Rafa Benitez

[ewerk 30615]

Look, you've all read me banging on. I don't care about any clauses, it's still a big reputational risk for him, it's a challenge. I never in a million years thought we'd get a manager under Ashley with the pedigree that Rafa has, so if he keeps us up and stays, I'll be loving it.

I thought that our current predicament wasn't McClaren's fault? Surely then Rafa is unable to improve the situation.

[Howay 12496]

He started his career as a winger iirc. He's even played centre back next to Willo of all people and looked okay, I think he's a decent tackler of the ball it's just his positioning. I don't think he trusts the rest of team at all, especially Sissoko

Wouldn't surprise me if he did, his delivery is good for a full back. Aye can't blame the bloke for not trusting in Sissoko, I admit to having a pop at Janmaat if he's caught way out of position but Sissoko never gives him a chance a lot of the time as he should naturally cover when Janmaat goes past him on the overlap but he simply doesn't.

[scoobos 298]

Its still not McLarens fault, it's Ashley. But surely getting Rata means a change of strategy and admitting that the way we were running the club was shit. At least I hope so.

Edited March 13, 2016 by scoobos

[TheGingerQuiff 2412]

Hope Rafa gets the measure of Sissoko straight away and drops him. Being shit is almost forgiveable if you aren't a cunt, and being a cunt is forgiveable if you're not shit. Moussa is a shit, shit cunt.

[trooper 940]

I reckon there'll be quite a few of our players wearing brown trousers if Rafa stays on in the summer.

[ewerk 30615]

Its still not McLarens fault, it's Ashley. But surely getting Rata means a change of strategy and admitting that the way we were running the club was shit. At least I hope so.

But should make no difference between now and the end of the season?

[adios 717]

The sexual tension with you two is palpable.

[PaddockLad 17273]

But......but....... neither did they- like the entirety of Scousekind, I've conveniently forgotten about this and the 39 victims. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/11635476/Heysel-disaster-of-1985-is-footballs-forgotten-tragedy-and-Liverpool-and-Juventus-minimal-reaction-prolongs-hurt.html

A ruck inside a football ground in the mid eighties was hardly an uncommon occurance. The ground was deemed fit for purpose (as was Hillsborough) and the article points out both clubs don't bother much about it now. So am not sure what the point is here.

[Renton 21627]

Football fans are football fans, I think people who think that one set are morally superior or inferior to another set are wrong at best. Heysel could have happened to us if we'd been in that position, as could have Hillsborough. The fault in both cases was the various authorities. But to use it 30 years later as point scoring is a bit off imo. Half this board weren't even born then or were in nappies anyway.

[adios 717]

Football fans are football fans, I think people who think that one set are morally superior or inferior to another set are wrong at best. Heysel could have happened to us if we'd been in that position, as could have Hillsborough. The fault in both cases was the various authorities. But to use it 30 years later as point scoring is a bit off imo. Half this board weren't even born then or were in nappies anyway.

Agreed.

[Kitman 2207]

Agreed.

Seconded

[The Fish 10857]

Frankly it's not the behaviour of the fans 30years ago that really rankles, but the behaviour of their fans now.

[Howmanheyman 33226]

 

there's a difference between a fight in the ground, and supporters without tickets kicking down sections of the walls to gain access, then flooding into a neutral section forcing fleeing fans towards a wall that collapses when they've nowhere to go

I've seen our lot break fences down to get into games. Blundell Park stands out. (Posh away as well IIRC).

[Howmanheyman 33226]

Frankly it's not the behaviour of the fans 30years ago that really rankles, but the behaviour of their fans now.

I think fans now are obviously better behaved yet are more 'knobbish' for want of a better word. Some of our away support have the 'Chelsea Cockney wanker' attitude about them which isn't what we used to be about despite some bad behaviour in the past.

[PaddockLad 17273]

Frankly it's not the behaviour of the fans 30years ago that really rankles, but the behaviour of their fans now.

Still sore about being banned from rawk

[PaddockLad 17273]

there's a difference between a fight in the ground, and supporters without tickets kicking down sections of the walls to gain access, then flooding into a neutral section forcing fleeing fans towards a wall that collapses when they've nowhere to go

That article makes horrific reading if you weren't around in those days and are judging it by the safety standards of today. Am not really trying to play down what happened (it was obviously a horrifying thing to happen) but am just wondering how a lad from Ulster has a chip on his shoulder about scousers from 30 years ago? Some kids on bmx's booted my car door when we were trying to get away from Anfield one year, but the Berwick supporters bus I was on got bricked at Filbert Street in 92. I know what shit me up more but I don't really have a problem with either set of fans. There's violent pricks everywhere in society and always has been, most have stopped going to football now though, mostly because they can't afford it anymore.

