what I or any other footballer faces in the game. If people look at it in full speed you will see that it was an instinctive reaction.

“It is impossible to be anything other than that. I have never denied that the ball was controlled with my hand. I told the Irish players, the referee and the media this after the game. Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who definitely deserve to be in South Africa. There is little more I can do apart from admit that the ball had contact with my hand leading up to our equalising goal and I feel very sorry for the Irish.”

Roy Keane has lambasted the Republic of Ireland’s attempts to get their controversial World Cup play-off match against France replayed.

The Republic appealed to Fifa after their 2-1 aggregate defeat by France on the basis that the winning goal came after a blatant Thierry Henry handball.

But Ipswich boss Keane said: “They can complain all they want but France are going to the World Cup – get over it.

“France were there for the taking and Ireland didn’t do it. Same old story.”

The Irishman, who made 65 appearances for the Republic as a player, continued: “If I’d been there in the dressing room after the game, I wouldn’t be talking about the handball. I’d focus on why the defenders didn’t clear it. They should’ve cleared it.

“I’d be more annoyed with my defenders and my goalkeeper than Thierry Henry. How can you let the ball bounce in your six-yard box? How can you let Thierry Henry get goal-side of you? If the ball goes into the six-yard box, where the hell is my goalkeeper?

“These are skills and lessons you learn as a schoolboy.

“Ireland had their chances in the two games and they never took them. They had chances at Croke Park (in the first leg) and they had chances on Wednesday.

“They didn’t take them, but it’s the usual FAI (Football Association of Ireland) reaction – ‘we’ve been robbed, the honesty of the game…’ It’s rubbish.”

And Keane pointed out that controversial decisions went Ireland’s way in the qualifying campaign, not least a harsh penalty award against Georgia which helped them to clinch a 2-1 qualifying win in February.

“There was one match against Georgia where Ireland got a penalty and it was one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen which changed the whole course of the game.

“I don’t remember the FAI after the game saying we should give them a replay.”

I don’t think the ramblings of a mad man have any bearing on the situation LB. And I don’t blame the Irish lads for being choka with Henry. If he’d done it against us in a major game, Cl final or something, I’d have wanted him strung up.

All that is just mischief making from Sky. Like I said, they’ve been harrasing people about it all day.

I honestly sat about for ages wanting to hear from Rafa. And when you consider all the side issues to our game against City, you know full well it would have been full of the usual nonsense… heaping pressure on both Rafa and Hughes.

But I kid you not, Rafa’s conference was on for all of 30 seconds tops and probably at least 2 hours after it had been given.

So fuck all the surrounding circus. And even though this won’t go down well, with the Irish lads, there’s something even more important than one nation not going to one world cup. In my eyes, there’s a lot more at stake and a really important question for the future of football itself…

What’s going to be done about it?

Nothing and we carry on regardless?
Or changes are made to try and erradicate these sort of things happening in the future?

The more I think about it, the more I realise it really is a huge issue.

That’s just the thing though innit FS?
Nothing will be done unless there is a sustain outcry against it, from the larger footballing community.
But there is no doubt that something should be done, or this game of “ours” will no longer be our game and will become something else entirely.
I know from previous comments you’ve made, that you would agree with me its already halfway there.

And you can bet your corpulent backside that the hacks are already sharpening their pencils for this weekend… since we’ll be starting with Ngog up front!

I’ve gopt no worries about NGog… well, not against City’s defence anyway, Aitch. And if all was fair in the world, the press would be going on about what a find/steal Rafa had made when he signed the kid for a mere million.

Bet you’re bottome lip if he played for our 2 friends the Mancs or Arsenal there’d be the usual fawning over the lad and the geniuses that spotted him.

Obviously, he’s still developing, and he needs a lot of polishing but there’s something I think he lacks and no amount of maturing or training will sort it… he’s just not that quick. But on the plus side, he’s got the fearlessness of youth on his side. So I’m sure if he gets the nod on his own up front, he’ll do his best, won’t hide, and really give it a go. Can’t really ask for anymore.

As for footy itself in the light of what’s just happened…
Well, that’s really for the governing bodies to sort out, and it’s a bit too complicated to really consider in here right now. For instance just consider this…
If they decide on no changes (Technology, more ref’s assistants behind the goal etc) then they must protect the referees. Their word must be final and anyone attacking/blaming/berating them during or after the game must be punished – especially when they rag them after watching a million replays of some incident that was impossible to spot in real time.

As for making changes, as I’ve said, I haven’t seen any suggested that I would like to see implemented.

Look at the technology/video evidence thing…
They use it in the States. But it still gets it wrong and it slows down even their football which is stop start by nature anyway. And then look at our own footy and how often “Video evidence” proves inconclusive.

I hate to say it, but…
Ask Jose Moanio – he’s still whingeing about one of the most analysed goals in the game ever.

Anyway on to tomorrow…
To the best of my knowledge, this is the situation

Degen is suspended still. He got a 3 match ban. Carra’s available. He only got a one match ban.

Two players definetely out, Torres and Kelly.

Gerrard, NGog and Agger are all fit.

Yossi, Johnson, Albert and Aurelio are doubtful but Johnson is expected to start, or at least play a part, in the game.

So things are looking a bit better and I expect us to just to tweak it tomorow.

And to be honest, I’m just in and out of here all day because I’m on me own, got nothing to do, bored but trying my best to stay off the ale until Monday. I want to go the Hungary with a nice clear head. I’m really looking forward to it now, but I’m that fed up I can see the wheel’s coming off the wagon by about 11:30 tomorrow afternoon at the latest. But in all truth I’ll probably be heading up the pub or off license way before that.

I have no qualms about Ngog playing up front FS. I think he’s a talented kid and I’m not even that concerned about any lack of pace the kid might have.

What I was referring to in regards the pencil sharpening was his dive… and let’s be honest it was a dive… vs the brums.
So, you’ve got a lad that cheated to get us a draw…. who happens to be French.
Henry is French and a cheat… ergo… Ngog is French and a cheat.
Coz in addition to being cheese eating surrender monkeys… all Frenchmen are cheats!

All that Media vitriol that will be losing its steam by Saturday press time… will be restoked and aimed towards us if Ngog so much as thinks about causing the slightest infraction… and lets face it the City defense will know that and play on it…
…you know the lad is in for a rough game.

Well, that sort of thing has been happening all season anyway Aitch. The red card Carra got was for previous really.

It’s another thing about all the media pressure on ref’s really… ref misses something in a match. It’s highlighted over and over and over again all week. He goes out next match and starts blowing the whistle for no bloody reason.

Like with Carra… player gets away with something. It’s highlighted over and over. Bingo next match, he’s red carded for something far less and that he would have got away with in any other match.

It’s all the hype and over exposure of the game nowadays. That’s one of the reasons why I said, the Henry incident is huge, even bigger than the immeadiate questions about the actual game.

I’m not one for changing the game/rules of the game, even though some changes in recent times have been good. But, like I said, if they don’t bring in video evidence, or make anyother changes, then the refs word must be final. It must be sorted with all clubs and bad decisions have to be accepted with the good.

We are already running out of refs and it’s only going to get worse. No ref… no game.

Here’s a poser for you Aitch… when was the last time you seen managers, players, pundits or reporters discussing a game and saying how well the ref did?

I can’t remember one. I can remember the last time I saw them all ragging the ref though… the last game I saw, and the game before that and the game before that and the game before that and the…

And the next time you’ll see them all ragging the ref… the next game you watch and the next and the next and the… add infinitum.

FS

The media have been having a go at refs for a long time but Slur Alex has attacked them continuously this season so his cronies in the press will follow suit!

As for tomorrow I hope Ngog gets some support up front, as Aitch points out I feel he could be up for some dirty tactics from Citeh and probably won’t get a lot of sympathy from the ref(Phil Dowd I believe)so possibly playing Kuyt alongside him or Gerrard right up behind him will give him a feeling of some security and he can run them ragged in the extra space DK or SG will hopefully create.

I know I am jumping around on a few topics here but I have got a lot to get of my chest as I don’t post very often.

Ronnie Whelan has been mentioned on here a number of times by various people, I would just like to point out that he is the honorary Chairman of the Dallas supporters club of which Alex Hicks (T Hicks son) is a member, so Whelan has obviously got his own agenda when he slags anything Benitez. He is just a mouthpiece for Hicks in the press.

Alex Hicks is attending the game tomorrow so anyone who is going make sure our feelings about the American Two Hats are voiced very loudly.

Get right behind Rafa and the boys and get are season back onto some sort of an even keel starting tomorrow.

Very interresting tidbit of information there Steve B. Thanks
I wasn’t aware of that, but it does throw something of a new light onto certain comments from Mr. Whelan, dunnit?

And I pretty much agree with everything you said FS.
Ref’s are under an enormous amount of pressure these days… Far more than they ever were in times gone by.

The game is faster, the players are obscenely rich boys rather than well payed men, the managers are petulent instead of proud and the fans are insatiable rather than knowledgeable.
I wouldn’t be a ref for any amount of money.

There is so much money on the line in the modern game, that even the most honest, honorable, admirable of players (as we were all led to believe Henry was) will stoop to subterfuge if a place in the World Cup is on the line.

But the people who run the game have left the Refs hung out to dry. They haven’t adapted with the game.
(Side bar analogy: American Cops used to be issued with 6-shot, .38 special revolvers. Then when it was realized they were underpowered, it was changed to the more powerful .357 magnum revolver. Once it was realized that they were often coming up against criminals who weilded high powered semi-automatic weapons, the gloves came off and they were allowed to arm themselves with 15 round semi-automatic 9mm pistols, then more recently, more powerful .45s or .40 caliber high capacity pistols.)

By contrast… As the nature of the game of football has evolved, we simply changed the name of the linesmen to “referees assitant”… not changing their duties or responsibilities one iota… then later added a 4th official to hold up a lighted number board.

In addition to the changes in the game, the multi-angle TV coverage, and instant replays, and supposedly “objective” analysis from “the boys in the studio” make their post-game lives hell.
They are always vilified for their mistakes but never, ever praised for what they get right.

In my opinion, FIFA, UEFA, and the FA’s need to make unanimous changes to the game.
Not by adding international friendlies, or a 39th league game played in Dubai or Giant’s Stadium for fucks sake… but changes that allow the game to maintain what fuckin dignity it has left.

I agree we don’t want them to fuck with the game for no reason. There are plenty of ideas what those changes could be. Some interesting, some outrageously stupid. But I think changes are required.
The back pass rule was one I absolutely hated when they first instigated it, but in retrospect, I think it added to the game.

Thank you very much for that bit of info Stevie B. That is something I didn’t know and explains an awful lot. Is that for definite?

Sorry to ask that. It’s not that I don’t believe you. It’s just that I will be letting some other people know that and making sure it gets put to good use.

As for refs getting stick. Yes, of course it’s gone on for ever. But it’s getting totally out of hand. And it really is becoming a problem. There’s already not enough to go around in the amatuer game and less and less people are applying to take the courses needed to be a professional.

Gerry mentioned something in his comment today. He said how kids followed the professionals and more and more kids are acting like minature Rooney’s. This is true. And referees are getting physically attacked at amatuer games on a regular basis. Only a matter of months ago some animal down here was jailed for biting a refs nose off for sending him off in a Sunday league game. What a twat. I would have thrown the key away.

I walk my dog on a field where there’s a few Sunday league pitches. I often stop to watch. Everytime I see the ref getting some level of abuse, no matter what age group is playing. It’s woeful and something has to be done – starting at the top.

But anyway, could you please confirm that info about Whelan. I’ll make sure it’s put to good use.

Missed your comment Aitch while I was writing. But that’s the problem… not changing the game, or the laws of the game, for the sake of it, but changing the game for the better.

Not an easy thing to do.

It`s a thankless job refs have.The abuse they recieve is way OTT.

Whats happening inthe kids game is they are been put into competitive leagues as as the age of 8.Some dads are going to games ready with the daggers in case a ref gives a decision against his boy.Why do dads get so worked up about an 8,9,10 year old kids game.It`s because some are so obsessed with their boy being the next big thing.

When the game isn`t going the way the dads on the line want it to its usually the ref who gets the brunt of it.

Kids shouldn`t go into competitive leagues until the age of 12 in my opinion.They should be thought how to play the game,work on their skills,ball control etc.

I see Henry said the game should be replayed.PR stunt that IMO.He knows that will never happen.

I agree changing the game in the right way is not an easy thing to do, but that doesn’t mena we should just leave things as is.

