[quote author=Wizardry link=topic=38729.msg1047315#msg1047315 date=1264990217]
[quote author=krissr link=topic=38729.msg1046894#msg1046894 date=1264962703]
From at least competing everyweek with Man Utd and Chelsea ?
I really don't understand why people would think that a new manager would make us compete with them, their squads are alot better than ours and that wont change with a new manager, that will only change with the ability to add quality players to our squad, and that costs money which we wont have even if a new manager comes in
I am pretty sure if Rafa was given the funds to buy some genuine quality players we would be challenging
And to all those who say he's had money, yes he's had money, but with the squad he took over with wasn't in a position to just add 30m players
a new manager would still have the the same squad to work with and probably have the same money to work with that Rafa would have
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I don’t understand those posters who are so convicted of Rafa’s work that he will get it right with money. When Rafa arrived we’d just finished 4th; it was a tight struggle with Newcastle and well behind the money of Chelsea as well as trailing the mancs and Arsenal. Since then Rafa has spent, in net terms, the 3rd highest amount of any team and yet the end result is that we’re now struggling with Brum and others at 7th in the league. No matter how bad the squad was when he first arrived there is no reason why Rafa should have spent more than almost everyone else but dropped further behind them.
I’ve no doubt that Rafa has a vision in mind as to what the team looks like when he’s finished and how it performs. I just doubt that he actually knows what the pieces look like prior to them fitting into the picture. At Valencia he was great – where someone else chose the pieces and he built the picture. At Liverpool he’s chosen the pieces and we’ve found that some of them don’t fit his picture and some of them don’t seem to fit anyone’s picture.
The variable is Rafa’s form in Europe. The two finals came with a significant portion of someone else’s team but he’s still taken us, generally, to the latter stages. For mine he did the opposite last season in the league to what he does in Europe. With the title seemingly gone he let the shackles off and we dominated team after team in a way we’ve never done in the league with him before. To keep that going he had to keep the same team on the pitch and replace Xabi. He’s been unable to do either and it’s his failure in the 2nd that convinces me he doesn’t know how to get the right pieces. I would lay money that Aqua – if he’s here – will look great in Europe next season……. if Rafa can get us there after all his spending.
I don't think the first team is that bad - in fact it's capable of competing with almost anyone. But they haven't played to their potential this season and the squad hasn't been strong enough to cover. There are not many managers out there that I would take but, if the right one was available, then believe they could have the team playing to their potential and find the right player on the left and the right player for Xabi's role.
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With what though? Currently we appear to have barely a pot to tinkle in. While Rafa's record in the market is admittedly very patchy (in the medium price range anyway - he does a lot better with "marquee signings"😉 and has played a significant part in putting us where we are, any manager in a similar position last summer would have been hamstrung by having his board lower the boom on him with regard to new signings. Rafa has legitimate questions to answer over his handling of his resources this season (refusing to put Gerrard back in CM and play Yossi/Purple behind the front man, failure to keep the squad upbeat and on song) but the question whether he should bear all the blame for not replacing Alonso is distinctly moot IMO.
