Liverpool FC Forum

[lakes10]

Seems ironic that Parry is saying we must challenge for the title while Rafa is playing down our chances. Backroom and Manager in perfect harmony as usual



Rafa Benitez plays down talk of Liverpool winning the Premier League
May 26 2008


Rafa Benitez

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has played down his side’s chances of winning the Premier League next season, describing the title as “an option”.

The Reds finished fourth in the season just ended, 11 points behind champions Manchester United.

Their last league title came back in 1990 but Benitez did not sound overly confident of ending that depressing streak in 2008/2009.

“It is an option, for sure,” he told the club’s website, www.liverpoolfc.tv.

“We know our weaknesses and our strengths. We know where we need to improve, so we’ll try to build a new team looking at these things.

“It’s more difficult than in Spain because the top sides spend big, big money. We will try to do our best and the key for me is to not talk about the title.

“The key is to be near the top, to be contenders. If we stay close then I think we are capable of doing it.

“It’s more difficult because after two years of Chelsea winning the league and spending big money, United needed to do the same.

“They started spending big money and Arsenal were also spending big money on young players. We are trying to do the same but because they (Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal) are continuing to spend big money, it makes it more difficult to catch up.

“You also see Aston Villa, Newcastle, West Ham and Everton spending money and having strong teams. It’s not easy to be in the top four and be contenders but because we have a young squad we can try again.”

our strengths are our team and weaknesses is our manager.


for him to come out and say something like that is a joke.

al he is thinking is of the CL.

if he dont think we can win it next year then maby it is time to look for a manager that thinks he can.
we were 11 points off this year, look at our results, we could have made up for them if we had not rested some players for big games and ended up 1-1

[redsince2001]

http://www.mohunbaganclub.com/

i know its got nothin to do wid liverpool ... but my local club's got a friendly against bayern tomorrow and it olivar kahn's last match officially ... we'll get drubbed but its not often you get to see BAYERN MUNICH IN CALCUTTA !!

sorry for bein off topic and all .......... but i',m a football fan
and m a bit excited ....

[Emerald Red]

Seems ironic that Parry is saying we must challenge for the title while Rafa is playing down our chances. Backroom and Manager in perfect harmony as usual



Rafa Benitez plays down talk of Liverpool winning the Premier League
May 26 2008


Rafa Benitez

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has played down his side’s chances of winning the Premier League next season, describing the title as “an option”.

The Reds finished fourth in the season just ended, 11 points behind champions Manchester United.

Their last league title came back in 1990 but Benitez did not sound overly confident of ending that depressing streak in 2008/2009.

“It is an option, for sure,” he told the club’s website, www.liverpoolfc.tv.

“We know our weaknesses and our strengths. We know where we need to improve, so we’ll try to build a new team looking at these things.

“It’s more difficult than in Spain because the top sides spend big, big money. We will try to do our best and the key for me is to not talk about the title.

“The key is to be near the top, to be contenders. If we stay close then I think we are capable of doing it.

“It’s more difficult because after two years of Chelsea winning the league and spending big money, United needed to do the same.

“They started spending big money and Arsenal were also spending big money on young players. We are trying to do the same but because they (Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal) are continuing to spend big money, it makes it more difficult to catch up.

“You also see Aston Villa, Newcastle, West Ham and Everton spending money and having strong teams. It’s not easy to be in the top four and be contenders but because we have a young squad we can try again.”

our strengths are our team and weaknesses is our manager.


for him to come out and say something like that is a joke.

al he is thinking is of the CL.

if he dont think we can win it next year then maby it is time to look for a manager that thinks he can.
we were 11 points off this year, look at our results, we could have made up for them if we had not rested some players for big games and ended up 1-1

Oh, here we go again with another "Rafa doesn't care about the league" rant.

Bollox!


"If I bring title to Anfield it will be my greatest achievement" - Rafael Benitez.

[hello_red]

Champions league brings in much needed revnue that we DO need and it also attracts players we might not get normally ie Torres! Would we of got him 5 years ago???

HAHA no we would not.

