Is this the end of the Rafalution?

I don't often talk about football on this blog, but this time I feel the need to get something off my chest.

The way things are going, I will surprised if Rafa Benitez will be Liverpool manager come end of June 2008.

Over the last 3 and a 1/2 years, Rafa and his teams have really brought us, the fans, many highs and some lows. We have had a Champions League win and another final. Our highest points total in 20 years and it took a monumental effort from Chelsea and Man Utd to stop us being in the top three. We have won the FA Cup, the European Super Cup, a Charity Shield and been in the League Cup final. All in 3 seasons. And yet the man is subjected to the most ridiculous criticism.

Yes, for the last 6 or 7 matches in the Premiership we have not played great but we are unbeaten. We are 6 points behind Arsenal after the same amount of games and we are 3 behind Man Utd with a game in hand. Yet these teams have no criticism.

I really fear for the situation. The press in England, the bastards that they are, have made it an almost daily report to lambast Benitez. Here we have a manager who in the last 4 seasons has been in 2 Champions League finals and won the UEFA Cup - a better record than Ferguson, Mourinho and Wenger have! Ferguson has been in 1 final in his entire 20-odd years at Man Utd. And yet what is written and said about him is unbelievable. This crap they write about the rotation system is utter rubbish and the man's record is unreal. You dont win 2 Spanish League titles without being an excellent manager. The press don't like Benitez as he doesnt conform to the English ideologies of football in that it should be played at 100 miles per hour and you play 4-4-2 with the same 11 each week. Crap.Utter crap. The man is a brilliant manager and what he has brought to England is as good as, if not better than, Mourinho.

According to the papers this morning Rafa will be sacked soon for clashing with the owners and Mourinho will be installed as boss. I really hope this doesnt happen. The owners at Liverpool need to get their heads out of their arse and see what he is saying. If we dont tie done Mascherano and get some others in soon then their return on investment will be even less. If they appoint Mourinho they may as well appoint Alex Ferguson as assistant as their loathing amoung Liverpool fans is about the same and loads will vote with their feet.

There are players at Liverpool who are also there due to Rafa and it is going to cost lots to replace them - and they will have to replace them. Reina will leave, Alonso will leave, Agger will leave. We may see Torres going and other too. I think we are just starting to see the best of Rafa's Liverpool team now. The players now know how we wants and some of the young lads are looking great. Lucas looks some player and Babbel is gonna be great - players who joined the team for the manager and not because of who owns the team.

I really hope that I am wrong and Rafa is Liverpool boss for many years, but this is another item of something that is rapidly decreasing my interest in football.