Nice one colin you sour faced bitter oxf*rd

[mini _dariusz]

I hope Liverpool never win another trophy under Benitez, fumes ex-Blades boss Warnock as Rafa looks set to field another understrength side
Last updated at 10:28am on 18th April 2008

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Neil Warnock has lashed out at Rafael Benitez for making a mockery of the Premier League survival battle - and hopes he never wins another trophy at Anfield.

The former Sheffield United manager is still seething that Liverpool lost 1-0 after fielding a severely weakened team at Fulham last May, a result which ultimately kept the London side up by a single point at the Blades' expense.

With Liverpool playing in the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, Warnock expects Benitez to leave his star names on the sidelines again against the Cottagers on Saturday but believes that would show contempt for the clubs fighting to preserve their top-flight status.


"My advice to Reading, Bolton and the rest would be, if you're expecting any favours, don't hold your breath," said the Crystal Palace manager. "They will have to do it themselves.


"The fact of the matter is that if Liverpool were already out of the Champions League and needed to win to get fourth spot, they would play their strongest side.


"Instead, I fully expect them to play a weakened team at Fulham.


"It's part of a big club's mentality. They look after themselves and they don't bother about anyone else. The whole story that Sheffield United were going down and me having a pop at them afterwards was just treated like fish and chip paper by them. Liverpool didn't care because they weren't the ones getting hurt by it all.


"I'm still very bitter about it and personally I hope Liverpool never win another trophy under Benitez. I like them as a club but I would be very pleased to see them win nothing."


Warnock still shudders when he recalls the moment he saw Liverpool's line-up at Craven Cottage last season.


"I felt sick, physically sick, when I found out the team Liverpool were playing," said Warnock.


"We had a late kick-off at Villa Park that day and when we saw who Benitez had picked, we were struggling to even think who they were.


"We hadn't even heard of them and a lot of them haven't played for the club since.


"It was scandalous, really. You don't feel it's fair but it just confirmed that these guys don't give two hoots about clubs like Sheffield United or people like Neil Warnock.


"You can talk about rules being put in place to stop it happening but that's not going to happen.


"The Premier League don't care about smaller clubs like Sheffield United, as they proved with the whole Carlos Tevez affair last season.


"Big clubs look after themselves and the people who run the Premier League will always look after themselves. Nothing will ever change.


"The sad thing is I felt we had done enough last season; we had 38 points, which would have been enough in a normal season.


"For us to get that number of points was an achievement and yet it's gone down in history as a relegation on my CV, not an achievement.

"Nobody got hurt apart from me and Sheffield United. Rafa Benitez certainly didn't."

[Thaumagurist*]

.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

To be fair, he did have a point at the time regarding Liverpool's line-up - full of reserves and kids. I'd I sincerely hope that Benitez will play decent sides in their games against both Fulham and Birmingham before the end of the season.

He's still a whinging pcunt though and the fact still remains, however, that they would have stayed up if they hadn't lost at home to Wigan on the last day of the season. And that is solely down to the poor performance of his club.

CoLOLin

[susieroyal]

He's got a point to be fair and if Fulham pick up 3 points on saturday and stay up because of it, there will be plenty on here with the same arguements.

[soggy biscuit]

Liverpool have earned the right to field whatever team they want. If roles were reversed Reading or Shef Utd would field a weaker team.

[Platypuss]

We shouldn't really complain seeing as we make wholesale changes for FA Cup games to concentrate on the league.

I still will though!

[Silver Fox]

Sheffield Utd fans are of course still upset that they lost at home to 10 man Wigan on the last day of the season, with I believe Rafa Benitez scoring the winning penalty?

Fulham will be pleased if they play weakened sides 2 weeks in a row

[Alan Partridge]

IF Reading go down, it won't be because Liverpool weakend a team, or Chelsea didn't turn up against Wigan or because of anyone else. It will because over THIRTY EIGHT games Reading weren't good enough. End of story. I won't be blaming Liverpool for not winning at Fulham, I'll be blaming us for getting ZERO points off Fulham and Bolton.

