Interview with Rafa - 25th October - Exclusive From Paavo Nurmi

[Saintslfc13]

Clearly, let me know the next time you turn 20 million down through principal.

 

You might as well just stop. There are people within the clubs fanbase for which Rafa is just a cunt, has been a cunt for sometime, and always will be a cunt now.

 

Why argue with them? You won't change their opinion.

 

They've got some sort of "holy" war against the man.

[stringvest]

It's 'principle'.

[SlugTrail]

Is that before he tried to sell Alonso, or after he sold Alonso, and tried to replace him with Aquilani?

 

Or after he made shit subs during key games throughout the season? like taking SG off in a Merseyside derby because he thought he was playing with his heart and not his mind?

 

Playing a Merseyside derby with your heart? as a Liverpool born player? heaven forbid such a thing.

 

rafa, gone and forgotten.

 

Alonso of 2006-2007 was not the same player, if he had played like he did in 07-08 then he would not have tried to sell him.

 

The derby you are referring to when he took Gerrard off and I believe he put Lucas on. We were drawing at the time I believe, and how did that game finish?

[Bobby Hundreds]

You might as well just stop. There are people within the clubs fanbase for which Rafa is just a cunt, has been a cunt for sometime, and always will be a cunt now.

 

Why argue with them? You won't change their opinion.

 

They've got some sort of "holy" war against the man.

 

And there are some for who Rafa is the new Jesus and any mistakes he made were someone else's fault always someone else's fault the fact remains not only has the Rafa debate been done but the debate about the people who debate about Rafa has been done too. As has this someone pointing out that the debate about the people debating Rafa debate has been debated. Infact I'm almost positive that has been done too, I'd say we are more than a few generations of this arguement down the line and we've never resolved anything or than one small thing, Rafa is a divisive issue.

[fowler9]

I can't believe the Derby substitution is the one brought up when it proved to be right! surely the most absured one is Torres off for Ngog at Birmingham that time

 

anyway I have faith in Rodgers, respect Rafa and wouldn't be adverse to him coming back if it doesn't work out with Brendan but did at the time think he'd lost the plot a bit although I'd have kept him if I knew what was to come but don't think we'd be having this debate at all if we had just gone and got Pellegrini

[Chip Butty]

He's like a modern day Yosser Hughes.

[dennis tooth]

Can we have him back now please?

 

oh I see we are still playing this silly game. Let me know when your good and ready.

[kingofjustice]

I miss him as well.

 

I'm afraid he doesn't interview well though.

[the walsh]

i would love him back some day pure legend

[fin-bat]

I would love to see him naked.

[Trumo]

Where do I stand with regards to Rafa?

 

I need to make the same point I made about Kenny in the 'New manager, new expectations' thread. With Kenny, I would have liked to have seen him given this season at least, to show that last season was an aberration. So many unusual things happened last season, what with Suarez's ban, the number of time we hit the woodwork and the number of missed penalties and clear-cut chances. There was certainly enough shown by Kenny and his staff to suggest it's something that may not be a chronic problem.

 

How does that link with Rafa? Well, the 2009/10 season was an aberration, which subsequent decisions have turned into the beginnings of a downward spiral. For that, some blame Rafa for turning us into what we are today. Quite a few of those also like to suggest that the few seasons of upward progress prior to summer 2009 were in spite of rather than because of him. The truth is, his input was significant in both instances.

 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and I know the then-board had their reasons for wanting Rafa out. We know that he is a prickly character at times and that he has a stubborn streak, but I certainly don't buy into the idea that his continued presence could derail the sale process that Broughton was overseeing. Any new buyer would have been chosen because they had at least some management savvy, so they could deal with any disruptive influences themselves. Since we had no buyers in place in May/June 2010, it made little sense to get rid so desperately and expensively. It made even less sense when you consider the board had nobody in the pipeline. They hadn't sounded anybody out.

 

It made less sense still when that very board was both fractured and temporary. Temporary or not, I understand that the club still needs to be run and decisions still need to be made and carried out. That's normal. The manner in which it was done is not, and I said as much about how Kenny was relieved of his duties by FSG.

 

For my part, in the summer of 2010 I would have gathered all parties (board, management and players) together and said that Rafa would carry on into the following season, during which the sale of the club was expected to be concluded. The future of the manager would depend not only on results, but on whether the new owners wanted to carry on with him. The reason I say I'd have gathered everybody was to make it clear in no uncertain terms that the divisiveness HAD to be put to one side, given the off-field situation.

 

The then-board, from what we can gather, did nothing of the sort and instead pushed for change while unprepared. Not only unprepared, but inexperienced. Rafa had been at the club before Hicks & Gillett strolled through the front door, and neither Purslow nor Ayre had been with the club long. Broughton had been there for a matter of months, on a part-time basis and with a specific remit to sell the club. There was no experience as to how to go about making footballing decisions. Purslow and Ayre made plenty of noises about an exhaustive search, but I firmly believe they bowed to media talk when making their decision. Not only that, but they agreed to a long-term contract with Hodgson when everybody within the club was aware that ownership change was in the pipeline. They shat themselves.

 

On this very forum that summer, I said I'd have preferred Kenny over Hodgson, and that was only after the club had sacked Rafa and were looking for a replacement. The reasons for choosing Kenny have been done to death by loads of us on here since that summer so there's no point going over them again. I also realise that if my earlier suggestion for summer 2010 had come to fruition, Kenny might never have been given the chance to manage the club again.

