Is Rafa A Genius or an Idiot?

[Red Nick]

Watching the tediious game yesterday and seeing so many average players in a Liverpool shirt we all decided RAFA was an absolute fucking genius to have this bunch of players top of the league true brilliance.

 

However the flipside is most of those average players were bought by Rafa and the MOM by some distance was signed by some Houllier. Saying that Alonso and Reina had a huge say in us winning the game.

 

Personally I think Rafa is a Genius for getting this group of players top of the league but he has made some poor buys.

[Anubis]

Ok Nick, there's only so many fun fuelled batty threads we can take in one week. Go and chill out and do some Christmas shopping.

[Guest LFD]

He's made some poor buys but they have cost the club little (financially) and they have mostly left the club rather than cluttering up the reserves, ala Diao, Cheyrou and Traore.

 

His net spending in five years is just under 100 million, which is 20 million per season. I bet we'd get more than 100 million should we sell Reina, Arbeloa, Agger, Skrtel, Insua, Kuyt, Alonso, Mascherano, Lucas, Riera, Babel and Torres.

 

People criticise Lucas but he's four choice how good do we expect our fourth choice to be? If we had a top quality fourth choice then he'd be unhappy being on the bench behind Mascherano, Alonso and Gerrard every week.

 

Benitez started with a poor squad and he's totally rebuilt it. The assets that left did not bring in much revenue, which makes this a great achievement. Last summer we saw how much we progressed when Benitez could raise a vast percentage of his transfer budget by selling players who were not vital to the club in Crouch, Sissoko (January), Carson, Guthrie etc. I can only see this improving.

 

He's won some major trophies, improved the first team making them capable of competing for all major honours in the game and doing this against some major forces in the game in Arsenal, Man U and Chelsea who all have far greater resources.

 

He's not perfect, but I don't see how you can start a thread questioning if he's an idiot when he's got us to the top of the league. Some idiot!

Edited December 7, 2008 by LFD

[Woo]

Every manager has made some poor buys, and Rafa is no different. I do think he has fucked up this season in the transfer market. But he has brought in some world class players that have really improved our starting lineup far more than Houllier did. He's obviously not an idiot, but I think he could do with sorting out his scouting department, as they have made a lot of shit recommendations.

[Antynwa]

It's quite clear Rafa is a genius, although there have been plenty of times where I have found myself lost in some of his decisions, take Dossena for example.

 

I was one of Dossena's biggest critics, yet v West Ham he put in a MotM Performance, so what does Rafa do? Thats right drop him and lob in Insua.

 

Now I'm all for giving Insua a chance, I wanted him in the squad when Dossena was having a bad run of form, but to put him in now, especially after Rafa said himself Dossena is low on confidence is bizarre.

[Pdool]

Djimi Taore, Harry Kewell, Josemi and Cisse have all now got Champions League winners medals.

 

Genius

[Guest LFD]

He's obviously not an idiot, but I think he could do with sorting out his scouting department, as they have made a lot of shit recommendations.

 

But on our budget he has to take risks.

 

Such as Arbeloa, now there is a bargain, as was Reina, Agger, Skrtel, even Riera this summer.

 

Some will work out and stay, the ones that don't leave quickly for little loss financially.

 

His problem this summer is Dossena and Keane look like they'll be costly mistakes, but given how much his signings have generally appreciated in value I think we can forgive him.

[Red Nick]

But on our budget he has to take risks.

 

Such as Arbeloa, now there is a bargain, as was Reina, Agger, Skrtel, even Riera this summer.

 

Some will work out and stay, the ones that don't leave quickly for little loss financially.

 

His problem this summer is Dossena and Keane look like they'll be costly mistakes, but given how much his signings have generally appreciated in value I think we can forgive him.

 

Rafa chose to spend 20m on Keane a player we didnt need or more to the point 20m that could have been spent on player who would have improved the first team more than Keane

[Guest LFD]

Rafa chose to spend 20m on Keane a player we didnt need or more to the point 20m that could have been spent on player who would have improved the first team more than Keane

 

Yes and that's one poor buy, thus far.

 

Who else has Benitez bought who has cost the club much money? The only person I can think of is Morientes.

 

All managers make poor buys, we can do a list for Ferguson and Wenger, I bet their flops have cost their clubs more.

 

Benitez has also brought in some of the best players in Europe in Reina, Mascherano and Torres.

[Kopite]

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[Section_31]

One thing Rafa isn't is an idiot. He's flawed of course like all managers are in their own way, but never an idiot.