I mean what the fuck was the point in the respect campaign, if we were just going to pretty much let it fade away after 1 season?

If they can put a chip in a tennis ball to tell whether it was on, or over the line, why the fuck can’t they do the same with a football… then Jose Maurinho could just shut the fuck up. It’d be worth the investment just for that!

What exactly does the 4th official do?
Yes he holds up a board with a number on it… for those of us that can’t read the back of a shirt.
Yes, he gets a face-full of spittle every time a manager doesn’t like the decision his mate on the field has made… even though he has ZERO power to affect or overule that opinion.
But other than that… what does he do for 90 minutes?
Why not stick him in front of a tv monitor… not for every decision, but for truly game changing ones, which usually have a stoppage of play associated with them anyway, and give him 10 to 30 seconds to see what did or did not happen.

They are all supposed to be in contatc with each other by intercom anyway aren’t they? So its not like it would have to take a lot of time, or be stopping the game every 5 seconds.

2 extra linesmen wouldn’t be a bad idea, provided they actually had the power to flag for things they obviously see, when the Ref is blindsided. With the intercom, there would be instant communication of such events with the Ref.

I dunno, maybe you disagree with some or all of that, but the status quo (apart form being a decent 70s band) has serious flaws and they need addressing.

And before you say it FS, Mudd and Sweet were far better 70s bands!

Is it just me or did Fergie’s lot (Keane et al) not start this whole thing ganging up on the ref thing?

Anyway, I do not think that it is purely a footballing issue, rather more a breakdown of society as we used to know it – deep or what.

I know that if I had effed and/or jeffed at a ref on the pitch, when I was a pup, I would have got a swift slap from ref and then a fucking major beating from me dad. Seemed a bit harsh to me at the time but now makes sense.

TT, in France they think that playing ‘competitive’ matches is not beneficial for kids. Usually, they split a pitch into four and concentrate on touch, movement, and ball skills. Passing by a football club recently, there was 8 pitches, with 32 coaches, putting the little’uns thru their paces.

At the end they have a bit of a kickabout but the onus is on ball skills, not winning. They figure that they can sort out the positional stuff later on, unless they are completely thick – Cisse?. Can’t say that I disagree.

Nice bit of info there StevieB. Sort of removes the fog of doubt from the wagon whelan lad. Tosspot.

Crikey Lurg, “come see the violence inheriting the system. Help, help, I’m being repressed!”

Perhaps if we were to make society more a sort of autonomous collective, where we took it in turns to act as an executive officer…. but all decisions of that officer needing to be ratified by a council of twelve, of course… we could once again return to a kinder gentler time.

But, of course first, we need to find all the witches and burn them!

The thing is Lurg, there is a reason the French don’t teach their kids to be competitive at an early age. If they grew up competitive, the government wouldn’t be able to surrender any time someone rattled a sword in their general direction!
(badump-tish) Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all week!

Mind you, in the States, it is even worse.
They do play competitive games… but at the end of them… EVEREYONE gets a medal.
Now that’s teaching the value of an honest day’s sweat for an honest day’s pay, innit?

It’s not when things are going well that you find out what kind of person you are. There come certain moments in your life when you get to make a big decision and it’s made fast. Then you know who you are.

For the record, for me, Ireland should have had the game with the french won well before extra time, we screwed up 6 really good opportunities between the 2 games. As well as that we defended like langers “the Henry Goal”.

Secondly, it’s semantics, but I too think Henry acted (at least) partially out of instinct when he doubled handled the ball. I don’t like this but I see (as FS and others here have said) most pro’s and amateurs could do the same in the heat of the moment.

BUT ….. It’s what Henry did NOT do afterwards is what has made me sick with him and the FFF and FIFA and the whole Corporation which runs the game at the world level. He had the opportunity to put it right there and then, simple, own up, goal cancelled and off we go. For God’s sake they would probably have won anyway on penno’s, this was Ireland after all.

Anyway, to finish all philosophical like, sometimes we get the chance to repair our errors over time. Henry had the rest of extra time to repair his. Obviously he didn’t see it that way. He’s got previous anyway.

I agree with having a good look at seeing what can be done to make the game fairer but the crucial figures are the players and their characters. They make the choices. Just like we do. This is what would make the biggest difference of all. Imagine how Henry would be seen now, today, if he had held up his hand and admitted he had done it. It would have overshadowed the result of the game and possibly the world cup itself. There was potential “Gold” in that moment for Henry, but not the sqaulid glory he has stained himself and his country with.

I speak from experience by the way, the hard way. Most of us, least of all me, are not saints, we are made up of both sides. It’s how we choose which shows who we are.

Talking about Refs& violence couple of years ago my lad was playing a U-9
friendly game when one of the opposing players started kicking and punching
one of ours. The ref (their coach) went to stop him by holding him telling him
to calm down insteps his dad “get your f*cking hands of my lad” before
grabbing him by the throat and punching him.
Pretty bad yes, before the match was finished 2 more fights broke out with
some of the other kids ,learning by example no doubt.
But the really bad thing is the guy who punched his sons Coach is now the
Coach of that team. The tactics they use are kicking,elbowing,stamping ,
screaming at the ref for every decision and poaching players from other teams.
Basically horrible c*nts.
YNWA

So basically… the Man Utd Under 9′s then?

Aitch Not quite but the kid who did the kicking&punching is a Manc fan
and as been scouted by Blackburn so he’ll be right at home there.
On the subject of red cards when Carra&Degan got theirs they was 8 reds
shown that day .The last time that happened was 1999 and guess what 2
liverpool players were sent off that day too.
Coincidence ?
YNWA

Lads great comments and class blog Gerry

Havent been able to comment as much as usual these days

Cant believe we were robbed of the world cup and I cant imagine the letters sent to the French president will do us any favors for gettin a replay

Fatty are you heading to the spurs game on Jan 10th

I’d like to go with ya and maybe bring the auld lad

let me know the ticket situation

heres hoping we smash the granny out of Man Shitty today

Over and out

The arguments against technology do not hold any water. The main one, it will slow the game down is a pile of bollacks. Firstly you use goal line technology and a referral system only when a goal has been scored. This stops the crowding of the ref and the arguments that follow (worse time wasting as it invariably leads to a card) as players know that it will be scrutinized for legitimacy, similar to the rugby referrals; it adds excitement and takes the heat out of opposing teams thinking they have been robbed. Secondly expanding on the German experiment, anything that the ref has not picked up, like rugby can be cited after the game and a ban can be imposed for feigning injury, causing injury and cheating. This will not slow the game down but if a 3 to 6 week ban across all competitions is imposed by an independent tribunal, again like rugby, you will quickly see how 90% of these types of incidences disappear. Yes you won’t stamp it all out but it will be a lot fairer and more consistent, unless you have Aussies on the tribunal and there is a South African involved (just joking).

As to the offside decision unless you have moving cameras you cannot accurately see if a player was off sides because of the angle. The technology is there for it to be used but that would be expensive initially. It would help and be worthwhile for the top flight leagues as close calls could be left to pan out and only if a goal has been scored would it be referred to see if the player was on or off sides, again speeding up the play. With the amount of money in the game today and the amount of money hinging on decisions in the blink of an eye we have to embrace technology to make it fair and to give the refs and linesman protection. Do you think they enjoy the flak and embarrassment let alone the death threats they get? There is no debate use what is available. In any other business you work to best practices. Sport is a business it has to follow suite.

Just a quick fuck you to all the Rafa doubters here is a comment from Balague and remember the saying you might just get what you want, yes you might and then we will be fucked.

“If anyone should question Benitez`s commitment after making that comment about leaving Liverpool – then they should know this. Rafa Benitez turned down the opportunity to take over at Real Madrid in the summer for the FOURTH time since he has been at Anfield.
Benitez rejected a package worth €6million per year over a four-year deal and a transfer budget that a manager`s dreams are made of.
The reason he rejected Real Madrid? Rafa believes that he is in the middle of a major project at Anfield, one that so far hasn`t reaped the rewards he expected, but is clearly a work in progress and he has an unshakeable faith in its ultimate success. The aim is not to bring one league title to Anfield, but a succession of them and an era of Liverpool challenging for all major titles for years to come… “

Morning chaps, got more to say on what we’ve been talking about, but (sad bastard that I am, and fighting the urge to go the off license or pub) I’ve just been looking at some stats for today’s game. Found something very informative…

This season we’ve scored 5 times directly from corners – the highest record in the league. Just shows you, eh. If anyone asked any of us about our scoring from corners record, I can imagine the answer – shite – and we sad lot bloody study this team.

Mind you, we’ve also lost 11 goals to set pieces – also the highest in the league. Oh well, at least that’s one thing I’m sure we’ll soon put right.

Bit worried about today, lose this one and we’re in deep shit… media/pressure wise. The fucking phones will start and the pressure won’t stop until we start putting things right.

Also a bit worried about Bellamy. That little shite will be out to prove a point, and his speed will cause us plenty of problems. City have had a week away in the Sun. Lets hope Bellamy has been conducting the after training entertainment – drinking like parched camel’s, karoake and crazy golf would be nice.

If Nando was playing I’d be very confident about this. Him and Gerrard would rip their crap defence apart, but as it is, I just hope all the lad’s coming back from injury are really ready. If they are we should still have too much for them, Nando or not.

So I’m a bit worried about this one, but one thing I’m really confident of is… some match soon we are going to click and give some team a right hiding. It would be nice if this is the one.

Oh well, we’ll see.

Donal not sure about the Spurs game yet. Remind me closer to the game. My head’s a sieve.

And now I’ve got you Aitch… swinging your crazy Tiger Feet down at the old Ballroom Blitz!

Looks like old Guillam is trying to get back in Rafa’s good books, eh.

Fourth time!

No shit sherlock.Rafa can walk into that job tommorrow morning if he wanted to.
He knows he`s in the middle of something special.Not only is he here to deliver the league title but he also wants to secure the future for our club long after he`s gone by revamping the academy.This is what i love about Rafa.He cares so much about the club.Other managers look for the quick fix so they could bolster their CV but Rafa wants to set us up longterm.
Its like when Shanks vowed to build us up and up and up until everyone would have to submit and they`d have to bring a team from mars to play us.I can understand how some supporters see similarities between Shanks and Rafa.I just hope Rafa can one day turn around and say “I`ve done what i`ve set out to do” just like Shanks when he new he`d built that Bastian of Invinsibility.

As for today.We must start with a high tempo and take the game to them from the off.If we do that i`m confident we can win.Any team news yet lads?

Oh no. Carra at right back.

Bit harsh on Carra that, just worried about him against Bellamy. Haven’t seen the City line up though, but here’s ours…

Reina,
Skrtel, Carragher, Agger, Insua,
Mascherano, Lucas, Kuyt, Gerrard, Babel,
Ngog.
Subs: Cavalieri, Aquilani, El Zhar, Aurelio, Riera, Benayoun, Kyrgiakos.

So no Glen Johnson but Aurelio, Riera and Yossi all make the bench.

Right, I’m off

Off as well. come on you red-men.

A bit worried with Carra at RB. We will see.

Out drinking until 7am just got up. my heads splittin an i feel like shit. however the fry is on the go and our season starts in 15mins. come on liverpool we cant afford to lose this one. we need a win and we need one now.

Talk about bad luck. Agger, babel and gerrard.
The big man doesn’t like us very much at the moment.

This may seem harsh. But it seems like stevie is acting in the ‘stevie me’ way. Having a go at a few players for mis passers etc.
I love the lad, but he has to really encourage everyone

Akka mate we need some one out there givin a few ballins,this man city team are shite. p.s we’re officially cursed!!

fuckin hate andy gray. we for some reason unknow to man decide to sit back after scoring and try an play out a one nil scoreline. Im afraid we got what we deserved today. when’s this storm gonna fuckin pass???

Did anyone watch the game on fox sport and in particular robbie slater.
He is a absolute fuckwit.

Completely slating lucas – moron
Questioning rafa taking benny off- confirms stupidity (benn just fucking came back)
Blaming rafa for not having a palyer om the post – nuff said (let’s just forget we have had the most clean sheets in the past few years, and playing with a makeshift defence)

akka did he have anything to say about us being forced to make two changes in the first 20mins and change our entire game plan?

so pissed off right now,and not expecting to get any sympathy from the good oul media over the next few days. normally head wounds are sorted quite quickly but agger looked in pretty bad shape. Im convinced should him an babel got through the game we would have won, but i guess we’ll never know.

No he didn’t roarin, hence was a fuckwit.
Him and bozza (mark bosnich) head the show.

