Some Very Good Reasons Why Liverpool Shouldn’t Sack Boss Rafa Benitez!
by YNWA on November 10th, 2009 95 words | 80 commentsThe excellent Liverpool Blog The Kop End has surpassed itself again with this deliciously in depth look at the man that is Rafa Benitez. CLICK HERE to read.
The article builds an interesting portrait of a highly skilled boss who seems to find himself time and again at clubs who are mismanaged leaving the Spaniard little choice but to either stay and endure or to move on when things become unbearable. Any doubting fans would do well to take a look at the piece so as to greater understand the enigma that is Rafa.
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Donavan Ried - November 10th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
said it then last season was more down to Chelsea,Man Utd and arsenal under achiving than Liverpool be great
kermit - November 10th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
i m not sure he ought to be sacked yet, i d just have a fabio capello contingency plan if things dont improve by the summer, plus i think sammi lee needs to be doing a better job as his advisor on the sidelines, if i can spot glaring errors in formations tactics and substitutions then i m sure sami leee can also
anonymous - November 10th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Kop King
For the love of god we have lost about 7 games allready and only a quarter of the way through the season so there can be no defendind of rafa anymore as he has had ample time and opportunity to turn things around.
Don;t get me wrong i will allways hail rafa as a liverpool great so for that reason would be sad to see him sacked so i feel he should keep his dignity and just resign.
kermit - November 10th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
give rafa some love donovan, he has improved us in the last five years, but he does have major managerial flaws as we both know
i m wondering what you think of the idea of capello as liverpool boss after the world cup, he is one of very very people i would trust handing the reigns over to
anonymous - November 10th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Kop King
Kermit it is my belief that sammy lee is there more because of tradition and hasnt got much influence as i believe rafa pretty much does his own thing, i think he appointed sammy to endear himself to liverpool fans.
kermit - November 10th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
kop king my point was primarily that rafa needs someone who can advise him during games because this is his weakness as a manager, someone whose opinion he respects
anonymous - November 10th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
The most important thing is to get the owners out of the club first as I wouldn’t trust them to name a managerial successor anyhow. Everyone would be expecting a Mourinho but would probably get a Klinsmann or Gary Megson. If new owners want to come in and change the manager then that’s up to them. They should be allowed to have a man in charge that fits with their vision of where they want the club to be, I just fear Rafa is too stubborn and power-crazy to really live in harmony with any owners. Just look at the Keane incident for an indication, Rafa sold him at a terrible time just to get one over on Parry and the owners, this was to the detriment to the club and seriously harmed our title chances last season.
anonymous - November 10th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
why the fcuk do all these pro-benitez articles wax lyrical about his previous achivements in other leagues???
the English Premiership is a completely different animal. it takes a special personality to manage (and play) in this league, different to the continent, different to anywhere in the world.
it is not like playing championship manager with snazzy formations and tactics. it takes a certain mentality
so lets concentrate on his record here and current events. he was LUCKY last year to finish 2nd, chelsea were in turmoil for 4 months, united took their foot off the gas early.
7 defeats this season. 1 win in 9.
200+ million net spent on a revolving door of average/poor players
nanaghlfc - November 10th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
sammie lee still takes instructions from Rafa even when he is not around.
anonymous - November 10th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
The only thing that concerns me about Rafa is his man-mangement skills and his stubborn stance that seems to be a trait of his.
Donavan
You are always anti Rafa tell us all who you would like to be in charge at liverpool ?
Regards
Pete
kermit - November 10th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
fabio capello
Donavan Ried - November 10th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
anonymous – November 10th, 2009 at 9:14 pm ………. Good evening pete
Who would i like to see as manager my first choice would be …….
(1) Marco Van Basten : a manger how was a top player,(Kowns a good player when he see one) how has the respect of the footballing world and would attacted great players to a team …….
(2) Rudd Gullit, remember this guy reshaped Chelsea from being nobodys to FA cup win side until a revolt against him lead by Vialli,Zola and a few others…..
Though on winning the FA cup Vialli gave credit to Gullit for putting the side together ….Vialli himself was run out be another player revolt lead by Zola
Gullit was never really given a chance at Newcastle due to a Alan shearer lead revolt ….
(3) Zola, has done great things with West Ham on a shoe string, has brought in some great players and a great mixture of you talent, has the Hammers playing great foootball that easy on the eye …. Another well respected manager that knows players and how to handle them …..
(4) Jose Mourinho, arrogant, yes, outspoken, yes …… But he knows how to put together a winning team …. and it not just about the money, he can find graet players for as little or as much as you want to spend, no only great players but players hungry to win …… Will ship out the deadwood and replace itb with Quailty
anonymous - November 10th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
There are so many myths about Rafa that the media trot out. Apparently he is stubborn, cannot man manage and has spent over £200Million.
But if you look for information, it is out there. Don’t just believe the lazy journalists. Rafa is far from stubborn, he can man manage players and has recouped large parts of his spending in sales. Name me one other top manager that could challenge for the title on a spend on average of £20M per season?
It is appalling that so many people are ready to give up on the guy on his first bad run – and with such a list of injuries. Are we really ready for an O’Neill, Klinsmann or Curbishley. Because, that is what we would get. Fergie had a shite run in 2005 but came through it despite calls for his head. So, think about what you might wish for.
In Rafa we trust
anonymous - November 10th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Donovan, don’t be silly mate.
Zola – won nothing, no pedigree at club level.
