So if Rafa did leave...?

Now let me get my story straight first, I'm not calling for Rafa's head and never have. He's come to the club at a time when the football world is changing and it's harder to compete at the top unless you have the best resources, which Rafa has never had at Liverpool. Considering what he's had available to him he's done a remarkable job. If Ferguson got 7 years to win his first league title in a time when he inherited a lot of quality players, why can't Rafa? But regardless this isn't a topic about Rafa (those are getting kind of samey now aren't they  ), this is about who you'd like to see in the hotseat if Rafa was to leave or was forced out.

Personally I wouldn't mind Guus Hiddink, he showed in his time at Chelsea he's got what it takes to manage in the Premiership, and I admire his achievements with the national teams he's managed. He's done a great job at Russia, turning them into a formidable team to play, and to get South Korea to the semi's is a remarkable achievement.

Another I'd consider is Roberto Martinez. A bit of a gamble admittedly, but I think he's going to be a successful manager, even if it won't be at Wigan. I also respect his attitude and the way he conducts himself, no complaining or mouthing off about referee's and how many pies they're consuming.

So what are your thoughts? If Rafa (god forbid) did leave, who would be your number 1 replacement?

Personally I wouldn't mind Guus Hiddink, he showed in his time at Chelsea he's got what it takes to manage in the Premiership, and I admire his achievements with the national teams he's managed. He's done a great job at Russia, turning them into a formidable team to play, and to get South Korea to the semi's is a remarkable achievement.

Another I'd consider is Roberto Martinez. A bit of a gamble admittedly, but I think he's going to be a successful manager, even if it won't be at Wigan. I also respect his attitude and the way he conducts himself, no complaining or mouthing off about referee's and how many pies they're consuming.

So what are your thoughts? If Rafa (god forbid) did leave, who would be your number 1 replacement?

Hiddink wouldn't join us simple as, he could of taken on the Chelsea job and all the riches that entails, I think I even read he's considering retirement when he finally leaves the Russia job.

As for who I'd go for, with the current financial situation I haven't got a clue, but it won't be a big name manager that's for sure.

Suppose we could always ask Houllier back, he's looking a lot fresher these days!

This is fast becoming a 1 issue forum its getting quite boring.

Somebody who knows and loves the club.

Dalglish or Aldridge for me

Liverpool wouldn't be able to afford another big name manager.

In any case I'm not sure who would come.  With a limited budget coupled with the enormous off field problems - any top manager would only end up staining their copybook by joining Liverpool.

I imagine the board would make some ridiculous appointment to try and appease Liverpool fans only to see it horrendously backfire.  They'd probably appoint Ronnie Whelan or John Barnes or someone else completely unsuited to the job.

No one because the only way Rafa will go, is if Rafa walks (which he wont he knows what he has at his disposal with a fully fit squad)...he wont be sacked  

Rafa is my man for the job.

However if sh*te happens then probably we have to look, dig deep and search for the best possible replacement because there aren't many managers out there who possess the same calibre as Rafa.

For me my first choice would be Guus Hiddink, like you said. He has a magical touch and often gets his tactics spot on. His achievements for South Korea were remarkable and even though he's in international management now, I do think that he's very well qualified for the job to handle things at the highest level.

Frank Rijkaard would be a top choice as well. One of the top bosses and I thought he was very good when he was at Barca, and till now I don't really understand why was he sacked. Frank knows how to build a team into a cohensive and compact unit, with emphasis on flair and an attacking philosophy. With our players, we can definitely implement a possesion kind of football which Rafa has been trying to implement for so long. He also possesses some know-how behind the scenes with the Barca's pass-and-move, and their academy as well. Which could mean he could implement systems that make our Academy a success and bring out a greater crop of youth products into the first team.

Seeing that Roberto Mancini is jobless, then I might also go in for him. He was one of the best coaches and won Serie As with Inter, so he has the calibre to manage at the highest level. What he severely lacks is tactical nous in Europe though, and the EPL is a completely different ball game from the Serie A so even he might not adapt.

If push did come to shove and Rafa moved on, then I hope that Kenny Dalglish has some input into it, because lets face it, the  yanks aren't going to have a clue.

