18 Dec 2021 05:13:28
Woburn, you need to get a grip with this anti-rafa bias. You wouldn't be happy even if he won us the league.

I keep going on that any manager needs 2-3 years before you start judging them, to build a team and implement a style of play.

Rafa is the current incumbent in the hot seat and we need to support him and back him, regardless if you like him or not. it is not your choice who manages are beloved club.

If you do not like it because of his red links or whatever then go watch tranmere or marine until he's gone, or go buy a plane banner.


1.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 05:38:39
You definitely do keep going on Geoff

But surely any manager should be able to win more than 1 game out 11, not lose 7 of them, and have the worst record in the league over the last 10 games

I don't see any of that as being a reason to say he should e given 3 years

Did Ranieri (and this is Ranieri I'm saying) need 3 years at Leicester.


2.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 07:36:25
not even pep or klopp would have won anymore points with the players we had available that's facts. Sacking Rafa would be the dumbest thing to do now especially with the ffp issues. Selling Digne and signing mykolenko is a masterstroke Digne has been so so bad the last 2 Seasons can't understand why people keep going on about him being one of the best left back and his crosses are great i can't remember the last cross that was actually good. don't know how many times iv thrown the remote at the tv when he has the perfect opportunity to cross abd he decides to take another touch or cut back and pass it to a defender + his stupid fouls he gives away in dangerous areas. anyways iv gon off topic there haha i think geoffjohnos right give him time and he will sort it. i honestly think this is the turning point and the people above have accepted the clubs been run terrible and this digne move shows me that they are learning from mistakes.


3.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 08:38:04
Agreed Joe, digne has been awful since his 1st season. Can't remember his last assist or free kick goal. He can't defend so better to replace him.

BW, I completely understand that the form has been awful but you take fofana, maddison and vardy out of Leicester team (who are around our level) and they have struggled too. Same with hammers, if they lose Dawson, rice and Antonio they would struggle. The whole spine of the team out has really affected us.

Our squad is so paper thin hence the results. I agree it is frustrating with rafa playing rondon and iwobi but I hope he has learned that the kids can put a shift in for us.

They cannot play every game and will make mistakes so we can't jump on their backs as we have barkley, Davies and others over the years.

{Ed0666's Note - Your on the same level as Leicester?


4.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 09:21:15
Joe - that’s not ‘facts’, that’s ‘opinions’.
We do not know what another manager would have achieved under the same circumstances.
We can only judge Rafa on what we’ve seen.
If you judged it on the Arsenal and Chelsea games, you’d say there’s a good team spirit, and some tactical awareness. Some would say that Chelsea should have won and Gray’s wonder strike papered over the cracks. If you judged it on the Watford and Palace games, you’d say the players have no idea what they’re doing, have no fight, and that the manager’s lost the plot.
The only way we’ll really know anything is to at least give him the January window and the rest of the season.


5.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 09:52:49
Agree with all of your comments Gents. Maybe Rafa can turn it around if he plays the younger players in the squad. It was great to watch them play and put a proper shift in. If i was a senior player watching i would be worried. Let's be honest we got away with it because Pickford had his best game for us this season. Important to support the team and the manager. I think it would be senseless to sack Rafa at the moment.


6.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 10:09:46
Geoff I make my judgement on what I see, not what you think could be. We are currently showing relegation form and everyone seems to think that’s ok, I don’t.
Joe, facts are something that can be proven, so the fact is we don’t know if another manager could have done better.
But as I have said, if we suddenly go on a run of six wins then I will quite happily admit I was wrong, because that means my team are doing well.
Just can’t see that happening though, can you?


7.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 10:13:37
Yes, Ed. we would normally be clumped in the group of teams from 7th to 14th. teams with almost tiny chance of top 6 but very little chance of relegation, like hammers, foxes, wolves, Palace, villa, saints.

We've just had a shocking run of form.

{Ed0666's Note - yes mate but you have to be relevant and can’t live in the past. This isn’t a ‘normal’ season and you are not at Leicester or The Hammers level. You need to get a sense of reality mate.


8.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 11:11:06
I'm not in the rafa camp don't want him, but it's hardly his fault, in reality he inherited a squad of expensive flops, yes they are capable of a great game, but they have no team cohesion, no fight and no bottle, we did well the other night as those youth players where desperate to show they can play if given the chance, if he reverts to the old boys and plays dreadfull then his stubborn arse deserves his overdue firing.


9.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 11:30:07
I agree with you ED

We are not at the same level of Leicester, West Ham, Wolves,

Based on Geoff's admitted shocking run of form we are not even on the leval of every other club in the Premiership and that includes, Norwich, Newcastle, Burnley and even Brighton, the only team who have won less than us but have achieved more points than us because they have drawn rather than lost like us (7 losses in 10 games)

Yes we have had some good teams against us but we have also lost to the likes of Watford, Brentford, Crystal Palace and I place a lot of the blame on us conceding the initiative and space right from the off

Getting less points than everyone else in relegation form. If we were winning Rafa would be taking all the credit. We are not so, at the very least, he has to be part of the problem.

