Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
2009-10 Football Thread
- Thread starter Jaffa Cake
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
- Status
Rafa won't make it till Jan, no offense LB. If you've got extra money around go ahead and bet on it, all refunds on me.
Rafa won't make it till Jan, no offense LB. If you've got extra money around go ahead and bet on it, all refunds on me.
At the moment I'm broke as a joke, but I still think Benitez should stay. Hiring a new manager is big risk, and Hicks and Gillette would be crazy to start sacking people...I seriously think the Kop would set fire to them.
Hicks and Gillette have been circling Rafa like wolves about to go in for the kill, I assume they're only waiting for the right moment. What I found quite interesting is how Benitez didn't fight back in any of the recent interviews. Has he thrown in the towel? There is an air of inevitability with the fans starting to turn against him, perhaps the Man Utd game could be the last nail in the coffin, so to say. And this whole takeover business is more likely to aggravate the situation than remedy it.
Benitez's record against United in the league is not good, so sacking him based on performance against United seems silly. Plus, the Kop dislike the owners much more than Benitez, and there isn't a whiff of a decent replacement in sight.
I think sacking Benitez would have a similar result to Newcastle's sacking of Allardyce - it would start a horrific snowball effect and we'd end up finishing midtable or worse.
At minimum they should wait until the end of the season to sack him, but I still think it would be foolish. I want the owners replaced, not the gaffer.
I think sacking Benitez would have a similar result to Newcastle's sacking of Allardyce - it would start a horrific snowball effect and we'd end up finishing midtable or worse.
At minimum they should wait until the end of the season to sack him, but I still think it would be foolish. I want the owners replaced, not the gaffer.
Given that a key issue appears to be the overall weakness of the squad, getting shut of Benitez now isn't going to help matters on that front. Any replacement is going to have to wait two months before they're going to be able to actually buy anyone in and address the problem.
If a sacking is being considered, then the board may be prepared to wait until early December before making a decision. By this point, they'll know whether they'll have Champions League football after Christmas, and it'll give any replacement a bit of time to assess the squad before making some purchases in the January window.
However, the club's finances have to be considered. Liverpool have looked a little shaky in this regard of late, and sacking Benitez would (I'm sure) mean he'd have to be paid a very large sum in compensation. Can Liverpool actually afford to do this – and if they do have to make such a payment then surely it would impact on the money available to anyone they get in as a replacement?
If a sacking is being considered, then the board may be prepared to wait until early December before making a decision. By this point, they'll know whether they'll have Champions League football after Christmas, and it'll give any replacement a bit of time to assess the squad before making some purchases in the January window.
However, the club's finances have to be considered. Liverpool have looked a little shaky in this regard of late, and sacking Benitez would (I'm sure) mean he'd have to be paid a very large sum in compensation. Can Liverpool actually afford to do this – and if they do have to make such a payment then surely it would impact on the money available to anyone they get in as a replacement?
Its an interesting debate, availability and credentials of a replacement, financial turmoil, takeover talks, etc. One also forgets that Benitez might just decide to quit, given there were previous rumors of the sort. I think the Newcastle analogy is quite fitting, the difference being that the Newcastle fans didn't hate all their managers. It has always felt like there was something brewing under the surface with regards to the fans & Benitez, and fans have more influence sacking a manager than an owner.
Also, take a look at Barcelona, Laporta was under heavy fire for their poor performances and on the verge of losing an election but put all his money on a new manager who got the team winning trophies and through that managed to win back the supporters. Ashley tired to do it with newcastle and almost succeeded and it would only be reasonable if the Liverpool owners were thinking along the same lines.
Also, take a look at Barcelona, Laporta was under heavy fire for their poor performances and on the verge of losing an election but put all his money on a new manager who got the team winning trophies and through that managed to win back the supporters. Ashley tired to do it with newcastle and almost succeeded and it would only be reasonable if the Liverpool owners were thinking along the same lines.
Fair points – and your mention of the possibility of a takeover raises another one. There's a reasonable chance that a new owner might want to install their own man – bringing in a new manager with a big expensive contract means that you're going to have further upheaval and expense if he then has to be replaced himself. The current owners may see this as another reason to hold off making a managerial change, if indeed there is the possibility of them selling up.
