Rafa Benitez - the kingmaker

[CJ]

Didn't shaggy want him out at some point

[DannyMan2006]

That team was good enough to win it all.

We simply ran out of games.

We were so close.

The year we "let the handbrake off". Had we played like that all season we'd have walked it. You actually have to give credit to the Mancs that year though.

The day after we beat Fulham with a late winner and thought we'd cracked it, they went and won in even more dramatic circumstances with the Macheda winner.

We still had a great go though. The 4-4 v Arsenal was incredible, as was the defeat to Chelsea at the Bridge in the CL. We would just never say die.

I'll admit, I took it all for granted and would moan to my mates about Rafa sometimes. Don't think I ever voiced my concerns in here though.

[DannyMan2006]

God, yes.

As for the "I genuinely believe we could have got Jose but the club never really tried" line:

Jose wanted the LFC job before he took the Chelsea one. He asked about it before his CL victory with Porto though and I don't think we were too impressed with him.

I think it was around January time, maybe before his triumph at Old Trafford that really put him in the public eye. And in all fairness our lack of interest could have been down to still having a manager at the time.

And I guess if you compared Mourinho to Rafa back then, there probably wasn't too much to say Jose would have been the better choice.

And, anyways, I'm not even sure Mourinho could have achieved what Rafa did, let alone surpassed them.

[Mostar]

One player away and it wasn't a cliché.

That team was good enough to win it all.

We simply ran out of games.

We were so close.

[Phoenix07]

Shave that beard Rafa. Do it, do it now!

[rodo]

great man who fought our corner and made us the the team to fear in europe for a couple of years

[Neil Young]

God, yes.

As for the "I genuinely believe we could have got Jose but the club never really tried" line:

[Shaggy]

I think he clearly changed his mind on him with the benefit of hindsight - nothing wrong with that at all, he should've just acknowledged it instead of denying being particularly critical of him.

[Daniel 7]

The Rafa Golden era is pre my time on Est.
I assume C_H was a big critic at the time?

His sig went something like

"Wanted - Manager with a Winning Mentality"

He was all hard for Jose, but when Rafa got the sack, he became a massive fan of him and we had all misunderstood him apparently - he loved him all along

[Imy]

I knew that we would have to complete the deal as soon as possible, so I flew out at the first available opportunity to Madrid, alongside Rick Parry, to open formal negotiations with Atlético (Madrid). They progressed reasonably well, but after a day we had not quite managed to finalise terms. Rick was resigned to flying back that night. I convinced him to stay on for one more day. “If we don’t do it now, we might lose him for good,” I said.

Typical Parry, remember when the cunt switched his phone off and buggered off on holiday during a transfer window.

[Tee]

The good old days...

Exactly my initial thoughts....what a mini golden era that was.

[Shaggy]

Probably the most vocal

[Buzzo]

Great read that. Might buy it...

Also, I reckon Dion Fanning's Liverpool articles are always spot on, very insightful. I remember reading that article just after Rafa was given the boot with a pit in my stomach and hoping he wasn't right.

Haha, remember Craig_H's revisionism?

The Rafa Golden era is pre my time on Est.
I assume C_H was a big critic at the time?

[Exiled_red]

Who said that we'll look back upon the Benitez era as a golden era?

They were correct. That 2009 team was so close.

[Daniel 7]

Great read that. Might buy it...

Also, I reckon Dion Fanning's Liverpool articles are always spot on, very insightful. I remember reading that article just after Rafa was given the boot with a pit in my stomach and hoping he wasn't right.

Haha, remember Craig_H's revisionism?