But Rijkaard would be interesting. It would need to be high profile, but I'm not sure the job would interest that calibre of manager simply because of the finances and who could blame them.

Martin O'Neill for me, only if Rafa did leave though.

Martin O'Neill for me, only if Rafa did leave though.

You're joking right?  Martin O'Neill - the Manc who hates Liverpool?

I'd proberly put my money on Jose Mourinho even though I do find him highly annoying sometimes

Could also see King Kenney as a big contender for the job

Martin O'Neill for me, only if Rafa did leave though.

Is this one of the Rafa bashers best suggestions you honestly think MON is a better manager than Rafa.

Somebody who knows and loves the club.

Dalglish or Aldridge for me

I'd go along with that, especially as a double act.

But i wouldn't want Rafa to go. I love the man with a passion and i know he feels the same about the club and us fans. I wouldn't blame him if he did walk as he has being treated like dirt since the yanks took over. Plus i would say it must be embarrassing for him to play such a poor starting XI against Fulham. We all know its not his fault as he hasn't got the resources to fill the gaps left by injuries to key players.

I'd Say the man is hurting by whats going on at the moment. He has a passion for this club and wants nothing but success for us. The club has become his second family. I read his book not so long ago and this man is 100% passionate about LFC.

F**k all the cu*ts out there asking for Rafa to go, He's a world class manager who needs financial backing so he can bring us the success i believe he will bring to us.

Lock it.

Roberto Mancini settles Inter severance as Italian's availability increases heat on under-fire Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez

By Sportsmail Reporter 2nd November 2009

Roberto Mancini has made himself available to replace beleaguered Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez.

The Italian has been linked to dozens of vacancies since being given the shove by Inter Milan in May 2008.

But Mancini had refused to settle his £5.5million a year contract with the Italians - until now.

The 44-year-old has been linked with Benitez's job at Anfield, as well as Real Madrid, where Chilean Manuel Pellegrini is under huge pressure despite leading the club to within a point of the top of La Liga.

And Mancini has chosen now to put himself on the job market.

The former Leicester City player had been receiving full pay for doing nothing thanks to an Inter contract that ran till 2012. But he has accepted a pay-off of between £7m and £10m to tear it up.

Reports in Italy put Mancini as a frontrunner for the Madrid job, but sources in Spain say this is wide of the mark.

Benitez, who watched his Liverpool side lose 3-1 at Fulham at the weekend, has emerged in polls as the fans' favourite, but Madrid president Florentino Perez insists Pellegrini will be given time.

'There have appeared the names of great coaches in the papers, but we are happy with Pellegrini and we are sure that he will finish the season positively,' said Perez, who in his previous reign as president of Madrid employed six different coaches in a chaotic three-year period.

Real Madrid respect the press and everything that they say, but it is the club who decide and we are happy how we are.

'There needs to be patience. Real Madrid will have a wonderful season.'

Madrid are second in the Spanish League after beating Getafe 2-0 on Saturday, while leaders Barcelona only drew 1-1 at Osasuna.

But Pellegrini would be back under intense pressure again if his side lose at AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1224663/Roberto-Mancini-frame-replace-Rafa-Benitez-Liverpool-lose-again.html

Interesting.

I'm pretty sure I saw before somewhere Steve Bruce and I pissed myself.

I am fairly sure Rafa will be out if we fail to get a result on wendsday night.This would be one of the worst things that has ever happened to Liverpool,When we look back in years to come we will include Rafa in the same bracket as Paisley and Shankley.He has always done what is right for the team,He has stood up to to the Yanks,and kept quiet when they went behind his back to try and bring in Klinsmann,he is a modern day Shankley.

When he came in 2005 his tactical genius resulted in us winning the european cup for the first time in 20 years with what was an average team we had the likes of Traore playing FFS.The season after we improved our league position and win the F.A cup in stunning fashion,and last season we came so close to winning the league.So everey year we have improved and now we have been forced to sell Alonso and we couldnt even use all that money,and now we are going to have to sell Babel to tie up Reina !

