Rafa. Shankly reborn?

Now that he has got the contract he deserves, the question is;

Is Rafa, Shankly reborn?

I'm of the opinion that he has all the qualities of Shankly and is the man to rebuild our dynasty.

Who is Rafa Shankly? 

There seems to be a lot of comparisons being made. I would deem it unfair on Rafa to be compared to Shanks. Shanks started what is now Liverpool. Everyone else has played their part in improving it and Rafa is playing his part now.

Potentially he could be the most vital cog in the Liverpool machine since Bill Shankly as he will be the one to briang the title back and create a dynasty of the future. Rafa is Rafa he has is own unique style. Bill Shankly was Bill Shankly lets leave the comparisons and just be happy we had them both in charge of our club 

Well said Brian

is rafa,shankly reborn?

As Brian said there is no comparison that can be made except maybe for Rafa having a similar affinity with the fans.

Shanks dragged the club up off its backside and took it to places we had only dreamed of, besides never having won the FA cup things where just as appalling off the pitch so much so we didn't even have flushing toilets at the ground and frankly Anfield was a dump.(err i wasn't there in the fifties by the way!)

Shankly's legacy is still in evidence today and Rafa has a long way to go, but with stability off the pitch and more freedom to pick who plays and who goes and now the time frame to cement his goals Rafa may well be writing his own legacy that will go down in History for future fans to look back on and admire.

Two totally incomparable managers, as has been so well said above and I don't believe in reincarnation anyway!

Rafa's put the club back on the right tracks. We're a force in Europe, and domestic form is improving - we're heading in the right direction football-wise.

Off the pitch, he loves the fans and city, and clearly fought for a long-term contract to put this club where he (and we!) wants it to be - at the top.

That's good enough for me, you can't make comparisons with Shanks though. The game has changed enormously, and Rafa has been working under some very particular (and at times peculiar) circumstances these last few years. I'd say his situation is unique.

I think maybe the comparisons are being made because of the connection he has with the fans and the city. Even his wife, Mrs Benitez,  has spoken of her love for the city. But the Dalglish's had that love as well and although I might be too young to remember but im sure Kenny wasnt compared to Shanks was he?

I might be too young to remember but im sure Kenny wasnt compared to Shanks was he?

Not that I recall, but I'm only a year older than you, so perhaps some of the forums dinosaurs senior members could help us out.

I think the comparisons are made for the reasons you gave, but also the force of character each man had.

Also they have each constructed their own team outright, so perhaps that is another factor linking them.

I think they are both genius.  Obviously Shankly been there and done and Benitez is still on his journey and has got a lot to do before his name can be mentioned in the same paragraph.   However, geniuses should not be compared but left to make their own place in history.  I don't think Benitez would like this comparison as Shankly did a totally different job anyway.  Totally agree with Brian just adding my 2p worth.

I'll add my bit as Ayrton puts it as ............a senior forum member 

From what I can recall, and my memory is not as good as it once was    Dalglish wasn't compared to Shankly as such.

I think the reason why Rafa is, is his affinity with the fans, Shankly absolutely adored the fans, and everything he did, he did it for them, I think Rafa is also held in the same regard, although in my opinion you can't really compare the two, as Ayrton said, the game and everything about it has changed considerably since then.

I'm sure Rafa, when he's reached 2014, we will be able to talk about him, and look back over his time with Liverpool with pride and count all those Premiership and European trophies he'll of won.

Mind you I'm sure Rafa will be honoured to even be mentioned in the same breath as Shanks.

I'll add my bit as Ayrton puts it as ............a senior forum member 

From what I can recall, and my memory is not as good as it once was    Dalglish wasn't compared to Shankly as such.

I think the reason why Rafa is, is his affinity with the fans, Shankly absolutely adored the fans, and everything he did, he did it for them, I think Rafa is also held in the same regard, although in my opinion you can't really compare the two, as Ayrton said, the game and everything about it has changed considerably since then.

I'm sure Rafa, when he's reached 2014, we will be able to talk about him, and look back over his time with Liverpool with pride and count all those Premiership and European trophies he'll of won.

Mind you I'm sure Rafa will be honoured to even be mentioned in the same breath as Shanks.

