When/If Benitez departs

[Mitch]

How will you feel about it? Will you be emotional and what is your abiding memory of the man and what will be his legacy

[Faustus]

 

My abiding memory.

 

Will I be emotional? Probably, I'd imagine. The fella gave me the best day of my life after all.

 

I think it is time for him to go and for the whole club to be able to start afresh in the summer with new owners in the summer as well. I take no pleasure from it though, just as I took no pleasure in wanting Houllier to go back in 2004. It just seems that the writing is on the wall, just like it was back then.

 

Overall, I'll have fond memories. Giving us Istanbul, an FA Cup and some of the greatest European nights in the club's history.

[Anubis]

Don't feed the troll.

[Faustus]

Don't feed the troll.

 

Oh is fella the WUM? Genuinely didn't know.

 

I retract my previous post and I'd like to tell you, Mitch, to fuck off.

[Brownie]

As critical as i've been of him, i'll be gutted in a sense because I want him to be the man for the job. Nobody wants to see the club suffer and have to start rebuilding again and I know he loves it here so I wouldn't wish the pain and upheaval of leaving, on anyone. I'd love nothing more than for him to be the man for us but I don't think he is.

 

I'm incredibly thankful for Istanbul and Cardiff though and i'll try to remember him for that. I hated Houllier when he left but I look back on his reign fondly now so hopefully in time i'd do the same with Rafa.

 

When any manager leaves the club, it's always sad.

[Hermes]

How will you feel about it? Will you be emotional and what is your abiding memory of the man and what will be his legacy

 

I'll cry with happiness. Abiding memory, so many to choose from. But here is a sample:

 

"Controlling the game" when not having had a shot on goal.

 

The most defensive football I've ever seen from a Liverpool team.

 

Numerous references by Rafa to other clubs being interested in him.

 

Numerous arguments with numerous people at the club.

 

Numerous sycophantic appeals to the fans to save his arse.

 

Numerous average players signed, who wouldn't have got a game with the reserves under previous managers.

[BolshieBastard]

How will you feel about it? Will you be emotional and what is your abiding memory of the man and what will be his legacy

 

Seriously, I'll be doing fucking cartwheels when he goes.

 

Thanks for 2005 and 2006 (2007 he cost us another CL win) but its time to move forward instead of backwards.

 

I want a manager who's going to put a striker on in a game before a defender. Benitez will be well suited to Serie A but I dont expect him to be winning any titles there.

[Drewas]

I'll cry with happiness. Abiding memory, so many to choose from. But here is a sample:

 

"Controlling the game" when not having had a shot on goal.

 

The most defensive football I've ever seen from a Liverpool team.

 

Numerous references by Rafa to other clubs being interested in him.

 

Numerous arguments with numerous people at the club.

 

Numerous sycophantic appeals to the fans to save his arse.

 

Numerous average players signed, who wouldn't have got a game with the reserves under previous managers.

 

I think its time for him to go but what terrifies me is who we will end up with as a replacement. You think it cant get any worse.

 

Sure it can.

[BolshieBastard]

I think its time for him to go but what terrifies me is who we will end up with as a replacement. You think it cant get any worse.

 

Sure it can.

 

Fucking hell mate, even the likes of Hodgson etc would have us looking to attack instead of defending. We wont get this shit about 'controlling the game' nor substitutions by the clock not on how the game is going!

[Hermes]

I think its time for him to go but what terrifies me is who we will end up with as a replacement. You think it cant get any worse.

 

Sure it can.

 

Name me somebody who will cause so much trouble, sign so many average players, play so defensively and all this while winning zilch in 4 seasons.

[BolshieBastard]

Name me somebody who will cause so much trouble, sign so many average players, play so defensively and all this while winning zilch in 4 seasons.

 

Exactamento! (You mised pissing off the senior players as well!)

[Coro]

Name me somebody who will cause so much trouble, sign so many average players, play so defensively

 

Oooo up to that point i was going to say Mourinho.

 

How long before you start laying into the new manager?

 

Will he at least get a year?

 

Exactamento! (You mised pissing off the senior players as well!)

 

Which ones?

[Hermes]

Exactamento! (You mised pissing off the senior players as well!)

 

I didn't have time to list them all, I'm going on holiday in 14 weeks.

[Nunavut Patrick]

I'll cry with happiness. Abiding memory, so many to choose from. But here is a sample:

 

"Controlling the game" when not having had a shot on goal.

 

The most defensive football I've ever seen from a Liverpool team.

 

Numerous references by Rafa to other clubs being interested in him.

 

Numerous arguments with numerous people at the club.

 

Numerous sycophantic appeals to the fans to save his arse.

 

Numerous average players signed, who wouldn't have got a game with the reserves under previous managers.

 

Ah, mate, but was it progress?

 

First European Cup since 1984.

FA Cup (ties him with Ged and Sooey on that one)

Highest point total

 

But, alas, as Nellie Furtado, a very foxy Canadian of Portugese decent sang, 'All good things come to an end'.

 

My abiding memory of Benetiz will be Olympiac(k)os when Gerrard scored and he just checked his watch, cool as fuck.

 

Looking back, he was probably thinking two things:

 

a) Okay, I bring Josemi on for last 4 four minutes

 

or

 

b) Now we can control game but alas only four minutes to do so

[Frankenhooker]

I like Benitez as a man. I respect what he's done for this club, and regardless of what some people think, he has done a lot. That said, I do think the time has come for a parting of the ways. Things have run their course and I think he's now incapable of moving the club forward.