I read today Ronnie Whelan saying that Rafa has lost the plot and he only took of Torres and Yossi so he could win the european cup so he could advertise himself for a job in a top club in Europe,Even our former players are having a pop. .

In my opinion Rafa will be gone one way or the other if we fail to win on Wendsday.One man can only take so much sh*t and at the moment he's getting it from all angles,fans, ex players,media,board,and Real Madrid have already made him their prime target so he might just decide to move home !

And if the unthinkable happens there is only one man to succed him and thats the king,Kenny Dagleish there is no point in suggesting Mourinho,who is a great manager when he has 100 million to spend.Shankley would no doubt be an adequate replacement

But what i cant understand is how our fans can question his decisions.I have no doubt that Rafa was instructed to save our players for Wendsday the board have made it clear to him that we have to get the CL money or face a situation like Leeds ! Rafa bashers are fickle people

My number one choice would be me. Id appoint Rafa as my number 2 and we will win the league in the 2010-2011 season

All speculation aside. If Rafa was to go, the only people we could blame for his downfall would be them two lying c*nts. No support. No stability. No money. 

And another manager would come in and have to deal with exactly the same situation. The only way we are going to assure ourselves of a better future is to have rid of our two lovely wastes of space, Tom and George.

If Rafa did leave ... Jose Mourinho

I think he's capable of taking the club forward and what a laugh that would be.

Man who would come in would be Klinsman wouldnt it.

The yanks are dying to s*uck him off.

And IMO that would be a step backwards rather than a step forwards - would almost be a negative move.

Rafa is still and always will be, the right man for the job

There's no other man than Rafa Benitez for me. Do you even think that Torres would come here if it was not for Rafa. Dream on mate! Has he had the luxury of siging the very best? Nope, he bought most of the unknown and turned them into what they are. Alonso, Sissoko, Garcia, Arbeloa, Riera, Skrtel and Agger are some of his unknown but now being chased or sold to the big clubs.

Yeah, we're in s**te form right now, the same as when we're down 3-0 in Istanbul. I nearly gave up and wanted to switch off the tv but I said to myself that somehow we will turn this around. And we did! 45 minutes was what it took to turn things around so why not 6 months? Just give him the space.

If he really decided to leave (which I doubt), then it'll be a sad day for us! No top managers will want to manage us due to our d**khead owners and their skint budget. The only person I could think of is Claudio Ranieri. I don't know why but I think he got what it takes...but let's hope Rafa stays!

I think if Rafa did leave the new manager would be Dalglish as he is already working at the club and the owners wouldn't have to pay him as much as they would if they brought in a big name manager from somewhere else.

Rijkaard, Mancini and Dalglish are either unemployed or already at the club so, purely on a financial level, they would be the more likely targets if Rafa does leave.

Martin O'Neill for me, only if Rafa did leave though.

     F**k me, somebody move that to the knee jerk thread 

Howard Kendall.

Failing that, Mark Hughes.

Failing that, 'Big' Sam Allardyce.

I reckon Jamie Redknapp will get it though, as he obviously knows his stuff. Maybe a joint manager with Andy Gray.

Makes sense to me.

Always rely on you to cheer me up Gow 

I reckon Jamie Redknapp will get it though, as he obviously knows his stuff. Maybe a joint manager with Andy Gray.

Makes sense to me.

Bollocks to that I want someone who has had managerial experience.

Folks I give you..................... ......Paul Merson!!

Bollocks to that I want someone who has had managerial experience.

Folks I give you..................... ......Paul Merson!!

You're only saying that 'coz he drinks lager top an' all.

There's always Graham Taylor.

Nah...give Ronnie Whelan a chance! I mean didn't he said Rafa's day are numbered?

Lets give it to a former Liverpool legend

Bjorn Kvarme, Sean Dundee, Erik Meijer or some one of their Ilk and undoubted legendary status

Sean Dundee

Sean Dundee

Hate to say it as he's a smug git, but Jose 'the special one' Mourino would be a great appointement... Proven caliber across 3 leagues and it would give him the chance to manage a club without millions - so if he won lots no one could say he needs mega money to do it, not that he had this at Porto...

