“Working hard, doing the right things” – An assessment of Rafa’s reign as Matador of Merseyside

By Phil Dickinson.
As a Liverpool fan, I had a strange sense of déjà vu last week. 6 summers ago Gérard Houllier departed Anfield after a 6 year tenure at the club and there were a mixture of emotions in the air.
I remember being pleased, excited by the prospect of a fresh start. A fifth place finish felt like a huge step backwards after finishing second to Arsenal the previous year. Houllier’s decision to let Nicolas Anelka and Finish veteran Jari Litmanen go in favour of 10 million pound El Hadji Diouf left many of us questioning the Frenchman’s judgement.
But there was a sense of sa...