Ohh and they also praised hughes for keeping us from scoring in the first 20min.
No shite considering we played with 10men for most of the 20min and even then citeh couldn’t get out of their own half

Im not going to summarise any thoughts about the team as we’ve just come back from an international break and all that. But for anyone who didn’t watch the game I don’t think we really deserve any sympathy from anyone that we didn’t win. We just didn’t play very well and in all honesty they created more than us over the course of the game. Considering how useless Barry, Bridge and Adebayor were the whole game for us to play and pass as badly is we did in the first half is dreadful, and we were equally poor most of the second. No complaints whatsoever about the result.

Also the changes didn’t really force us to alter our game plan. No excuses.

FS

I can confirm 100% the Ronnie Whelan thing as he regularly stays in my mates house in Dallas when he is over there.

Seems the stats don’t lie today the regarding the corners

I give up we just cannot seem to get a break. Gerrard looks half fit and faded very badly in the second half. Kuyt is a shadow of the player he was last year, he looks knackered, proberbly is with the workload he has carried with all the injuries. Agger and Babel of in the first 10 minutes it is going to be an uphill struggle until we have everyone fit and I mean match fit. To many half fit players coming back form injury only makes the team look so disjointed, parts especially at the back where we have to chop and change every five minutes yet we still outplayed them for most. I would love to know how has put a curse on us this season. I am starting to think a CL place is all we can hope for unless we can get a break and get everyone fit and firing. We have the team to beat anyone we just have to get them on the field and for them to stay on for at least a decent run of games. I have never witnessed a season like this one before.

What has Aquilani got to do to deserve a few minutes on the pitch?… and besides we r letting in silly goals.. am really scared for 4th place!

@sula

Think we needed to shore up the left hand side and we put on Aurillio to help out Insua.

Think we stood off them to much after we scored,
still we did not lose, dont think we played to badly, we just need the run of the green and we will be away.

Aquilani will get his chance soon now, you culd see he was bitting at the bit to get on.

we need to be patient and judge the team once we
are settled again, if that means next season so be it.

we just need to keep giving the lads our support.

YNWA

@Jim

thats perfect,will keep my fingers crossed

well, look at that. the beautiful arsenal lose to sunderland. yes, sunderland. the same team that beat us 1-0. the same team that barely lost to the mancs away. i just remember people coming in this forum after we lost to them and saying, “sunderland?!?! if we can’t beat sunderland, we have no hope!”

the injuries this year are astonishing. its really quite unbelievable. even when our starting 11 is all fit, they won’t have played with each other for months!

cant believe lucas missed that header at the death. i appreciate the lad, and he has improved immensely this year. many wonderful performances. but i have to say that you simply cannot miss those types of chances. it looks like just took his eyes off the ball, what with it just brushing off his head, instead of connecting with it solidly. really really disappointing, but there it is. we gotta convert our chances.

city are a really strong side, there is no denying that. but again our game plan and players was destroyed due to more injuries. what else is new?

we must press on

@alec

should u rejoice that Arsenal has lost to a side that we never managed to beat? i find that ridiculous…we should 1st win our games then pray that other teams lose! simple as that!

Well, I’m going to look like Rafa’s appologist again, and I’m glad the reaction in here is disappoint not dummy spitting. Yes. I agree I’ve never seen a season like this. But that’s not going to taken into account and the pressure is mounting.

Haven’t listend to or looked at any of them, but I can hear the phone ins and see the web sites now. And tomorrow the papers will be full of the usual shit – zonal marking, Rafa makes bizzre substitution, and on and on.

Fact is we start well… fast, direct, set about them, caused chances.

Within minutes we had two players off. Players who started well and had a point to prove who were looking quite good.

Yossi had to go on. Well, I don’t know anything about this horse placenta thing really. And it seems to have amazing results. But don’t tell me a lad that should have been out for a month was ready to go on in a few days… not match fit anyway.

And did anybody see the hug Rafa gave Yossi when he took him off. Coming from Rafa, it was practically gushing. So obviously the lad had done above and beyond the call of duty.

Then we had to lose an attacking defender, for a lump. In fact, the big lump, Kyriagos, played well, but he gives nothing going forward like Agger. And we could have done with Danny. He might have been the key to getting at City through the middle – especially as Gerrard obviously isn’t match fit either. First game Gerrard had started and completed in how long?

You could see he was knackered. But how bloody unlucky is Agger?

Anyway look at the bench today. Not bad. But everyone of them except the goalie is recovering from injury and not match fit….
Cavalieri, Aquilani, El Zhar, Aurelio, Riera, Benayoun, Kyrgiakos.

Mark Hughes had the likes of Tevez and Santa Cruz.

But then Hughes spent more in the summer than Rafa has since he arrived at Anfield. But if all our bench had been fit, I’d put it up against theirs.

We’ve got about 16/17 players that are a match for any team/squad. All fit we’ll give anyone a go. But the worst damage the early injuries done…
the team lost it’s way.

You heard it in the stands going down to the pitch. Then you could see it on the faces. We’re moaning about a jinx, so of course the players feel it to. And that coupled with unfit players started the nerves going and the team started to play safe… all possesion no penetration.

If Hughes was any sort of manager, he should have had them set about us. But when they did they caused us no problems and we done good – especially seeing how make shift it was at the back. And we even got the goal but we didn’t push on and eventually they realised they could set about us then.

Maybe that was Rafa’s fault then. Maybe thats when Aquilani should have came on for Gerrard. But then I don’t know the full story. But anyway, they had to come at us then and we had to shut up shop. And let’s face it a team costing that much with that much talent should get at least 20 minutes of any game.

And there’s loads more I could say about the match, the circumstances. And I’d love, I mean really love, to have a go at the owners – bit of investment in the summer and we might have kicked on from the end of the last. Who knows. But I know we wouldn’t have been in this position/predicament if Rafa had got some money to add players instead of just replacing them with money he’d earned.

But anyway, this is getting long. So all I can say is, I hope all this shit just comes to an end soon and our players can play and our manager is left to just manage and concentrate on the team.

Sula, maybe it’s a language gap or something. But look at Alec’s post…
It’s got nothing to do with rejoicing about Arsenal or anyone one else getting beat.

He’s making a point about the stick we got from the media and our own fans when we got beat by Sunderland.

A team who had nearly beaten Man Utd the week before at Old Trafford, and a team who has now beaten Arsenal. So therefore – not a shit team.

But they only managed to beat us by fluke and like today we never even had a fit 11 on the field that day nevermind a full team.

Nah, forget money for players FS.
We need to hire a Battalion of private detectives to find out WHO has the voodoo dolls and what part of Manchester they are hiding in!

I have truly never seen anything like it in all my decades of watching the game, or even in my playing days, or coaching the game.

You could see it in the “are you fucking kidding me” expression on Rafa and Pellegrini’s faces.

I have to say I was well impressed with Kyrgiakos today though, coz I haven’t been at all in his previous outings. Well sone to the lad.

And did anyone notice our defense on their first goal?
I dunno about you lot, but that looked strangely like man-to-man marking to me. Take a good look when they show replays of the goal.

Im really sorry about this and am not singling out anyone out, but doesn’t watching 75 minutes of impotence do anyone else’s head in?

Does no-one actually take any interest in owning up to our deficiencies and getting them of their chest? Today I witnessed a team who produced no idea of how to attack, no instincts and no class. Are there seriously people out there who thought we played well? Who thought that any element of todays performance was encouraging and showed qualities that bode well for the rest of the season? What evidence is there that the gap we have with Chelsea is going to get smaller rather than bigger?

At the end of the day I agree with everyone who says that the biggest cancer at the club is our owners. I know Benitez is a great manager and he’s bought some fantastic players onto our books. To be honest though I really think that as it stands some expectations should be changed. Moaning about missing the creative instincts of a centre back to viel the deficiencies in our team. really isn’t the right attitude in my book.

Alright,its 2 more points dropped.

We started ther game as i hoped with a high tempo and we got at them.Then bang!Agger and babel gone inside twenty mins.We had all the first half posession but didn`t do much with it.

City only had a go when we scored.Or was it we sat back?I`d say a it of both.We seem to lack that killer instinct at the moment.Thats due to low confidence and an ever growing injury list.

Citys first was diabolical defending.I`m not blaming the system at all,i`m all for zonal marking.When its done right its very effective.Today though weather it was zonal or man marking,how Adebayor got that space at this level is beyond me.

Pretty dissapointed but on the second half performance we did well to come out with a point.

Maccy behave. I don’t think you’ll find anyone in here who was happy about today’s result or the way we played.

But to suggest that losing a clever, ball playing central defender for a an older, slower, not as skilled on the ball defender, does NOT change our game, is disingenuous at best.

We’ll never know, but I seriously doubt the game plan ahead of kick-off, was to have both Lucas and Masch sit so deep… they did that to help out a “make-shift” defense.

You could argue that replacing Babel with BennyOnion was actually an improvement, but considering Benny was only half-fit and Babel actually looked like he had finally remembered how to play footy in the 10 minutes prior to his injury… I reckon he just might have caused them more problems than Benny was able to.

A double substitution 15 minutes into the game changes the face of the game… for any team.
That is not an excuse for not kicking on, but it is a fact. I’ve experienced it as both a player and coach.
And it isn’t an isolated incident. This didn’t happen to a full strength team, in full flow, with no injuries.
We have been losing a player to injury every week.
That kind of shit affects your mentality.
“What the fuck” – “This is ridiculous”
“Are you fuckin kidding me” – “Not again”

You can bet these thoughts were racing through the player’s minds.

And it makes you play different. First one thing goes wrong, then another, then another. To make up for it, you try a bit harder… but you tend to abondon the simple things.
How many “eye of the needle” passes were attempted today, when a simpler pass was on?

I know you’re frustrated Maccy, we all are, but…
…there were attacking ideas. Okay, they were often a bit wayward, the wrong pass was often selected, but the intent was there.
… there was instinct, but again the mentality isn’t right just now.
… as for class… well its a cliche, but all current evidence to the contrary, these players haven’t become bad overnight (its taken 15 weeks ) but… form is temporary.

And I apologize if that comes off as an attack Maccy, I don’t mean it to sound that way.

I just think cooler heads need to prevail… they certainly didn’t on the pitch today.

I`m sure we`d have seen Aqualini today but for the two forced subs early on.Hopefully he can play a part tuesday.

Ronnie whealan was at it again today.

“When you`ve spent £200 million pounds you can`t complain about a couple of injuries”

Thats when i turned it on i turned straight off after that statement.What an ill informed dickhead.

Maccy, its not worth it bud. Believe me, theres always an excuse. Just lower the expectations bud, acceptance is bliss. Once the penny drops and you realize what we are and where we are you’ll start to enjoy the season more. Its working for me anyway! That was an important point in the battle for fourth today and Im glad we got it even though we scarcely deserved it. We beat injuries, luck, referees and the media to get it so well done all round.

You cant believe it from former players, they just jump on the bang wagon to protect their income from their nice little earners as second rate so called expert analysist what wankers,

That gobshite collymore is one of the worst of the tossers.

Lawrenson is as bad good player for us but a parasite and making a living kissing arse on the box.

Dont care what any of the wankers say i just hope Rafa sticks it out and stays the course.
he will become may be our best manager ever if only the yanks back him.

Where do some of these daft sods get their stats from, they obviously dont us the same ones as we are using £200 million would be great, and a couple of injuries, tell the twat to learn to count.
dickhead is mild timmytorres with you all the way

On the other hand Digger, Maccy could listen to to others, coz it just might be worth it.
Believe me, theres always an extenuating circumstance.
Perhaps just lowering the expectations, leads to acceptance being surrender.
Once the penny really drops, you might realize that what we have had to deal with is real and not press fiction, then where we are will seem like overachievement, and you just might start to enjoy the season more. That is working for me anyway!
Yes it WAS an important point, any way you look at it, and Im glad we got it even though THEY scarcely deserved it. We beat injuries, luck, referees, the media and matched a pretty decent first-choice 11 with a make-shift team, reconfigured 15 minutes into the match today to get it, so well done all round.

… or maybe I’m just making excuses rather than attempting solid reasoning?

