Hymy - Sky Sports Expert

Have a little patience

Rafa still the man for FanZoner Fisher

Posted: 28th November 2009 20:41

Send an email to HymyEmail Hymy

Have a little patience

David Ngog sums up the current feeling at Liverpool Football Club

...this will truly be a campaign to test the nerve, courage, determination and faith of Rafa, his players and all Liverpool fans.

Liverpool FanZoner Hymy Fisher
Quotes of the week

Also see

We are a third of the way through the 2009/10 campaign and for Liverpool, things aren't exactly going to plan.

Despite winning in Hungary against the much-feared European giants Debrecen, our beloved Reds were dumped out of Europe's premier competition at the group stage and now face the prospect of Thursday night Europa League football. The consequences of which may not only be financial!

We have some top players at our club who want to be playing at the highest level - a stage which the Champions League provides. The Europa League is not a competition Steven Gerrard, Aquilani, Torres, Mascherano, Carragher or Reina particularly want or deserve to be in, but the team's efforts in the first three or four CL games sealed their fate.

Languishing

They were simply not good enough.

Languishing in seventh place in the Premier League with title hopes unrealistic now and top-four credentials under threat with the emergence of Totenham, City and Villa, this will truly be a campaign to test the nerve, courage, determination and faith of Rafa, his players and all Liverpool fans.

After last season's second-place finish many (myself included) expected Liverpool to go one better this season and bring the title home to Anfield for a record 19th time. A season made all the more crucial by the fact our putrid rivals United are now level in terms of League titles won! Without Ronaldo though I can't see them adding to that total for a while, certainly not with rejects like Owen and co. on board!

Our success in the Champions League in recent years under Rafa meant that there is an expectancy from Liverpool now to always get out the groups and make it to the final stages. That expectancy came from outstanding results and progression under Benitez, who turned us back into a European force.

This needs to be remembered at this difficult time.

There will always be knee-jerk reactions to defeats, runs without a win and cup competition exits. However, at Liverpool we have more patience and understanding than most, have seen the progression made and also acknowledge the problems affecting the club behind the scenes with the two imbeciles at the helm!

After five consecutive years of steady progression, Rafa will withstand one bad season without losing control of the team and supporters but that assumption is based on Liverpool retaining fourth place in the league and ensuring Champions League football next season.

You have to remember he has totally over-performed in terms of honours for a guy who is trying to transform Liverpool back to the glory days and has achieved more in his first five seasons than either Wenger or Ferguson managed during their first years. Both have gone onto significant success after being allowed time and support and I have no doubts Rafa will do the same.

Ravaged

So, attention turns to the Merseyside derby on Saturday when we meet our neighbours who are also in a devastatingly poor run of form that sees them closer to the relegation zone than the European places.

Injuries have ravaged both teams and it could be a case of who has the legs, strength of mind and character to take the points from this one.

I'll be up against Micky Houghton in the FanZone booth on Sunday and am relishing the opportunity to go head-to-head with a fellow scouser. We have had the opportunity to do some radio work together courtesy of CityTalk 105.9 but once we cross the white line so to speak, any mutual respect and friendship will go out the window, I can assure you.

There is too much pressure on both teams for either set of fans to relax and Micky and I can certainly give as good as we get. I'd imagine it will get quite heated in that booth but we will as always strive for banter rather than bitterness whilst getting behind our teams in true biased FanZone style.

A 2-0 win for Liverpool, as I am predicting, will hopefully be the catalyst for our season to finally get started. Defeat or even a draw is unthinkable as the race for fourth heats up.

Plus it would be nice to send our neighbours home one step closer to relegation! That would go some way to easing the pain from our own self destruction in recent weeks.

For die-hard FanZoners this is one grudge match not to be missed so press your red buttons, have your phones ready to join us with your texts and let's see who comes out on top of the seasons first Battle of the Mersey!

Press red from 1pm to watch Hymy and Micky do battle in the booth.

The views expressed are not necessarily those of skysports.com

Comments (1)

  • Page 1 of 1
  • 1

Huy Ngo (Liverpool fan) says...

With all respect, I think Rafa should go. He runs out of idea to drive Liverpool to success. He has been very good in buidling for a match but not for race. Liverpool plays without any tactic nowsaday, they plays the same way - run & rush toward the opposite goal - in every match regardless who rival is. I wish this season should have closed very soon as I cannot bear the sorrow every week.

Posted 07:29 20th December 2009
  • Page 1 of 1
  • 1

Add Comment*

Send us your views

Are you a Sky Sports subscriber?

*All fields required, your email address will be kept private