Quote: Gerry McDonnell @ October 20 2010, 7:56 PM BST3-0 after 13 minutes
4-3 after 90 
The all-in-one consolidatory football thread Page 187
Wow.
Unbelievable scenes. What a finish.
Bale's probably worth more than Rooney right now.
Aw, wish I'd watched the second half now.
Quote: Nil Putters @ October 20 2010, 9:59 PM BSTAw, wish I'd watched the second half now.
Me too.
Quote: Rob H @ October 20 2010, 7:54 PM BSTI've taken the liberty of editing your Trabs. Hope you don't mind, but these were the two point I wanted to comment on. One, Rafa was a liability in his last 18 months or so. Look through his squad and tell me who is a decent signing. Last season he was saying that he needed 6 new players; he'd been in charge for 6 (I think) years. That was his team, his signings he was admitting wasn't good enough.
And Hodgson had great success with Fulham. I speak as a Fulham fan, but I don't think anyone has said we played 'shockingly bad football'. True, we were hardly Barcelona, but with what the players we can get we played decent football. The problem with Liverpool (a club I have a great deal of affection for by the way) fans is that they're not based in reality. There are 4 or 5 of your current players (including Konchesky!) that I wouldn't want in the Fulham side compared to the players we have.
You're a distinctly average side with 3 world class players. Deal with it.
Agree totally with this. Rafa starting war with Alex Ferguson was a massive mistake and it all started to go really down hill from there. Look how many flops he brought in- Voronin, Riera, I could go on.
I went out to watch the United game tonight (which was awful), so just watched the Inter Spurs highlights. Gareth Bale is just getting dangerously better and better. Who'd have thought this last year.
Quote: Jack Massey @ October 20 2010, 10:52 PM BSTAgree totally with this. Rafa starting war with Alex Ferguson was a massive mistake and it all started to go really down hill from there. Look how many flops he brought in- Voronin, Riera, I could go on.
Most of his flops were bought for peanuts or free transfers, (not all but most), and all managers have their Djemba-Djemba's, Veron's, Forlan's and Jeffers. This was to do with the amount of money that was made available to him. This is a proposed side of Rafa signings (just players he bought, not who were available to him when he came)
Reina (6mill)
Johnson (20mill) Agger (5.8mill) Skrtel (6.5Mill) Aurelio (Free)
Mascherano (18.6mill) Alonso (10.7mill)
Kuyt (9mill) Garcia (6mill) Benayoun (5mill)
Torres (20.2mill)
Subs:
Carson (1mill)
Crouch (7mill)
Lucas (5mill)
Kyrgiakos (2mill)
Insua (1.3mill)
Bellamy (6mill)
I would be happy to pay good money to see that side every week.
Of our 1st team options, the only players that I don't think should be there and aren't capable of being involved in a squad competing for major trophies are Babel (big Rafa mistake), Konchesky (Hodgson signing), Poulsen (Hodgson Signing).
Once we get rid of this bumbling dinosaur and install another top manager, I have every faith that we will be a force once again - although investment is seriously required.
I tried to format that into a 4-2-3-1 formation but it wouldn't let me.
Dinosaur in terms of style of football do you mean? He has a superb record of getting the best out of middling football teams and making them competitive. The style of play surely comes 2nd to the results if they've been underachieving? And since when were Liverpool an attractive side to watch? Certainly not in the years Benitez had them. If it was style and flair you wanted then you should have courted someone like Kevin Keegan or Harry Redknap to coach you, but they are far too ndependent and volatile for ultra cautious safe minded Liverpool. Maybe it's this ethos that has to change?
yes I mean in style of football. not only is he playing terrible football with us, it's also not working.
We played quality attacking football under Rafa most of the time, the same style that he played with his stunning Valencia team, and the same style he is currently playing with Inter. Houllier was ultra defensive, and this is why he lost the crowd, and had to go in the end - because the fans don't want to watch it. Benitez plays high up the pitch, and goes to attack. Hodgson plays an 8 man defence on the edge of his own box, and lumps it up to a stranded centre forward. Out-dated, boring unimaginative bollocks.
Rafa gave us this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZfDtBV1Dog&feature=related
and this:
http://espanol.video.yahoo.com/watch/4671234/12485946
and this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u7t5eM55Nw
and many, many more.
The hardcore of the fanbase didn't want Rafa to go and certainly didn't want Hodgson to come in, and the prospect of Redknapp or Keegan coming in either would be laughed out of Anfield. Neither would ever be considered.
Kenny, Rijkaard, Pellegrini...those are serious options.
As a footnote, I think Fulham have come out of this situation brilliantly. Hughes is quality young manager with genuine vision and talent, they should cherish the time he spends there, because I reckon he's going on to big things.
Dalglish coming in would be dangerous in my view. Why risk tainting a glorious past when you are in a relegation fight which is what is right now. One win in eight? Jesus!
It's nearly 20 years since he left Anfield and they were clearly on the way down at that point despite being league champions. Too many old players.
Having said this, his aura might just spark something because of the history though I'm not sure his name means much anymore especially to those under 25 and that's roughly how old the players are.
I was at Anfield when he played his last ever game for Liverpool - a 1-0 win over Derby when aged 40. It was also the last time they won the championship which makes him 60. Another long-term appointment like Hodgson?
You are right about the possible dangers, this is also on the back of my mind. If Kenny takes over, I see it as a short transitional period to get the club back on it's feet, before passing it on to younger hands. Unless of course, he proves he's still got what it takes.
I also think a possible problem over the past year or so, is ego's in the dressing room. If Kenny takes over, there is nobody there who is bigger than him, and he won't stand for any shit. I would bring in Toshack to assist him.
On the subject of Rafa- another reason I don't rate him as a manager. He tried to get rid of the class Xabi Alonso and bring in Gareth Barry. At the 2010 World Cup for me Alonso was the best midfielder and Barry was the worst midfielder in the tournament.
And he totally f**ked up Robbie Keane- he was excellent before he went to Liverpool, he's been poor ever since that five month spell.
The Xabi dealings were unfortunate, but has to be put in context. He tried to sell Alonso after he had a poor season for us, and bring in Barry who was bang on top form at the time - lets not forget that Juve actually decided against signing Alonso on the strength of how he played that season. We needed a more mobile midfield and somebody who would give us more goals. As it turned out, Alonso developed another level to his game and Barry went backwards. In retrospect it was foolish, but there was logic to it. Again, if he had been given the money, he wouldn't have had to finance bringing in Barry by trying to sell Alonso.
Keane was never going to fit into the style we were playing. Rick Parry signed him over Rafa's head, resulting in Parry having to fall on his sword shortly after.
As Rafa would say "I asked for a sofa and they bought me a lamp".