Raffa the Gaffa

[Jay]

Is it just me or are the press trying to unsettle him and Liverpool? All the time I read about how he may lose his job, how he is ready for the sack but not once has this been seen to be true!

The fans love him, he has and is doing very well, he wants the best for the team and will argue to get it (I don't see anything wrong with that!)

There is no way that he should get the sack and to be honest I doubt that he is anywhere near it. I wish who ever it is behind these storys would stop as its unfair on Raffa and the rest of the squad.

[tintax]

The press definitely do target Liverpool in this way. Oliver Kay of the Times managed to write an 'article' bashing the club every day for over three weeks towards the end of the Champions League qualifiers. He's at it again today, though there are actually some thoughtful responses if you check the Times web site. That is just one of the writers at one of papers!

To be honest though I do think they are responding to what they at least think the public want.

Just look at the very vocal, very fickle, and very tiny minority of fans who flood message boards and call-in shows. Look too at the high number of ex-players on the TV who used to wear red: they may well still support us but I feel a certain amount of (understandable) pride gets in the way of wanting to see us do better now than we did in their day.

Plus we are perhaps historically the club with the biggest reputation and we seem to collect a lot of clubs (and thus rival supporters) that passionately see us as rivals.

I probably also see more articles 'attacking' other clubs than I realise because I don't see much wrong in those: other side of the coin. I also don't know those clubs like I do my own so things don't jump out at me as being wrong.

I must admit that it does annoy me but at least it reads sweeter when they have no choice but to write something good!

[Jay]

true.

I am worried that Raffa is being forced out. I don't know a single Reds fan who wants to see him gone and if he did go there would be uproar. I think the Americans don't understand the game or the following and may make a big mistake.

[kopite]

Mate there some fans who starting to lose faith in rafa.

The Wigan Game was the straw that broke the camels back for a lot of people.
Playing 1 up front away from home against big clubs is one thing but when you are at home playing a relegation team you should be playing attacking.

I like rafa a lot but he really needs to start realising that he has the players who can rip teams apart instead of being too tactical.

[Sukh]

Wigan was disgusting, we were doing well at the start of the season, but unnecessary rotation of the team killed the form and moment we had built up.
Torres is very young, and can play most games this season, we need a player up front that can preform, and he showed that. But rotation crippled that form, I dont want to see him go, but I think he should change his ways for the premiership

[tintax]

The Wigan Game was the straw that broke the camels back for a lot of people.
Playing 1 up front away from home against big clubs is one thing but when you are at home playing a relegation team you should be playing attacking.

That was the first game I'd had chance to attend this season and I agree: it was awful. I wasn't exactly happy with the formation but with Pennant and Alonso making their returns, Aurelio and Kewell still not match sharp, and Arbeloa 'filling in' at centre back, I thought I could see method to the madness. 4-5-1 can be attacking but with Gerrard and the wingers failing to push forward more often it was never going to be; we ended up tripping over each other in the middle.

Even though I believe it should have worked, it was obvious long before half time that it wasn't. Rafa should have swapped Alonso for a forward at half time and switched to 4-4-2.

What really annoyed me was the complete lack of effort. Apart from the ten minutes after halftime (when I guess Rafa didn't mince his words) when we scored, and for the seven or eight minutes after they did, the players didn't seem to care much. A more usual level of effort and I wouldn't have been surprised by a two or three nill victory.

It was also the worst atmosphere I've experienced at Anfield. I know it should be a two way street-the fans and players driving each other on-and the players weren't doing their bit but still, we're better than that.

N.B. Torres and (to an extent) Kewell did seem to be trying but they were the exception rather than the rule. I was also behind the other goal when we scored so I couldn't see it properly but did get to see Bramble in full disbelieving technicolour for his goal.

[kopite]

I think the reason Harry kewell is playing so well is his contract is due up at the end of the season.

He seems to only play well when there`s either a big tournament coming UP(pre world cup for instance) or his contracts due.

I`d love him to prove me wrong because he has skill but he`s let us down too many times.

I have been hearing rumours that rafa has been looking at sigining Samir Nasri from marseille. he`s a good young player and Seems to be a hero for marseille so might be a good signing.

Hopefully this weekend rafa will put out the strongest team he can and just tell them to play without too many tactics and hand gestures

[tintax]

I get the impression (as best you can from the outside looking in) that Kewell has realised that he owes us for the support he's been given. Playing for a new contract never hurts either! If he can get a good run in the team and get his confidence and that extra yard back, he'll be very useful.

