Liverpool FC Forum

NANNY RED wrote:

Rafa-Dodd wrote:Who he thinks that Rafa leaving would be a massive step backwards for Liverpool Football Club ?

His first 4 years here has been excellent and if you would of told me in 2004, he would get us to 2 Champions League finals - winning one, a F.A Cup win, and we would finish 11 points off the top and 9 points off the top I would of thought you were in dreamland.

If you look at the league in 2006/07 we finished 9 points off Chelsea, if we would of beat them home and away, we would of won the league. Same with United this season. I know we never put together a sustained league challenge but as Rafa says it all comes down to small details. Some will point out this is a fault of Rafa's  - " he should be winning them games, we always lose to United and Chelsea" etc. And I will once again point out that Chelsea and United have massively spent a lot more than Liverpool in the last 4 years. To the neutral they have better squads.

I then hear arguments about Rick Parry's comments about going for Rafa because he broke the monopoly of Barca and Real in Spain and he was brought he to do the same. Yes he was, valid point, I watched the same interview when Parry declared this on LFC.TV last night, but we need to give him the time to do this, Chelsea and United are better than anything Europe has to offer and the squads assembled at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge are grudgingly phenomenal. But in the manager stakes we are a LOT better off than United and certainly Chelsea.

I think S@int mentioned about Ferguson taking 7 years to win a title but was challenging in 2, was Ferguson also storming through Europe making United feared and respected? Was Ferguson going to the famous Nou Camp and beating Spains best on their own patch? Was Fergie sending out a team with the tactical set up to knock out European Heavyweights like Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan? Did Fergie lead his team to Champions League Winners podium after the greatest comeback the game has ever seen? No.

Rafa is already down as Legend status in my book and a lot of other reds, give him time and he will deliever the goods, he has proved what he has to offer and I want plently more of that.


I know some will point to the fact - "Liverpool shouldn't be happy fighting it out for 4th". Well I will admit I wasn't around when we were fighting it out for the league season in, season out? I wasn't there when "second is nothing".

I was there when we old heavyweight on the ropes - my first game - a 1- 0 loss to Sheffield United in 1993/94. I grew up watching the end of Souness's stint as manager. I seen us get rebuilt with our own golden generation in the Evans era and just not quite make it, I seen us win the treble in 99 under the guidance of Ged and old big nose, I seen the decline of us when the board backed Ged and he set up back 4 -5 years in 2 seasons of bad signings - the next Zidane?!?!, the Sengegal duo?!? And I seen  a quietly confident reserved man called Rafa Benitez installed as manager, I was there as he took this great club back were it belonged and I am still here watching a great man do an excellent job.

We've been spoilt over the past 4 years. I feel very previledged to have watched us develop over the last four years and I think we will get better and better with Rafa at the helm.

I was one of the awl ars.es who was around in the days when we won everything. But i totaly agree with your post lad 100%

Crackin post

Rafa-Dodd wrote:Who he thinks that Rafa leaving would be a massive step backwards for Liverpool Football Club ?

His first 4 years here has been excellent and if you would of told me in 2004, he would get us to 2 Champions League finals - winning one, a F.A Cup win, and we would finish 11 points off the top and 9 points off the top I would of thought you were in dreamland.

If you look at the league in 2006/07 we finished 9 points off Chelsea, if we would of beat them home and away, we would of won the league. Same with United this season. I know we never put together a sustained league challenge but as Rafa says it all comes down to small details. Some will point out this is a fault of Rafa's  - " he should be winning them games, we always lose to United and Chelsea" etc. And I will once again point out that Chelsea and United have massively spent a lot more than Liverpool in the last 4 years. To the neutral they have better squads.

I then hear arguments about Rick Parry's comments about going for Rafa because he broke the monopoly of Barca and Real in Spain and he was brought he to do the same. Yes he was, valid point, I watched the same interview when Parry declared this on LFC.TV last night, but we need to give him the time to do this, Chelsea and United are better than anything Europe has to offer and the squads assembled at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge are grudgingly phenomenal. But in the manager stakes we are a LOT better off than United and certainly Chelsea.

