I know the general consensus on the board here about Rafa is that of thanks and gratitude. This is all well and good. He helped us win a trophy and finish in a respectable position which under normal circumstances is what we would be grateful for and happy about. However, we are not a normal circumstance team, as is constantly pointed out by the media and other fans. So, should we really be thanking Rafa for what he has done? In my opinion no. As far as I'm concerned he has done what was expected of him and no more. Others have compared records and stats of previous managers and he has come out equal if not a little worse and let's face it, had he not achieved what he did we would be calling for his already rolling head, never mind even considering thanking him for his efforts. So what I put to you all is should we be so thankful to this man for doing the bare minimum expected of him? I for one have come to expect a trophy once a season because of the high standard set. After all no one wants to achieve just once. I am thankful for the fact that he didnt ruin the team and completely destroy our season and am glad to see the back of him having achieved what was expected. Had he won the league, EL and a domestic cup got us playing superb football and balanced a few books then I would be thankful. I say good riddance and well done for achieving the minimum standard expected. No thanks for doing your job to the minimum standard. What are your thoughts on the matter?
Given the circumstances when he arrived with the fans it was an immensely difficult job and I think most would have resigned or wilted to the detriment of the team. It took big bollocks to effectively put that section of the support in their place, he's finished third with relative ease and won a cup. I don't see how he can be considered anything but a great success.
As posted on a previous thread, my message/view is as follows: "You'll never be on my Christmas card list, but cheers for settling the ship, winning a trophy and guaranteeing Champions League football for another season, sticking with the 3 amigos and playing Luiz in midfield. Considering how much crap I (and others) have given you over your temporary stay, the end result wasn't that bad......."
The thing is, under Rafa, we finished 3rd with a trophy. Could you guarentee that under RDM? No. Maybe he would have done better, or maybe he could have done much worse. Either way, I think we have benefited from Rafa's tenure. He's done a good job in my opinion.
would have been interesting to see how we would have fared if the supporters accepted him from the start I feel all the negativity didnt help the cause
On the contrary I think it inspired him to prove a point! At the end of the day the players took to him, which is vital and he dug us out of a hole and leaves us in good shape! He gets a from me!
This is all well and good but it was what was expected and require of him. Shoukd we really be praising him for doing what he was co te actually oblige to do?
Well of course not but neither could Benitez up until Lampard and Ivanovic score late goals last week. Football's often decided by fine margins though so I guess Rafa should get some credit for avoiding disaster and adding the cherry on top which was the Europa League. When Rafa took over though, you were 3rd, 5 points ahead of Arsenal and 7 ahead of us. Is it really an achievement to finish 3rd above Arsenal and Spurs when you have a better squad and began with a headstart? Not really. Similarly with the Europa League, you were the best side in the tournament and favourites ever since you got plonked in it. Still, he's done a job and avoided disaster with a strong finish and brought you 1 pot out of 5 that he could have won. Considering you hated him before I'm surprised anyone wants to give him any credit, he was very rude about your club in the past. Still it was mostly Abramovich's fault for sacking RDM and hiring Rafa in the first place.
Yid. A very objective reply! I'm actually glad you see things along the lines that I do. Couldn't stand the man at Liverpool now all of sudden everyone is telling us we should show him respect and be grateful! This was my question; grateful for what?!
I wonder why it is that you appear to be in a minority with your opinion? Maybe others can see that with a small squad,69 games,the way he was treated by the fans that he didn't do so badly at all. You only have to listen to the players themselves to realize that.
CPofL. But the point I'm driving at is you don't get rewarded or praised at work for doing your bare minimum under your employment contract do you? Yes it's a tough job but you are compensated accordingly by your employer. At least I don't go around give high fives to my colleagues and employees for turning up and doing the things they are expected to do. Why should we praise a man who got us back to where we should have been in the first place?
Well, if you were saying the same thing about Jose who was expected to win the league and therefore only achieved what he was supposed to then I guess you have a point but somehow I doubt very much that you did that.
The difference is that nothing was expected of Jose when he was first at Chelsea. There is no guarantee he's coming back. If and when he does I fully expect him to win the league and a domestic cup and will be disappointed if we don't, thus are the high expectations of the club these days. Had Jose been in charge this season do you think we would have won more than 1 of a possible 5?
