Liverpool FC Forum

[bigmick]

How come no one mentions Babel or Kuyt when it comes to Rafa's picks

They were Parry's mate, as was Dossena.

[Judge]

How come no one mentions Babel or Kuyt when it comes to Rafa's picks

i think its to do with saturation s@int

like when you smell an awful wiff but for a constant period of time, your nose becomes accustomed to it and you stop smelling it. same thing here

[zarababe]

This is a ploy to force him out on an issue he has been principled about - he'll leave if he don't get it his way and they know that - scums,  after what Parry did, he should be forced to leave

The drama's don't fade ay.. Torres' revelations re: Rafa's committment keep turning the heat on these sh*tbags..

[tubby]

This whole situation resembles a little boy who was bought a toy which he didnt want and now he is being a big baby and ruining the game for the others. The question is at what point will the owners decide enough is enough and sack him. To be fair would they be wrong to sack him after what he has come out with? The fact that he said he has no beef with the owners is just his way of defending himself that he never slagged of the owners. Ok Istanbul is a night that we will never forget but Rafa seems to think he is invinsible becasue he has the fans backing ect....If he had won a league that would be different but we will probably end up in 3rd place now. I seriously think he should leave now as his ego is backfiring onto the team.

[boodiddy1]

On his  team selections alone, rafa shouldn't be given a new contract. The fact we have been top of the league is more due to the fact that Scum started slowly. Chelski are in transition and yet we are still unable to pick our best eleven. Rafa workings are good for europe but will never work in the prem.

Far too many draws at home, because we lack creativity and width. We do play like a machine, we are robotic to the point where the lesser teams can stop us.

Rafa's handling of media and crisis with krusty, tom and jerry is all wrong. He got keane, babel, pennant, dossena etc and yet they are duds. Keane is a small fish in a big pond now, seen these players before. Yet, rafa sticks with under performing and less quality players like benayoun and Kuyt.

Taking torres off today was a joke. Putting carra at RB is an insult. Arbeloa was fit and sami is getting far too many games now. I thought i couldn't get any lower than stoke, but i can't believe that performance tonight.

Without Stevie i season on end, i honestly think we would of been mid-table.

[Madmax]

Personally even though considering our situation at the moment with the league i still feel the contract scenario should be arranged at the end of the season. IF we still are in the hunt towards the last few games and have mounted a good challenge then stick with rafa. IF we fall down the table and yet again try to challenge for 3rd/4th i feel we need a change as it will be obvious rafa is not the man to lead us.

[Emerald Red]

On his  team selections alone, rafa shouldn't be given a new contract. The fact we have been top of the league is more due to the fact that Scum started slowly. Chelski are in transition and yet we are still unable to pick our best eleven. Rafa workings are good for europe but will never work in the prem.

Far too many draws at home, because we lack creativity and width. We do play like a machine, we are robotic to the point where the lesser teams can stop us.

Rafa's handling of media and crisis with krusty, tom and jerry is all wrong. He got keane, babel, pennant, dossena etc and yet they are duds. Keane is a small fish in a big pond now, seen these players before. Yet, rafa sticks with under performing and less quality players like benayoun and Kuyt.

Taking torres off today was a joke. Putting carra at RB is an insult. Arbeloa was fit and sami is getting far too many games now. I thought i couldn't get any lower than stoke, but i can't believe that performance tonight.

Without Stevie i season on end, i honestly think we would of been mid-table.

All of the above is complete bollox, and I'm not even going to bother telling you why.

[Ciggy]

Reports in Spain today claim that the club's American owners have told the agent that represents Rafa Benitez that they will not negotiate the contract terms that they have offered to him.

It is claimed that the Liverpool manager is now preparing to quit Anfield after rejecting the contract that was recently offered to him and that his agent is now looking at an exit plan, should a new contract not be agreed by the summer.

If you believe the source that has leaked this information, all talks have been cancelled with no plans to re-open negotiations. The same sources also claims that the manager feels there are people in the club that are trying to force him out.

Since the news broke that the Benitez had rejected his contract offer, key players are said to have made it known 'in-house' that they support their manager. It is reported that Steven Gerrard is one of those players and that he has backed-up his manager for the public attack on Mr. Ferguson and the criticism of possibly losing Daniel Agger because of the time it is taking to sort out the player's contract.

Although the reports are fairly speculative we would advise against dimissing them, even though at this time we feel Rafa won't be going anywhere.

It's always good to hear what a more familiar face has to say. Step forward Guillem Balague. A highly respected journalist and close friend of the Liverpool manager.

Balague wrote a piece for a Spanish publication today and touched on the same subject. He talks about Samuel Martin's exclusive interview with the Liverpool striker that was published earlier this week and makes reference to something that was 'off-the-record' where it is suggested that Daniel Agger, Javier Mascherano, Pepe Reina, Dirk Kuyt, Alvaro Arbeloa and Torres himself will all follow Benitez out of the door if he was to leave.

Fernando Torres is quoted as saying: "Si él se va, se irán seis más del club" which translated into English is: "If he goes then six more will follow behind him." Again Balague makes reference to this and basically ties it all in together.

Like ourselves, Balague suggests fans remain calm but attentive.