 

For the record, if Rafa had continued for another season, I don't think we'd have seen a sudden reversal of fortune on the pitch. It might have been a bit better than 2009/10, but unlike Kenny last year, Rafa wasn't contending with strange happenings on the pitch and ridiculous ill-fortune, unless you count that bloody beachball up at Sunderland! We would still have missed out on a top 4 spot I reckon, but we'd have shown a bit more consistency overall compared to 2009/10.

 

If the new owners then decided in summer 2011 to change the management team, you'd have had a lot more people agreeing that it was time for a change. There would be fewer people pining for Rafa now. Much of that is down to a sense of unfinished business, which has been further fuelled by Rafa's comments since then and his continued presence on Merseyside.

 

Perhaps there would be fewer people dishing out abuse to the current incumbent too, who knows. What I know for sure is that Roy Hodgson would never have got near this club. He is the only one that has talked the fans down, talked the club down, spoken unfathomable shit to the media without prompting, and had an approach that relied on the opposition side having a stinker in order to get a result. All the other managers have at least tried a progressive approach to getting the team functioning effectively.

 

Even if results aren't great, I'm prepared to give a Liverpool manager time if he adopts a progressive approach that shows a team prepared to take the initiative, because I believe he has a better chance of being successful with it. Of course, he has to deliver consistent results at some point, but then any manager of this club will be fully aware of that.

 

It's late and I'm not sure if 3-4 beers is bringing any sense out of me any more (if at all!), but that's the way it is.

[Saintslfc13]

And there are some for who Rafa is the new Jesus and any mistakes he made were someone else's fault always someone else's fault the fact remains not only has the Rafa debate been done but the debate about the people who debate about Rafa has been done too. As has this someone pointing out that the debate about the people debating Rafa debate has been debated. Infact I'm almost positive that has been done too, I'd say we are more than a few generations of this arguement down the line and we've never resolved anything or than one small thing, Rafa is a divisive issue.

 

So I think we can agree to agree that this whole thing is fucking totally pointless and we don't need to debate whether or not to debate about debating about Rafa because it will never be resolved.

 

Unless he becomes our manager again, at which point the debate will only be won (depending on which side one person is on) by him winning or losing.

[fin-bat]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and I know the then-board had their reasons for wanting Rafa out. We know that he is a prickly character at times and that he has a stubborn streak, but I certainly don't buy into the idea that his continued presence could derail the sale process that Broughton was overseeing.

 

Don´t think it had anything to do with the sale process. I think certain players just had too much to say about who they wanted to have as their manager. They were tired of what was going on. They wanted a Brittish manager, more Brittish players, and all those average foreigners Rafa had bought we used as a reason for the clubs downfall. Things had got to the point where they couldn´t even take their girlfriends to the cristmas party without an interpretator. It was that bad.

[Trumo]

Don´t think it had anything to do with the sale process. I think certain players just had too much to say about who they wanted to have as their manager. They were tired of what was going on. They wanted a Brittish manager, more Brittish players, and all those average foreigners Rafa had bought we used as a reason for the clubs downfall. Things had got to the point where they couldn´t even take their girlfriends to the cristmas party without an interpretator. It was that bad.

 

It was a suggestion that I think was being briefed to the press, perhaps by Purslow, and that is part of the issue. People were briefing against each other and nobody was looking at how it was derailing the club. It needed somebody to hold things together, and we had nobody who could do that. Even Kenny, who at that point was working with the academy, was caught in the crossfire. Cliques were allowed to form. As for the 'go British' idea, the whole logic and reasoning behind that would make perfect material for an EDL pamphlet.

[RedPaul]

I think Rafa needed a break, he had become so emotionally involved with the club and everything that was going on with the owners, and wanted to control absolutely as much as he could, that he partially lost the ability to be the brilliant coach that, for me, he undoubtedly is. It's quite incredible to observe now that in just a few short seasons we have lost our number 1 perch in European football that he helped us to achieve, and see where we have fallen to. In fact it's blimin' scary and there is nothing to stop us falling further and further unless the right decisions are made at all levels. I don't think the correct decisions have been made, other than lose the two twats of owners we had, and we are reaping the rewards of mistake after mistake. We've taken yet more gambles last summer with the appointment of a novice manager and no DOF and I just hope that with hindsight that will be shown to have been a brilliant appointment. At the moment for me it just feels like another step down the ladder of success we used to enjoy. If Brendan doesn't work out for whatever reason then I'd have to say I'd have Rafa back in an instant now. It wont be a wholly popular decision, but for me it would be the right one. I just hope he's learnt his lessons and matured with his time away from club management and being able to look at the bigger picture.

[Bobby Hundreds]

I haven't read Rafas book yet but does he mention the nature of transfers. How much input does a manager have into wages and the transfer fee and the basic all round finances that goes along with signing players.

[fin-bat]

As for the 'go British' idea, the whole logic and reasoning behind that would make perfect material for an EDL pamphlet.

 

I think already when Houllier was kicked out the rumour was that certain players (owen...?) wanted Curlisley as a manager, just because he was british. Unfortunately they had to suffer Benitez before they got their wish in Hodgson.

 

Most footballers are stupid. You should never let them have too much power in a football club.