I think S@int mentioned about Ferguson taking 7 years to win a title but was challenging in 2, was Ferguson also storming through Europe making United feared and respected? Was Ferguson going to the famous Nou Camp and beating Spains best on their own patch? Was Fergie sending out a team with the tactical set up to knock out European Heavyweights like Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan? Did Fergie lead his team to Champions League Winners podium after the greatest comeback the game has ever seen? No.

Rafa is already down as Legend status in my book and a lot of other reds, give him time and he will deliever the goods, he has proved what he has to offer and I want plently more of that.


I know some will point to the fact - "Liverpool shouldn't be happy fighting it out for 4th". Well I will admit I wasn't around when we were fighting it out for the league season in, season out? I wasn't there when "second is nothing".

I was there when we old heavyweight on the ropes - my first game - a 1- 0 loss to Sheffield United in 1993/94. I grew up watching the end of Souness's stint as manager. I seen us get rebuilt with our own golden generation in the Evans era and just not quite make it, I seen us win the treble in 99 under the guidance of Ged and old big nose, I seen the decline of us when the board backed Ged and he set up back 4 -5 years in 2 seasons of bad signings - the next Zidane?!?!, the Sengegal duo?!? And I seen  a quietly confident reserved man called Rafa Benitez installed as manager, I was there as he took this great club back were it belonged and I am still here watching a great man do an excellent job.

We've been spoilt over the past 4 years. I feel very previledged to have watched us develop over the last four years and I think we will get better and better with Rafa at the helm.

What makes you think you can post this when there is a
very good slanging match going on?! 

Rafa-Dodd wrote:Who he thinks that Rafa leaving would be a massive step backwards for Liverpool Football Club ?

His first 4 years here has been excellent and if you would of told me in 2004, he would get us to 2 Champions League finals - winning one, a F.A Cup win, and we would finish 11 points off the top and 9 points off the top I would of thought you were in dreamland.

If you look at the league in 2006/07 we finished 9 points off Chelsea, if we would of beat them home and away, we would of won the league. Same with United this season. I know we never put together a sustained league challenge but as Rafa says it all comes down to small details. Some will point out this is a fault of Rafa's  - " he should be winning them games, we always lose to United and Chelsea" etc. And I will once again point out that Chelsea and United have massively spent a lot more than Liverpool in the last 4 years. To the neutral they have better squads.

I then hear arguments about Rick Parry's comments about going for Rafa because he broke the monopoly of Barca and Real in Spain and he was brought he to do the same. Yes he was, valid point, I watched the same interview when Parry declared this on LFC.TV last night, but we need to give him the time to do this, Chelsea and United are better than anything Europe has to offer and the squads assembled at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge are grudgingly phenomenal. But in the manager stakes we are a LOT better off than United and certainly Chelsea.

I think S@int mentioned about Ferguson taking 7 years to win a title but was challenging in 2, was Ferguson also storming through Europe making United feared and respected? Was Ferguson going to the famous Nou Camp and beating Spains best on their own patch? Was Fergie sending out a team with the tactical set up to knock out European Heavyweights like Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan? Did Fergie lead his team to Champions League Winners podium after the greatest comeback the game has ever seen? No.

Rafa is already down as Legend status in my book and a lot of other reds, give him time and he will deliever the goods, he has proved what he has to offer and I want plently more of that.


I know some will point to the fact - "Liverpool shouldn't be happy fighting it out for 4th". Well I will admit I wasn't around when we were fighting it out for the league season in, season out? I wasn't there when "second is nothing".

I was there when we old heavyweight on the ropes - my first game - a 1- 0 loss to Sheffield United in 1993/94. I grew up watching the end of Souness's stint as manager. I seen us get rebuilt with our own golden generation in the Evans era and just not quite make it, I seen us win the treble in 99 under the guidance of Ged and old big nose, I seen the decline of us when the board backed Ged and he set up back 4 -5 years in 2 seasons of bad signings - the next Zidane?!?!, the Sengegal duo?!? And I seen  a quietly confident reserved man called Rafa Benitez installed as manager, I was there as he took this great club back were it belonged and I am still here watching a great man do an excellent job.

We've been spoilt over the past 4 years. I feel very previledged to have watched us develop over the last four years and I think we will get better and better with Rafa at the helm.