If Rafa left what half decent manager in there right mind would want to work for them 2 c**ts? Some people dont know a good thing when they have it

Arsene Wenger. Plays the best football in the world and knows how to buy players on the cheap. He would do wonders with the liverpool squad considering how good our first team is. This is a purely hypothetical thread though. Wenger would never leave and neither is Rafa.

Frank Rijkaard would of been my choice.

It slipped under my radar that he's at Galatasaray, what a blunder there! But he got Barca playing some superb football, won trophies, landed titles.

What about Ronnie Whelan

What about Ronnie Whelan

Instant sucsess there 

Is this one of the Rafa bashers best suggestions you honestly think MON is a better manager than Rafa.

Explain how I am a Rafa basher? The only people I want to leave this club are the Yanks. All I was doing was suggesting a manager who has a great record at getting the best out of players and who has passion for the game. I never once said he was a better manager that Rafa.

Don't want Rafa to go simple as that ....i daresay if he did leave then Nando would probably follow him out ,that was one of the points that persuaded the world's greatest striker to join us ...still believe in Rafa !

Chris bascombe he knows a thing or two about football.

Chris bascombe he knows a thing or two about football.

Do people who mention Martyn O'neil expect to be treated seriously or am I just missing out on some very subtle humour.

Ruud Gullit, he's got a nose to Rival Thommo's

What about a forced shaving of Rafa's Goatee weve done crap since thats been on his chin.

I see Madrid are sniffing around Rafa again, they want him, if the owners want Rafa, even if we get knocked out of Europe, they should do everything they can to hang onto him, if they let him go we will be the losers, Pepe is waiting, I think to see what happens to Rafa before he signs any contract, and I believe others will go also, including Nando, he loves Rafa and for him it wouldn't be the same here without him.

John Barnes could do with the money.

such talk is blasphemous

I see Madrid are sniffing around Rafa again, they want him, if the owners want Rafa, even if we get knocked out of Europe, they should do everything they can to hang onto him, if they let him go we will be the losers, Pepe is waiting, I think to see what happens to Rafa before he signs any contract, and I believe others will go also, including Nando, he loves Rafa and for him it wouldn't be the same here without him.

Torres said only recently that his being at Liverpool is not tied to Benitez

"Come on guys, why look anywhere else?"

Since Rafa loves his Facts, lets see the teams that Liverpool have lost to in the league this season:

F (ulham)
A (ston Villa)
C (helsea)
T (ottenham Hotspurs)
S (underland)

gotta give him credit, the man's a genius!

I wish manager can be sold. Then we could sell Rafa to Madrid for 100m

I wish manager can be sold. Then we could sell Rafa to Madrid for 100m

Then we wont be able to buy a new manager with our lack of funds. And as soon as 100 mill reaches Anfield, you know whos gonna get hold of that money ... the two c*nts.

dalglish and rush is at the club look no further
some of the players rafas bought and the way he picks the team sometimes is beyond me
YNWA

I think we should get Alex Ferguson...always wanted Liverpool to smell of whisky


...


Nah, Rafa shouldn't go. Under any circumstances. If he does go (and I think if this was the case, he will be pushed) then Dalglish would be the man for me. One of the most under-rated Managers in history, while everyone wa**s off Ferguscum and his shiny red nose.

i do like rafa but .... if we get beat by lyon and then cant beat b ham then hes up sh*t
creek
theres been to many bad players bought dont ya think

Can we please stop this sh*t. Rafa is our manager.........end of.

if it was any other club he'd be history end of .
were liverpool and when el nino is out what have we got voronin n'gog . its not good enough
any one with any sense would play kuyt and babel up front before them two

if it was any other club he'd be history end of .
were liverpool and when el nino is out what have we got voronin n'gog . its not good enough
any one with any sense would play kuyt and babel up front before them two

Have to say I agree - Rafa has been here 5 years and we still have a poor squad... I cant blame anyone else for this apart from Rafa.

However - in 5 years he has turned this club around, we were going nowhere when he joined and he has signed some great players. It takes time to build a squad, especially when your up against teams that will splash silly money for middle of the road players. So we have to buy stop gaps and take the ocassional punt on players - Vorinin has a good record away from the prem and he cost us all of nothing so it was worth a punt. It allowed us to spend big on a world class striker and gamble.

