Rafa - I'm here to stay

[El Jefecito]

Houllier finished 4th in his last season.... it was Rafa who finished 5th... A YEAR LATER.. but I guess now we are not allowed to use Rafa's first season... shall we scratch out the CL win too?

Houiller + Owen achieved 4th! Different scratch squad that Rafa inherited. Duh!

[nbryan1764]

so many like comparisons...so in the glory season of 77 when our beloved reds conquered England and Europe we amassed 57 points in 42 games. If we changed it to 3 points for a win and averaged it over 38 games then we would have had 72 points. That team was good enough to win the league and the european cup.

Fast forward 31 years. Rafa Benitez has amassed 58 points, 82, 68, and now on target for approx 70. So, one season he obliterated this haul, 2 seasons he is close to it (and maybe will surpass it this season yet), and one season (his first) well outside it. What does this tell you? Sweet FA really but when you are trying ridiculously to compare past and present to prove your point then please take this into consideration. Is he worse than Houllier or almost as good as Paisley? Its all bollocks isnt it

[pezzzer]

Houllier finished 4th in his last season.... it was Rafa who finished 5th... A YEAR LATER.. but I guess now we are not allowed to use Rafa's first season... shall we scratch out the CL win too?

we finished 30 points of the top mate

with a decent run now we could finish maybe 8-10 points off the top plus a possible no.6 in the bag, its a much harder league what with all the other clubs with filthy rich owners.

but of course some people would rather trash talk our chances and look at the black side of every situation

[El Jefecito]

so many like comparisons...so in the glory season of 77 when our beloved reds conquered England and Europe we amassed 57 points in 42 games. If we changed it to 3 points for a win and averaged it over 38 games then we would have had 72 points. That team was good enough to win the league and the european cup.

Fast forward 31 years. Rafa Benitez has amassed 58 points, 82, 68, and now on target for approx 70. So, one season he obliterated this haul, 2 seasons he is close to it (and maybe will surpass it this season yet), and one season (his first) well outside it. What does this tell you? Sweet FA really but when you are trying ridiculously to compare past and present to prove your point then please take this into consideration. Is he worse than Houllier or almost as good as Paisley? Its all bollocks isnt it

Good post.

Will fall on deaf ears though. As I say Rafa and facts are not bed fellows.

[El Jefecito]

we finished 30 points of the top mate

with a decent run now we could finish maybe 8-10 points off the top plus a possible no.6 in the bag, its a much harder league what with all the other clubs with filthy rich owners.

but of course some people would rather trash talk our chances and look at the black side of every situation

Either put him out of his misery or get him on a prozac intravenus drip

[AFII]

Houllier finished 4th in his last season.... it was Rafa who finished 5th... A YEAR LATER.. but I guess now we are not allowed to use Rafa's first season... shall we scratch out the CL win too?

This is the players that was good enough when Rafa took over after Houllier, I don't count Owen because Rafa had to sell him.

Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia and Gerrard.

Four players. He had around £16m net to spend and a lot of more or less unsaleable players that we had to loan out and still pay a part of their wages.

At the same time Man U and Chelsea was many miles ahead of us and Arsenal had built up their squad and system for many years.

Fourth was the absolute best anyone with a realistic view could ask from him.

He added Garcia and Alonso as the quality players the first season and then some squad players to cope with a long season. You really can't ask for anything more than that.

I give Rafa five out of five for his 2004-05 season because of our CL win.

Now to the 2005-06 season.

He still had the problem with some unsaleable players and around £16m net to spend on players.

He now added Reina and in January Agger as the quality signings and sold Baros for £6.5m as the big sale.

We finished third in the league on 82 points, one point behind Man U. Won the FA Cup and got knocked out in the last 16 in the CL.

I give Rafa 4.5 out of five for that season.

Now to the 2006-07 season.

He still had some more or less unsaleable players left that he had to sell on the cheap and around £16m net to spend.

