Don't write off Rafa just yet

Brian Howard's last-gasp winner for Barnsley at Anfield has sparked a predictable response from many Liverpool fans: Rafa out.

But as the vultures gather over Stanley Park, maybe the Reds' sensational FA Cup defeat to the Tykes is a blessing in disguise for the beleaguered Benitez. If nothing else, it will put his players in a do-or-die mood for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Inter Milan.

Even the most rabid anti-Benitez fans will find forgiveness somewhere in their hearts if the in-form Serie A leaders are toppled. And that might not be such a big 'if'. Rafa's record in crunch Champions League games is good - and they don't come much crunchier than this after an FA Cup exit that could leave Liverpool trophy-less this season.

His players will know that their manager's job will be on the line if they go out to Inter at this time of trouble and turmoil both on and off the pitch at Anfield. Stars like Steven Gerrard, confined to the bench for much of the game against Barnsley, will need no greater motivation to prove all the knockers and Merseyside moaners wrong.

And if Benitez does go, those same players will know that they too could be shown the exit door when the new man in charge takes over.

So while the stakes on Tuesday couldn't be much higher, it could turn out to be another glorious European night at Anfield when Benitez, the master-Euro-tactician, escapes from the condemned cell.

Do you agree that Rafa really can turn things round? Now's the chance to have your say - before it's too late!

Comments

[Man U]

Makes me laugh you lot have one freaky result against Barnsley and you want the guy who has rescued you sacked.

Sir Alex will retire soon - he's not interested - maybe Keegan is your way forward!!

[paul bish]

rafa is tops give him what he wants transfer money!
bring in dubai get media scum off his back, remember fergie was in same boat people have short memories. long may rafa reign

[pagie]

where has liverpool gone i mean the true liverpool team that all dealings are done behind closed doors and we played our best 11 and said beat that instead of worrying about what teams could do to us, as for putting out a rotated squad where 50% of the team have never talked nor played in the same team. i actually agree with a rotation policy in the long run but when you rotate players you cant rotate the system which we play and the player you rotate must be good enough to replace the rested player and why so many rotations everygame 2 or 3 maybe but we average 5 or 6 thats suicide at this level.
Substitutions lets leave it as totally baffling.
rafa has not got a clue domestically and at the moment i dont think any of the back room could motavate a sunday school team.
lets face it rafas substitutions have been baffling so far.
we have far too many players ticking over not playing or to be honest not good enough to wear the shirt we need a clear out and fast from the top down to be honest.who is there to replace him though mouriniho too arrogant raneri he has a good cv but another chelsea reject how about someone home grown coppell colman nah who is the question

[Tricky]

Will LFC have to wait MORE than 26 years before they win another title? Will MUFC or AFC carry on & pass the 18 titles won by LFC in the past??

[ken daniels]

Thanks for that Dorothy, now put your empty glass in the sink and stub your cig out and get to bed.

[dorothy slater]

as a villa fan I am so pleased the way we are playing my fav is gareth barry leads by example hope we finish fourth we definitely deserved it

[Man U Fan]

Respect to Russell - very good point, well made. When was the last time any of the big clubs actually thought about the fans? Arsenal fans turned up to OT but their team weren't interested - unbelievable.

[si]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if we got a result against inter on tuesday, and with liverpool under rafa normally being strong finishers in the season he will no doubt force everyone to forget the current predicament. Rafa is a clever guy and at the start of the season we were playing some really nice football, but at the mo there doesnt seem to be a style to our play and i think thats largely down to the rapidly deterioating riise, hyypia (a legend up to now) and kuyt. People slate crouch as well but his goals to games ratio is impressive and he does his job more than most. Rafa will come good.

[ken daniels]

Here we go again its another season of disapointment for us liverpool fans we are no better of than last year we start the season of ok then we just fade away its the same every year.Rafa is a good manager but not good enough to win the leaque and its another winter of dicontent sorry Benitez but its time to go youv,ve had a long enough chance.

[steve]

Why does anyone think Benitez is the right manager for Liverpool?
OK, so we glossed over things in the Champions league but with the pedigree of Liverpool, to have never won the Premiership is disgraceful!
Under him we have never looked like winning it nor will we ever while he is in charge.
The guy and his rotation system is farcical.
Play your strongest team always and worry about fitness etc, of your best players when you actually look like winning something.
He's had millions to spend from the Yanks, they've backed him to the hilt but his negative, do not concede priority has left Liverpool in tatters.
Others should be scared stiff of us, when will fortress Anfield rise again? How much longer before we can call ourselves Champions?
To back Benitez, is to back under achievement, when will somebody get real and accept the man is not the manager for us.

[russell]

what a disgrace getting beat by a poor championship side . i have backed raffa to the hilt in the past weeks but not anymore the F A CUP was our only chance of a trouphy and now its gone.by playing a weaken team in the fa cup not only sickens me but its also a slur on the 96 fans who lost there lives in the very same cup. thanks raffa but its time to go

[...]

