Rafa Benitez may be available on Monday.

[billypilgrimnz]

Anyone with a decent claim to being the best couldn't possibly turn it down.

 

Yeah, but Rafa's not the best. IMO, of course.

[Flying Pig]

I wish him to stay there as well, Inter being shite suits me fine.

 

Why anyone would want that failure back is beyond me.

 

I'd have "that failure" back anytime.

[Delmar]

Are you seriously going to suggest that if we managed to win the treble in exactly the same style you'd still be unhappy? Really?

 

Yeah. I dislike catenaccio and do not believe in end justifies the means thinking. I think that the process is equally important.

 

However, I doubt that he'd play the same way here, it would be more like Rafa's teams used to play, pressing high, using the individual players' strengths better than what is happening now (that is also something Mourinho is good at). The way Inter played was the only way that particular team could have won the Champions League.

[Code]

I'd have "that failure" back anytime.

 

07/08: Keane, Dossena = £30M

08/09: Aquilani, Johnson = £35M

 

I would keep him as far away as its possible to get.

 

I`ll put a challenge out there to all you Rafa fans.

 

Find me another manager who have wasted such an amount and such a percentage of his transfe budget two summers in a row and still kept his job?

 

Not even adding to the debate that he managed to sell 3 of his most consistent peoformers in the same period and we are still looking for their replacements.

[chrisbonnie]

as much as i respect what Rafa has done for us,

 

there is no way in hell that id want him back, that boat has passed

 

he's a great manager and all, but you never turn back, particularly with a manager

 

saying that, i want Hodgson gone as quickly as possible

[Flying Pig]

07/08: Keane, Dossena = £30M

08/09: Aquilani, Johnson = £35M

 

I would keep him as far away as its possible to get.

 

I`ll put a challenge out there to all you Rafa fans.

 

Find me another manager who have wasted such an amount and such a percentage of his transfe budget two summers in a row and still kept his job?

 

Not even adding to the debate that he managed to sell 3 of his most consistent peoformers in the same period and we are still looking for their replacements.

 

Are we to take into account the massive reduction in funds from G&H from Feb 2007 and the juggling of funds Rafa had to do over this period? Can we also allow for the excess of £100 million worth of prize/TV money from the CL football from 2004-2009 which "the failure" has to take some credit? God forbid if I mention NETT spend and wage available to any targeted players compared to the wages structures of Utd, City, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal!

 

Incidently, the transfer budget you are talking about is that the negative one he had to play with for the previous 4 windows?

[liverpoolsno9]

Don't understand all you fuckwits having a go a Rafa but, unfortunately, the majority of the opinions about him on here is a sad indictment of the modern football fan and, unfortunately, the modern Liverpool fan. I'd fuckin love to have him back as should most of us. But 2 Euro cup finals, a prem challenge and an fa cup as well as some of the best nights in our history, is deemed not good enough. You reep what you sow, and we are reeping the rewards (?) now aren't we? Sadly, I think old Liverpool Way is dead & buried now, we/us are just like any other clubs fans now. There's only one Roy Hodgson...................

[Guest San Don]

He's gone. Get over it.

[ZonkoVille77]

How about Rafa and Roy as joint managers?

 

Comic genius.

[goatboy59]

Yeah, but Rafa's not the best. IMO, of course.

 

Not without focus, no.

 

But if this season sees Real v Inter, I know who my money is on.

[Guest San Don]

Not without focus, no.

 

But if this season sees Real v Inter, I know who my money is on.

 

Real?

 

Not convinced by all this Mourinho v Benitez comparison. Playing a home leg second is a massive advantage in Europe.

[Code]

Are we to take into account the massive reduction in funds from G&H from Feb 2007 and the juggling of funds Rafa had to do over this period? Can we also allow for the excess of £100 million worth of prize/TV money from the CL football from 2004-2009 which "the failure" has to take some credit? God forbid if I mention NETT spend and wage available to any targeted players compared to the wages structures of Utd, City, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal!

 

Incidently, the transfer budget you are talking about is that the negative one he had to play with for the previous 4 windows?

 

You can take into account whatever you like.

 

The fact is he had £40M to spend two summers in a row and wasted them in a way it actually would be difficult to beat even if you tried your best.

 

For that reason he had to go, he had become a liability and the club suffered because of this.

 

No where in life would you get away with that, not even if you are the son of the owner, you would get replaced because of your incompetence.

[mypost]

he's a great manager and all, but you never turn back, particularly with a manager

 

You don't want Kenny back so....

[zackop10]

moderators, why does my comments not get posted, but only seen when I am logged in ??

 

please answer..

[goatboy59]

Real?