We cant have it both ways - realistically how can a manager manage at this level with a restricted budget in comparasent to other teams and a poor youth team?

If Rafa had 100Million to spend this year he would have brought Villa, Silva and Auregio. We didnt...

Can one of these Rafa Out Heads please tell me what they would have done? I cant understand what people expect of him!

it is hard to compete i agree but like you say 5 years ....
lets give him another go eh 

if it was any other club he'd be history end of .
were liverpool and when el nino is out what have we got voronin n'gog . its not good enough
any one with any sense would play kuyt and babel up front before them two

Actually, it all comes down to history. We are all proud of our history and I believe Liverpool fans expect to always be winning the biggest cups. While this is true that doesn't mean we deserve to win every year. Since Rafa has arrived we've improve steadily each year and while we haven't won the elusive Premiership we've done pretty decent under his reign. His tactics drive me nuts sometimes but most of the time he somehow manages to get it right. The injury list at the moment is ridiculous and simply explains our recent form. This shouldn't spark debates about his successor. Have some faith.

      F**k me, somebody move that to the knee jerk thread  

Steve Bruce is actually a good manager, mind you, even better than Martin O'Neill I'd say

Gee, people need to calm down a bit....

it is hard to compete I agree but like you say 5 years ....
lets give him another go eh  

Lmao you really haven't a clue.... Rafa has took us forwards... you compare our first choice starting XI against the first choice starting XI he had when he took over then it clearly shows how far we have come.

If you bothered to look into Rafa's actual net spend you would see for yourself his net spend per Year averages a little over £14 million... in that time he has assembled a squad containing Reina, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Aquilani, Yossi, Mascherano, & Torres 4 of them players valued well over his yearly average net spend in 6 years..... Know the Facts its getting tiresome.

F**k me a few bad results with an injury ravaged squad and its sack the manager, if we class ourselves as Liverpool supporters with that attitude, its time to take a long good hard look at ourselves IMO.

it is hard to compete I agree but like you say 5 years ....
lets give him another go eh 

Hang on - apart from this poor run we are on, and lets be honest its poor what are your other probelms with Rafa? At the start of the season did you want him gone? I guess not...

Lmao you really haven't a clue.... Rafa has took us forwards... you compare our first choice starting XI against the first choice starting XI he had when he took over then it clearly shows how far we have come.

If you bothered to look into Rafa's actual net spend you would see for yourself his net spend per Year averages a little over £14 million... in that time he has assembled a squad containing Reina, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Aquilani, Yossi, Mascherano, & Torres 4 of them players valued well over his yearly average net spend in 6 years..... Know the Facts its getting tiresome.

F**k me a few bad results with an injury ravaged squad and its sack the manager, if we class ourselves as Liverpool supporters with that attitude, its time to take a long good hard look at ourselves IMO.

Top post mate I totally agree with you.If Rafa was to leave, it would be a sad day for the future of our club.In that circumstance I can only hope that king Kenny would step up to the job in order to save the club from the ravages of the two gobsh*tes.He is the only other man who could command the same fan's support as Rafa has enjoyed,to enable him to stand up to the yanks.Any outside appointment that they would make would have to go along with their asset stripping policies,and we all know where that would lead us.

now is not the time to change the manager.  I dont agree with everything Rafa does but i put that down to being a grumpy old b*stard or so my wife tells me......speaking of which it was the poor girls birthday on Sunday and i had to watch all the post match drivel which sort of spoilt the day really
cmon lads, get behind the team and help deliver them the lift they need (with a massive kick up the a*se in some cases)

im as big a liverpool fan as anyone but instead of rafa buying 3 sh*t players
buy one good player simple as that

im as big a liverpool fan as anyone but instead of rafa buying 3 sh*t players
buy one good player simple as that

Good point well made... I would love to see a big name coming in!

im as big a liverpool fan as anyone but instead of rafa buying 3 sh*t players
buy one good player simple as that

Cmon mate, see the funny side, the sh*t ones makes these threads far more interesting
got to get up for the game on Wednesday.
 

