Poll - Should Rafa stay?

[Le Chef]

Being serious who could/would replace him under the same financial constraints ?

Jose - No way he'd come without money
Hiddink - The only manager I'd sack Rafa for
Kenny - Too long out the game
Wenger - Wouldn't come

Anyone else,

Half the teams in Spain would have Rafa back in a heartbeat if he left now or even in the summer.
Bad year, keep the faith

[Le Chef]

Haha exactly the same here. Except I don't think we'll finish 4th.

I do, this year every team will drop more points than ever before as the gap has closed so I can see 6 or 7 teams going to the wire to win the title.

[Shanks]

yes! and go forward with optimism

I have a big belief that we will get 4th spot or even 3rd this season.
New investment and a stronger squad to push on for next.

I'm sure the value of the club will become more appealing to potential investors, the worse things get unfortunatley.

But if we don't, then realistically things need to change.

[magicalbarnes]

That's not the point i was making.

The point is, even without a new stadium, we've got plenty to be comfortably ahead of Villa, Spurs and even City, yet we're trailing in their wake.

Do you put any blame whatsoever on the manager?

Rafa has some faults but certainly not as much as the press and 'experts' are making out.

Based on his spending we should simply be a top 6 team but he has taken us to 2 European Cup finals and on the verge of winning the league.

People criticise his lack of back-up strikers but he has simply had his hands tied, he has not been allowed to keep the likes of Bellamy & Crouch as part of a squad. Every other top team has 4 strikers.

[Shanks]

People criticise his lack of back-up strikers but he has simply had his hands tied, he has not been allowed to keep the likes of Bellamy & Crouch as part of a squad. Every other top team has 4 strikers.

Robbie Keane?

There's not a person on here who wouldn't have him up front against Stoke tommorow, given the current situation.

[Le Chef]

Robbie Keane?

There's not a person on here who wouldn't have him up front against Stoke tommorow, given the current situation.

Oh come on, Keane was ****e whilst playing for us whatever the rights and wrongs of the saga. Whilst not watching Spurs or reading, I'm led to believe he can hardly get a game for them either at the moment.

[magicalbarnes]

Robbie Keane?

There's not a person on here who wouldn't have him up front against Stoke tommorow, given the current situation.

Weather or not Keane was Rafa's signing we will never know but the fact is we paid too much for him.

Credit to Rafa though that he cashed in ASAP and managed to get £15m for him. What is Keane worth now? £9m maybe? It was simply not cost-effective to keep him and let his value depreciate further. We are simply not Chelsea, ManU or City who can have a collection of £20m+ players as squad players.

[Shanks]

Oh come on, Keane was ****e whilst playing for us whatever the rights and wrongs of the saga. Whilst not watching Spurs or reading, I'm led to believe he can hardly get a game for them either at the moment.

He hardly got a start and got subbed enough times to know he wasn't wanted. We didn't get a replacement and that's the problem.

Everyone knew that Voronin wasn't up to it and we knew as soon as Torres got injured we'd struggle.

[Le Chef]

He hardly got a start and got subbed enough times to know he wasn't wanted. We didn't get a replacement and that's the problem.

Everyone knew that Voronin wasn't up to it and we knew as soon as Torres got injured we'd struggle.

I agree with that bit, but Keane did get a chance and like Babel In my opinion didn't take it. If there was a clash with Rafa over what he wanted him to do then you back the manager and in fairness the gamble of selling him last season nearly worked. This season's a different story but being honest I'd rather have Robbie Fowler up front than Robbie Keane

[tomasjj]

Oh....Sorry.

I thought the poll was about DJS...

[frank the tank]

Ok, I have been a supporter of Rafa all along but even after the Reading game, I was shouting at the TV for rafa to **** off.....

However, in the cold light of day, I have had some second thoughts. When I saw Babel's latest comments and some of the quotes from his Twitter page, then I was furious and right behind rafa again. I for one hope that Babel never ever gets anywhere near melwood or anfield again - let alone the first team. ****in ungrateful spoilt little prick - he is what is wrong with modern footballers of today. He spouts his **** to the media and his ****in twitter page about getting chances and about being unfairly treated and about not getting a fair crack.... well if i saw the useless cunt today, i'd have cracked his ****in head open. He has the balls to come out and slate rafa today. The club are in the middle of a crisis and he can only think of himself. Well guess what Ryan ya useless cunt, you had 75 minutes the other night against a team close to the bottom of the FizzyCola championship, yet you offered SWEET **** ALL!!! I can't believe he has the audasity (sp?) to come out and say that he has been unfairly treated. I actually watched his pathetic ****e of an effort against reading and i genuinely believe that we would have been better off playing with 10 men as opposed to having Babel there.......

