Liverpool FC Forum

[Roger Red Hat]

and whats wrong with Sammy Lee then? it could be a lot worse.

[GYBS]

lumbered with sammy lee ? ! You will have to explain that , the guy is a legend for ours and whenever he has been involved in the coaching staff or management team we have been successful .

[justyna]

awful!that's the last thing we need before everton clash:(

[JC_81]

Once again the all-round naivity, and the propensity for knee-jerk reactions is frightening on this forum.  Of course Benitez was going to reject the contract, at least initially, why the surprise?  It's been pretty common knowledge for a while that he wants more control over transfers, and there has been no better time to try and make it happen than now.  With his current contract having 18 months left (around about the time when managers normally start negotiating new ones) and Liverpool top of the league, Benitez has never been in a stronger position to negotiate a contract (perhaps except during the immediate aftermath of Istanbul). 

Benitez and Parry blatantly clash over transfers and I think fans, Benitez and strangely Hicks alike recognise that Parry has been a big problem for Liverpool in recent years, mainly in terms of negotiating transfers, but also in terms of the commercial side of things.  Therefore is anyone surprised that Benitez wants to try and cut Parry out of transfer dealings before he signs a new deal?  As Benitez eluded to (although didn't say in so many words), it's the manager who will fall on the sword created by Parry's all round incompetence.

Will Benitez get his way?  I doubt it personally, but fair play for trying.  Most likely I can see a compromise being reached.  On another note it was reassuring to see Hicks come out and support Benitez so quickly today.  Clearly Hicks is a wan.ker, but if he'd not done that then the press would have been all over Benitez for rejecting the contract, piling yet more pressure on him in the build up to the derby.  He actually did us a big favour.  I was half expecting him to come on air and declare WW3 on Benitez and have us back to square one in terms of a power struggle, so I was pleasantly surprised. 

(Disclaimer:  I am still of the opinion that Hicks along with his partner are complete crooks that we need shot of ASAP)

[mighty mo]

i am not worried.. rafa always likes to play the press and uses them to his own needs he did this with valencia ...... this will be sorted......notice just an hour after the echo broke the story..tom hicks was on sky pleading his case from the interview he gave this will be rectified..... ...... H&G know the fans are 110% behind rafa and the yanks will have to cave in to his demands....... this will be done by the end of the season.....

[akumaface]

I think Rafa would get it more right than Parry in transfer talk for sure. So, let Rafa do his job and I think an agreement will be reach between them. Just set out some constrain and let Rafa have complete control if the transfer fees is under certain amount etc. I think Parry doesn't want to give this up as this is surely a power struggle. Anyway, kind of fed up with all these negative news. I had enough of these suffering and please spare me god

[Madmax]

Rafa will sign the contract yanks wont have any other option but to oblige i hope.

[murphy0151]

awful!that's the last thing we need before everton clash:(

Or is it? ?

I think its a ploy to get the papers talking about this instead of the usual garbage they print about us.  I maybe mistaken bvut thats my take on events.  Its perect timing espeically after Man utd winning there games, and if they win at te weekend they will be above us.  On sunday the papers would of been full of shhhite about Benitez'z comments last week, putting alot of pressure on the team monday. where as now i think it will be more about this story.   

Well done boys.

[jono]

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has told Sky Sports News that he is confident manager Rafa Benitez will remain at Anfield for the long term.

The Reds boss has been in negotiations with the Premier League leaders, who he joined in 2004, for a number of months regarding a new five-year deal.

But the Spaniard revealed on Friday that he had turned down a contract offer because he was not satisfied with the amount of control he would be handed regarding transfer activity and the club's academy.

Hicks, though, remains positive that it will be possible to iron out any problems with Benitez and expects the former Valencia boss to stay on Merseyside.

"As Rafa says we have a strong relationship," said Hicks. "We understand Rafa's frustrations and we are committed to working with him.
Solution

"We will keep talking and find a solution."

Hicks insists he and co-owner George Gillett, who suffered a much-publicised bust-up with Benitez last season over the club's recruitment policy, understand their manager's decision to reject the deal.

However, the American businessman is adamant problems will be resolved and he expects to reach agreement in a meeting with Benitez when in England to watch Liverpool's home clash with Chelsea on 1st February.

"We are coming over for the Chelsea match and we had already planned to get together on 30th and 31st (January). We will clear up anything we need to," added Hicks.

"Rafa has been frustrated for a long time about the length of time it takes to make things happen and I think he is just trying to put himself in a better position to do his job. We can fix that and we will.

Comfortable

"I am absolutely comfortable that Rafa loves it at Liverpool, wants to be the manager and will be the manager.

"I will be working with Rafa to get this resolved - and I am just not worried about it at all.

"Rafa is going to be coach of Liverpool for the next five years, and we will work through all this.

"There are no issues between Rafa and the owners in any way. They are issues he wants to work out to make things better for the club."

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_4802158,00.html

[Roger Red Hat]

get the fk in there Rafa - you da man!

[Kash_Mountain]

I think Rafa will stay.  The clowns will get their act sorted soon, they have to.

[justyna]

I'm just not sure if Rafa's got enough time and strength to take care of all of these things!

[sgs]

sorry heimdall...

so why do you think the Barry thing didn't happen? is it because Parry said in a statement that he doesn't value Barry? so isn't he judging a player there? its not his job.

He was given funds yes, and we missed over 2 or 3 quality players over there because of Parry's stupidity and our slow movement in the transfer market. Vidic, Alves? ring any bells? now Barry?

This thing about Barry is an interesting one. I don't think it's quite as simple as Parry being a clown if you really look at it.

Firstly, had we signed Barry we would almost certainly have sold Xabi Alonso. Rafa was actively hawking Alonso around the major clubs of Europe trying to flog him off so we could get Barry in. Now hindsight has shown us (and some posters on here told us) that this would have been a huge mistake. I'm not saying for a moment that Parry put the block on the deal so therefore deserves the credit for Alonso staying, but neither does the manager either.

Secondly, and this is the reason you have a board and a CEO, it was legitimate given the fact that Rafa knew this was a make or break season for him personally, to scrutinise all prospective transfers. It was only natural that Rafa was going to spend big on "proven" Premiership quality, as he knew as well as we all did that no title challenge this season would have been curtains for him. Given that though, I think it's reasonable for the CEO to wiegh up the long term benefits of signing players in their late twenties for hugely inflated salaries and wages. It may well have fit in with Rafa's agenda to spend 40 million quid on two 28 year olds, but all things considered it's possible that it may not have been in the best interests of the club in the longer term.

History has told us of course that we actually blocked the wrong transfer (always assuming that Rafa would actually have put Barry in the team having bought him), but that's another story.

What makes you think it would've been a mistake to sell Alonso? Have you considered that we might have played a different way with Barry instead of Alonso?

[sgs]

Not all of Rafa's signings were a success, but would you rather have Parry and 2 Americans to decide who we buy and sell or Rafa?

Bloody hell , this is not the issue. I am fairly certain that the new contract does not say that Rafa will have less say on transfers rather he is being arrogant and insisting on more control than any other manager in the Premiership.

I assume you are on the board at all the Premier LEague clubs with this info ?

Well ok obviously not the crappy ones like Stoke but....... 

in all seriousness I think you'll find that all managers are accountable to the CEO and owners, what Rafa is asking for is insane and not good for the club.

Dude, the CEO's control is and should be thru the constraint of the budget and not player-based decisions...

[Bad Bob]

What makes you think it would've been a mistake to sell Alonso?

Err, his form this season?