http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/sep/12/pepe-reina-liverpool-premier-league-challenge Im sure ye have all read this. No comment!
"There isn't frustration, there's resignation," Reina said. "The buying power of clubs is very different. You can't sign players if you don't have the money, and if there is no money, that's it. As a player, there's nothing you can do. We know what's in the squad; we can't do anything about it. All we can do is roll up our sleeves, work hard and try to win matches. "It would be good if the owners made an effort economically, if they pushed. It would be lovely if we could find ourselves in an economic position where we can bring players in and build a squad that can compete with other sides. But it's up to the owners to try to bring players in, not us." I disagree Redwally, this needed saying and fair play to Pepe for saying it.
He may be correct in What he says about the squad but it sends out a bad vibe to everyone. I wish players would get on with winning football matches and on pre empting possibilities. . . Though the last time someone said something like this was Gerrard in 05.
Too right. Personally I hope the whole lot of them start saying things like this. OK, it might be slightly detrimental to our season, but if it helps put more pressure on those Yank b@stards then I'm all for it. The entire future of our club is in jeopardy, so unless you all want your children to be supporting a mid-table mediocre Liverpool for years to come, then we need those cnunts out. And if the players start speaking out about them, then fair play to them. Well said Pepe!
I've always believed players should not comment on off field/boardroom issues. But I like Pepe and he knows like the rest of us that with a bit of investment this summer we could be much stronger than we were last year... As it stands we're not.
I dont want players to be worrying about yanks etc. As long as they are being paid, I want them to perform like professionals. Go out and win matches. IMO this defeatist attitude has been lingering in the squad all season and is the reason we lost 2 matches already. Last year when the league looked lost the palyers just concentrated on winning matches and after the boro game played the best football Ive seen this club play for nearly 20 years. Just concentrate on getting it right on the pitch. If this malaise continues, it will fester until it is irreversible and then forget leagues, we will be scrapping for a european place at all. I know the senior players need to speak out but in my opinion only Gerrard should be allowed to issue demands of the owners, it would carry more wieght if it came from him. I can see Hicks reading this thinking "so this guy RHYNA, is he a net tender or vertical side piledriver extuinguisher", it wont register with the cnut
Here's a little more from the Guardian and Sid Lowe: It was the most short-lived title challenge in history. In eight days, Liverpool lost as many league games as they had in the previous season, their title chances gone in the blink of an eye. Beaten at White Hart Lane, a home defeat to Aston Villa, and they could forget it. A Guardian poll captured the mood by asking if it was all over; almost half of those who voted said that it was. It wasn't even September. Small wonder Pepe Reina rolls his eyes. Sold by Barcelona after just 30 first-team appearances, he knows about snap judgments but as summary trials go this verdict takes some beating. Over? No, he says, Liverpool's season won't even have started until they face Burnley this afternoon. More importantly, those who have sentenced them have focused on the wrong evidence. Rafael BenÃtez's side may not win the Premier League – in fact, Reina describes the title as an "unrealistic" objective – but it will not be because they lost to Tottenham Hotspur and Villa. Those results are a red herring. Last season, Liverpool became the first side to lose just two games and not win the league. Their failings must be sought elsewhere: if Reina talks of "resignation" it is not over early defeat on the pitch but defeat off it. "Everyone has a right to say whatever they want," he concedes. "But judgments should be made at the end, not now. "It's difficult to take and of course it creates anxiety because it's not normal to have lost twice already. It's hard to come off the back of two defeats and trail to Bolton, a side who aren't exactly virtuosos with the ball. But we're experienced enough to keep our heads, we turned that game round, and what's really not normal isn't the two defeats already this season – what's really not normal is that it was only two defeats in the whole of last season. "Our opponents weren't poor teams – Villa and Tottenham will be near the top at the end – and what cost us last season weren't the defeats but the draws, struggling at home against teams that closed up. This season the champions will have fewer points, there are more strong teams, and if we can win five or six and lose two or three of the 10 we drew, we'll actually be much better placed." There is logic in the argument. Liverpool have already won 4-0 against Stoke City, who cost them four points thanks to two goalless draws last campaign. Never mind five or six wins and two or three defeats, four wins and six defeats across those 10 would leave Liverpool better off than last season. The difficulty, claim Liverpool's critics, is winning those five or six; that there is little evidence of BenÃtez having found the solution. Xabi Alonso has gone, his replacement, Alberto Aquilani, is not fit and Liverpool's only other major signing was Glen Johnson, a full-back. Some believe the problem is BenÃtez himself; one player intimated that the relentlessness of a coach who pulled Jamie