Whats your reasoning behind Kyuts untouchable starting position? Whats your reasoning for not doing what sunday league teams (read ameteurs) do in putting 2 men on the posts for corners? (probably not zones right?) Whats your reasoning for our entrenched herd-like instinct to defend when we go a goal up with half the game still to play? Whats your reasoning for a professional footballer being incapable of putting a header on target from 6yd’s out? Lemme guess, injuries, luck and Ronnie Whelan right?!

kuyt offers so much offensively and defensively that his position is locked up. im sorry, but i dont even see the need to debate the point. not to mention his attitude and work ethic which is an inspiration to the rest of the team i’m sure. you sure dont see gerrard busting his ass like kuyt does week in week out in the last ten minutes of a match.

two men on the posts…its easy to say now, but what did you say when our system worked to be the best defense in the league (the same system)…its possible we could concede even more goals from corners with men on the posts because thats two less areas of the box being guarded. the reality is that we have had to deal with a constantly changing backline due to a never-ending series of injuries.

retreating into a shell after scoring is very frustrating, but i think its because a team doesnt want to concede a quick goal, like man city did, after scoring themselves. i do somewhat agree though, that we are lacking a killer mentality to put a game to bed by pressing for more goals once we have one. its a delicate balance between the two i think…but our team is lacking confidence so its not surprising they are anxious.

yes, lucas should not have missed. there is no excuse. keep your eyes on the ball, redirect it towards goal. no challenge, free header. should be a goal. but it wasn’t…there it is. what can you do? yes im upset he missed it, but he has been a great player this year so far. i think aquilani will start playing more anyways now he’s fit, and he will replace lucas or masch. hopefully he will be given him time to acclimatize and not criticize his every mistake, but if all the lucas criticism carries over to him, then its going to be a difficult ask for him to settle well.

i dont mean this to be a personal attack on you digger, (i dont think it sounds like one anyway), i just thought i would respond to all your questions since no one else was.

cheers
YNWA

I have been visiting TIA and reading the comments for the past three years.I’ve been enjoying reading as most of you were sounding more and more optimistic every passing day. I’ve now decided to comment just as it seems some of you are becoming more and more pessimistic about our team and our manager.
It’s very funny. I’m writing from one of the tiny country in Africa, but still I manage to notice somethings which escapes you guys who are blessed by being in the ground.
For the start, I’ll just make few points.
1. Zonal Marking: For everyone who has been around from the time Rafa took over knows that we have been getting problems every time we get a new defender.I think it takes time for a new defender to get used to the system and the way other defenders play. So I expected at the start of the season to get some problems with zonal marking while trying to accommodate Johnson. It hasn’t been helped by being Johnson and Insua. If anyone can remember, the time Rafa was being crucified for allegedly rotating too much, the defense was rarely touched. So in short, we will continue to suffer from set piece until we overcome the issue of makeshift defense and Insua and Johnson settles in properly.
2.Kuyt: there has been a lot of moaning about Kuyt this season. It seems that no one remembers that Kuyt enjoyed his arguably best season when Alonso was also having his best season. Alonso used to release Kuyt with his long range passes, which allowed Kuyt to enter into the play due to his good movements. In my opinion, Kuyt is the player who has suffered most from Alonso’s departure. Until we see what we can get from Aquilan, we will have to put on with what Kuyt is doing, and thank him.
3.I miss the comments of someone you call BM after Arsenal’s defeat yesterday.
4.I think Babel was having a nice game yesterday before the jinx fell on him. It was really unfortunate to him.
5.#172. I wonder if someone like you has never seen a professional player missing a goal like that. Gerard missed one against B’ngham. Torres also miss some sitters. Berbatov missed a sitter against us. It’ football. Or is it because it is Lucas?
6.Lastly, am the type of person who tries to get some positives in every situation. So that’s why I’m coming up with this. Do you remember before the Mancs set up for three consecutive EPL trophies and two CL finals? They failed even to get EUFA Cup slot as they ended last in there group. I think it was 2006/07. So to me, we have got all our bad luck which was to last a decade, from there everything is going to be bright.

Lads,whatever the system at corners is be it zonal,man mark or a bit of both(which i think it was yesterday) Adebayor shouldn`t be getting that much space from a direct corner to head the thing in the first place.

Digger,whats all this “lower your expectations” bolix.We all know what we can expect.We all know what the team are capable of.Granted things aren`t going our way for reasons we`ve been through all to often.
I was disappointed with the draw yesterday but before hand i EXPECTED a win.Afterwards i think with our second half performance we did well to get a point.
So you lower your expectations.I`m guessing before the game yesterday you`d have been happy with a point.So your well pleased you got what you wanted.
Glad the season is running smoothly for you.

Sounds good that,i think i might just support Wolves altogether.

Hows that for lowing expectation?

got to agree with matey’s match report over on the main site saying that the only way forward is to break up the lucas/masch partnership and inject some creativity. obviously aquafresh has been bought to fill that role and i can’t wait to see him get a start, but until that time (and i’ve been saying this for a while now) i’d pull gerrard back and have him running the show from the middle with yossi behind the stiker. i know that stevie, yossi, and pretty much everyone else has missed games too, so rafa hasn’t really had the option half the time, but still, when he has had the option i reckon it would’ve given us more creativity, better drive and go-forward, and more for defenses to worry about.

actually, even when everyone is fit, i’d still like to see gerrard in the middle. i reckon its his best position. i know even gerrard himself would disagree with me on that one, and the rest of you will probably point out the devastating gerrard-torres partnership of last year, but gerrard will be devastating anywhere. stevie’s tackling coupled with his drive is what makes him one of the most praise-lavished players in the world and you see a lot more of that all-round game when he’s pulling the strings.

i fancy seeing gerrard and aqua together, especially as its looking more and more like masch is pissing off sooner rather than later. use any funds to buy a top-class supporting (anelka-esque) striker, and make gerrard the heart of the team, collecting the ball from the back and making shit happen. then we might see a bit more attacking verve. like the rest of you, i want to see a mid-field that pours forward, and we’re just not seeing it. for that to happen, you need even the holding player to be chipping in with some creativity and long-range goals.

feel like i’m repeating myself. and maybe i’m talking bollocks and my system would leak goals. we’ll probably never know cos it looks like gerrard’s role is now fixed.

on the subject of kuyt, i’m losing a bit of faith (never thought i’d be saying that after last season). looking more and more like a useful squad player like lucas. full of endeavor, but lacking real class, especially with his first touch. what a shame. still, maybe you’re right aitch, its just a dip in form and he’ll be back later in the season.

Some very good posts in here again, alot of sense and good points have been made.

With the gap between Chelsea and LFC now up to 13 points, it’s important that the club establishes itself back in the top 4 as soon as possible as this will have a natural positive effect on the lads. Nobody should really be studying the table that much before Christmas but there’s no doubt that seeing the famous name along side number 7 in the Prem table is a bit depressing, but obviously we all know the reasons for this. I’m just speaking from a feel good factor point of view, if you get my drift.

Well, Our trip to Hungary looms and I know that FS and all the other LFC fans going to the match will give the team all the vocal backing they can. It will be a night when our fate is obviously not in our own hands, apart from us making sure we get the win of course.

I’m remaining positive and backing us to get that win and the other game being drawn in Florence.

Some of the comments here are just plain pathetic and my new motto is to have serous debate with like minded fans that actually look a everything not what suits a particular agenda. If, as a supporter, we cannot applaud what this team accomplished last season, under the constraints of a net spend of 16 mill, then quite frankly you should fuck off and irritate somebody else. It is the same team that finished second on a record points haul, minus Alonso, we have brought in players to compensate for that loss in the form of Aquaman and Johson we had hoped for more in terms of quality depth but our two c..ts that own us put paid to that, then set their stooges loose on the media to spout the 200 mill myth. If you want to buy into that you can fuck off as well. We have had a run of extra ordinary circumstances that I in over 40 odd years have never witnessed and we are struggling, not only to put a fit team out on the park but to keep them fit. The constant injuries and half fit players coming in and out are causing havoc and ruining any chance of finding some type of consistency and form. The stress on the fit players, like Kuyt and Carra is also causing its own problems as they have to do double the work as well as play out of position. The reason we won 3 golden glove awards in 4 season is because of the consistency of selection at the back, which we have not been able to achieve this season. These are not fucking excuses these are the facts and if you see them as excuses then, in my opinion you are worth fuck all as a supporter and should fuck off and support another team. Players like Ngog and Lucas have come on in leaps and bounds and are putting in great performances and are going to be immense in years to come, but we, because of our owners and injuries have to rely too much on them, it’s not fair on them. We will finish comfortably in the CL position, of that I have no doubt. The run for the prem is getting more and more difficult and will have to be put on a realistic hold until we have a fully fit squad and see how far back we are. This is a good squad and a squad that can and will beat any team it comes up against as we proved last year. We are a long way back and it’s not getting any easier. We need to get everyone fit and then we can start to asses where we are and what we can achieved this season, all this bearing in mind that we are not even half way through the season. All is defiantly not lost but by fuck we need to get a break and get everybody fully match fit.

I dont know what to say really. Those injuries..its like a vicious circle surrounding our players. Daniel Agger,Babel..i just feel sorry for them.

Not surprised with Lucas missing the chance late on. He hardly scores.A half fit..or not yet match fit Gerrard cannot contribute as much as he wants to.

To a large extent,its just bad luck.

Wanted to make another point..

Kakuta,Borini..they really look good players for Chelsea. Obertan..very skilful for ManU. Hope our scouts are working harder.

In my book looking at things logically and trying to work out what/where things are going wrong is the right attitude in my book.

To start screaming we are shite immeadiately after a frustrating draw – especially against a team that should be looking to get at least a point off us even when all is well – and with out taking any factors into condisederation is just downright childish in my book….
That’s the realm of the people who come in here screaming how broken hearted they are because they are married to this club and are bleeding red and white, or even worse the mischief making Sly Sports pundit.

Now to say we should lower expectations is perfectly legitimate. In fact – if it wasn’t said in such a snide sarcastic manner – it would be sound logical advice. But when said in that manner, I actually prefer the idiots who just scream we’re shit and then bleed red and white because they’re Man U “supporting” work mates will hurt their feelings on Monday morning.

FFS. No one in here is more upset than me. But I tell you what I’m worried about… it’s not a team/manager trying their best to cope under such circumstances. It’s the shite we have in our ranks that will eventually drive this team and manager out.

Make no bones about it… The attacks from the pundits don’t help – especially the traitorous ex-players – but it’s the fans that will eventually put paid to this team/regime.

Rafa will walk, Torres and Reina (at least will follow) Mascherano will go, Lucas will go. H&G will hire the likes of Klinnsman. They won’t give him any money at all. The team will start to fall apart, and get sold off bit by bit to the likes of Man City. Who will they be replaced with? Who will pick them? Who will pay for them? Who will actually buy them? Where will the likes of Klinnsman find them? You honestly think some H&G yes man will have the where with all to find top class players on second rate dosh?

If you think there is anyone – and I mean anyone – who can do a better job than Rafa under these circumstances – YOU ARE COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY DELUDED!

So go on spitting your dummy because LFC aren’t LFC of 1977 without taking anything at all into consideration.
Go on screaming that the league’s best defence of recent years is shite and should play the way you see it without taking any of the circumstances into acount.
Go on screaming that we are toothless without considering that we are playing with a lone 20 year old kid upfront that the boss found for 1 million and his back up is either out of the team or playing unfit.
Go on screaming that Kuyt isn’t Ronaldo.
In fact, just go on screaming. It makes more sense and explains much more than when you actually try to talk football and analyse things… oops sorrry. Forgot, trying to analyse things logically is the wrong attitude in some “Supporters,” books.

PAH!

I’ve really said me piece now. I honestly can’t be arsed trying to talk to people who just want to be snide or spit dummies. But I have to say this…

Sadly, I couldn’t get home yesterday and had to suffer Sly and Andy Grey – who actually isn’t as bad as some of the pundits and certainly not as bad as some Reds would make out. But anyway, when Babel got injured he said things like… “Oh well, some players would just run it off and get stuck in. It depends on a player’s pain threshold.”

The implication was that Babel was a shithouse. FFS the lad could have broken a bone in his foot for all Andy bloody Grey knew. But fuck that – acting logically and wondering/discussing what was wrong with Babel. Just call the lad a shithouse and say he should be running through brick walls for the team.

It’s the sort of in depth analysis I expect from the likes of Grey. But sadly it’s an actual step up on some of the analysis our fans like to go in for…. or as they call it excuse making.

FFS yeah Lucas missed a sitter with his head. Even in games with no pressure attached, nevermind in the dying minutes of a cauldron game, I’ve seen Ian St. John, Tony Hateley and John Toshack miss them and they was the best headers of the ball we have ever had. But fuck any of that, hang Lucas.