Dalglish with Hansen as his assistant.

John Barnes 

John Barnes 

JB as reserve team coach.

im as big a liverpool fan as anyone but instead of rafa buying 3 sh*t players
buy one good player simple as that

Then when he does that you question the strength in depth, he's in a no win situation unless he's winning trophies. Rafa bought three players this season ..Aquilani 1 big name, Glen Johnson ..big name ...sotis big fella not so big name.

and your whining saying you'd like to see one quality signing Rafa has gave you two.

actually i apologise for referring to any Liverpool player as sh*t, it is out of order.  some just are not as well developed as others.
good proven players cost stupid money in todays transfer market, and we cannot compete so we buy 'prospects'

must win game i just hope he picks the right team
babel has to stand up if given the chance
c'mon the pool

JB as reserve team coach.

I wouldn't put Barnes anywhere near the team, he is a terrible manager/coach.

I wouldn't put Barnes anywhere near the team, he is a terrible manager/coach.

but he is my hero 

Sam Allardyce

kevin keegan
heard a few rumours about the so called special 1 dont know how i'd feel about that like

Fact is, there's no one suitable to replace him, not to mention he shouldn't be replaced anyway.

This is the man that broke the dominance of La Liga from Real Madrid and Barcelona.

This is the man who ended a 21 year wait for that 5th star. Not to mention taking us to another CL final.

We finished 2nd in the league last season and came so close. I think that's maybe the reason people are calling for his head now - if we finished 4th would there be as much negativity so far this season? I don't think so.

We've got off to a bad start, but who knows, it could be one step back and two forward from now on. We need to be patient.

In the worst case - what's another year when we've waited so long anyway? We're not going to all of a sudden have a 100% winning streak from now until the end of the season if Rafa was sacked, but you'd think that was the case by the way some people are talking on here. Even those who want him gone would surely have the sense to see that it wouldn't be logical to look for a new manager until the end of the season?

To be honest though I can't believe I'm even discussing the possibility.

I F***ing love Rafael Benitez and I for one will have the patience. He's taken us from being a UEFA Cup team to being a team capable of beating anyone... and well!

I'll stand by my belief that he is the right man for this club. I don't see myself changing my mind any time soon.

Fact is, there's no one suitable to replace him, not to mention he shouldn't be replaced anyway.

This is the man that broke the dominance of La Liga from Real Madrid and Barcelona.

This is the man who ended a 21 year wait for that 5th star. Not to mention taking us to another CL final.

We finished 2nd in the league last season and came so close. I think that's maybe the reason people are calling for his head now - if we finished 4th would there be as much negativity so far this season? I don't think so.

We've got off to a bad start, but who knows, it could be one step back and two forward from now on. We need to be patient.

In the worst case - what's another year when we've waited so long anyway? We're not going to all of a sudden have a 100% winning streak from now until the end of the season if Rafa was sacked, but you'd think that was the case by the way some people are talking on here. Even those who want him gone would surely have the sense to see that it wouldn't be logical to look for a new manager until the end of the season?

To be honest though I can't believe I'm even discussing the possibility.

I f**king love Rafael Benitez and I for one will have the patience. He's taken us from being a UEFA Cup team to being a team capable of beating anyone... and well!

I'll stand by my belief that he is the right man for this club. I don't see myself changing my mind any time soon.

Well said Ross,I know that everyone is entitled to their opinions,but the end of the season is the time to debate changes,not now in November.I'm so bored with all the pointless speculation.Time to be proper Liverpool fans,fight the others not ourselves,last word.

By all means, there's nothing wrong with discussion of changes.

It's just the people that are properly trying to make it happen. How could they do that to the club. Just making things harder for everyone when no-one needs the sh*t!

I feel sorry for Rafa at the moment, I really do.

I just hope he's given his time and he'll win the silverware.

Topic Locked.

This thread started off with a few random names but has since clearly degenerated in to a similar thread to the 'Is the Rafa the right man thread?'

That thread is here - http://www.lfcreds.com/reds/index.php?topic=4416.0