{Ed0666's Note - Rafa should take his share of the blame mate not disputing that. But you can’t polish a turd. Nothing stops Everton from shooting up the table with investment and patience. Weren’t you lot all fearing the worst against Chelsea? What happened..


10.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 12:00:39
And it's just as hard Ed to turn a dinosaur into a modern day manager.
You and I spoke about this before Rafa was appointed. I couldn't give a damn about his Liverpool history or 'Small Club' jibes. I would quite happily go for Rodgers if we could get him.

I have always felt that Rafa's style of football is outdated in this day and age. I also worried about his reputation for causing unhealthy disruption within the clubs he has managed

Nothing I have seen so far has changed my mind. I think we made a bad mistake appointing him and we need to rectify it

We are not in a better place than we were before he joined

Chelsea - could have been 3 or 4 down before the break but our goalkeeper had a blinder, helped by his defense and the spirit of the young players brought in by necessity rather than planning

With luck it might be the springboard we need.

{Ed0666's Note - I truly hope it’s a springboard mate as Rafa does not deserve the vitriol he’s getting which is admittedly a matter of opinion


11.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 12:19:07
There's no vitriol meant from me ED. I have absolutely no beef with Rafa, the man, but I honestly think it is a case of wrong job for wrong man

If it is a springboard I'd be made up - surprised but made up. My club would be doing well and that's all I want.

{Ed0666's Note - mate I underhand the call to blood the youth but invariably they are inconsistent. I would love Braithwaite to play consistently as he’s better than Rondon but you have to be careful with the mix you have to blood youngsters at the right time. Just give him the transfer window and you’ll see he will get you playing again. If not I feel for the next man coming in to manage this lot. It needs a roots and branches blueprint (pun intended)


12.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 13:26:03
thing is though woburn, before all the injuries started we were in the top 4. i think if we have a full squad we can definitely get 6 wins on the bounce especially with the fixtures coming up as long as we play with the fight and commitment like vs arsenal or chelsea. but yeah were everton so we don't know what team will turn up on matchday so your actually probably right by saying we won't win 6 games on the bounce ?.


13.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 13:26:51
Branthwaite is a defender, so that is some condemation of Rondon ?.


14.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 13:59:33
That’s because Rondon is not a striker dfs ?.


15.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 14:30:53
???.


16.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 13:55:25
Agreed Ed. I do believe you have been extolling the virtues of rafa bring a top manager over the last few weeks on here.

All this nonsense about rafa being a dinosaur. Sir Alex and wenger were old men doing the same thing they had for 20 years but they won stuff because they had good players.

Rafa has a bunch of awful players mixed in with inexperienced kids, who at best are unproven and will be inconsistent.

At the start of the season, everyone knew just how bad a squad we had and how much of a struggle this season was going to be. but. for some reason now you all want to get rid of rafa.

It could have been dunc or Joe bloggs who joined in the summer, I wouldn't care but we need to give them some time to build a team, not 4 months and half a transfer window impacted by ffp.

It's like being given a job to build a wall with play dough. You need the proper tools and he ain't got them.

{Ed0666's Note - I couldn’t agree more mate.


17.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 15:42:50
I am not suggesting for one moment sacking Rafa, because we are so far up Sheep Creek and the paddle was lost before we boarded the boat.

However he would never have given the kids a chance on Thursday night, if injuries to his darling Rondon etc hadn't forced his hand. Nor am I suggest we over play them but to alternate them until DCL is fully fit, would not be a bad option. Espe ially as he put DCL in when injured in August thereby aggravating the injury.


18.) 18 Dec 2021
18 Dec 2021 21:12:22
Tried to be polite and write Sheet instead of the brown stuff and ended up fingering a sheep ??.


19.) 19 Dec 2021
19 Dec 2021 06:14:33
I also couldn't agree more Geoff

"You need the proper tools and he ain't got them"

Ferguson and Wenger carried on learning and developing their tactics throughout their careers

Rafa stopped learning 10-15 years ago

Can you tell me when Ferguson or Wenger were bottom of any current form table and we are talking last 10 games not 4 games at the start of the season.


20.) 19 Dec 2021
19 Dec 2021 13:49:06
Great post Geoff, totally agree.


21.) 19 Dec 2021
19 Dec 2021 18:48:33
BW, well fergie was in danger of getting sacked until Mark Robins saved his job in the cup.

Wenger struggled towards the end because the players were not as good regardless of the tactics used.

Tactics are only as good as the players on the pitch.