Rafa Benitez Leaves Liverpool

[Shaggy]

his approach which many see as a weekness and i am inclined to agree was that he wasnt as much of an arm round hte shoulder manager as some others. (though it doesnt do capello much harm does it)

The hypocritical way this is played out in the press drives me insane.

Rafa - a cold, distant ****** who is disliked by his players because he is not their friend. A man so unattached he doesn't even celebrate goals. "Lighten up man, we want to see you smile!" © Andy Gray.

Capello - lauded to the heavens for his ruthless, serious and no-nonsense approach. You hear players like Lampard and others praising him for it, the press carry it on and eulogise about Capello's winning mentality..."he's no time for an old pals act unlike Steve 'Wazza/Stevie G' McClaren. He's so focused on winning that he's no time to be celebrating goals, he's focused on making sure the game is won.

Rafa and Capello are cut from the same cloth. Yet one's a genius and the other is useless.

[Reece]

The hypocritical way this is played out in the press drives me insane.

Rafa - a cold, distant ****** who is disliked by his players because he is not their friend. A man so unattached he doesn't even celebrate goals. "Lighten up man, we want to see you smile!" © Andy Gray.

Capello - lauded to the heavens for his ruthless, serious and no-nonsense approach. You hear players like Lampard and others praising him for it, the press carry it on and eulogise about Capello's winning mentality..."he's no time for an old pals act unlike Steve 'Wazza/Stevie G' McClaren. He's so focused on winning that he's no time to be celebrating goals, he's focused on making sure the game is won.

Rafa and Capello are cut from the same cloth. Yet one's a genius and the other is useless.

That is so very true man. So very very true.

[Craig_H]

Torres cost £20m, a bit hard to forgive if he got that wrong, along with Masch.

He has had probably 4 of Gerrard's best years to work with also.

Crouch was useless, despite making a profit, Agger and Skrtel are serviceable at best, he did pretty well with Reina I'll give you that.

Let's have a look at some of the crap he has brought (+5M)

£6.3m – Fernando Morientes

£6m – Craig Bellamy - I couldn't believe he brought him.

£6.7m – Jermaine Pennant - See above.

£9m – Dirk Kuyt - He isn't worth £9m for a winger.

£11.5m – Ryan Babel - As above.

£7m – Andrea Dossena - He was doomed to fail from the start.

£19m – Robbie Keane

£8m – Albert Riera

£17.5m – Glen Johnson - £17.5m for a RB that can't defend ...

£17.1m – Alberto Aquilani - If Rafa stayed I bet he would have got sold like Dossena, maybe now he will have half a chance to succeed.

I won't include cos he made a profit.

£5.6m – Momo Sissoko - hopeless passer, imo over-rated in his time at Liverpool.

You can argue that Keane or Johnson or Aqualini was part of other deals, but he still had +15M to spend and failed to do it multiple times.

Funny thing is, you speak of Torres and Mascherano's fees, as if the are top notch amounts for top players. As it stands, world class players will cost £30m at least, so to get Torres and Mascherano for £38m was superb business.

If we sold just Mascherano now, we'd most likely recoup nearly all of that £38m.

£6.3m – Fernando Morientes
Proven and established, who wouldnt have taken him? Similar to Chelsea and Shevchenko, except they wasted £30m.

£6m – Craig Bellamy - I couldn't believe he brought him.
Made a profit on him.

£6.7m – Jermaine Pennant - See above.
Poor signing. Like Anderson was for the mancs. Pennant cost us less than £7m, Anderson cost them about £17m.

£9m – Dirk Kuyt - He isn't worth £9m for a winger.
He's been a good player and for the years of service we've had, the fee was justified. What do you think you get for that kind of fee? Messi???

£11.5m – Ryan Babel - As above.
Jury still out, probably recoup about £8m of it at sale. Dutch international in the world cup squad, so he's not completely useless.

£7m – Andrea Dossena - He was doomed to fail from the start.
Dreadful signing, but 'doomed to fail from the start'? Really? An italian international defender, 'doomed to fail from the start' ?

£19m – Robbie Keane
Didnt work out well but we recouped most of the money back.

£8m – Albert Riera
Not a massive fee and good in his first season. Spanish international, again, most people would've taken him for that price. We'll get most of that money back.

£17.5m – Glen Johnson - £17.5m for a RB that can't defend ...
Nonsense that he 'cant' defend, he just happens to be good going forward. Capello's no fool and he picks him. Who are the world's best RBs? Maicon? Dani Alves? Both similar in style to Johnson.

£17.1m – Alberto Aquilani - If Rafa stayed I bet he would have got sold like Dossena, maybe now he will have half a chance to succeed.
Far too early to make a judgement.


I won't include cos he made a profit.
Also made a profit on Bellamy - but you included him.

