Liverpool FC Forum

by **Kharhaz** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:17 pm

The Manhattan Project wrote:No, Rafa should not go.

The players just need a more positive attitude.

Plus, things will improve once Alonso and Aggar come back.

Agreed.
Agreed.
I hope so !

Agger definately I have realised these last few weeks just how much he has come on with regards to his status within the team. Alonso will need to return 100% fit and on top of his game. Saying that the players we have should have made there absence insignificant.

by **KOPMATT** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:20 pm

s@int wrote:Wenger

Premier League (3): 1998, 2002, 2004
FA Cup (4): 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005
FA Community Shield (4): 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004
Manager of the Year (3): 1998, 2002, 2004
Runner-up
Premier League (5): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005
FA Cup (1): 2001
League Cup (1): 2007
FA Community Shield (2): 2003, 2005
UEFA Champions League (1): 2006
UEFA Cup (1): 2000

I don't want to get into a Wenger is great argument but I think his record speaks for itself Sabre.

Wengers record does speak for itself as does Fergies but c'mon rafas been here 3 years and has won silverware big silverware at that too!
Wengers not unaccustomed to mistakes and neither is Fergie, it took Fergies 6 long very long years to win the Championship and was one game from the sack at one point. And we all know what he went on to win don't we?
Yes Rafa has made some howlers here and there but IMO has lost Carragher, Agger, Alonso & Torres now don't tell me that Wenger or Fergies would miss them if their teams backbone relied on them 4 plus Stevie G. yet we've still not lost in the League. Ok we've struggled at times but we all knew it was going to be Christmas b4 we'd see the improvement that we are hoping to see.
I've made certain commnets on here that it will all be over for us by Christmas maybe that was in haste? However to say that we've ha 3 bad years is total cack IMO. Rafa inherited a poor team and needs time we must be prepared to give him the time and support he and the team need to enable them to give us what we desire!
Don't give up on Rafa yet.

YNWA!

by **maguskwt** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:50 pm

ConnO'var wrote:No.... but Rafa needs to think long and hard about what's going on with us at the mo..... And have the courage and humility to make changes as required.

if you change a man's believe, you might as well ask him to go...

by **LittleHobo** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:42 pm

i dont think he should go now, thats madness

however if we dont at least challenge for the title this season then i think he should

and i disagree that this is as strong as our squad has been since the start of the premiership...as yesterday showed

we lack centre back cover
we lack striking cutting edge.....(when torres isnt playing)
without alonso we lack a creativity from centre mid
if gerrard was out we would seriously lack a midfield goal threat

and at full back i believe we are average at best

by **account deleted by request** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:58 pm

Rafa told he has to win more trophies
By IVAN SPECK

Rafael Benitez was last night warned that failure will not be tolerated as Liverpool flew back from Istanbul with their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.

Only maximum points from their last three fixtures will ensure qualification from the group stages for a side which has reached the final in two of the past three seasons.

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks insisted that he and George Gillett expect a return in trophies sooner rather than later after making £40million available to Benitez to invest in new players this summer.

Hicks said: "Yes, the squad is good enough to win things. It should be winning things. If it doesn't, we'll have to look at the circumstances at the end of the year and understand what happened.

"I don't want to predict failure, I want to predict success but we've got our work cut out in the Champions League. If we didn't qualify, it would be terribly disappointing, but I'm an optimist and I think that we're going to win our next two games at home and then we will have a big match in Marseille."

Hicks acknowledged that Premier League success is the priority for Liverpool fans this season. It was also the driving force behind the summer spending which brought in Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel, Andriy Voronin and Yossi Benayoun.

While Liverpool's owners reaffirmed that they are committed to Benitez, the club's best start to a Premiership season for five years must be maintained if they are not to become restless.

Hicks added: "I can tell from just talking to the fans that because they haven't won the Premiership in 17 years, they want to win the Prem.

"We won the Champions League in 2005 and should have won it last season, but I know their passions really are that they want to win the Premiership.

"One of the reasons we made the signings we did in the summer was to create the depth we now have, which Rafa explained to George and me is how you win the Premiership.

"I totally support Rafa. He doesn't need guidance. Nobody wants to win more than Rafa, but I know when we committed the resources for signings in the summer that the idea was to have a team that could compete for the Premiership. We haven't had the depth in previous years for that.

"I don't believe that Rafa wants to win the Champions League more than the Premiership. I know Rafa. He wants to win the Premiership badly, and we haven't lost yet.

"If we beat Arsenal on Sunday we're only three points behind, so we're doing okay.

"The Champions League revenue for reaching the knockout stage is something we'd like to have, no question about it. You can't assume you're going to go there every year, as that doesn't make sense, but we've got great players and we just need to let them play.

"Not having Torres obviously hurt on Wednesday. Hopefully he'll be healthy on Sunday."

Hicks also confirmed that the financing package for Liverpool's new £400m ground should be completed within the next month.

The stadium is due for completion in time for the 2011/12 season and is promised to be more fan-friendly than Anfield.

Hicks said: 'Our initial approval will be for a 60,000 capacity but it will be designed to hold more. We intend to get further approvals to increase it in size.

