The fact of the matter is, is that from the end of his first full season at Liverpool, Rafael Benitez consistently bettered the squad he inherited. He admits himself that he made mistakes, saying that Robbie Keane was probably his biggest and most expensive mistake. He made many more mistakes in his signings, and his off-field decisions to which he has admitted, and to which as fans, we can attest. But how can a man that signed the likes of Alonso, Garcia, Reina, Torres, Agger, Johnson, Crouch, Mascherano, Kuyt, et al and made the likes of Carragher and Gerrard the players they are today be thought of as consistently signing awful players? And how can somebody that took the club into 2 European Cup finals; won an FA Cup, a Super Cup and Community Shield and took us to another League Cup final, at the same time making us feared and respected throughout Europe once again, be considered a) a failure at Liverpool, and b) to have left a mess behind him? If he was to put these ‘facts’ up in a court, he would almost certainly have a case for unfair dismissal (as there was no mutual consent in his departure). To the un-blinkered, non-Rafa-haters amongst us, he would also have a case for defamation of character, as the facts show that he has been one our most successful managers ever and not the utter, abject failure that some would like us to believe he was.
These personal attacks on Benitez and his professional achievements are starting to border on harassment. The English press has convinced itself of his culpability for all of Liverpool’s past and present problems. Now, with a favourite of their own in charge of the club, the press (largely at fault for pushing Liverpool’s clueless board in Hodgson’s direction this summer) is looking to cover up Hodgson’s deficiencies, and their own lack of good judgment, by blaming the previous manager, who, let’s be honest, they have had a huge problem with ever since he made Gerard Houllier’s squad Champions of Europe and pushed the dislike further, a couple of years ago, when he offended Sir Jesus Ferguson by stating some painful truths.
It is true, that, there are Liverpool fans that can see no wrong in anything Benitez does. I know many myself. However, an unbiased look at the facts shows that the current situation at Liverpool has very little, if nothing, to do with the previous regime. If there is anything left over that is affecting the club now, it is that the players are seemingly struggling to adapt to a new, apparently more ‘English’ approach by the new manager; one that they are not used to and do not seem to agree with. It is not just the former manager’s players that are struggling either – Roy’s signings are finding it just as much of a struggle. I am just an observer; I know next to nothing about the ins and outs of football and what makes a club tick, but I do know that, after 14 games, there has to be some improvements; some signs that the new tactics and training methods are paying dividends and that the new manager is imprinting his personality on the first team, at least. Instead, we see increasingly poor performances, week on week, a manager becoming more inhospitable to the press and negative in his demeanor by the day; a man struggling with the demands of a club inexplicably bigger than anything he’s managed before. A club lying in 18th place in the English Premier League, and a set of fans left completely disillusioned by a position and situation we are not used to. This is not Rafa’s fault. He left us with the right tools. The only difference is that we are now noticing how well he managed to paper over the gaping holes, and how much work he did to cover up the huge day-to-day struggle he was having with the board and the owners. Hodgson was brought in to do one thing: coach the team. He is struggling to even do that; it makes you wonder how his predecessor managed to coach, and everything else besides.
Follow us on twitter @live4Liverpool
Live4Liverpool is recruiting columnists. For further info contact the site editor at editor@live4liverpool.com
EA Sports’ New MMA Game Trailer!
Good article – and very true. I have just read the interview in Sunday’s Independent – Rafa was and still is Liverpool through and through. Will we ever find out who “the leak” was?
SeanG – what rubbish – Rafa’s last year was bad. Where did we finish the year before that. Please post who your only 1 out of ten buys was any good that will be interesting.
SeanG = Clueless, look at his net spends you muppet, think before you speak and also try to stop swallowing every last drop of media bulls##t that is spoon fed to you!
Alonso, Mascherano, Reina, Agger, Skrtel, Torres, Yossi, Kuyt, Crouch and God to name a few, all rubbish were they? The likes of Morientes and Keane who were quality players in anyones eyes before they joined just didn’t perform and more names could be added to that list.
Inter Milan, the champions of europe no less decide to appoint him their manager, do you think this is because they don’t rate him?
He is a great manager and i hope with all my heart that there is a “second coming”!
IN RAFA WE TRUST – YNWA
turks – sport on – read what he says in his interview – Liverpool is his home and he will be back!
SeanG
What you’ve written is total tripe, so you can be embarrassed on your own, never has so few been so blind.
Rafa had his hands tied behind his back and was continually beaten with a proverbial cane by all quarters, but he still fought like a lion for what he thought was right.
Did you notice what went on behind the scenes while Rafa was here, and if it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t have known what we know now about the yanks. He challenged them after the champion league final in 2007. That was the point at which we became aware that something was wrong, but you probably kept listening to sky, talksport and reading the red tops.
You are one of the lone voices on here against Rafa, does that not tell you that the majority may well be right and you are wrong. I said to others beware what you wished for on these same pages. I guess you got what you wanted.
For all of you who can’t think for yourselves keep quiet, because you embarrass us.
Rafa missed but never forgotten.
dj – bloody well said. You hit the nail on the head. Rafa fought like a lion for LFC and its obvious he misses us as much as ‘most’ of us miss him. Oh, good article too.
