FA Cupset

DJPrestigeDJPrestige 1,710 Posts
edited February 2008 in Strut Central
I am sitting here after Liverpool just got bounced from the FA Cup by Barnsley.If this isn't a further indication that Rafa has to go, then I don't know what is.Also, why take out Ryan Babel who was owning the Barnsley defense and put in Harry Kewell? Pathetic. The only saving grace is that either United or Arsenal will be bounced after this round. Not a great season for my Reds.
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  • PrimeCutsLtdPrimeCutsLtd jersey fresh 2,632 Posts
    at least you're not a knicks fan

  • at least you're not a newcastle supporter

  • PrimeCutsLtdPrimeCutsLtd jersey fresh 2,632 Posts
    i drank some newcastles last night is that ok?

  • nzshadownzshadow 5,526 Posts
    at least you're not an All Black supporter

  • i drank some newcastles last night is that ok?

    i did as well, but i was referring to the club.

  • PrimeCutsLtdPrimeCutsLtd jersey fresh 2,632 Posts
    my bad I'm totally from the whole soccer thing. I'll bow out of this thread... (insert my bad graemlin here)

  • Haha, great day, Liverpool are my most hated club, and i also live about 10 seconds from the Memorial Ground so Rovers are my second team... hoping for an (unlikely) Arsenal win to complete the hat trick!

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    I am sitting here after Liverpool just got bounced from the FA Cup by Barnsley.

    If this isn't a further indication that Rafa has to go, then I don't know what is.

    Also, why take out Ryan Babel who was owning the Barnsley defense and put in Harry Kewell? Pathetic.

    The only saving grace is that either United or Arsenal will be bounced after this round.

    Not a great season for my Reds.



    I've avoided joining in with any "Benitez Out" clamouring, because any manager that can bring us a fifth European Cup in his first season deserves a longer-than-normal grace period. It isn't so much the opposition that bothers me (although Barnsley are an average Championship side at best), as the fact that he's continued to field second-string sides in a competition that was our only realistic remaining chance of honours this season. Itandje's done nothing to indicate he has the quality to succeed as a Prem-level keeper, and Rafa's bloody-minded persistence with this squad rotation policy in the face of so many inconsistent performances is no longer bewildering and is now just a pain in the arse. If we were getting the results, it might be defensible, but we're not, so it isn't.

    United are thumping Arsenal as well - it's 4-0 now!

  • A great day. United humiliating arsenal and the bindippers knocked out by barnsley. I'm not complaining.

  • LeftyLefty 259 Posts
    nice game,
    watched tghe first half,
    man u plays well

  • LeftyLefty 259 Posts
    why the f is the english team so crappy,
    but the prem league so well?
    its the opposite in germany

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts

    I've avoided joining in with any "Benitez Out" clamouring, because any manager that can bring us a fifth European Cup in his first season deserves a longer-than-normal grace period.

    Appreciate that Benitez won that fifth, but he's lived on that for way way way too long.
    I doubt that anyone except for L'pool fans would have stuck by a manager for so long..... dare it be said, liverpudlians are stereotyped as overly sentimental, and this is probably a manifestation of that sentimentality.
    Like a lot of english people I have felt an immense second-hand pride in what Liverpool have achieved in Europe since the mid 70's, and is sad to see Rafa almost wilfully throwing it down the pan.
    Having said that - come on you Lions - oh shit we lost to Tranmere.
    Count yourselves lucky scousers, three succesful teams....

  • Rafa goes over this? Really?

    Most of the opinions I've read from Liverpool fans blame the Americans.

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    Rafa goes over this? Really?

    Most of the opinions I've read from Liverpool fans blame the Americans.

    They haven't helped - or at least Tom Hicks hasn't, by saying that he and George Gillett openly courted Jurgen Klinsmann as a potential replacement for Rafa when relations between them were at their worst. The bad feeling that created has lingered ever since. But by the same token, Rafa hasn't strengthened his own case with his inability to get the best out of the players he has. There's no such thing as a settled line-up at Liverpool anymore, and I think a lot of the problems on the field stem from this.

    There's always a rush to blame the manager when a team is struggling, but I think the problem lies elsewhere. Certain players seem to think the team can't function without them, they're a cut above everyone else on the park, and the style of play should be geared towards them all the time. It became a problem at Arsenal and they dealt with it. If he's still there at the end of the season, Benitez needs to do something similar at Liverpool. He needs to sell Steven Gerrard.

  • Rafa goes over this? Really?

    Rafa hasn't strengthened his own case with his inability to get the best out of the players he has. There's no such thing as a settled line-up at Liverpool anymore, and I think a lot of the problems on the field stem from this.


    Agreed. However, I don't think he needs to sell Gerrard. There's talk of Martin O'Neil wanting Crouch at Villa, and as much as I like Crouch, I say let him go.

    As far as Rafa winning the Champion's League in his first year defense, I think he's had ample time since then to work something out with the roster he has. The constant changing of the lineup from week to week has not only frustrated the supporters, but messed with the player's morale.

    Talks with Klinsmen by the American owners was definitely NAGL. I wish they were not involved at all, but that's the case. IMHO I believe a management change might be the best, as much as I've been a supporter of Rafa since the get go.

    On another note, just wanted to say I enjoy talking football with you Doc. Thanks for your perspective.

  • Who are the prima donnas?

  • jleejlee 1,539 Posts
    A great day. United humiliating arsenal and the bindippers knocked out by barnsley. I'm not complaining.

    BAN!!

    we looked pathetic yesterday. i figured we would lose with such a depleted team, but not that bad. ugly loss. Gunners better show themselves vs Milan. I don't need another repeat of getting knocked out of all competitions in the span of 2 weeks like we did last year.

