Anyone who watches football knows that next season will be even closer than last.
We are Liverpool fans! Stop quoting stats and transfer fees. The Mancs won it because they deserved to. All decisions tend to even out over a season. Anyone who thinks we deserved to win it are deluded. Anyone who attended those games last year that we drew to average teams at home knew that if the Mancs were playing those teams, the 3 points would have been secured.
Who are we kidding thinking anything else?
Rafael Benitez is an excellent manager, but he needs to take a leaf out of the the management styles of Bob Paisley, Bill Shankly, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish. None of those managers would have come out with the rant that Rafa did with all the stats. Now, we know he is a man of science and diets and stats and laptops and they certainly have their place in the modern game, but when it came to replying to Sir Exlax's comments, anyone who has followed the Premiership knows that he picks his moments to start the mind games. Does this make Whiskey Nose an honourable person; a clever, fiendish, sly person? A tactical genius?
Who cares!!!
You know when he is resulting to these types of comments (as well as Jabba the Hutt Alardyce) that he sees danger and reacts to it, i.e. Liverpool had him worried. Why then did Rafa not just say what the aforementioned Anfield legends would probably have said; something like " we'll see at the end of the season" or "he is entitled to his opinion". Shanks or King Kenny would have come out with a classic one liner that would have got everyone laughing.
Within 30 seconds of listening to Rafa's rant I had my head in my hands knowing the media would gobble it up and the southerners who support Utd would be laughing their cocks off. Why didn't Sammy Lee just sedate him beforehand! Anyone who thinks it was not a rant is willing to just toe the line.
Supporting a team is not about being a fanatic and defending it mindlessly. We need to pull them up and be free to criticise as we see fit. Not things like booing at a game or a player. Fans who do that in the belief they have a right to because they paid money can eff-off to the Pit and watch the Blueslime. Just things like disagreeing with the manager over his behaviour. Managers need a bit of guile and control when they have been called out like Taggart did after Bolton. When asked, Rafa could have thrown in a stat as part of a throwaway remark and made a joke of it. The difference between a staged speech and an off-the-cuff remark is miles apart.
Rafa will do it. Just please do not embarass the club like that again.
I've seen some remarks saying we played the better football last season and we certainly did against the Mancs last season.
I am made up we did for them twice, but as a realist, so what. When we were winning leagues like there was no tomorrow the Mancs regularly caned us! It always irked me until I could drown my sorrows later that night, but in the end we were winning leagues and European cups. The Mancs did not matter. The Blueslime were our biggest rivals in those days.
The Mancs, sat in the traffic jam on the M6 South last season, may have been gobsmacked after 90 minutes at the Theatre of Prawn Sandwich eaters had shown up Vidic's and Wobblymouth's failings whenever they come up against world class strikers. They only have to rarely in the Prem and occasionally in Europe; especially European Cup Finals!!!!! BUT I am sure it only took a few days to get over the Mighty Reds beating them. What will be remembered is they won the title.
I do not care whether other teams win with honour or spite. Ferguson has occasionally been complimentary towards Liverpool FC in the last few years, but as soon as we became a clear and present danger to his team, out came the barbs.
What I care is that Liverpool win with honour and our football club behave with honour. I watched the Champions League final in an Irish bar in Antwerp. Three quarters of the bar supported Barca. When I asked some of the Belgians why not the Mancs, they talked about players surrounding refs, poor referee decisions in their favour, Fergie rants, Ronaldo diving, etc. When they talked about Barca you could see respect in their eyes. You all know what I mean. Refusal to accept shirts sponsors, UNICEF on the shirt for no money, general respect for the authorities. Anyway, I divulge.
Forget about the Mancs. Forget about stats. Forget about transfer fees and money (because they have almost double our debt does not mean we are not worse off financially).
Honour, respect & humility. I want that from my club and I'll give it to my club - and Rafa, you need to lead the way mate.
PS. Well done to Liverpool Football Club for lowering the season ticket price albeit by 17 odd quid