Judge wrote:

redbeergoggles wrote:at MY once glorious club

like MY illustrious club

isnt illustrious similar to glorius when talking about liverpool

which is it mate? you cant seem to make up your mind!


btw, liverpool is both glorious and illustrious, and is blasphemus to say otherwise.

-----------------------------------------
also, by refering to MY, its not your club you dont own it

Rafa-Dodd wrote:Who he thinks that Rafa leaving would be a massive step backwards for Liverpool Football Club ?

His first 4 years here has been excellent and if you would of told me in 2004, he would get us to 2 Champions League finals - winning one, a F.A Cup win, and we would finish 11 points off the top and 9 points off the top I would of thought you were in dreamland.

If you look at the league in 2006/07 we finished 9 points off Chelsea, if we would of beat them home and away, we would of won the league. Same with United this season. I know we never put together a sustained league challenge but as Rafa says it all comes down to small details. Some will point out this is a fault of Rafa's  - " he should be winning them games, we always lose to United and Chelsea" etc. And I will once again point out that Chelsea and United have massively spent a lot more than Liverpool in the last 4 years. To the neutral they have better squads.

I then hear arguments about Rick Parry's comments about going for Rafa because he broke the monopoly of Barca and Real in Spain and he was brought he to do the same. Yes he was, valid point, I watched the same interview when Parry declared this on LFC.TV last night, but we need to give him the time to do this, Chelsea and United are better than anything Europe has to offer and the squads assembled at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge are grudgingly phenomenal. But in the manager stakes we are a LOT better off than United and certainly Chelsea.

I think S@int mentioned about Ferguson taking 7 years to win a title but was challenging in 2, was Ferguson also storming through Europe making United feared and respected? Was Ferguson going to the famous Nou Camp and beating Spains best on their own patch? Was Fergie sending out a team with the tactical set up to knock out European Heavyweights like Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan? Did Fergie lead his team to Champions League Winners podium after the greatest comeback the game has ever seen? No.

Rafa is already down as Legend status in my book and a lot of other reds, give him time and he will deliever the goods, he has proved what he has to offer and I want plently more of that.


I know some will point to the fact - "Liverpool shouldn't be happy fighting it out for 4th". Well I will admit I wasn't around when we were fighting it out for the league season in, season out? I wasn't there when "second is nothing".

I was there when we old heavyweight on the ropes - my first game - a 1- 0 loss to Sheffield United in 1993/94. I grew up watching the end of Souness's stint as manager. I seen us get rebuilt with our own golden generation in the Evans era and just not quite make it, I seen us win the treble in 99 under the guidance of Ged and old big nose, I seen the decline of us when the board backed Ged and he set up back 4 -5 years in 2 seasons of bad signings - the next Zidane?!?!, the Sengegal duo?!? And I seen  a quietly confident reserved man called Rafa Benitez installed as manager, I was there as he took this great club back were it belonged and I am still here watching a great man do an excellent job.

We've been spoilt over the past 4 years. I feel very previledged to have watched us develop over the last four years and I think we will get better and better with Rafa at the helm.

redbeergoggles wrote:

Judge wrote:

redbeergoggles wrote:at MY once glorious club

like MY illustrious club

isnt illustrious similar to glorius when talking about liverpool

which is it mate? you cant seem to make up your mind!


btw, liverpool is both glorious and illustrious, and is blasphemus to say otherwise.

-----------------------------------------
also, by refering to MY, its not your club you dont own it

I think the two are synonymous with each other both represent superlatives often lavished on our great club .
I think after attending games for 36 years man and boy I am entitled to call the club mine and show no remorse or trepidation in doing so fella .

If the club is yours get the stadium built 

SupitsJonF wrote:

redbeergoggles wrote:

Judge wrote:

redbeergoggles wrote:at MY once glorious club

like MY illustrious club

isnt illustrious similar to glorius when talking about liverpool

which is it mate? you cant seem to make up your mind!


btw, liverpool is both glorious and illustrious, and is blasphemus to say otherwise.

-----------------------------------------
also, by refering to MY, its not your club you dont own it

I think the two are synonymous with each other both represent superlatives often lavished on our great club .
I think after attending games for 36 years man and boy I am entitled to call the club mine and show no remorse or trepidation in doing so fella .