Mourinho – out of our price range, some fans would hate him (doesn’t stick around if things get tough)
Gullit – done nothing for years – ruined the toon army
van Basten – again, price range? Not sure that his 4-3-3 formation would work in the prem.
anonymous - November 10th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
well im a big liverpool fan, a wouldent stop supporting them for the word, im gonna say a think ther is a change of manager needed, a kno people will say “your just jumpin on the get rid of benitez band-wagen” but you kno after a while things change. you need a change and that is what we need, a fresh start to get us out of this huge dip in form
Donavan Ried - November 10th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Pete ….. Jockey’s have to ride in big races to become a big race winner (Zola)
Mourinho was chased out by Roman A
Gullit – done nothing for years, does not mean that you lose the ability …….
– ruined the toon army ……they were already in ruin, the tried to fix it by Alan Shearer to a dislike to Gullit after being told that he was not granted to play and lead a revolt against him
van Basten price? don’t know about that but must be cheapier than having Rafa mess up ….
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 12:00 am
We have had a large turnover of players as Rafa had to play catch up with Utd and Chelski as quick as he could. He’s closed the gap while spending (NET) very little compared to these two teams. It is no coincidence the prem has been dominated by Chelski and Utd in recent years. Also a shame the owners did not allow Rafa to buy a striker in the summer. Our net spend this summer basically came from sales, so effectively was zero.
We’ve had a bad run of winning 1 in 9 games. Is this enough to warrant a new manager coming in – another 5 years of them moulding a side?
Agger, Skrtel, Johnson, Masca, Torres, Insua, Aurelio, Riera, Benyoun & Kuyt are not bad players. The ‘two man team’ moniker could be levelled at any team.
In Rafa we trust.
(and this is not Pete!!)
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 12:01 am
ZOLA !!!!!
Are you high?
Mourinho would not be accepted by the Kop. He’s a little drama queen.
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 12:14 am
zola doesnt have the experience required, nor vanbasten or gullit
hiddink maybe, capello definately, he wins stuff everywhere he goes
mourinho he has the tactical brain for it , dunno him managing chelsea is a bit fresh in the memory, but he s a great manager
zico maybe , did a good job at galatasary, but i trully think benitez is a very good coach and if he were to be replaced then we d need to get someone better for him this is why i stick with capello, because he wouldnt be available til after the world cup anyway and that gives benitez this whole season to turn things around , i think in his five years he has earned this leeway.
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 12:15 am
4-3-3
It works great for Arsenal
The more I tink about Zola the more I kinda like the idea but it would be a HUGE risk because, like when Arsenal found an unknown Wenger it could turn into something special or could turn into an utter mess(worse than Rafa).
I would love to see O’Neill at LFC.
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 12:18 am
Wenger and Fergusen had little experiece when they went to Arsenal and Man U and look how they turned out!!!
jimmyk - November 11th, 2009 at 12:21 am
benitez should not be sacked. understand we are operating on a very thin squad that has hit a rut and is finding it hard to get out of. what we need is a decent signing in january, remember how arsenal where last season until they got arshavin. we need confidence on the field, its something we clearly lack!
sacking our boss will do nothing good whatsoever! and besides, who on earth would replace raf?!
exactly, no one. be realistic people, who on earth is either a.) available b.) good enough c.) within our budget
hiddink JUST about makes it into all of those but is he the man for us?
mourinho? OK, i’ll accept the special one. but he is not available…
oh, unless klinsmann is up for the job, of course….he’s great!
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 12:25 am
lothar mathias for manager.
if not barney or spongebob
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 12:26 am
zico
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 12:26 am
rijkaard
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 12:28 am
david moyes
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 12:28 am
jan molby
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 12:29 am
glenn hoddle
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 12:29 am
yer man from the da vinci code
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 12:29 am
the pink panther
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 12:30 am
ming the merciless
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 12:30 am
axl rose
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 12:31 am
michelle pfeiffer
Retryboy - November 11th, 2009 at 1:09 am
Here goes nothing… Reasons why he should go..1)results and performances so far this season its a results business united is the exception to this but we have lost to every average or good team we have played this season spurs, villa, fiorentina, chelsea, Sunderland, lyon, arsenal, fulham and only managed to beat the truly awful stoke, bolton, burnley, debrecen, west ham, leeds, hull any manager whether its ferguson or Wenger would be expecting the sack after those results and dire performances. 2)giving up a game(fulham) taking off your best players for a midweek champions league game with the game not won totally disgusting 3)inability to learn from successes or failures, we have seen benayoun look like peter beardsley in the hole against hull 6-1 win and against united star of the show again but rafa still prefers to play kuyt and even voronin there and stick him on the wing 4)crazy team selections 5)ridiculously defensive tactics 6)refusal to cut the dead wood from the squad trusting the youth to be back ups ties in with 7)picking inferior older players over top quality youngsters the likes of kyrgiakos over ayala and kelly and voronin over nemeth and pacheco 8)Robbie keane, Xabi alonso and craig bellamy what exactly are we missing from our squad? The midfield link man can’t believe the rubbish the in rafa we trust brigade spout that alonso was rubbish before last season nobody thought so when rafa was trying to replace him with barry everyone knew alonso was quality then they just rewrote history to excuse rafa. We need a quality striker who could play in the hole or up top on his own when torres is injured well Robbie keane fits that bill better than anyone in the epl or just as a quality lone striker bellamy to come in when el nino was out bellamy again perfect and we had him for £6m we had the players we need now and rafa let them go 9)man management kind of leads on 10)players constantly played out of position particularly babel 11)refusal to admit he has made mistakes 12)substitutions wrong players taken off, too late, not at all 13)not using the carling cup to blood youngsters but to give his overloaded quantity not quality squad a game 14)refusal to ditch his 2 defensive midfielders or change formation even when injuries mean we could field a stronger team doing so 15)totally defensive style of play. Know the in rafa we trust brigade have now found a new public enemy my opinion though he needs to go and get Mancini in while he is available
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 2:25 am
ok then retryboy if you were a manager and needed to sell bellamy to fund a big money move for a young spanish striker unproven in the premier league,who also does not have a prolific goalscoring record what would you do?