And I do think that Rafa wants the league more than anything but he has to go about it carefully, if we spent 70 million without selling anyone it would criple this club. Only once the stadium is built and we have revenue from that will we see actual proper outlay of cash on players. Until then we are relying on loans/selling/swapping and that the thick of it people.

G and H need to sort this stadium out or sell up fast, as we need it desperetly.

And I do think Rafa will bring us the league but we wont consistently challenge unless our funds are sorted for long term player investment and resource.

Lecture over 

[Thinkpad]

Many good posts.. But in all seriousness Rafa need to go for something new to take over. Maybe some fresh ideas and some fresh strategies will help propel Liverpool to new heights. Humans never like change. But change is necessary. If we don't change we get left behind again.

Funny, some mentioned that Rafa will win the league with the quality from ManU and Chelsea. That is just your assumption. If he takes over any of the two, he will play players out of position, wants every one to pass less, wants every one to defend and play less on the wing instead focus in the middle. Like it or not, Rafa make strange decisions... mostly doesn't really work and stick by it until it is totally hopeless then he is convienced.

So I can't see Rafa winning it with MAnU's or Chelsea's players. I can see loads of quality and creative players leaving on his 2nd year at any of these club though... Call me cynical.. but he has not show me he has what it takes to develop players.

Another point, why do players come to Liverpool suddenly loses their ability to pass, dribble and head (the ball with force)? Why has our dead ball conversion got so bad? Why is our corners taking laughable?... I don't know

[lakes10]

Many good posts.. But in all seriousness Rafa need to go for something new to take over. Maybe some fresh ideas and some fresh strategies will help propel Liverpool to new heights. Humans never like change. But change is necessary. If we don't change we get left behind again.

Funny, some mentioned that Rafa will win the league with the quality from ManU and Chelsea. That is just your assumption. If he takes over any of the two, he will play players out of position, wants every one to pass less, wants every one to defend and play less on the wing instead focus in the middle. Like it or not, Rafa make strange decisions... mostly doesn't really work and stick by it until it is totally hopeless then he is convienced.

So I can't see Rafa winning it with MAnU's or Chelsea's players. I can see loads of quality and creative players leaving on his 2nd year at any of these club though... Call me cynical.. but he has not show me he has what it takes to develop players.

Another point, why do players come to Liverpool suddenly loses their ability to pass, dribble and head (the ball with force)? Why has our dead ball conversion got so bad? Why is our corners taking laughable?... I don't know

The good thing is that we now have Sammy there, i can not see him sitting back and let Rafa rest players for CL games when he knows what its like to win the title with Liverpool and what it would mean to Liverpool to win it again.......


In Sammy I trust

[Emerald Red]

Many good posts.. But in all seriousness Rafa need to go for something new to take over. Maybe some fresh ideas and some fresh strategies will help propel Liverpool to new heights. Humans never like change. But change is necessary. If we don't change we get left behind again.

Funny, some mentioned that Rafa will win the league with the quality from ManU and Chelsea. That is just your assumption. If he takes over any of the two, he will play players out of position, wants every one to pass less, wants every one to defend and play less on the wing instead focus in the middle. Like it or not, Rafa make strange decisions... mostly doesn't really work and stick by it until it is totally hopeless then he is convienced.

So I can't see Rafa winning it with MAnU's or Chelsea's players. I can see loads of quality and creative players leaving on his 2nd year at any of these club though... Call me cynical.. but he has not show me he has what it takes to develop players.

Another point, why do players come to Liverpool suddenly loses their ability to pass, dribble and head (the ball with force)? Why has our dead ball conversion got so bad? Why is our corners taking laughable?... I don't know

This post just has me lost for words.     

[Toffeehater]

Can you imagine Hicks proudly announcing the new LFC manager......IAN HOLLOWAY!!!


It's possible.

After all the QPR owner Mittal (fortune = $45 billion) appointed the great Iain Dowie as manager.

[Owzat]

Better get him out of here sharpish then.

No rush, you need to be more patient,  lets give him his last chance first, you never know DIC may come to his and our rescue yet.