Did Liverpool play their best team when we beat them? Shortly before their trip to France? Centre back for Liverpool that night....Jack Hobbs. Interesting.

[Daniella]

I have always had a love/hate relationship with warnock and I like the guy to be honest.
Those are good comments and I agree with pretty much all of them.
Liverpool are a farce. They havn't won the league in years and yet are in the " champions league" every seas, its a joke. They should have to compete to get rewarded. The FA don't care either, they just want the big clubs like liverpool to do well and get the pounds in and give the league some fame and fortune. They would actually quite like reading to be relegated and replaced by a bigger club.

[Huntley & Palmer]

We shouldn't really complain seeing as we make wholesale changes for FA Cup games to concentrate on the league.

I still will though!

I was wondering whether Wenger would have a reshuffle given that a few fringe players have started games recently.

[Coppelled Streets]

t's part of a big club's mentality. They look after themselves and they don't bother about anyone else.

He's right.

[mini _dariusz]

He's got a point to be fair and if Fulham pick up 3 points on saturday and stay up because of it, there will be plenty on here with the same arguements.

True evertonian.

He's got no point. Rafa is right.

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has defended his right to select the team of his choice to play at Fulham.

Bolton manager Gary Megson has called on Benitez to select a strong team for Saturday's game against the Trotters relegation rivals.

But Liverpool play Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday.

And Benitez said: "I will be thinking a little about Chelsea. I have players I don't want to risk and I've enough quality in the squad to win at Fulham."

Liverpool lost to Fulham at the same stage of last season after Benitez rested several key players - and he was criticised by Sheffield United for his team selection.

The Blades were subsequently relegated, but Benitez added: "I know there was criticism last season when we did something similar at Fulham, coming from Sheffield United.

606: DEBATE
Would Rafa be right to rest players?

"But what did they do in their last game? They lost. So I feel it is sometimes better to look to yourself and what you do.

"Teams have 38 games to play each season, that is enough. So you are responsible for your own luck."

Fulham are currently second bottom in the Premier League with 27 points, while Bolton are one place above them with with 29 points.

And Megson recently said: "Liverpool are going to have a massive say in which teams go down.

"We would hope that Rafa Benitez will retain the integrity of the Premier League with his squad selection."

But Benitez countered: "What did Bolton do in the Uefa Cup with their team selection? They left players out.

"I will use the players I believe will be good enough to win this game, and the next one and the next one. I believe 38 games is enough to be successful or not.

"Look at what all the teams in the middle of the table have been doing recently.

"They have been using different players, young players, and they have been preparing for the future."

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Teams who field weakened sides should have points docked. If it would have no effect this season then they should lose points for the following year.


Besides, who knows what sort of team chelsea will put out against Bolton on the last day if they are out of the title race, but in the CL final?

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

But Benitez countered: "What did Bolton do in the Uefa Cup with their team selection? They left players out.

...and who is that unfair to exactly?

[mini _dariusz]

Teams who field weakened sides should have points docked. If it would have no effect this season then they should lose points for the following year.


Besides, who knows what sort of team chelsea will put out against Bolton on the last day if they are out of the title race, but in the CL final?

Absolute bolocks.

Clubs build a squad to cope with competing on 4 fronts. You can't expect to put your strongest side out in 60 effing games a season. How would the fringe players be blooded if it wasn't for games like Fulham away tomorrow ?

Helps keep players fresh
Helps keep players happy
Helps keep players motivated
Helps bring young players on
Helps seeing fringe players play in semi important matches
Helps try different styles of play
Helps understanding between the squad

Or the alternative is play your best players in every game, (who determines weakened teams ?) 60 games a season, increase risk of injury in insignificant game when you have a massive game round the corner, just to "keep the integrity of the premier league"

Bollocks. Clubs have no obligation and should have no obligation to help other teams out, it's pure tough shit on Reading if Fulham win against a weakened team tomorrow. Personally, if i was Rafa, i'd put the kids out. Wouldn't even let the first team squad travel.