Donavan Ried - November 11th, 2009 at 3:16 am
anonymous – November 11th, 2009 at 12:01 am ……. Whats wrong with Zola?……
And do you speak for the Kop?…….
Donavan Ried - November 11th, 2009 at 3:19 am
kermit – November 11th, 2009 at 12:14 am ………. “zola doesnt have the experience required, nor vanbasten or gullit”…………
The only way you get the experience is to do the job …….
Donavan Ried - November 11th, 2009 at 3:28 am
Retryboy – November 11th, 2009 at 1:09 am …….. HERE, HERE! …….Well said my man, well said ….
Donavan Ried - November 11th, 2009 at 3:38 am
anonymous – November 11th, 2009 at 2:25 am …… I can safely say that like me Retryboy would not have had such a large squad in the first place (some 35 first team players) maybe 28 players thus he would have saved on average between £14 – £18m a year (X 2 years) which would have been more than enough to buy Torres ……
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 5:10 am
25 qualkity fotballers is enouhg for any club
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 5:13 am
and agreed doing the job is how thye get experience but let them get it elsewhere we have waited twenty yearsw to win the league so now its time to go and buy the best
the most proven to bring the title home
and that is capello
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 5:15 am
25 first team players with five if them being the best of your reserves
Retryboy - November 11th, 2009 at 7:38 am
Anon at 2.25 exactly right from donovan and kermit the huge squad rafa insists on having is totally unnecessary, prohibits the youngsters progress and takes millions in wages out of the club every year a lot of the free signings like voronin receive £2m signing on fees too. The reason given for bellamy’s departure wasn’t funding but a lack of communication with rafa and a difference of opinion in how he was to be used in games. Comes down to man management again sure a lot of his problems in that dept come from having that huge squad you are never going to be able to keep 25 older players happy. Also if he had brought nemeth along properly introducing him in the carling cup and off the bench after his 25 goal season for the reserves instead of loaning him out where he got injured and his development held back a year or kept him and let voronin go start of this season none of this would be an issue.
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 7:47 am
Kop King
All I know is we need to appoint a manager who likes to play attractive ATTACKING football.
kermit - November 11th, 2009 at 8:52 am
we need a manager that wont accept defeat
Anfield Faithful - November 11th, 2009 at 9:38 am
well if he is sacked then the transfer kitty would be almost empty and the new guy(i don’t know who will think about accepting the job) will be in even worse position so i guess that despite what mad decisions rafa takes we have to endure him for now
Anfield Faithful - November 11th, 2009 at 9:39 am
i guess we need a wenger type manager who can bring that refreshing beautiful game back at liverpool
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Benitez has become the laughing stock of the footballing world.
jimmyk - November 11th, 2009 at 10:03 am
this is away from the subject but does anyone know whats happening with Dalla Valle? i havent seen him play for the reserves, is he on loan?
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 11:16 am
what a load of shit fans!!! . . the, only sing wen were winning type fans use are, clubs dont acheev great sucsess by changing manager when things get tough! weve had terrible luck with injurys thats not rafas fault . . . alot of our teamsheets have been patchwork. and clearly thers a confidence problem in the players thats obvious! the other top teams will drop points, the international break has come just at the right time for us, gives Stevie and torres time to get fit and the players can comeback refreshed.
hers two things any sensible fan should recognise.
1) RAFA ISNT GOING ANYWERE!!!! he wont get sacked. so thers no point in pissing and moaning when things get tough, its not going to get us anyware AT ALL pointing the blame at the manager, its to easy to do that! the whole squad is to blame for our shitty form.
the most we as fans can do is give our unwavering support to the team and rafa!!! its the only way we can get out this mess and its the liverpool way! . . . ”
You’ll Never Walk Alone . . . . appart from when things get tough then we can blame the manager and winge and that will change evrything . .. obviously.
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 11:26 am
anonymous – November 11th, 2009 at 11:16 am
what a load of shit fans!!! . . the, only sing wen were winning type fans use are, clubs dont acheev great sucsess by changing manager when things get tough! weve had terrible luck with injurys thats not rafas fault . . . alot of our teamsheets have been patchwork. and clearly thers a confidence problem in the players thats obvious! the other top teams will drop points, the international break has come just at the right time for us, gives Stevie and torres time to get fit and the players can comeback refreshed.
hers two things any sensible fan should recognise.
1) RAFA ISNT GOING ANYWERE!!!! he wont get sacked. so thers no point in pissing and moaning when things get tough, its not going to get us anyware AT ALL pointing the blame at the manager, its to easy to do that! the whole squad is to blame for our shitty form.
the most we as fans can do is give our unwavering support to the team and rafa!!! its the only way we can get out this mess and its the liverpool way! . . . ”
You’ll Never Walk Alone . . . . appart from when things get tough then we can blame the manager and winge and that will change evrything . .. obviously.
I second that!!!!!!!!!!!
Retryboy - November 11th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Guarantee you thought that after the united game too everything will be ok we’ll win every game win the league. We only had a normal amount of injuries up until the last couple of games and we still had enough quality in the squad to beat Sunderland, fulham and birmingham. I agree he won’t be sacked because of fans like you the unwavering support in the souness and houllier eras allowed them to ruin king Kenny’s good work and whilst they bought all the rubbish that rafa has had to replace fans let things go on for too long because its the liverpool way. Rafa looks so good because of what went before him we should have higher expectations in a manager not make excuse after excuse for him.
