Liverpool FC Forum

[GYBS]

Thats good to hear DAV and Conn - its what needs to be done now - the guy needs backed by everyone and no talking about replacing him or talking about new managers etc - yeah im pretty sure he will still get critized for doing certain things but we gottq start getting behind our players and manager

[Lando_Griffin]

Excellent news for me. Continuity rather than yet another rebuilding process is what I want. We've progressed again this season with virtually no new transfers of merit, and with our two best players having time on the side-lines. It could have been far better and Rafa has frustrated at times especially with his public fights. I do believe that his intentions have always been towards making Liverpool a better club. He has fought for the control he feels he needs to take us to the next level - I hope he can now deliver on that. It is a big ask. I think we could certainly win a title in the next couple of seasons - it will be magic if we do, but what we really want is sustainability - being title challengers year after year. Some of the recent threads have demonstrated how far we are behind our competitors in terms of club income, overall spending power, player wage spending, stadium capacity and gate income. These things have to be addressed if we are going to continue to compete at the very top level. Oh and a tweak to more aggressive, attacking, 'win at all costs' football as well please.

"No new transfers of merit", yes funny how you see us spunking £30 million away in the summer on mostly transfers as a positive . You rafalites are just fantastic, oh how I wish I could twist every fact to being a positive like you guys do.

As opposed to doing it to be negative, you mean? 

[lakes10]

Ok so we take it that Rafa has all the power now, this means no English youth player making it into the first team?

I just dont feel we can win the prem with no English players, none English players find it hard to play small games, they feel as if they should no be there (we are better than this )

This is not just based on Liverpool but all the big 4 teams, they all find it hard to play small clubs.

[GYBS]

Why does this mean no english youth players making it into the team ? did i imagine it when i say spearing come on the other day ?

[GRAHAM01]

i picked rafa to stay in the poll that was done and i stand by it

i think that this is only a good thing, now that he has signed he can concentrate on the team and only that forget all the that has been going on and move on

i hope we get some new owner who will give him something to spend in the summer and maybe we can look forward to a another great season, i say another as barring a few results this season has been good, i would have taken being in this postion at the start of the season? that does not mean i am saying 3rd is ok just that we are still in the fight and that is a great improvment on last year when we fell away at great knots

so bring on the next stage of the rafalution   

[lakes10]

Why does this mean no english youth players making it into the team ? did i imagine it when i say spearing come on the other day ?

our youth set up is full of none English players since Rafa took over, English youth players dont come to our club anymore as they know they will not get the chance to make it in the Prem with us.

[GYBS]

Im sorry but that is a pile of bo llocks - what is hobbs ,martin,hammill,anderson,spearing,darby,ecclestone etc etc - yes you dont like him but lets not start making up stuff . Yes he has brought in a lot of young foriegn lads but thats because they look to have talent and not one english lad he has released has gone on to prove him wrong .

[tubby]

Whatever the final postioon Saint our performance in the league has been better than any previous years under him.

In what way, is it in terms of being able to draw games at home? Or perhaps it's in the way he managed to manoeuvre himself into the position of only having one striker, progress indeed.

Anyway I don't want to sh1t on the happy clappy rafalite parade so I'll bow out of this thread.

No mate, he means in the way we managed to do the double over Man U and Chelsea. He means the thrashing of Real, and finishing top of our CL group. He means spanking the Mancs at their gaff.

Absolutely fantastic news, and I am relieved that this saga has finally come to the end I was hoping for.

GET IN THERE, YOU F*CKING BEAUTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

       

Yes that is exactly what I mean. 

[heimdall]

Excellent news for me. Continuity rather than yet another rebuilding process is what I want. We've progressed again this season with virtually no new transfers of merit, and with our two best players having time on the side-lines. It could have been far better and Rafa has frustrated at times especially with his public fights. I do believe that his intentions have always been towards making Liverpool a better club. He has fought for the control he feels he needs to take us to the next level - I hope he can now deliver on that. It is a big ask. I think we could certainly win a title in the next couple of seasons - it will be magic if we do, but what we really want is sustainability - being title challengers year after year. Some of the recent threads have demonstrated how far we are behind our competitors in terms of club income, overall spending power, player wage spending, stadium capacity and gate income. These things have to be addressed if we are going to continue to compete at the very top level. Oh and a tweak to more aggressive, attacking, 'win at all costs' football as well please.

"No new transfers of merit", yes funny how you see us spunking £30 million away in the summer on mostly transfers as a positive . You rafalites are just fantastic, oh how I wish I could twist every fact to being a positive like you guys do.

As opposed to doing it to be negative, you mean? 

That's not fair Lando, I give credit where's it due, always have always will. For example I was full of praise for Rafa and the lads after the last 2 wins as they were virtually flawless.

