18 Jun 2017 07:31:42
To change things up from VVD, Salah etc.

I routed a game of lfc top trumps from 2009 yesterday. The players we used to have really cracked me up. There were some quality ones with gerrard (in his pomp), Torres, alonso, Reina, hyypia, carra. But there were also the following 😳

Damien plessis, jay spearing, Charles intanje, Diego cavlieri, David ngog, emiliano insua, Philip degen, Andrea dossena, Ryan babel.

And people on here think our squad depth is bad now!


1.) 18 Jun 2017
18 Jun 2017 07:47:16
Rafa knew what he was doing. The Spine of his team was incredible. He just never got given the money to add the fair players in the other positions such as Alves, Silva, Jovetic, Villa etc.


2.) 18 Jun 2017
18 Jun 2017 08:52:03
I rated Insua personally and didn't think he got a fair crack at Anfield. He had an okay career after leaving too.


3.) 18 Jun 2017
18 Jun 2017 09:23:59
Rafa used to set his teams up not to lose. Which resulted in quite a few boring draws or 1-0 victories. Klopp sets his teams up to win. Which has resulted in a few losses to the teams who park the bus. We can't press teams and break when they sit back and give us 80% possession.


4.) 18 Jun 2017
18 Jun 2017 09:29:33
Under Rafa, we had a fantastic first 11 rivaling the best in Europe. It was the lack of quality in depth that let us down in the league from time to time. N'gog, Voronin, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Itandje, Babel, Riera etc were simply not Liverpool quality and the team's consistency floundered as a result. Instead of these average players, we could have had ourselves David Villa, Silva, Alves etc. Unfortunately, the lack of funds and total ineptitude of H&G stopped Rafa from building a formidable squad that could challenge on all fronts.


5.) 18 Jun 2017
18 Jun 2017 10:59:50
agreed IB, top post that mate, when you think of what we could have had, it makes you want to cry.


6.) 18 Jun 2017
18 Jun 2017 11:15:07
I honestly don't get that people still say Rafa wasn't backed by the club he spent shed loads on players. Bought far too many average or poor players. That was his fault no one else's. And when you work out how many poor players he bought is it not any wonder the club became cautious with his targets.


7.) 18 Jun 2017
18 Jun 2017 12:51:09
Insua could of been good. I'm sure 1 of the eds once said he ate to many big Macs and didn't eat/ train good enough.

{Ed001's Note - yes he had problems with his eating. He was very unhappy in England and tended to binge eat a bit.}


8.) 18 Jun 2017
18 Jun 2017 13:16:54
Spot on, P1. People prolly think the rest of us have short memories and can't remember the Rafa years. MK, the guy brought in 70 players into the club during his tenure. Where those players free or did they not cost a shed load of cash? I don't wanna hear that nonsense that he was not backed by the club. He was especially in the beginning when H/ G arrived. Now were the owners great? NO. Were they a cancer? Yes. But to say, he was not backed is patently false.

The guy had NO clue what he was doing as his transfer dealings were just like BR's as in, peeing in the wind or throwing money at the problem and see what sticks. With that strategy, of course you'll find some good players which he did. Give Klopp that kind of money and see what he will do with it cos he actually knows what he is doing in the TW. Rafa did not.

Also. it was his pathetic tactics that cost us the PL in 2009 with his always setting us up to not lose instead of going for the win or pulling Torres off in games we are winning (in readiness for a CL game) and then we ended up drawing (the Wigan game comes to mind) . We had 11 draws that season and had we gone for the win in all those games, we would have won prolly half of them.


9.) 18 Jun 2017
18 Jun 2017 13:37:16
Spot on, P1. Many on here seem to think that the rest of us have short memories hence, they can just rewrite history. Rafa was a good manager and won us games, trophies and made us competitive. However, that is where is all ends. He was awful in the TM and the notion that he was not backed by the owners, is patently false.

Rafa bought 70 odd players during his tenure here. Where those players all freebies where we paid nothing for them? NO. They cost a tonne of cash and majority of them were average or worse. Who gave him the backing for signing those players? That would be the owners H/ G cos Rafa did not use his money. His scatter gun approach to the TW is what led us into a more than bloated squad filled with poor quality. And his parting gift was a perennially woeful Aquilani who he'd never seen player and signed him while being injured. Brilliant. The guy is a genius, right? WRONG!

It was also his pathetic tactical setup that cost us the PL in 2009 with his always playing not to lose instead of going for the win. Had he gone for the win in the 11 games we drew, we would have turned half those draws into wins and won the PL.

Bottom line is that Rafa was a very good manager and did us proud but the rewriting of history needs to stop cos he became along with the owners, a cancer and I am glad to have seen the back of both he and the owners.


10.) 18 Jun 2017
18 Jun 2017 13:45:55
Can't believe the numpties slagging Rafa. And judging by the comments they obviously have not one clue about Rafa's tenure at the club.
Rafa didn't have a clue about Alonso, Mascherano, Torres to name but a few?
Seriously?


11.) 18 Jun 2017
18 Jun 2017 18:33:00
Yeah, Flash. He got 10 signings out of 70 odd correct. What a genius! The Alonso you speak of, would that be the same Alonso he ran out of town to be replaced by the hapless Barry and/ or the lazy and hopeless Aquilani? You just made my point for me, bro. Good job. The guy was woeful in the TW just like BR was with the normal scatter gun/ pee in the wind approach to transfers so of course he'll get 10 signings out of 70 correct. Anyone with a brain cell can do that. Give Klopp the amount that Rafa used to get those 70 odd players and see what he can do based on the transfers he made last season that improved us massively and if Salah signs, he will improve us this season. You know why? Cos unlike Rafa, Klopp knows what he is doing and Rafa never did.