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Kop King
Great point Retryboy I couldn’t have put it better myself.
Hoogleboogybugleboy - November 11th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
It’s all so clear to me now. Liverpool need Retryboy and Donavan Reid as manager and assistant manager. They can fight amongst themselves for who is the “main man” but either way, anyone of them could do a fantastic job as they both are obviously wasted talent at the moment. They would sign the players that they wanted because Donavan “kowns” a good player when he sees one,, make all the right substitutions at the right time, play every player in their correct position, would never lose a game to “inferior opposition”, would prioritise the league over anything else, would never sell a player even if he wanted to leave, would never take off a player who wasn’t totally fit, would always play the 4 4 2 formation because it’s the best, would always play the under 18’s in the Carling cup, would never have to admit they were wrong or that they made a mistake because they never would, would take the right players off (Have I already said that?) I reckon these two guys would bring the league title to Anfield in their first year, the League and Champions league double in their second year, they would add the FA cup and obviously the league again in their 3rd year, their 4th year would be amazing as they would win everything that they entered. because by this point they would be so experienced in the football management that they would be unstoppable Anfield legends.
Retryboy - November 11th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Hoogleboy you are definitely one of the ones spouting that we would beat united and go on to win every game the league and european cup. You are right though it does take a tactical genius to put players in their right positions, to take off the less creative players when you need a goal instead of the ones that are capable of getting the points, to give those players longer than 10 minutes to break down the team that for 80 minutes your 11 has failed to do. To use a mix of young(well i say young most of them are 20 now and still not had a chance)quality players and good squad players. It takes a tactical genius to know that the epl is important. Only talent being wasted is in our squad and out on loan Hoogleboy you know all the things you argue against are issues you just hope that rafa will learn, so do i but he is too arrogant to learn.
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Kop King
Hoogleboy the main arguments comming from donovan reid and retryboy are common sense like why rafa makes odd substitutions and plays the wrong players in the wrong positions it seems that you are the misguided one and are led by lind fauth, wake up rafa has to go.
Hoogleboogybugleboy - November 11th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Led by lind fauth. Ummm!! Interesting concept.
i did say that we could beat Utd but i have never said that we would win every game in the league and in Europe. That is just ridiculas. I actually agree with some of what you say Retrybory but what you fail to ever mention is that it is only your opinion and to even suggest that you know better than Benitez is simply so wrong it’s laughable. That is why i did the above post. You think that it would be better to replace Benitez I don’t. It is simply that. The difference between you and me is that I don’t claim to know more than a professional football coach and I accept that what I post on here is only MY opinion.. You also fail to ever take on board any positives about Benitez’s tenure at Liverpool but instead twist the negatives to suit your agenda. Football observation is all about opinions and all you give is your opinion. That is all it is Retry, your opinion. Just because you think that taking off Torres with 5 minutes to go is wrong doesn’t mean that it is. It is your opinion. Just because you think Benayoun is better played in the “hole” doesn’t mean that he is. It is only YOUR opinion. You should try reeling in your ego and state opinions as just that.
Donavan Ried - November 11th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Anfield Faithful – November 11th, 2009 at 9:38 am ……. Welcome to the site……
Look, the americans are not stupid they know that if they bring in a new manager they will need to give him some money to spend …… This would be done two ways.by off loading some players, and by putting their hands in their pockets….. They would make it happen should they decide that they want rid of Rafa
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Calm down ladies
Donavan Ried - November 11th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
There’s three things that i hate here …
(1) People who disagree with other peoples veiws and saying to them “You’re not a true fan” …..
(2) People who post things, like anonymous – November 11th, 2009 at 11:16 am ……………”what a load of shit fans!!! . . the, only sing wen were winning type fans use are, clubs dont acheev great sucsess by changing manager when things get tough! ” ……
Although i can respect his veiws, may not agree with them ….But you can even add a name to the post …….
(3) and lastly it is anonymous – November 11th, 2009 at 11:26 am
anonymous – November 11th, 2009 at 11:16 am
“what a load of shit fans!!! . .” ……
Someone that agrees with him that can also not seem to grass the idea that Posts seem to read better when people know who is saying what to whom …..
Post with a name them people here might take what you have to say with more respect as you have been bothered to put a name behind it ……
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
THE CHOSEN ONE
OH I JUST LOVE COPY AND PASTE FROM OTHER POST
united fan or not you raised some points so liverpool fan or not I will reply
1. Robbie Keane – Whether you agreed with the signing of the Tottenham man or not, Rafa failed to give the striker a decent chance and clearly his lack of confidence in the Irishman had a negative influence on the forward.
I THINK KEANE HAD A DECENT CHANCE, OK MAYBE HE COULD OF GOT A BIT MORE BUT HES AN INTERNATIONAL, A LIVERPOOL FAN AND HAS BEEN AROUND ENOUGH TO KNOW HE SHOULD OF DONE BETTER. HE WAS SOLD DUE TO LACK OF FUNDS . HE NEVER MADE THE IMPACT FULL STOP. TELLS US ALOT ABOUT HIM AND PLAYERS LIKE NGOG THAT DO. PERSONALLY I THINK HE SITS 4-4-2 FORMATION THE BEST AND LIVERPOOL SELDOMLY PLAY THAT.