Isn’t he the most unBrazillian Brazillian you’ve ever seen?
If you can answer…
Well, he’s not Pele is he?
…then you’re qualified for you a job at any media outlet worldwide. But don’t expect me to give “your opinion” any credence or respect whatsoever.

Keith you’re wasting your time.

You know the really funny thing about this… people who really know football and don’t support us – like Slur Tramp – are sitting there rubbing in there hands in glee and blessing their lucky stars. They can’t believe the great fortune that they are having, not only with this terrible run we are having, but at the fact that our support is turning into the run of the mill idiotic type of footy supporter that can be found at places like Old Trafford and the Emirates.

They must be waiting for the boos now. You know it’s only a matter of time. Surprised it didn’t happen yesterday like it happened last season when a draw against West Ham actually put us on top of the league. As any general knows it’s not the other general he has to really worry about. It’s the troops. And the best way to defeat the enemy is to demoralise the troops and have them turn on their own general.

Sadly, it’s all looking rosey for the likes of the McAvellian Tramp, just a bit more patientce from the enemy and our own might deliver the blow that we never recover from.

I really have had enough.

On a wet Saturday at Anfield, one man stood on the touchline of the home team barking out instructions to his players. This was no ordinary man, recently described by Arsene Wenger as being a ‘Super Manager’. This was a man who shouldered the dreams of approximately 44,000 Reds faithful and millions watching on the telly across the globe. This was a man who was brought to end 20 years of hurt.

Alas, as the rain poured on and on during the lunchtime clash with Manchester City at Anfield, it washed away the dreams of millions as well. For a man who only 2 days ago said “If you ask me what I prefer, I will say the premier league”, his team played like they have already secured the premier league title with just a quarter of the season gone. Perhaps they had forgotten that they are currently in mid table, a whopping 11 points behind Chelsea and they ain’t even leading against City. Perhaps they had banked on merseyside rivals Everton stopping arch rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford, or mighty Wolves bringing Stamford bridge down. Unfortunately at the end of the day, the table reads :

1. Chelsea – 33 pts
2. Man Utd – 28 pts
.
.
.
7. Liverpool 20 pts
8. Sunderland 20 pts

Sunderland?! No disrespect but the mighty Liverpool Football Club, proud owner of 18 league titles and 5 european cups on par with a team like Sunderland instead of being closer to the likes of Man Utd or Chelsea? If this doesn’t hurt, I wouldn’t want to know what hurt really means. But once again, the man Rafa Benitez himself, once known as the master tactican, failed miserably, not just on the tactics board, but as the manager of Liverpoool Football Club. Describing a 2-2 draw at home against one of your rivals when you are 11 points behind the leaders as ‘a good result’ couldn’t have been more ridiculous than my namesake Floyd Mayweather Jr describing a potential fight with Manny Pacquiao as “easy fight, easy win”.

When quizzed about what the 2-2 draw meant, Rafa had the cheek to suggest that “City have quality but if we can improve and play at our level we’ll be in the top four”.

Top four? That means he’d long given up on the title or was he not even gonna fight for it in the first place? For a manager who plays a put in a defensive Fabio Aurelio for a half fit Yossi Benayoun instead of an attacking threat in the form of Alberto Aquilani when his team is deadlock in a 2-2 draw goes to show just what he is playing for. None other than a draw, what else? For the thousands at Anfield who have been screaming for the Italian playmaker to be thrown into the fray, there were just as many livid and disbelieving faces when Aurelio’s number was flashed on the board instead of Aquilani.

There can be no excuses about injuries as well, it is part and parcel of the game. Every team would encounter it during the course of a demanding league season. It is up to the manager to have enough quality at disposal to fill the gap when the first key players are out.

Rafa Benitez’s taken Liverpool as far as he could possibly have. At Valencia, he complained that he quitted because the directors bought him a lamp when he had asked for a table. But At Liverpool, he could not longer use that excuse having spent the most amount of money in the last 5 years amongst all the top 4 managers. Yes, even more than Jose Mourinho when he was at Chelsea.

Sorry but did I just mentioned a certain Jose Mourinho? You get the idea now..

HA HA HA HA! Thanks Floyd Lad. You’ve just made me day.

So then Mr Mensa, do I take it you answer is go and hire Josie Maurennio?

Or is there some deep hidden meaning that I have missed inside all that drivel?

Thank God I’m of to Hungary tomorrow with proper reds.

In fact got to go pack my bag and start getting in the mood…
The Reds are going down the hill boys!
The Reds are going down the hill!

I would love one of Rafa’s detractors to come in here and have a proper football discussion. Sadly though, they cut and paste shite like that. Who wrote it? Who was the journalist? What paper was it in?

Please give me the source and I will tell you the agenda. And in all honesty, it it’s not from one of the enemy, then I shall pull it apart point by point… like Rafa getting Aquilani ready to go, probably for Lucas, then having to rethink things because Yossi was playing injured, running out of gas and risking firther injury. And Shawn Wright Phillips was beginning to get change against Insua and Yossi couldn’t help him out. So therefore he brought on Aurellio – who would not only help out Insua and avert the danger on the right, but also add attacking intent with his crossing, link up play, and dead ball ability.

But how can you have a decent football discussion with the likes of someone who just wants to qoute – possibly from the tone of that piece – Des Kelly or the likes of him?

Even more so how can you discuss zonal marking with people who don’t even understand it and just want to scream our defence is shit. It’s all Rafa’s fault. And I’m going to hold my breath and bang my feet until he is sacked, Jose Moanio is hired and we win the next 10 titles.

HA…
“Rafa Benitez’s taken Liverpool as far as he could possibly have. At Valencia, he complained that he quitted because the directors bought him a lamp when he had asked for a table. But At Liverpool, he could not longer use that excuse having spent the most amount of money in the last 5 years amongst all the top 4 managers. Yes, even more than Jose Mourinho when he was at Chelsea.”

Jose fucking Moanio took over a title challenging side and spent more money in that summer than Rafa has spent in the 5 years he has been in the job.

I wouldn’t wipe me fat arse on the likes of that drivel, nevermind qoute it and make a complete arse of meself.

Idiots.

Achilles, bit of advice, find the rock that you crawled out from and go back under it.

I’m surprised you even know how to cut and paste!

BTW, do you even know who the ‘lamp’ was in this case? Probably not but what does that matter.

BTW, I had not even seen FS’ comment when I posted mine.

Anyway, I believe that something good will come from this in the end.

I can’t detail exactly what because I don’t have a clue.

As the saying goes, it gets worse before it gets better. Hopefully the worse part is nearly over and the storm has nearly passed.

I for one, will be supporting (not bleeding) LFC to the end. CL, EPL, Coca-cola or blue-square, or whatever.

Lurgie you are wasting your time. I wish I had something better to do with mine. I’m sat at home, desperately avoiding going the alehouse because I want a nice clear head for tomorrow. I’d take the dog for a walk but it’s absolutely pissing down outside. And I’ve already got everything ready for tomorrow, so I’m stuck in here where one fella has recently qouted Ronnie Whelan…
Even though the very night before Steve The Red told us some very enlightening info about Mr. Whelan.

Honestly, I hate to admit it, but the fact is…
The Reds really have gone down the hill. I just pray and hope they don’t drag the rest of us down with them and get what they want. Because mark my words…
The day Rafa is pushed out is the day we truly are fucked and, with the current ownership regime, we may well never recover.

…and don’t I know it!

Anyway, but why let the reality get in the way of crap. Honestly, and it’s sad to see, a lot of the guys that I watch the matches with are starting to wobble.

One of them came out with the argument that Rafa HAS spent 240m odd quid since he has arrived and we SHOULD be beating the citeh at home. No other rationale, just that we should!

I believe that we are at a tipping point now and hopefully Rafa will win the fight. Otherwise, we could be passing Leeds as they come up and we… let you work that one out.

Nice prose by Keith but I think that he has underestimated the number of LFC ‘supporters’ that are left. Sad but true.

Saying all that, enjoy your trip and I hope we are still in with a chance come the last match-day!

Cheers Lurgan. Wish you was going an all. European aways – the shite ones – are the last real bastion of the real die hard LFC supporter. Sadly, big games are going the way of the rest… nights out for those who want to be entertained and think it’s their god given right to boo if they aren’t.

I can actually understand people’s frustration. Many proper knowledgable fans are feeling the same way as your mate. And that is understandable, but when you talk to them they just end up like your mate… spouting drivel to back up the real thing that is happening – they are pissed off and want more.

I have a few mates, good reds that I’ve known for years, who are now doing the same thing. Normally they calm down after a while. It’s just the sort of people they are and they want to lash out when they aren’t getting what they want. But once they calm down and you ask them some serious questions… well, I haven’t came across one that can put forward a good argument as to why things would be better without Rafa.

Look at the shit Floyd just posted. Where is the sense in any of that? But sadly people just read that sort of shit and think the tooth fairy is going to come along, wave a magic wand, Jose Mareenio is going to come riding on a fine white steed and put the world to rights.

The fact is, if we lose Rafa right now – and by now, I’d have walked if I was him – what is going to happen?

Well in fairness, that’s hypothetical too. But what it the more likely out of the possibilities…
1: Some great manager is hired by H&G and he wins the league straight off the bat?
2: H&G hire a man who is willing to work with them. He somehow manages to do a better job than Rafa under the situation he will be working in?
3: Rafa walks/is pushed. H&G hire a man who is willing to be their appologist, work under their confines?

And what is the logical conclusion to draw from all that?

Mine is, Rafa goes, some of the team follow. New Yes Man comes in. He has to watch the club get assset (player) stripped in order to pay the debt. He is given about 10/15 million a season for transfers – and wages. He has no data base or world wide scouting system.

I could go on but you know the script.

So yes. I understand people being frustrated. But I don’t have any time for kneejerkers, dummy spitters, or snide sarcastic spanner in the works throwers. I like lads with bottle next to me in a fight.

But I am open to debates, arguments, ideas and suggestions on how things could be improved for my/our team/club. In fact, if any of you have any, please state them.

I would absolutely love someone to show me that we have an alternative that can only make things better. And I would be more than happy to be just reassured. I don’t even need to be proven wrong. That would be unfair on the detractors. So please…
just one decent logical argument on how things would improve in life after Rafa and I will gladly shake you by the hand and admit I was wrong.

But until that happens, I will continue supporting the club, the team, the squad and the manager. And I will keep having a go at dummy spitters in real life and in here.

It is A testing time for these so called fans (i wont call them supporters)As real aupporters will still be there if we every do go that far down the hill. real reds are red for ever.

any way its a long time since we were in ghe lower division, sorry to use such an ancient word as division, but my first LFC games was in the old seconmd division, and i would like most of the real LFC SUPPORTERS would still be there.

ManU went down so dont belive it could never happen to us, come up with some real valid arguements backed by inteliigence and maybe some of would be able to debate it with you. get some substance to your views not just gob of for the sake of it, none of us want to be in the position we are in but it wont last for ever, and when we come out of it we will be stronger for it, you just need the faith and believe it will be so.

Herd about fat sam needs a heart op and has been told he cant watch his team play as it will make him worse, bet hes glad about that part of if, at least we dont have to watch that shit.

about big fat bastard the surgen who is doing the is looking for the heart he cant seem to find it

Floyd

You were having a laugh with your comment at ~182, weren’t you? If you added up your figures with a calculator, I suggest you take it back to the shop and demand a refund. You’re so off the mark that I don’t even know where to begin.

I will bet my fucking house that it was Lawton that wrote that piece of crap, it sounds like his over intellectualized garbage. He is a legend in his own mind and a wanker in most other peoples. Achilles you are as weak minded as your name suggests. I am really flabbergasted that supporters cannot evaluate the situation, this is not rocket science. I give up trying to explain the quite obvious situation as to why we are struggling. You can race a Ferrari V10 against your Porsche V10 with 4 values misfiring and be pissed off when you loose and blame the driver. Go figure, yeah right fire the driver and bring in Schumacher he will definitely win. Stop blaming the car that is crocked, it’s a piss willy excuse with no relavance. No wait lets not do anything lets just lower our expectations then we can win even if it is only in our imagination, you go boy.

AchilliesFloyd,

Be careful what you wish for,it might just come true.

This is not fantasy manager.It`s not like LFC can sack Rafa,pay his compensation.Then pay the moaners compensation to Inter.Then introduce him to the Reds supporters as the “special one” who will bring us the title with a open cheque-book.

Behave will ya!

When i said “it might just come true” i meant his wish to sack Rafa, not the rest of his deluded plan.

