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I think I agree that Rafa wasn't a water into wine merchant when it comes to attacking players, broadly speaking. However I think 6m or less on each of Agger, Reina, Skrtel and Lucas is pretty amazing business. That's four of our best players signed for little more than a Downing. Arbeloa was also signed very cheaply.

Have you ever been in Spain at all? The media pressure there is about 50x time greater than it is here. The notion that that man who saw off the Galacticos and Barca (and the two daily newspaper mouthpieces each of those clubs has) to help a club who'd not won the league in about thirty years win it twice in three years is fairly ridiculous.

Don't panic. She's a doctor not a physio.

Wouldn't be my first choice but I think he has something, despite Chelsea (a very very hard job).

Pray they're not asking Carra etc

It's just a question you precious t**. I was one of those who wanted another season for Kenny, though it was a marginal call given the results.

Was Ayre an enemy of Rafa?

Kev will be the most senior lfc employee the way things are going...

Wonder if David Dein is advising, he was at a game or two with Ayre wasn't he?

Sad day. Big f***ing decision if they're about to put in a premier league manager.

That's definitive imho given he wrote kenny's autubiog iirc.

Agreed. I think it's unarguable that he's screwed up. The league form was a shambles pure and simple. No-one would have thought 52 points at the start of the season as anything like good enough. Below Everton, level on points with Fulham FFS. The league cup (and even the FA cup run) are some mitigation but given the list of winners of the former in the last decade it doesn't come close to excusing the league form. I'm just about of the view that Kenny should probably have another crack at it this year but it's based more on hope than a confident expectation that he'll turn it round. I think some of Kenny's more recent announcements about the season not being all that bad, not looking to lose anyone haven't done him any favours either. And there's some serious over-stating of his achievements this time round going on from some on here.

36 hour round trip to Boston always sounded like could be that.

Agreed. The figures to nail this debate properly unfortunately just aren't available as they depend on individuals' medical records amongst other things. That said people I know in the sports medicine field speak very, very highly of Brukner. Certainly he is regarded as being a specialist in the area in a way that club doctors just usually aren't.

It's astonishing that this has to be pointed out.

The Carroll fee was always going to be a lot. Bent had just gone for 25 million who was older and we were signing a player on the last day with 50m in our pockets. Henderson the fee was debatable to say the least. That said Kenny's signing's last Summer - at least the ones who were always going to cost a lot (Henderson, Downing especially) do not inspire much confidence given that one is clearly not good enough and one may become a good player but it's far from certain: I see less in Henderson than I did in Lucas at a similar stage and Henderson has already played about a 100 or so top level games.

I agree to a degree that Henderson and Carroll may come good though there's some debate as to how much the latter was a Kenny signing given the structure and his the interim status (I was persuaded of this point by someone on here recently). That said Lucas and Skrtel cost a lot lot less than the two players you cite. Certainly it's hard IMHO to argue that 50 odd million could not have been spent more wisely in terms of improving us.

I tend to agree that he's not coming back. But one can't praise Kenny for delivering nothing short of a shambles in the league this season and then criticise the man who has unarguably delivered the most of any of the previous five managers of the club including Kenny mark 2. 86 points was a fantastic achievement and the notion that he should be criticised for building a team that delivered it is laughable. Right now I'd be very, very happy to be 'just' qualifying for the champions league rather than finishing above Fulham on goal difference, behind Everton and closer to relegation than champions league qualification which is Kenny's achievement this season.

For context, I'm (just about) of the view that Kenny should have another season though I think this mainly for emotional reasons. But I sometimes wonder if you think before you post. You denigrate Rafa for failing in his last job. Kenny did poorly at Newcastle and Celtic was pretty poor too. Additionally Rafa was given a few months at Inter while you have constantly criticised people for wanting a change after Kenny has not really delivered after 18 months. So Rafa's not the draw he was a few years ago? Well that's just opinion with no basis in fact but for what it's worth most of the best players around today weren't even born when Kenny was a great player, most were young children last time he was a successful manager. In any case the club is always, and should always be, the main draw. And right now I'm more concerned that we're even going to target the right players based on the ones Kenny went for last Summer let alone be a big draw for the best players. Rafa's tactics were divisive on here then? So f***ing what. His tactics were ultimately proved not good enough? Personally right now a manager whose tactics were a big bit of us winning the champions league, getting to another final and getting 86 points looks quite good to me. When you say they were not good enough could you just explain a bit more what you mean?

Tend to agree I like him. He's implemented a way of playing at both Swansea and Wigan which is hugely to his credit and I think what he's done at Wigan in the last few months is remarkable under the pressure of the drop. To switch to 3-4-3 with the drop looming is massively brave. That said I also like Klopp, Bielsa and the current Valencia manager among others. And Rafa. All that said in reflecting on this season I'm quite torn about what I'd like to see happen. On the one hand I think the manager bears the brunt of the responsibility for a pretty poor return on the money spent on players. And the league form has been nowhere near good enough and injuries and the Suarez affair are nothing like strong enough mitigation for our league form which has been a shambles. Then there;s the fact that we offer look bereft of a plan. The league cup and FA cup run are some consolation but don't really paper over the cracks. Then there's doubts in my mind about Kenny's ability to really push us forward... ...But then there's the nagging thought that it's Kenny: who put together one of our best ever sides; who won the title at Blackburn with a midfield of Wilcox, Sherwood, Atkins and Ripley (United's was Giggs, Ince, Keane and Kanchelskis). And, it's Kenny, the man who has arguably given more as player, manager and man for the club than anyone has ever given to a football club in Britain. I suppose overall I'm probably in the give him one more season camp, but it's mainly an act of faith more than anything else.

Wonder who will get that job.

Can someone clarify who the d****ead(s) is/are definitively?

I think it was Drenthe who was asked by an interviewer in Spain when was the last time he had sex. His response was, "what, you mean with my wife?" Good player, total nutcase. I think Sid Lowe wrote an article about what a nutter he was/is.