2. Tactical Errors a plenty – Tries godforsaken formations, plays players where they do not fit.
MMM AMUSING, IS THIS THE SAME FORMATION THAT HAS BEEN TRIED AND TESTED LAST YEAR. THAT THE PLAYERS BELIEVED IN AND LEAD US TO 4 POINTS BEHIND THE CHAMPIONS. THE SAME CONSISTENT FORMATION AS WELL AS THE SAME 63RD MIN OR SO SUBSTITUTION. COULD IT BE THE ONLY THING THAT HAS CHANGED IS MAINLY OUR CLUMSY DEFENDING AS WELL AS INJURIES. OK YES HES MADE A FEW MISTAKES LIKE EVERY OTHER MANAGER, BUT SHOULD HE BE SACKED WHEN THE TEAM LEFT ON IS GOOD ENOUGH TO WIN?
3. Winning the Champions League four years ago Isn’t enough to make you immune to a sacking.
NO LETS GET THIS WRITE. HE TOOK A TEAM TO THE UEFA CUP FINAL THE SEASON BEFORE HE JOINED LIVERPOOL AND WON IT. THEN WON THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WITH US. THIS HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. HES OBVIOUSLY GOT SOMETHING. NOT TO MENTION HE GOT US TO THE FINAL 2 YEARS LATER WITH A TOPTALLY DIFFERENT TEAM. HIS TEAM. MAN THATS NO FLUKE. DID I MENTION LIVERPOOL WAS SEEDED NO 1 IN EUROPE AT A PARTICULAR TIME. CAN I REST MY CASE OR SHALL I MENTION WHAT THE GREAT SIR RED NOSE FACE TAGGOT DID IN HIS FIRST 5 YEARS IN CHARGE. YEP JUST THE FA CUP.
4. The club needs a fresh start, that means both at boardroom level AND in the dugout.
NO THE CLUB NEEDS MORE FINANCE FOR PLAYERS AND STADUIM. WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER. 60 MIL WOULD OF MADE US SERIOUS CHALLENGERS THIS SUMMER BUT WE DONT HAVE IT AND PLAYERS WHO WE WANT TO SELL SEEMS DONT WANT TO LEAVE.
5. Xabi Alonso – The Spaniard had every right to leave Anfield this summer mainly because Rafa made the mistake of being more than happy to sell Xabi the previous summer in favour of an ill fated move for Gareth Barry.
HANG ON A SEC. ALONSO ALONSO ALONSO. HE WAS ALSO THE REASON WE LOST THE TITLE LAST SEASON. HOW MANY TEAMS HAVE EVER WON THE TITLE WHEN THE TWO CENTRAL MIDFIELD PLAYERS SCORE ONLY 3 LEAGUE GOALS ALL SEASON. BARRY MAY LACK IN SOME PARTS BUT AT LEAST HE SCORES MORE THAN 6 A SEASON. HOW WE MISS THOSE GOALS,I WAS ONE FOR WELCOMING HIM. AND IF IM HONEST THE WAY ALONSO PLAYED THE SEASON BEFORE I WOULD OF DROVE HIM TO MADRID MYSELF. OK FAIR PLAY HE WAS GOOD AND CAME BACK FIGHTING BUT HEY WHY A YEAR LATER? CANT JUST BE INJURIES CAN IT?
6. Dependence on El Nino and Stevie G – There is no point in Rafa bleeting on about how we rarely have the use of both world class players in the same match when clearly he should have done better in the transfer market to ensure we didn’t have to depend so much on both of them.
LISTEN MATE BE HAPPY WE HAVE TORRESS. WASNT KUYTE OUR STRIKER BEFORE WE BOUGHT HIM TO IMPROVE OUR TEAM. DONE BETTER IN THE TRANSFER MARKET? PMSL OK FAIR POINT. BUT I ASK HOW MANY BUYS OVER 10 MIL HAVE BEEN POOR? KEANE, BABEL AND MORIENTES.
I THINK EVERYONE HERE WOULD OF BOUGHT THE SAME BUYS EXCEPT BABEL WHO FOR 11 MIL WAS A RISK WORTH TAKING.
RIERA,KUYTE,ARGY MASCH, TORESS,JOHNSON HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL TO SOME DEGREE. THE PLAYERS THAT HAVE COME AND GONE HAVE COME AND GONE FULL STOP. ITS THE TEAM NOW THAT COUNTS AND HOW MUCH HES SPENT OR THE DEFICIT AFTER 5 YEARS. WHICH IS 85 MIL. THAT FOR OUR SQUAD WHEN HE COULD SELL TORRESS FOR 60 MIL IS REMARKABLE WITH OR WITHOUT MISTAKES.
OH DID I NOT MENTION THAT RAFA HAS BROUGHT NO LESS THAN 100 MIL OR JUST OVER INTO THE CLUB THROUGH SUCCESS IN EUROPE IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. SO YOU COULD SAY HES GAINED 15 MIL AND THE SQUAD HE HAS NOW. THATS A FACT.
7. Not enough quality players purchased – If we’re being honest, how many top quality signings can you name under the Rafa regime? £208m spent on players in five years, how many intelligent forays into the transfer market can you name?
SEE MY ANSWER ABOVE . IM NOT IN THE HABIT OF BEING REPETITIVE . WINK WINK.
WE BUY PLAYERS TO AN AVERAGE PRICE OF 10 MIL WHILE UTD AND CHELSEA BUY TO AN AVERAGE PRICE OF 20 MIL. SURELY THEY ARE MEANT TO BE TWICE AS GOOD AS US. MMM 2-0 IS ALL I WILL SAY AND PERHAP ASK YOU WHETHER YOUVE HEARD FROM VERON AT ALL. IM SURE YOU 28.1 MIL FOR HIM IN THOSE DAYS. BUT FACT HE`S NOT WITH YOU NOW. SO I`LL QUOTE BERTY BABY FOR MM 33 MIL. WE ALL GET IT WRONG M8.
