But that's the point, the constraints we are under have forced him to build up the squad incrementally. I don't think anyones even saying he's perfect, but appreciate the circumstances he is under, a net spend of £80m in six seasons is a fucking joke for a club that has ambitions of winning titles. Especially when he's been competing with the mancs and Chelsea, and now City.
I don't totally discount "net" at all, but it can be misleading.
He's still spent the money he's spent. It doesn't quite work as an argument to quote money he's made from players he's signed - because the fact they've moved on is over-all a bad thing. Either they weren't good enough, or they didn't want to stay.
Any in any case, he's still spent the money - and it's plain to see from our squad, it's still quite weak.
Put it another way:
Inherit a team with Dudek, Carragher, Hyppia, Finnan, Riise, Hamann, Gerrard, Murphy and Owen - add £220m (or £90m net - if you go by BHB's figures, which I'm not sure I do) and you should end up with a better team than we've got now.
We've got a great keeper, a superb right-back, a potentially great defender in Agger, a good defensive midfielder in Masch, and a great striker in Torres.
Add that onto Gerrard, and it's not a great return for your investment.
The "who would get into the other top team" argument is also flawed, but it can be a decent guide, and we're not good enough as individuals, and currently not working well together (for a massive amount of reasons) as a team.
That doesn't mean "Rafa out" by a long way, but it does mean it's fair to point the finger a little and ask "why", instead of skewing the £s in and out to show that he's performed miracles.
In 2006 we were one point behind the mancs, we've outspent them since and are still behind them. Another "why?" is valid.