Liverpool FC Forum

[tubby]

Unless the owners sell the club to the Arabs.

That ship has sailed.

More like sank Bav 

Posiblly but I used the word sailed as they are too big an entity to walk away from English football altogether. I think we will see DIC again but they will buy someone else.

[Zidane]

New contract at the end of the season , he hasn't earned anything , we've won nothing last season and this season could be the same . Rafa decisions baffle me at time , trust me if he was at chelsea or manure he would have been sacked long ago . He's a cracking manager but at times he's his own self destruct button . So if we challenge this season than yes give him a contract with his terms and conditions because than he would have earned it .

If he was at Chelsea or Manure he would have a better team and might have won quite a few things, I'm sure he would have scraped together a CL medal at Chelsea and that alone woulda made him a hero to those muppets.  Winning trophies isn't easy Chelsea didn't win anything last year and this year could be the same and they look like they are headed to darker times so does changing managers really have a positive effect?

Anyway, I don't know why people think Rafa is the problem.  It is obviously Parry, bring in another manager and there is a chance he and Parry get along but there is also a chance Parry says off, I run things here my way not your way.  We would just be in the same situation all over again it would just be a matter of time.  Parry thinks he has all the power in the world right now and I believe it has gotten to his head we need him out asap.

So forget about Rafa, even if you hate the man he's the smaller problem at the moment.  Everyone should be behind him, someone who has won us medals in the past and has us in 1st place, for now at least.  And not someone like Parry who has proven to be a complete fool time and time again and has given us set backs repeatedly.

[tubby]

Wasn't Parry mostly to blame for Stevie almost leaving?

Anyway I agree had Rafa been at Chelsea they would be dominating all over. I don't think Rafa would have done a Mourinho and just bought so many players but he would have bought the right players for the job. Something that he has not always been given the room to do here. Im surprised he hasn't walked out on us tbh. If it wasn't for the fans he would have off a long time ago.

[Ciggy]

Well I am fuckin sick & tired of all of it, we are here to support the club not to be dragged into contract negotiations, never a dull momment indeed.

All these massive ego's clashing and none of them pulling in the same direction everyone of them just looking out for themselves.

[Ciggy]

This is Rafa trying to get out and jump on the Man City bandwagon!!

They wanted him before they appointed Hughes and will be back in for him soon according to his mate.

[tubby]

Looks like this summer will be filled with drama. Just think last weekend everyone was so happy and now this. Just think what message it would send to the team if he went to City.

Nah I don't think he would do that, he has more respect for the fans than to do that. I wish we could offer him that sort of money but he can blame David Moores for that. I could probably imagine someone like Mourinho taking the City job though.

[bunglemark2]

Am just listening this evening to Premiership Live with Ronnie Whelan. He's saying he couldn't care less if Benitez left, his signings have been muck etc. He's getting loads of jip from listeners but lots agreeing with him. To be fair, I don't particularly like him but he does make some valid points. When your ex-players launch into the manager, should we listen ?

[Effes]

This is Rafa trying to get out and jump on the Man City bandwagon!!

They wanted him before they appointed Hughes and will be back in for him soon according to his mate.

City might have wanted Rafa - but I doubt Rafa wants to be at City.

[tubby]

I bet that City thing is just fabricated by GB and the Rafa camp as a tactic. It's already bad enough as it is that City are on the scene with the money they have. To lose Rafa to them would be an even bigger blow and im sure Hicks does not want that.

[Emerald Red]

So what the hell would be the point in having a Chief Executive officer then. Of course the manager has to answer to the CEO, that's how it works in the real world Rafa!!
If he goes due to this then good because if these reports are true then he's being a pr1ck. His transfers are very hit and miss so to give him 100% control could be a disaster!

BTW I hope this is being blown out of proportion, I want him to stay until the end of this season at least.

And you know this because you've worked as top tier manager for the likes of Barcalona and Ac Milan, right? Managers at those clubs have carte blanch over football matters, as does Ferguson at OT. A top class manager should NEVER have to listen to a chairman who knows sweet d*ck all about footballing matters ever. All they have to do is nod their heads and cough up the coin and let the man get on with what he was employed to do.

And you know this because you've worked as top tier manager for the likes of Barcalona and Ac Milan, right? 

That's b0llocks mate, I havent worked as a top tier manager but I know that at both Milan and Barcelona that the managers (or COACHES AS THEY ARE KNOWN) do not have the control over transfers.

No, but you know that they should have absolute control over the footballing matters rather than incompetent CEO's who haven't a clue. You've been supporting us long enough S@int to know Parry and co. have been f*cking us over for years when it comes to important transfer deals. You only need to look at Mourinho's case at Chelsea and the Shevshenko debacle. I know that in Spain it is mostly the fans that have the say, whereas Italian football has taken a slump due to corrupt boards. I think Rafa is right in what he wants, mate. Not bollox at all.

[Emerald Red]

When your ex-players launch into the manager, should we listen ?

No.

[Alex G.]

I don´t think Rafa wants to be at City. He loves Liverpool and wants to win the league for us before going anywhere.

[ste123lfc]

From Guillem Balague website.