8. Substitutions – Why does Rafa never make his replacements until its far far too late. How often have you looked on from the stands to see the subs board come up and then find yourself scratching your head in wonderment.
THATS BULL RAFA NORMALLY MAKES CHANGES IN THE 60TH MIN . EVERYONE KNOWS THAT. 30 MIN FOR IMPACT PLAYER. ALL I CAN SAY IS JUDGE HHIM FROM WHAT HES DONE CONSISTENTLY LAST SEASON AND BEFORE. YEP SOME ERRORES BUT RAFA NOWS HIS PLAYERS MORE THAN WE DO.
9. Blame game – He never takes the blame for a poor result on the pitch, preferring instead to blame injuries and referring errors.
GOD AT LEAST HE DOESNT BLAME THE REF ALL THE TIME LIKE THAT RAT OF A TAGGOT. EVERY MANAGER WANTS THEIR STRONGEST TEAM OUT IN A MATCH AND ITS FAIR TO SAY THAT WHEN THE STRONGEST TEAM IS OUT AND WE LOSE THEN THE MANAGER FACES THE HEAT.
10. We are moving backwards and not forwards – We have fell backwards since the summer in every way possible. Whilst the likes of Man City and Tottenham have improved their squads in the last year, ours has gotten worse. We lie in seventh place and have won one game in nine. It’s time for a change
MOVING BACKWARDS? DONT TALK NONSENSE. ITS THE SAME PLAYERS EXCEPT ALONSO. AND WEVE ADDED A ROMAN AND JOHNSON THE THE SQUAD. ITS A BAD BLIP YES I AGREE, BUT WELL COME OUT OF IT. LIKE UTD DID WHEN THEY CAME 3RD IN THEIR GROUP SOME YEARS BACK AND YEARS LATER MADE 2 FINALS.
LIKE I SAID SOME GOOD POINTS BUT I JUST WANTED TO BALANCE THE BOOKS AS ONE SAYS.
TO SACK RAFA NOW WILL MOVE US 5 YEARS BACK. THATS A FACT. FIRST YOUD NEED 60 MIL TO TEMPT ANOTHER MANAGER TO COME UNLESS YOU JUST WANTY A YANKEE MUPPET TO COME AND DO THE JOB. THEN 20 MIL TO PAY OF RAFA. 80 MIL IN TOTAL.
MMM WAS THIS NOT THE 80 MIL THAT WE NEEDED AT THE BEGINING OF THE SEASON TO BUT DAVID AND SILVA?
OWNERS IOF YOUR LISTENING GIVE THE MONEY TO RAFA YOU CANT GO WRONG. THE LEAST YOU DO IS GET YOUR MONEY BACK.
ULL NEVER WALK ALONE
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
THE CHOSEN ONE
GUYS IF ANYONE DISAGREE PLS WATCH AND RE LIVE THIS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gldt_kqCL84
RINGS OF FIRE ON YOU TUBE.
THE PAST YES BUT HISTORY .
Retryboy - November 11th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Its obviously only an opinion as is everyones posts wouldn’t have thought i would have to state that every post and i do give rafa credit he has a lot of good points his transfers, his commitment, his looking at the long term future of the club, revolutionising the youth setup.
The fact that the two games i mentioned benayoun playing in the hole we won 6-1 and beat united and the ones with voronin there we lost against arsenal, fulham support my opinion i will put it like that. I don’t know where i have said anything about taking off torres it was taking off benayoun and kuyt both fully fit against fulham that i was referring to. I don’t think i have twisted any negatives either my agenda is same as yours seeing the club we love back where it belongs we just have different opinions on who is capable of getting us there.
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
too many players are suffering from injuries, it is hard to manage a team in such condition.rafa is ok dont blame him for league results he is not the first or the last great manager who wont win it (as long as alex ferguson manages man u there will allways be problems for other clubs).but l look what rafa did in last 5 years in champions league beside wining he also gave some memorable matches againt chelsea . barcelona,real madrid nevermin wining or loosing great thriller matches.and of course like every profesion he has ups and downs but he doesnt deserve to be sacked for that it is important for him that the club and fans be behind him end there wont be problems because football is not all about winig it is about tradition some you win some you loose i think that with great clubs comes that phylosophy like man u, juventus arsenal etc. respect rafa even when he is not delivering result after all it is the team whu have injury problems.
Retryboy - November 11th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Err chosen one my points are totally different to the ones you are answering. I didn’t just copy a mancs bs article these are my own opinions based on my own two eyes if you want to comment on my views carry on but cut and paste doesn’t work at all in this situation. Didn’t even have to read it to know that.
Hoogleboogybugleboy - November 11th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Ok Retry, fair enough it’s just that when you said “taking off your best players for a midweek game with the game not yet won” I assumed you meant Torres. My mistake. I could swear also that you mention the sale of Alonso, Keane & Bellamy as a bad things yet you say you are happy with his transfers. Lets agree to disagree as i really can’t be arsed to argue with a Liverpool fan about Liverpool football club. Who do you think would be better as manager. I can’t remember who you said you would do a better job than Benitez?
Donavan Ried - November 11th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Hoogleboogybugleboy – November 11th, 2009 at 12:20 pm …….”It’s all so clear to me now. Liverpool need Retryboy and Donavan Reid as manager and assistant manager.” …… Man it took you long enough …….
” They can fight amongst themselves for who is the “main man” ” …….. Nah we would share that responsibility and we would talk to one another and “listen, and learn”….
“They would sign the players that they wanted because Donavan “kowns” a good player when he sees one,” …… The trick is not spotting a “Good player” but rather knowing when someone is not good enough….
