An OPEN letter to all Liverpool fans
To all Liverpool fans,
To say this season has been a frustrating one for yourselves is something of an understatement, but the last thing the football club needs is to buy into the terrible media reports who from an outsider looking in is doing its level best to drive a wedge between the club and supporters whilst looking to drive Rafa Benitez to the verge of breaking point. It seems relentless, but the last thing supporters must do is put more pressure on what is a fragile situation.
This year has been poor for Liverpool and you have failed to see your team live up to the pre-season hype, where many considered it to be your year. Obviously there are reasons for it, with injury and key players losing form at the centre of it, but Alonso’s sale aside that is the same squad that pushed United so close and it is the same group that can ensure that you make the top four again this season. Results have picked up in the Premier League of late and let’s be honest that should have been three PL wins on the spin today.
You may ask why a Gooner like myself should take an interest in Liverpool’s plight, but it is because I see a lot of parallels with you and what we suffered last season. We like you through away a great chance to land a title back in 2008 and while expectation was we would take the title last year we flopped miserably and threw away so many points and lost a lot of games to poor opposition. The media were heaping pressure on us and Arsene Wenger and at one point they were winning and a lot of supporters did start to turn and question the manager. We were told, like you are now, that we had fallen out of the top four and on the decline (even though months before we were being touted as future champions); it wasn’t until the start of March that we relinquished our place back in the top four, a feat that I fully expect Liverpool to follow as well.
I am personally amazed at the amount of people suggesting this week that it is time for Rafa Benitez to quit. That would be a total knee-jerk reaction, the easy option, however a lot has to be said, as we are showing this season, in retaining faith in a manager and realising that a few bad results and a poor season doesn’t disguise what they have already achieved at the football club in the past, and what they will do again in the future. You don’t hear many pundits writing us off this season in the race for the title; it just shows how quickly the pendulum can swing the other way.
My message to all of you really is to stay strong, back your manager and remember that Rafa was one that took you to the brink of a title last season and not to mention two Champions League finals. As we found with Arsene a few bad results shouldn’t cloud your judgment of a man and what he has brought a lot to your football club and who has already proved his worth. It may not feel like it at the moment, but you will benefit in the long run from this season’s setback and believe me, you, as well as Benitez will return the stronger for it.
Keep the faith
Written By James Marsh
Football News 24/7
Well said James.
As a Liverpool fan I totally agree, not that all Liverpool fans will agree mind.
It is also great to read these words from an Arsenal fan too.
It has been proven in this league that the best way to get success is to show some faith, otherwise we could be changing managers every two years and well and truly playing catch up.
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Thanks mate,
You are right, we should back Rafa. Even I had my doubts after the Reading defeat, but he is a good manager and we should hold onto him.
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Good article. The media onslaught is relentless at times and completely unbalanced. The media never gave any credit to Rafa when we were top of the league, indeed they actually ridiculed him for defending his team. So why do us LFC supporters think they would do anthing other than go for Rafa at this point in time.
I think all this is summed up by the fact that the players have taken very little criticism for the performances and most of the blame has been directed at Rafa. Ultimately it is the 11 players that pull on the shirt that have to do 99% of the job of winning games of football, not managers.
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“We should back Rafa”.
Oh Dear, we really do deserve all we get dont we?.
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Rafa has been here for 6 years and apart from last season fluke has shown no sign on bringing the league title back home. Its about time you look at the facts, the fact is he buys crap, he plays crap tactics alot of the time and will not win it under him, sorry guys it is just reality, we are mediocre and when gerrard leaves we will be even worse, the first thing what needs to happen is owners out but I still wouldnt stick with rafa, he is stubborn and I re iterate again buys crap.
I would rather him buy 1 world class player each summer at least we would have 6 by now, instead he buys 3 crap players and these are the facts unfortunatly. I am a liverpool fan the club is in crises from top to bottom, the sooner you realise this and stop kidding yourself the better.
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Time is up for rafa. He’s a dead man walking. The team will improve it’s performances for the second half of the season. However it’s not going to be enough to dislodge city, Vila and spurs. It seems rafa still hasn’t listened to the supporters and pundits views! that his failure to buy a back up for torres has cost him dear. Many fans have made this point for 12 months what has he done? Glenn Johnston transfer was a bad call, great going forward but we could have used these funds more intelligently to buy a cheaper reliable full back and a back up striker. Looking at Ngog and Kuyt these two look very poor compared to other 2nd string strikers of the top3. The purchase of aqualani has been shocking we should have never bought a player in his condition. As much as the directors have been bad news rafas made some stuborn and terrible calls and his failure to create a back up roster of players could of been addresed more effectively considering the resources he’s had!
