Liverpool FC Forum

[tubby]

If Rafa is finding it hard to get a job its most likely because he is being picky and only wants to work on a project he believes in. 

Not many clubs would turn down a man thats won the Europa League, Champions league and domestic cups in the 2 biggest league's in world football.

I f.uckin hate the way the media try big up managers like Mark Hughes, MON and Roy Hodgson while bad mouthing Rafa.  Unfortunately the people running our club at the time actually did listen to the media's opinion.

He should have had a look in for the Sunderland job imo. But in any case I think it's that he only wants to manage 1 club and that's us.

[lakes10]

I think Rafa tried to do right by the club but at the same time he constantly had 1 hand tied behind his back with the owners at the time. Just think if he had been given the same sort of funds FSG could offer. We may well have ended up with a side that could compete in both Europe AND at home. And we may have managed to get the likes of Simao, Silva and whoever else we missed out on at the time.

That was then and this is now and I still think Kenny is the right man for the job but he needs more money. Breaking back into the top 4 is a lot harder now than it was 4 years ago and the funds Kenny is given should reflect the size of the task. I don't mean just 1 or 2 windows either. He needs consistent backing if we are serious about a top 4 place.

if he had not spent so much on players and youth players he would have more to spend on better players, the fact is that he was not very good at picking good players, 1 in 10.

thats not good for any manager and thats why he is finding hard to get another job here in England, he asks for all the power at the club but has not shown he knows what to do with it when its given.


Kennys hand was forced when it come to buying a striker with 12hrs left, thats why we paide so much.

Mate im not going through this again but im sure you can appreciate if you have 11mil to spend as oppose to 30mil for a player then your options are going to be more plentiful, not to mention we not so reliant on players first exiting before we buy. He showed on plenty of occasions when given the money to get his 1st choice that he brought in the right players: eg Torres, Alonso, Mascherano ect... The fact that we were trying to compete with the rest of the big boys on a net spend of 25mil each year doesn't seem to compute.

In any case it's history now so I won't keep harping on about it. But we still have an issue of the transfer window closing and we need some fresh faces.

mate when he was given the money to spend (25mil) he spent 20mil on Alberto Aquilani.
i rest my case.

[Penguins]

Well, his hit rate is still 10 times better than kenny when spening big.

You come up with all the excuses you want but Rafa is miles better both tactically and at spending big.

We all know Rafa had bought Alves, Mata, Villa if he had been given the money as he wanted those players. When he could spend he got Torres, Masch, Alonso as well as Aquilani and Keane. And I ams till saying tose 2 are still both better and cheaper than Caroll and Downing.

Kenny was given that kind money and bought Caroll, Downing and Adam.

But go ahead and justifying finishing 7th 2 years in a row after spending 100 million+ when Rafa was for finishing 7th after having no extra money for 2 years!

Do I want Rafa back?
Doubtful, but at least he'd be better than what we have now.

And no, saying that I can still say Kenny is the best PLAYER in LFC history. As manager not so great....

[Ola Mr Benitez]

Not only that but the football under Rafa was dull!

He did bring some great players to Anfield but I dont think I want him back, especially as I think Kenny is the one to take us forward given time.

[Penguins]

Well, I call many games this season dull.
We scored so many more goals under Rafa even if we were dull many time then too.

[jacdaniel]

Not only that but the football under Rafa was dull!

He did bring some great players to Anfield but I dont think I want him back, especially as I think Kenny is the one to take us forward given time.

Yep, its Kenny's turn now.  But when Rafa spent big he nearly always seemed to buy good players.

Torres, Mascherano, Alonso and Kuyt were all good buys.
Aqualaini would have been if Roy hadn't of loaned him off.
Even Johnson has been a good signing since he is still in the first 11. 

And some of his other targets like Silva, Villa, Alves and Simao would have been great signings if only we had the money.

keane was probably the only real flop and there's been plenty of stories about that transfer.. no one really knows what happened there.

[Basil]

Rafa improved the team and won a couple of trophies in his first two of years, without spending top money.

He then had to put up with those two cowboys and was never able to compete financially again, they got rid of Rafa and almost took our club with him.

If you thought football under Rafa was dull, I've got one word to say to you "Istanbul".

I didn't want Kenny to come in because I was concerned for him but he's here and he's doing his best. He'll make some mistakes and if he doesn't make a success of it, it won't be for a lack of trying so let's get behind him and give him our support.

Kenny's the boss and he takes the flak but remember, it's Comolli's job to identify new talent, the owners to put up the money to buy them, the coaches to come up with tactics and formations and getting the team to play how they want and the players who have to go out and perform so it's not all Kenny's fault.

We all want success but it takes time, there's lots going on behind the scenes that we don't know about, let's get behind the manager, the coaches the players and show everbody that we are Liverpool FC and we will be back where we belong !

[parchpea]

We just need Kenny to fix the problems we are having either by work on the training ground and a rethink of our strategy, or to start over beginning with buying some new players this week.

