I am not talking about the over actions in the Liverpool/Villa Match thread. Last night was on of those games where it could have went either way, a few missed chances early on would have made a big difference game. The thing that struck me in this game and also the Spurs game is the amount of yapping and moaning from the players and staff. Nando is at it, Masherano and then we had a Pepe totally losing his cool before the Villa goal. Sammy Lee getting sent off at Spurs, Rafa have a go at fourth officials in both games as well. That and some of the body language of the players is a sign that things are not right behind the scenes. I am sure the players and staff are frustrated that a team that came so close are not getting the backing from above to push on this season. They see Sami and Alonso going, two very important players both in terms of playing ability and presence in the dressing toom. Rafa is forced to buy a journey man centre back and most of the money he has made in the transfer market has been swallowed up by the yanks. I am sure they are all frustrated, however arguing over every decision and berating the fourth official is going to get us nowhere.
I think the boardroom issues are starting to affect the players. Before it was just rafa who had to deal with this. But the fact that we need to sign two more players and the players know this. The money is obviously not forthcoming and the players are getting frustrated. We were so close last season and because the yanks are bleeding our club dry we cannot improve on what we did. The moaning and yapping is a sign of the frustration IMO.
It's hard to blame them. Torres in particular was kicked around the pitch any time he was on the ball, and nothing was being done about it. It is a frustrating time for the club, and if the players are reflecting that in their actions, it only shows how invested they are in the club. Hopefully when results go our way, the same enthusiasm will manifest itself in more positive ways.
My 2 cents. I had a rotten feeling the day that Tony Barret broke the news that the yanks had taken the money. They stole 60 million from the club to repay debts, money that had been promised the manager for players. God knows who Rafa had up his sleeve with that cash. It put a sour start to the season which I think spilled out onto the pitch. The squad lacks debt and there are several average players there like Lucas, Voronin, Dossena etc. We cant blame everything on them alone but thats the reality of it. We need a lot of money to be spent to bring the squad up to scratch and they havn't provided it. All Rafa can do is play the cards he's been dealt. We're too reliant on Torres and Gerrard for me, we need some more big name quality players like Silva, David Villa etc. When Gerrard and Torres are injured or just don't perform then we lack fire power to come off the bench and save the day. as was shown against Villa and Spurs. You can't write Liverpool off after 3 games, no way. But you can't not be worried about our worst start to the season in a long time. The Yanks have to go. The club has to be taken back and sold to somebody that will provide the manager with the resources he needs. YNWA
These guys are (very very well paid) PROFESSIONALS. They should be putting the summer behind them and doing their talking on the pitch. We're all pissed off but this is not the response that we should be getting. We were a close second last season and despite Alonso going, we are better than what we've shown so far. Let's hope the persecution complex is out of the system after that loss and react POSITIVELY, management, players and fans alike.
+1 on that very well paid professionals Let Rafa deal with the shite behind the scenes, on the pitch place the ball in the net.
I suppose its hard to be up beat when the players can see the squad has taken a step backwards. Everyone is feeling the pressure.
nando is getting on like dogshite now always moaning yes he does get stick but this new behavior is not going to get him anywhere with the ref he should get on with the game like he used to people respected him for it. he got himself booked lastnight because of it. i agree the yanks are causing all this bad feeling and have to go.
As much as I detest them two yankee clowns and want them out of our club, blaming them for players and staff moaning at officials is a bit far-fetched. I thought both sides were at it last night its just that Villa got the breaks and because Rafa brought it up about Torres we are all looking for it more now. We need to try and cut it out though definately it is not the way to go get them onside and we will fast get a reputation like the Chavs or Mancs have for their treatment of officials.
I believe the ref made his mind up early doors bout Nando when he preceived him to dive and roll around following an elbow from Beye that he missed. He obviously thought nando to be a diver and a moaner.
Honestly i know nando is doing a bit moaning lately and everyone is saying he wasnt doing this in his first season. the obvious reason is he didnt receive this type of treatment in his first season..the chap gets the roughest treatment than any other striker in the prem and the refs dont help him out at any stage..still i wouldnt like rafa to be like whiskey nose and come out and ask for protection
+1 He had stitches on his eye brow last night and alot of bruising, the Villa players kept slapping him in the face at every oppertunity they could get. Every time they went in on him they had an arm to his face
i think its the stuff going on in the background thats affecting them.yes they are pro's but at the end of the day they are only human and it is there job too.had this discussion with a mate today and in the middle of my anti yank rant he pointed out moores should take a fair share of the blame too,and hes right.if he had any decency he would give up the cushy directors box seat and handy trips away he has
Torres may need to toughen up a bit but he was targeted by the villains last night and got no protection from ref. O'Neill must have got lessons off Bolton
no doubt about nando being tough but just lately he seems to be giving out more whatever is the problem.