AVFC R BETTER THAN LIVRPOOL, get some English lessons. You're probably no supporter of Aston Villa maybe a Manc :P

[CHRIS ORMAND]

Ok so we lost we're not the only team in history to be beaten by a team from a lower division.So get over it and move on Get off of Raffa's back and let hime try and get on with the job in hand.There has been so much behind the scenes talk which i don't care what people say has got to have had an effect on Raffa & the players. There have been games this season where we have absolutely dominated but come away with either 1 point or worse we have lost Every team goeas through a stage like this from time to time. Some people have short memories in so much as all seemed to be going well until the new owners stroll in and what happens ? Things suddenly take a nose dive!!! All i'm trying to say is just let Raffa gat on with it and stop undermining things with all the backroom / boardroom rubbish

[Dennis Higgins]

If you support Liverpool Man Utd Arsenal or like me support a once famous club that you grow up watching as child young man and now like me getting on a bit,it matters not who or how you support a team, part of that team is the manager, lets face it the players don't get sacked as easy do they? A lot of people out there will probably say that there is many players who could and should be sacked,Lets be fair if we did our jobs like some of these footballers we would expect to be sacked would we not.In other sports like Cricket or Rugby it seems if you play badly you are soon gone out of the game, it is strange this never happens in football,yes they go down to lower teams in lower leagues but they are still well paid compared to the man in the street.it is a pity that the game has drawn so much money into it to be given mostly to greedy players and greedy chairman,buy a football club bankrupt it and still make a fortune at another club, there are a few chairmen who have done this, players are not any better,moving around for millions of pounds, makes you wonder how much Stanley Matthews or Pele or Duncan Edwards would be worth today.
The players we watched in the Fifties Sixties and seventies never earned a great deal perhaps a few more pounds than the man in the street,some of them have now passed away,some are seriously ill through heading a leather ball that weighed a ton,they never complained they held themselves as priveledged people enjoying their game,the same can not be said of the players today or some of the managers, I mean Ian dowie is today on TV yet how many times has a manager failed in his job only to be rewarded by the BBC or Sky Television and get thousands of pounds often making a mockery of the game they were well paid for.OH for some common sense one day from the so called people who actually run this once wonderful game of ours.I agree with Hodgie too much money for too little effort

[richard]

With wages out of control should players salary be based on winning games not just turning up.............
We'll see real commitment then when they have to earn their money.

[richard]

Well where do we start, or maybe it's just the begining of the end if the board fail to act. I have been a liverpool fan for 20-30 years, spent the last 15 travelling from South Wales to Anfield to watch my beloved team...Now i feel a bit embarrased to say i support liverpool when the conversation turns to football (this is serious when 2 mates are baggies fans).
If we don't see a managerial change and some ambition we will turn into another mid league table for ever.....
Isn't Murinio looking for a job ??

[AVFC R BETTER THAN LIVRPOOL]

LiverDrool STINK and RAFA Benitez is going down going down
going down
rafa benitez is going down cus he's a W*****
Liverpool are so s*** they couldnt even beet Leeds United let alone play in europe
the tables going to finish

1-ARSENAL/MAN U
2-ARSENAL/MAN U
3-CHELSA
4-ASTON VILLA/EVERTON
5-ASTON VILLA/EVERTON
6-MAN CITY
7-LIVER DROOL
8-POMPEY
9-BLACKBURN
10-WEST HAM

ps
BRUM SCUM ARE GOING GOWN

[pagie]

the americans had the right idea in changin rafa they were just was wrong in the way they went about it
if you want a european manager rafas the man but domestically were actually worse off now then we were with roy evens just sad its took so long for people to see just what a laughin stock rafas made of us

[glennhysen]

Totally agree

yeah rafa is the bad guy every team has its ups & downs he was great when he won the champions league but now everyone wants to lynch him lets see what the papers say when liverpool win on tuesday night rafas brill!! turncoats let all liverpool fans stick together and we WILL pull through

[glennhysen]

May be they'll bring Kenny back.

[Tommo]

The problem i have with Rafa is this how do you build understanding between players when the side changes by as much as 6 players every game! Players get to know one and other by playing consistently together, if they don't you get what's been happening all season inconsistency. How many games has Torres played for us and how many goals has he scored? It would be even more if he had of played every game and we might still had a chance of winning the league. As it is we face the prospect of the blue noses finishing above us! It appears Rafa has not learned the lessons from past mistakes or is to pigheaded to admit he's got it wrong. If you don't believe me look at the league tables for September, top of the league with consistent team selection the Rafa starts the mad rotation policy he insists upon and guess what we start sliding down the league. What do I want the strongest side played from the start of each game, then when it's won bring of the key players and rest them. How can Stevie G influence a game with only 15 minutes on the pitch? With the players we have we should be doing much better than we have over the last 3 seasons.

[Tommo]

The problem i have with Rafa is this how do you build understanding between players when the side changes by as much as 6 players every game! Players get to know one and other by playing consistently together, if they don't you get what's been happening all season inconsistency. How many games has Torres played for us and how many goals has he scored? It would be even more if he had of played every game and we might still had a chance of winning the league. As it is we face the prospect of the blue noses finishing above us! It appears Rafa has not learned the lessons from past mistakes or is to pigheaded to admit he's got it wrong. If you don't believe me look at the league tables for September, top of the league with consistent team selection the Rafa starts the mad rotation policy he insists upon and guess what we start sliding down the league. What do I want the strongest side played from the start of each game, then when it's won bring of the key players and rest them. How can Stevie G influence a game with only 15 minutes on the pitch? With the players we have we should be doing much better than we have over the last 3 seasons.

[glennhysen]

Rafa is a good guy.

I think we should wait and see how Liverpool do on Tuesday before making any further comments on the situation.

[kev]

rafa s time may have come but there is no one to replace him who is good enough jose is ajoke we have 2 yanks putting debt on club no russian billionare'!!!