I for one really wished Rafa was still our manager and hope he could come back but there is no chance of that hapening as we have chavs fan as chairman of our club. Great blog though and agree with everything you wrote.Paul Tomkins is great writer too.In RAFA I TRUST
Cheers Bryan, makes you wonder how long some have been supporters? The amount of times i’ve heard the line “The rot started with Rafa”?
I’ve been around long enough to know that this was not the case, it started with Graham Souness who was no doubt a great player for us, but the rot started with him as manager, he sold players that should never have been sold and bought players that were never good enough for the shirt.
In Rafa we had a manager that lived and breathed liverpool, he is missed!
But a few of the players seemed to need an arm round the shoulder on top of the priviledge of wearing the shirt and oh,,,,,,,,,,,, the multi million £££££££ per annum deals??????????
With Roy they’ve now got the arm around the shoulder, bless!
Not sure about anyone else but for me i’d rather Rafa was there giving them the roasting of a life time they deserve.
Rafa, legend, YNWA
Rafa left us 5 players –
Gerrard(was here when Houllier left)
Carragher(was here when Houllier left)
Torres – A no brainer of a signing
Reina – Excellent signing
Agger – A pretty good CB
After these 5 I could never say the rest of the squad are worth anything. This is why we sit in the bottom 3. Roy never stood a chance.
Rafa lived off 2005 and the club is now paying for it.
Now, can anyone tell me the other players in the team Rafa left who are going to get us out of this shit? BTW, what a great legacy. 5 players, 2 of which were here when he arrived!!
Noel
Some more players you overlooked.
Skyrtl- good young centre half.
Aquilani- skilful midfield player now loaned to Juventus.
Pacheco- a very good young prospect.
Ngog- 21 year old promising striker.
Kuyt- world cup finalist.
Glen Johnson- best English RB suffering lack of confidence at the moment, playing in a poorly set up team.
Lucas Leiva- arguably better than Gerrard last season, bombed out for Poulson.
Insua- a better LB than konchesky but now sent out on loan.
Just some, look closer and even you might find more with your blinkers taken off.
According to you
Torres – A no brainer of a signing.
Yes, but who signed him? Thank you Rafa!
Reina – Excellent signing.
Not looked at by the establishment as a very good goalkeeper when he came to LFC. He obviously turned out to be probable the best GK in the world. Thank you Rafa!
Agger – A pretty good CB.
This lad is probably the best football playing CH in the country and you only say pretty good. Are you on drugs?
Can you name 1 player that GH left that Rafa was able to sell for double the money spent to acquire them?
Like I said above, for all of you who can’t think for yourselves keep quiet, because you embarrass us.
KEEP PLAYING WITH YOUR CRAYONS.
Someone mentioned Rafa ‘pushed Alonso out’ that drivel, Xabi wanted to leave, (family pressure, brightlights of Madrid whatever,)and Rafa had the spine to say,’No you’ve got a contract here, we need you, transfer request denied’ Too few managers stand up to ‘Player power’.
Rafa would not have lost to Blackpool, or even the current weak ManU team..
YNWA
Noel, do you have any opinions of your own or just regurgate all the rubbish the media hacks tell you.
could pick you whole comment apart but one comment annoys me most!
Torres – A no brainer of a signing
do me an internet search there and find me one article saying he was a no brainer. Rafa got slated for buying him at the time as he only average low scores at madrid, saying he would not be able to handle the premierleague and would be another Morientez. then there was the whole lies amount amount spent on him up too near £30m at some quarters, but rafa himself said the deal was closer to £19m which included Garcia.
and of course once he statred banging in the goals they all changed there tune.
It just get on my nerves when these so-called fans criticised Rafa for how he did in the transfer market. How many times did he have to sell before he could buy? Each and every single one. And if he were given the money, we would still have Crouch, Bellamy , Arbeola and any other players you slated him for selling.
Much as I hate to say this, so much for Roy being the man manager who was supposed to live the spirit and performance. The players looked dispirited, confused. Their heads were down and they were playing with no passion whatsoever. Worse still, gone are the defense we are so proud of, and we are now leaking goals. So, please Roy, if deep down inside, you know you are not up for the job, please step aside.
Every single Liverpool fan would agree with the first comment.
he splashes 20m on an injured aquilani and suddenly everyone forgets that he won us the champions league, fa cup got to the ucl final again and got us our highest every premier league ranking. i can’t believe people are blaming him just because he bought in a couple of players who flopped, it’s ridiculous.
About Aquilani, checkout the video on the loanee progress page of this site and youll see why Rafa bought him, Top draw player, was bought in for 5 years not five months as Rafa stated himself and now hes fit again he’s tearing it up in serie A, baffling decision to loan him out with the option to buy him for peanuts that, Rafa loved liverpool city and club, even donating substantial amounts to a number of charities in liverpool after he left..
Some folk just dont get it..
http://live4liverpool.com/2010/12/view-from-the-kop/video-loan-watch-what-are-ince-aqua-and-the-guys-up-to/2
link to the that vid i mentioned..
Tell we couldnt do with him now..