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I fully appreciate the good times rafa intially brought but we have to face facts Liverpool over achieved last year! If CFC had Hiddy or even Avram as manager LFC would not of beaten them twice and I have a strong feeling we would of finished 3rd. Since the pre-season there has been huge problems with injuries and lack of fluidity in our play. I understand the level of patience should be shown to Wenger because he has won the premiership and with a extra striker his team are in the right position with great strength in depth and youth in his squad. Unfortunately benitez has a first 11 but no back up. I estimate we will end this season 25 points off the top spot this is on top of the lack of CL Action next season and trophies is unacceptable. Unfortunately with the global crisis and the improvement of villa, man city and spurs we have been caught out! LFC board missed a great chance to make the investment in new players last summer which could have assisted rafa shame that rafa has had 20million taken away from him. Despite this he has invested badly in what players he bought. Lfc are at cross roads because we have Gerrard suffering many groin and hamstring injuries. This situation is not going to massively improve as Gerrard is reaching a stage in his career where he will be more succeptable to injuries. We will need to be looking at replacing him along with Carragher. The cost of doing this will be immense as we have no players near this quality comming of the conveyor belt. Without major investment and a new manager we better get used to playing in the Europa . Maybe a hard pill to swallow but it maybe an option for the board to move gerrard on whilst we can get an top price for him. A lot of fans may initially disagree with my comments but without major investment we need to raise funds for a new manager to buy a collection of stars for the future.
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Wenger likes passing keeping possession and a good touch Benitez is happy to put out players without any of these qualities and the worse they are the more games they get Insua Kuyt Lucas.What is going on at training that they cannot do the most basic things in a match?Defending and attacking crosses must not be done in training because it is rare for a Liverpool player to get anywhere near the ball on crosses.Something is wrong and the first thing to change is the training methods and that muppet Pelligrino who seems to be doing nothing but whisper in Benitez ear every match should go plus Benitez stubborness of thinking he is always right about everything
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Great article.
And I like the fact that some of you are not letting facts get in the way of Rafa witch-hunt. Really I am.
You call a man stubborn and then go on about he’s had decent resources to win the title. Ah yes a NET Spend of 10 grand is enough to win the Premier League.
‘Rafa has been here for 6 years and apart from last season fluke has shown no sign on bringing the league title back home.’ Have you ever heard of rebuilding sides? Do you really think the likes of Djimi Traore and Igor Biscan look at home in Premier League winning side? Yes, he may have won the European Cup with them, but they only ever showed signs of being decent under Benitez, and he managed to get the odd good performance out of them when called upon. Average players into better players. Sounds like he hasn’t got a clue what he’s doing at all!
‘I would rather him buy 1 world class player each summer’ Are you going to provide the money for that or are we going to let the squad get even more paper-thin as every transfer window passes by? Yes, I would love world-class players at Liverpool but you really expect him to be provided the money for that? He has had to wheel and deal throughout his Liverpool reign – doesn’t really like to. He has had to! And now it has become even more tricky for him considering those at the top are taking any kind of profits to finance the club debt. Oh and can you please tell me who would like to warm the bench all the time Torres is playing that is a ‘back up.’
‘It seems rafa still hasn’t listened to the supporters and pundits views!’
Priceless, I must say. Hasn’t listened to the supporters? Very good, you mean he hasn’t listen to the type of supporter that is fickle and will jerk their knee very hard after Liverpool have failed to win a game?
And why should he listen to the pundits? You’re seriously suggesting giving the likes of Paul Merson the manager’s job? Of course he is an example of a bastion of footballing knowledge – very articulate as well!
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Cisse great player scored in champs league and fa cup final – sold
Bellamy did a great job for us and nobody can deny that – sold.
Alonso best passer of ball in world football – pushed out and sold.
Crouch England international great player – sold
Risse – great leftback – sold
Keane never given a chance started to score pushed out and sold.
Pachecho great prospect will never get chance.
Nemeth anoth great prospect out on loan – wtf ???
Benitez is an absolute waste of space manager who is destroying the club.
He controls the first team the youth team and all transfers go through him.
So who is to blame for this downward spiral ? The first time I have even seen Anfield with 15,000 seats empty ffs games are full for Carling Cup matches.We have suffered long enough he should do the honourable thing and resign !
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