[GYBS]

Alan Hansen's column 


   By Alan Hansen
BBC Sport football expert 


It's not been a bad week for Liverpool. Beating Real Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League, the 4-1 victory over Manchester United in the Premier League at Old Trafford and now Rafael Benitez has signed a long-term contract.

It was badly needed and provides some stability. All that is needed now is for the co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to come to an agreement and move forward.

A new stadium is also a priority as far as everyone is concerned. There is no way you can compete with Manchester United when they are getting home gates of 76,000 and you can only fit in 44,000 in Anfield.

The club are going in the right direction - the results against Real and United prove that - but Benitez needs another pot of money in the summer to buy the players to make Liverpool all powerful again. 
Liverpool were "awesome" in beating Real Madrid, says Hansen

The owners, as well as the chief executive and chairman, have to give the manager the money and then he must decide who he wants to buy.

Nobody else can decide the transfer policy. The board can say how much money he can have, whether it's £5m, £10m or £20m, but what happens with that money is the priority of the manager - and nobody else.

I suppose that is what Rafa fought for and he has obviously won the battle - and rightly so. A manager has to be single-minded.

The only way you can survive in football is by backing your own judgment. If you are backing someone else's, it's a recipe for disaster.

This year the priority was to get close to Manchester United. At times we thought Liverpool might win the Premier League, but United are still in pole position.

Liverpool need to have more strength in depth and that is why Manchester United are so powerful. United have got virtually two teams and have so many players that come in and do more than just a job when Sir Alex Ferguson is rotating his team.  606: DEBATE
Five more years of the genius of Rafael Benitez

livershrew

That's where Liverpool have fallen down and particularly when they haven't had Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard in the side.

Against the smaller teams at Anfield, when they have rotated, the players haven't been good enough to turn them over. The only way to rectify that is to buy better players and to do that you need to spend money.

The club is massive, with a tremendous tradition and tremendous history.

The biggest thing is that they are getting closer and when they put their best team on the pitch they can compete and they have proved that this season. They are the team to beat in the Champions League.

Alan Hansen was talking to BBC Radio 5 Live.

[tubby]

Yeah that is key in the summer. No second rate signings. We need top quality players who can make that difference especially if we lose Torres and Gerrard to injury.

[GYBS]

BENITEZ TO TURN ATTENTION TO PLAYERS

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez's new five-year contract is likely to spark a rush of new deals for several of the club's top stars.

The Spaniard ended months of bitter wrangling over his future by signing a new contract on Wednesday night that will keep him at Anfield until 2014.

But, while Benitez has been in protracted negotiations with co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, many of his top stars have put their own futures on hold.

Dutch forward Dirk Kuyt admits he was advised to wait until Benitez's own deal had been concluded before opening negotiations over his new deal.

And Danish defender Daniel Agger's new contract seemed to have stalled some weeks ago.

There could also be likely new deals for striker Fernando Torres, skipper Steven Gerrard and goalkeeper Jose Reina.

The stability Benitez's own deal will bring to Anfield should also trigger similar commitments from several players, some of whom had privately intimated they would consider their futures if the Spaniard left.

Benitez now has control over the club's transfer budget - one of the concessions he insisted on in his new deal - and that should allow him to secure the long-term futures of several star names.

And he will almost certainly now make another bid this summer to bring Aston Villa's Gareth Barry to Liverpool, having failed to sign the England midfielder last summer after weeks of acrimony with Villa chief Martin O'Neill.

Benitez will now be able to plan Liverpool's future in the long term, and said after signing the new deal: "My heart is with Liverpool, so I'm delighted to sign this new deal.

"I love the club, the fans and the city and, with a club like this and supporters like this, I could never say no to staying.

"I always made clear I wanted to be here for a long time and, when I complete my new contract, it will mean I have spent over a decade in Liverpool.

"The club is greatly respected around the world due to its incredible history and tremendous heritage.

"It is my aim to uphold those values and help create a new chapter in our history. Throughout this process, I would like to thank the owners for their hard work in finalising the deal.

"All of us at the club want the same thing, which is to be successful by winning major trophies."

The completion of contract talks with Benitez is the third major boost for Liverpool fans in recent days, coming after wins against Real Madrid in the Champions League and Manchester United in the Premier League.

The 4-1 win at Old Trafford saw Benitez achieve 100 league wins in the third fastest period of time for a Liverpool manager, surpassing Bill Shankly.

Rafael Benitez Factfile

1960: Born Madrid, April 4.

1974: Joins Real Madrid as youngster, making slow progress through the ranks.

1981: Leaves Real Madrid without ever playing for the first team and joins Third Division Parla.

1983: Part of the Parla side which gains promotion to the Spanish Segunda B.

1985: Joins Segunda B side Linares. Spends almost the entire season injured and retires as a player in 1986.

