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Rafa Benitez not to blame for Liverpool FC's awful start


RedMyst
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FFS Rafa was a failure whichever way you want to paint over the cracks

 

Ever since Pako left he has been on a downward spiral

 

All other of the so called Top 3 achieved more

 

Lets not forget the forced Xabi out of the club his one and only world clsss signing before Torres

 

Pako and Rafa were aswesome

 

Rafa sin Pako no bien

 

Funny. When Pako left we got 2nd in the league although we achieved the highest premiership points in our history, and towards the end of that season played the best football I have seen in 20 years, scoring 4 goals per game against our rivals and smashing everyone else.

 

All the other top 3 achieved more during Rafa's reign? Arsene has done worse than Rafa, and Chelsea and the Mancs obviously have more resources

 

Maybe the fact that we had a NEGATIVE transfer budget those last 2 years has anything to do with our regression?

 

Funny that for one who slates Rafa for not winning the league, we achieved our best result in the league when Pako left (for flirting with Moureen no less).

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Rafa failed because he tried to achieve too much with too little. That he wasn't stopped on this suicidal quest was thanks to the muppets above him. How else can you explain going into a season with only one half-fit striker after spending €40M on Aquilani and Glen Johnson.

 

I blame him for being stupid enough to buy their lies.

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Rafa failed because he tried to achieve too much with too little. That he wasn't stopped on this suicidal quest was thanks to the muppets above him. How else can you explain going into a season with only one half-fit striker after spending €40M on Aquilani and Glen Johnson.

 

I blame him for being stupid enough to buy their lies.

 

Shame the Robbie Keane money was never reinvested.

 

We had Jovetic lined up but alas, we had massive interest payments to deal with.

 

The rug was swept, hindsight is wonderful.

 

You cannot excuse the Aquilani signing, talented player though he is but i reckon you'd see a better Glen Johnson in a more attacking style of play what with him being an attacking full back and all that.

Edited by Coro
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I do blame Benitez for last season and the transfer fuckups that preceded it. I don't however, blame him for not winning the title. Houllier left behind a lot of shit and it was always going to take time to assemble a title-winning squad, that too without being in the market for £20m+ players.

 

The only time our squad value was on a par with the big 3 was in 08/09 but unfortunately for us, the Mancs had assembled their greatest ever squad. Ferguson himself admitted as much.

 

As for Hodgson, he has a few legitimate excuses, but nobody wants to hear about them when you're sitting 18th in the table. That would be unacceptable even as a manger of Fulham. If he doesn't get us in the European places by January he should probably be canned.

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This argument's been done to death but I just want to ask something...

 

 

 

Not a dig, man, but seriously what's up with the been/being thing? I always read your posts and have noticed this peculiar usage in most of them. Is it a regional thing? As I say, not a dig - genuine question.

 

Just poor grammar.

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We keep getting told how shit a squad Rafa left by ex players and now Hodge Podge himself....... but the fact is this so called "shit" squad was still well in the running for 4th place with about six games to go and beat the likes of united and spurs comfortably at home last season, it was our wretched away performances (which was complete turnaround from the record 13 away wins in the previous season).

 

Make no mistake those who are calling this squad shit now were the same ones who were tipping us to win the league at the start of last season. The only person who is to blame for our current situation is Hodge Podge for his negative tactics, pandering to the "engerlish" contingent and being completely out of his depth. If Rafa was still here I would put money on it we would be very close to the top.

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I do blame Benitez for last season and the transfer fuckups that preceded it. I don't however, blame him for not winning the title. Houllier left behind a lot of shit and it was always going to take time to assemble a title-winning squad, that too without being in the market for £20m+ players.

 

The only time our squad value was on a par with the big 3 was in 08/09 but unfortunately for us, the Mancs had assembled their greatest ever squad. Ferguson himself admitted as much.

 

As for Hodgson, he has a few legitimate excuses, but nobody wants to hear about them when you're sitting 18th in the table. That would be unacceptable even as a manger of Fulham. If he doesn't get us in the European places by January he should probably be canned.

 

I dont believe that Rafa inherited a shit squad at all,I think it was stronger than the one Hodgson inherited.

 

This is the squad that Rafa inherited

2003–04 Liverpool F.C. season - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

This is the squad Hodgson inherited

First Team - Liverpool FC

 

Which do you think is better?

 

PS I'm not saying Rafa is at fault for Roys shitty start,thats all his own doing.

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I dont believe that Rafa inherited a shit squad at all,I think it was stronger than the one Hodgson inherited.

