Consequences of sacking Rafa?

[The_weatherman]

We would be taking about three steps backward, start from scratch again. The new manager would need amazing man-management skills IMO to keep the spanish contingent happy. Xabi, Torres, Pepe and Momo (I know he's not spanish) would probably take a look at their options IMO. He is organizing the club from the top and has his people in every position allmost, the tealady is probably spanish.

He has been planning for the future, got in Hamburg and lots of promising youngsters and is only starting to develop them. His team are playing in a certain style with a certain culture and have probably been punching above their weight a times and therefore leading to unrealistic expectations. Remember Valencia? They haven't been setting the world alight after sacking him. If we sack him we need to give the new manager three years to win the title, if that guy doesn't win it we get another one in with a similar timeframe.

Sacking Rafa would be suicide IMO

[Rashid]

I think you will find that most managers enjoy success in their first few years and then they either go onto become legends or reach the end as far as they can take the team. Rafa won early, Houllier won early, so did Mourinho, so did Wenger. The exception was Fergie but he only cracked it because we became so **** after Kenny left.

There are loads of examples of this, plus I think 4 years is long enough to see if a manager can challenge for the league, for that reason this is a crucial year for Rafa.

[AFII]

Football has changed a lot the last few years, you can't win the league anymore without spending a massive amount of money.

You must be able to compete to get the best players playing for you. Rafa has been able to do that in one window, not two or three, one.

Arsenal won't win the league this season. If Fabregas gets injured a month or two then Arsenal would struggle to win any games at all and that will probably happen because he plays week in week out.

[The_weatherman]

I think you will find that most managers enjoy success in their first few years and then they either go onto become legends or reach the end as far as they can take the team. Rafa won early, Houllier won early, so did Mourinho, so did Wenger. The exception was Fergie but he only cracked it because we became so **** after Kenny left.

There are loads of examples of this, plus I think 4 years is long enough to see if a manager can challenge for the league, for that reason this is a crucial year for Rafa.

I'm not sure I can agree, Man Utd. had a head start, Chelsea spent obscene amounts of money to catch up with Utd. then Utd. spent more money than us despite their headstart, very difficult environment and there is no guarantee anyone else could do better. The only major beef I have with Rafa, don't want him sacked for the next two seasons at least though, is that he doesn't play Crouch up top, don't get that one.

Fergie got time and we should give Rafa time as well, IMO he should get at least 6-7 seasons as we need some stability.

[The_weatherman]

Football has changed a lot the last few years, you can't win the league anymore without spending a massive amount of money.

You must be able to compete to get the best players playing for you. Rafa has been able to do that in one window, not two or three, one.

Arsenal won't win the league this season. If Fabregas gets injured a month or two then Arsenal would struggle to win any games at all and that will probably happen because he plays week in week out.

Give him two or three seasons under the Americans.

[Rashid]

Football has changed a lot the last few years, you can't win the league anymore without spending a massive amount of money.

You must be able to compete to get the best players playing for you. Rafa has been able to do that in one window, not two or three, one.

Arsenal won't win the league this season. If Fabregas gets injured a month or two then Arsenal would struggle to win any games at all and that will probably happen because he plays week in week out.

Rafa concentrates too much on lots of players over quality.

Put it this way, in the summer of 2006 he bought the following:

Daniel Agger Brøndby £5,800,000
Robbie Fowler FREE
David Martin £250,000
Craig Bellamy £6,000,000
Gabriel Paletta £2,000,000
Fábio Aurélio FREE
Jermaine Pennant £6,700,000
Dirk Kuyt £9,000,000
Nabil El Zhar £200,000

I add that up to be about £30M. Did he need to do that? It is debatable whether Bellamy, Paletta, Aurelio, and Kuyt even improved the team. I'd rather him have bought Agger and then one £20M player who would make a difference week in week out - someone like a Tevez or Quaresma.

[Rashid]

I'm not sure I can agree, Man Utd. had a head start, Chelsea spent obscene amounts of money to catch up with Utd. then Utd. spent more money than us despite their headstart, very difficult environment and there is no guarantee anyone else could do better. The only major beef I have with Rafa, don't want him sacked for the next two seasons at least though, is that he doesn't play Crouch up top, don't get that one.

Fergie got time and we should give Rafa time as well, IMO he should get at least 6-7 seasons as we need some stability.

You disagree that most managers win things early?

[AFII]

Rafa concentrates too much on lots of players over quality.

Put it this way, in the summer of 2006 he bought the following:

Daniel Agger Brøndby £5,800,000
Robbie Fowler FREE
David Martin £250,000
Craig Bellamy £6,000,000
Gabriel Paletta £2,000,000
Fábio Aurélio FREE
Jermaine Pennant £6,700,000
Dirk Kuyt £9,000,000
Nabil El Zhar £200,000

I add that up to be about £30M. Did he need to do that? It is debatable whether Bellamy, Paletta, Aurelio, and Kuyt even improved the team. I'd rather him have bought Agger and then one £20M player who would make a difference week in week out - someone like a Tevez or Quaresma.

You must buy yourself a good squad before you can start making only two, three signings a season. If Rafa would have done the way you suggest then we would be ****ed if that star player gets injured.

[Dalglish]

The main consequence is that we would join the ranks of Newcastle or Spurs.

[Joe Le Toff]

Its utterly daft to even contemplate sacking Rafa at this stage - if we're no closer to the top 2 at the end of the season and perish the thought even further behind then serious questions need to be asked.
Lets all just hope it doesnt come to that - i want Rafa here for 20 years.

[Dalglish]

Shankly's lucky the internet didnt exist when he started. By the standards of the epxerts on here he'd have been sacked withina year.

Bunch of ****ing ****s

[Rashid]

You must buy yourself a good squad before you can start making only two, three signings a season. If Rafa would have done the way you suggest then we would be ****ed if that star player gets injured.

I agree with that but first you must get a good team and start buying the back ups. Think back to Houllier's best team (even if he didn't know it himself).

Dudek
Finnan Carragher Hyypia Riise
Smicer Gerrard Hamann Kewell
Heskey Owen

We also had several squad players e.g. Murphy, Biscan etc.

No I can see a few weaknesses in that team but I honestly believe if we added a world class winger, Xabi Alonso, and a world class striker (Eto'o wnated to come here in 2004) - then we would be close and only spent about £40M.

Then we can go about looking for back ups.

[Rashid]

Shankly's lucky the internet didnt exist when he started. By the standards of the epxerts on here he'd have been sacked withina year.

Bunch of ****ing ****s

Shankly inherited a 2nd division team who were far from being the most successful team in British football history....

Rubbish analogy.

[bigfooty]

I don't think it is automatic that the Spanish lads would leave if Rafa went - for whatever reason. The managerial situation in Spain seems to be a lot more volatile than it is here, though that could be a false impression as I've not looked into it in detail. If his replacement was able to gel the team and get them playing well I doubt there would be a mass exodus.

[Red_hot]

The main consequence is that we would join the ranks of Newcastle or Spurs.

He hasn't even had as long as Ged and has steered us to CL success amongst other things. I can't believe people are even talking about sacking him when we aren't even half way through the season and haven't even lost a game. It beggars belief to be honest. I would hate us to become one of those teams, Spur/Newcastle etc that call for the managers head every friggin year and don't give them a chance to do **** all.