Yes, let's.

Either Rafa is the right man or he isn't, even if DIC do "come to the rescue" who says Rafa is the best man to spend any money? He's ticked a few boxes on the application form but there are still plenty he hasn't................

[Effes]

Up to now we have never been a selling club, we don't sell good players.

Keegan, Souness, Rush?

Im not trying to suss you out there S@int, but we couldn't keep those players.

I cant say I strongly disagree with the posts on here.

All I can say is this, it's more than likely that we will never compete with the spending power of Chelsea or Man U unless DIC step in.

But we shouldn't let this be an excuse for Rafa.

The main failure with Rafa has been his league campaigns.
A few posters seem to think Rafa has "learnt"
certain things about his campaigns - but Im not sure he has.

If I see an identical approach as the previous seasons i.e. not playing our best striker at home to kak
like Birmingham, and dropping key players in the first half of the season but then having great form when
it's too late - then I think we need to change the manger.

[7_Kewell]

if our title 'challenge' is over by christmas then i expect some serious questions to be asked.....

[redbeergoggles]

Many good posts.. But in all seriousness Rafa need to go for something new to take over. Maybe some fresh ideas and some fresh strategies will help propel Liverpool to new heights. Humans never like change. But change is necessary. If we don't change we get left behind again.

Funny, some mentioned that Rafa will win the league with the quality from ManU and Chelsea. That is just your assumption. If he takes over any of the two, he will play players out of position, wants every one to pass less, wants every one to defend and play less on the wing instead focus in the middle. Like it or not, Rafa make strange decisions... mostly doesn't really work and stick by it until it is totally hopeless then he is convienced.

So I can't see Rafa winning it with MAnU's or Chelsea's players. I can see loads of quality and creative players leaving on his 2nd year at any of these club though... Call me cynical.. but he has not show me he has what it takes to develop players.

Another point, why do players come to Liverpool suddenly loses their ability to pass, dribble and head (the ball with force)? Why has our dead ball conversion got so bad? Why is our corners taking laughable?... I don't know

This post just has me lost for words.     

This is typical of the degenerating quality of posts ,that stifle the genuinely well thought out drafts that used to be commonplace on this forum.
No wonder Anfield is like a morgue on match days if your the grade of supporter that frequents.
Rafa is the only manager who has the capabilities to take Liverpool forward ,only the blind and worst of all inpatient cant see the mans genius.
We now have a reserve team that is the envy of every manager a team brimming with talent that would  leave even Wenger salivating.
I am not proclaiming we are going to stride to the title next season that would be foolish, but we may just edge it.
I am asking some fans  to think before they spout the banal contemptuous drivel that litters these forums, its becoming monotonous.
Think Torres Fella, and dream of next season and the glory his talented boots will surely bring .

[Bad Bob]

In Sammy I trust

I wonder if they were saying the same at Bolton 10 months back?

[Sabre]

I've read Parry's quotes and I feel rage. You hear the guy and you don't see an ounce of self criticism.

Rafa's words talking down the possibility of winning the league has put in context my hopes for the signing ups this summer.

Still, walk on, as Dalglish says. With or without Rafa, 1st second, or 6th, we must support this marvelous club.

For what is worth, I'm starting to think it's pointless we say this is our last season with Rafa or not, because I see him walking away, I read symthomps of running out of patience in his words. I hope I'm wrong.

[ruskiy playmaker]

I've read Parry's quotes and I feel rage. You hear the guy and you don't see an ounce of self criticism.

Rafa's words talking down the possibility of winning the league has put in context my hopes for the signing ups this summer.

Still, walk on, as Dalglish says. With or without Rafa, 1st second, or 6th, we must support this marvelous club.

For what is worth, I'm starting to think it's pointless we say this is our last season with Rafa or not, because I see him walking away, I read symthomps of running out of patience in his words. I hope I'm wrong.

Didn't Rafa say that the key's to not to talk about winning the league.  Maybe he's trying to make us underdogs like Arsenal were last yr.