I expect Nasri would be exciting to watch: quick and good at taking people on. I believe his natural position is between the midfield and attack, similar to the role Elano is playing so well at City. I wonder if Rafa would be thinking 4-4-1-1 or deploying him on the wings?

Kewell, Benayoun, and Torres (plus perhaps Babel and sometimes Pennant) are the players that give us some 'craft' in the final third. It is telling that we essentially only had Pennant available last season. Nasri would be an addition to that set.

[danroyle]

i am one of the few fans that firmly believe that rafa should go.

i also think we should ditch those dosy americans as well they come in promising funds to bring us up to man utd and chelsea and do it once then plead poverty.

i like rafa and what he has done for the team but if we want to win the league he has to admit at some point that this rotation policy does not work well in england

i can't stand the man but i think jose mourinho would get us that league title

[Lanky123]

I dont think Rafa is capable of getting us the title but if he goes who do we get to replace him? Nobody can second guess Mourinho's intentions, great though he would be, and I can think of anybody else who would be better.

To sack a good manager and have the great one you wanted turn you down is a little embarrassing, as Newcastle have just shown us.

[danroyle]

I dont think Rafa is capable of getting us the title but if he goes who do we get to replace him? Nobody can second guess Mourinho's intentions, great though he would be, and I can think of anybody else who would be better.

To sack a good manager and have the great one you wanted turn you down is a little embarrassing, as Newcastle have just shown us.

if he left jose would be the only step up

i hope we don't sign someone like jurgen klinsmann we need someone with real pedigree as a manager

another one i'd consider is frank rijkaard he has done well to keep the girls at barcelona working well which would be a pretty hard job as ronaldinho and eto'o both think they are GOD

[tintax]

i like rafa and what he has done for the team but if we want to win the league he has to admit at some point that this rotation policy does not work well in england

Ferguson (and Mourinho whilst at Chelsea) rotates just as much as Benitez. For all three teams, more changes also means more points on average.

See this Paul Tomkins article for more info. It may be an article on the official site but at least it is based on actual data.

[kopite]

Just been reading in the Echo that DIC are going to make an offer to buy out tom hicks.

I like the idea of that. I like george gillet he seems to understand the club tom has never seemed as enthustiastic about the club and its history. The DIC bloke has said before he loves Liverpool.

Rafa has been completely shafted by Hicks lately

[tintax]

I like the idea of that. I like george gillet he seems to understand the club tom has never seemed as enthustiastic about the club and its history. The DIC bloke has said before he loves Liverpool.

I couldn't agree more on wanting to see the back of Hicks. He seems to think he can make a profit from Liverpool just by maintaining the club as is. He doesn't understand the way football works in this country, that you have to be moving forward just to stand still, and he definitely fails to get our club.

I'm not sure about DIC. When they were bidding the first time, their plan was to make a profit by selling the club on after seven years or so. I'm not exactly thrilled at the thought of being owned by someone who doesn't want us for the sake of owning Liverpool Football Club. However, if they understand that the club needs to be genuine title contenders to increase in value, and understand what needs to be done to make that happen, then hopefully it wont be a bad seven years.

[kopite]

THe press said that Dic were planning that but the sheikhs people came out and denied that. He is supposed to be a really big fan and comes to a lot of matches.

ALso everything else he has touched seems to have turned to gold. After all isnt he the one who is owns the jockets like franky de tore etc.

The only thing Hicks has brought to the club that has been good where the plans for the new stadium which he has since said is too expensive. IT really hurts that we get to see these great plans and get truely exited about having a stadium that looks the business only to find out that its not gonna happen and we`ll prolly end up with another bowl stadium like every other stadium built in the uk lately

[tintax]

DIC's stated purpose is to invest in business assets to achieve a return for it's parent company (Dubai Holding) and the ultimate shareholders, the Ruling Family of Dubai. Now if Sheikh Mohammed was seeking to own the club personally, in the same way as his horses, that would be different.

I don't actually think it's a bad thing at all for the club to be run as a business, so long as the owners understand how football clubs work and how they generate profits (which surely is related to success on the pitch). The Executive Chairman and Chief Executive of DIC, Sameer Al Ansari, is certainly supposed to be a Liverpool fan so hopefully he does.

Those stadium plans really were something special. It would be a shame to end up with a carbon copy of everywhere else but Anfield stands head and shoulders above everyone because of the fans and the history. You could put us in a large tin can and we'd still shock and awe the opposition.