I think BPL is a tougher league to manage clubs than in Spain. As much as i appreciate RB effort which brought the champions league title to the club, I think he made several mistakes in the transfer market.
Then again, he is not the only manager that has flopped with transfers, such as SAF who bought quite a number of flops. The difference being that Man utd have the financial ability to afford it, while pool are struggling financially and cannot afford to waste the cash on petty transfers. That being said, I wonder why was Dossena even bought for 7m, Keane bought and sold back, and the loads of youth players being bought in.
Managing football is a tough job, even though RB is doing a bad job now, I think he is trying to do his best. Thus lets wait and see what happens at the end of this season. Just dont get your hopes too high on the club making miracles again. This season is definitely tougher than any other season before, as you see City, Spurs and Villa making their mark on the top end of the table. The real test begins after new year, these few clubs may falter halfway.
The traditional top 4 are dropping points, even Chelsea failed to capitalise on their rival's loss to extend the lead. Come January they will certainly suffer without Drogba and Essien. I believe Pool have the chance to nick 4th place. To be honest imo, Man utd and pool have not much difference between them this season, both teams going through a tough transition period. I would say the more stable teams are chelsea, arsenal, spurs and villa.
Originally posted by Poignant:Liverpool, a club we support, is going through one of the shittest start ever in our history.
the issue is now,
should RAFAEL BENITEZ stay on as our man in charge?
should we, sgforums's kopites still stand behind this man, and cheer him on every match, hoping something to come out of nothing?
People, while deciding your stand,
bear in mind that Mr Rafael is the man that got us a Champion league title, a FA cup, a Champion league final in 2007.
HOWEVER, he is also the man that created our being today. losing to a beach ball, losing to portsmouth, losing to fulham along the way.
1. it is not how you start, but how you end that will determine if the season is a flop. we are but about half way thru' this season and the proverbial `the ball is round' saying may yet prove prophetic come may 2010. also, one needn't look far, last season, we WERE running away with the title until jan 09 proved to be our undoing. so, you should hold your horses.
2. if you looked back at rafa's era, barring his 1st season, rafa's has been one of the more consistent performer of all the recent liverpool managers. how is it that you are this disgruntled baffles me. if rafa's era is a barren run, i can understand, but here is a man that delivered 2 cup titles (& 2 smaller ones, charity shield and eufa supercup), been to 2 UCL finals in the last 5 years and came close last season with a 2nd place. and his pre-liverpool credentials is no slop either. any other manager would love that kind of credentials.
3. this has been mentioned time and again. the premier league's most successful manager, alex ferguson - did he deliver man-u the league title in the 1st season in charge? more like in his 7th or 8th season. if the same kind of judgement were applied to sir alex in his formative years at old traffie, he would have been sacked long ago. and interestingly, man u was sitting on 10th position at end november when on the year they won.
4. good buys, bad buys. every great managers have their fair share. it is an open end discussion, plus there is also this whole question of fit, form and what have you. on the scheme of things, rafa is equally quilty or brilliant with his aquisitions. this should not stack against him.
this may be the season gone wrong for liverpool and rafa, but in my books, rafa is (still) the right manager for liverpool for now. which other manager can fit in? i can't think of any right now, but obviously i haven't give it a thorough thot since my allegiance with with rafa for now. klinsman? i agree on rafa on his assessment; klinsman weren't even a fraction of what rafa has achieved. will maurinho come and can he fit in? this is a big question mark given the earlier spat between liverpool fans and him. i guess i, like many other fans, can forgive and forget but i think maurinho has man u as his preferred destination.
even if it meant finishing out of the top 4 this season, my reaction is, `so what?'. there is always the next season to look at. like the other post by one of the forumers, i am the patient type. i firmly believe if there is one manager that can end liverpool's epl's title misery, it will be rafa. if it is not next season, it could be the following.
Originally posted by Rooney9:ever since kenny daglish resigned in 1991, all the managers have been flops. are there really no one to bring the kop its first league title since 1990?
yes, to a large extent, dalglish's abrupt resignation and the ill appointment of greame sounness is liverpool's death knell.
MU sucks big time
I think rafael should be sacked after such a disasterous start to the season..
rafael must go.
best is immediately.
Why are we trying to sign a bunch of 2nd rated players?
we have a 2nd rated manager, that's why.
Originally posted by Poignant:we have a 2nd rated manager, that's why.
Gotta give him credits for what he has done.
He just has very bad foresight and that is being reflected on the scoreboards.
I doubt those who are asking for RB's leave knows what's really going on, other than stuffs that are on the pitch. Sure, the manager decides who to play and which players to bring into the club. But we're not a bad team overnight, and they're not bad players overnight.
Again, quite sad to see fairweather fans in here, and dare you call yourselves kopites going by our banner and motto of "You'll never walk alone"? Here's a quick take...
You’ll Never Walk Alone says all that needs to be said:
“When you walk through a storm,
Hold your head up high,
And dont be afraid of the dark,
At the end of the storm, is a golden sky,
And the sweet silver song of the lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Though your dreams be tossed and blown,
Walk on, Walk on with hope in your heart,
And you’ll never walk alone, You’ll never walk alone!”
We walk with our team and manager in goods times but more importantly we walk with them in bad times. We do not walk behind them sharpening our knives!
That said we need our fan base as one. The anti-Liverpool bias in the media is winning with its’ divide and conquer tactic. Whether you are like me in the Pro-Rafa camp or not, we all support the team. Supporting the manager or calling for his head is no indication of whether you are a real fan or not. True fans are indicated only by the Liverbird they wear, literally or metaphorically, on their chest! We are all true Liverpool fans.
I have seen it written in recent days that Shankly would be rolling in his grave not just at the off-field problems but also at the performances on the pitch. This cannot be denied but his RPM’s would be greatly increased due to the squabbles and divisions among the fans between the Pro and Anti-Rafa camps. Lets all pull together. Debating tactics and selection is one aspect of being a fan and is perfectly acceptable, just remember Rafa is our current manager and until the board decide different, he deserves our full backing. I know you cannot keep living on past glories, but is this the record of a bad manager: 2 Champions’ League finals, winning 1, 1 FA Cup, and the highest points total with fewest defeats in a season not to win the League.
Do you still want to go the Man City route and sack our manager mid season?
That all said, look at it in another perspective.
Do you want Liverpool to be in the top 4? If so, RB has lost the fan's confidence, probably the risks are so big, people who are calling for RB's sacking are concerned about this.
Might I remind you, Ferguson's first season was so bad he almost got Manu relegated, manu fans wanted him out, next thing you know, he wins the cup and everyone idolises him.
He certainly hasn't lost my confidence. If there's one man to take us out of the rut today, this is the man that I believe in, even if he was at the helm that led to it earlier. He's a strong man. He instills strong minds within his players. You can see the players fighting out there, fighting for their results, fighting for their club, fighting for their manager.
This I do not deny, but if there is one gripe for RB, it's his cautious approach into games -- but it did bring us our 5th European trophy.
If there's anyone who's lost my confidence, it's Gillett and Hicks. Their 'investment' seems to only bring on more financial strains than ever.
He certainly already has lost all my confidence. If that's a man who did us in today, this is the man that i believe who did it.
I don't disregard his achievements, but maybe its time for a change, just like how Houllier was changed when he brought the club to a level he couldn't bring up anymore.