You also fail, again, to pick up on the ‘compact’ remark as a defence tactic when the opposition have the ball – and the fact that Gerrard is meant to burst forward at different times of the game. When you are at the ground you notice these things!

Also, the really big problem with ‘he should play and he shouldn’t’ is that how do you know it will work? Hindsight and speculation is a wonderful thing but it doesn’t necessarily mean the results will change does it?

Truth is, Babel is being groomed into the English game gradually. At the moment he gives the ball away more than Kewell and is sometimes pushed off the ball too easily – that is why he is being brought in gradually. Riise is having a shocker this season – then again, Aurelio isn’t the same player as last year either, so it’s 50-50 on that. Benayoun has been quietly effective and has scored some important goals.

The other thing to note is that if the manager goes now – so will several of the players. Cue another several years of rebuilding. Rafa needs at least another 2 players who can win matches and after one summer that he has been able to spend on a level with Utd and Chelski – he needs more time.

If you were a fan you would understand where I am coming from – but as you aren’t it’s easy to just look at the results and not realise the extent of the work that Rafa has put into the club.

Interesting you mention motivation…. thats apparently why the ignorant owners sounded out Klinsmann as they thought he could motivate the players without them having to spend any more money. Absolute idiocy of the highest order – the guy is untested at club level and there would have been riots in this city had he been appointed.

Continuity and stability – Fergie had it (won nothing for 7 seasons), Wenger has been backed (after two seasons finishing BEHIND Liverpool), Rafa needs it!

I have no personal feelings toward Rafa, I don’t either like him or dislike him. What I see is a team with a lot of talent and is clearly underachieving, and when that’s the case, it has to go on the manager for not motivating his players and not putting his players in the best position to win. When he consistently sticks with Kuyt instead of Crouch up front and Kewell and Benayoun on the wings instead of starting Babel and Riise at left back, that’s on the manager. Liverpool are a much better team than their place in the table indicates, and someone has to be accountable for that. Would you rather get rid of all the players or get rid of the manager?

Presuming you do know about these facts – then you should be able to see Gerrard ‘roaming’ at different times in the game is part of the plan, as is the wingers swapping flanks etc.

Surely you do your research before you slag a team off.

Also consider the fact that when you draw or lose you analyse why. If you play bad it is easy to analyse, if you play well and lose it feels like an injustice – and it is times like these that you look beyond the actual scoreline.

It is obvious you dislike Rafa, but I think your personal dislike of him is clouding your vision. He needs more time – just as Ferguson and Wenger have had. And he also needs money to spend on quality players.

I have watched ‘pool since the 70’s and the key thing is always stability and continuity. That is what we need now, another manager will take years again to rebuild. Rafa has overhauled the youth system too – but this will take a few years to produce top players (like Arsenal – who also let many go in the initial stages).

This is what I mean when I say look beyond the results. In England the manager does a lot more than just coach the team. Rafa has done a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes – which would all be undone were a new manager to come in.

Interesting that you fail to even comment about Valencia.