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RAFA Benitez called time on his six-year reign at Anfield with a handy £6m pay-off to send him on his way yesterday.

The Spaniard began life at the club on the ultimate high, winning the Champions League in unlikely style in his first season in charge.

However, this achievement raised expectations among the fans and ultimately Benitez was unable to meet them in subsequent years.

True, he did win the FA Cup 12 months later and reach the final of the Champions League again in 2007, but Liverpool managers are essentially judged on winning league titles – something Benitez failed to deliver.

They did come second last year and were widely tipped by many in the game to go one better this time around and end the 20-year wait for English football’s ultimate prize.

Instead Liverpool made their worst finish in 11 years by placing seventh, crashed out of the Champions League in the group stages and suffered a humiliating FA Cup exit at home to Reading.

There was also plenty of talk Benitez had lost the dressing room, all of which made yesterday’s parting of the ways somehow inevitable.

It says a lot about Liverpool’s decline the news didn’t exactly dominate the back pages, with England’s chances in South Africa a much more prominent story in the national media.

The problem the club now have after falling out of the Champions League is that they look distinctly B list as opposed to A.

Tottenham and Manchester City have both taken full advantage of their slump this season and it is difficult to see how Liverpool can overtake either in the near future, especially bearing in mind the mounting debt at Anfield.

In fact, there is a very good case for suggesting they may even become second fiddle to Everton in the future because the squad David Moyes has assembled looks a lot more impressive than the one across Stanley Park.

Take Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres out of the equation and Liverpool look distinctly ordinary.

Both have been strongly linked with summer departures, although it will be interesting to see whether Benitez’s exit will be a factor in convincing either to stick around for another year.

What would really worry me if I were a Liverpool fan are some of the names being linked with the vacant role.

The uncertainty about the ownership of the club, the huge debt and the absence of Champions League football makes it extremely unlikely they will be able to attract a proven top name.

Martin O’Neill and Roy Hodgson are two of the potential candidates but it wasn’t that long ago Liverpool may have fancied their chances of bringing in someone like Jose Mourinho.

It is just another sign of how standards have slipped and if Liverpool genuinely want to get themselves back among the big hitters, now is the time to reassess their plans to go solo in Stanley Park.

There is no doubt you need a top stadium to really compete in the Premier League and Liverpool have made no secret of their desire to move on and build a new stadium in Stanley Park.

However, they are no nearer to starting work on it and the present debt at the club makes it unlikely they will be able to afford it on their own.

Everton, who have already had a bid to move to a new stadium outside of the city rejected, have said they would be keen on a ground share but Liverpool have so far rejected the offer.

From the outside this seems like madness because there are plenty of examples on the continent of bitter rivals happily sharing the same ground and it doesn’t dilute from the natural rivalry in any way.

Why the same can’t happen here in this case just doesn’t make sense to me.

In the mid-1980s both Merseyside clubs dominated English football and literally used to take turns in winning the league.

That is a long time ago now and unless Liverpool come to their senses and do a deal with the old foe on Stanley Park, it seems unlikely the Premier League crown will be making any appearances in the city for the foreseeable future.

This column is produced by an independent writer and in no way reflects the official position of News Shopper or its parent company.

What do you think? If you're a football fan, are you surprised by Liverpool's decline? Do you think a Merseyside ground share would work? Add your comments below.

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