“would prioritise the league over anything else” Of course this should always be the number one priorities as any good manager knows. If you manage in germany it should be the league there,France, Italy, Spain, it should be the same …..
“would never take off a player who wasn’t totally fit,” ………
I, (and i dbelieve we both stand together on this) Would not play a player who is ( as you put it)”totally fit,” …..
“would always play the 4 4 2 formation because it’s the best” ………
We would be flexible in our appoach as all good managers should be
“would always play the under 18’s in the Carling cup”……
Yes, mostly with a few older players
“would never have to admit they were wrong or that they made a mistake because they never would”…….
Hey! this is supose to be about Retryboy and myself, not about Rafa
“make all the right substitutions at the right time,”…… Yes …If your 2-1 down you don’t want to be taking off a creative player like Yossi Benayoun for a non creative players like Andriy Voronin and doing it with 15mins on the clock. You need to allow time for that players influence on the game pay off
” play every player in their correct position” ……. Why buy a goal keeper if you are going to play him as striker???
” I reckon these two guys would bring the league title to Anfield in their first year, the League and Champions league double in their second year, they would add the FA cup and obviously the league again in their 3rd year, their 4th year would be amazing as they would win everything that they entered. because by this point they would be so experienced in the football management that they would be unstoppable Anfield legends.” ………. Thanks for the vote of confidence, we would certainly try, learn from any mistake made, and Listen ….
Thank you ……
Hoogleboogybugleboy – November 11th, 2009 at 2:53 pm ……. Rafa can’t continue to dine out on what he has done in the past, as Janet Jackson sung …..”What have you done for me lately” ….. Anwser …. Sweet FA
Hoogleboogybugleboy - November 11th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Are you for real Donavan? I was being sarcastic in my post. You obviously have a major ego problem. If you seriously think that you could do a better job than Benitez, or any professional manager come to that why don’t you apply for a few jobs. There are always vacancies for an up and coming football genius. Maybe take some English lessons before you type out your cv though eh..
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
THE CHOSEN ONE
Retryboy it wasnt your comments i was commenting on . i just thought that both post titles were the same and couldnt be bothered reading everything. it wasnt personal m8. there are both sides to things. and if im honest im given my 6 pence worth.
Retryboy - November 11th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Chosen one..ok m8 crossed wires there lol Hoogleboy i think we should go for Mancini personally before madrid lose patience with their manager and snap him up he plays the attractive football we crave. Alonso i don’t think rafa appreciated enough. Keane i think got caught in the power battle but rafa should have seen past that and realised he was an ideal player for us and bellamy needs arm round the shoulder treatment can’t see rafa doing that a lot. Have never slated his transfer record he has had loads of successes especially spotting the young talent and you will always get some failures especially having to shop in other leagues the fact he takes so long seeing they are failures and the quantity we don’t need when we have great youngsters a different story. Anyway we will agree to differ and unless we lose a lot more games can’t see him being sacked and if that happened we would be in real trouble for champions league qualification so i really hope i am wrong in fact would never be more happy to be wrong. Think donovan was being sarcastic too.
anonymous - November 11th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
kop King
When was the last time rafa made a half time substitution. I have lost count of the amount of games that we have either been chasing or trying to put to bed that is crying out for a change usually kuyt but he never comes off.
Donavan Ried - November 11th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Hoogleboogybugleboy – November 11th, 2009 at 4:07 pm …….(I hang my head in disbelief) ……. Retryboy – November 11th, 2009 at 7:06 pm ……..”Think donovan was being sarcastic too.”…….
Thank you Retryboy
“Maybe take some English lessons before you type out your cv though eh..”
Yes thank, getting lessons from your mate Rafa
...samlfc.... - November 11th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Rafa has done wonders at Liverpool by wining the community shield fa cup and champions league but you can’t stay on because of how much you’ve won since you’ve arrived so i uderstand people when they want Rafa togo but i also understand people who want him to stay as he can unpredictably get the team back onto winning ways out of know where!!
What i can’t stand is people going The In Rafa We trust brigade’are this or the in rafa we trust brigade are that like i give a crap about what they are are or doing!!! they have every right to support Rafa if they want to and nothings stopping them If they want to support Rafa then LET THEM!!! and let them give us our views on why Rafa should be saved.
If people say that i’m apart of the In Rafa we trust brigade then they couldn’t be more wrong as i don’t care who is manager i just want the team to go far!!!
if anyone wants to disagree with me then go right ahead as i don’t give a crap!!!
dave - November 11th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Hoogleboogybugleboy – November 11th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
totally agree with you on this post.
retryboy the comment made by anonymous – November 11th, 2009 at 2:25 am
bellamy was sold to fund a bid for torres
donovan you keep complaining about how people post while you copy and paste other people articles in full before commenting on them,which is so annoying.
Retryboy - November 11th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Sam the in rafa we trust brigade are the ones who refuse to accept even the most obvious criticism of benitez, will argue black is white and will call anyone that questions him ‘not a true fan’ normally the ones that blame players like carragher who have been here longer and done a lot more for the club as soon as he has 2 bad games but rafa can have 10 not a blink from them. None of these sound like you or many people on here but there are a few… Perfect timing dave! You could type bellamy in wikipedia or you could look at the fact that rafa spent £75m that year and the day after we signed torres he was trying to buy heinze for £6m
What is it bellamy brought in £7m be more accurate to say he funded pennant 2007 £6.75m or lucas 2007 £6m or half of babel 2007 £11.5m but you use torres if it makes your point sound better.
