Do you want Rafa back?

[Tribute]

I've voted yes but in my heart of hearts I accept it may not be for the best. So many divisions, so much baggage. But ultimately I trust him, I rate him and ideally I want him running my football team. Under Rafa I felt we could beat anyone in Europe, and we often did. I want those days back.

couldn't agree more...

[fowlen]

definitely not

[alunevans]

I'm a Rafa skeptic. Have been for a long time. I didn't enjoy the way his teams played in the main. I felt he was too negative and was overly tactical against the poorer teams where we needed more leeway to get out and play.

He also had blind spots with players who he just seemed to absolutely love despite the fact that they clearly weren't good enough.

I didn't greatly look forward to going to the match and never expected to witness anything that would excite me or make me feel great or wowed. My low expectations were usually correct.

The surprise is that we ended up with a manager twice as negative as Rafa was.

And I suspect too that his trait for public fights wasn't limited to his battles againt H&G as he has done it at Valencia and Inter too now, and after all the instability I don't want more of that from whoever replaces Roy.

On top of that, in his last 2 seasons he's taken Liverpool from 2nd to 7th, then Inter from European and Italian Champions to 7th.

There's far too many question marks over Rafa for me to want him back. Yes he's better than Roy, but Roy or Rafa isn't what our choice is limited to.

I love the fella but I'd rather we move on. It's been so long since I've been genuinely entertained at Anfield on any sort of consistent basis, and it's so unlikely we're going to win the league any time soon, that being honest I'd rather we get someone with a bit of flair who'll get me smiling at the match again.

For many seasons the only time I get entertained and feel I've watched a football team is when Wenger brings Arsenal. I want to feel that way every home game, or at least with enough regularity to expect it and be excited by the prospect of a Saturday afternoon.

My fire is all but out with LFC at the moment and it's been that way long before Roy set foot here. I need someone who'll bring that back, and in truth Rafa's teams were never ones to light any fires in me.

So I voted no. Sorry.

[Shanks]

Bring him back, loves the club, loves the fans

I keep hearing this but it doesn't guarantee success, just because he knows what the club is about..

It's just a big Rafa "Love In" at the moment..

You only have to look back through some of the old match threads to remember how frustrating things got..

Yes there were great times but we had some great times under Houllier and I wouldn't want him back at the club..

We need to look forward and move on..

Rafa is a great man but to bring him back to LFC as a manager, would be a step in the wrong direction..

[Armchairkopite]

I keep hearing this but it doesn't guarantee success, just because he knows what the club is about..

It's just a big Rafa "Love In" at the moment..

You only have to look back through some of the old match threads to remember how frustrating things got..

Yes there were great times but we had some great times under Houllier and I wouldn't want him back at the club..

We need to look forward and move on..

Rafa is a great man but to bring him back to LFC as a manager, would be a step in the wrong direction..

In fairness I could have said the same about Roy Evans and Houllier 'loves the club loves the fans' but the fact of the matter is that rafa had a project and the rules where changed as he went along.

We played some amazing football during the season that we finished 2nd and I feel that the club failed to build on that be selling off players without replacing them suffiently.

We can point to Aquiliani all we want but the fact is that Rafa had one arm tied behind his back and had to find a player with the qualies of a 40 million ponud midfielder with a 5 million cash downpayment.

[Darkon]

I'm a Rafa skeptic. Have been for a long time. I didn't enjoy the way his teams played in the main. I felt he was too negative and was overly tactical against the poorer teams where we needed more leeway to get out and play.

He also had blind spots with players who he just seemed to absolutely love despite the fact that they clearly weren't good enough.

I didn't greatly look forward to going to the match and never expected to witness anything that would excite me or make me feel great or wowed. My low expectations were usually correct.

The surprise is that we ended up with a manager twice as negative as Rafa was.

And I suspect too that his trait for public fights wasn't limited to his battles againt H&G as he has done it at Valencia and Inter too now, and after all the instability I don't want more of that from whoever replaces Roy.

On top of that, in his last 2 seasons he's taken Liverpool from 2nd to 7th, then Inter from European and Italian Champions to 7th.

There's far too many question marks over Rafa for me to want him back. Yes he's better than Roy, but Roy or Rafa isn't what our choice is limited to.

I love the fella but I'd rather we move on. It's been so long since I've been genuinely entertained at Anfield on any sort of consistent basis, and it's so unlikely we're going to win the league any time soon, that being honest I'd rather we get someone with a bit of flair who'll get me smiling at the match again.

For many seasons the only time I get entertained and feel I've watched a football team is when Wenger brings Arsenal. I want to feel that way every home game, or at least with enough regularity to expect it and be excited by the prospect of a Saturday afternoon.

My fire is all but out with LFC at the moment and it's been that way long before Roy set foot here. I need someone who'll bring that back, and in truth Rafa's teams were never ones to light any fires in me.

So I voted no. Sorry.

Great post, agree wholehartely with almost all of it.

We need to stop living in the past and look forward instead it's the only way to ever actually move forward.

[Lecter]

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.

The Sacchi system itself is not flexible you have to have specific types of players to play that system there is very little flexibility within the Sacchi system. Formations are pretty rigid within that system

Rafa is an out and our Sacchi disciple

You can quote what you like about tactical switches he makes but the pihlosophies ALWAYS follow the Sacchi system (which in itself is inflexible)

[Fredo]

71% of us still living in the past, isn't that great?

[Darkon]

no, sadly it's not... Your past is important but it is not nearly as important to your present as the way you see your future

[Tee]

If the players feel as passionate about him as the supporters then it is an easy decision. We would be unstoppable.

But IMO they don't, and one of his main problems was his inability to truly motivate the team or individuals. He is not a good man manager and that will forever be his achilles heel.

[Craig_H]

Players are fairly simple Tee, if they're in the team and we're doing well, they're happy - if not, they'll have a whinge.

[Kenneth]

71% of us still living in the past, isn't that great?

Just confirms the stereotype really.

[Redspin]

That's no different to what shaggy posted before - except, shaggy was honest enough to say it was on 'her' facebook, whilst the RAWK mentalist poster comes out with 'i am friends with montse and she told me this...'

'Friends with her' on facebook, perhaps they mean.

Maybe he has flesh and blood friends and not Facebook saddoes and maybe the lady is one of those real friends. I've heard that many people do have flesh and blood real people as friends but I suppose it could be just a rumour

[Craig_H]

Maybe he has flesh and blood friends and not Facebook saddoes and maybe the lady is one of those real friends. I've heard that many people do have flesh and blood real people as friends but I suppose it could be just a rumour

Any chance of you developing 'flesh and blood' friends and no longer stalking me around the forums? There must be some people you can have a game of bingo or dominos with, surely.

[Nick77]

Bottom line is Rafa have given us the best Liverpool team since 1990 - FACT! The results & trophies speak for themselves...