If the club is yours get the stadium built 

Well done 

Rafa-Dodd wrote:Who he thinks that Rafa leaving would be a massive step backwards for Liverpool Football Club ?

His first 4 years here has been excellent and if you would of told me in 2004, he would get us to 2 Champions League finals - winning one, a F.A Cup win, and we would finish 11 points off the top and 9 points off the top I would of thought you were in dreamland.

If you look at the league in 2006/07 we finished 9 points off Chelsea, if we would of beat them home and away, we would of won the league. Same with United this season. I know we never put together a sustained league challenge but as Rafa says it all comes down to small details. Some will point out this is a fault of Rafa's  - " he should be winning them games, we always lose to United and Chelsea" etc. And I will once again point out that Chelsea and United have massively spent a lot more than Liverpool in the last 4 years. To the neutral they have better squads.

I then hear arguments about Rick Parry's comments about going for Rafa because he broke the monopoly of Barca and Real in Spain and he was brought he to do the same. Yes he was, valid point, I watched the same interview when Parry declared this on LFC.TV last night, but we need to give him the time to do this, Chelsea and United are better than anything Europe has to offer and the squads assembled at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge are grudgingly phenomenal. But in the manager stakes we are a LOT better off than United and certainly Chelsea.

I think S@int mentioned about Ferguson taking 7 years to win a title but was challenging in 2, was Ferguson also storming through Europe making United feared and respected? Was Ferguson going to the famous Nou Camp and beating Spains best on their own patch? Was Fergie sending out a team with the tactical set up to knock out European Heavyweights like Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan? Did Fergie lead his team to Champions League Winners podium after the greatest comeback the game has ever seen? No.

Rafa is already down as Legend status in my book and a lot of other reds, give him time and he will deliever the goods, he has proved what he has to offer and I want plently more of that.


I know some will point to the fact - "Liverpool shouldn't be happy fighting it out for 4th". Well I will admit I wasn't around when we were fighting it out for the league season in, season out? I wasn't there when "second is nothing".

I was there when we old heavyweight on the ropes - my first game - a 1- 0 loss to Sheffield United in 1993/94. I grew up watching the end of Souness's stint as manager. I seen us get rebuilt with our own golden generation in the Evans era and just not quite make it, I seen us win the treble in 99 under the guidance of Ged and old big nose, I seen the decline of us when the board backed Ged and he set up back 4 -5 years in 2 seasons of bad signings - the next Zidane?!?!, the Sengegal duo?!? And I seen  a quietly confident reserved man called Rafa Benitez installed as manager, I was there as he took this great club back were it belonged and I am still here watching a great man do an excellent job.

We've been spoilt over the past 4 years. I feel very previledged to have watched us develop over the last four years and I think we will get better and better with Rafa at the helm.

Bad Bob wrote:In the face of that evidence I'll admit that it's harder than ever to disagree with those who suggest that Rafa perhaps overcooks the rotation a tad early in the season (still not saying it's the root of all of our problems, though ).  I think Rafa might well be looking at those numbers himself this summer and maybe we'll see a different approach from him come August.  Some call him stubborn but recall that he changed his cherished training regime last summer in order to make the players fresher for the start of the season so I do think he has the capacity to make adjustments when things aren't going to plan.  In any event, it shall be interesting.

Well it's to be hoped there is indeed something in the anti-rotationists stance Bob because if he keeps a settled team and we're STILL out of it before Christmas, then we are fecked  Particularly when you consider that the financial status quo will remain as is for the forseeable, it would be hard to envisage us ever winning the league again.

Thankfully though, I don't think it'll come to that (where's that fingers crossed smiley when you need it?). I think he'll pick a much more settled team, and we'll get much much closer. There is always the possibility that we will eventually finish a little way off at the very end (not a cop-out before you all jump down my throat, I've already said IMHo we have NO CHANCE of winning the league next season) but I am absolutely convinced that we will be right in the mix at the business end of the season. From there we can hopefully build our "base camp" and really pres on the season after.

Contrary to what the thought police would have you believe, If Rafa takes us down that road (which he is more than capable of doing IMHO) then nobody would be happier than me. If though we change the team 75 times in the first fifteen games again next season, not only will we not go down that road, we won't even find it on the map.