"Our fans are wonderful. We don't give them great service and they are still wonderful. Over time, as we get the new stadium, we will be able to give them services they haven't had before, amenities they haven't had before, comforts they have never had before, ease of getting tickets they have never had before.

"A much more vibrant internet site, more reliable ability to buy merchandise on the internet, everything. Our fans are there in spite of what we do. We need to do a much better job for our fans and we will."!

Now the team need to follow suit.

Daily mail

by **Kharhaz** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:58 pm

LittleHobo wrote:i dont think he should go now, thats madness

however if we dont at least challenge for the title this season then i think he should

and i disagree that this is as strong as our squad has been since the start of the premiership...as yesterday showed

we lack centre back cover
we lack striking cutting edge.....(when torres isnt playing)
without alonso we lack a creativity from centre mid
if gerrard was out we would seriously lack a midfield goal threat

and at full back i believe we are average at best

Apart from defence we havent had as stronger squad as we have now for a long time. Rafa should come out publicly and ask all these people calling for his head, "OK, What would you do?" because not one of you have a way to explain how to raise the spirits of the players who clearly are low on confidence. He is paid to manage LFC and id say he has done pretty well considering, since his first season, he has done well with what he has had to make do with. The "donkeys" from GH's reign he turned into european champions, he is the only manager to outwit Jose Mourinho and considering he had masses to spend on players while rafa had next to nothing in comparison and yet still able to make us supporters stand with our heads held high bragging about our accomplishments. The one season he has a bit of money to spend and all the defeatists are out in force. Wenger had a good team to start off with when he took over at Arsenal, they had one of the most solid defences in the world so that part was ok. Mourinho had millions to spend on whatever players he wanted built on a very good squad that Ranieri had built. Ferguson, as we all know was given time and a cup win set him up for a knighthood and huge successes over the years.

I'll put it loud and clear so everyone can see my view.
IN RAFA I TRUST.

by **bigmick** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 12:37 am

s@int wrote:Rafa told he has to win more trophies
By IVAN SPECK

Rafael Benitez was last night warned that failure will not be tolerated as Liverpool flew back from Istanbul with their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.

Only maximum points from their last three fixtures will ensure qualification from the group stages for a side which has reached the final in two of the past three seasons.

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks insisted that he and George Gillett expect a return in trophies sooner rather than later after making £40million available to Benitez to invest in new players this summer.

Hicks said: "Yes, the squad is good enough to win things. It should be winning things. If it doesn't, we'll have to look at the circumstances at the end of the year and understand what happened.

"I don't want to predict failure, I want to predict success but we've got our work cut out in the Champions League. If we didn't qualify, it would be terribly disappointing, but I'm an optimist and I think that we're going to win our next two games at home and then we will have a big match in Marseille."

Hicks acknowledged that Premier League success is the priority for Liverpool fans this season. It was also the driving force behind the summer spending which brought in Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel, Andriy Voronin and Yossi Benayoun.

While Liverpool's owners reaffirmed that they are committed to Benitez, the club's best start to a Premiership season for five years must be maintained if they are not to become restless.

Hicks added: "I can tell from just talking to the fans that because they haven't won the Premiership in 17 years, they want to win the Prem.

"We won the Champions League in 2005 and should have won it last season, but I know their passions really are that they want to win the Premiership.

"One of the reasons we made the signings we did in the summer was to create the depth we now have, which Rafa explained to George and me is how you win the Premiership.

"I totally support Rafa. He doesn't need guidance. Nobody wants to win more than Rafa, but I know when we committed the resources for signings in the summer that the idea was to have a team that could compete for the Premiership. We haven't had the depth in previous years for that.

"I don't believe that Rafa wants to win the Champions League more than the Premiership. I know Rafa. He wants to win the Premiership badly, and we haven't lost yet.

"If we beat Arsenal on Sunday we're only three points behind, so we're doing okay.

"The Champions League revenue for reaching the knockout stage is something we'd like to have, no question about it. You can't assume you're going to go there every year, as that doesn't make sense, but we've got great players and we just need to let them play.

"Not having Torres obviously hurt on Wednesday. Hopefully he'll be healthy on Sunday."

Hicks also confirmed that the financing package for Liverpool's new £400m ground should be completed within the next month.

The stadium is due for completion in time for the 2011/12 season and is promised to be more fan-friendly than Anfield.

Hicks said: 'Our initial approval will be for a 60,000 capacity but it will be designed to hold more. We intend to get further approvals to increase it in size.

"Our fans are wonderful. We don't give them great service and they are still wonderful. Over time, as we get the new stadium, we will be able to give them services they haven't had before, amenities they haven't had before, comforts they have never had before, ease of getting tickets they have never had before.

"A much more vibrant internet site, more reliable ability to buy merchandise on the internet, everything. Our fans are there in spite of what we do. We need to do a much better job for our fans and we will."!

Now the team need to follow suit.