Get your own house in order before blaming other clubs for your own downfall.

[SHORT AND CURLY]

Teams who field weakened sides should have points docked. If it would have no effect this season then they should lose points for the following year.


Besides, who knows what sort of team chelsea will put out against Bolton on the last day if they are out of the title race, but in the CL final?

Absolute bolocks.

Clubs build a squad to cope with competing on 4 fronts. You can't expect to put your strongest side out in 60 effing games a season. How would the fringe players be blooded if it wasn't for games like Fulham away tomorrow ?

Helps keep players fresh
Helps keep players happy
Helps keep players motivated
Helps bring young players on
Helps seeing fringe players play in semi important matches
Helps try different styles of play
Helps understanding between the squad

Or the alternative is play your best players in every game, (who determines weakened teams ?) 60 games a season, increase risk of injury in insignificant game when you have a massive game round the corner, just to "keep the integrity of the premier league"

Bollocks. Clubs have no obligation and should have no obligation to help other teams out, it's pure tough shit on Reading if Fulham win against a weakened team tomorrow. Personally, if i was Rafa, i'd put the kids out. Wouldn't even let the first team squad travel.

Get your own house in order before blaming other clubs for your own downfall.

Spot the plastic scouser?

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Teams who field weakened sides should have points docked. If it would have no effect this season then they should lose points for the following year.


Besides, who knows what sort of team chelsea will put out against Bolton on the last day if they are out of the title race, but in the CL final?

Absolute bolocks.

Clubs build a squad to cope with competing on 4 fronts. You can't expect to put your strongest side out in 60 effing games a season.

Liverpool used to in the past, as did other clubs. As do clubs now. There's a difference between giving a player a chance and dropping 7 or 8 players. I mean, do you really believe dropping so many players is about player development?

Or the alternative is play your best players in every game, (who determines weakened teams ?) 60 games a season, increase risk of injury in insignificant game when you have a massive game round the corner, just to "keep the integrity of the premier league"


Bollocks. Clubs have no obligation and should have no obligation to help other teams out, it's pure tough shit on Reading if Fulham win against a weakened team tomorrow. Personally, if i was Rafa, i'd put the kids out. Wouldn't even let the first team squad travel.

OK. Imagine there is game to go and Liverpool are in contention for the title (you are probably too young to remember such a time, but trust me, it has happened in the past). Liverpool have a hard game, but Man Utd, one point clear, face Everton at goodison park, who have got to the FA Cup Final. Everton decide to rest 8 players for that last match and Man Utd stroll to an easy 3-0 win against a team of players you've hardly heard of.

You'd be completely happy with that I take it?

Get your own house in order before blaming other clubs for your own downfall.

Shouldn't that be "our" downfall, or have you stopped supporting Reading now?

[earleyroyal]

If I was Colin, and your team went down partially because:

a) Liverpool put out a weakened team which lost against Fulham, saving them, and
b) W*st Ham got away with the most blatant piece of cheating ever seen in the Premiership, making a total mockery of the competition by fielding one of the best players in the world without paying, and got away with it because of their 'big club' status and Trevor Brooking being on the FA board ,

I'd be fcuking pissed off!

Still seeing his face on the last day of the season was quality

[mini _dariusz]

OK. Imagine there is game to go and Liverpool are in contention for the title (you are probably too young to remember such a time, but trust me, it has happened in the past). Liverpool have a hard game, but Man Utd, one point clear, face Everton at goodison park, who have got to the FA Cup Final. Everton decide to rest 8 players for that last match and Man Utd stroll to an easy 3-0 win against a team of players you've hardly heard of.

You'd be completely happy with that I take it?

Finch doesnt do double standards. Of course they can rest players, it's every teams perogative. Just bad luck mush.

By the way, see you at Fulham tomorrow.

[earleyroyal]

Unless Liverpool are in the Championship I doubt we'll have that luxury.

Also we'd be in the relegation zone had we done that this season.