Rafa Benitez, what makes him irreplaceable?

[Code]

I keep reading time and time again that we would be fucked if Rafa is either sacked or walks himself, why is that exactly?

 

I`m really curious to find out why people keep saying things like this and what they actually base their opinions on.

 

So why is it Rafa is the only answer for some, what are these superb abilities he has got as a manager/coach which makes him irreplaceable?

 

I have read a lot of thoughts and ideas about why he might not be the answer, but I think its time someone speaks up about why they think he is so fantastic compared to other managers out there.

 

Answers like, he is our manager and thats why I back him isnt good enough I`m afraid, at least not in this thread.

[Roy Hobbs]

I keep reading time and time again that we would be fucked if Rafa is either sacked or walks himself, why is that exactly?

 

I`m really curious to find out why people keep saying things like this and what they actually base their opinions on.

 

So why is it Rafa is the only answer for some, what are these superb abilities he has got as a manager/coach which makes him irreplaceable?

 

I have read a lot of thoughts and ideas about why he might not be the answer, but I think its time someone speaks up about why they think he is so fantastic compared to other managers out there.

 

Answers like, he is our manager and thats why I back him isnt good enough I`m afraid, at least not in this thread.

 

a) he's a very good manager that has shown he is prepared to deal with the owners, take them on even when required in order to improve the club in his eyes.

 

b) have no confidence in these 2 cunts employing anyone who comes close to Rafa in terms of pedigree so unless we give it to Sammy Lee and he turns out to be Shankly in disguise there is a very real chance of us going backwards.

[Unrighteous]

I don't think he's irreplaceable. He would be difficult to replace, mind.

[Salte]

He can be replaced like anyone else.

However, be is a brilliant coach, and in our current situation (bad owners, lack of funds, no new stadium in sight) i doubt we'd get anyone of the few in his league. So why should we sack him to bring in either an inferior manager (costing us a fortune in the process btw)?

[Dirk]

Can we stop with the fucking tedious Rafa Benitez threads? Jesus. H. Christ. That goes for the positive and the negative ones. It's the Liverpool Way.

[Code]

a) he's a very good manager that has shown he is prepared to deal with the owners, take them on even when required in order to improve the club in his eyes.

 

b) have no confidence in these 2 cunts employing anyone who comes close to Rafa in terms of pedigree so unless we give it to Sammy Lee and he turns out to be Shankly in disguise there is a very real chance of us going backwards.

 

So what exactly makes him a very good manager then?

[Liquid football]

His really nice cock

[Captain]

He can be replaced like anyone else.

However, be is a brilliant coach, and in our current situation (bad owners, lack of funds, no new stadium in sight) i doubt we'd get anyone of the few in his league. So why should we sack him to bring in either an inferior manager (costing us a fortune in the process btw)?

 

Sums it up nicely for me.

[Code]

Can we stop with the fucking tedious Rafa Benitez threads? Jesus. H. Christ. That goes for the positive and the negative ones. It's the Liverpool Way.

 

No.

 

Next question.

[Fowlers God]

his belly, where else would would find a belly like hi,

 

oh oh and his goatee,

[Liquid football]

his really nice cock

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

So what exactly makes him a very good manager then?

 

He has won the European Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Cup and two La Liga titles, and he has done so with either less cash than his rivals, a completely different starting position to his rivals or a mixture of both. If that doesn't make you a very good manager, what does?

 

As for the original question; he isn't irreplaceable. He would just be incredibly hard to replace with somebody better. Who would want to come to the club and manage when it is likely that they will have no money to spend (above what is raised by selling assets), an uncertain and unsteady ownership and would have to win the league under such circumstances to avoid being berated by people like you. We are lucky to have Rafa, because he is a world class manager and I don't see many that would like to come here at the present time.

[shanks59]

I keep reading time and time again that we would be fucked if Rafa is either sacked or walks himself, why is that exactly?

 

I`m really curious to find out why people keep saying things like this and what they actually base their opinions on.

 

So why is it Rafa is the only answer for some, what are these superb abilities he has got as a manager/coach which makes him irreplaceable?