 

This is the squad that Rafa inherited

2003–04 Liverpool F.C. season - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

This is the squad Hodgson inherited

First Team - Liverpool FC

 

Which do you think is better?

 

PS I'm not saying Rafa is at fault for Roys shitty start,thats all his own doing.

 

More revisionism again...... so you are telling me salif diao, el hadji diouf, emile heskey (who scored about 1 goal in about 20 games), igor biscan, bruno cheyrou, letallec, and injury prone kirkland, smicer and the other players on the list are better than we have.

 

Also Houllier never had to put up with the americans or make a profit in FOUR CONSECUTIVE TRANSFER WINDOWS to keep the club afloat.

 

Don't why you had to drag up this bullshit in this thread, but you are right it is all HODGE PODGES FAULT.

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I dont believe that Rafa inherited a shit squad at all,I think it was stronger than the one Hodgson inherited.

 

This is the squad that Rafa inherited

2003–04 Liverpool F.C. season - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

This is the squad Hodgson inherited

First Team - Liverpool FC

 

Which do you think is better?

 

PS I'm not saying Rafa is at fault for Roys shitty start,thats all his own doing.

 

Roy Hodgson has inherited a squad that has a wage bill of approx £120m per annum. We certainly haven't had value for money this season or last.

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alanpartridge01.jpg

 

The above picture is exactly what this thread has descended into.

 

The point of this thread and article within, of which so few have seemed to grasp, is the blatant "protection" of Mr Hodgson by the vast majority of today's media (who insult intelligent football fans on a daily basis)

 

As some one once said of Mr Benitez, "He's gone, get over it"

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Interesting piece on Rafa's reign at Inter thus far - (apart from the gratuitous reference to Paul Tomkins as 'respected'!:whistle:). Rafa seems to have reverted to the persona of 2004-5 by this account, rather than the 'all-controlling' one of the last few years at Liverpool - i.e. playing to his (enviable) strengths as a tactician and coach, and leaving the transfer market to others with a better eye for spotting players.

 

BBC Sport - Football - Rafael Benitez reborn with Inter Milan in Serie A

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Interesting piece on Rafa's reign at Inter thus far - (apart from the gratuitous reference to Paul Tomkins as 'respected'!:whistle:). Rafa seems to have reverted to the persona of 2004-5 by this account, rather than the 'all-controlling' one of the last few years at Liverpool - i.e. playing to his (enviable) strengths as a tactician and coach, and leaving the transfer market to others with a better eye for spotting players.

 

BBC Sport - Football - Rafael Benitez reborn with Inter Milan in Serie A

 

He has said numerous times that he trusts and respects those at Inter. That obviously was not the case here.

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And while many fans directed their ire at detested former American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, there is little doubt that Benitez departed Anfield with his status considerably diminished.

 

How did he get the Inter job then?

 

Good article though. Is his biographer still a close friend after that "finder of players" remark?

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Good article that probably write in terms of transfer dealings(with someone else buying the players and Rafa making them fit in his system)but wasnt that one of the main reasons he left Valencia? I remember a comment he made when he first came to liverpool about telling the director at valencia he wanted a "table but he bought him a table leg" in other words the players he wanted he wasnt getting (either that or furniture wasnt part of his contract) so how long is it before inter start doing the same?.

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Good article that probably write in terms of transfer dealings(with someone else buying the players and Rafa making them fit in his system)but wasnt that one of the main reasons he left Valencia? I remember a comment he made when he first came to liverpool about telling the director at valencia he wanted a "table but he bought him a table leg" in other words the players he wanted he wasnt getting (either that or furniture wasnt part of his contract) so how long is it before inter start doing the same?.

 

it happens at every club in Italy and Spain though so he was well aware before he signed, I think the quote you mean was along the lines of "I asked for a Sofa but they bought me a lamp" and was regarding a Uruguayan player (Canobbio?), as long as the Inter director buys the right players he won't mind

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it happens at every club in Italy and Spain though so he was well aware before he signed, I think the quote you mean was along the lines of "I asked for a Sofa but they bought me a lamp" and was regarding a Uruguayan player (Canobbio?), as long as the Inter director buys the right players he won't mind

 

Valencia won their second league in 3 years, so they weren't doing much wrong.

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And while many fans directed their ire at detested former American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, there is little doubt that Benitez departed Anfield with his status considerably diminished.

 

How did he get the Inter job then?

 

Good article though. Is his biographer still a close friend after that "finder of players" remark?

 

Lloret made similar comments in his biography of Benitez back in 2004/5.

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