Anyway, speaking of Newcastle – if Liverpool are looking for a new manager I believe Kevin Keegan's available...
Anyway, speaking of Newcastle – if Liverpool are looking for a new manager I believe Kevin Keegan's available...
I'm going to stand by Benitez. He's not the greatest manager out there (I've certainly criticized him enough) but the risks of replacing him are simply too high IMO. Under the current owners I would not support a change of manager unless Benitez stepped down on his own (which won't happen due to the financial incentives to be sacked rather than quit).
Liverpool has a lot of debt and probably less money available than the rest of the big four so if the Saudis swoop in with lots of money and want to clean house then so be it. A change of manager now, with months before a transfer window, is foolish. I'm not happy with the ownership at the moment, and franky Hicks and Gillette seem to be holding onto the club only because they refuse to sell unless it is at a profit - which would be unfair since they've done nothing as yet to add to Liverpool FC's value.
Keegan?? Teary-eyed Keegan? I may be a fan of too recent a vintage to appreciate his qualties but I would run as far from him as possible...hiring him would be an invitation to "do a Newcastle".
In other news Columbus have qualified for the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. The quarterfinal draw happens in about a month, and we are likely to face one of the tough Mexican sides, which could be painful to watch... I'm going to see the final home game of the MLS season this weekend.
Liverpool has a lot of debt and probably less money available than the rest of the big four so if the Saudis swoop in with lots of money and want to clean house then so be it. A change of manager now, with months before a transfer window, is foolish. I'm not happy with the ownership at the moment, and franky Hicks and Gillette seem to be holding onto the club only because they refuse to sell unless it is at a profit - which would be unfair since they've done nothing as yet to add to Liverpool FC's value.
Keegan?? Teary-eyed Keegan? I may be a fan of too recent a vintage to appreciate his qualties but I would run as far from him as possible...hiring him would be an invitation to "do a Newcastle".
In other news Columbus have qualified for the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. The quarterfinal draw happens in about a month, and we are likely to face one of the tough Mexican sides, which could be painful to watch... I'm going to see the final home game of the MLS season this weekend.
Replacement Manager ?
Not that I want Rafa to go (just wish he'd play the attacking football that served us well the latter part of last season), but if he was to go, don't forget that there is a certain Mr K. Dalglish already back at the club who would be far preferable as a replacement to most fans than any of the usual suspects that are always touted in the media.
Not that I want Rafa to go (just wish he'd play the attacking football that served us well the latter part of last season
), but if he was to go, don't forget that there is a certain Mr K. Dalglish already back at the club who would be far preferable as a replacement to most fans than any of the usual suspects that are always touted in the media.
Not that I want Rafa to go (just wish he'd play the attacking football that served us well the latter part of last season
That is true - BUT - take your post, replace Dalglish's name with K. Keegan and you've got deja-vu.
Dalglish has been out of management for what, nearly ten years? That's a fair bit of rust to shake off.
IF changes are to be made they should be sweeping, and critically they should start with the owners. As for replacing Benitez, nothing short of a Fabio Capello, Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink or similarly top-drawer manager would do.
But I still think it's too risky unless we start with new owners willing to address the debt and buy big players. Without that we won't be able to improve the club vis-a-vis our rivals.
But I still think it's too risky unless we start with new owners willing to address the debt and buy big players. Without that we won't be able to improve the club vis-a-vis our rivals.
I don't think he did that bad – four English titles (and runner-up on the same number of occasions) isn't a bad return at all.
Of course, he never had the chance to test himself in Europe with Liverpool due to the ban on English clubs after Heysel.
That is true - BUT - take your post, replace Dalglish's name with K. Keegan and you've got deja-vu.
Almost, except Dalglish is already working at the club, and is less prone to breakdowns after crossing swords with old whisky nose
Jaffa Cake said:
Absolutely, and given our current injuries I'd start him up front against the Mancs before Voronin
Almost, except Dalglish is already working at the club, and is less prone to breakdowns after crossing swords with old whisky nose
At this point, the stark reality is that Liverpool has one forward on the roster - Torres. Sure, we have other names on the roster with an "F" next to them but they are not really forwards, because forwards score goals, and only Torres scores goals.
