Long reply - sorry bout that. But you thought about your post, so I thought I'd reply in a bit of depth. Hope you take it in the spirit intended mate - no offence behind anything I say meant - just pure honesty on how I've seen things the past six seasons (matchgoing red since 1984).
Rafa has made massive fundamental mistakes when operating in the transfer market and he has been very very poor tactically this season. This is the reasons why i wouldn't entrust him with another penny of Liverpool's money.
I think you'll be amazed Wednesday night when the Kop gives their verdict on the post-Reading media rush to call for his sacking
Lets start with transfers and players:
In 5 years he has signed over 120 players and spent near £250 MILLION in transfer fees on these players. Out of these 120 player i can count on 1 hand those that have been a success at Liverpool. - Torres, Benayoun, Alonso, Macherano, Reiner (Sorry for poor spelling).
I wouldn't trust your counting mate - you've managed to find nearly 50 more players than have actually been signed. And the 76 actually includes every single youth player brought in too - this being down to Rafa having to allocate senior budget finances to bring in youth players due to our previously dysfunctional academy.
If you tot up every single performance bonus to be potentially to be paid for a player and then throw in some media inflation of the actual figures, you might get closer to 230 million spent. But then you have to subtract the money brought in by players he's sold (no Bellamy sold = no money for Torres). Which knocks the inflated - many of those performance related bonuses would not have been paid - figure down to something closer to £120 million. In six seasons. That's £20 million a season at most. To rebuild Houllier's squad and create a title winning team. Fifteen years ago, twenty years ago - I'd say that's more than enough. Now? Pull the other one - it's got bells on it
Aqulani has been unused and injured. This suggests he is either a poor player or Rafa is again poorly managing someone.
Or that someone who is coming back from two injury blighted seasons may both need to regain his basic fitness and regain his match fitness as he gets used to the Premier League?
Johnson thinks he is a right winger - i can imagine how many times he will be exploited in the world cup this year.
I think that's a fair point. Bar a couple of clangers (they happen to every player), he's actually well shielded by Kuyt who tracks back far more than any English right winger will do. But what's your point about Johnson? He's an attacking fullback. He does what it says on the tin
There is lots of dead wood in the current Liverpool squad.
-Lucas would not cut it in most Championship team - i honestly do not know what he brings to Liverpool - he lacks any sort of quality in any area of his game accept running around like an idiot the entire game.
I can point you to the detailed analysis of Lucas' match performances available for free online (Guardian chalkboards or Opta stats) which would hint that you're probably wrong. I've backed Lucas from the start - and he's been winning over hardcore opposition this season as they begin to realise just what he's doing for the team. I expect Barca to be in for him at some point as their central midfield ages. Just as they were when he chose us over them in the first place...
- Skerel (spelling) hasn't been the same since he was tore apart by downing - frail at the back and makes mistakes.
He's hardly frail. He's had some poor performances, but equally he's had some cracking ones. Part and parcel of blooding young defenders. I'd compare him with Vidic at that age and find the comparison favourable to Skrtel.
- Insua makes mistake after mistake after mistake at the back. I only assume he is your left back because Aurellio is forced to play left wing due to Liverpool's injuries.
I think the biggest problem for Insua (and Johnson) is that we've rarely been able to play a settled back four due to the injuries. And while he does make mistakes, this hardly makes him 'dead wood'. He's learning his craft.
- Babel - Played out of position and not frequently played after his first season. I thought he looked quite a decent player but lack of recent opportunities and poor man management has lead to destruction of his morale and motivation to play for Liverpool.
Babel is inconsistent and doesn't take the opportunities when he is given a starting place in his 'favoured' role. He's not going to be first choice over Torres - despite what he thinks. So he can either get his stuff together and play a role for the team or he can throw his toys out of the pram. He's done the latter. Professional players do the former.
-Ngog - To young to be handling the pressure of the Torres role. Could be a good player but at 20 years old should not be considered ready to do what Rafa is obviously expecting of him.
In fairness, I don't think Rafa's expectation is that he'll play like Torres at the moment (if ever). And this is a list of players who you think are 'dead wood' - so N'Gog certainly doesn't fit in here.
