Excellent post.
All of those points make sense yet everyone who slags Rafa seems to disregard this actual evidence, rather than mostly formed opinions.
We can now, realistically, beat anyone whilst back in the day it was a park the bus and hope job. And the fact that the other teams seem to talk about us so much shows how we're in the back of their minds leading up to big games.
So yes, I do think we have progressed while Rafa has been in charge. This year is simply a slip up, due to injuries and a lack of strenghtening in the squad.
Also, you mention Guus Hiddink as a man who can manage an average team. I think Benitez might even stump him on that, with what he did in 2004/2005, with a team he mostly didn't rate. (Traore, Biscan, Smicer, all these players got Champions League medals.) Hiddink's had much longer to show off though. 
Agree with the vast majority of that, I've been "Lucky" enough to support Liverpool from the 80's even at 5 year old I can even remember King Kenny becoming Player Manager and taking over the reigns from Bob Paisley. So I've supported us through the good Paisley/Dlaglish and also through the bad I.E Souness.
In my honest opinion going back to your post about Roy Evans team, I truly honestly believe we were much the same as we are now 1 or 2 good signings away from winning the league, Even if we had got one more Season from Stan Collymore I think we may have lifted it under Evans, as Collymore and Fowlers goal scoring feats were exemplery, Collymore getting 28 and Fowler getting 67 in all competitions over the two seasons. The strike partnership was formidable and had defenders the length and breadth of the country shitting their pants at the prospect of facing them, Our midfield was as good as any ones it was only the defense and keeper that let us down, so much as we were then we are now one or two real quality players to make the difference and the step up from also rans.
My own opinion and not related to the quote.
People will always revert to Rafa's spending over his tenure, but they do not take into consideration when taking over the reigns from Houllier, Rafa came with his own plans and wanted to give the team his own identity, which unfortunately for some meant a wholesale clear out. I'm sure Rafa would have liked to have done this in one sweep had he had the money to do so and what a lot of people do not realise is, the last of Houlliers signings did not leave up until the beginning of the 2008/2009 season.
Rafa from the day he has took over has had his hand forced in selling to buy for the majority of his tenure, yes he's been given money to spend no one doubts that, but In my honest opinion If Rafa had not wheeled and dealed, bargained and traded players to put his own stamp on the team we would not be where we are now.
Yes some of Rafa's signings have been poor, then again some have been really good, I think it depends where your forced into shopping plays a big part on your success in the transfer market. If your forced to shop at Aldi them 9p tin of beans is not going to taste as nice as them 32p ones you got from Sainsbury's is it ?, Yes Rafa has made a couple of high profile errors Babel & Dossena, well not exactly high profile but you get the jist, Can Rafa be held solely responsible for their failings ?, I don't believe he can , both players came with good European pedigree's Dossena being an Italian international who may I add looks a completely different player in the Italian League and Babel who came from the Ajax academy hailed as the new Thierry Henry, so for me where does the blame lie ?
Well Rafa has to take his proportion of the blame so we'll start with Rafa who give the all clear to sign them, then the scouts have to take their proportion of the blame too as they advise Rafa, then theirs the players who have to take their share of the blame too , whether it be their inability to adapt to the English game , their attitude what ever they have to shoulder some responsibility. What I'm getting at here any signing is a risk and even the greatest managers make mistakes in the market as any transfer carries an element of risk as their is factors as to whether that signing is a success or failure which are totally out of the managers hands.
The press are now conveniently picking up Zonal marking as the area where we have been found out and the cause of all our failings and are using this in their media witch hunt of Rafa to try and oust him from his position. Yet the media are not giving a fair based anology of the situation and presenting the facts accordingly relating to our inability to field a settled back 4 all season long due to injuries surely that plays some part in it and the constant reshuffling and sending out makeshift defenses with new signings Sotis, Johnson and you could even say Degen needing time to understand and integrate into the system we employ.
Selections/Substitutions well we all know Rafa's selections and substitutions can leave us puzzled at the best of times and leaves us scratching our heads thinking the what **** ?, the media use this as an attack of Rafa, they question his selections and substitutions and lay the blame on Rafa for this costing us points when we lose games, how ever when Rafa makes similarly baffling selections/substitutions and we win the game in question, this very same media hail him a tactical genius, so its a little contradictory on their parts in my humble opinion as some times selections/substitutions have the desired effect sometimes they don't simple.
Do I believe everything I read in the media ? No I don't, I believe my gut instinct and what I have seen with my own eyes and what I have seen with my own eyes is Rafa is a very good manager, he gets it right more often than not and he has not become a bad manager and the squad have not become poor over night.
Injuries have played a massive part in the disruption of our season this year and had Hicks and Gillet invested accordingly into this club over the last two transfer windows we may have had the quality in depth to get through this a hell of a lot better than we have.
So yes I think we have progressed under Rafa for one reason and one reason only barring our injury ravaged start to the season Rafa has instilled in me the belief that we can go into every game and fear no one and thats the greatest sign of progression I can see with my own eyes.