£5.6m – Momo Sissoko - hopeless passer, imo over-rated in his time at Liverpool.
Did a very good job for us and made a profit on him too.

Can i just ask, who would you have signed for £6m instead of Morientes? Who for £6.7m instead of Pennant? Who for £6m instead of Bellamy and who for £5.6m instead of Sissoko?

You come across as if you think those kind of fees would've got us people like Xavi or Iniesta. Step back into the real world.

[CJ]

This is what I am talking about, last year was his only year he made a profit, every other year it was net spend. The one year he had net profit doesn't even get close to his net spend over 6 years.

ok so you have just taken a team to second in the league. now do you invest to get to 1st?

rafa couldnt.

and looking at the net spend over his entire time as boss its 16M a season which is less than under moores and less than the scum less than the chavs and probably spurs and city etc etc

so again please use braincell a and b and have a think why we go backwards?

[Craig_H]

So you think wasting 20M on two strikers turn wingers is justified?

No, i think that when you have a very limited budget and various gaps to fill, you have to make the money stretch and obviously like all signings, your buys will be gambles.

You havent told me which brilliant players we should've got for £11m and £10m instead of those we did sign.

[Redspin]

So you think wasting 20M on two strikers turn wingers is justified?

Why don't you do us all a favour and **** off back to Red Cafe? You're a ****ing bore

[oldschool]

I give up, I am trying to look at the possible positive's this could produce, instead of wanting the slash my wrist like the majority of people on here.

Rafa was given 6 years and given money to spend. He spent more than he made and he failed to win the league, even with Gerrard at his peak, those are the facts.

[elrichio86]

This is what I am talking about, last year was his only year he made a profit, every other year it was net spend. The one year he had net profit doesn't even get close to his net spend over 6 years.

TRANSFERS: 2004/05
Total bought: £27.5m
Total sold: £11m
Net spend: £16.5m

TRANSFERS: 2005/06
Total bought: £26.73m
Total sold: £14m
Net spend: £12.73m

TRANSFERS:2006/07
Total bought: £27.15m
Total sold: £10.15m
Net spend: £17m

TRANSFERS: 2007/08
Total bought: £70.7m
Total sold: £36.7m
Net spend: £34m

TRANSFERS: 2008/09
Total bought: £39m
Total sold: £36.5m
Net spend: £2.5m

TRANSFERS: 2009/10
Total bought: £38.26m
Total sold: £42.65m
Net profit: £4.39m

Total Players Bought: £230,476,000
Total Players Sold: £151,000,000
Total Net Spend: £79,476,000
Average Net Spend per season: £13,246,000

Yes he did have a net spend in 08/09, but do you think £2.5m is enough to keep the team even at the same level, yet alone improving?

[Craig_H]

Regardless of how much money he has had to spend, it still doesn't alter the fact that he made some costly decisions, which may or may not have cost us fourth place last season and that for me is Rafa's fault.

He could have gone out and bought Ribery and Villa but it doesn't help if you start taking them off and resting them, in games you need to win.

This, i agree with.

Rafa's cautious nature and extremely stubborn character are the only two real gripes i had with him.

An average net spend of £13m per season was never going to take us from Houllier's side to league champions, but Rafa very nearly made that happen and he did take us to European Champions.

His transfer market activities were generally good, despite what some clowns on SSN and here try to make out.

[Exiled_red]

This is what I am talking about, last year was his only year he made a profit, every other year it was net spend. The one year he had net profit doesn't even get close to his net spend over 6 years.

If you aim to win things you need to improve your squad, and if you want improve your squad you have to spend money.

[Reece]

It would be appreciated if people could argue their points without resorting to insults.

[CJ]

I give up, I am trying to look at the possible positive's this could produce, instead of wanting the slash my wrist like the majority of people on here.

Rafa was given 6 years and given money to spend. He spent more than he made and he failed to win the league, even with Gerrard at his peak, those are the facts.

he wasnt given enough money to do the job.

ok i will give you 5p to build me a cutting edge modern house with a pool. you have 5 years to do it.

now i want no excuses as you have been given money and time and those are facts.

except there is a bit more to it than that isnt there. however you wont see it which makes you a wum.

[Mattshark]

It would be appreciated if people could argue their points without resorting to insults.

but oldschool is systematically ignoring points to make an artificial argument. Can't we just lock him in the cupboard?

[Shaggy]

he wasnt given enough money to do the job.

ok i will give you 5p to build me a cutting edge modern house with a pool. you have 5 years to do it.

now i want no excuses as you have been given money and time and those are facts.

except there is a bit more to it than that isnt there. however you wont see it which makes you a wum.

[Neil Young]

It would be appreciated if people could argue their points without resorting to insults.

I wish I was you.