Maybe if we put Voronin in those shoes that make people taller, undid his ponytail and strapped a Torres mask to his face? I hear Heskey is looking for a new club too....
and that is our main problem (closely followed by poor squad quality), we only have one real forward of any quality. Not sure what happened with Robbie Keane (very disappointed with the little episode), but surely it's basic football law - you need 2 proper forwards with some half-decent back up...
I dunno, but I really hope we can turn the season around starting this Sunday
I agree. Robbie Keane sounded like a good proposition, and he was clearly motivated to play for Liverpool. Benitez never seemed to rate him though, which is a shame. I waffled in my opinion of him but in retrospect it was a debacle for everyone involved. In a different set of circumstances he could have been that second striker that Liverpool need so badly.
In the absence Of Torres and Gerrard, or with only one of the two playing, we are going to have to rely on Benayoun and Kuyt to provide the attacking threat. And that is worrying, because they are solid squad players but not the kind of players that spearhead an offense.
I was surprised to see Benitez pull Benayoun in the match against Lyon actually - he looked most likely to score of any Liverpool player, and did. If he'd have stayed on we might have drawn that match.
It's not crisis mode yet though. With a healthy Riera and Johnson, with Gerrard and Torres playing and if Aquilani can contribute on a meaningful level I think we will still finish in the top four. But this current bad form should be a blazing neon sign to Benitez that he must strengthen the squad in the next two transfer windows, or matters are not going to improve.
To all the Liverpool fans, there's one question that I've been dying to ask you, do you find it frustrating that, given Rafa's insistence to play the rotation policy all these years, squad depth is still poor? That's one of the reasons I can't find it in me to back Benitez; he stuck to it religiously and yet it's one of the teams glaring faults? Has the thought ever crossed your mind?
Up until recently I thought Benitez's rotation policy was maddening - until I realized the "rotation policy" is really a figment of the press's imagination....I honestly don't think Benitez rotates players much more than the rest of the big four; the difference is that he is rotating the thinnest squad of the big four so the gulf in quality between our best XI and a lineup with a few key payers rested is pretty vast.
It's pretty bad when I sit here and wish we had Spurs' strikeforce (especially when two of their strikers used to play for us).
It'll all be put right when Torres & Gerrard come back <repeats to self endlessly>.
I almost spat out some of this juice i was drinking
Well said, and I'm pretty sure Torres and Gerrard would fix any crisis regardless of which manager is at the helm.
Anyway Liverpool fans, Everton lost 5-0 against Benfica last night so that should cheer you up a bit at least.
Meanwhile, we've all heard important games breathlessly described as six-pointers, but alleged football expert Mark Lawrenson has gone a step further in his predictions for this weekend's Premier League fixtures. The broadcasting buffoon has described our match against Portsmouth thus;
Meanwhile, we've all heard important games breathlessly described as six-pointers, but alleged football expert Mark Lawrenson has gone a step further in his predictions for this weekend's Premier League fixtures. The broadcasting buffoon has described our match against Portsmouth thus;
Blimey. A win on Saturday and we'll be top, nine points ahead of Manchester United (who'll have a game in hand). Where are all the doubters now, eh?The buffoonish Lawrenson said:
BBC is reporting that Rooney is facing an uphill battle to be fit for the Man U - Liverpool match this weekend.
Speaking of a 'six-pointer'. I had a crazy idea. Each team should be allowed to specify one game a season as a 'six-pointer' meaning that if they win the get 6 points rather than 3, they still get 1 point for a draw but they lose 3 points if they lose.
Would make for some interesting tactics as to when in the season to use it.
Speaking of a 'six-pointer'. I had a crazy idea. Each team should be allowed to specify one game a season as a 'six-pointer' meaning that if they win the get 6 points rather than 3, they still get 1 point for a draw but they lose 3 points if they lose.
Would make for some interesting tactics as to when in the season to use it.
- Status