Carragher aside to criticise his marking as the players celebrated reaching the 2005 European Cup final is tiring the squad. Put that to Reina, though, and the response is swift. "Rafa is very demanding but the player that grows tired of having demands made upon him no longer deserves to play for Liverpool. We're there to win things. And by signing Johnson, Rafa was looking for a Dani Alves figure, someone to add depth to our attacks, who can overlap and go beyond defences – someone to unlock those games when we couldn't find a way through." As for Alonso, there's a sigh. "Whenever you lose, the best players are the ones who aren't playing," Reina says. "I admire Xabi and he achieved a huge amount here but he's gone and I don't want to talk about him any more. To be able to play for Real Madrid is a unique opportunity and his decision is perfectly justified. It's rare for a player to be at the same club for 10 or 12 years, especially a foreigner. It's hard for a Spaniard to say no to Madrid or Barcelona." A Spaniard like Reina, for example? "I hope to be here for the long haul. Liverpool is special. When things go well, it's a phenomenal club and when things go badly it's not as bad as others." Trouble is, that's the point. There's no disguising that things are going badly. For all the bullishness about Liverpool's short-term start, when Reina speaks there is a sneaking pessimism about their long-term future. Early defeats are not the cause, something deeper is. As the Spaniard analyses the draws that cost his side dear, one theme keeps returning: what Liverpool lacked. A season later they still lack them. "Teams like Manchester United have lots of players who can tip the balance; we haven't got the individuals," he says. "There are games that get congested and we haven't got the vision other sides boast. Chelsea have Didier Dropba who can bring down any ball." Johnson's arrival is a palliative but Liverpool have still not bought the creativity they require. The dependency on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres remains acute. "That is a problem," Reina admits. "We have to hope that they don't get injured because they're fundamental." It is, in short, all about the money. The nagging feeling remains that BenÃtez's side have not progressed. And with the manager able to spend just £1.5m of the £10m profit he made on selling Alonso and buying Aquilani, the tension and frustration surely grows. "There isn't frustration, there's resignation," Reina says. "The buying power of clubs is very different. You can't sign players if you don't have money and if there is no money, that's it. As a player, there's nothing you can do. We know what's in the squad; we can't do anything about it. All we can do is roll up our sleeves, work hard and try to win matches. "It would be good if the owners made an effort economically, if they pushed. It would be lovely if we could find ourselves in an economic position where we can bring players in and build a squad that can compete with other sides. But it's up to the owners to try to bring players in, not us. It would be nice if we had enough money to build a squad that can compete with Chelsea, for example. "Can we win the league? I think so but there are other teams that are very capable of winning it – Chelsea, United, Arsenal, Manchester City. We can't set ourselves objectives. We all want to win the league but right now it's not a realistic objective. Right now, all we can do is beat Burnley and keep winning. Then we'll have time to see if the objective is the league, the Champions League slots or a Uefa Cup [Europa League] place."
Can see this as only a positive- criticising the owners and bringing in a siege type mentality amongst the team.
I dont see any positive in a player openly stating that we are unable to compete for the title. Im happy with him criticising the yanks but you cant throw up the white flag.
its important that the players can express thier concerns in the right forum, however it must be done as not to create the preception that we are already admitting defeat. it must be as frustrating for the palyers as the fans to see whats going on but they must keep faith and wait for the moment when real criticism matters. lets hope we keep getting results like yesterday
Nothing wrong with what Pepe said, hes right about been frustrated through the owners and right for saying it, Silva told him Torres and our the rest of our Spanish players he would be joining us in August we all know what happened to the money, Pepe knows how close we are, he's not saying its impossible what hes saying is its difficult with the clowns that own us, we need more players to speak up, 90% of fans dont know whats going on, players slating the owners and they will know, well in Pepe
There was a lad sitting next to me in the pub for the match yesterday, and said to me, "Did you hear what reina said in the paper about us, he should be sold for saying we cant win the title, traitor." He obviously didn't read the whole article and is oblivious to what is going on. I just told him quietly that Reina was right, and then ignored him for the duration of the game.
I'd agree, sure when is the truth not the truth. Pepe said what everyone else knows is true. That we haven't made the investment on the pitch that was needed due to these 2 cnuts. Not alone have we failed to improve the quality on the pitch but it is clear that the senior players have become disenchanted over the state of affairs. You can be sure if Pepe is saying this then all the other senior players are of a similar mind since he is one of the leaders in the dressing room. If something isn't done about these 2 cnuts before next summer expect more big name departures and a rocky road to mediocrity.