I received the following email from Neil Pybis, unfortunately I disagree with Neil as I still believe that Rafa is the right man for Liverpool, I do not see any other alternative out there.
Antoine i am not a great writer as you can more than likely see below but this is from the heart,
“Cruel defeat last night, unfortunately the Rafa-Out brigade just woke up from their slumber, where did they go? Sometimes I really wonder if they are true Liverpool Fans as they never seem to celebrate our victories. Do they hate Rafa more than they love Liverpool?”
Is this really the case or is it that we love the club more than Rafa.
Rafa has had 5 years at the club, yes we could all go on about the 2 trophies that he has won whilst there, how much he has spent, how much he has saved the club, but the bottom line is, ‘are we any closer to winning the premiership?’
Is he the man to take Liverpool forward, my heart would say yes, but my head rules the roost in the world of reality and the answer to me is no.
I don’t feel this is a negative statement, nor an intent or statement that I do not love my club, its an opinion that needs to be respected, why, because of my undying love for the club.
Liverpool Football Club is greater than any individual, we all know who said that, we would never hear of a bad word said against this man, perhaps the greatest red that has ever lived, and that’s the philosophy that we should be adopting now.
Last night against the Arsenal,where there for the taking. yes a mistake was made that gave Arsenal the goal, and yes there was a hand ball, but lets face it, Arsenal for all their good football where on their knees before the game last night and where there for the taking, and what did Liverpool do , nothing but settle really for the draw.
Is this good enough, that a team that was low on confidence after being thrashed consecutively by their nearest title challengers where allowed to beat the mighty reds, is this a reflection on the players that Liverpool have at the moment, are they really good enough to take a game by the scruff of its neck and dominate it like the Liverpool teams of the past, I don’t think so and it really hurts.
Why cant we do that any more, that’s what I ask when I questions of Rafa, his decisions, his tactics, his ability to find the right players.no one could doubt their commitment but is this alone good enough to win us the holy grail, again i have to say no.
But one thing I never question is my undying support for a club and a city where I was born and raised,and this is why. my love is not for Rafa, but for Liverpool Football Club, and that is why I question, which is my right.
The problem with Rafa and liverpool at the moment is that we’re not able to judge the team’s performances against how we would do if we had all of our players fit and our team at full strength.
I know that’s a bit of a weak argument to make, as all squads have injuries etc, but three of our best players have been injured for a considerable time (Torres, Gerrard and Johnson), so we’re trying to compete at the top level with our B Team, which would put a strain on any team. Added to this, Carra is being played out of his best position, and we’re being forced to throw newcomers like Aquillani and Maxi into the team with very little introduction. This is never going to be good for any team, regardless of the manager. I’m willing to place a bet that the God-like Shanks would have struggled to get a winning team with our situation at the moment.
There was a time about a month ago where I would have been pleased to see Rafa leave, and for Liverpool to bring in someone like Mark Hughes, but now I feel ashamed to think that. Rafa has built this team from the stagnant pool we were in during that final year of Houllier’s reign, took us to two Champions League Finals, brought us closer to winning the league than we have been in well over a decade, and has constructed a squad full of talent, with Pepe, Torres, Carra, Gerrard, Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Masch.
We have a few weak links in the squad, but I think Rafa has done the best he could with the finances available. What we need is a change higher up, at board level, and some stability back in the club. Regardless of who you are, you’re going to be affected by instability within the corporate side of the club. Managing a football team where the owners hate each other and want to sell, and yet are bleeding the club dry, must be impossible.
For 5 years Rafa has done a brilliant job for us, and the least he, and the club deserve, is a bit of loyalty from the fans, especially when we’re halfway through the hard slog that is a Premiership campaign. We need to get behind the team, give it our all, close our eyes and pray that when we open them again at the end of May we have Champions League football for next season and Hicks and Gillett are on a flight back to the States, never to set foot near Anfield ever again.
(Rant over)
The only obvious problem with RAFA (though i am a Pro-RAFA as of now ) is that to me he seems a bit arrogant..With a team short on attacking prowess he is too keen playing defenders and as many possible..with a defensive mindset..sometimes that pays like against spurs and everton..
but that tactics is sure to give matches like those Vs Wolves and last night..although we won’t lose heavy like arsenal with this plan..but With NGOG upfront..you are right my friend..we have a different Liverpool fc who are blunt on scoring prowess..
RAFA (as i keep saying ) should learn the good things from his contemporaries like ferguson and harry redy and play BABEL and show him support ..(just like they showed it with Nani and bentley)..I have seen the matches and in the arsenal vs amn u match nani made the difference..so RAFA play the right team…NGOG needs rest ..he is good ..but he is a boy among a lot of MEN!!!
The next match is a do-or-die match ..and to give ourselves a chance ..a realistic one RAFA play RYAN BABEL..!!! or else we may have to depend on Luck which has been as indifferent as ever to us this season..!!
On my blog, I’ve posted an article addressing Rafa. Feel free to read it and comment on whether you agree. (I guess this sounds like a blatant advert now)
I dont mind rafa he is a good manager and master defensive tactician. I just feel that Arsenal will always have our number whilst Rafa is in charge because he tries to contain them every time we play them. (IT DOESN@T WORK RAFA!) They have proved time an time again that they are the one team in the league capable of making us look ridiculously ordinary, mainly due to incorrect tactics. To beat Arsenal: don’t stand off, get stuck in! Go at them with pace and directness and never ever play Gerrard in the ‘hole’! (this ‘hole’ is getting deeper and deeper)
Gerrard is now after 15 years of indiscipline capable of playing central midfield to ‘Alonso’ levels. He now has the capacity to let his teammates play and not hog the limelight. Has anyone else noticed he has been completely figured out playing as a striker? has anyone realized he has no answer to being man marked? We need to play him deeper as he lacks that little bit of nouse needed to make space for himself. If we switch the roles of Aquilani and Gerrard expect sexy football of the highest order. Aquilani is very clever and knows how to take up dangerous positions of the striker. Gerrard on the other hand is suffering the same way any other striker suffers in their second season but he looks destined to fail the test.
Just a quicky on Maxi. I’m not quite sure what he does. I’m not writing him off but have noticed he doesn’t dribble and also lacks pace. Another player destined to work hard and score 1 in 6.
wise man once said ” wish in one hand, shit in the other – see which fills up first”
that’s all really great but who you going to replace him with. He’s in the middle of a project on a restrictive budget. There was progress as per last year – wasn’t rafas fault that key team members came back from the summer injured.