Along with this under his management not a single person from the academy has come through to become a first team regular over a per-longed period of time (2 seasons or more). This suggest his whole sale changes to Liverpool's previous successful academy has left it in a poor state. When we look at Arsenal, Westham, Manchester United - who are all bringing youth through who become the core of their team (thus uphold the values and traditions of the club and the area that club represents). Having a core that comes through the acedemy - for me is vital to a team long term sustained success. (We can argue that Chelsea's core has been purchased from other London academies thus they feel an affinity for the area and the fans)
Ah the academy... first off, Rafa had absolutely nothing to do with the academy until this summer. Sounds crazy doesn't it? Absolutely true though - it was one of the conditions he had put into his new contract. The academy was actually controlled by Rick Parry as part of the Chief Exec's role. Which is utterly insane, but there you go.
Secondly, Liverpool is a coastal city (like Bristol and Newcastle). Under the rules governing academies, you can only bring players in from around 60 miles away from the academy facilities. As Keegan remarked at Newcastle when this rule was brought in, it's a shame that cod don't play football because so much of the area actually within the 60 mile boundary is actually water. We may yet discover a merman or two in the Irish sea, but I'll not hold my breath
So the pool of potential players available to some clubs is greatly reduced in comparison to others. It heavily favours London, Birmingham and Manchester which have little 'wasted' area to recruit from and are at the centre of major conurbations. Now some clubs hit on a wheeze to this - what they do is they relocate potential players to within the area, with their parents. Whether that's right or wrong is another matter, but that's the way it is (my brother was offered such a move if he'd sign youth forms with Bolton). Our academy was being run on traditional values of bringing through only Liverpool born and bred players
Thirdly, you're wrong about academy players not coming through under Rafa. Spearing has made several appearances for the first team. As have a few others.
He has also made mistakes in selling players that could of been big players for Liverpool this season.
-Peter Crouch had little opportunity to make a name for himself at Liverpool, mostly making appearances from the bench.
Peter Crouch was in the last season of his contract. We could have held onto him for one more season and let him go on a free, or we could have sold him for a profit. If you're suggesting the former was the wisest decision, then you're wrong.
-Selling Keane - another mistake, after only 6months and mostly Cameo appearances.
Fun fact. Keane played in nearly 70% of the matches he was able to play during his stay at Liverpool. He's actually played fewer matches in percentage terms since moving to Spurs then when he was the nation's most famous bench warmer at Liverpool. Selling Keane wasn't a mistake - he scored a couple of great goals, but his consistent missing of bread and butter chances meant he ultimately had no future in the team. And some of the chances he missed are up there with Ronnie Rosenthal's miss against Villa.
-Forcing Alonso through the door by Rafa's treatment of him over the 07/08 summer window - the public courting of Gareth Barry making him feel unwanted by the club. In the 08/09 title challenge shown how good he was - in that season he was arguably Liverpool's best player.
In 07/08, Alonso was actually exceptionally poor. And I mean substantially below the form he'd shown since arriving at the club. Rafa moves to get rid, Parry bungles the transfer budget (much respect to Levy though - he seems to scalp everyone on fees received) and Alonso responded with a terrific performance in the 08/09 season.
Now for a hint of heresy... Alonso was actually holding Liverpool back in terms of their style of play. The team had become overly reliant on him pinging the ball to the flanks. Shut down Alonso, shut down Liverpool. It's no coincidence that he kept picking up ankle injuries as teams attempted to do this. So in order to move to a more fluid midfield, and assuming that at least one genuine anchor man was still needed to cover for attacking fullbacks, then a more mobile player like Barry, or Lucas, or Aquilani, is an obvious answer to get to pass and move football.
Tactically:
Rotation - Liverpool's squad does not have the strength or depth to do this. He needs to stick to his strongest XI every week in order to win games.
And if we do that, we'll have a squad of shattered players by Christmas. The spine of the team rarely changes though - Reina, Carra, Mash, Gerrard, Torres will almost always play if fit and available.