 

While not a memory as such, or at least not yet, the thing I appreciate most is bringing Torres and Reina to the club, something not a lot of mangers would be able to do.

 

Like I said, things have run their course and it's time both parties moved on, that said there is a shocking lack of respect for Benitez being shown at present.

[BolshieBastard]

Oooo up to that point i was going to say Mourinho.

 

How long before you start laying into the new manager?

 

Will he at least get a year?

 

 

 

Which ones?

 

You see, there you go again, thinking because this manager who's played some shocking football, signings etc got 6 years that the next manager is going to get about a year!

 

Silly, silly boy.

 

The new manager will get 3 to 4 years to show his own style.

 

 

I didn't have time to list them all, I'm going on holiday in 14 weeks.

 

LOL!

[Benitaur]

Name me somebody who will cause so much trouble, sign so many average players, play so defensively and all this while winning zilch in 4 seasons.

 

Thats literally EVERY top manager.

 

1) Cause so much trouble

 

I would be curious which manager would you get that wouldn't want a transfer budget? Rafa has had net spend of 0 the last 3 transfer seasons

 

2) average players

 

Well, I don't know that many managers that buy fantastic players in the 0-2 million range

 

But given the right budget, Rafa has bought arguably the best striker, goalie and defensive midfielder in the world. He has even turned Gerrard and Carra into world class performers (while under Houllier, Gerrard was only potential)

 

Yeah, most here would say that any manager would have done that. Tell that to all the world class players under Rafa in Valencia. After Rafa left, what have you heard of Aimar, Ayala etc etc? Nothing.

 

Valencia have bought fantasy teams since Rafa left. I reckon nearly their whole first squad would walk into our squad. But without the right manager, they have done considerably worse than us in their league.

 

3) Play defensively

 

Capello, Mourinho etc etc. ALL defensive coaches. Whats your point?

 

There is no such thing as GOOD offensive managers. Managers like Wenger, and even further back Cruyff are anomalies that need the budget and total control to build a team into their own image. Rafa was never given this chance

 

Managers like Rijkaard were lucky that he stumbled upon a great barca side that just bought Ronaldinho before he got too injured, and Messi who was emerging (not to mention Xavi, Iniesta etc)

 

4) Won fuck all in 4 years

 

Yep, and whoever comes after will give us more of the same, because Chelsea, the Mancs, City, Spurs and Villa will spend much more this transfer season and the next

 

While we will still be reliant on our few world class players we do have, our hard working average players of around 5-10 mil (Kuyt, Benayoun, etc) and a whole lot of bosmans and reserves who are hopefully good enough

[Hermes]

there is a shocking lack of respect for Benitez being shown at present.

 

You have to earn respect mate. He's betrayed the values of the club in so many ways and taken the fans for mugs. I'm just amazed it's taken so long for so many people to realise that the Emperor wasn't wearing any clothes.

[Coro]

You see, there you go again, thinking because this manager who's played some shocking football, signings etc got 6 years that the next manager is going to get about a year!

 

Silly, silly boy.

 

The new manager will get 3 to 4 years to show his own style.

 

 

There I go again?

 

You must have me confused with someone else.

 

So how long has Hermes wanted Rafa out then?

[Frankenhooker]

You have to earn respect mate. He's betrayed the values of the club in so many ways and taken the fans for mugs. I'm just amazed it's taken so long for so many people to realise that the Emperor wasn't wearing any clothes.

 

I can appreciate that, but the man is, at the moment, still manager of our club and it's all a bit odd that some people are showering him with the same vitriolic labels we normally reserve for managers of other clubs.

 

I'm not sure about the 'Emperors new clothes' analogy, less than a year ago we were pulling up trees and playing some fantastic football. Obviously things have transpired and I do believe he's lost certain members in the changing room and while some of his decisions have always been odd, this season they have been downright erratic. Our decline happened so fast I don't know what to put it down to, but the buck stops with the manager in my opinion, regardless of off-field activities.

 

He needs to go, for our club and for himself, it just doesn't seem right calling him this and that.

[Hermes]

Oooo up to that point i was going to say Mourinho.

 

 

But instead, you can't name anybody.

[Coro]

But instead, you can't name anybody.

 

How long have you wanted the manager sacked?

[Funkasy]

This man has made liverpool football club a force in europe again after 3 other managers failed so incredible hardcore style, even when they were on top of the game, benitez took a medium side and made us one of the best clubs in europe, and once rated number one by uefa. It has gone wrong since that, but this manager has my biggest respect.

 

p.s i thought liverpool had the best fans in the world and i used to say that to my friends, but after reading this forum for some years i think many of you are total garbage! specialy the boo boys from last year when we reached top of the table.

[Guest TK-421]

Guy is a legend, always will be in my eyes. 16m pay out or not. I would have paid 16m myself for number 5. We could've had a whip round.

[Red Phoenix]

Ah, mate, but was it progress?

 

First European Cup since 1984.

FA Cup (ties him with Ged and Sooey on that one)

Highest point total

 

But, alas, as Nellie Furtado, a very foxy Canadian of Portugese decent sang, 'All good things come to an end'.

 

My abiding memory of Benetiz will be Olympiac(k)os when Gerrard scored and he just checked his watch, cool as fuck.

 

Looking back, he was probably thinking two things:

 

a) Okay, I bring Josemi on for last 4 four minutes

 

or

 

b) Now we can control game but alas only four minutes to do so

 

Hahaha!