 

Not convinced by all this Mourinho v Benitez comparison. Playing a home leg second is a massive advantage in Europe.

 

Depends what happened in the first, surely?

[Flying Pig]

You can take into account whatever you like.

 

The fact is he had £40M to spend two summers in a row and wasted them in a way it actually would be difficult to beat even if you tried your best.

 

For that reason he had to go, he had become a liability and the club suffered because of this.

 

No where in life would you get away with that, not even if you are the son of the owner, you would get replaced because of your incompetence.

 

I respect your argument, I just believe it to be incorrect. This argument can go on and on and will never be proven or disproven unless Rafa comes back which I don't believe will ever happen.

[Guest San Don]

Depends what happened in the first, surely?

 

Really!? So you dont subscribe to the widely held view that playing the second leg at home isnt a massive advantage? Think you'll find nearly every manager wants to play at home second.

[redmachine23]

Really?

 

Two big clubs regressed under his management. Say what you like about Rafa, at least he's consistent.

 

Ridiculous comment.

[goatboy59]

Really!? So you dont subscribe to the widely held view that playing the second leg at home isnt a massive advantage? Think you'll find nearly every manager wants to play at home second.

 

Unless you get the result you want in the first game, it's pretty academic isn't it?

 

I'm sure Juve were made up with their away goal in 2005, like we were in 2006.

 

United struggled for years with home 2nd legs, winning it in 99 with away legs 2nd.

 

We always want the second leg here because of the chance to create a real atmosphere, but you have to do the business in the first game.

[TheHitman]

goatboy stop this defending Rafas record, people will get confused they might lump you in with the Rafa crowd!.

[goatboy59]

You're right.

 

Fuck the fat cunt.

[Guest San Don]

Unless you get the result you want in the first game, it's pretty academic isn't it?

 

I'm sure Juve were made up with their away goal in 2005, like we were in 2006.

 

United struggled for years with home 2nd legs, winning it in 99 with away legs 2nd.

 

We always want the second leg here because of the chance to create a real atmosphere, but you have to do the business in the first game.

 

I think you're being mischievious. Yes, Im sure Juve were made up with their away goal. Im sure they thought with the second leg at home they'd take the tie.

 

Im not claiming playing the home leg second will always benefit the home team. Such a suggestion would be ludicrous. but neither can you deny playing at home second cannot be a massive advantage? (OK I know I said 'is' a massive advantage but let's not be pedantic.)

 

The simple fact of the matter is nearly every manager Im aware of would prefer to play the second leg at home rather than away.

 

Let's be clear about this, Im not making out Benitez was lucky in having the 2005 semi 2nd leg against mourinho's chelsea at home. What I am suggesting is playing at home in the second leg is a massive advantage. Whether teams take advantage of that or not is down to statistics.

 

Mourinho's result's against Benitez's Liverpool based on one off cup ties, PL home and away fixtures and European ties is pretty close but, I think Mourinho is on top when you take home v away games into consideration.

[Cantrell20]

Don't forget FA Cup tie and Community Shield. If you take their cup head-to-head stats into account, it's 80% won by Rafa, provided we take CL ties as one game. FA Cup semi took place at Old Toilet as far as I remembet, while Community Shield game was played in Cardiff. So it's not only the question of playing in front of the own crowd, even though it has a grain of truth, as we progressed to to CL finals only when we had a second leg at home, two other times were unsuccessfull at Stamford Bridge.

[goatboy59]

Ha, this is a novelty!

 

As much as I have railed against Rafa's various insecurities and net spend neuroses over the years Chelsea v Liverpool in those years wasn't a fair fight and he still managed three straight knockouts and a league win.

 

EDIT forget the CS!

[Guest San Don]

Don't forget FA Cup tie and Community Shield. If you take their cup head-to-head stats into account, it's 80% won by Rafa, provided we take CL ties as one game. FA Cup semi took place at Old Toilet as far as I remembet, while Community Shield game was played in Cardiff. So it's not only the question of playing in front of the own crowd, even though it has a grain of truth, as we progressed to to CL finals only when we had a second leg at home, two other times were unsuccessfull at Stamford Bridge.

 

The Cup semi I referred to as one off cup ties and also includes the League Cup final so those two effectively cancel each other out. Community Shield? Do me a favour.

 

Im referring to competitive games. PL games I may be wrong but think Mourinho won more games at Anfield than Benitez did at stamford bridge.

 

Anyway, this is diverging off from what was a simple statement that playing at home in the second leg is an advantage and nearly every manager would look for home advantage second rather than a full on Benitez v mourinho debate which will only end up going one way.

 

I dont agree the stats show 80% won by Benitez.