Daily mail

Well I might be reading that wrongly, but I reckon that's a fairly stern appraisal by the American owners. Based on that, if I was a betting man, if things don't improve significantly by the end of the season, I think Rafa will be gone.

by **Kharhaz** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 12:51 am

Id say next season at the latest if I was to read deep into it. It annoys me how much power the players have over managers. They have no excuse what so ever for there recent performances and yet its the manager who gets it in the neck. People are talking about rotation and whatever but a majority seem to ignore the fact that the players are being paid thousands to kick a ball to there team mate and they cant even do that. I really do hope and pray our captain stands up and considers himself in that counting list.

by **Sarge** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 3:48 am

In Liverpool we trust..

We have had tougher times than this but we managed to salvage some good things out of them.

Just believe.

by **whylongball?** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:00 am

Sabre wrote:
When they come out and start saying they back the Manager you know something is going on. I bet he has had a clip around the ear today.

Well this as strange as it sounds, is true. It's true that traditionally the coaches are backed publicly a couple of times before they're sácked. However, I'm not sure whether the Americans are familiar with this football customs.

I don't think Rafa should go. Why? because I've seen worse blips in clubs that have won CLs aswell (Madrid, Barcelona) and we'll get over it aswell.

I don't like to compare too much Liverpool to other clubs, not Spanish, not English, but those who like to compare a lot with Manchester and Arsenal, probably they have noted that those clubs haven't changed their managers in a tight spot?

Meaning, the so praised Wenger, yesteryear didn't reach the CL final, and was behind us in the premiership, was he sácked? No. Are our knees going to be weaker than them? I'll love this club and it will be my club until I die, but if that happens, then I'd be surprised.

nicely put
my answer is no but RF does need help...once you stop listenning, you stop learning. Babel playing up front may actually save him..

by **whylongball?** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:04 am

peewee wrote:why do people keep referring to this as a blip, three years is a hell of a long blip

i agree with a lot with your complaints about Rafa but it does take time to build Rome peewee

by **maguskwt** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:20 am

peewee wrote:why do people keep referring to this as a blip, three years is a hell of a long blip

if three years is an underachievement as you imply, it is a hell of an underachievement since we won the CL and a FA cup during that time...

back to the topic... personally I'd give rafa 2 more years if we don't win anything this season... sacking a manager who won us the CL and the FA cup in his first 2 years because he didnt' win anything for 2 years is abit too hasty IMO... this is probably the first season that rafa has managed to assemble a squad he is to a certain extent satisfied with...

by **flombs** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:25 am

I said no as i'm still undecided. If i was put on the spot though
and had to make a choice, i would still say no. At least, not until after the Arsenal game, no i kid, i would give him until the end of season and take it from there. :cool:

by **crazyhorse** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:26 am

OK we are testing the water here, but really this is a c r a p thread.
This thought should not be entering our heads[B]

by **heimdall** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 8:42 am

Lando_Griffin wrote:
heimdall wrote:
Wilhelmsson wrote:
Big Niall wrote:If we don't seriously challenge for (not necessarily win) the league this year then he should go in the summer.

Who do you replace him with though? It’s easy to sack a manager, but it’s even harder to replace one, especially one as good as Rafa.

I won’t lie, I am not Rafa #1 fan, but I like the man, I think he is the right manager for the club, he just needs to insert pragmatism and continuity into his methods and I’m sure his/the club's fortunes would improve.

If the club was to sack Rafa, then hire someone else, the club is looking at another three years of rebuilding the foundations and can anyone seriously want that? Of course there’s the players, what happens if Mascherano, Reina, Alonso, Agger, Torres all decide to hand in transfer requests in protest of Rafa’s leave? It would mean replacing all these players who are key to the fortunes and future of the club.

People are correct when they use the old cliché of no player is more important than the club, but replacing key players takes time, effort and money and deflects away from the task in hand, which is to improve the aspects which need improvement, instead of replacing what is already around.

Then there is replacing the key personnel who are in the process of building a fantastic youth set up, it would all go to waste with someone new.

I’m not in favour of hiring a new manager at this stage and I will make a final judgement at the end of the season, as always, but I don’t believe sacking Europe’s finest manager will benefit the club in the slightest.

"Europe’s finest manager"

WTF are you basing that on? ? There are so many better managers in Europe that its scary and the vast majority of them would not state that they were happy with the performance yesterday or waited until the 80th minute before introducing Crouch.

Rafa is an incompetent bumbling fool and the sooner he leaves the better, it wouldn't take 3 years to rebuild, that is cr8p.
Tell me please how long did it take Mouriniho at Chelsea, first year mate, now as much as I hate the arrogant git you have to hand him that he knew how to win the league.

As many other posters have said our team/squad is fantastic and if it isn't then guess what that is Rafa's fault. He's had 3 years and a load of money to form a good team, so if he hasn't then he's not quite the genius is he.

I'll applaud him for maintaing the status quo after Houllier but in terms of league we are not much better than before and that isn't good enough!

Why do you all still have so much faith in him, I would say that anyone with even half a brain must see that there is a big problem at the moment and that problem is sporting a rather sh1t goatie beard!!

What is the point in responding to this sh*t?

The sooner YOU leave, the better, you big nork.

and again you did respond, with an insult, grow up Lando :sleep

Liverpool FC Forum

I take my life in my hands - Should rafa go?

I take my life in my hands - Should rafa go!

Who is online