Porto and Marseille...

[Le Chacal]

me thinks you forget that before Rafa we weren't even guaranteed CL football at all in any form

As long as I didnt like Houiller, he brought us in CL in 01, 02 and 04.
Rafa finished 5th in his first season.

[Craig_H]

I think if I were in G+H's shoes, looking at a team which reached the CL final twice in the last three seasons and then had £40+ mill spend reinforcing that team...you'd figure you're on fairly safe ground assuming progress out of the group stages.

Well yes, absolutely. And they'd be right in making such an assumption.

However, no business person should EVER go without some kind of contingency plans and regardless of how unlikely failure might seem, you have to acknowledge ALL possibilities.

[Morph]

As long as I didnt like Houiller, he brought us in CL in 01, 02 and 04.
Rafa finished 5th in his first season.

aye his first season which is maybe excusable, small matter of a CL trophy and 2 euro finals in 3 years, if think we're going to give him the boot just because of failing to make the latter stages of the CL one season then you're being a bit shortsighted

[Pacman]

Keep your insults for your mate my friend...
Yes we are LFC and any manager who wouldnt qualify for the CL 2nd phase would be in danger.
Only football ignorants like you fail to understand that.

Mmmm I seem to think Houllier kept his job.

Wenger and Fergie both have been knocked out at the group stage I don't see them in the doll que. How would sacking the manager improve things? They would have to pay him off, buy the new manager the players he wants, ship out players who want to leave because the manager has gone all because for the first time in 4 years he has failed to qualify from the group stages of the CL? Not with standing the fact that he has been the 1st manager in the clubs recent history to take us to 2 CL finals in 3 years.

You have an agenda against Rafa and that's your Prerogative but sacking managers is not the the Liverpool way we are not Real Madrid and we don't sack managers purely because he hasn't qualified for the last 16 of the group stages once in 4 years.

[Pacman]

Well yes, absolutely. And they'd be right in making such an assumption.

However, no business person should EVER go without some kind of contingency plans and regardless of how unlikely failure might seem, you have to acknowledge ALL possibilities.

Totally agree

[Morph]

You have an agenda against Rafa and that's your Prerogative but sacking managers is not the the Liverpool way we are not Real Madrid and we don't sack managers purely because he hasn't qualified for the last 16 of the group stages once in 4 years.

that explains a few things

[Craig_H]

Mmmm I seem to think Houllier kept his job.

Wenger and Fergie both have been knocked out at the group stage I don't see them in the doll que. How would sacking the manager improve things? They would have to pay him off, buy the new manager the players he wants, ship out players who want to leave because the manager has gone all because for the first time in 4 years he has failed to qualify from the group stages of the CL? Not with standing the fact that he has been the 1st manager in the clubs recent history to take us to 2 CL finals in 3 years.

You have an agenda against Rafa and that's your Prerogative but sacking managers is not the the Liverpool way we are not Real Madrid and we don't sack managers purely because he hasn't qualified for the last 16 of the group stages once in 4 years.

To be fair though, the Premier League titles they've won had rightly earnt them a bit of leeway.

[Pacman]

aye his first season which is maybe excusable, small matter of a CL trophy and 2 euro finals in 3 years, if think we're going to give him the boot just because of failing to make the latter stages of the CL one season then you're being a bit shortsighted

Again totally agree

[Le Chacal]

aye his first season which is maybe excusable, small matter of a CL trophy and 2 euro finals in 3 years, if think we're going to give him the boot just because of failing to make the latter stages of the CL one season then you're being a bit shortsighted

I didnt say that, read my post carefully.
I said his position will be in danger, not sacked.
He will be sacked at the end of the season if he fails to qualify in CL and then dont get a 2nd spot in the league.
Or maybe he will quit himself Id say.

[Craig_H]

I didnt say that, read my post carefully.
I said his position will be in danger, not sacked.
He will be sacked at the end of the season if he fails to qualify in CL and then dont get a 2nd spot in the league.
Or maybe he will quit himself Id say.

I dont think he will be sacked because of that.

[Pacman]

To be fair though, the Premier League titles they've won had rightly earnt them a bit of leeway.

Point taken however I think the suggestion is still absurd

[El Jefecito]

Rightly or wrongly, i dont think the possibility of going out of the CL in the group stage would've even been considered at the start of the season.

No way DJ. Budgets would have been prepared for all scenarios, they would have to have been especially comprehensive with thier business plan this year as it will be the basis for securing their loans.

Believe me JP Morgan will not lend 1/2bn dollars if something as trivial as an entire source of revenue disappearing has not been accounted for.

[Craig_H]

Point taken however I think the suggestion is still absurd

I totally agree that it's absurd to suggest sacking Rafa for failing to get us out of the group.

[Craig_H]

No way DJ. Budgets would have been prepared for all scenarios, they would have to have been especially comprehensive with thier business plan this year as it will be the basis for securing their loans.

Believe me JP Morgan will not lend 1/2bn dollars if something as trivial as an entire source of revenue disappearing has not been accounted for.

Well you'd think so, but if that's the case, why is there this problem now of not freeing up budget details?

I cant think of any other reason, apart from them waiting to see what income will be due before they commit to the amount of outlay.

[Morph]

I didnt say that, read my post carefully.
I said his position will be in danger, not sacked.
He will be sacked at the end of the season if he fails to qualify in CL and then dont get a 2nd spot in the league.
Or maybe he will quit himself Id say.

what if he finishes 3rd then? he'll get sacked? don't talk cobblers