See also Guillem Balague: http://www.guillembalague.com/blog_de....&id=198

[Effes]

Fukksake

[Madmax]

Just out of curiousity. If rafa does go which players are likely to follow?? ... if any..I think pepe will

[account deleted by request]

post from Dave Usher at TLW

Guillem Balague has printed an article in AS today which presents a new twist on the whole Rafa contract business. It’s worth highlighting because it’s sure to become a recurring theme over the next few months as the propaganda machine kicks into gear.

Quoting Martin Samuel’s interview with Fernando Torres last Saturday and Samuel’s column in the Mail yesterday, he suggests six key players will leave Anfield if Benitez goes. Balague claims this is an open secret at Anfield.

He goes further and suggests the players are Agger, Mascherano, Arbeloa, Kuyt, Reina and Torres. I’ve no idea what Arbeloa and Mascherano think about it, but I’ve been told categorically there’s absolutely no truth Reina, Agger, Kuyt and, most importantly, Torres feel so strongly about the manager’s future that they’d quit the club in protest if he leaves. Maybe Reina would use it as an excuse to return to Spain because his wife hasn't ever really completely settled here, but the claim he'd walk out just because of Rafa simply isn't true.

I ’m told in the midst of all the claims about Agger and Kuyt waiting to sign their deals, it was put to them by the rest of the team if it was true they were waiting for the manager’s future to be resolved. Both said no.

In fact, Agger’s relationship with Benitez is known to have been strictly ‘professional’ since the start of the season when he was left out for Skrtel.
As for Torres, Guillem omits a key quote from Saturday’s Daily Mail. Here’s what was actually said by Nando.

"Now I feel Liverpool is my English club, the way Atletico is my Spanish club. I would not like to play for another English or Spanish club. This feeling is very important to me. Rafa has been a very important manager for me and for many other players, too. He has brought a lot of players here and put his confidence in them."

“If he goes there could be five or six players looking at their future. But I'd like to stay here, and in that way maybe it does not matter if Rafa is here."

Aside from him denying his future is linked to Rafa’s, if he doesn’t want to play anywhere else in England or Spain at the moment, where is Torres going to go? And who could afford him?

This begs the question, who are the five or six players who are considering their future? Not Torres, not Agger, not Kuyt, not Carragher, certainly not Alonso, not Gerrard, not Reina, absolutely not Keane, and not ultra-professional Hyypia.

Of the team that started against Everton, that leaves Skrtel, Aurelio and Riera. The idea that Skrtel would quit the club just because the manager goes is far fetched in the extreme. Perhaps N’Gog, Lucas, Cavelieri and El Zhar will consider their futures if Rafa goes too, or more likely have their futures considered for them. Can the club survive such an exodus?

Balague also claims Benitez has the full support of Steven Gerrard for his recent statements. It’s certainly true he’s been desperate to convince Stevie to get behind him, but the word from Melwood is Gerrard doesn’t want to get involved and just wants the focus 100 per cent on winning the title.

We had all this kind of talk when Mourinho left Chelsea, but how many of his players left when he did?

This kind of thing does my head in, as no doubt a lot of people will believe it.

If the players feel so strongly, how come not one has come out and got involved in all of this to pledge their backing to him.

Why did Torres specifically say that his future is not linked to Rafa's when he could have either refused to comment on it or he could have said he'd have to consider his future if Rafa went?

The players play for Liverpool Football Club, not Rafa Benitez FC. I'm sick of all this spin, and political games and use of the media.

[metalhead]

Good article s@int, thanks!

[Ciggy]

Saint Dave Usher isnt to fond of Rafa, on the question of a mass exodus when Mourhino left there wasnt one simply because they where all different nationalities, but with the spine of our team being mostly spanish I reckon they would head off back home if rafa left.

However I could be wrong.

[Sabre]

Balague wrote a piece for a Spanish publication today and touched on the same subject. He talks about Samuel Martin's exclusive interview with the Liverpool striker that was published earlier this week and makes reference to something that was 'off-the-record' where it is suggested that Daniel Agger, Javier Mascherano, Pepe Reina, Dirk Kuyt, Alvaro Arbeloa and Torres himself will all follow Benitez out of the door if he was to leave

To be more accurate, what Balague wrote in Spanish is that Torres said "secretly" to Samuel that if Rafa goes, 6 will follow.

The list however, was not told by Torres "off the record", but was a "known secret". In Spanish the former would imply Torres told this list the journo, the latter would mean it is a strong rumour in the street, but not told by Torres.

Reina would be succesful anywhere, but where can the others go better than Liverpool?

Torres won't go to the archenemy in Madrid and in Barcelona there's a trio and they don't have the money for Torres. I can't see Torres in an english archrival club neither.

I strongly doubt Arbeloa would be tempted to leave Liverpool unless he sees the new manager doesn't count on him.

I think Balague is trying to alarm a bit the fans, I don't know how to explain you, it's that when you read a lot of spanish papers and you know the language tricks they do, you can tell what the journo is doing.

Somehow, I don't think there's truth on that article. I hope the manager stays, and I hope the fans don't have to be alarmed by this, but focus supporting the team. The sooner it's everything fixed, the better.

[Zidane]

Tired of this already Rafa has a lot of baggage when he's manager, uses the press too much in ways that aren't to my liking.