Adiós Señor Rafael Benitez

Liverpool today officially parted ways with manager Rafael Benitez after the Spaniards 6year tenure at the club. In what was described as (but probably wasn't) a deal of mutual consent, Benitez has been paid £6million in this severance deal, some £10million less than what was in his contract should he have been sacked.

Rafael Benitez for many months now, maybe even seasons in some cases has split the fan bases opinion. Everyone always appreciated what he had done and achieved as Liverpool manager ~

UEFA Champions League - 2005

FA Cup - 2006

UEFA Super Cup - 2005

FA Community Shield - 2006

Highest points tally generated in Liverpool's Premier League history, finishing in 2nd place with a total of 86points.

Took us to another Champions League final in 2007.

Ensured Champions League football was a regular feature for the Reds up until his last season as Liverpool manager.

And not forgetting some famous results against the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, Everton... The list goes on.

But not all thought that was enough to support him in his fight against an astonishingly difficult situation. Don't get me wrong i respect and can understand the variety of differing opinions on the man but one thing i am certain we can all agree on is that Tom Hicks and George Gillett who probably sat back and laughed their heads off as supporters turned against Benitez and forgot about the turmoil they had both caused made it almost unworkable for any manager at our football club.

What Benitez did in such a tense period, a cash strapped and frankly embarrassing moment in time for "The Liverpool Way" has to be admired. As Benitez was continually denied transfer funds, control and support, he tried his utmost for the club he now held so dearly and the fans he held in even higher regard - he did his damn well best. I for one feel we must respect his efforts.

So as we wave goodbye to an era and a true gentleman, i hope you all join me in wishing him the best of luck, whatever your feelings are about him and whatever path he may go down.

There's only one Rafael Benitez and that my friends is fact.

In a similar theme to this farewell to Benitez and the highlighting of the importance of removing the two Americans from upstairs before we can truly start to rebuild i feel it is a good time for me to again nudge you in a good direction.

I joined Spirit Of Shankly today, i had been meaning to do so for a while and to be perfectly honest, i'll make no bones about it, i should have done it sooner. The interview on Sky Sports News the other week with Hicks spouting even more lies was the last straw for me and i'd set it in stone that i would join our superb supporters union on payday.

I never thought that today's pay day would also fall on such a poignant and important day for the football club, to me this just makes me more aware of how vital it is to stand up and fight for our club. Our Liverpool FC.

Recent situations in modern football involving teams such as Portsmouth and Crystal Palace and their financial state have been just an indication of how bad things can get in football these days, in Liverpool's situation, the fall from grace however (should we manage to save the club) would be unmeasurable, unthinkable.

Although this of course at this point in time is a hypothetical situation, if it doesn't scare you to think your club could be folded into liquidation then you quite simply are not a fan of Liverpool FC.

Things are getting worse at this stage and with Tom Hicks and George Gillett at the helm... things will certainly not get better.

As Liverpool fans we need to stand together and fight for our club.

The Reds are the blood of our Liverpool FC lifestyle, we are the heartbeat. Without us pumping, the Reds will be bled dry.

Please - Join Spirit Of Shankly

www.spiritofshankly.com/join

Twitter - @spiritofshankly

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/spiritofshankly