I think that Rafa is genuinely disgusted about how some of the players have performed this season and some of their general attitude. It is obvious that Voronin crossed the line during the Lyon away game when he was so terrible that he may as well not have been there. Other players like Dossena and Degen have also left rafa down big time.....

However, I will be totally honest, in the cold light of day, anybody who knows anything about football won't argue with the fact that Rafa has been unbelieveably unlucky with injuries to key players this season......and also a loss of form to some key players such as Mascherano for long periods at the start of the season......

1. Riera - has he even played a full game all season? I think people underestimate how handy he was in our team last season. Yes Benayoun finished the season very strongly and possibly would edge Riera in a forst 11, but Riera gives us a lot of width that no other player we have seems to give us. Riera seems to beat a player whereas we don't have another winger like that. We have genuinely missed the guy.....

2. Mascherano - as mentioned above, I think his loss of form at the start of the season really let rafa down. He seemed to be unsettled and possibly kept thinking of the possible move to barca, but to be honest, Mascherano's unprofessionalism was disgusting for the fans to see. In my view, we needed leaders to stick together and for the team to rally behind the manager in the teams time of need at the start of the season after the Alonso departure. Mascher just threw his toys out of the pram - and for an international captain to do that was hard to take. He showed why he shouldnt ever be LFC captain in my view. I hope he has a great world cup, barca or madrid come back in for him for 35 to 40m and we get a younger hungrier player (would love a part-ex with Busquets from Barca) in to take his place. Perhaps he can make it up to the fans with some outstanding performances though......because he has talent.....

3. Kuyt - his form has been poor compared to last year......effort as usual is brilliant but we need something more. Maxi might allow us to play Dirk alongside torres (when he is back) and a few goals might get dirk his confidence back.

4. Gerrard - injuries have meant that stevie - one of the best 5 players in the world in my view - hasnt been able to get any form. If the same happened to rooney over a season, then the mancs would fly down the table too...... people in the media say that we should have a better squad and maybe that is true. But i ask you this, take messi, drogba, rooney, ronaldo, fabregas - take any of those players out of their teams for the best part of a season and those teams would be a write off as well.

5. Torres - see comments on gerrard - ****in ditto!!!

6. Johnson - showed such promise but again injuries have ****ed it up for him this season.

7. Carra - form at the start of the season really shafted us at the back to be honest. Seems to be getting back to his best but is obviously on the way down. Still our leader at the back though....

8. Agger - has had a horrible 18 months of so in general with injuries - took him a good 6 months to come back into things.....

9. Aurelio - for the last 3 months of last season, he was starting to look like the player rafa had at valencia. Pity he is made of glass and this has left us relying on Insua - which is hardly ideal given that he is very young and we want to develop into a good player - however, the plus side is that if this season doesn't build Insua's character then I don't know what will.

10. Aquilani - only just coming back from injury now - big pity. However, just to clarify - HE DID NOT COST 20M - He could potentially cost 20m euros - but if we have to pay that then we will be very happy as the amount of add-ons included mean we will only pay that if both Aquilani and Liverpool are a massive success....


Lets be positive. I would like to see the fans get behind the team, the team take every game as if it is a cup final and maybe put a Europa cup run together. If we could go on a run in that, then winning is a good habit to get into and who knows!!!

Even if we didn't get 4th this season, i'd still like rafa to get another year. There'd be a little less expectation on us, and if we can keep torres, gerrard, mascherano, reina, johnson, agger, carra, all fit for most of the seaon and one or two good additions, then we can once again challenge. If the players, squad and manager come out of this crisis season together, then we will be mentally stronger next season - and if the team spirit is good then we could turn into the red machine again......

I would like to see vanHorseface signed this window to be honest. Torres is going to be out until march, and when he comes back, it will only be natural that he will be sheepish during games because he will be possibly worried about the world cup - ditto for gerrard and johnson but we do need goals. Van Nistellroy will have a point to prove if he wants to get into the dutch squad - we need hungry players right now.

[andrewces38]

Ok, I have been a supporter of Rafa all along but even after the Reading game, I was shouting at the TV for rafa to **** off.....

However, in the cold light of day, I have had some second thoughts. When I saw Babel's latest comments and some of the quotes from his Twitter page, then I was furious and right behind rafa again. I for one hope that Babel never ever gets anywhere near melwood or anfield again - let alone the first team. ****in ungrateful spoilt little prick - he is what is wrong with modern footballers of today. He spouts his **** to the media and his ****in twitter page about getting chances and about being unfairly treated and about not getting a fair crack.... well if i saw the useless cunt today, i'd have cracked his ****in head open. He has the balls to come out and slate rafa today. The club are in the middle of a crisis and he can only think of himself. Well guess what Ryan ya useless cunt, you had 75 minutes the other night against a team close to the bottom of the FizzyCola championship, yet you offered SWEET **** ALL!!! I can't believe he has the audasity (sp?) to come out and say that he has been unfairly treated. I actually watched his pathetic ****e of an effort against reading and i genuinely believe that we would have been better off playing with 10 men as opposed to having Babel there.......