 

I have read a lot of thoughts and ideas about why he might not be the answer, but I think its time someone speaks up about why they think he is so fantastic compared to other managers out there.

 

Answers like, he is our manager and thats why I back him isnt good enough I`m afraid, at least not in this thread.

 

Rafa has his faults, but, under him ..

 

League Cup finalist, European Cup Winners, UEFA Super Cup Winners, Community Shield Winner, European Cup final number 2 (only Bob has bettered that), FA cup winner, 86 points; Excellent signings, your hero Alonso, Reina, Garcia, Torres, Mascherano, .. he turned Gerrard into a lethal fuckin weapon ...

 

Any REALISTIC alternatives?

[Benitaur]

Quite simply, he is a visionary like Wenger is. He has already formed the team to the relevant strategies and tactics to fit the style of play that he intended.

 

Like Wenger, he buys players to fit his system. Not buy the best players and try to fit them into the team unlike Fergie. That is why I think owners who don't bother with the manager, and plays fantasy football and buys galacticos are unsuitable for managers like Rafa and Wenger.

 

So if another manager takes over, the players will not suit the new manager, because managers like Rafa and Wenger has their own style and tactics is peculiar to those particular managers.

 

Its simple. Look at Valencia. They still have some semblance of prestige seeing that top Spanish players still would go to them. BUT they have been average at best since Rafa left them for us. Under Rafa, they were a well oiled machine. Everyone else that has taken over have proven that the success was due to Rafa, not the players (brilliant though they are)

 

Certain players who fit Rafa's style may not be as good under someone else. For example, look at Torres and Gerrard playing for their national team. Under us, they click and look like world beaters. For the national team, they only get to show it in glimpses.

 

Maybe a manager like Hiddink, Mourinho or Capello might be more suitable, as they seem the type who can make do with whatever they are given and do well. On the other hand these managers don't seem to stick around long enough to build anything long term. This might simply be the nature of their style of management that made them so versatile in the first place.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Not buy the best players and try to fit them into the team unlike Fergie.

 

Exactly and fErgY 8nt winned NufFink!

 

Seriously though, it is best we don't go down that road.

[WaltonRed]

He isnt.

[Code]

He has won the European Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Cup and two La Liga titles, and he has done so with either less cash than his rivals, a completely different starting position to his rivals or a mixture of both.

 

If that doesn't make you a very good manager, what does?

 

He won the CL with GH`s squad on penalties, this was 5 years ago, we beat West Ham in the FA Cup final, I dont think WQset ham fans would agree they had a better starting position, better squad or more money than us.

 

His titles from Spain are outdated and brings me to one of the points I was going to raise in this thread.

 

Could Rafa`s methods be outdated?

 

Do other teams use the same tactics but with more flair and skill in their sides so Rafa`s beliefs that hard work will win you things might not hold water anymore.

 

Norway once only had Brazil ahead of them in the FIFA rankings, mainly because of a solid organisation based on zonal marking all ove the pitch but after other teams adopted the same ideas we soon dropped in the rankings.

 

So what exactly is it which makes Rafa a great coach compared to others, is it because of how we organise our defense compared to others, is it because of our brilliant atacking gameplan etc?

 

Is it because of his ability to get the best out of everyone?

 

I could go on and on, but this is not about why I dont think he is anything special, this is about why others think he is.

[Lario]

Code72 in "I hate Rafa" shocker!

[Guest Ulysses Everett McGill]

He won the CL with GH`s squad on penalties, this was 5 years ago, we beat West Ham in the FA Cup final, I dont think WQset ham fans would agree they had a better starting position, better squad or more money than us.

 

His titles from Spain are outdated and brings me to one of the points I was going to raise in this thread.

 

Could Rafa`s methods be outdated?

 

Do other teams use the same tactics but with more flair and skill in their sides so Rafa`s beliefs that hard work will win you things might not hold water anymore.

 

Norway once only had Brazil ahead of them in the FIFA rankings, mainly because of a solid organisation based on zonal marking all ove the pitch but after other teams adopted the same ideas we soon dropped in the rankings.