Didnt fancy starting a new thread on Rafa but it kinda comes under this topic. Thought it was a good read. http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2009/08/confidence-arrogance-and-rafa-benitez.html Confidence, arrogance and the 'Rafa Benitez Problem' There’s a spanner in the works; someone is not playing ‘the game’. The man in question seems quiet, reserved and astute, yet has a unique ability to get under peoples’ skin. The man I’m talking about is, of course, Rafael Benitez, manager of Liverpool FC. What fascinates me is why this quiet man from Madrid seems to provoke such a strong reaction from people. To attempt to understand this, it’s necessary to take a brief look at his background. Born and raised in Madrid, Rafa has had a love of football and tactics all his life. With injury forcing an early retirement, the young Rafael never quite made it to the top with Real Madrid. However, he returned to the game very quickly, earned his coaching badges and returned to Madrid to begin his eventful career in management. During his time as youth team coach at Real Madrid, Benitez allegedly had quite a few run-ins with certain fat cats at the Bernabéu. One reported instance involves his refusal to play a member of his youth squad simply because Jorgé Valdano insisted he played him; clearly an early example of a run in with authority, instances of which would occur later in his career. After deciding Real Madrid was not offering him the requisite opportunities, Rafa (unsuccessfully) tried his hand at first team management, with spells at Real Valladolid and Osasuna, both of which culminated in swift sackings. Rafa’s fortunes thereafter, but I’ll pick that up again a bit later on. Many writers, pundits, TV ‘experts’ and fans seem to have a continual problem with Rafa, and part of that is his personality. He seems to be perceived as a bullish individual who excels in stubbornness. However, if we look at his professional past, we can see he’s had a hard route to the top. Working right up through the ranks at Real Madrid, we can see that Rafa spent a lot of time having to answer to other people. The Valdano incident, coupled with an overwhelmingly frustrating time at Madrid will have set a fire raging inside Benitez, which I imagine is the motivation behind his relentless pursuit of perfection. With his work-rate and drive, it seems that Rafa feels he has something to prove. He’s taken a few knocks to his professional pride in his time and, in my opinion, it shows in his attitude towards those who judge him, which includes the press, hierarchy and the fans. Rafa is always reluctant to give anything away and seems to mistrust those he does not know personally. Consequently, he’s gained few fans within the powerful and persuasive media, with many fans lapping up the hype, which inevitably has a detrimental effect on vital public opinion. On a couple of occasions in his tenure, the Liverpool manager has made thinly veiled swipes at certain TV pundits, including as Paul Merson, Charlie Nicholas and Matt Le Tissier. The problem is that too many fans tend to believe what they hear and do not look at the facts themselves. The truth is that the aforementioned ‘experts’ are no more of an expert than any other Joe Bloggs at the ground. I may be giving my opinion in this article but I certainly would never consider myself to know more about the game than someone such as Rafa. A prime example: On Sky TV recently. Paul Merson stated that Glen Johnson was the worst signing of the summer (!), with Michael Owen being the best. Not that I’m questioning Merson’s credentials as a manager (at which he failed by the way), but exactly what are his credentials for commenting on Liverpool or Rafael Benitez? You can almost guarantee that the majority of pundits making statements like this have never spoken to Rafael Benitez and certainly don’t study our games. In another example, Tony Cascarino argued in his Times column last week that “full backs don’t win you leagues”. Well Tony, no they don’t; teams win leagues, but full-backs can be an integral part of a successful team. Clearly, Cascarino never bothered to watch Glen Johnson win a penalty for Liverpool against Tottenham and then take apart Stoke City a couple of days later, but there you go. This is how a non-media friendly manager ends up getting short shrift from pundits who quite simply don’t understand him. The second most aggravating part of Rafa seems to be his confidence. A lot of people don’t seem to understand his methods or from where this confidence comes. However, a back into Rafa’s past reveals some answers. Basically, after his two unsuccessful spells at Osasuna and Valladolid, Rafa began his upward curve. At both Extremadura and Tenerife, he gained promotion to La Liga and forged a partnership with Pako Ayesteran along the way. His abilities were noticed by Valencia, who - in the eyes of the Spanish press - took a gamble on him. In 2004 Rafa was named UEFA Manager of the Year after guiding Valencia to a UEFA Cup and La Liga double. He’d cracked the monopoly of Real Madrid and Barcelona and made history in the process. On the continent, Rafa was now considered to be one of the world’s best coaches. As is commonplace in Rafa’s managerial career, boardroom trouble was rife, Rafa felt betrayed by the board and felt as though they were not backing him. Rick Parry, in a rare moment of genius, pounced. We don’t need to dwell too much on what happened in 2005, but Rafa ended up with another UEFA Manager of the Year award. A year later he brought the FA Cup back to Liverpool. So, the real reason Rafa seems to have this confident air about himself is obvious; Two Segunda Division Promotions, two La Liga titles, a UEFA Cup, a Champions League, an FA Cup and a number of other finals. He also revolutionised Liverpool FC both on and off the pitch and provided regular league improvements along the way, so we can clearly see he has good cause for his confidence. But why does this seem to irritate people? I have to say the basic answer seems to be ignorance, the all too common enemy of the educated football fan. Too many people seem to see Rafa as this free spending, foreign, fumbling fool. If that truly is the case, then I can guarantee that at the end of it all, the only person laughing will be Rafa. Indeed, I’m sure he won’t mind people underestimating him, a mistake too many managers from the so called ‘European giants’ seemed to make. Only two players remain from the Istanbul squad - this shows us that Rafa has no room for sentiment, which is essential for a great manager, and I truly believe Rafa fits that description. The cheeky smirk and misrepresented attitude we see so often on TV is both Rafa’s downfall and his greatest weapon. Behind it lies genius, I’m sure of it. A man who relishes battling against the odds, obsessed with the game and blessed with success. The misconception of arrogance may well be a feeding ground for ignorance in the media and in the stands but one thing’s for sure, those people who have a problem with Rafa are missing the point. Big time. Once he wins the league - which I’m sure he will - what will there be left to throw at him? Last year Liverpool were a two man team, Gerrard and Torre; now Alonso has gone we were suddenly a 3 man team. I’ve heard all the nonsense before and it’ll probably never leave us, because I don’t imagine Rafa will change his public image, but I know that I wouldn’t trade the man in for any other manager in the world! The people who have a problem with Rafa should be safe in the knowledge of one thing - their problem is not Rafa’s problem.
+1 They are also HUMAN. Not everything in life is black and white. Good article. As we all know well by now, Benitez doesn't really care what anyone thinks. He just does his own thing, rightly or wrongly. At least Johnny Giles loves it