Benítez says he needs fresh investment to compete for title

[DKdan]

Apart from last season when exactly did he realistically fight for the title?

Where did I said he did???

I said he has what it takes. Every season he was allowed to spend we came closer and became a better team - it was always going to be a work in progress.

But he has shown that when he is backed he delivers an improvement.

[BobTheCharmer]

IMO no top manager has a better transfer record than Rafa, and no manager would have done better with our thin squad IMO...

Bull****. Bull**** and more Bull****.

You really, hand on heart think Rafa is getting the best out of our squad of 20odd international players plus promising youngsters?

Who is exactly playing beyond their level this season? I can't name one.

I honestly can't see where the evidence for Rafa getting the best out of us is coming from.

You could argue its a bad season but not that he's the ****ing messiah.

[destinydude]

He doesnt have it DKdan.

Last season was a very good chance for us. We had FIVE 0-0's in the League in a season we thought was the best in 20 yrs for us.

He doesnt coach you to make those extra runs and extra moves with a bit of clever interplay which can open up lower-mid table teams.

Our football is very very static. The lack of movement in the team is apparent to teh naked eye even for a 5 yr old.

We need to get back the pass and move.

[MrMichael]

You could argue its a bad season but not that he's the ****ing messiah.

No, he's just a very naughty boy!

[BobTheCharmer]

But he has shown that when he is backed he delivers an improvement.

this old chestnut. most managers given money see an improvement. the sign of a good manager for me is one that gets the best out of what he has.

Afterall Rafa is very lucky that he has world class saviours like Gerrard & Torres. This for me is the only reason Villa & Spurs haven't left us long behind. They don't have talisman like figures. They have everything else.

[BobTheCharmer]

No, he's just a very naughty boy!

[Lecter]

He doesnt coach you to make those extra runs and extra moves with a bit of clever interplay which can open up lower-mid table teams.

Our football is very very static. The lack of movement in the team is apparent to teh naked eye even for a 5 yr old.

We need to get back the pass and move.

This is pure speculation and opinion

You dont know what the players work on in training

[DKdan]

Bull****. Bull**** and more Bull****.

You really, hand on heart think Rafa is getting the best out of our squad of 20odd international players plus promising youngsters?

Who is exactly playing beyond their level this season? I can't name one.

I honestly can't see where the evidence for Rafa getting the best out of us is coming from.

You could argue its a bad season but not that he's the ****ing messiah.

Difficult to explain.

No I don't think he's getting the best out of them...
No I don't think any one else could get more out of them

It's easy to look at the squad and say they should do better, and I agree that they have underperformed this season. But we had a bad start, some injuries and never really recovered... the players confidence has been shattered all season long.

But I agree that Rafa is no Messiah that's for sure... but i'm afraid there is no messiah manager, and therefore no one IMHO would have done better than Rafa this season...

[destinydude]

This is pure speculation and opinion

You dont know what the players work on in training

What they work in training is what you see on the pitch. Dint Arbeloa say something about about us being a bit robotic and static?

It's been 6 yrs and it still is the same kind of football from day one. Speculation? Surely not.

[DKdan]

He doesnt have it DKdan.

Last season was a very good chance for us. We had FIVE 0-0's in the League in a season we thought was the best in 20 yrs for us.

He doesnt coach you to make those extra runs and extra moves with a bit of clever interplay which can open up lower-mid table teams.

Our football is very very static. The lack of movement in the team is apparent to teh naked eye even for a 5 yr old.

We need to get back the pass and move.

Bollocks! Valencia played some decent footie and so are we (at times). But we need to improve the team in order to do that, not disintegrate it by selling without spending to replace and improve.

[Craig_H]

Difficult to explain.

No I don't think he's getting the best out of them...
No I don't think any one else could get more out of them

It's easy to look at the squad and say they should do better, and I agree that they have underperformed this season. But we had a bad start, some injuries and never really recovered... the players confidence has been shattered all season long.

But I agree that Rafa is no Messiah that's for sure... but i'm afraid there is no messiah manager, and therefore no one IMHO would have done better than Rafa this season...

That makes no sense.

[Lecter]

What they work in training is what you see on the pitch. Dint Arbeloa say something about about us being a bit robotic and static?

It's been 6 yrs and it still is the same kind of football from day one. Speculation? Surely not.

Sorry dont buy that

Everything is bound to be static in comparison to how Real Madrid operate so I dont tend to buy what Arbeloa is saying either

[destinydude]

Bollocks! Valencia played some decent footie and so are we (at times). But we need to improve the team in order to do that, not disintegrate it by selling without spending to replace and improve.

You couldnt be more wrong. When Benitez went there the had a near perfect team, a team that was good enough to make it to two consecutive European Finals.

All he did was sort their defense and bring some rigidity at the back and that caused them to have more success.

He never had the experience of building a squad from scratch.

[DKdan]

That makes no sense.

You would know, wouldn't you Craig?

What I'm trying to say is that the problem is with the players. Rafa has failed to make them perform at their best this season. But IMO any other manager would have failed too...

[Guest]

Can we stop with the ****ing boring Rafa bashing? It's ****ing tedious reading each and every Liverpool related thread without it descending into one. We know all about Craig_H's argument about Rafa, it's been done ad nauseam here and I for one have had enough of having to read it.

Draw a ****ing line and talk about something else. Don't want to be reading (and arguing) the same ****e for another 12 months.