The sensible people who I know that have doubts about Klopp were massive fans of Rafa too.
I think there's a sense with some supporters that Rafa was hounded out of the club by the media, aided and abetted by some of our fans. This was a man who was a winner. A manager that put a CL and FA Cup trophy on the table and got very close to winning others. Being abused by sections of our fans who swallowed the rhetoric of the media because Rafa didn't play ball and had a bit of a spiky character on occasions.
This is exactly how i feel. I loved Rafa and resented all those who supported having him ousted.
I distinctly recall someone saying here on this forum that we don't realize how good we have it and that we will fall into the abyss for 7-8 seasons if we don't support Rafa. Many on here wouldn't listen and rejoiced when he was gone, despite the evidence that he was improving us year on year.
So it's no surprise to me that we massively underachieved for those 7-8 years (bar the odd exception).
I still am pissed with many people over what happened then. But i cannot allow these feelings to cloud how i judge a new manager, especially one who begins to build something again, just like Rafa did (albeit not (yet) as successful)
Fast forward 7-8 seasons and we have Klopp in charge. Someone who is universally loved by the media and respected by oppositions fans. There's also been a tendency for our fans to look at him as a saviour. To elevate him above what he has achieved so far. That will rub some fans up the wrong way. You have a manager who wins trophies and is hounded by the media. You have a manager who has won nothing for the club being lauded. In fact a manager who you could argue has fallen short at the crucial moments (League Cup, Europa League). It's not that difficult to see why some fans might rally against that.
It should be viewed positively that Klopp has the media on his side, so long as he isn't pandering to them. That's one less thorn in our side. Klopp has achieved many things so far, but it's a fair point that he often falls at the final hurdle so far. The point is that he is improving this team immensely and getting us into positions to achieve the things we crave.
Once we witness sustainable improvement, we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the manager. He's obviously doing something right, and in this case, a lot of things right.
But let's not pretend that many of these folks are actually thinking this through. They are mostly spiteful and knee jerk opinions, born of the same type of tripe we seen in 2010. Calls for Xabi and Steve to be put in charge are proof of this. Unwarranted criticism of players is proof of this. Finding any and every opportunity to fault Klopp, just like some did with Rafa, is proof of this.
I'm playing devil's advocate in the above a little but it's the sense that I get from certain fans I know. Some of them think Klopp is doing a good job. Not necessarily as good as he's portrayed as doing. Maybe Mike feels the same.
I get that you are.
If people don't fully believe in what Klopp's doing, then they should at least to come up with a reasonable argument, as knee-jerk reactions earn very little credit.
