VIEW FROM THE STANDS: Manager is on hiding to nothing

Apr 26 2008 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post

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IF EVER the term ‘inconvenient football’ becomes widespread in football jargon, today’s fixture against Birmingham would represent the perfect definition! Rafa is on a hiding to nothing just as he was last Saturday.

Other protagonists involved in the relegation battle and some sections of the media are already castigating him for his predicted weakened team selection today. Should we lose, the press armed with sharpened pencils will write “Rafa cares only for the Champions League”; if we win the story will be that we should be beating the likes of Birmingham and Fulham! The older I become the more cynical I am becoming towards the tabloid press and the column inches they fill.

They appear to have seasonal topics to write about where Rafa and LFC are concerned, add this to recent hype surrounding Hicks and tabloid journalists are in Utopia! The truth of the matter, even if it is an uncomfortable notion for all Liverpool fans, is that the decrease in importance of Premier League games in recent weeks which has led to Rafa fielding admittedly weakened teams, ultimately represents our failure to sustain a title challenge beyond Christmas.

Rafa probably has one more year to address this, the majority of fans would be content to see us involved in the title race with a few games to go, at least this would show progress.

It can only be good for morale if we put in a good performance and pick up three points. I particularly hope Riise plays to try and expel the demons of Tuesday before the battle with Chelsea reconvenes next week.

Unfortunately for Riise I feel the own goal was the final nail in the coffin – he has been a shadow of the attacking full-back with a hammer for a left foot we have come to expect.