Kuyt, Pennant and Bellamy was the main signings. Morientes, Pongolle, Kirkland, and Traore was sold on the cheap.

We finished third in the league and got to the final in the CL.

I give Rafa 4.5 out of five for the 2006-07 season.

We will have to wait and see what results we will get this season.

During this time Rafa have also changed the Academy from being rubbish to probably the best in the country.

So Rafa's results has been fantastic so far if you look at the overall picture.

[Vermilion]

That's cool the team that was dubbed "scratch" actually achieved the 4th he is desperately hoping to achieve this season.

That's 'WE' 'are Desperately hoping to achieve', NOT HE. You have a blind spot on Rafa, he's OUR manager, he's not out there on his own like some piece of crap to be derided, with an it's... HIM when we lose....US when we win attitude.

Fan's like you would have seen Ferguscum sacked before all he achieved there. That took 7 years to get going for gods sake. Wake up out of your anti Rafa stupour

[Craig_H]

It's evident Rafa with the required backing will win us the league ultimately.

How is it evident?

[Craig_H]

err,none

but we got 6 in the last 2 games though and the last time i looked the league wasnt over yet.

do you think that any of the off the pitch issues has had any affect on the pitch DJS?

They might've curtailed a title challenge.

That squad should be finishing comfortably 4th with their eyes closed though.

[Craig_H]

He can get the best out of it.

You seem to be impressed by the squad he's put together yet refuse to give him a semblance of credit for it.

He has failings and he has strengths, like all managers. I believe given the time to see out the job (he is barely halfway through the 'project') - as Wenger was when they came a distant 4th, twice - then he'll win the league. Some Arsenal fans were calling for his head last year yet they've defied all internet messageboard logic by leaping from stragglers in 4th place to mounting a proper title challenge.

There is absolutely no reason why Benitez can't do that with us.

It is a cast-iron fact that without Rafa we'd have no Torres, no Reina, no Mascherano and no Alonso. He is slowly but surely putting together a top class squad and he should be afforded patience and time to see it out. This short-termist kneerjerking will get us nowhere. Back to square one with a new manager. No thanks. Rome wasn't built in a day.

The reason rafa cant/wont is that obsessive rotation with players, systems and positions wont win you the title. Resting players for the CL over the PL wont win you the title. Rafa has indeed built a good basis here, but he doesnt use it properly and continues failing to do so.

As for wenger - he'd won the title (and double) in his first full season, so that earns you a bit of time. Coming nowhere near winning it, sadly, doesnt.

[Craig_H]

That is seriously ****ing patronising, Sydney.

You think I'm a 'RCDNW'er? The very phrase 'RCDNW' is just an insulting platitude and not remotely conducive to good debate.

I dont think you're a RCDNWer shags, in fact you yourself were expressing serious doubts just a couple of weeks ago.

[Craig_H]

Arsenal will probably finish third in the PL, knocked out in the SF in the CC, last 16 in the CL and last 16 in the FA Cup.

I can't call that success. I call that not good enough and Wenger will be under a lot of pressure next season.

If we finish fourth in the PL and gets through to the SF of the CL, then Rafa has again made a better season than Wenger.

We're not competing in the 'i did better than wenger cup' though.

[AFII]

We're not competing in the 'i did better than wenger cup' though.

Well, we are miles behind Man U and Chelsea so right now Arsenal is the team we should compare to.

It's totally unrealistic to compare us with Man U and Chelsea.

[Craig_H]

Duh! That there has been less rotation and a stable formation.

Rafa said himself in today's post match interview, that this is because we're now in less competitions. Kelly Dalglish quizzed him on it and that is what he said. So next season, asssuming he's still here, the rotation will be back...

Oops...

[Craig_H]

How about being able to rebuild, from scratch, a squad to compare to Manure and Chelski?

This whole 'from scratch' thing is hilarious. Anyone would think he'd taken over a team that had finished 15th...