MikeO

Rafa savaged here... http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/michael-calvin/Real-Madrid-are-welcome-to-Rafa-Benitez-the-Liverpool-boss-isn-t-even-the-best-manager-on-Merseyside-The-Michael-Calvin-Column-article395953.html "...the Kop are wising up. A hard core might still revere him for the miracle of ­Istanbul. But the majority are ­beginning to realise the ­manager is not that different to the misfits, Hicks and ­Gillett. ...Liverpool’s win in the 2005 Champions League Final was on penalties. It was a wonderful, uplifting freak of human nature. Liverpool’s only other trophy under Benitez, the FA Cup a year later, was also won in a shoot-out. West Ham fans will go to their graves cursing the ­memory of extra-time earned purely by the strength of ­Steven Gerrard’s character. Liverpool’s failure to finish fourth this season will be down to a dour, defensive, depressive culture. He’s not even the best ­manager on ­Merseyside. Everton’s David Moyes has fewer resources, but greater ­substance. His dressing room has ­resembled a field hospital and his board are as poor as church mice. But he’s not whinged. He’s been patient, pragmatic, and is looming in Rafa’s rear-view mirror. ...his transfer strategy is flawed. Who remembers Gabriel Paletta, Antonio Nunez, Mark González, or Josemi? For every Fernando Torres there’s a Fernando Morientes, an Albert Riera, ­Andrea Dossena or a Robbie Keane. He’s a poor man-manager, whose charm offensives tend to be reserved for set-piece media occasions. His youth policy is ­expensive, unproductive. Yet he does feel the love, occasionally. In a poll last week, 40 per cent of Real Madrid fans opted for him as their next manager. There’s no accounting for taste."

Overly harsh...he may put in a transfer request. I would .

Fortunately they can't touch him because it was dealt with at the time .

The Yank's just want the 400% profit then . http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/7602072/Tom-Hicks-wants-800-million-for-Liverpool.html The fact that they're "for sale" means little in reality...Newcastle were for sale for ages but no-one would pay the extortionate asking price. This could run and run yet .

The reality is that Villa have been averaging 1.4 points a game since Christmas (they've only picked up twenty-one points in fifteen games). If they carry on like that they'll end up with 62 points....three wins and we have 63. No problem . Liverpool have three games left against teams fighting relegation, two of them away, plus Chelsea at home (which perversely they'll probably win). Not beyond the realms of possibility we could catch them also . We do need the three wins though .

Exactly....Boxing Day we were two points off the relegation places....sixteen points behind Villa, eleven behind Liverpool, ten behind Birmingham and eight behind Fulham. Think we need to look much further back for when our Europa hopes faded....in fact we need to take the season as a whole. Having said that if we get 63 points we'll be very unlucky not to qualify, it was enough for us to get fifth last year, we got 65 in 07/08 for fifth and 58 was enough for sixth the previous year. We only got 61 in our fourth place finish in 05. I still think three wins will be enough.

BLOW THE F'KING WHISTLE REF!!! Whimper...

Is this Groundhog Day ?

Seeing a pattern here....please not again .

Current Player of the Year standings.... Fellaini 268 Heitinga 201 Pienaar 194 Cahill 165 Osman 141 Arteta 135 Saha 111 Baines 104 Rodwell 101 Howard 91 Bilyaletdinov 89 Distin 72 Hibbert 71 Donovan 71 Coleman 70 Yakubu 36 Duffy 23 Jagielka 22 Yobo 20 Neill 15 Anichebe 13 Neville 12 João Alves Jô 10 Vaughan 8 Gosling 6 Senderos 4 Nash 3 Baxter 3 Agard 2 Forshaw 1 Akpan 1 MOTM winners.... Aston Villa (A) Tim Cahill West Ham (H) Johnny Heitinga Wolves (A) Steven Pienaar Manchester City (A) Tim Cahill Bolton (H) Mikel Arteta Birmingham (A) Mikel Arteta Hull City (H) Mikel Arteta Tottenham (A) Ayegbeni Yakubu Sporting Lisbon (A) Tim Howard Manchester United (H) Leon Osman Sporting Lisbon (H) Leon Osman Chelsea (H) Landon Donovan Liverpool (A) Johnny Heitinga Wigan (A) Tim Cahill Sunderland (H) Marouane Fellaini Birmingham (H) Steven Pienaar Manchester City (H) Marouane Fellaini Arsenal (A) Marouane Fellaini Carlisle (H) Marouane Fellaini Burnley (H) Steven Pienaar Sunderland (A) Marouane Fellaini Birmingham (A) Leighton Baines BATE Boresov (H)...Shane Duffy Chelsea (A)...Johnny Heitinga Tottenham (H)...Seamus Coleman AEK Athens (A)...Steven Pienaar Liverpool (H)...Marouane Fellaini Hull City (A)...Johnny Heitinga Manchester United (A)...Johnny Heitinga West Ham (A)...Johnny Heitinga Benfica (H)...Marouane Fellaini Aston Villa (H)...Diniyar Bilyaletdinov Tottenham (A)...Tony Hibbert Bolton (A)...Louis Saha Benfica (A)...Sylvain Distin Wolves (H)...Diniyar Bilyaletdinov Stoke City (H)...Johnny Heitinga BATE Borisov (A)...Tony Hibbert Portsmouth (A)...Tim Howard Hull City (A)...Leon Osman Blackburn (H)...Louis Saha AEK Athens (H)...Diniyar Bilyaletdinov Fulham (A)...Sylvain Distin Wigan...(H)...Jack Rodwell Sigma Olomouc (A)...Steven Pienaar Burnley...(A)...Tony Hibbert Sigma Olomouc (H)...Jack Rodwell Arsenal (H)...Steven Pienaar

Presumably...Rodwell too .

You can adjust your time zone in your settings . Set it to GMT and it'll be right (as long as you have the DST box checked).

True . But in the interest of a bit of a profit from the situation I thought I may have a little flutter on them to finish 4th ( 20-1 at many good bookmakers). If I put on £100 I'm safe in the knowledge that Rafa "I can guarantee we will finish in the top four" Benitez will cough up the £2,000 if the bet loses...I have his personal assurance in black and white .

Looks like something Dick Dastardly would have set up for Penelope Pitstop in the Compact Pussycat .

Anyone seen this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t94NJXCL2SI There's a better version with commentary here but it's for UK users only.

I like Burnley's. Nice simple, traditional design...as was this years.

Lights the blue touch paper and stands well back .

Or at the awards night....he didn't say we'll see him on the pitch .

It's bizarre....who in the world thought that was a good idea ?

Their home record is worse than City's was/is and we did OK there . I think we'll be the better team and have more chances....just a question of whether we can put more away than our (currently) dodgy defence leaks. Don't think we'll keep a clean sheet myself. 1-1.

Officially for sale now... http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8624597.stm Wonder if any of those guys who had a dabble with Pompey fancy another go ?

I made it up....maybe I should be a journalist .

Fair enough Louis but for me it's just badly written jaundiced propaganda, "press button B for opinion A" heard it all before. All in all a thoroughly sarcastic and unhelpful contribution....but each to their own .

I don't understand either . It was in the contract I had to sign yesterday that, as long as becomming a permanently grumpy bastard, I am now only allowed to listen to Vera Lynn and Gilbert & Sullivan . Barry Manilow at week-ends.