1986: Appointed to Real Madrid's coaching staff, starting off with their juniors and working up through to the under-19s.

1994: Leads Real Madrid's B team to seventh in Spain's Second Division and ends the season as assistant to first-team coach Vicente del Bosque.

1995: Appointed coach of Valladolid but sacked after 23 games with the team bottom of the Primera Liga table.

1996: Takes over at Osasuna in Second Division, but lasts just nine games after recording one win.

1997: Joins Second Division outfit Extremadura and leads them to promotion, finishing second in the table with 23 wins in 42 games.

1999: Extremadura relegated from top flight after a play-off defeat to Villarreal, earlier finishing the season 17th.

1999-2000: Quits Extremadura to take a year's sabbatical to study coaching in Italy and England.

2000: Appointed boss of Second Division Tenerife and leads them promotion.

2001: Named as surprise choice to replace Hector Cuper at Valencia. Decision questioned by the fans but he leads Valencia to their first Primera Liga title in 31 years in first campaign in charge.

2003: Valencia fade away to finish fifth in the table, although they do reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

2004: Benitez leads Valencia to their first ever double, lifting both the Primera Liga and the UEFA Cup.

June 1 - Valencia announce that Benitez and club have agreed to part by mutual consent.

June 16 - Benitez confirmed as Liverpool manager on five-year contract.

2005: May - Wins Champions League in his first season as Liverpool come from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan on penalties in Istanbul.

2007: February - American duo Tom Hicks and George Gillett buy the club from David Moores vowing to bring the Premier League title to Anfield.

May - Benitez's side reach the Champions League final for the second time in three seasons but lose to AC Milan in Athens.

2008: Relations between Benitez and the Anfield hierarchy sour suddenly with doubts over the Spaniard's long-term future, largely due to differences of opinion over transfer policy.

2009: March 18 - Benitez signs a new contract after months of uncertainty, keeping him at Anfield until 2014.

[heimdall]

He has blown the prem ?!? maybe some of the players should also take some blame as well and not just Rafa ?!?

Still over the moon about a new contract

It is never Rafa's fault though is it GYBS? There is always someone else to blame. You ought to contact Rafa and offer to do propaganda.......err PR for him, ah but hang on he's already got Ballague doing that job and sticking to the Liverpool way of washing all dirty linen in public, or do I have that the wrong way around?

I agree with you that the players have let us down in a lot of games but I also think Rafa has let us down by making weird subs sending the lads onto the pitch with negative tactics etc etc. Also who is in charge of the players performing, was that Parry then?

[GYBS]

Read my post Heimdall and you will see that i said that the players should also take some of the blame AS WELL AS rafa .

[Owzat]

[img]
You can sign yours now Dirk

Dirk - 'Ok yes gaffer'. 

I know people slag of Kuyt but he has scored some big goals this season for us.

3rd top scorer in the league for us, one of only three to have played in every Premiership game (Reina and Carra the other two, both of them starting every game)

And he's not doing too badly in our all time Premiership topscorers list, not that it makes great reading

01. 128 R.Fowler (266 apps, 0.481 goals/app)
02. 118 M.Owen (216 apps, 0.546 goals/app)
03. 65 S.Gerrard (327 apps, 0.199 goals/app)
04. 45 I.Rush (130 apps, 0.346 goals/app)
05. 42 S.McManaman (240 apps, 0.175 goals/app)
06. 39 E.Heskey (150 apps, 0.260 goals/app)
07. 33 F.Torres (49 apps, 0.673 goals/app)
08. 30 J.Redknapp (231 apps, 0.130 goals/app)
09. 28 P.Berger (148 apps, 0.189 goals/app)
10. 26 S.Collymore (61 apps, 0.426 goals/app)
11. 25 D.Murphy (160 apps, 0.156 goals/app)
12= 22 P.Crouch (85 apps, 0.259 goals/app)
12= 22 D.Kuyt (95 apps, 0.232 goals/app)
12= 22 J.Barnes (164 apps, 0.134 goals/app)
12= 22 S.Hyypia (316 apps, 0.070 goals/app)
16. 21 J.A.Riise (234 apps, 0.090 goals/app)
17. 19 M.Baros (66 apps, 0.288 goals/app)
18. 18 J.S.Luis Garcia (77 apps, 0.234 goals/app)
19= 14 P.Ince (65 apps, 0.215 goals/app)
19= 14 X.Alonso (136 apps, 0.103 goals/app)

You'll not be shocked to hear our current three longest serving players have most Premiership appearances.

01. 389 J.Carragher
02. 327 S.Gerrard
03. 316 S.Hyypia

Fowler is in 4th on 266, McManaman in 5th (both lists coincidentally) and James is the only one not in the top scorers list with 200+ Premiership appearances.

I'll maybe save the season by season topscorers stats for a quiz