Does Rafa deserve one last throw of the dice?

[Armchairkopite]

I know its been the ****est season since Houlliers reign but with the obvious progress we have made in Rafas previous years in charge and restablishing Liverpool as one of the strongest forces in European football should we just completely disregard him after one quite frankly horrendous season.

In his defence he was told in the Summer that the money was there for another attacking target which failed to materialise because of the owners decision to change their mind.

He sold a quality midfielder for an unbelievable 40 million which was a hug sum considering Alonsos lack of goal threat and was forced to replce him with a bargain basement player due to a lack of funds.

When he has been given money for top players he has delivered.

The team at the moment needs a culling and I think Rafa will be ruthless in the Summer after a Season of under achieving, look at Alonso for example.

There are many more points to make about the lovable Spaniard but lets get this debate started.

The gloves are off ding ding

[Darth Marty]

arrrrgghhhh..

Yes!

Dammit!

[Shaggy]

It's causing me some real mental torture. I'm completely torn.

Based on results and performances he has to go, and I sit here shaking my head as I type that.

However I think he's a top manager, and I also happen to love the bloke, and so I certainly wouldn't be averse to letting him battle on for another year, provided significant changes were made elsewhere of course. There are enough mitigating circumstances to know it's not all his fault.

[squaddie]

I think the players are just as sick of him as the fans are...... So no.

[vonk]

Really like the guy, but IMHO, no.

He has demonstrated to me that he cannot get the team out of a slump in a reasonable amount of time. If we'd played better since the New Year then I'd have said yes, but my opinion is that he appears to have run out of ideas and is not able to get the best out of the players.

Time to start over.

[Armchairkopite]

arrrrgghhhh..

Yes!

Dammit!

No matter how the season ends I think we should give him one more chance to right his wrongs.


It may be madness, but it cant end like this.

[Armchairkopite]

It's causing me some real mental torture. I'm completely torn.

Based on results and performances he has to go, and I sit here shaking my head as I type that.

However I think he's a top manager, and I also happen to love the bloke, and so I certainly wouldn't be averse to letting him battle on for another year, provided significant changes were made elsewhere of course. There are enough mitigating circumstances to know it's not all his fault.

Thats the reality of the situation, I also think if the fans can rally behind Rafa again it will get through to the players.

Rafa has made a few mistakes and unfotunately at LFC particularly there is very little room for error. Rafa has shown us in the past a willingness to learn form his mistakes clearly right now he has to back the players that hes got but deep down he will be hurting and will promply get rid if hes given the backing.

[Shanks]

was forced to replce him with a bargain basement player due to a lack of funds.

I'd hardly call £20Mill bargain basement,

When he has been given money for top players he has delivered.

Robbie Keane.. Whether Rafa made that call or not.


I think there is something rotten at the core and I can't decide if it's Rafa, the owners or the captain..


Out of those three, I still think the owners are the ones who need to go but I've questioned a lot of Rafa's decisions, far to often of late.

[Armchairkopite]

Really like the guy, but IMHO, no.

He has demonstrated to me that he cannot get the team out of a slump in a reasonable amount of time. If we'd played better since the New Year then I'd have said yes, but my opinion is that he appears to have run out of ideas and is not able to get the best out of the players.

Time to start over.

He has got us out of slumps before but I think he thought the squad was better then it is at the start of the season. I think he made mistakes such as Aquiliani and over playing Kuyt. Not many could forsee Carras form nose dive and the injuries to Gerrard and Torres.

Lastly was probably he greatest error in letting two influential players in Alonso and Sami leave at the same time, two big leaders on the pitch.

Sure the fotball we are playing right now is atrocious but I think back to the first 45 minutes at Spurs last season and I can see that this manager is capable of getting us to play fantastic football.

Istanbul alone buys him a lot of grace for me and the more I think about it the more I am convinced that he deserves one more season.

[Armchairkopite]

I'd hardly call £20Mill bargain basement,

It was 5 million up front.
Robbie Keane.. Whether Rafa made that call or not.

Well we know that he didn't
I think there is something rotten at the core and I can't decide if it's Rafa, the owners or the captain..

Out of those three, I still think the owners are the ones who need to go but I've questioned a lot of Rafa's decisions, far to often of late.

We have all been questioning his decisions but to be fair he hasn't been doing anything that bizarre, every decision is bad when you aren't winning.

[cream]

Absolutely.

[Darth Marty]

I would say Yossi deserves his place, hell hes one of say....3! creative players we currently have!

[Armchairkopite]

I would say Yossi deserves his place, hell hes one of say....3! creative players we currently have!

You know yourself Marty, its going to be a juggling act and if Rafa is given another Season you can be rest assured that he will be pulling up trees, nobody will be safe imo.

[joyno]

definitely one more season, i know he is stubborn and infuriates me with his predictable 70th minute changes and i agree that some of the players dont seem to like him because of his lack of warmth towards them (poor things), but name a manager out there that is more passionate and determined to win things for liverpool fans rather than adding to his cv.
maybe i am clutching at straws here but next season he might learn by his mistakes and realise that this is his last chance,and then we might see how much rafa loves the club and not himself.
if he fails again then so be it, bring in the cv boys

[anfieldanfield]

I think the players are just as sick of him as the fans are...... So no.

The players don't want to play for him anymore. That much is obvious.

I can't see how he can be given another year.