Just clearing that up

Off out on the piss for day so before i go,Fatty enjoy Hungry pal and don`t forget to show the `Boys Pen` banner loud and proud.

I`ll keep an eye out for it on the telly.

Well, I gave in… went the off license bought meself a few cans. Sure a few cans of lager won’t change nothing but at least you can look at all this through a cocked eye, laugh at it and not give a toss.

But in all honesty, I don’t think I, or any other pro Rafa commentor in here, have been harsh or even unreasonable in any way.

I can understand why people are pissed off. Seems they can’t understand that the pro Rafa supporters are also pissed off?

Meself and others have debated what’s going wrong. We haven’t just made excuses as I knew it would be claimed. That’s why I started me first comment in here by saying, I’ll be accused of being Rafa’s appologist.

But I honestly belive meself and the rest of us with similar opinions have tried to analyse what’s going on – not just made excuses.

The name calling and insults should stop. It just detracts from the argument. I’ll do me best not to do that anymore – even though I think I haven’t been that bad.

But when I look at comments that literally say to support isn’t really support in some people’s book… well, I’m absolutely flabeghasted and surprised that I never really went off.

But I honestly do try my best to think that statements like that are just said in the anger/frustration/disapointment/heat of the moment and hope a few deep breaths and a bit of time will make some people realise a few things.

I also wish someone could come out with a reassuring argument as to why things will be okay in the end – with Rafa or not. I support LFC. Not Rafa. I just happen to think he’s the best we can have in our corner at the moment. You don’t even have to prove me wrong. Just give me some realistic hope that things will be okay if the club takes the sort of actions you are calling for.

And it’s not the first time I’ve said that. But sadly, they never do. The same shit just resurfaces at every setback. And in all truth, I’m surprised there hasn’t been more of it in here.

It seems King of The Kop, Somnath and the likes have been run off. It’s a shame in a way. I almost miss Burger Man. He’s handy for a point of reference to show how misguided/illogical and just plain wrong some opinion is. But I’ll give that lad his due… he just comes out with that nonsense regardless and then stands by it.

And I’m not being mean. The lad has stated some nonsense – not opinion, un-founded nonsense that has been disproved on several occasions – and even though myself and others have proved it completely wrong, he stood by it.

That was actually a very good way to show the young lads like Somnath how stupid some fans and pundits are. But besides that, I actually prefer people who state their case, and stand by it to people who just take snide digs at every opportunity.

Fact is, LFC are in deep shit. There’s no two ways about that. We have been in it since H&G walked through the door, waving their dollars in the air and shouting “We’ll buy Rofah Snoogy Doogy.”

They are probably the biggest threat to have ever faced this club. There is one man fighting them and trying to keep the ship afloat against all the odds. On top of everything he faces from inside the club, he is facing people like Slur Tramp and his cronies that want nothing more than to finally nail the lid down shut on LFC. He is also facing all their cronies in the media. He is being attacked by his so called own like Whelan, who is only doing it for money and turns out he is in the enemies camp. He is away from his own country and culture. He has few friends. He is constantly offered probably the biggest job (and budget) in world football by his own boyhood team. He would earn far much more money there. But nothing is taken into account when this man meets another set back. In fact, downright lies are printed as gospel truth in a further mischevious effort to bring him down. And he is even mocked and scorned by fuckwit pundits who will never even touch the trophies he has won, against all the odds.

But despite all of this he soldiers on – even when some of his so called own turn on him. Why?

He must be crackers. I’d be off like a shot and leave you to wallow in it. But sadly, it’s the pro Rafa brigade who’ll be left behind in the wreckage, as most of the internet warriors and phone in LFC bleeders will just jump ship and go support whoever is winning.

What a sad state of affairs indeed.

Cheers Timmy. Sorry you can’t be there mate. I know it’s going to be a hoot. The flag will be there loud and proud.

Dagger.10 You mention Kuyt’s untouchable starting position?
Who would you play in his place?
You mention injuries,luck like its just a EXCUSE,when in actual FACT it’s been
the main REASON for the lack of consistency,costing us many points along the
way.
I bet Hughes wishes his team had that entrenched herd-like instinct to defend
after going one up.
Do you think Man City deserved 3 points from their performance?
Silly question really because like you say we scarcely deserved a point.
And lowering one’s expectations is something ive done when reading a few
comments on here. But then again i’m too far gone aren’t i.

One thing that annoys me is the term “Rafa apologist”
WTF as Rafa got to apologise for.

Rome mate… lowering expectations is one of the few legitmate things that’s been side from that side of the fence. Granted, it wasn’t meant in the right way. But it’s correct, fans of a team operating in our circumstances with our budget shouldn’t be going We Are LFC and thinking for some magical reason the past means we should be winning league titles by some sort of magic.

But we, as LFC fans, really should face reality and we might realise how lucky we are in these times.

FS At the beginning of the season i always hope we’ll win the league but
realistically i know its a uphill task so i keep my expectations realistic.
i know enough to know that you cant predict who will win the league till after
Christmas, Even then you can get a shock.
Boxing day 1981 Liverpool found themselves 13 pts behind the league leaders
they went on to win the league with a game to spare.Admittedly it would be a lot
harder today with all the money our competitors have ( or lack of it in our case )
58 million & Boswinger for Ribery kind of proves that.
One of the reasons i first started coming in here was those 3 little words at the
end of Gerrys Blog and was indicative of the type of commenter on this blog
unfortunately expectations have lowered in that sense.
YNWA

It seems as if some like the guys you mention
FS, cant difrence between reality and fantasy,dont know if its because im an old fart but these people have been brought up expecting instant sucess,
Which we know nowadays does not like money grow on trees.

With the age of computors to aid them in their quest, they seem to have lost the power of personal thought, and have been conditioned by their own delusions.

I understand that some of theses lads have not had the sucess with LFC that we have lived through, and have to listen to, and have been brought up on the stories that are told to them by the like of us who have been privliged to have witnessed most of the clubs history.

I understand they wish to taste the prem title, as it used to seem as if it belonged to LFC .
but history moves on and we have to deal with what we have now. Rafa as given us a taste of sucess again in the CL, and if given the support from the yanks a little more then he will do so again, if he can do under the present circumstances then he is surely able to with the right help from them above.

Jim I used to agree with that. But the sad fact is… these idiots who think we should be walking the league just because of our history, despite all reality, are the same sort of idiots who think us fellas don’t care.

The dramatics and lack of logic out of them is incredible as it is. But to top it all off, they think they are the only ones who are hurt by what is going on. It’s truly mindbogling…
they think that fellas who saw all the success don’t give hoot. They don’t even realise that we went through all this before we saw the fruits of the hard times. And they think we aren’t bothered that we then had to watch as all them years of hurt, hard work and success went down the karsy.

Sadly though, you are right. We live in Me me me, and give it to me now times. But the funny thing is…
it’s exactly that attitude which will derail this regime and then we’ll be back to waiting and waiting for the next bus to success.

But in these times of H&G, I honestly can’t see the next bus arriving and we will could just slip into complete and utter disaster.

But there is no telling them this. They’ll just carry on regardless of what anything us old fellas, all history and logic tells them.

but it will be us auld fellars who will still b e there, unlike those wantg now types.

sad as it is.

you can only keep the faith

YNWA

Jim mate, there’s plenty of young lads who know the score. And there’s plenty of aul duffers who want Rafa’s head on a plate, and – for all their experience – don’t see or understand what that will entail or could reap.

I’m talking about things in general really, not just the dummy spitting in here. Which in all fairness, wasn’t too much. But probably would have been if I hadn’t gone on and on all day, and others hadn’t shot down.

It’s just the way it is nowadays. Bread and Circuses Julias Ceasar called it. (Didn’t he play for Bogotta Juniors? I can hear the piss taking at the comment meself.) But it’s true. Football, particularily the premiereship is now the world’s entertainment. So everyman and his dog have an opinion on it… all formed in perfect 20/20 hindsight with the aid of Andy Grey’s magic pen and super slow motion camera work from every angle possible.

All we can really do is hope they don’t derail Rafa. It would be madness at the best of times, but to even think about it at a time like this, under our current ownership….

Oh dear, I’ve just frightened meself at the very thought.

Yesterday, our starting 11 included:

A relatively inexperienced kid, playing up front, on his own… with a fuickin broken nose… an injury he incurred just 4 days ago.

Our most experienced player and talisman, playing his first game back from injury and clearly NOT match fit.

Our 2nd most experienced player, playing out of position at right back… because our other 4 options for that position are either injured or suspended.

A central defender playing his first game back after reinjuring, a reinjury, of an injury that had kept him out all of last season.

And a player at left wing, who despite his unquestionable potential, has consistently failed to show/impose/implement that ability.

Of the players on the bench:
Two of them incurred injuries 14 days ago, that were supposed to keep them out of the game for 6 weeks!

One player who was returning from recent injury.

Two players who are returning form a long term injury.

1 fit back-up keeper and 1 fit 4th choice center back.

Of the players fielded to start the game, the only ones match fit were Pepe, Carra, Skrtel, Insua, Masch, Lucas and Kuyt.

That is 7 fit players out of a fuckin squad of 28.
And Carra and Kuyt are looking completely shagged.
And 2 fit subs.

But none of that explains why we didn’t beat Man City 5-0, with a barnstorming display of silky skills and free-flowing attacking football.

Oh and I forgot to mention… 2 injuries, forcing substitutions in the first 14 minutes….

…excuses, excuses….

Well watched the game again just before I made a comment. Overall I thought we played well. Considering Man City is a title chasing team who spent bucket loads, losing two players early, the current injury status, Ngog playing with a broken nose, I thought we did well, managed to turn a near thing loss into a gritty draw, couple on the trot, heading in the right direction.
.
All jokes aside I think we’re getting better, and even with the team we sent out, I thought we were 4 times the team City were.
.
Well done Rafa and the lads.

FS, Have a safe and enjoyable trip to Hungary with the Misses. And look forward to a great result. Cheers mate!
YNWA.

Aitch, very good points, #208 & 209. Just listen to Rafa, he does not give that as a excuse. He just have to use who is available and get on with it.

The underlying root cause has been a clear lack of funds to buy better players since H&G have bought the club. Promises to invest in the club and not use the club for leverage were not kept. Contrast that to other clubs. Other clubs, inlcuding those not having funds from the CL are spending much more than LFC to buy players: Spurs, Man Shitty and Aston Villa. Now Spurs is going to build a stadium bigger than LFC. Are we on equal footing? Equal footing my foot! In fact had it not been for the fact Rafa had earned the vast amounts from CL football, LFC would be in deep trouble.

Floyd, Floyd, Floyd, I see another total and utter moron has popped up…

Do try and think things through with whatever tiny amount of brain power you do possess before you start posting such total and utter shite…I realise its quite hard for someone like you because you clearly barely have enough to think and breath at the same time…but for fucks sake…just how fucking dumb can one person be…

But then again – I suppose you’d rather listen to Andy Gray’s opinion and believe him than SUPPORT LFC…

Hello all. Im in a better mood now than yesterday but irked by some of the stuff written on here since. Id rather name names than going about it snidely so I will say that FS you were adressing me partially and also Digerno10 with a few of your comments which is good, because know loads about football.

However you’ve been unfair with some of what youve said. You said people shouldn’t be calling for Rafa’s head, but no-one actually said anything about it and you still brought it up to chastise people with.

As well as that you labelled critical commenters as spoilt and twisted by unrealistic expectations which is ridiculous. The only people who create unrealistic expectations are the ones who have been relentlessly talking up the team all season, dismissing the performance and results we have attained so far, with the implied assumption that we’ll automatically be the best team in the country “with a bit of luck”.

At the start of the season most the people who posted doubts about the team were ordered to have more belief in the team by you and others. I dont have a problem with that. But now that the team still isn’t living up to this faith your moaning at people for being dissapointed. Thats double standards, and extremely cynical, and its transfused across the board other people.

When I (or anyone else) write that we played crap or a certain area isn’t good enough Im usually reminded of the circumstances we played under and how outside factors are to blame for the fact that were in a bad position. Why? Do you all think I didn’t account for this before I posted? I know Agger got injured, I know Babel got injured and I know Gerrard was unfit and I still think it was a rubbish performance that screamed out that our only attacking avenues are our fullbacks or relying on Torres to produce. The team doesn’t look like it knows how to do anything else, even against a team carrying passangers. Same against Lyon, Birmingham and Tottenham and to me thats such a massive deficiency that its difficult to imagine it going away fully even with a full team.

