Rafa Watch

[Arn]

Anyone else think it's about time the sad face got taken off this thread?

Long since left Chelsea now.

He got his project. The owner, players and supporters backs him for the first time ever at a top club.

[saj]

He got his project. The owner, players and supporters backs him for the first time ever at a top club.

So without all of the above, he can't do his job properly?

Like it or not, Rafa eventually does have a habbit of falling out with the men above him when he doesn't get things his way - the world is not perfect.

[saj]

Well, IMO he could have moved to a mega rich russian club and earned a lot more. He would have been a starting XI player.

Sometimes the project matters a lot. Sometimes it don't.

We signed up players like Torres, Mascherano, Xabi, Kuyt for example because they believed in Rafa's project. Their own words.

They turned down other bigger clubs but moved to us. The main reason......Rafa.

No one wanted to go near Masch because of his contract/ownership issue. Plus there was doubt whether he could sign for a third team in one season when got him on loan which somehow we succeeded. I don't recall any other team being linked with Kuyt - we had been linked with him for a year. And Xabi did not turn anyone down - his move to Real fell through as Viera had stated he wanted to leave Arsenal and Real moved their attention onto signing him which didn't happen.

Your love for Rafa really is frightening and not healthy. And define project? Projects in my world are temporary things which run for a set finite time which kind of sums up Rafa and his track record .

[badpiggy]

Napoli are defo my second club now and only for the ****e lete thing, I'd get a jersey. Napoli to meet either Real or Barca at some stage in the CLand beat em would be ****in brilliant. Or scum or any other PL team obviously.

[baitman]

Napoli are defo my second club now and only for the ****e lete thing, I'd get a jersey. Napoli to meet either Real or Barca at some stage in the CLand beat em would be ****in brilliant. Or scum or any other PL team obviously.

yeh, napoli spanking the plastic chavs and maureen, or manure and gollum. this would be amazing

[Arn]

No one wanted to go near Masch because of his contract/ownership issue. Plus there was doubt whether he could sign for a third team in one season when got him on loan which somehow we succeeded. I don't recall any other team being linked with Kuyt - we had been linked with him for a year. And Xabi did not turn anyone down - his move to Real fell through as Viera had stated he wanted to leave Arsenal and Real moved their attention onto signing him which didn't happen.

Your love for Rafa really is frightening and not healthy. And define project? Projects in my world are temporary things which run for a set finite time which kind of sums up Rafa and his track record .

Rafa set up a meeting with Masch in London. He talked with him a few hours and explained his tactics and what he wanted to do and how he would use him etc.

He used bottles of salt as players.

Many clubs wanted Kuyt but he signed for us, the main reason being Rafa.

When it comes down to Torres the player said that Rafa called him and talked to him a couple of hours. He explained his tactics, goals etc.

You don't really have a clue how big and respected Rafa was at that time in Spain. He is still very respected.

Rafa was the most respected manager in the world at that time in Spain.

You also need to learn the difference between respect and love.

I respect Rafa very much but I don't love him.

Why do I respect him so much? He took us to the number one spot in Europe, we won number five with him as manager, he has the heart at the right place and it is very much thanks to him that we as a club still exist.

IMO if he hadn't gone to war against Gillett and Hicks then we would have gone out of business or done a Leeds.

He saved the club.

He deserves all the respect he gets, why? He earned it. Nothing to do with love and all to do with respect.

[Tee]

I love Rafa. And have massive respect for him.

[Arn]

So without all of the above, he can't do his job properly?

Like it or not, Rafa eventually does have a habbit of falling out with the men above him when he doesn't get things his way - the world is not perfect.

You do need to learn why he fell out at his clubs. It sounds like you don't have a clue, not a clue.

There is a reason to why some of the biggest clubs out there still want him. The reason, he is one of the best managers out there.

[Alex]

I think you are giving him too much credit with keeping the club afloat. If I remember, we were basically about to default and be put into administration before RBS took over and sold us to FSG.

