Sit down Maureen-io

I was reading a very disturbing item on Saturday on the BBC gossip website. It stated that Jose Mourinho was saying DIC had approached him to be the new manager of Liverpool if they took over. Straight away I told the wife, as I said before, that this was like Funguson taking over and that should it happen to take away my Liverpool gear and burn it.

She also made a very good statement that any rational mind would find hard to argue against – whats wrong with Benitez? A good point indeed.

Over the last few years this mild-mannered Spaniard has taken the team to heights we haven’t really seen for a long time. He has some excellent young players coming through. We have won the reserve league for the first time in ages with a team of really young, promising players. He has 2 Champions League finals (Funguson has 1 in 20 odd years of managing) and 1 win on his CV. An FA Cup with us. Our highest points total since 1990 when we last won the league. For the previous 2 seasons we have finished above Arsenal who apparently are the up and coming young team (even though there is only 1 year difference between their average age and ours – and less when Hyypia is removed).

I really dont get all the Rafa bashing that goes on. The media constantly harp about his rotation and it is precisely the lack of rotation that has cost Arsenal this season. You can say rotation cost Liverpool in the cups but thats not true. An almost full-strength Chav side knocked us out of the Carling Cup but only just. A deflected goal (as usual) from a fat Fwank shot started it and even then it was Crouch’s sending off that really turned the tide. If we had had our shooting boots on against Barnsley at Anfield then it would have been game over before they equalised. It was luck on their side and not rotation that cost us.

In the league again its poor finishing that has cost us. We have lost less games that Manure this season but its the draws that are killing us and again rotation cannot be to blame. Away to Man City we battered them but couldnt get the all important goal. Home to Villa and Wigan again we battered them but in both games we couldnt get the necessary second goal which would have won both games. Taking just those 3 games into account and the 6 points more we should have had would put us ahead of the Arse going into their game tonight against Derby.

But for me the one big thing that we need to do next season to win the league is to beat Manure at least once. Rafa has beat the rest and can get results at the library and also at Chavland. If we had taken the 6 points mentioned above and also beat Utd once this season in the league, we would be ahead of them now but 1 point. That’s some swing. All this crap being thrown around at Rafa means nothing to me. If we do the same next season and beat Manure once, turn 3 draws into wins then we will be challenging. Thats how close we are and not the million miles Andy Gray and that tool Redknapp are on about.

I just hope he is with us next season as he will win the title with us. But if Maureen is in charge then its time to look for a new team. He’s a gimp.

Dependancy

Was watching (if you call it watching) the Manure and Villa game on the BBC Website. According to the so called experts Liverpool are overly dependant on Torres and Gerrard. And Manure are not dependant on anyone?? Have a look at the goals today:

15:43 GOAL – Cristiano Ronaldo
Man Utd 1 – Aston Villa 0Outswinging corner from left by-line taken left-footed by Ryan Giggs (Man Utd) to far post, resulting in open play. Goal by Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) right-footed (bottom-left of goal) from centre of penalty area (12 yards).Man Utd 1-0 Aston Villa.

32:32 GOAL – Carlos Tevez
Man Utd 2 – Aston Villa 0Cross by Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd), headed goal by Carlos Tevez (Man Utd) (bottom-left of goal) from left side of penalty area (6 yards).Man Utd 2-0 Aston Villa. Assist (cross) by Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) from right side of penalty area.

52:09 GOAL – Wayne Rooney
Man Utd 3 – Aston Villa 0Goal by Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) left-footed (bottom-left of goal) from left side of six-yard box (6 yards).Man Utd 3-0 Aston Villa. Assist (pass) by Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) from left channel.

69:40 GOAL – Wayne Rooney
Man Utd 4 – Aston Villa 0Goal by Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) right-footed (bottom-left of goal) from left side of penalty area (18 yards).Man Utd 4-0 Aston Villa. Assist (pass) by Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) from left channel.

Three assists and a goal and there is no dependancy?? Arse to that..

Take a page from the rugby book

Following on from Sunday’s dismal refereeing display, something that has been pitched before but never really considered is what happens in rugby. On Sunday, monster lost his head after getting booked for his first tackle. When he tried to get an answer all he got was a “shush” from the ref and no explanation at all. When Torres tried to ask about the tackles be was receiving he got booked and then monster gets booked.

Ronaldo gets tackled, gives out and gets up. A few mins later during a free kick he gives out more about the previous non decision and doesn’t get booked – where is the consistency?

What I don’t understand is why can’t the refs talk to the captains? In rugby, the ref calls over the player in question and the captain and explains the situation. No one is left in no doubt. In football the refs treat the players like school children and don’t talk to them. Some do and I respect them for that but others, like Bennett, just don’t and see them as the all seeing, all powerful rular of the game.

If Bennett had taken Gerrard and monster to one side and explained that if monster gave out again then there would be a booking. It also would have given him a chance to explain himself. He then could have taken both captains aside and advised that talking back would result in a booking and then it’s with the players and teams to cop on. No one is left in any doubt then. Instead no one really knows what’s happening and we end up with the farce that happened.

All we really need is refs acting better and with consistency and also we need players to grow up. But Bennett has made his bed now and every dissent shown towards him will be closely scrutinised from now until the end of the season – and hopefully next.

LFC v’s Manure, Bennett and others

Yesterday was a day that was hard to swallow. It is always tough enough to beat the Manc’s but when a completely useless ref s taking charge of the game then you have no chance. Steve Bennett is a ref that I cannot stand. I hate him refereeing any game let alone one of ours. He cannot stand a player talking to him and gives no explanation of his decisions. He simply points and gestures and then reacts. I have yet to see a game that flows with him in charge or one in which he has kept control.

Overall the dirty mancs deserved the win but only after Bennett stepped in to help. Monster’s challenge, for which he was booked, was one that he could have let go. It was his first challenge (and no worse than one Scholes done and didn’t get booked for) and he could have been warned. But no. Card was out and when asked for an answer Bennett simply pointed and booked.

He never talks to players, no gives reasons for bookings and acts like he is it – he’s God or a headmaster who doesn’t have to explain himself. Crap. Total crap. He ruined the game and you could see that. Torres gets the crap kicked out of him not once, twice or thrice but four times and then gets booked for asking why a free wasn’t given earlier. The diving little toerag Ronaldo never gets booked for constantly moaning and also lets face it, simulation. If he is trying to get free kicks and the ref doesn’t fall for it then surely its a booking for simulation? But not for Manure who are golden children in this day and age and for the Sky professed “best player in the world”.

On the game side of things it was even enough up to then. We started well and controlled the early part of the game. Manure grew into it and we had Reina to thank on a few occasions and some poor control by Shrek. The goal was an error by Reina in my opinion but he more than redeemed himself – until the second goal. Another error in my opinion by him. However the marking was poor and I thought that we could have done better on both goals. For the first Carragher was slow to get out to Shrek before he crossed and I thought that the ball was at a good attacking height at the second. The third was just that we were pushing on and was well taken (as much as it pains me to say it).

I was proud that the lads really put in the effort and never gave up and there are some really good things to build on. We were solid enough and I thought that it was a good test for Skrtel and also I thought that Aurelio impressed me again and no one got past him.

And so next week we are against the blueshites and probably without Jim who no doubt will be punished more than any Manc, Chav or Arse player simply for talking. Lets hope we can put in a good win and take fourth place for ourselves.