Rafa's Last Season?

[red g]

i thought under the cirnumstances last season was pretty good. this season will be better though. Surely we arent here to discuss this as rafa's last season!

[rage]

That's not because I'm gobsmacked, it's just a really really big yawn.

You seem to totally disregard Istanbul, Athens and just generally that we're a massive European force again in your tiresome whinge. Change the record man.

i'm talking about the league, i'd like to think that we're more than just a cup team. i'm also simply responding to the arguments and reasoning presented by others. oh and most fundamentally i don't belong to the RCDNW brigade.

[Dessy]

so if we go off them stats houllier got 77.17% of the points necessary to win the league during his time whilst rafa got 78.45% of the points necessary to win the league. so that's a 1.28% improvement - wow!

i work with governments, stats can be used to pretty much say anything, more often than not they're used to cover the truth! so off these stats we're closer but still 21.55% away from the total points needed to win the league, not really a significant improvement over houllier.

Now i'm not talking about the type of football we play nor about the potential of this current team over houlliers - but then i was not the one that introduced stats into this debate.

case far from closed as at this rate of improvement of 1.28% over four seasons then we have the best part of another 20 years before we compete.

So just what is your point? Where do YOU draw the line?

**** or bust for Rafa? Regardless of the MASSIVE progress LFC has made under his stewardship?

**** the stats and the comparisons with his predecessors and opposing managers. Anyone who doesn't think LFC has improved on the pitch, off the pitch and so improved their chances of winning the EPL (under Rafa) has got too have been watching the development of a completely different Club to me.

The foundations have been laid for sustainable success. I hope, no expect, that 2008/09 will be a successful season in the EPL. Whether that success translates into winning the EPL or finishing 2nd, 3rd or 4th is all relative and depends on many contributary factors.

Me, I'm a believer and I sincerely believe Rafa will deliver sooner rather than later and I'm convinced there's no other to take us there.

Rafa

[barnes10]

where's the alternative candidates who'd clearly do a better job then? naturally if this is to be 'rafa's last season' then surely you have someone in mind who'd clearly do better?

[barnes10]

i'm talking about the league, i'd like to think that we're more than just a cup team. i'm also simply responding to the arguments and reasoning presented by others. oh and most fundamentally i don't belong to the RCDNW brigade.

whilst rafa's net spend is limited to what he can earn in the CL then unless he can get a squad to win both, the CL semis are a must.

[rage]

i draw the line if he yet again fails to learn from his mistakes.

over-rotation of formation & players
resting key players and losing points as a consequence
continuing to buy central midfielders and then complaining about lack of funds

oh and most significantly if we're playing catch up at xmas - especially as he's now spent in excess of £50 million this window.

[dww]

i draw the line if he yet again fails to learn from his mistakes.

over-rotation of formation & players
resting key players and losing points as a consequence
continuing to buy central midfielders and then complaining about lack of funds

oh and most significantly if we're playing catch up at xmas - especially as he's now spent in excess of £50 million this window.

Out of interest what will the result of this out break of artistry be? More critical posting?

[Reece]

oh and most fundamentally i don't belong to the RCDNW brigade.

Haven't heard that one for at least a couple of days

[Dessy]

I've no doubt that Rafa's detractors on here would soon slate him for not resting/rotating if certain players began to pick up injuries throughout the season and for not changing his formation to gain a tactical advantage and probably for peaking too soon if we're 10 points clear at Christmas.

[rage]

Out of interest what will the result of this out break of artistry be? More critical posting?

no - the growth of a movement that eventually saw houllier sacked. now don't take this out of context i want rafa to succeed but the league table doesn't lie. if he fails to compete there really is no alternative.

[rage]

I've no doubt that Rafa's detractors on here would soon slate him for not resting/rotating if certain players began to pick up injuries throughout the season and for not changing his formation to gain a tactical advantage and probably for peaking too soon if we're 10 points clear at Christmas.

i'd take my chances - momentum would carry us forward if we were 10 points ahead at xmas.

[Dessy]

i'd take my chances - momentum would carry us forward if we were 10 points ahead at xmas.

Your a real task master though!

[Skillz]

No but if I did a really good job, strenghtened the company year in year out, made it a truly international class firm again and raised it's prestige right back to where it should be again I wouldn't expect dipsticks to moan that bluechip companies with far better resources were achieving a little more. In fact I'd think that anyone that did moan was a bit of a tit, no?

Class post

[dww]

no - the growth of a movement that eventually saw houllier sacked. now don't take this out of context i want rafa to succeed but the league table doesn't lie. if he fails to compete there really is no alternative.

I really don't think the situation is all that similar. There has been genuine signs of progress under Rafa at a variety of levels whereas despite a surge at the end of his final season there was no one who didn't feel he had stagnated and failed to acknowledge his failings. I'm not sure it is likely that a movement against Rafa would have such universal support.

Then again I tend to think that Rafa only really made one baffling team selection last year (against 3-5-2 vs Reading). Many of the others that were questioned seemed to have explanations (such as Torres having a niggling injury at the start of the season) which made them more explicable that weren't obvious at the time. I can however see how others feel differently and a lot of people became very down mid season last year.

I think the biggest problem in recent years has been the amount of changes which we have made each summer. We have now at least got a suitably young and quality spine to mean we should not have to undergo another squad revolution. As such I would like to see Rafa given two more seasons. Obviously with minimum achievements having to be met this season (I would say we should finish third but would put a target in terms of points from the title or silverware + CL qualification - obviously everyone would say he would have to go if we fail the last of these).

[barnes10]

no - the growth of a movement that eventually saw houllier sacked. now don't take this out of context i want rafa to succeed but the league table doesn't lie. if he fails to compete there really is no alternative.

rage. who would you hire to do a better job? or are you saying start all over again?