Zonal marking - A massive flaw this year. A lots of bad, needless goals conceded through a flawed and poor system that his players obviously cannot execute. Why does he refused to switch to man to man marking?
Do you mean at set-pieces? Or do you mean in open play?
If the former, then you'll find that zonal set-ups are actually better than man-marking at defending from set-pieces - Aston Villa and Chelsea have joined Liverpool in being clubs which have conceded fewest goals from set-pieces over the course of a season by using it. Watch Aston Villa this season (I think they're currently top of that particular league table) and you'll see they're marking zonally at set-pieces... As for individual player mistakes, well they happen in man-marking surely, or else a set-piece would never be scored?
If you mean change to man-marking in open-play, I really don't know what you mean. I can't think of a professional team who have used man-marking in open play as a system since Greece did it in the Euros when they won it (advantage of surprise playing a role in its success).
Defensive line up - Against teams like Pompy? Only Gerrard and Torres i believe were the only offensive players in the entire XI that were selected. Why would somebody show that fear of the leagues bottom team? Also the way the team plays is defensive and edgy.
Well let's take the match against Portsmouth. Dossena can be accused of many things, but defensive (in any sense of the word) is not one of them. I don't think Kuyt is particularly defensive either - that's the right winger. Johnson is hardly a defensive selection at right back. Insua isn't particularly defensive at left back either. I make that five attack minded players with Lucas being the sixth. How did Liverpool lose that match? On the counter, which is odd for a 'defensive' side.
Agree totally that at the moment the team is edgy in defence. Spot on about that. Think that's down to an unsettled lineup at the back, a new style of play and the confidence being sucked out of the players by a poor run of games.
Refusal to change tactics when things are not working - When the 4-5-1 is not working why not switch to 4-4-2 or get another striker on? It can damage the chances of the team if you are behind and you go all out.
I've seen Rafa set out his teams as 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 and also 3-5-2. And I've seen this change being made in matches (Portsmouth away 08/09 was a good example of that btw). So I don't think you're watching the actual matches if you think this is correct. The whole shape of the team changes in an eyeblink following some substitutions (Istanbul 2005 was another classic example of changes made at half-time when things aren't going too well...).
High dependence on Gerrard and Torres - Without these 2 it shows - the following teams have better teams than Liverpool without Gerrard and Torres: Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Man City. Villa and Everton (when fully fit) are on the same level as them.
Take Rooney out of Manchester United. Take Droghba and Lampard out of Chelsea. Take Fabregas and Arshavin out of Arsenal. Take Defoe and Lennon out of Spurs. Take Tevez and Bellamy out of Manchester City. Take....
Liverpool have two genuinely world class players. Of course the team is worse when they're not playing. Current value of Gerrard is reckoned at 40 million, Torres is being talked about as being worth more than Ronaldo. But what's your point here? Honestly - Liverpool cannot afford to go out and buy two equally qualified players. If we could, we'd be sorted. We'd have picked up Villa and Alves and any number of other first choice transfer targets who we've not been able to afford to buy.
That is my reasons why not to give any more money to him. He doesn't have a clue what he is doing. If not for a flukey comeback against Milan and Westham he would of lost his job 2 seasons ago.
If not for a flukey Robins goal, Ferguson would have been sacked after four seasons where he finished below more mid-table more often than not. If not for Berlusconi reading the riot act to his Milan players, Sacchi would have been sacked after just a few matches at Milan. etc. etc.
Honestly mate, you have no idea of the loyalty that matchgoing Reds have for Rafa nor the bond between fans and manager which has grown up despite having one of the most dysfunctional club ownership issues ever to be seen in football. You'll see our reply to those muppets who phone up the talk shows calling for his head on Wednesday night.
If Liverpool want to be considered title contenders they need to make wholesale changes to almost every aspect of the club.
Nah. Simple change needed. Expensive but simple. Yanks out. Let's give the manager the financial backing he deserves rather than sending him out to try and create a championship winning team from freebies and the odd 10 million+ signing (ye gods - 10 million plus for a player, 10 years ago that was a fortune, these days it buys you a couple of toes of a genuinely talented player in his prime).