 

So what exactly is it which makes Rafa a great coach compared to others, is it because of how we organise our defense compared to others, is it because of our brilliant atacking gameplan etc?

 

Is it because of his ability to get the best out of everyone?

 

I could go on and on, but this is not about why I dont think he is anything special, this is about why others think he is.

 

I'd sack him and give you the job

 

Seriously

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

He won the CL with GH`s squad on penalties

 

You transmit and evident bias in everything you type. Take Garcia and Alonso out of 'Houllier's squad' and see how far we got. He took a team that scraped 4th place the season before, lost our best goal scorer for what might as well have been nothing, added a few players and outthought and outplayed some of the best teams in Europe and gave me some of the best nights I've had whilst supporting the club. To dismiss it like that really shows your agenda.

 

we beat West Ham in the FA Cup final

 

Yeah, it isn't as if we beat anybody else along the way.

 

His titles from Spain are outdated

 

In which case, so are most other managers accomplishments.

 

Do other teams use the same tactics but with more flair and skill in their sides so Rafa`s beliefs that hard work will win you things might not hold water anymore.

 

We scored more goals than anybody in the league last year (even with our best two goal scorers playing only about a 3rd of the season together), we scored more in all comps than any other team the year before. Your arguments are weak and poorly thought out, Code.

 

So what exactly is it which makes Rafa a great coach compared to others, is it because of how we organise our defense compared to others, is it because of our brilliant atacking gameplan etc?

 

As Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, Frank Rijkaard, Carlo Ancelloti, Roberto Mancini and other world class managers. They've all been put to the sword by Rafa and in their own back yard, too. See what they have to say.

 

I could go on and on, but this is not about why I dont think he is anything special, this is about why others think he is.

 

Surely both have relevance. Your points are very easy to dismiss because they are based on myopic bias. I'd also like to know who could replace him, who would be willing to come under the circumstances. That is very relevant to your question. If he isn't irreplaceable, who could come in and do a better job. Who would come in?

[King Emlyn]

So what exactly makes him a very good manager then?

His track record is a good starting point, players respect him and he has made our team very difficult to beat; he instills discipline in his team and he is single minded and determined in his approach, he is not swayed from these beliefs by popular opinion. He IS a top manager, that much is proven, whether you or anybody else believes there is better (only Hiddink and Ferguson for me) is a moot point really as i believe not a single top manager in the world would come anywhere near us as i'm sure our horrendous problems are common knowledge on the professional circuit grapevine. We won't get better than what we've got, you can take that to the bank.

[Dirk]

You can't reason with a delusion.

[Bust3rboi]

rafa was the perfect manager to sort out a dying liverpool team . if werent for him we would prolly be as shitty as fukin everton + gerrard

[Delmar]

The question itself is a red herring, nobody in this world is irreplaceable in any job. However, what makes Rafa difficult to replace (in random order):

 

1) He works hard, has high expectations of himself, of the club, cuts no slack to players, staff, and seems to cut no slack to himself, either. In fact, judged by all reports I've read he is a workaholic, and I like having them around, especially working for me.

 

2) He has a clear vision of how his team should play, clear ideas of the roles of the players. The team is built around the notion of "team", and the ideas of Sacchi, taken to the next level. This is discussed in RAWK in detail, go there if you wish to know more.

 

3) He has a clear vision of how the club should be in the future, and how to get there, taking into account coming UEFA rules. He has total control of football operations, it would be idiotic to change during the first year of this role.

 

4) As a manager, one of his main strengths is preparation to games, seeing the team as a unit and preparing the players to be a part of this unit, and preparing them to be able to adapt to different situations, change formations during the game, and still working as a unit.

 

5) He seems to love LFC. Living abroad is not easy, living and adapting to a new culture is not easy, and many would have left by now. I believe that there is a genuine affection there, and that is hard to find these days.

 

6) I like how he annoys guys like you.

 

So there, I could probably come up with many more things, and I may later, these were just off the top of my head . If you wish to discuss just the games and tactics, or transfers and net spend, there are other threads available, I trust.

[Xherdan]

And so began Code's quest to become Liverpool manager.