[AmerScouse]

people who are judging robbie keane now and calling him a flop are well off the mark. robbie keane's impact can't be judged until he's had a run of 10 games or so with torres. he was clearly bought to play in the 2nd striker position with torres with gerrard playing in central midfield. with torres' injury its impossible to gauge keane's true impact. sometimes one player being out completely affects the team as a whole and thus further impacts each individual player.

just look at how riera's purchase opened our team up from an attacking perspective. we were way too narrow, we bought a proper winger, and suddenly we had more space in the middle of the park to play and xabi kicked on even further.

 

torres is crucial to how we play, get him in and fit for a run with keane in behind and then let's judge robbie. the whole team is clearly suffering a crisis of confidence at the moment (which is shocking considering we are top of the league, but football is funny eh?)

[rebel23]

considering the interest free DEBT Chelsea have got from Abramovich (£500m) and the fact that Manchester United have spent 30-50m a year on players and now we have Manchester City about to spend £250m on players, it makes me smile how well Rafa has done considering he's spent £100m net, he and the players are keeping us competitive against those big spenders and any potential new comers like City looking to get a piece of the action.

[Brownie]

He's neither.

 

He's an excellent manager with flaws in certain areas.

[dirty_sanchez]

Jesus, Rashid and Nick seem to have merged together to form some kind of biblical attention seeking ubertwunt

[Catch22]

Ask Tenerife (promoted from a division of 3 teams who have since played in the CL) & Valencia where they were before & after him.

 

Remember where we were before him ("Champions League, You're havin' a Laugh") & just fucking pray that we get the new stadium built before "el genio" leaves or the great European nights at Anfield will be in the Uefa Cup or the InterToto if the owners really fuck it up.

[JohnnyH]

Still stand by that neg you gave me Woo?

[georgeharrisong]

But on our budget he has to take risks.....

 

...His problem this summer is Dossena and Keane look like they'll be costly mistakes, but given how much his signings have generally appreciated in value I think we can forgive him.

 

good point. plus the fact that our squad has significantly improved in quality (not just value) since he took over... does anyone seriously think that the squad that ged left in 2004..the squad that squeaked into the CL because of the abject collapse of newcastle that year...would have ever topped the prem like rafa's squad is now? of course not.

 

frankly i'm tired of the fuck witted questioning of our manager. i don't mind criticism and debate, but so often when rafa gets it inthe neck it is totally without rational basis. you'd almost think some people had an agenda. Either that or they're just so unused to having a good side to support that they get disorientated and want the reassurance that comes with consistent mediocrity. Bring back Phil Babb, Bjornebye and Istvan Kozma...them were the days....

[Guest Dog Chaser]

Tactical genius but very stubborn. He is not an idiot in any way.

[Carra_is_legend]

He's neither.

 

He's an excellent manager with flaws in certain areas.

 

Is the right answer.

[Guest simon]

Two Words Torres! Genius.

[MLB]

My current feelings about him are very mixed. I'm starting to become a little bit dubious of him, if I'm honest. I think we definitely could win the league this season, but I don't think we will, and I think Rafa will be a major reason for that. Some people, of course, will say that we're top of the league because of him, and that's partly true. But in some ways I think we're also top of the league in spite of him, and over the course of the season his flaws will prevent us from achieving what we could domestically.

[Guest LFD]

But in some ways I think we're also top of the league in spite of him.

 

How so?

[longballs]

Replace the name 'Rafa' with 'Red Nick' in that subject title and we would have a better debate :]

[Catch22]

My current feelings about him are very mixed. I'm starting to become a little bit dubious of him, if I'm honest. I think we definitely could win the league this season, but I don't think we will, and I think Rafa will be a major reason for that. Some people, of course, will say that we're top of the league because of him, and that's partly true. But in some ways I think we're also top of the league in spite of him, and over the course of the season his flaws will prevent us from achieving what we could domestically.

 

 

We have the 4th highest wage bill in the division.

 

No side has ever won the PL from that position.

 

If you think we are in with a chance then it is down to the excellent off-field work of either the owners (both then or now), Parry or Rafa in over-coming that handicap by picking up good players on the (realtive) cheap, or motivating them/using superior tactics.

 

Actually most people would say that our owners & CEO are an additional handicap which makes Rafa's work even more exceptional.

 

You can disagree with where i give the credit but logically someone off the field is doing an amazing job given our budget if you think we can win the League & Rafa's detractors need to answer who that is.