Rafa-Dodd wrote:Who he thinks that Rafa leaving would be a massive step backwards for Liverpool Football Club ?

His first 4 years here has been excellent and if you would of told me in 2004, he would get us to 2 Champions League finals - winning one, a F.A Cup win, and we would finish 11 points off the top and 9 points off the top I would of thought you were in dreamland.

If you look at the league in 2006/07 we finished 9 points off Chelsea, if we would of beat them home and away, we would of won the league. Same with United this season. I know we never put together a sustained league challenge but as Rafa says it all comes down to small details. Some will point out this is a fault of Rafa's  - " he should be winning them games, we always lose to United and Chelsea" etc. And I will once again point out that Chelsea and United have massively spent a lot more than Liverpool in the last 4 years. To the neutral they have better squads.

I then hear arguments about Rick Parry's comments about going for Rafa because he broke the monopoly of Barca and Real in Spain and he was brought he to do the same. Yes he was, valid point, I watched the same interview when Parry declared this on LFC.TV last night, but we need to give him the time to do this, Chelsea and United are better than anything Europe has to offer and the squads assembled at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge are grudgingly phenomenal. But in the manager stakes we are a LOT better off than United and certainly Chelsea.

I think S@int mentioned about Ferguson taking 7 years to win a title but was challenging in 2, was Ferguson also storming through Europe making United feared and respected? Was Ferguson going to the famous Nou Camp and beating Spains best on their own patch? Was Fergie sending out a team with the tactical set up to knock out European Heavyweights like Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan? Did Fergie lead his team to Champions League Winners podium after the greatest comeback the game has ever seen? No.

Rafa is already down as Legend status in my book and a lot of other reds, give him time and he will deliever the goods, he has proved what he has to offer and I want plently more of that.


I know some will point to the fact - "Liverpool shouldn't be happy fighting it out for 4th". Well I will admit I wasn't around when we were fighting it out for the league season in, season out? I wasn't there when "second is nothing".

I was there when we old heavyweight on the ropes - my first game - a 1- 0 loss to Sheffield United in 1993/94. I grew up watching the end of Souness's stint as manager. I seen us get rebuilt with our own golden generation in the Evans era and just not quite make it, I seen us win the treble in 99 under the guidance of Ged and old big nose, I seen the decline of us when the board backed Ged and he set up back 4 -5 years in 2 seasons of bad signings - the next Zidane?!?!, the Sengegal duo?!? And I seen  a quietly confident reserved man called Rafa Benitez installed as manager, I was there as he took this great club back were it belonged and I am still here watching a great man do an excellent job.

We've been spoilt over the past 4 years. I feel very previledged to have watched us develop over the last four years and I think we will get better and better with Rafa at the helm.

Bad Bob wrote:I guess the interesting question is the one Big Mick keeps asking: has our success since the Barnsley debacle this season convinced Rafa that picking a more settled side/formation is the key to success? In keeping with your stats, I've had a look at that post-Barnsley run and found that we went 10-2-1 in the league in that period.  Of the two draws, one was a credible result against Arsenal away while the other was a very disappointing draw at Birmingham (we all know where the loss happened).  So, we were still susceptible to the occasional banana skin against relegation fodder but, by and large, our form was very good post-Barnsley.  In fact, it was the kind of form that would see us challenge for the title if sustained over the entire season.

In the face of that evidence I'll admit that it's harder than ever to disagree with those who suggest that Rafa perhaps overcooks the rotation a tad early in the season (still not saying it's the root of all of our problems, though ).  I think Rafa might well be looking at those numbers himself this summer and maybe we'll see a different approach from him come August.  Some call him stubborn but recall that he changed his cherished training regime last summer in order to make the players fresher for the start of the season so I do think he has the capacity to make adjustments when things aren't going to plan.  In any event, it shall be interesting.

No guesses where I stand on that Bob!

I live in hope that we field a more stable side from match to match next season. Only time will tell if we will under Rafa's tutelage..... But the maximum amount of time I'd give him is one more season. If the same philosophy is employed again with I suspect, similar predictable outcomes..... it'll then be time for a parting of the ways.... regardless of wrench, spanner, screwdriver or hammer.