so whats the general feeling now?

[floyd the barber]

im interested in how we all feel.......last time a poll was done, majority were behind rafa and still believed he would be the one to lead us to the title..

 

now...and im not sure and am interested in how feelings have changed..

 

And this has nothing to do with the owners,etc..

 

This is all about Rafa.....what do you honestly believe? can you see him actually winning the title with us?

Edited December 14, 2009 by Lets get Masched

[johngibo YPC]

I do. I'm starting to wonder if Rafa is the best 'in a crisis' manager though. But i haven't completely thought my argument through yet to type it out (or i'm saving it for a podcast)

I've got a feeling it will be something else that will get us out of this slump (the players taking greater responsibility, some bizarre luck, Sammy Lee, i don't know) and then Rafa can go back to being a boss manager again

f***ing soon please

[Falconhoof]

Its far more complicated than YES/NO

I have my doubts about Rafa now and I didn't stop to question him before. I think he can turn it around but I really think he may have more threads unravelling than he can handle.

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

make it stop

 

[Rory Fitzgerald]

I still believe in him

[Sion]

has the c*** been sacked yet*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*kidding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

we all know he's getting sacked on thursday morning

[Gary Wolf]

Not any more

[Billy Dane]

I think it would be a more interesting poll if it gave a number of options as to what people thought had created the on field problems; eg It's all Rafa's fault, it's all the owners. it's Alonso's fault etc etc.

[Bootle Buck]

I think Rafa has been given what he wanted with regards to control of the playing side of the club and quite frankly I think he has taken on too much. We have had so many games this season that we have basically made the same mistakes. How many times have we taken a lead only to let the other team back in it and eventually lose the game. Yet we never seem to change anything. Rafa is a stubborn man who seems to want to prove people wrong rather than do what is best in for our league and CL challenge. His man management has been questioned and resulted in key players leaving(Alonso) While others like Kuyt and Lucas being played regardless of form or formation. I wish he would just focus on "training and preparing his players" like he pointed out last season in his press conference after having his wrists slapped by the owners.

If Rafa is such a student of the game, why does he never learn from his mistakes.

[CarraLegend]

I think Rafa has been given what he wanted with regards to control of the playing side of the club and quite frankly I think he has taken on too much. We have had so many games this season that we have basically made the same mistakes. How many times have we taken a lead only to let the other team back in it and eventually lose the game. Yet we never seem to change anything. Rafa is a stubborn man who seems to want to prove people wrong rather than do what is best in for our league and CL challenge. His man management has been questioned and resulted in key players leaving(Alonso) While others like Kuyt and Lucas being played regardless of form or formation. I wish he would just focus on "training and preparing his players" like he pointed out last season in his press conference after having his wrists slapped by the owners.

If Rafa is such a student of the game, why does he never learn from his mistakes.

 

Well done on posting quite possibly the biggest amount of drivel I have ever seen on here. Criticism is fine but some of that is absolutely laughable.

 

"Rafa is a stubborn man who seems to want to prove people wrong rather than do what is best in for our league and CL challenge"

 

Haha you think he doesnt want us higher up the table or in the CL? f*** sake.

 

"I wish he would just focus on "training and preparing his players"

 

How do you know he isnt? Thats a pretty serious allegation.

 

"why does he never learn from his mistakes."

 

If only football was that simple.

[Bootle Buck]

Well done on posting quite possibly the biggest amount of drivel I have ever seen on here. Criticism is fine but some of that is absolutely laughable.

 

"Rafa is a stubborn man who seems to want to prove people wrong rather than do what is best in for our league and CL challenge"

 

Haha you think he doesnt want us higher up the table or in the CL? f*** sake.

 

"I wish he would just focus on "training and preparing his players"

 

How do you know he isnt? Thats a pretty serious allegation.

 

"why does he never learn from his mistakes."

 

If only football was that simple.

 

Then in your infinate WISDOM explain to me how we keep making the same mistakes and getting the same result on so many occasions this season. As soon as we take a lead we sit back and let the other team come at us and it's resulted in half a dozen similar results this season. Why does it continue to happen? Explain why he continues to play two holding midfielders in every game. Explain how we have conceded many goals from set peices and yet it still happens. Explain how ineffective we are with set-peices week after week?

Edited December 14, 2009 by Bootle Buck

[Crazy Horse]

My general feeling regarding Rafa is that he's got himself into a no lose situation with the new contract. If he turns things around, he'll be a hero with long-term job security. If he f***s up, he walks away with millions and straight into another big job. And if, let's say, he's just fed up with the owners and the lack of investment and wants out, he's almost got himself into the perfect scenario with this season's performances.

[CarraLegend]

Then in your infinate WISDOM explain to me how we keep making the same mistakes and getting the same result on so many occasions this season. As soon as we take a lead we sit back and let the other team come at us and it's resulted in half a dozen similar results this season. Why does it continue to happen? Explain why he continues to play two holding midfielders in every game. Explain how we have conceded many goals from set peices and yet it still happens. Explain how ineffective we are with set-peices week after week?

 

Because football isnt as simple as seeing a mistake then correcting it then everything is ok again. Do you seriously believe it's as easy as that? I cant honestly believe you are this thick, please be on a wind up here.

[Hassony]

My general feeling regarding Rafa is that he's got himself into a no lose situation with the new contract. If he turns things around, he'll be a hero with long-term job security. If he f***s up, he walks away with millions and straight into another big job. And if, let's say, he's just fed up with the owners and the lack of investment and wants out, he's almost got himself into the perfect scenario with this season's performances.

