Rafa: The Cause of Much Discussion

I prefer to listen to reasoned arguments and debates than to people making simple statements that they cannot back up. This post is not an attempt to change the minds of the anti-Rafa brigade but perhaps to provoke discussion and ask for further thought into why you want him out.

There are many arguments about whether or not Rafa is the right man to lead Liverpool. I feel frustrated by the seemingly blinkered perspective some fans have of the situation. From some sections of the fan base are cries of "Sack the Manager", "Get Rafa Out" and similar calls for Rafa to be axed from the club but, without disagreeing with these calls for now, I would ask, "Why?".

Why do you want Rafa out? Is it because he hasn't won the Champions League since 2005? Is it because he hasn't won the FA Cup since 2006? Is it because he hasn't won the Premier League since... forever? Maybe it is because he hasn't brought in an amazing array of star players? Or perhaps it is a combination or indeed an accumulation of all of the above?

I agree he cannot dine out any more on the amazing night in Istanbul but the fact remains that we got to 2 Champions League Finals under Rafa and last season we came very close to a much coveted Premier League title with what turned out to be our best points tally and a record of only 2 defeats through the entire season. Let's not forget that in several other seasons that points total would have won the title.

You may then argue if that is the best we can do and it wasn't good enough then Rafa should go.

But let me just ask this...

Who do you think could have done better with the squad we had and the circumstances surrounding the clubs ownership?

Who do you think could have done better this season with the financial constraints imposed on the manager and the unrest in the boardroom?

Do you have an answer?

If you do then I'd like to know what makes you think this new person could have done, and is going to do, a better job?

I have had conversations with people in recent weeks about the likes of Mourinho taking over and how he has the required passion and how he could get the best out of the players, but we come back to the question of the boardroom - would HE really want to come to US with our current ownership?

Now let me pose one more question...

When Hicks and Gillett finally step aside (which it seems they will, but this is a completely different conversation) and a transfer fund becomes available (and a proper one this time, not just a few quid plus whatever we get from selling current players) do we still want to get rid of Rafa or should he be given more time under different financial circumstances and ownership to prove he is the right man for the job?

Now to give you my opinion...

I believe that we should back the manager because he is in charge of our team. What is the point of getting on his back and boo-ing or hurling abuse at him during games? Whether you think he is the right man for the job or not, he is the manager and we have to support him whilst he is in charge. After all, what are you going to do the next time his decision pays off - call him a genius or say it was just luck!

If other factors have an impact on the overall performance of the club (and I believe they are) then I don't think it is fair to blame the manager. There are 11 players on that pitch and Rafa is trying to make the best of them that he can. Given a bigger purse he may be able to achieve greater things... just a thought.

Now, I haven't actually given my opinion on whether Rafa should stay or go but if you ask me to stand on one side of the fence it would be this...

I don't believe Rafa should go... yet. I just don't think anyone else in the circumstances the club is in could have done, or could do any better. I am not talking about a 'flash-in-the-pan-for-one-season-and-complete-turn-around-of-fortune' like we see so often when a new manager comes in, I mean consistently delivering the goods over several years.

A new manager gives the club new impetus, new hope, a clean slate etc. and sometimes results start to improve and everyone thinks that was the right thing to do. But after the first season things start to go a bit sideways, perhaps downward and in reality things are not really that much better. Sound familiar?

I honestly believe that given a transfer kitty akin to that of Man City or Chelsea in recent years then we could compete under Rafa. Afterall, he was the one to get us to 2 Champions League Finals in 3 years. He was the one to get us to 2nd in the Premier League with a record points tally. Why can't he be the one to lead us to glory again under new ownership?

Is getting rid of him now really the best way forward? New owners AND new manager - wouldn't we be starting from scratch again? It is going to take several years to get back to where we want to be and we may just have to resign ourselves to that fact.

The building blocks are there we just need to add to it. Take a look at Pepe Reina (some have recently argued as being one of, if not the, best goalkeeper in the Premier League), he has recently signed a 6 year contract. If he thought there was no hope do you think he would have put pen to paper?

I don't have the time to collate statistics and analyse to the 'n'th degree every one of Rafa's decisions and to be fair there are people out there who do this for us. Paul Tomkins, for one, provides reasoned arguments which, for me, is far better reading material than the unsubstantiated 'Rafa Out' argument.

There are many 'what-if's' and 'maybe's' and I don't have the answers, I just think it might be worth giving Rafa a little bit of slack - 'one last chance' if you like!

Still in the Rafa out brigade? That's fine, I said at the start it wasn't an attempt to change your mind but I hope I've encouraged you to think a little deeper.