Benitez contract talk is more than a game


The news that Rafa Benitez has rejected Liverpool’s latest contract offer has prompted a lot of very worried Liverpool fans to get in touch asking for my opinion on the situation.


I’m going to be honest here. When I was told by someone close to the negotiations at the beginning of the season that the issue of Rafa’s contract renewal looked bleak; at first I didn’t really believe it. I thought, back then, that this was perhaps the Benitez camp playing games: a negotiating tactic.

However, since then, there has been talk within footbal circles of other clubs following those contract developments very closely, and it became increasingly apparent that there was substance to those earlier claims. For example, it is believed that intermediaries, acting on behalf of Manchester City, approached Benitez’ representatives prior to the appointment of Mark Hughes.

You’ve all asked for my honest opinion and are maybe seeking reassurance, but I have to say that, at the moment, things are not looking great.

As I had previously reported on this website, the length of Rafa’s contract and the financial element of it was not going to be a problem. I also said that there was one final hurdle – the issue of control over football matters at the club – that was proving to be a major stumbling block.

While everyone had hoped that issue was going to be resolved, I cannot say I was surprised when the news broke yesterday that Rafa had rejected the latest offer.

As the Liverpool manager was quoted in the Liverpool Echo yesterday: "I have a lot of experience in football at different clubs and if you do not have a technical director and you are the manager you have to have control of the football decisions.


"But always within the confines of a budget which is controlled by the owners and the club. In this scenario the manager knows the amount money he has available to him and can decide how much he should spend on each player according to the needs of the team.


"The only person who can decide the value of a player to his squad is the manager because he knows what elements are needed to improve the squad."


Certain reports have taken this to mean that Rafa does not want to have to work with Rick Parry, while some have even suggested that he wants Parry removed from the scene altogether. That is completely wrong. They may not be the best of friends, but Rafa understands that there is mileage in the manager working alongside his Chief Executive: with Rafa deciding on sporting matters and transfer targets and Parry working to get the best deal from those transfers, while overseeing other financial matters within the club.

However, it is the grey area where those responsibilities overlap that is causing all of the problems. I don’t believe that Rafa is aiming to be involved in the minutiae of transfer and contract negotiations, but he would like to be given a budget within which he – and he alone –identifies the targets and prioritise accordingly, while deciding what those players are worth to him. In other words, he would like to be in a similar position to Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger. And if, in the past, he wanted to spend his budget on the likes of Vidic, Malouda, Ramsey, Anderson, Walcott or Barry: then he should have been allowed to do so.

People shopuld not read into this, however, that Rafa is particularly unhappy with his current squad. The side only needs 2-3 three players to lift it to another level, and Rafa knows that there is a wealth of young talent there with plenty of room for improvement. If Rafa is allowed to sell the players he wants to sell – something else that he would like to have control of – then that money, alongside another £10 -15 million would ensure Liverpool are competing for top honours in all competitions next season as well.


Since Eduardo Macia joined the youth set up, the names of Nabil El Zhar, Emiliano Insua, Damien Plessis, David Ngog and Krisztian Nemeth have all broken through, while the names Pacheco, Mikel, Bruna, Kelly and Ayala are all expected to become familiar ones in the future.

So the Liverpool academy is healthy, but Rafa is entitled to want a say on how the future stars of the club are developed. It’s not just about producing players, but about moulding the right kind of players: Liverpool players; players who, if Rafa is going to sign a long contract, fit in with his plans and share a philosophy. As Benitez said yesterday: "I know the academies of Ajax, Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan and Valencia and they are producing players regularly.The way the system works there means the manager has an input into development and I think this could be the way forward here and we would hope that this would help us make better use of local talent."


Yet there was something else that was quite revelaing in Rafa’s interview yesterday. He told the Echo: “My relationship with the owners is better than people think. I have regular contact with them and especially with Tom Hicks who has always been very supportive.”

Rafa's failure to mention George Gillett leads me to ask: what is George Gillett’s role in all of this? What is his position?

Notice how it was Hicks who, as we have come to expect, came out with the positive comments after Rafa had spoken. "I will be working with Rafa to get this resolved - and I am just not worried about it at all," Hicks told Sky Sport News.

So Hicks will be working with Rafa to get things resolved, but what is Gillett doing? Why is Gillett happy to be seen as the one who appears to favour the status quo at the club? As Rafa said, he has been telling them what it is that he wants and they have been talking for some time now; yet they haven’t been able to work things out, compromise, or offer Rafa what he requires.

Hicks says he isn’t worried. Are they listening, do they think nothing is wrong? If that is the case, they may find they are looking for another manager in the summer.


Should we be worried

[Number 9]

I dunno if we should be worried!
But I will say this.As much as Rafa loves LFC I think he'll walk if he does'nt get what he wants.
He's not exactly gonna be short of offers!

[Raffmaker]

I wish Rick Parry would do one!

Dont like him much, he's an accountant not a businessman. I just feel he is hindering the club.I.e; new stadium etc.

Hicks has said a few times that Parry's inability and slowness, has cost us the signings of a lot on Rafa's hit List of transfers, as this is confirmed in Rafa's demands on his new contract.

Wouldnt be suprised if he walked like he did at Valencia.

Maybe city will come in with 100m bid?