We Didn’t See This With Rafa…

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Current manager and the previous one, but who is to blame?

First of all, i’m not a man of facts and stats. But passion, common sense and dedication all come naturally to me. The loss in any match is heart breaking and can lead to alot of abuse from other teams and the media, a loss in a derby doubles that abbuse, especially the mersey side one. So why is it that when Reds all across the globe are either angry and venting to other reds, or in shock and feeling like we are bound for relugation, that Roy Hodgson had a quick smirk on his face at the final whistle?

I bring up Rafa, knowing this will stir many supporters up, but not with that sole intent in mind… Roy has asked for 10 matches to be judged, but even with the next two (if he is given them), I dont think my confidence in him will be changed. It’s been written in the past few weeks many times, but again, after the loss to Manchester United and having Ferguson accuse Torres of cheating, Roy didnt flinch and would rather keep his friendship with Fergie than stand up for his star man up-front and get passionate about his players. A draw and a loss in our previous two matches and Roy has found positives in the matches and is content. While we sink lower and lower.. the smile for me has shown me that Roy does not understand the importance of his position and the pressure that is on him constantly to deliver results and bring the supporters spirits up!

Many people do not like Rafa, and I have to agree that his last season was not a convincing one, but wouldn’t a manager who stands up to his opponents, supports every member of his team, and show the same passion and love for the club as the fans, have more support in a hard time? Maybe 7th was not acceptable for his level of managing, but is 19th much better?

People are telling me that where we lack in the premiership, we will shine in Europe. We nearly didnt make to Europe this season and its not looking good to even be in top flight in England at the moment! Rafa may not have been the best manager in the country, but looking at many stats, he was one of the best at liverpool. In 7 games at Inter Milan, he sits in 2nd place with 14 points. I think its not that he wasnt doing his job properly, the problem was Hicks and Gillett! We the fans never gave up and Rafa didnt either. He stood tall and wanted to show his commitment, and he got sacked in a “mutual agreement”. Rafa has come out and said liverpool is his home, and he follows the club very closely still, he says he wants to come back. Until he does, we do have other managers and staff members to pick from to replace Mr. Hodgson, but Rafa has what it takes to bring the best of our boys in red.

Currently, Antoine’s poll shows 91.45% (417 voters) of voters want Roy out while the other 8.55% (39 voters) say give him two more games. May be why #RoyOut is spreading quickly on Twitter.

In Roy’s deffence i must say, he is very confident with his interviews and does not bring pressure on himself or the team. He selects his words very carefully and with wisdom, can make any bad situation a little lesss painful. He has many years of experiance and has done very well with Fulham and some of his past clubs, but this job might be his limit. He has deffended himself saying in over 30 years of managing football teams, he has won many matches and his tactics have worked all along. But he may be stuck with certain ways of play that dont work, not every team is the same and liverpool isnt. We are better, and we need better players to complement who we have now, and a new manager to bring the best out of the athletes.

I respect Roy and do wish him to stay in top flight football until he decides he is done with football, but maybe not in liverpool, Hodgson, Benitez, O’Neil, and Danglish.. just four men who may have what it takes, but I think only two have earned their spot, one may have highest odds for the “replacement”and one has run his course..

Brandon O’Shea, The Passionate Red.

Follow me on Twitter @Brandon_OShea

121 Comments

  1. I think hodgeson will be gone by xmas. He was an embarrasment yesterday seeing him rubbing his chin all puzzled, he reminded me of me grandad he used to look like that in the betting shop looking at the odds on the wall.
    As for his buys, Poulsen the worst Dane to come out of Italy since Per Kroldrup who lasted till Jan, reckon he may go same way. Meirles no class, Joe Cole not looking like the Joe Cole we know but there again Joe usually a bit part player for Chelsea and England, he dont look a 90 min man. Konchesky I have seen better left backs in the Liverpool Sunday League. As for the bench well every Evertonian must of been looking at it yesterday and saying there aint nothing on it to fear.
    Its great to have loads of dosh, but we was beaten by 2 goals from 2 players who cost about 2m each and a cross from an Irish bloke who cost 60 grand, there still bargains out there if Woy looks in the right places, Hangeland of Fulham looks like the ideal new Sami Hyppia why cant he be bought in for starters to shear up the back, that fat yak made Kyriagos look fourth rate.

  2. when the news was announced that Rafa had left by “mutual consent” my heart sank. not because of a blinded vision of a man thinking Rafa was the best, but out of a feeling of, who now would stick up for the players,the club, the fans, who would be prepared to do and say the uncomfortable things that needed to be said? Rafa’s tenure is over, good bad or indifferent, he had us playing the kind of football that I grew up watching as a young LFC fan, the type of football I now long for. love or hate Rafa, his passion was undeniable. now, here, in the current day, we have Roy, who’s tactics are well, shocking! Our club is in serious danger, where has the heart, passion and the spirit gone from our team. that doesn’t just disappear does it? we need to stop the rot, to stop the pain that all of us LFC fans, whether we be day trippers or stoitch Kopites feel, we are ONE and the SAME. we love the same club, none of us can bear to look at the league, it is too painful.

