It's time for Rafa to move on - here's why ?
1.Rigid approach to team selection - admits that sometimes he tinkers to much yet every game their are changes - players have no confidence and are not settled - combinations cannot develop.
2.Blind faith in crap players - Dirk Kuyt,John Arne Rise can play the full 90 and be crap yet Babel performs and gets substituted - shows predetermined tactics - not able to assess the problem on the day ( Paco's Job) substitutions and tactics layed out days before the game and not technically able to adapt.
3.Builds the team around who they will be playing against and adjust tactics to counter this instead of playing the Liverpool way and backing his team to come out tops. Result is no definite pattern for Liverpool,confused players who lack confidence because their manager does not have faith in them.
4.Stubborn to the point of rigidity (Crouch case in point) - rotation may have worked 3 years ago but it's not working now - move on.
5.Questionable buy's (exception of Torres)
6.Does not possess what it has to win a league - requires a team to be consistent - you get this by selecting a consistent team - Can / Has and will Rafa ever do this ?
7.Rafa is well known for his tactical nous but it has become a problem for him - He has to realise that Football is not a chess game where tactics are the end all and be all - No matter how good the tactics are it still comes down to the players - Confidence enables consistent performance and is achieved by playing regularly -Game plan is the same - we play pass and move 4-4-2 and if that does'nt work we use plan B not change to suite whatever team we playing.

Posted by: sean fortune | February 19, 2008 11:04 AM

Sean - I agree on the majority of your post however under questionable buys I would say except for Torres, Macha, Babel and Yossi. The rest are not worthy. As much as I love Rafa and I said this at the start of the season he just does not have that extra edge to win the premiership title, he just lacks that certain something along with many holes in our team.

Posted by: Sean Fortune | February 19, 2008 11:15 AM