 

your general feeling regarding rafa has long been that you don't believe in him,you said on few occasions that he'll never win the league even if he had a man city budget

[Bootle Buck]

Because football isnt as simple as seeing a mistake then correcting it then everything is ok again. Do you seriously believe it's as easy as that? I cant honestly believe you are this thick, please be on a wind up here.

 

Your calling me Thick. How fecking hard is it to correct mistakes that are so obvious to see. How many games does it take for us to take a lead then implode and end up losing the game before it is corrected. At this rate we could end up losing 10-12 games this season.

[Red]

I always took "man-management" to mean managing the players while they're here, not the process of deciding who to buy and who to sell.

 

In this context, Alonso's sale was purely a footballing decision, not an example of bad man-management.

[CarraLegend]

Your calling me Thick. How fecking hard is it to correct mistakes that are so obvious to see. How many games does it take for us to take a lead then implode and end up losing the game before it is corrected. At this rate we could end up losing 10-12 games this season.

 

f***ing hell, if it was that simple to correct a mistake there wouldnt be any in the world in the first place!!

 

Im sure he knows perfectly well what is wrong with the team, if every manager could correct that with a click of his fingers then they'd all be paid £6 an hour. It isnt that simple, life isnt that simple. Im genuinely amazed you think he should spot a mistake say sort it and thats it, it never happens again.

 

Slinging allegations around that he's slacking at the training ground is s**** aswell though no surprise at all from you. Everytime we lose a game you're on here slinging mud about, im shocked you havent been sued yet!

 

Even I cant be arsed arguing with you anymore. Night.

Edited December 15, 2009 by CarraLegend

[Jarg Armani]

I think he's great, and he gets the club like nobody's business.

 

He gets it more than a lot of the fans at the stadium do, not to mention the blerts in the pubs.

 

Obviously he's having a mare of a season, but thems the breaks. I still love him for last season and the ones before, and have faith that the things he's done have been part of an ongoing plan, even if they are at times nonsensical to me.

 

I have faith in him to turn it round, but it's an uphill struggle from here and if he failed and we parted ways I'd be gutted that he didn't leave a proper legacy of success and complete his plans for someone else to follow.

 

I honestly believe we're a poisoned chalice of a club and attracting a top bracket manager would be extremely difficult, and whether the Americans would even want one is severely doubtful.

 

I also think we'd lose some, or - god forbid - all of our best players.

 

In short I think he's a top man and a great manager, as a club we seem doomed to mediocrity in the long term so I am going to enjoy the Rafa ride for as long as it lasts. It's been educational and emotional in equal measures. Long may he reign.

[Stevie H]

I think he's great, and he gets the club like nobody's business.

 

He gets it more than a lot of the fans at the stadium do, not to mention the blerts in the pubs.

 

Obviously he's having a mare of a season, but thems the breaks. I still love him for last season and the ones before, and have faith that the things he's done have been part of an ongoing plan, even if they are at times nonsensical to me.

 

I have faith in him to turn it round, but it's an uphill struggle from here and if he failed and we parted ways I'd be gutted that he didn't leave a proper legacy of success and complete his plans for someone else to follow.

 

I honestly believe we're a poisoned chalice of a club and attracting a top bracket manager would be extremely difficult, and whether the Americans would even want one is severely doubtful.

 

I also think we'd lose some, or - god forbid - all of our best players.

 

In short I think he's a top man and a great manager, as a club we seem doomed to mediocrity in the long term so I am going to enjoy the Rafa ride for as long as it lasts. It's been educational and emotional in equal measures. Long may he reign.

 

agree with all of that and also want to state that he's not become a bad manager overnight. yes we're on a dioabolical run at present but he's still the same manager that got us to second last year with a record total, above loaded chelsea and with gerrard and torres only starting 14 matches together. his record still buys him more time and that het gets it, in polar opposition to the owners, is also massively relevant.

[john_lfc]

Great manager, has took us so far, wont take us any further.

 

I'm on the fence

[cymrococh]

My general feeling regarding Rafa is that he's got himself into a no lose situation with the new contract. If he turns things around, he'll be a hero with long-term job security. If he f***s up, he walks away with millions and straight into another big job. And if, let's say, he's just fed up with the owners and the lack of investment and wants out, he's almost got himself into the perfect scenario with this season's performances.

Do you honestly think that Rafa would consider getting sacked from us a 'no lose' situation?

[Stevie H]

Great manager, has took us so far, wont take us any further.

 

I'm on the fence

'won't take us any further' is not really on the fence though is it?

[Bogman]

Still behind him.

This season has flopped from one disaster to another, and not everyone to be laid at the feet of the manager.

Time to dissect the season is the end of it.

 

Still think he's the best man for the job.

The players at the mo need to man up, and when they do, and they get match fit, away we'll go.

 

I've said before, and I'll say it again till everyone gets bored of hearing it; we've much bigger problems than Rafa at our club, and people are taking their eyes off that particular ball, and blaming the wrong person.

[Chili Palmer]

I still think he is fantastic, in horrible horrible form right now but like any player that has shown his quality time and time again, you don't just turn your back on them when they really need our support.

[melia]

I'm not happy with the frequency of these polls. Can we increase them to every 45 minutes of play?