Everyone wants it to work with him in charge but we cannot accept the level of performance we saw Saturday or indeed many of the displays we have seen this campaign so far.

Dalglish knows we are not good enough so he will be feeling the pressure now and needs to get it right for this week in particular with some massive games ahead.

Personally I would like to see a player or two arriving before the United game to give us a boost but we will see.

[jacdaniel]

Rafa improved the team and won a couple of trophies in his first two of years, without spending top money.

He then had to put up with those two cowboys and was never able to compete financially again, they got rid of Rafa and almost took our club with him.

If you thought football under Rafa was dull, I've got one word to say to you "Istanbul".

I didn't want Kenny to come in because I was concerned for him but he's here and he's doing his best. He'll make some mistakes and if he doesn't make a success of it, it won't be for a lack of trying so let's get behind him and give him our support.

Kenny's the boss and he takes the flak but remember, it's Comolli's job to identify new talent, the owners to put up the money to buy them, the coaches to come up with tactics and formations and getting the team to play how they want and the players who have to go out and perform so it's not all Kenny's fault.

We all want success but it takes time, there's lots going on behind the scenes that we don't know about, let's get behind the manager, the coaches the players and show everbody that we are Liverpool FC and we will be back where we belong !

Good post, would be great if everyone looked at the bigger picture.

[devaney]

Rafa improved the team and won a couple of trophies in his first two of years, without spending top money.

He then had to put up with those two cowboys and was never able to compete financially again, they got rid of Rafa and almost took our club with him.

If you thought football under Rafa was dull, I've got one word to say to you "Istanbul".

I didn't want Kenny to come in because I was concerned for him but he's here and he's doing his best. He'll make some mistakes and if he doesn't make a success of it, it won't be for a lack of trying so let's get behind him and give him our support.

Kenny's the boss and he takes the flak but remember, it's Comolli's job to identify new talent, the owners to put up the money to buy them, the coaches to come up with tactics and formations and getting the team to play how they want and the players who have to go out and perform so it's not all Kenny's fault.

We all want success but it takes time, there's lots going on behind the scenes that we don't know about, let's get behind the manager, the coaches the players and show everbody that we are Liverpool FC and we will be back where we belong !

Good post, would be great if everyone looked at the bigger picture.

Excellent post even if I don't agree with your excuses for Rafa's failings under H & G. It was only towards the end of Rafa's tenure and their demise that transfer funds became really tight. I'm not defending them but they did fund the purchase of Torres who gave us his best years and a massive profit. Rafa's man management was his downfall.Just ask Alonso.

[Ola Mr Benitez]

Rafa improved the team and won a couple of trophies in his first two of years, without spending top money.

He then had to put up with those two cowboys and was never able to compete financially again, they got rid of Rafa and almost took our club with him.

If you thought football under Rafa was dull, I've got one word to say to you "Istanbul".

I didn't want Kenny to come in because I was concerned for him but he's here and he's doing his best. He'll make some mistakes and if he doesn't make a success of it, it won't be for a lack of trying so let's get behind him and give him our support.

Kenny's the boss and he takes the flak but remember, it's Comolli's job to identify new talent, the owners to put up the money to buy them, the coaches to come up with tactics and formations and getting the team to play how they want and the players who have to go out and perform so it's not all Kenny's fault.

We all want success but it takes time, there's lots going on behind the scenes that we don't know about, let's get behind the manager, the coaches the players and show everbody that we are Liverpool FC and we will be back where we belong !

Good post, would be great if everyone looked at the bigger picture.

Yep - I agree good post, However I know you mentioned Istanbul which was one of the best and most exciting games I can remember, but generally our football under rafa was quite boring. Pass and move did not exist under him, which is amazing when you think how his Valencia team played..

[andy_g]

pass and move certainly did exist at times, even though he was more inclined to play a pragmatic game. in those heady days we spent trashing real madrid and man united we were exhilarating

[red till i die!!]

pass and move certainly did exist at times, even though he was more inclined to play a pragmatic game. in those heady days we spent trashing real madrid and man united we were exhilarating

absolutely,we were unplayable in those games.
at that time i thought we had instilled a great platform on which to bring the club forward and reclaim that top spot in english football.
the sad part is we have nothing like that team now

[Basil]

Okay, it was a different type of game with Rafa but we were feared throughout Europe.

Also, if you look at the net spend, it was an average of £14M per season over 6 seasons. His spending peaked at £34M in H&G's first season of ownership and some of that was rumoured to have come from John Moores.

In H&G's 2nd and 3rd seasons, Rafa's total net spending was just £2.5M which was when Rafa took all the blame. Who was making all the decisions ? Rick Parry and then Purslow perhaps, on orders from H&G ?

We don't know the truth but Alonso was once Rafa's general, why would he want to sell hime ? Was it under orders to cash in on him ?

Enough of Rafa for now, we've now got good owners and a good structure in place with good people and hopefully success wil come in time.

[Basil]

What I mean to say was that the H&G ownership set us back a few years and we were lucky to come out the other side, a bit of a slump in form is nothing to what could have been.