Name A Replacement For Rafa!

[Sheik Yerbouti]

You know what I mean and are just being pedantic. Yes, he's succesful. He's also a **** and to me it would be like stabbing Rafa in the back, getting rid and bringing him in. That's why I can't understand people saying they would like him as the manager.

I wasn't being pedantic at all RH.

Is it because he's not 'The Liverpool Way'?

Who would you get whose 'available' at the moment RH? Granted there may be other candidates come the summer which is the time that Rafa's position should be reviewed but we can only talk about the here and now.

Or would you keep Rafa regardless?

[Skillz]

You know what I mean and are just being pedantic. Yes, he's succesful. He's also a **** and to me it would be like stabbing Rafa in the back, getting rid and bringing him in. That's why I can't understand people saying they would like him as the manager.

YNWA

[Red_hot]

I wasn't being pedantic at all RH.

Is it because he's not 'The Liverpool Way'?

Who would you get whose 'available' at the moment RH? Granted there may be other candidates come the summer which is the time that Rafa's position should be reviewed but we can only talk about the here and now.

Or would you keep Rafa regardless?

I think he deserves another season at least. That's what we gave Houllier. With the backing of the owners, some money to buy the players we need and the support of the fans I think anything is possible under his charge. I honestly don't see who we could bring in who would do any better than he has. It's easy to say Jose but at the end of the day, he was a manager at a club who had the money to buy the absolute best players available. Rafa hasn't had that and we've still won a CL and FA Cup trophy under him. If Jose had come to Liverpool and not Chelsea then things may have been totally different for him.

[Slinky Skills]

I'm not saying I want Rafa out here but the only person I'd want is Wenger. He's got to be the one of the best managers in the world. Don't think I'd want anyone else tbh.

[alunevans]

I think he deserves another season at least. That's what we gave Houllier. With the backing of the owners, some money to buy the players we need and the support of the fans I think anything is possible under his charge. I honestly don't see who we could bring in who would do any better than he has. It's easy to say Jose but at the end of the day, he was a manager at a club who had the money to buy the absolute best players available. Rafa hasn't had that and we've still won a CL and FA Cup trophy under him. If Jose had come to Liverpool and not Chelsea then things may have been totally different for him.

The problem with saying that we should give him another season because Ged got one is that giving Ged another season was actually a monumentally sentimental mistake. Ged should have gone much sooner in my view.

I don't think Rafa and Ged are in the same category mind you, but I think if Rafa gets another season he's going to have to earn it by turning around this mess on the pitch, not get it just cos Ged got it.

For me, cups apart, the only judge of a team is league position. We've never been in the top 2 under Rafa and if he finishes outside of the top 4 then for me its an automatic sacking.

I think there would also be very valid questions raised if we end up with barely any distance between us and teams like Everton who have spent very little compared to us.

I personally have huge doubts about Rafa much as I love him too. I think he's done one part of his job brilliantly, and the other part not very well at all. If I thought he'd change at the part I have misgivings over then I'd feel happier. But too often we win despite him, and we've lost key points this season as a result of his decisions in my view too.

If we'd have won those points we'd have clear blue water between us and those chasing 4th and we'd also be breathing down Chelsea's necks.

[StevieG08]

But my point is that clearly we had the money and were willing to add one defender to the squad as we bought in Skrtel. Either G&H are interfering with the football side of things by deciding where Rafa is wanting to play Kaladze or we had a bad communication issue which may or may not have been sorted. If it was there it cost us in the transfer market.



I'm not sure you can disentangle the many parts of what has been making us not great.

I think that the fact we have failed to improved despite obvious strengthening would if anything lend evidence to the argument that uncertainty around the club does have an effect. It doesn't matter whether it is the most significant factor it is one that is within our control (in terms of people at the club) and so we should make it right.

Ultimately we will never know what the root cause of the problems are. There are undoubtedly a number of factors at play. What we can say is that even teams like United who have a strong willing mentality and a record of PL success had problems when it looked like Fergie was off.

It may not be the cause of our problems but it certainly makes it harder to rectify them IMO.

Fair enough mate, our views differ somewhat but at least you debate the point in a well thought out manner without resorting to abuse and there's less and less of that type of poster on this forum of late

I do feel however for us as a club to move on we need to stop finding excuses for why we fail to improve. After 3 1/2 years in charge i really feel Rafa should of created a settled team formation, UTD/Arsenal etc all seem to play a settled formation, not always the same players but the formation rarely changes. I don't care what that formation is but to keep changing it from one week to the next makes no sense to me and can't put players at ease either. I feel this, along with the over use of rotation is why we constantly look like a team of 'strangers' when we play.

[StevieG08]

The problem with saying that we should give him another season because Ged got one is that giving Ged another season was actually a monumentally sentimental mistake. Ged should have gone much sooner in my view.