I originally posted expecting it to be a commonly shared concern which could be discussed, because to most who aren’t biased its so obvious. On here though most people have become too defensive and sceptical for stuff like that to be talked about.

Floyd :
“But At Liverpool, he could not longer use that excuse having spent the most amount of money in the last 5 years amongst all the top 4 managers. Yes, even more than Jose Mourinho when he was at Chelsea.”

Sorry Floyd – you actually said that and meant it…

I was wrong – you dont have enough brain power to breathe and think…

That is by far and away the stupidest thing anyone has ever written on this blog ever…and probably will remain so…

Fuck me – you must be extra fucking stupid…

I mean just how fucking thick do you have to be to actually believe a bunch of made up figures from some Chelsea supporting Journo??? Figures disproven by just about everyone else many times over.

Unbelievable – I thought those other clowns were pretty stupid…but this guy has plummeted to new depths of idoicy…

I am just astounded by the total and utter – there isnt a word in the english language to describe just the stupidness – of that statement…

Mindboggling…truly and totally mindboggling…

Hey FS, if you get to read this before you head to Budapest check out the outdoor public baths. I’m serious man. They are a blast. You can head down at any time of the day and hang out as long as you (and the missus) want to. The pools are outdoors, hot, no matter what the daytime temperature. Beer on sale inside as well as food.

You’ll get the info from reception at whatever hotel you stay in. Go for the main one, I can’t remember the name but it’s on the underground.

Right that’s the light relief post in this sad excuse of a week in the life of an Irish Red.

My take on the game yesterday, in brief, as I have to get some rest:
Started off like a train with a clear destination. Got de-railed with Agger and, to a degree Babel,going off. With Agger gone we lost punch, pace, intelligence and also attacking know-how. I think it probably drew Mascher and Lucas back towards a nervous defense.
Jamie was just getting through a shift at right back. Good job Bellemy had a nothing game.
Skyrtl, delighted to see him score but christ he completely screwed up for the Man City first. I’m afraid , for me, he does not have the calmness and concentration and certainly not the leadership qualities we are missing at the back.
The Big Greek got done for City number 2. He turns like the Titanic.
I thought that the game was there for City in the second half. We feel away and were creaking. They looked fitter, sharper and much more inventive and I have to take my hat off to the boys because by the end by sheer will we had the momentum and Lucas ….. we know the rest.

Anyway good luck in Hungary FS. I’d love to be there but life has other plans for the moment.

Enjoy.

Well it seem like my post have caused quite a bit of stir in here. You guys could say anything you want, fair weather fan, mornon unknowledgeable fan, whatever.

I would like to think I am no Rafa basher, he brought us big ears for good in Istanbul, he’s given us many memorable nights over the last 5 years and best of all he brought us a fantastic Spanish fly whom I don’t think needed to be named.
But the fact remains that money and injuries or not, can anyone of you see Rafa Benitez lifting the Premier Title with Stevie G? Oh Stevie G, he’s on the wrong side of 29 now which means he would be 30 the next season. I would be
absolutely gutted if he never lifted the title once.

You have to ask yourselves if you were a certain Mr Xabi Alonso where under some unknown circumstance you found your boss trying to sell you at a cheap price, touting you about to every possible club in Europe because he wanted to buy
someone else. Well anyone who says he feels great is probably some escaped soul from a mental hospital. How about people like Craig Bellamy or Robbie Keane? Nobody force them to be sold and while I admit our crap owners are by far the worst
in probably the history of the entire British football league, that can be no excuse. You don’t come within a whisker of lifting the title and then basically struggled in the followin season, all these with an entire core of players still inact except for one.

Injuries? Don’t even get me going on that.

I’d be absolutelly delighted to eat humble pie should Rafa ever defy the gods to bring us the title this season. But I would say that should we presist in sticking with him and the Mancs open up a nice lead over us in the overall league title counts, then it would
be the worst tragedy ever to happen at the proud football club that is Liverpool FC.

MaccyD The thing with judging the team performance is to wait untill the
first team actually play together,because i’m sure if a full strength team played
Man city we’d have got the win.As it is our rather inexperienced/inexpensive
team cancelled them out,and dominated for long periods the most expensive
team in the league and with some luck their second would have been ruled
offside because it was. And Kuyt’s goal against Lyon wouldn’t be ruled
offside because it wasn’t, and the Beachball was definitely offside.
Basically the team,( injuries/ luck considered ) havent done too bad and i cant
see a massive deficiency as you put it and any deficiency there is can be sorted
with a fully fit team or alternatively some money to spend. If you find that difficult
to imagine then i dont know what to say other than what Gerry says at the end
of every Blog.

YNWA

£200m spent & all they got was a bleeding point?

Fook me.

City’s piss poor performance was almost an official ratification of the Yank’s philosophy of not spending shit . . .

Well, to all those making the trek to Budapest, have a safe journey & enjoy.

ps: Spurs . . . fooking hell.

Thank god I stayed away, the usual shite from the usual suspects plus an additional shite from a new participant.

The fact of the matter is, it was a fantastic result for us.

Straight back from internationals, pre-existing injuries in addition to the sudden injuries in the beginning stages of the match against a formidable squad.
If Wright-phillips was a better player, we would have lost, but we managed to draw thanks to some gut-filled performances from our players.

A draw is definitly a bonus for us given the circumstances. And a special mention must be given to Ngog. He has that magic moment about him. He was involved in both of our goals. His contribution is incredible in light of his playing time.

Frustrating yes, but I don’t know how some of you can even critisise our performance. You have to feel sorry for the players having to kick off at lunch time.

It is said that a human body takes 7 hours from the time you wake up to properly heat up. Calculate that from our kick-off time, in addition to the fact that some of our players would have been well jet-lagged, and you can get a sense of idea of how tough it is.

@OPuchong; Wigan’s defense…..fooking hell!

Floyd Imagine your a player you’ve just had 2 bad years with injuries and poor
performances. Your manager who you rate is looking at offers from Juventus
you dont want Juventus so this motivates you to have a blinder of a season
you then get a move to one of the biggest clubs back in your own country.
Where you wanted to return after the 5 year contract had expired.
With a masive pay rise and half the tax you also get to make your manager
a lot of money. A manager who may well be the next manager of the team
your joining plus you’ll be going with another Spanish teammate.
All in all i think you’d be grateful to the manager who turned you from a good
player into a world class player and you’d probably like to work with him again.
Bellamy who made us a bit of money and got a pay rise,was upgraded to Torres
Crouch wanted more game time so made us some money got his game time
and ended up with a payrise, money used for Johnson
Or does that sound mental

PS Floyd are you a journalist ?

Can me just make a small suggestion here?

Since Gerry doesn’t practice censorship, why don’t everyone here just IGNORE the flammers who tend drop hand grenades here fer their own amusement?

Whether its the self-proclimed Kings of the Terraces or opposition fans in disguise, best way to get rid of them is just IGNORE their postings.

ps: Wigan’s defence – what odds they’ll be tighter than babboon’s arse when we play them . . .

PPS Floyd i cant tell you the full story on Keane as i dont know where the
money went,but i know his stats weren’t much better than Voronins and at
that kind of money they should have been.

Wel I am sorry Floyd – but when you post utter tosh like that then that is what you are going to get…

And now you follow it up with Players being sold…surely our financial circumstances havent escaped you…surely you know – as you would if you are a LFC supporter – that both Bellamy and Keane were sold due to our financial circumstances were we needed better players – surely you know that it would have been great to keep these players on the payroll…surely you know that Rafa would have done so if he could have afforded it – not only from a transfer funds point of view but also from a wage bill point of view…surely you understand the correlation between Wage Bill and team success…but then again – its clear that you dont – because you keep posting such utter rubbish…

Puchong – I would tend to agree except for the fact that there is an inmense risk here…these are the sorts of idiots that could bring down Rafa…and I believe all the intelligent amongst us know what the end result of that would be…so to quote someone famous “All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing” – thus I believe we should shout these idiots down constantly…you must understand the reason so many stupid laws get passed is because the vocal minority never get told to shut the fuck up and stop being morons…

With respect to a few fellas in here such as Floyd,Diggerno and kopking who hasnt featured lately but are there real men in here?

Am sick and tired of coming out with excuses week in week out on why the team performed so poorly! do u guys think that other teams got no problems? i have even lost count of the matches we havent won this season…what explains why the likes of Sunderland can put up a fight on the likes of Liverpool,Arsenal or Man United? these guys have average players…its so saddening that we have to rely on central defenders for goals….we always been crying foul of the international break but after the draw with Birmighnam evey one was looking forward to the international break as it would gives us time to rekindle our hopes and dreams…i know the owners are partly causers of the problems facing LFC,but do these guys hire coaches or train players week in week out? do they make those silly tactical errors?

Well i have learnt one thing on this blog,no matter how ugly the team plays,we should always come in here and praise how we witnessed a fanstastic display,how Lucas is world class,how injuries to central defenders limited our chances to score goals,the list goes on and on…

Just take out Xabi..we still have the same team that put up a spirited fight last season,and with the addition of Glen,this team should have been better! injuries occur to every team,its just how u handle those injuries that matter,look at Arsenal,they’ve had a fair share of injuries,but their unbeatable run has just come to an end and am pretty sure they will bounce back ASAP…

At the start of the season,we all had hopes of turning draws into wins,buts its a pity now that we fight so had to earn a draw…i remember some one commenting in here and i quote ” i will keep supporting my team until its mathmatically impossible to win the EPL trophy! My foot!!

Sula, what injuries have the arse had this year? As far as I am aware, this was the first time that either Fabregas or RVP have been injured, and guess what? They get beat by a decent Sunderland team away from home, without a beach ball in sight!

…so that should make the arse a one-man team and how long has Wenger been there and how much has he spend?

‘spent’

Kiwi Mark: Ok, copy that. But far too often this blog has been reduced to shouting matches. And none of these ‘supporters’ seem able to comprehend the lessons / facts / opinions of some of the seasoned commentators here. Know what I mean?

In their minds, its get Rafa out & we’ll win the bloody league.

Tiresome . . .

I’d like to put a question to the people here – should we fail to qualify for the knockout stage of CL (almost certain to happen) and then follow that up by finishing 5th or 6th (currently a worrying possiblty – do you think Rafa should be sacked? No talk about injuries, no talk about who we signed or didn’t sign – just cold analysis. My feeling is that this squad should be good enough to finish in the top four and failing to achieve that would be inexcusable. Yes currently there are no viable alternatives to Rafa – I mean who would step into our club in it’s current status?? But come next July that may have all changed. Rafa has/is doing a good job but no one is infalible and I don’t buy the argument that if we lose Rafa we lose everything – now that is Kneejerk!

i agree with puchong on that. its just getting to be a cycle of the same tedious bullshit. someone launches in with some ‘rafa out – liverpool are shite’ post. FS and a few others slam them for being cocks (which they are), before saying they’re bored with it and won’t bother replying any more. then after the next game its straight back into it again. the blog gets turned into a slagging match.

if these people are ignored then the rest of us can get on with discussing team options, tactical tinkerings and the best way forward for the club.

personally, i felt pretty relieved and fairly happy after the city game, given the circumstances. mainly because the second half of the season can only get better for us and we were fucking close to losing ground on city there. if they knock us out of the top 4, its going to bring a tide of piss the likes of which the club has never seen. “the next leeds” is no understatement! with everything that’s happened to us this season i’ll be happy to finish it in the top 4, uefa cup holders, aquaman looking awesome, the team scoring goals and keeping clean sheets again and a fresh hope that next season won’t be so blighted with injuries and bollocks, just as arsenal got through it all last year. that’s not to say that the season is a right off, but its getting close to that point and city, spurs and villa are now a bigger concern to me.

can you imagine sitting down to watch a match and seeing gerrard, torres, aqua, agger, yossi, masch, johnson, carra, reina, insua and kuyt (in no particular order) all running out on the same day!? i can’t bloody wait!! those days are ahead of us and we just need to get enough points to get by til then.

Arthur: Been said before, we’ll be here after Rafa’s gone. Same goes fer any player / manager we all loved in the past.

But who to replace Rafa (whether he goes or is forcibly removed)?

Mourinho wants to take over @ the old toilet.

Rikjaard has lost that magic.

Mancini would expect a big transfer budget.

Of our ex-players, Markus Babel & Gary Mac don’t seem able to cut the mustard.

That leaves . . .

John Toshack?

ps: Perhaps the ONLY way we can rid them two yanks is with a terrible season. But then again, newcastle are still stuck with Ashley despite relegation, so who knows . . .

