1) We played like crap - Right, and what did the other team do? They showed up, sat down on the pitch and watched you score into your own net?

2) The pitch was uneven - Right and which pitch was the other team playing on?

3) The ref was crap - Did you feel the same way when he awarded decisions in your favour?

4) Our players are jet-lagged - In those days, players used to play with hangovers.

I added the word, "debunked" in so we can explain why we thing it's an excuse and not a reason larrr...

We played them off the pitch and still lost - Well evidently you didn't play them on the pitch then.

Internationals occur every year without fail, managers know that. If they don't want any of their players leaving for international duty, then sign crap players

I also remember Mourinho complaining that he has a lack of cover for Terry and Carvalho which led to them having to stick Essien and Ferreira in the middle. Well what did he do at the start of that season? He sold Robert Huth, the only covering centreback at the time.

Well therein lies the flaw in your statement. It's another reason I always urge posters to find out more before running their mouth off. Benitez did no sanction the purchase of Robbie Keane which is why he's willing to offload him back to Spurs. Unlike at your club, Arsenal or Chelsea, Rafa reports to Rick Parry on transfer signings and not directly to the owners, hence why he's stalling on renewing his contract.

As for the comments on Wigan, even Liverpool fans are left in the dark. It's obvious he has something to say but would rather reserve his comments. Maybe he should have started blaming the FA for being biased even though our CEO is on it's committee, oh wait, that isn't true. Maybe the refs are against us, who knows? I certainly don't since Rafa isn't willing to share.

How is that an excuse? He said there are things he would like to say but can't, did you read that bit? He had the decency to keep his mouth shut knowing very well that he could be pulled up by the FA unlike certain "protected" managers. Process information before responding.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Feb 4 2009, 03:59 PM

The same could be said of you. I am under no obligation to be neutral and if my club is under attack, you can be sure I'll defend them IF I believe in their actions. As for your allegations of me never being neutral well... I see you suffer from selective memory. I call it as I see it. I cannot count the number of times I begrudgingly praised Man Utd. How about stating that I believe Ronaldo should win the Player of the Year Award ahead of Fernando Torres and Lionel Messi? What about posting that I like watching Arsenal play? Remember the post about "The Greatest Manager of Our Time" where I stated Fergie is my pick? Guess you don't recall any of those eh? Having said all that I'm not going to sit on the fence if I backed Rafa's retaliation to Fergie's comments that we would choke. Whether or not we did is irrelevant. Being the abrasive person that I am, I would have reacted in a similar manner. So what? I'm supposed to be a 'lalang' and not take a stance? If you think I post crap, don't read it. If you want to read it put up a better argument rather than make baseless allegations.

Is money imperative? I would say so but only when used wisely. I've stated before on the Liverpool thread that I hate it when Rafa keeps moaning about the lack of funds (can this be considered a neutral post?), ask any of the Liverpool posters here. I think that a club should find succes in spite of their shortcomings. It's what makes a manager great no? That he can win the league despite not having the same amount of resources as the other big clubs. Arsenal have won the league under Wenger and even went through and entire season unbeaten, and their record signing to date is Andrei Arshavin at a mere $15 million. Why they seem to have stutered is another matter altogether. Why we aren't as rich as Man Utd despite having dominated English football before is our own doing. We didn't have the same marketing foresight. Is lack of funds a reason? Yes. Should it be used as an excuse? No. I'm so fighting the urge to be biased now Thanks again for reading my crap.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Feb 5 2009, 10:20 AM

It happens in any thread but it can't be said it's unexpected. The point was to have generic excuses i.e. "it was the referee's fault" debunked. Managers have always blamed the officials at some point.

The problem is that unlike back then, you have clubs that inherit a large wad of cash. It no longer becomes a level playing field when a mid-table side can suddenly afford to splurge on the world's top players. This wasn't so a decade ago.

Solstice, it's good to see that you have facts to back up your arguments but when you see statements like this:


you know you're hitting your head on the wall. Fact of the matter is that it wasn't Rafa's decision to buy Keane and yet, posters are trying to be sarcastic indicating that they think it was. When one tries to argue against fact, there is no way one will every concede.

By choosing to be vague in his comments instead of openly having a dig at officials, Rafa has come across as being incoherent, or so quotes the star (surprise surprise). Perhaps he should have a dig and face punishment from the FA instead.