Liverpool are miles from winning the Premier League and Rafa Benitez has to go

By Stan Collymore

Published 23:00 01/11/09

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Rafa Benitez's substitutions at Fulham were the equivalent of raising a white flag and the Liverpool manager’s supporters seem to be diminishing rapidly.

I have written consistently for the last 12 months that Benitez is not the best man to bring the title back to Anfield.

And some of my views have not gone down well with a section of fans at my old club on Merseyside.

But I think my words are beginning to sound to everyone a lot more credible than Benitez’s own arguments.

I took no satisfaction in Liverpool following up their win over Manchester United in the Premier League with a 3-1 loss at Fulham.

Liverpool were reduced to nine men as they suffered a fifth league defeat in 11 games.

And the defeat seems to have stunned even Rafa’s most ardent supporters into silence.

The decision to start with Andrei Voronin up front after his poor performance in the Carling Cup defeat to Arsenal was staggering.

And then taking off superstar Fernando Torres when it was 1-1 and he had scored was even more astonishing.

Rafa claims Torres wasn’t fit, which is why he replaced him with Ryan Babel after 63 minutes, but the psychological boost that would have given Fulham must have been huge.

At the very worst, Benitez’s decision was a miscalculation about how opposition players react when they see the other team’s star player going off.

And if we take Benitez’s explanation about Torres’ fitness, it raises massive questions because having to play a half-fit Torres in pain shows Liverpool’s striking options are very limited.

Either way, Voronin certainly hadn’t earned his place, and then taking Yossi Benayoun off when the team was 2-1 down again showed a lack of ambition.

It was tantamount to waving a white flag as far as I am concerned.

And Liverpool fans today must feel about as far away from winning the league as they have under any manager at Anfield.

I was delighted when Liverpool beat Manchester United but what should have been a massive confidence-boosting result has now been wasted.

Whatever Liverpool’s injury woes, with Glen Johnson and Steven Gerrard out, there should have been enough in the squad to go and get a result at Craven Cottage.

So, sadly, I firmly believe Rafael Benitez has to get the sack from Liverpool.

And if American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett went out of the door first thing on Monday morning they would not be missed.

Liverpool have just hit the buffers once too many times and it has become an embarrassment.

On my talkSPORT phone-in on Saturday night, there was not one call in support of Benitez after the Fulham debacle.

That is telling, but I have been saying for the last year that Benitez should be replaced by Jose Mourinho.

The worst thing that happened to Liverpool was finishing second last season when Benitez signed a new long-term contract.

Now Rafa won’t quit because he is sitting on the best part of a £20million contract.

But the fans are turning their back on him in increasing numbers.

They have Lyon away on Wednesday where defeat could spell doom for their Champions League hopes.

That will push Rafa closer to the brink and I think it is inevitable he will leave as he is not the right man.

Liverpool should turn to Mourinho, Guus Hiddink or Kenny Dalglish.

And you know who would get my vote.