Rafael and the small club comment

[Lanolin]

I like how you named countries, but then when it came to Spain you wrote Real Madrid, because your narrative didn't work because of Valencia.

How do you expect him to win a title in China when he has only managed 15 games, even if he won every game, he still wouldn't be able to win the title.

How many titles have Napoli won since Rafael left?

They've come a hell of a lot closer than they did when he was there. 9 points off top the season before he joined, 9 points off top the season after he left. The closest he got them was 24 points behind. What a manager.

 

[Bluetintedspecs]

Carragher was on the verge of being sold when Rafael got there, he was tried as a right back, midfielder and many other positions. Rafael moved him in the middle and he became one of the best centre backs in the league. Gerrard was utilised as a deep holding midfielder and a right midfielder until Rafael got there and turned him in to the best attacking midfielder in the league.

His signings at Liverpool include Reina, Agger, Skrtel, Sissoko, Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia, Zenden, Crouch, Bellamy, Kuyt, Aurelio, Mascherano, Torres, Benayoun, Lucas, Meireles. He also transformed their academy and brought in Sterling, Suso, Wisdom, Flanagan, Ayala, Coady, Spearing. Was partly responsible for bringing in Suarez and Coutinho too.

His time at Inter was a failure, but he asked for investment in order to overhaul the ageing squad, which was denied and look at them now. What have they achieved since?

He was a success at Chelsea, no matter how you look at it. Took them from 7th to 3rd. Won the Europa League. Turned David Luiz and Mata in to 50m players. Was actually going to take over in the Summer before, but the champions league win brought Di Matteo some more time. Rafael left on good terms with Roman and the players.

His time at Napoli was a huge success. Won the League Cup, haven't won it since. Won their charity shield for the first time in 14 years, haven't won it since. Got to the semi finals of the Europa league. Haven't got as far in Europe since. Finished 3rd and 5th in the league, which is about average for them. The Owner wanted him to stay and offered him a 3 year deal, but Rafael was homesick.

Signed Mertens, Callejon, Albiol, Higuain, De Guzman, Gabbiadini, Jorginho, Zapata, Reina, Koulibali, Ghoulam at Napoli. A team which set them up for years.

His time at Madrid was average. He wasn't allowed to sign any players apart from Casemeiro due to the amount spent the previous few years. He wanted to get rid of players, but wasn't allowed. Got told which players he had to play and had interference in all his operations. Unbeaten in the Champions League, 3rd in the league with a game in hand when he left.

His time at Newcastle can't be considered less than a success, he's worshiped up there.

Have a look at their form table last season for the last 16 matches. He had them 5th in the league based on that. Last 26 matches had them 8th.

They faced Spurs, City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Utd and Leicester in their first 8 matches last season, that's why it looks like Bruce is doing better.

Are you making things up.

He completely rejuvenated LFCs academy which was destroyed by Houllier. I'm not getting in to the guys who came through there, but let's just name Sterling and Suso for starters.

How did he leave a mess behind at Madrid, Chelsea and Inter when he wasn't even there for a full season. How did he leave a mess behind at Napoli when he's so revered there and acknowledged for the squad he built there which is still reaping the benefits from. Again how did he leave a mess behind at Newcastle when 3/4s of the squad he signed and transformed the academy.

You appear to be very pro-Benitez (calling him Rafael is kopite behaviour) and most of your posting history appears to have been focused on defending his corner very doggedly. You've also been backing your arguments up with very detailed stats from his time at the RS and the barcodes, that you wouldn't expect an Evertonian to either know or be bothered about looking up.

You're either some sort of weird super fan, his agent, a relative, a Newcastle fan or a kopite. Which one is it?

 

[Theoneandonly]

A sell to buy budget! Christ i've heard it all now.

They had a negative net spend every season after Moores left.

 

[Theoneandonly]

They've come a hell of a lot closer than they did when he was there. 9 points off top the season before he joined, 9 points off top the season after he left. The closest he got them was 24 points behind. What a manager.

How many cups have they won since he left?

If he was that bad, why is he still on good terms with the owner and the fans? Why did he get offered a 3 year deal the Summer he left?

 

[Lanolin]

How many cups have they won since he left?

If he was that bad, why is he still on good terms with the owner and the fans? Why did he get offered a 3 year deal the Summer he left?

Three good questions. A fourth would be why are you posting on an Everton forum?

 

[DanB90]

Wasn't big Sam manager at Newcastle once under the same owner? What position did he finish with them in his one season there?

A place higher than Benitez managed...

 

[DanB90]

My Rafael thread brings all the suspect posters to the yard.

 

[Theoneandonly]

I wonder which Spanish manager is going to get the job?

 

[Ballly]

Hicks and Gillette took over in 2007, they had nothing to do with those teams. He wasn't operating on anything even remotely resembling a sell to buy basis, he was spending what was at the time an inordinate amount of money. In 2004/5 there was a £60m difference in Everton and Liverpool's net spend. We finished above them. Sell to buy though. Unreal.

Yes thats true but why did Moores sell the club to them? He simply couldn't spend what they needed to compete both domestically or in Europe.

Here's the last I'm going to say on this as for obvious reasons its touching a few nerves on here but he took their team to 2 champions league finals in three years with a net spend total between '04-'07 of 45 million. Agreed that's literally not sell to buy and obviously it was a much different market than the one that exists today but at an average of 15 million per season its not exactly unlimited funds is it to be competing at and winning at the top competition in Europe with a final squad that had the likes of Djimi Traore, Finnan, Josemi, Nunez, Biscan, Riise, and Carragher (who personally I dont think was that great of defender)?

 

[Ballly]

My Rafael thread brings all the suspect posters to the yard.

Ha ha....yes good answer.

 

[DanB90]

Ha ha....yes good answer.

I literally answered your question of where Allardyce finished with Newcastle too though mate.
12th place my friend.

Should we get him back?

 

[Theoneandonly]

I literally answered your question of where Allardyce finished with Newcastle too though mate.
12th place my friend.

Should we get him back?

And Rafas Newcastle finished 10th the season before last.

 

[RogerStringpiece1878]

Good managers win league titles.

He failed to do that in Italy, in England, in China and at Real Madrid, an utter fraud of a manager who might have had something about him 15 years ago at Valencia but since then hes been terrible at some of the best teams in the world.

I mean he did it in Spain didn't he?

So you're suggesting you're not a good manager if you don't win leagues? Very interesting.

 

[Ballly]

I literally answered your question of where Allardyce finished with Newcastle too though mate.
12th place my friend.

Should we get him back?

Uh no......he was sacked in January 2008 and never finished anywhere with them so barking up the wrong tree "my friend"

 

[Papa Shango]

Hicks and Gillette took over in 2007, they had nothing to do with those teams. He wasn't operating on anything even remotely resembling a sell to buy basis, he was spending what was at the time an inordinate amount of money. In 2004/5 there was a £60m difference in Everton and Liverpool's net spend. We finished above them. Sell to buy though. Unreal.

He also managed to pee off Xavi Alonso in his pursuit of Gareth Barry leading to one of their best players who still had years left in him to leave the club.

And he didn't even sign Barry...