Hardly the savior.

He kept us going on the pitch in an incredibly tough time. For that I am forever grateful.

[Tee]

He stood shoulder to shoulder with the fans when G&H were exposed for what they really are. Rafa really was (and still is IMO) one of us, that's why I love him.

[lickedlollipop]

Napoli are defo my second club now and only for the ****e lete thing, I'd get a jersey. Napoli to meet either Real or Barca at some stage in the CLand beat em would be ****in brilliant. Or scum or any other PL team obviously.

I quite liked him few years ago, but then they played vs Liverpool in EL and their fans were very cuntish..

[saj]

I think you are giving him too much credit with keeping the club afloat. If I remember, we were basically about to default and be put into administration before RBS took over and sold us to FSG.

Hardly the savior.

He kept us going on the pitch in an incredibly tough time. For that I am forever grateful.

Arn seems to think RBS would not have come for the money owed even though at the time (and still to this day) they are predominantly state owned and were under pressure to recover as much debt as possible.

[Alex]

Word.

I credit Rafa with a lot during that period, and drawing attention to them and their cowboy dealings was one of them. But I think even the man himself would admit he didn't have much effects on the finances of how things were run.

[saj]

You do need to learn why he fell out at his clubs. It sounds like you don't have a clue, not a clue.

There is a reason to why some of the biggest clubs out there still want him. The reason, he is one of the best managers out there.

I think I have a clue. He had a slight fall out with the Valencia board as he wanted a table and got a lamp - I believe he wanted to sign Luis Garcia. In any case his head had been turned by LFC anyway. We know why he fell out at Liverpool: it was a combination of exposing G and H as well as a poor performance in the league. Inter - he went in all guns blazing. Yes he was supposedly promised new players but he still could have worked with players he had (they had just won the league and Champs League) and proved himself - he didn't and was booted out.

Which of the biggest clubs still want him? Barcelona? Bayern? Manchester United? Real Madrid? The fact he is Real through and through and has worked there for many years, they have never made an approach for him.

[saj]

Rafa set up a meeting with Masch in London. He talked with him a few hours and explained his tactics and what he wanted to do and how he would use him etc.

He used bottles of salt as players.

Many clubs wanted Kuyt but he signed for us, the main reason being Rafa.

When it comes down to Torres the player said that Rafa called him and talked to him a couple of hours. He explained his tactics, goals etc.

You don't really have a clue how big and respected Rafa was at that time in Spain. He is still very respected.

Rafa was the most respected manager in the world at that time in Spain.

You also need to learn the difference between respect and love.

I respect Rafa very much but I don't love him.

Why do I respect him so much? He took us to the number one spot in Europe, we won number five with him as manager, he has the heart at the right place and it is very much thanks to him that we as a club still exist.

IMO if he hadn't gone to war against Gillett and Hicks then we would have gone out of business or done a Leeds.

He saved the club.

He deserves all the respect he gets, why? He earned it. Nothing to do with love and all to do with respect.

You have conveniently missed off your initial point - you stated there was many clubs after Masch when there wasn't. Salt and pepper pots The worst thing is, he did do that with either a journalist or a player - I'm certain it wasn't Masch but I may be wrong

You have conveniently missed off Alonso after initially stating there was many clubs after him. Also Kuyt - which other team was after him? I can actually name one team who may have been and that was Newcastle - hardly a big team.

I didn't say anything about Torres as it's well documented he turned down many teams in the passed including Manchester United I believe and did sign for Liverpool as he and his friends and had a liking for Liverpool (hence the armband). And yes I will agree Rafa talked to him directly.

He did not save the club. Money was owed irrespective and what Rafa did expose (which was fairly obvious anyway!) I'm sure did not feed into RBS wanting their or rather the governments(!) money back!

And the irony of your comment on Leeds . You more or less (actually no less ) stated a wage structure which Liverpool should implement which was far worse than what Leeds were doing without even considering that the majority of wages paid out to Liverpool FC employees is not even to the players!