I don't think Rafa and Ged are in the same category mind you, but I think if Rafa gets another season he's going to have to earn it by turning around this mess on the pitch, not get it just cos Ged got it.

For me, cups apart, the only judge of a team is league position. We've never been in the top 2 under Rafa and if he finishes outside of the top 4 then for me its an automatic sacking.

I think there would also be very valid questions raised if we end up with barely any distance between us and teams like Everton who have spent very little compared to us.

I personally have huge doubts about Rafa much as I love him too. I think he's done one part of his job brilliantly, and the other part not very well at all. If I thought he'd change at the part I have misgivings over then I'd feel happier. But too often we win despite him, and we've lost key points this season as a result of his decisions in my view too.

If we'd have won those points we'd have clear blue water between us and those chasing 4th and we'd also be breathing down Chelsea's necks.

I can't find a single thing i disagree within your post, we can't live on sentiment as the modern game doesn't allow for it, sad as that may be for us older fans.

[tomasjj]

NO!

[Whelan5]

Firstly i don't want Rafa to be sacked and think it would be a mistake but if he had to go i would look at Frank Rijkard (sp). He's supposed to be on his way out this summer from Barca. His teams play fantastic, winning football and you'd imagine his appointment would also mean the Spanish players would be happier, the last thing we need is say an Italian coming in and 2 -3 years of him building a squad of Italians.

[bigfooty]

Why would the Spanish players be happy with a non-Spanish manager who threw away the Spanish league title last year and doesn't look like he's going to really challenge for it this year?

[scouse lad]

Anyone?

Successful at club level, European experience, can handle big names, tactically aware. Highly rated.

[Zapater]

Not so happy about this considering that Rafa is my ideal manager bar some of his subs and his willingness to play Kuyt all the time. Also I'd like him here for some longer. Although hypothetically if I were to name a replacement some people I'd have in mind these would be them.

At the end of last season Bernd Schuster, I know it's easy to say now but after to what he did at Getafe and continued Quique Sanchez Flores' good work it was easy to see that he had the capacity and ability to coach a big team now we're seeing how much of an asset he is to Madrid.

Juande Ramos, I don't usually like coaches that like to play attacking football but he seems an ideal manager for any EPL team. Spurs are improving a lot under him just their basic passing game and stuff, but as with Schuster that's last season.

Okay, last season out of the way going into current and probably just as unlikely possibilities.

Unai Emery, you guys will probably be like wtf. Currently managing Almería. He's pretty similar to Ramos, he loves attacking football and getting men forward as well as counter attacking. He doesn't have any big team experience but could be a risk worth taking.

Ernesto Valverde would be the manager I'd want the most. He's shown how good he is at Espanyol. At home they play lovely fluent attacking football and away they play deadly counter attacking stuff. He surely knows how to get a solid defence and a flowing attack. Good rotations too. Espanyol always play organised football so out of realism and quality of manager Valverde would be my favourite choice if Rafa was to go.

There's a number of Italian managers I'd want but they don't seem to be too keen on managing abroad in general so I won't go into any depth about them. Although! Luciano Spalletti [!] would interest me. Luigi Del Neri maybe too.

If you can catch a trend, a manager that likes to counter away, attack at home and like to play a 4-2-3-1 is my preffered manager.

But **** them, Rafa's going nowhere.

[Red Chilli]

I'm not saying I want Rafa out here but the only person I'd want is Wenger. He's got to be the one of the best managers in the world. Don't think I'd want anyone else tbh.

Me too, it's a completely open and shut case.
The man builds successful teams who play the beautiful game (the way we used to play it) and he spends **** all money.

[Marky]

Anyone?

Successful at club level, European experience, can handle big names, tactically aware. Highly rated.

[paulcooper4]

No. I know Jose is a successful manager but I wouldn't want him at Liverpool and can't understand anyone that would.

You know what I mean and are just being pedantic. Yes, he's succesful. He's also a **** and to me it would be like stabbing Rafa in the back, getting rid and bringing him in. That's why I can't understand people saying they would like him as the manager.

I think he deserves another season at least. That's what we gave Houllier. With the backing of the owners, some money to buy the players we need and the support of the fans I think anything is possible under his charge. I honestly don't see who we could bring in who would do any better than he has. It's easy to say Jose but at the end of the day, he was a manager at a club who had the money to buy the absolute best players available. Rafa hasn't had that and we've still won a CL and FA Cup trophy under him. If Jose had come to Liverpool and not Chelsea then things may have been totally different for him.

well said

I believe we should give Rafa until the end of next season. If we are showing no signs of getting rid of the inconsistency or the lack of belief against the other big boys when we play them then yes, get rid. But I wouldnt even consider mourinho. I cant stand him or his football and I dont believe for one second he could win the league unless he had a lot more resources than his rivals.

I hope, and genuinely believe, that Rafa will get it right though so we dont have to worry about who comes in next. Maybe a kid or 2 might break through in the next year and take the place by storm anyway