As a [nearly senior ] member I say 'Hear,Hear' Ms G!

I think one of the main reasons Rafa has been compared to Shankly has been the constant battles with the heirachy at the club regarding signings.

Bill went through it in the early days as manager of Liverpool and a battle he won, Rafa has now done the same.

it is really not fair.. even i was of the thought that rafa's our shankly and maybe albett will be paisley..

but let rafa be remembered as rafa himself

Who is Rafa Shankly? 

There seems to be a lot of comparisons being made. I would deem it unfair on Rafa to be compared to Shanks. Shanks started what is now Liverpool. Everyone else has played their part in improving it and Rafa is playing his part now.

Potentially he could be the most vital cog in the Liverpool machine since Bill Shankly as he will be the one to briang the title back and create a dynasty of the future. Rafa is Rafa he has is own unique style. Bill Shankly was Bill Shankly lets leave the comparisons and just be happy we had them both in charge of our club 

I tend to stop reading threads when I get to Brian's responses, your responses are something of a rarity in the world. Well thought out, eloquent, and wise...we need more Brian's in the forums of the world.

On that note, I agree completely, you do not need to be a great reborn to have an impact on the club. Everyone compares players and managers to those of the past but what makes a club great is not players coming in and emulating the greats from the past, its the new blood that comes in and carries the spirit of the Kop forward but does it in their own special way. That is what makes a Football Club truly great.

Rafa came in a transition...  and things have improved and each year we seem to get better and better, the amount of support Rafa has from the fans is great amount. He is legend and has been from his 1st season when he took us to the CL final....

Oh dont we all love him

Theres a brown envelope with some cash in it making its way to Bleed red at this minute 

By the way your missing some way better posts then mine mate if ye stop after mine

Simple answer is no, Rafa is not a reborn Shankly. My hero Bill was a man of the people, A great motivator of players and fans. His passion for the game and the city of Liverpool are legend.I can understand why the question is being asked because Rafa is also endearing himself to the city and the fans. He is a very astute man and I'm sure that one of the first things he did when he arrived was to understand how Shanks developed our first dynasty and in many ways he is using those principles to develop his own dynasty.So the tactician that is Rafa is equally suited to the modern game as Shank's man management skills were in the 60s/70s.Shanks was the greatest football manager on earth at the time, Rafa may well be the next, only time will tell.

Shankly to me was the creator of liverpool football club,with very little funding he was able to graft a dynasty of success with the loyalty of his players and the fans , Rafa does it his own way ,tactical genius some days !! but not afraid to make decisions and stand by them ( bit like shanks that eh? ) they will both go down in history at anfield for their achievements .we've been luckier than most clubs for having good managers .

No need to compare Rafa and Shanks.Shanks was our Creator and Rafa can be our saviour I have got room in my heart for both of them I dont need to compare at all.

Just thought I'd dedicate my 5000th post to the big man himself.

There are similarities between Shankly and Benitez. Both dragged us from 'subjective mediocrity' compared to what we became after they started their respective reign's, i.e. we were skulking about the lower division when Shankly came and we were showing promise under Houllier but not quite getting there when Benitez arrived at our great club.

And, as mentioned earlier on, Rafa does seem to have some sort of affinity with the fans. Not as powerful as Shankly's. His character would not allow that. But he gains respect and admiration, without ever asking for it. Rafa brought us something that we hadn't seen for a long time, so he'll forever live on in Liverpool folklore.

Who knows though? He may well be the man who kick starts our next great era. He has the contract extension he wanted. He has the time and the backing to do what he wants. Maybe there is a little Shankly in him when it comes to using the respect of fans and his players to get what he wants from the board. Only time will tell.

Both very good managers with different personalities...hard to compare tho...both are good managers but all i know that both managers are pretty much loved by the fans

No one will ever be another sir shankly you can't compare him with rafa because they are era's apart and football has changed alot in 30 years

Shankly understood the importance of the fans and Rafa too is always quick to mention the supporters. Its 50 years since Shankly first came to Anfield. He would have come sooner but didnt like the way the board interfered by picking the team so only came when he was given complete control of team affairs sounds familiar dosent it.