I think that Rafa is genuinely disgusted about how some of the players have performed this season and some of their general attitude. It is obvious that Voronin crossed the line during the Lyon away game when he was so terrible that he may as well not have been there. Other players like Dossena and Degen have also left rafa down big time.....

However, I will be totally honest, in the cold light of day, anybody who knows anything about football won't argue with the fact that Rafa has been unbelieveably unlucky with injuries to key players this season......and also a loss of form to some key players such as Mascherano for long periods at the start of the season......

1. Riera - has he even played a full game all season? I think people underestimate how handy he was in our team last season. Yes Benayoun finished the season very strongly and possibly would edge Riera in a forst 11, but Riera gives us a lot of width that no other player we have seems to give us. Riera seems to beat a player whereas we don't have another winger like that. We have genuinely missed the guy.....

2. Mascherano - as mentioned above, I think his loss of form at the start of the season really let rafa down. He seemed to be unsettled and possibly kept thinking of the possible move to barca, but to be honest, Mascherano's unprofessionalism was disgusting for the fans to see. In my view, we needed leaders to stick together and for the team to rally behind the manager in the teams time of need at the start of the season after the Alonso departure. Mascher just threw his toys out of the pram - and for an international captain to do that was hard to take. He showed why he shouldnt ever be LFC captain in my view. I hope he has a great world cup, barca or madrid come back in for him for 35 to 40m and we get a younger hungrier player (would love a part-ex with Busquets from Barca) in to take his place. Perhaps he can make it up to the fans with some outstanding performances though......because he has talent.....

3. Kuyt - his form has been poor compared to last year......effort as usual is brilliant but we need something more. Maxi might allow us to play Dirk alongside torres (when he is back) and a few goals might get dirk his confidence back.

4. Gerrard - injuries have meant that stevie - one of the best 5 players in the world in my view - hasnt been able to get any form. If the same happened to rooney over a season, then the mancs would fly down the table too...... people in the media say that we should have a better squad and maybe that is true. But i ask you this, take messi, drogba, rooney, ronaldo, fabregas - take any of those players out of their teams for the best part of a season and those teams would be a write off as well.

5. Torres - see comments on gerrard - ****in ditto!!!

6. Johnson - showed such promise but again injuries have ****ed it up for him this season.

7. Carra - form at the start of the season really shafted us at the back to be honest. Seems to be getting back to his best but is obviously on the way down. Still our leader at the back though....

8. Agger - has had a horrible 18 months of so in general with injuries - took him a good 6 months to come back into things.....

9. Aurelio - for the last 3 months of last season, he was starting to look like the player rafa had at valencia. Pity he is made of glass and this has left us relying on Insua - which is hardly ideal given that he is very young and we want to develop into a good player - however, the plus side is that if this season doesn't build Insua's character then I don't know what will.

10. Aquilani - only just coming back from injury now - big pity. However, just to clarify - HE DID NOT COST 20M - He could potentially cost 20m euros - but if we have to pay that then we will be very happy as the amount of add-ons included mean we will only pay that if both Aquilani and Liverpool are a massive success....


Lets be positive. I would like to see the fans get behind the team, the team take every game as if it is a cup final and maybe put a Europa cup run together. If we could go on a run in that, then winning is a good habit to get into and who knows!!!

Even if we didn't get 4th this season, i'd still like rafa to get another year. There'd be a little less expectation on us, and if we can keep torres, gerrard, mascherano, reina, johnson, agger, carra, all fit for most of the seaon and one or two good additions, then we can once again challenge. If the players, squad and manager come out of this crisis season together, then we will be mentally stronger next season - and if the team spirit is good then we could turn into the red machine again......

I would like to see vanHorseface signed this window to be honest. Torres is going to be out until march, and when he comes back, it will only be natural that he will be sheepish during games because he will be possibly worried about the world cup - ditto for gerrard and johnson but we do need goals. Van Nistellroy will have a point to prove if he wants to get into the dutch squad - we need hungry players right now.

Interesting post

[g.red]

Stay!

[Craig_H]

yes! and go forward with optimism for next season with a manager that will learn from his mistakes,( and he has made some i admit) to try with a PASSION to win us silverware.

Is there ANY circumstance whereby you'd say he should go?

[Craig_H]

I do, this year every team will drop more points than ever before as the gap has closed so I can see 6 or 7 teams going to the wire to win the title.

To clarify, do you mean you think there'll be 6 or 7 teams going into the last 2 or 3 games of the season, still in the hunt for the title?

I think that's nigh on impossible.