Should Rafa be replaced by Guus Hiddink?

[scully]

Right now I would be happy to see Rafa replaced by a ****ing traffic cone.

[BigChief]

If we could get one of Hiddink, Mourinho or even Del Bosque next season I'll be over the moon. However, that is unlikely so Rafa's here to stay. With all his players back can he challenge for the CL trophy and finish second? YES. Can he win the league - after his baffling decision making - BIG FAT NO.

[Rich]

Right now I would be happy to see Rafa replaced by a ****ing traffic cone.

I hate posting in threads like this especially after such an appalling game, however I'm pretty sure that Hiddink would get the current team playing better but bloody hell Rafa's done so much for our club that it's heartbreaking seeing his plan fall so utterly apart.

[Le Chef]

Right now I would be happy to see Rafa replaced by a ****ing traffic cone.

Thats made me me chuckle

[Icon]

Right now I would be happy to see Rafa replaced by a ****ing traffic cone.

Aquilani might fancy his chances of playing!

[dww]

I hate posting in threads like this especially after such an appalling game, however I'm pretty sure that Hiddink would get the current team playing better but bloody hell Rafa's done so much for our club that it's heartbreaking seeing his plan fall so utterly apart.

I think that reaction in some ways embodies the situation - I think that Rafa has contributed a lot and would long term contribute a great deal more. The question is would we sacrifice that for short term success.

[cream]

We don't need to replace Rafa, we just need better players.

We need another striker, someone like Pandev who can play on the left and upfront when Torres is not playing.

We need someone to play on the right.

We need Aquilani to replace Lucas

We need A new leftback.

Benny, Kuyt, Riera, Lucas, Insua and Aurelio all need to be on the bench.

[Icon]

We don't need to replace Rafa, we just need better players.

We need another striker, someone like Pandev who can play on the left and upfront when Torres is not playing.

We need someone to play on the right.

We need Aquilani to replace Lucas

We need A new leftback.

Benny???, Kuyt, Riera, Lucas, Insua and Aurelio all need to be on the bench.

[Baracus]

Hiddink has to be the most overrated manager ever. ****ing hell.

Dont get me wrong, he's clearly very good and what he's done at PSV was amazing but what else has he done? Failed in Spain and done well in a few national jobs?

We don't need to replace Rafa, we just need better players.

We need another striker, someone like Pandev who can play on the left and upfront when Torres is not playing.

We need someone to play on the right.

We need Aquilani to replace Lucas

We need A new leftback.

Benny, Kuyt, Riera, Lucas, Insua and Aurelio all need to be on the bench.

can't disagree with much of this

[Chazza]

Benny, Kuyt, Riera, Lucas, Insua and Aurelio all need to be on the bench.

And replaced with Pew, Pew, Barneymgrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub

[Exiled_red]

We don't need to replace Rafa, we just need better players.

We need another striker, someone like Pandev who can play on the left and upfront when Torres is not playing.

We need someone to play on the right.

We need Aquilani to replace Lucas

We need A new leftback.

Benny, Kuyt, Riera, Lucas, Insua and Aurelio all need to be on the bench.

We just need more creative players, tonight was painful to watch, it's the sort of game if we had a couple of extra creative players (most likely in wide areas), we would have created a hell of a lot of chances, had them under near constant pressure and probably stuck 4 or 5 past them.

[leftpeg]

Hiddink is 63 and would probably be just looking for a quick stab at glory at this stage of his career. The stories linking him with a director's role at Chelsea seem much more reasonable. This could be the start of Abramovich's new master plan to hire all of the world's best managers as directors at Chelsea, so that no one else could have them.

[FatTony]

I think Rafa's time is coming to an end, he must have or be very close to losing the support of the squad with a run like this. This isn't just a blip.

Is Hiddink the man for the job? Possibly.

[Chazza]

Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow has told Rafa Benitez that his job is safe despite the elimination from the UEFA Champions League.

The Reds won 1-0 at Debrecen on Tuesday, but Fiorentina succeeded against Lyon in Florence to join the French side in progressing from Group E to the last 16.

Liverpool will therefore take an on and off-field hit as a result of slipping into the Europa League, while a place in next season's Champions League is far from certain amidst domestic struggles.

But Benitez is not facing the sack, according to Purslow, with late goals in a defeat and draw to Lyon earlier in the competition meaning Liverpool were already facing a tough task to qualify prior to events in Budapest.

Purslow told Sky Sports 2: "You can never predict last-minute goals, which have cost us dear in the Champions League. That's no basis to make managerial decisions.

"We don't run our business in that respect. I'm on the record as saying Rafa's signed a new five-year contract, he's four months into that contract so to discuss that is not appropriate."

Purslow has also offered financial reassurances by insisting that Liverpool co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks have budgeted for failure in the Champions League.

Asked about the monetary impact, he said: "It's limited actually. Assuming we have a reasonable run in the Europa League then we are financially neutral for this year."

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11945_5717484,00.html

Financially Neutral!!!! Brilliant!!!!

[Chris]

Purslow told Sky Sports 2: "You can never predict last-minute goals, which have cost us dear in the Champions League. That's no basis to make managerial decisions.

"We don't run our business in that respect. I'm on the record as saying Rafa's signed a new five-year contract, he's four months into that contract so to discuss that is not appropriate."

Not exactly a massive "we wont sack him" is it? Not surprising given our run mind.