[Howmanheyman 33226]

Still sore about being banned from rawk

Can't stand glory hunting tossers nor sycophantic media/ex-players giving a platform to drone on about Liverpool football club*, (never just Liverpool), that aside, the general home based support don't bother me at all, (there's far worse around the country).

 

*Same media who can't be arsed to utter one extra word, (united) to our name give the full club title to the Mersey reds no fucking question asked.

[PaddockLad 17273]

Can't stand glory hunting tossers nor sycophantic media/ex-players giving a platform to drone on about Liverpool football club*, (never just Liverpool), that aside, the general home based support don't bother me at all, (there's far worse around the country).

*Same media who can't be arsed to utter one extra word, (united) to our name give the full club title to the Mersey reds no fucking question asked.

Fish got banned for actually calling them wall pushers

 

Theres not one of those ex Liverpool players worth listening to. The media promote manu's 'brand" every time they utter the U word. Fuckin criminal.

[NJS 4386]

Football fans are football fans, I think people who think that one set are morally superior or inferior to another set are wrong at best. Heysel could have happened to us if we'd been in that position, as could have Hillsborough. The fault in both cases was the various authorities. But to use it 30 years later as point scoring is a bit off imo. Half this board weren't even born then or were in nappies anyway.

My very harsh and possibly racist (driven by experience) view of Hysel has always been that the criminal state of the ground aside, if the Italians had stood and fought rather than ran, there would have been a lot less injuries and deaths. Doesn't completely let the scousers off as their behaviour in Europe over the years has bordered on despicable at times but it's still my view.

[Alex 35083]

I was in Liverpool the night of the Heysel Stadium tragedy by coincidence.

Brian Glanville has wrote some good stuff about it. Pointing out how inadequate the stadium was. He also pointed out that the Belgian police were inept to the point of cowardice and that it probably would've never happened in an English ground at that time (even one in the same state) as the police would've intervened a lot earlier to separate the two sets of fans. There was also an element of misplaced revenge from Liverpool fans who'd taken awful beatings (and worse) the year before when they beat Roma at the Stadio Olympico.

 

Edit: I read it in World Soccer years ago but this is more or less the same piece:

 

http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=56985.0;wap

Edited March 14, 2016 by Alex

[The Fish 10857]

I think fans now are obviously better behaved yet are more 'knobbish' for want of a better word. Some of our away support have the 'Chelsea Cockney wanker' attitude about them which isn't what we used to be about despite some bad behaviour in the past.

Yup, that's what I was getting at. There is 1 liverpool fan I've ever really got on with. He's from Scunthorpe and not really the same breed as the scouse reds. I think it's that we're bombarded by ex-Liverpool players telling us how special that atmosphere is in Anfield (when really it's as poor as every other Premier League ground), how steadfast they are (when they're as fickle as everyone else), how knowledgeable they are (when in truth their football world view is as myopic as everyone else).

 

They've not won a title in 20yrs yet every year they spoken of as a contender, even though it's half time between Spurs and Swansea BT & Sky will find some way to bring up Liverpool.

 

I get that they're a bigger club than us and are operating at a higher level than we are at the moment, but fuck me, get some perspective and balance on the tv, please. I'm loving Leicester's tilt at the title, but Lineker isn't referencing them when discussing Stoke - West Ham, is he?

 

fuck 'em

[essembeeofsunderland 811]

I prefer Liverpool fans to Everton fans.

[Monkeys Fist 42456]

I prefer Liverpool fans to Everton fans.

I like turtles.

[The Fish 10857]

I like turtles.

[Tom 14011]

This is a great appointment but perhaps too little too late. Although I'd rather get relegated having a proper crack at it with a manager who looks like he gives a shit than McClaren grinning all the way and telling us how magnificent we were in the latest defeat.

 

I don't dislike McClaren as a person it's quite clear the players weren't responding to him. I'd like to think Benitez has the stature to force performances out of lazy arseholes like Sissoko as Rafa as been there and done it at the biggest clubs, clubs Sissoko's agent will tell him to expect to come nothing but wont come near whilst he's drifting through games. ''I was working with Ronaldo and Bale a month ago, who are you?' In the same sense Robson put Bellamy in his place.

 

It's a big positive if he can make his own signings too - this seemed to let McClaren down as there was some players he clearly didn't want and clearly didn't have faith in, hence our emergency spending in january.

 

Regardless of Rafa's proven ability to build a solid team it won't be as easy with our hopeless defence, though it will be interesting to see which players can suddenly be arsed. It could be special - if we stay up...