    THIS MUST END NOW!

    I’m not one to be ruled by my emotions, but now is the time for all LFC fans to stand up with one voice, one agenda, one direction. It is time for us to call for the RETURN OF THE KING!

    Kenny, if you can hear us, if you can read this, (we) LFC NEED YOU! onlt KING KENNY has what it takes to resurrect this club.

  3. im sorry but you cant compare our first 8 games with Inters first 7. Inter milan havea team full of quality in every position. They are also used to winning leagues!!

    Hodgson is an average coach at best and doesnt deserve to be at Liverpool.

  4. At around 65mins gone we were 2-0 done to everton…who looked like winning the game from the get go, because we were all over the place. We had no shape…zonal Marking was 100% better that what we’re doing now, Lucas and Maxi…omg!!! what can i say. It looked as though Roay turned to Sammy Lee and said ” We’re 2-0 down Sammy…What shall I do next?” I have no confidence in this guy…he’s a mid table /relegation manager and that is exactly where he has taken us. Liverpool sitting 2 from bottom “WTF ROY!!!!!!!!”

  5. Rafa has gone………rightly on wrongly but he has gone..move on.

    Hodgson ain’t the answer! we should ask England if they fancy a swap, no compensation to pay and the FA would have their English manager!!

  6. Hodgeson should ve been fired since last month…. Wot da hell is he still doing at my club?, Sack him now before its too late !!!

  7. Not a big fan of Hodgson but with a team in decline from last season (Rafa’s season)and no funds to purchase quality players this season, what the hell do you expect. With this bunch of players even King Kenny would struggle.

  8. @DAVID S After Benitez won d 2005 cup,most of d players left either due 2 sale or retirement and so he had d time to put togeda his own team which neva won anythin. What i’m tryn 2 say is that Benitez though better than Hodgson based on his current perfomance is stil nt d best coach 4 Lfc. Anoda thing is that if at all Benitez wins any trophy wit Inter dis season,I won’t b temptd 2 say wat a good coach we lost except he’s consistent at least 4 d next 3seasons.
    @RJ I didn’t say Aquilani cos he was bought injurd leavn Lucas as an option then.Unfortunately his injury went 4 long so Lucas was able 2 play 4 long. What’s wrong wit havn Aurelio+Ashley cole+Insua.knowin dat Aurelio is injury prone.Insua bcame our Lb durin Aurelio’s injury. Don’t 4get d buying& d sale of Keane.

  9. Rafa and the yanks combined to bring this club to its knee’s .. when the new directors came in they knew the owners needed to move on as did the manager, this is now complete, just, yet all this moaning!

    I’ll stay the fan I have been for over 45 years and leave you blogger mouth fans to talk football rubbish as usual!

    Terrible article, going nowhere except to keep the reds struggling, you should all be ashamed, included the writer of this blog.

    RR

  10. There is absolutely no way that even with this squad we would be second from bottom if Benitez was still in charge. Hodgson is tactically inept and not fit to be mentioned in the same breath as Benitez.

  11. Why are we so set on appointing unproven managers, simply cos there is no-one out there, totally agree rafa had took us as far as he could and hodgesons more of a tactical mystery than rafas substitutions, Roy out before chrimbo and probably the sheepish mon to replace would prefer kenny but liverpool is a total rebuild now with time to reinstate the boot room with jamie and sami hypia as the new framework for success. new signings start by getting rid of the jokers who claim to be superstars draining the clubs resources and making schoolboy errors, enough

  12. 100% agree with the article – we are in the postion we are in now becuiase of the manager RH.

    two more games will prove what? – Do we just want hiom to win one of them so that people can say ” look hes making progress”…what SHITE – we have become the laughing stock of the premier league – not becuase Rafa left Roy with a weakened squad…NO WAY – it’s becuase we currently have a manager who doesn’t know how to manage a BIG CLUB like LFC…who has quite frnakly been put in place becuase – he woudl shut up, keep the press happy and do a mediocre job (even taht is not panning out well!!)

    I am sorry Roy- your LFC is uninspiring, your tactics are uninspiring, pathetic really.

    At least Benitez knew what he had, and how to make the best out of what he had.

    VERY CONCERNED!!!

  13. If Hodgson does go then please, please, please not Martin O’Neill. There must be a tactically astute manager out there that sends his team out to play a brand of football worth watching.

