Do you want Rafa back?

[Shaggy]

Haha

We played some amazing football under Rafa. Grantedf it wasn't all the time but I think the good stuff is glossed over too readily. We scored loads of fantastic goals in his time here and played some ****ing brilliant football. Wehn we clciked we were unstoppable.

[peekay]

Head says no. He is a polarizing character who will create divisions in the squad. we need a manager who will unite everyone and take us forward.

Heart says, screw the head. I want those European nights back. I want my team to go to the Nou Camp, Bernabau and take them apart. Whenever Mister Ferguson and his cronies attack Torres for being a diver, I want my manager to go on live TV and tell them to **** off with some weird Spanish metaphors involving a combination of a priest, table, chair, sofa, lampshade, milk, sugar, and other random objects.

[Shaggy]

Head says no. He is a polarizing character who will create divisions in the squad. we need a manager who will unite everyone and take us forward.

Heart says, screw the head. I want those European nights back. I want my team to go to the Nou Camp, Bernabau and take them apart. Whenever Mister Ferguson and his cronies attack Torres for being a diver, I want my manager to go on live TV and tell them to **** off with some weird Spanish metaphors involving a combination of a priest, table, chair, sofa, lampshade, milk, sugar, and other random objects.

[Qantaga]

Head says no. He is a polarizing character who will create divisions in the squad. we need a manager who will unite everyone and take us forward.

Heart says, screw the head. I want those European nights back. I want my team to go to the Nou Camp, Bernabau and take them apart. Whenever Mister Ferguson and his cronies attack Torres for being a diver, I want my manager to go on live TV and tell them to **** off with some weird Spanish metaphors involving a combination of a priest, table, chair, sofa, lampshade, milk, sugar, and other random objects.

[peekay]

Just browsed through some of the other forums and there have been some absolutely stunning posts all around.

Spike from ynwa

I would. After all, he spent an evening signing over 250 items for an auction to raise funds for my bro's missing reward. Never had a second thought when asked eihther. Got them picked up and then they were dropped off the next day.

Emotive issue it may be, but Rafa's like a crazy ex girlfriend. He'd take the private pillow talk and moans about life and drop those bombs around the family sunday dinner whilst the vicar's round, you'd gasp, sigh and ocassionally shoot a look, but by god he gave us some great, great nights and was brilliant to be around. Now we've settled for some average trout because we're afraid of getting left behind but by christ was it really just over a year ago that we were really f***ing rocking it?? In fact you actually knew those sunday dinner blasts were to show you that the apron strings were strangling you too much. You only know that for sure now though.

There are very few people I would go to war for. Three in fact. I aspire to be like them I respect and trust them absolutely even though they are all misunderstood.
Funnily enough two are Spanish. One is my dying father.
I believe in passion. I believe in charisma. I believe, because otherwise I would despair, in the power of an individual to inspire. To gather an army up and f***ing fight with them. To care about the collective over self or image or anything f***ing else.
Charisma. That's what they have. I was a Liverpool Football Club supporter long before I had heard of Rafa but f*** me I would follow that man anywhere. Integrity and absolute conviction while throwing aside personal image or gain is so rare these days. Incredibly rare.
And do you know what makes me really sad? This man actually fought for us. Fell on his sword in fact. Yet still there are people who tell me he spent a billion pounds on transfers and that zonal marking is a nasty foreign invention.
f*** them all. To hell and back.
Why? Because that's a man I can believe in. For all of his faults I would run through a brick wall for him. Because he would for me and you.

[Icon]

Heartfelt...

And quite true.

[Red11]

I'd definitely take him back. In the summer I wasn't so sure we should keep him. I think his battles with the owners were having a negative influence on the team. I thought a fresh face would bring impetus to the squad and help smoove things over with the owners and help on the takeover side of things. That said, I didn't want just any mug in charge.

Anyhow, the ownership situation is sorted now. I would take Rafa back for sure. The only way he'd take it is if he could work with Comolli and was also happy with the owners short and long term vision. Those factors there are the only doubts I have, but if he came back I'd no they are not a problem.

Next point. People say some players MAY be against him coming back. Well **** them. They know where the door is. Whoever comes in, a number of players will be pissed off. When they don't play that's what tends to happen. I don't want us employing people just to please the players. This is Liverpool fc. The very notion of player power should never come into it.

Next point. He is a top class manager. He hasn't just had half a good season. He hasn't just won a league in Denmark, Portugal or Germany. He's won La Liga. Twice. He's not just took a team to a European final. He's not just done decent progression in Europe. He's won the European Super Cup. He's won the Uefa Cup. He's won the Champions League. He's took a team from an emerging side, to Europes number one ranked club. He is a tactical genius. He is big time. He is world class.

Next point. He loves Merseyside. He's here for Xmas. He kept his house. He's not lying when he says he loves the club and the people.

Finally. I want to win the league. Badly. But how much better would it feel to win it with Rafa and give a big **** You to the likes of Sky and Fleet Street? Ffs, I think I'd revel in that as much as I would in a title win.