Puchong: Don’t really go for the whole” if we have a crap season – the Yanks will go ” argument. As you said Newcastle had a clanger of a season last term and they’re still stuck with that unmerciful cock Ashley.

I’d only really be interested in Hiddink (which doesnt look likely as he’s on his way to Chelsea it seems) or Martin O Neill come next June…

Otherwise I’d probably stick with Rafa for one more lash and hope that this season was just a blip before Universal Dominance begins

FS, szechenyi furdo is where you want to go ..

Has anybody read the editorial of the December edition of the Kop mag?.It is available online as well as print £1.75.It is written by lifelong Reds from the city and echoes a lot of what I have posted.How can anybody excuse Kuyt’s performances for the past 2 months?.WHY DIDN’T HE PLAY UP FRONT?.Any chance of Aquilani paying before March?.

BM,so you copy and paste the KOP mag?Thats the Gospel is it?

Floyd….

“But I would say that should we presist in sticking with him and the Mancs open up a nice lead over us in the overall league title counts, then it would
be the worst tragedy ever to happen at the proud football club that is Liverpool FC”

What age are you bud?

Try telling that to the reletives and friends of our 96 brothers and sisters.

Some people…

Burgerman: whatever about the merits of the Kop Magazine, I certainly wouldn’t play Kuyt up front. I think he’s jaded and over-played but its pretty clear to all and sundry that his best position is that right hand side berth. Longer term I prefer someone with more pace on the right handside – some more trickery – but they’re hard to come by..

Let me guess BM. Do you work for the kop mag?

So, and I think that a few of us would like to know, what exactly what have you been saying for the past 2 months?

TT, no point wasting your time on that Floyd fella. BTW, what about the floods (joke in there somewhere) down your way? I hear it was pretty bad.

The Kop mag is written by knowledgeable fans from the city.The Mancs have already won 3 in a row while Rafa has been here.2o prem goals concededed is as bad as it under any of the previous 3 managers.do not be surprised if Debricen score twice.Still crying into your cabbage soup (THANKS TO Henry) Tiny Tim?.

AGP, I started off this season thinking that we had a good chance of winning the league, if we got lucky with injuries. At the time, I remember joking with LB about it and that we had probably put a curse on LFC! Bad joke, I know but he started it

Coming to your question, I think that you are even posing it is somewhat ludicrous. With all of these injuries, I don’t think that anyone can say if we have went backward, forward, or sidewards, as a team. We will need to wait until we have something like our first XI on the pitch, for more than 30 minutes, before anyone can make that call.

Maybe the question should be asked why we are having all these injuries. Is it due to new training methods? Bad diagnosis by the medical team? I don’t have the info to comment further.

What I do believe is that Rafa should not be anywhere near last chance saloon, given what he has done in the last 5 1/2 years. This injury epidemic cannot go on forever and we will see what this team are truly capable of very soon.

FFS, Wenger is already complaining about RVP being injured and what that has done to his team!

BTW, I would advise that you dig-up some clips of Houllier’s team in the final year to have an idea what a team with no direction looks like. IMHO, I do not feel that Rafa has taken us as far as he can. In fact I think that it is just the beginning.

BM, it’s Debrecen.

I know that you are very fond of correct spelling and grammar here on Kopblog.

I am impressed!.Is there no end to your talents?.I didn’t know they spoke English in Ulster/Bandit land.The Lyon/Cortina game looks a nailed on draw.

This blog used to be a safe haven from all the I want it know idiots with out analysing why the hell should we deserve it or even demand it, what are we up against, have we matched our rivals in terms of team development and team investment. Just because we are Liverpool with a proud History, it does not guarantee success. An 80 mill net spend over 5 years will guarantee fuck all in today’s market when the likes of Spurs and Man city have spent that in less than two years in Spur’s case and 1 year in Man City’s case. We have a mid tables team investment strategy, yet our so called fans think we should be running away with the Prem Title. I would just like to hear why they think we should be challenging. The only reason we are challenging is because of Rafa and what he has accomplished on sweet fuck all. So before you go off at Rafa, he’s had enough time and spent enough money please do the maths and compare it to the rest of the Prem teams and you will see how far down we are. Please tell me what any manager could accomplish on a net 16 mill per year in the light of having two players left from the original squad he inherited. Certainly not Maureen who spent over 300 mill, Fungus who has 3 players on the bench worth more than what Rafa has spent and you moronically think that any manager would jump at the opportunity to replace Rafa with a zero net spend in the last transfer window. I rate Hidink very highly and in the same mould and breath of Rafa and yes I think he could proberbly do just as good a job as Rafa, but would he walk into the mess that is Liverpool. The rest of the managers out there are not even in the same class as these two. Discounting the injuries to over half the team is just plain moronic and for Sula to identify with the people he does identify with says it all…pathetic. Just for once please articulate why you think Rafa has failed and where another manager could have done better given the resources and scale of the overhaul that has happened at Liverpool in comparison to the rest of the Prem teams.

Keith, no argument.

We are LFC and we should win it. The kop mag has spoken.

Don’t be bringing these pesky injuries and relative transfer metrics into play. That’s an excuse and you are hiding behind facts.

FYI, we should win the league this season, and every other season for that matter, even if the majority of our first XI has been injured/unavailable to date.

Makes sense. Doesn’t it?

BM, you have every right to be impressed! My schooling is not what it should be but I give it a go. Where’s the harm?

You still not answered the question though. What have you been preaching for the last two months? What should we do to get out of this predicament?

Skeat, Puchong and all Malaysian LFC fans, here is the Malaysian LFC website: http://www.lscm.com.my/
Please do join the LSCM. Cheers, mates.

In the game against Man Shitty, I very much looked forward to seeing Aqualung playing. Some of the critics here is tearing their hair out coz Rafa had not fielded him. I too was perplexed why Aurelio was fielded instead of Aqualung. I love to see Aqualung play and perhaps get us the winning goal we so long for. Then again what do I know about the condition of Aqualung? Rafa is thew one who knows best, unfortunately not us. Just because he does not say so does not mean that Aqiualung is fully fit to paly, even for 10 minutes.

Knight i think the forced subs early on was the reason Aquaman didn`t get a run.I`d say the lad is bursting a gut to get going.

Lurgan good spot on GoogleWikiBurgerKOP`S typo.On to it like a flash you fecker!
Ya floods here are pretty bad bud i`m ok fortunately where i am but the City centre got hit bad a wall collapsed at the side of the river and some parts were destroyed.A lot of the city is without water for a week.
All the reletives from her side have been coming down to use the washing machine,shower etc.Feckers,you wouldn`t see the bastards for one end of the year to the other!

It`s all good though i`ll have to start charging at this rate.

BM,you make me smile in this time of doom and gloom i`ll give you that.Sadly the Irish injustice was a disappointment but truth be told i`m not a massive fan of the international scene but if Ireland had qualified i`d have jumped on the green white and gold bandwagon.Didn`t lose any sleep over it though.

As for cabbage soup,i could do with some now pal,i`ve a sick head up on me.

I missed the game against Man City because I had to take my nephew to a fencing competition. His team won the gold medal!

I think it’s all Lurgan’s fault because he jinxed it big time saying with any luck with injuries we’ll win the league. These injuries are ridiculous. What are the medical staff and physios doing? If anyone needs sacking its them. Their job is to get the players healthy.

Realistically we are fighting for 3rd and 4th place. The title is gone. I can’t see us overhauling a 13 point gap on Chelsea. Not gonna happen. The more positive among us will say that mathematically we can still win it. Well Wolverhampton Wanderers fans can say the same.

I think Chelsea have the best squad in the league and also have a very good manager. They’ll win the title in my opinion. We are capable of putting a run together to finish 2nd but only if we have our best 15 players available. The way the players are going down like flies does not give me any confidence that we will put a run of victories together in a hurry. The form of certain individuals doesn’t fill me with confidence either. Kuyt and Skrtle. 2 players who played to a high level every week last season look poor this year. Both need to up their game. Aquilani needs to play some football. Gerrard and Torres need to get fit and stay fit as does Glen Johnson. A settled back 4 is vital. I can see us stuttering until the new year.

I’m trying my best to remain patient and supportive until we can field a strong and settled side.

Arthur, my answer to your question (#233) would be:

No! I’d stick with Rafa… not coz he’s a genius… not coz he is somehow irreplaceable… but simply because this season is a total anomoly.

It’s a UFO.

Hell… fuck that… its a Close Encounter… of the FOURTH Kind.

We’ve been colectively abducted and had cattle prods rammed up our jackseys for some sort of strange and unknown extra-terrestrial research purpose.

I like Guus Hiddink. Of all the names bandied about, he’s the ONLY one I’d go for.
Should Jose EVER be appointed LFC manager, then I’m done with them.
If you came home and found your wife getting gang-rogered by a local works crew… and screaming like it wasn’t enough, it would be a violation of everything your marraige stood for. The same would be true if JoMo EVER got the LFC job.

Now is not the time for a change at the helm. And even if your scenario transpired, that alone GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, would not warrant a change at the helm.

But I have another question for you all.
Have you ever played injured?
Not for one game, mind you, but for a string of them, for half a season?

I have… which is why I say, if you had… you wouldn’t be expecting amazing performances from SG, Torres, Benny, Riera, Agger, Aquaman, El Zhar, Aurelio.

And I have another question for you.
Have any of you ever played on a good team that didn’t play well and got poor results for a long run?

Again, I have, and I can tell you with every bad result, with every poor performance, the anxiety level increases.
You concede a goal and the shoulders drop, the heads drop, you can almost hear the collective chorus of “oh, here we go again” muttered under the breath.
But even those who keep their heads start doing stupid stuff… potshots from 35 yards… impossible 40 yard passes when a simple 10/15 yarder to an open man is on… hoofing it upfield when there are players open to play it out.
You literally can’t help yourself.

We are in the quicksand right now lads
We won’t get out of it on Tuesday.
We won’t get out of it on Sunday.
We might not get out of it before Christmas.

We needed a result on Saturday and while LFC should never settle for a draw, like it or not, 2-2 was one given the circumstances.
We need a result Tuesday and a result on Sunday and if we were to get both as a result of massive strokes of luck (wicked deflections, dodgy pens, Ngog impersonating Thierry Henry,) rather than deserved effort, then mores the better at this point, coz that’s what’s needed!

But if any of that is a reason to “stop supporting” as one dickhead put it above, then by all means… you have our collective permission to bugger off, coz “when you walk through a storm” actually FUCKIN MEANS SOMETHING you pratts!

(This sermon has been brought to you by 35 years through the wind and the rain)

Seeing we have been playing around with grammar and english, I thought I’d mention something I read on a rumour site. In regard to a post of Rooney to Real Madrid. It goes like this, “the lad would never sign with a Spanish side as he could never learn the language, he’s only recently started to learn english, and thats been difficult.”

Puchong – I agree with you 100% – I wish we didnt have to put up with these numpties…

Its just stupidity of this sort really gits on me nerves…

But you are probably right – we probably should just ignore these plonkers…its very hard to though…

I would much rather read the others posts discussing football…

Good grammar and english is not a genralisation that it makes you a knowledgable fan,a fan some thing that can blow wind about.
a
A supporter some one who gives support no matter how hard things get. with out good pit props to support in a mine the mine collapses.

so you ethier support the club or you just blow wind as some of you have been in here.

Men stand up and be counted by sticking by there team. not blow out of there arses,ie burgerman

Used to love coming in here sll the time (i think past 6 years), but now its gotten to the point where I can predict what certain people would say and it just ruins this great blog.

Good on the other lads for actually using proper logic and reasoning in their debates.

One example of why I have stopped commenting recently was made by Sula abuot how injuries dont afect the team and we should be winning.

Even a simple injury like Agger will throw a team off because our only cover is Kyriagos, so Masch and Lucas have to not only cover JC (because he is slower aginst bellamy and Kelly, Degen and Glen are out) they also must cover for Kyriakos, who is slow.

In addition to Babel being injured, thats two subs in 20min. To bring on Benny/Riera/Aurellio who arent likely to pay out the full game so you have to save the last sub.

BUT NO, lets blame Rafa again. I said to my Arse mate, imagine not having Sagna, RVP, Fabregas, Varmellan and Nasri (plus 2-3 bench type players). Only when i mentioned this did he understand that any team with our injuries would be fucked!

BUT NO, lets blame rafa again.

Interest rates on the way back up. LETS BLAME RAFA.

The misses decided to have a fight over nothing, ill call Rafa and Blame him for that too.

FFS, sometimes things are beyond believe when read