  14. @Frozen

    Hello again, mate.
    I’d just like to bring you to the fact that after 2005, there were only Biscan, Baros and Smicer who left. But then Liverpool still managed to won FA Cup. The following year, Liverpool went to yet another UCL Final. In the domestic front, Liverpool slowly climbing up the table in each end of respective seasons under Benitez, save only his last season(It was a frustrating season I must admit, but that is another story).
    If the record under Benitez’s management is not “consistent” enough for you, perhaps you could show me any manager who is currently “consistent” for at least in his last 3 seasons; including last season? (I suppose by saying “consistent” you mean winning major trophies?)

  15. Have to disagree about Roy being good at interviews, he is an empty vessel who makes a lot of noise but says nothing meaningful. Long-winded, boring, and based on what we have seen on the pitch there is no correlation between his words and what takes place on the field.

    It is disgusting that a Liverpool manager would play up weak teams at the expense of his own, refuse to support key players, display appalling lack of ambition, and praise performances that are truly cringe-worthy as the best under his watch.

    Why is this man smiling when we are second from the bottom? Please, PLEASE ship him out now.

  16. Roy is tactically inept and his style of football is a great cure for insomnia.

    just look at last season’s table.
    even though it was condemned as our worst season in donkey years and fulham had one of their best seasons….
    Liverpool GF 61 GA 35 GD +26 Pts 63
    Fulham GF 39 GA 46 GD -7 Pts 46

    Now
    Liverpool GF 7 GA 13 GD -6 Pts 6
    Fulham GF 9 GA 9 GD 0 Pts 9

    And this is more or less the same team. Roy does defensive football and its not good watching.

    Rafa is a world-class manager who was restricted by two donkey owners and nil funding. He already overachieved two seasons ago by finishing 2nd and topscoring the league! And topscoring the league is not what a supposedly “negative” manager can achieve! If anything Hodgson is much more negative than Rafa!
    Granted last season was poor, but it had extenuating circumstances like extensive injury list, inexplicable footballing luck like beachball incident etc…
    In terms of cost of squad, we are 5th expensive in the league and our expected league position is actually only 5th, so 7th is not too far off… certainly much better than 19th!
    To win the league in the current mega-rich sugardaddy era is not easy.
    No point harking back to the olden days. Kenny was good in the 1990s but he may not be in touch anymore now. Its 20 years since and its much much tougher to win the league now.
    Past umpteen seasons have only seen 2 winner – both not surprisingly been the top 2 expensive squads in the league – chelski and manure.

    People say Wenger is great and Arsenal good, but during Rafa’s tenure here, Rafa has won more than Wenger and achieved better league positions on average than Wenger! And Wenger hasnt won the league for donkey years already…. again because their warchest is not as mighty as the top 2.

    Now that we have a new owner, its time to get a world-class manager to manage the team. There are not many out there though….
    I would dearly love for Rafa to return….

  17. I totally agreed with everything you said. in my opinion, we had one of the Europe ‘s best managers who stood up for club and fans agaisnt the owners, Fergie , and press when they attacked us and tried to damage the club.
    Roy is just nice person and in my opinion he is not one of the best at the momnent in his profession. in 34 years managament he had not own anything significant and sadly he will not win anything here.
    To his defence he had come to liverpool with no money to spend and the team he has got al to of problems.
    I never wanted Rafa to go and I supported Roy althoguh I didnot think he was the right one.

  18. Well all u fans who wanted Rafa sacked i say this is what you get.
    Often it is better to trust someone who has results at the club to someone who has not.
    Rafa is a great manager Inter would not have bothered otherwise.
    Just in parting i have nightmares thinking about what Roy would do with 30 mill plus sales money it could set the club back years.

  19. I am not saying this because my nickname is Raf, anyway, i was wondering that if we had a poll of who would like RAFA BACK.

    What would the percentage be????

    I would like him back, he was the only manager that ever stood up against cry Fergie, in recent times.

    Mangers should fight for the club irrespective, loved it when he wound up Everton with them not being a big club.

    Woy just does not have a fight in him, team mirrors the manager. Hence the current team has no fight.

    Raf (not Rafa)

  20. @David S. Hello pal. I actualy wouldn’t want 2 say Biscan,Baros&Smicer are only. How abt Cisse&Dudek.I actualy like Benitez to some extent bt my arguement is dat I feel he’s stil nt d best for Lfc. Meanwhile I hope u know that one of d major arguement abt Benitez is dat he’s more of a Champions league tactician than a premier league’s so most likly under him we’ll only b close we jst may nt win it.
    Secondly save for d last season I think I would love to point to Fergie though 2yrs which i think’s cool& even d last season wasn’t dat bad. Let’s wait&watch Benitez at Inter. What borders me is dat I may nt b able to communicate wit u then& say I told u “he doesn’t know how to put a team together”.

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