I've convinced myself even more just writing all this. Do it. Bring him back.

i voted for this

[Roboklopp]

Head says no. He is a polarizing character who will create divisions in the squad. we need a manager who will unite everyone and take us forward.

Heart says, screw the head. I want those European nights back. I want my team to go to the Nou Camp, Bernabau and take them apart. Whenever Mister Ferguson and his cronies attack Torres for being a diver, I want my manager to go on live TV and tell them to **** off with some weird Spanish metaphors involving a combination of a priest, table, chair, sofa, lampshade, milk, sugar, and other random objects.

Ace post.

[Armchairkopite]

Bring him back, loves the club, loves the fans and will now get the backing from above that he needed to make us Champions of Engalnd and Europe.

Alonso, Mascherano, Torres, Garcia, Arbeola, Maxi etc. He got a lot more right then he got wrong.

I want him back and I want him backed, he deserves it.

[Lecter]

Knowing what the fans want is easy. To win stuff, and for the manager not to be a dick. Any top manager will understand the modern game. Knowing the club, well anyone who hasn't been stuck in a snowy wilderness for decades will have a good idea and can certainly learn. Ability and vision for the future are more relevant traits looking forward. Probably not Rafa.

In a straight choice between Rafa and Roy its a no-brainer I'd have Rafa back everytime but it isnt a choice like that (as you have said previously)

I never wanted Rafa sacked in the first place. I can understand why the board did it but there whole thought process behind it was flawed on many levels. If it was a form problem then as NESV said that is an extremely short termed view if as is more likely it was a political decision then that shows how wrong they got it

Besides which you should never sack someone if you have no one better to replace him with (not a problem with our current manager). The candidates should have been sounded out and reviewed before Rafa was sacked (FFS even Parry had the brain to do this when we "sacked" Houllier)

But they did it and thats where we are today

I have the utmost respect for Rafa as a person and a manager one of the posts on RAWK (and reposted on here) said they would run through walls and go to war with Rafa and I feel the same. BUT we shouldnt go back to him yet the landscape has changed the field of candidates must be studied and analysed if Rafa turns out the best candidate then fine but I suspect he wont be near the final few options

Anyway the most important thing to do is remove the incumbant manager because he is far worse than Rafa could ever be

[Darth Marty]

Please, not the 'net spend' etc debate again like brain dead idiots? Do you think people ignore the financial situation before they post such an opinion, like they've been living on the moon or something? We're all adults who've been over the old ground and then formed opinions having factored in such considerations. Well most of us.

Dear lord you really are a condescending little cretin arent you, Im not on about the whole net spend under benitez's tenure, merely the past 2 seasons when you criticized him for being, well frankly rubbish

I fail to see how anyone with even a modicum of sense & an i.q over 50 cannot see, and admit, that the financial constraints placed on benitez were hugely restrictive. That was my point. I know all too well that he made some strange decisions and im not defending them here, however dont you post a response that my mentally challenged neighbour could have come up with and take the high ground you utter tosspot.

[Roboklopp]

Dear lord you really are a condescending little cretin arent you, Im not on about the whole net spend under benitez's tenure, merely the past 2 seasons when you criticized him for being, well frankly rubbish

I fail to see how anyone with even a modicum of sense & an i.q over 50 cannot see, and admit, that the financial constraints placed on benitez were hugely restrictive. That was my point. I know all too well that he made some strange decisions and im not defending them here, however dont you post a response that my mentally challenged neighbour could have come up with and take the high ground you utter tosspot.

Has he upset you by any chance?

[Arn]

Rafa is a Sacchi disciple

The Sacchi AC Milan side is the pinnacle of what that system can achieve and the best that Rafa has managed was the season we finished 2nd (and maybe Valencia in his final season)

Rafa failed because the Sacchi system isnt flexible enough it has to have specific players of a specific type to function. When we finished 2nd we had most of those players but last year the players brought in / playing werent suitable and then the whole thing goes to ****

Some of that wasnt Rafa's fault because he wanted some players he didnt get (for whatever reason) but he some of the ones he actually wanted also didnt work within the system

Now to me you cant make the system exciting and expansive its a crushing machine, the moment you step outside the principles of the Sacchi system then the whole system falls down like a pack of cards

Gerrard and Torres only played together 22 times from the start that season. He had to be very flexible that season.

Rafa isn't a manager that build the team around one player. He want his team to play as a team so they can cope when key players are out injured.

He didn't had any key player at Valencia and didn't had that here.

Rafa is a one system man but he is very flexible when it comes down to how to use that system, 4-2-3-1. He can use defensive players on the wings in the attacking three or attacking ones. Depends who we play against. He can use either two defensive midfielders or one plus a more attacking one.

So to say that he isn't flexible isn't the whole truth.

[Darth Marty]

Has he upset you by any chance?

Im not a morning person & certainly have no patience for stupid people at 8am

[Roboklopp]

Im not a morning person & certainly have no patience for stupid people at 8am

Better watch what I say then...