Donavan Ried - November 11th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
dave – November 11th, 2009 at 8:14 pm …… “donovan you keep complaining about how people post while you copy and paste other people articles in full before commenting on them,which is so annoying” ……
LOL sorry dave….. If i don’t do it this way i tend to go off in a tangent and babel on,.( No pun intended) ….. but point taken
anonymous - November 12th, 2009 at 9:36 am
THE CHOSEN ONE
I love this article from the mirror. its a good read. and impressive. copy and paste lol
It is fashionable at the moment to use the word ‘fact’ when denigrating Rafael Benitez and all things Liverpool.
So rather than repeat the lame joke doing the rounds about the fact behind the teams they have lost to, I thought I’d try to offer a little bit of perspective to all this ridiculous, ill-informed knee-jerk nonsense currently being spouted about the manager’s position, by presenting a fact of my own.
Here is a real fact for you.
In their 117 year history, Liverpool have sacked precisely no managers while a season is underway. Let me repeat that figure. None. Zilch. Zero. Nada. In fact, during all that time, Liverpool have actually only ever sacked two managers, Gerard Houllier in 2004, and before that Don Welsh in 1956, and both at the end of the campaign.
So, when you hear the latest ‘expert opinion’ that Benitez will be sacked if Liverpool go out of the Champions League in two weeks, or that he has until Christmas to turn things around or he’s out of a job, just pause and think of that fact for a moment.
They have never been, nor ever will be, a sacking club. And they will never sack a manager during a league campaign, no matter how miserable things become, nor how loud the calls are for the axe to be sharpened by those so-called experts.
I have to admit, I have come to despair about some elements of my profession in recent weeks, because they don’t seem to even know how to spell perspective, never mind use it.
When they talk about Benitez being replaced, by Kenny Dalglish or uncle Tom Cobbley as a stop-gap for the rest of the season, before Jose Mourinho or Martin O’Neill can fill the role permanently, then they are exposing their complete and utter lack of knowledge about the workings of the Anfield club.
Indeed, if you read any story about the manager going between now and Christmas, then stop reading and dismiss the writer as an idiot who is exposing his ignorance. Because, for all the hysteria surrounding Benitez’s position from the outside, I can assure you that there is no such focus from within the club.
Christian Purslow, the new Managing Director, has already gone on record to guarantee that the manager will be judged only at the end of the season, with the perspective of a full campaign, and all that that entails.
Even the American owners have confirmed that for all the talk of dire consequences should Liverpool fail to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League, the reality is that they have budgeted only to reach the group stages, and recent commercial successes have actually put the club in a strong position financially.
If Liverpool do go out at the first stage, they could lose some money, but then they may just as well make more, because they will have the chance to go on a long run in the Europa League, recouping those losses.
And even though they have now won just one of their last nine games, and were again disappointing against Birmingham on Monday night, they are still only three points off the benchmark position of entering the top four in the Premier League, which is the real test for any Liverpool manager.
Now, that’s not to say that everything is rosy at Anfield – it clearly isn’t. Benitez has admitted to mistakes this season, many of them, and he also accepts that he must act quickly and decisively if he is to turn things around.
But he has been without 14 players at various points in the campaign so far, including his three most valuable stars – Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson.
Gerrard and Johnson returned to give the team a lift against Birmingham, and Torres should be back soon after the international break is over in a fortnight’s time, when Liverpool entertain Manchester City, in a game that will say much about the likely make up of the top four this season.
It is actually making me angry, to keep hearing this uninformed nonsense that Benitez could be sacked before the season’s out, because if he is, then it will go against almost 120 years of Anfield history, and believe me, not even the club’s American owners are that stupid.
Benitez has had problems, big ones, but he may well be through the worst of those now, and he will have until at least the end of the season to prove that the quality squad he has built is still progressing, and can develop into genuine title contenders.
I’m not going to fall into the trap of wheeling out more facts to support Benitez like some of his allies do, because statistics about a winning record better than Paisley or Ferguson, and being voted the number one team in Europe over the past year, are completely worthless unless backed up with trophies.
Benitez knows that. He is a keen student of that proud 117 year history of the club, and all that has been achieved in that time. He is fully aware that he has at least until the end of the campaign to prove his understanding of that fact.
And if you hear anything different from an imposter claiming to know what’s going on at Anfield, then you have my permission to scream.
By David Maddock
Hoogleboogybugleboy - November 12th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Well said David Maddock.
kermit - November 12th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
i wouldnt think there is a truly fairminded fan out there calling for benitez s head just yet, he has earned the leeway to have until the summer toturn the situation around which he inevitably will in my opinion. however rafa does have his shortcomings as a coach, most notably his inability to adapt during the course of a game, his hesitancy in making substitutions especially.
i understand that he hasnt has massive amount of money at his disposal , say in comparison to manchester city, chelsea or even man utd. I also understand that with any purchase made there is an element of a gamble to it, but even with this in mind, our squad has thirty five first team members and in my mind we only need 28, so i d rather have ten fifteen milion pound players than fifteen ten million pound players.
mr benitez is guilty of poor man management of several of his stars, most notably ryan babel and robbie keane.
i am not calling for his head, primarily because in my mind i dont think there are so many coaches better than him out there for us at the moment. what i would advocate is the possibilty that should he not gain us fourth spot and things continue in the vein they have been , then we would appoint a new even better manager come the end of the season
anonymous - November 15th, 2009 at 11:40 am
mourinho has pretty much issued a plea that he is ready to take over as the liverpool manager with the view to the long term.although he didnt name the team,i think rafa will see out the season and the special one will come in.if we wait too long we run the risk of losing mourinho to man u or city.mourinho wouldnt wait till the 60min mark to make a sub like rafa does,he wouldnt cop this rubbish we are producing now on his watch.im sick of watching mediocre displays from our players for 60-70 min and then finally rafa makes a sub and its too late. allahs boot