  • AserAser 2,351 Posts
    nani made you guys look silly. His celebration flip was very Tekken like.

    http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4eq93_manu0gunners-160208_sport

  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    why the f is the english team so crappy,
    but the prem league so well?
    its the opposite in germany

    To answer that question just look at how many English players were on display for the premiership teams playing at the weekend.

    Liverpool are all out of sorts at the moment and this constant sacrifice of everything else in favour of the European cup is going to look extremely stupid if they get undone this round (I actually think Rafa's too good a manager in Europe for his team to preform how they have domestically recently but we'll see).

    LOL at Arsenal. I can't deny I didn't enjoy that match though you know things are going badly when you let Fletcher score two against you.

  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,960 Posts
    Wenger is too cocky with the FA Cup. It's a shame that it's all gone down to money, the competition used to be taken seriously but now it's just a distraction from getting a spot in the Champion$ L??agu??. It seems the cup is alright to give the nippers a kick, but doesn't pay the bills.

    I can also imagine the big names not wanting to play these matches because of the risks of:

    a) Being injured by some part-time plummer wanting to make a name for himself as the next Roy Keane or
    b) Being badly sonned by a pub side.

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    Wenger is too cocky with the FA Cup. It's a shame that it's all gone down to money, the competition used to be taken seriously but now it's just a distraction from getting a spot in the Champion$ L??agu??. It seems the cup is alright to give the nippers a kick, but doesn't pay the bills.

    I can also imagine the big names not wanting to play these matches because of the risks of:

    a) Being injured by some part-time plummer wanting to make a name for himself as the next Roy Keane or
    b) Being badly sonned by a pub side.

    I am sure all right-thinking people have huge admiration for how Wenger sets his sides up, regardless of the foreigner vs local talent debate.
    And his use of the youngsters in the League cup last season was inspirational
    BUT.... Arsene, dude, the bad loser thing is SUCH
    and severly debits your goodwill account

    Carragher has the more PR nous - he will say the teams naused up when the public can clearly see it.

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    Carragher has the more PR nous - he will say the teams naused up when the public can clearly see it.

    Carra also has the luxury of being the only native English speaker in the Liverpool side who can pass judgement on a performance without inviting criticism of his own part in it. Both him and Mascherano (when he's played) have been outstanding this season. There's been a couple of others as well, but on the whole, we've been rotten. After such a promising start as well.

  • magpaulmagpaul 1,314 Posts
    anyone notice how getting a decent international manager helps United players?

    Capello seems to have transformed Rooney into a 1-man striker phenom and over the course of the World Cup, Scolari turned Ronaldo from a boy into a man.

  • nzshadownzshadow 5,526 Posts

    BUT.... Arsene, dude, the bad loser thing is SUCH
    and severly debits your goodwill account

    ? what happened? I saw the game... OUCH. but didn't see the post match interviews etc... what did he do?


  • BUT.... Arsene, dude, the bad loser thing is SUCH
    and severly debits your goodwill account

    ? what happened? I saw the game... OUCH. but didn't see the post match interviews etc... what did he do?

    The usual Wenger thing, as an Arsenal fan it's embarrassing. He used his trademark "i didn't see it" response regarding Gallas's little kick on Nani, said Eboue's sending off was "harsh" and said the pitch was terrible. He did go on to say Arsenal never looked like winning though, even before the sending off...

    I'm not sure not having many English players playing in the Premier League makes much difference in the quality of the national side either, how many of the current Brazilian squad play in Brazil?

  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts


    I'm not sure not having many English players playing in the Premier League makes much difference in the quality of the national side either, how many of the current Brazilian squad play in Brazil?

    Yeah it wouldn't matter as much if all the English 'talent' was playing for big clubs abroad but most of it is benchwarming or fighting for a starting place for the big clubs who sometimes seem that they buy players up just to stop them signing for competitors.

    Despite how the above sounds, I'm actually all for foreign players in the premiership and love how they've changed and expanded the way premiership football is played, it just saddens me that managers will go and spend a million or two on shipping over young foreign talent instead of focusing on trying to bring through and develop any decent English youths.

    Who knows though, maybe the young talent just isn't there.

  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,960 Posts
    The talent is there, it's just playing video games or surfing pr0n, rather than having a kickabout - all the fields were sold to developers and of course there are drug dealers and paedos on every corner should the kids venture 10 feet from their parents.

    I am sure the kids in the favellas of Brasil are much safer and can indulge their desire for football anytime anywhere.

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    Let's assume Rafa jumps or is pushed in the summer.

    Who will Lpool diehards accept as a replacement?
    I see a place for the club, as keeper of the soul of all that was finest in British football, spearheading a return to local roots for players and managers.
    There's so much kid talent in the surrounding areas, and many people steeped in Liverpool history still in the football world to make it viable.
    Granted it will be 10 years before there are dividends, but someone has to start it off.
    And here's a manager: Paul Fairclough at Barnet.
    Former Pool reserve in the 70's, local lad, manager of England non-League, former scout/analyst for Sven, alround good guy; he took me thru coaching badges at kids mini-soccer level.
    Pie in the sky idea maybe but we can dream

  • i do think that rafa has made some very dubious squad decisions this season but he has been a good manager for liverpool and i think with the team that has been put together now it would be stupid to get rid of him. they have the key players that they need all they need to do is blster some areas (mainly defense, liverpool have suffered without agger). as for arsenal couldnt believe it when i heard, united were on some sort of revenge mission! i still think arsenal are the ones to beat for the premiership but united are looking best for champions league, real, inter and man utd have to be favourites now.

  • nzshadownzshadow 5,526 Posts
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