by L-type » Tue Jan 18, 2005 2:02 pm
yeah its here
Rafael Benitez has revealed how the legend of the late Bill Shankly is helping him in his quest to make Liverpool Football Club great again.
The current Reds' boss admits he is a dedicated disciple of Shanks and that, with the help of his wife Montse, he is learning more and more about the inspirational former Anfield manager with each passing day.
"Bill Shankly brought fresh air to Anfield. They breathed ambition, discipline and success. So now what my wife and I do is learn about him every day," says Benitez in the latest edition of Champions League magazine.
"Montse spends some of her day reading books about the history of this great club and every day, when I finally get home from Melwood, she teaches me more and more about Liverpool FC and what made it great.
"Shankly changed Liverpool's mentality into the hungry one that fuelled their desire to win. That was the basis for the Liverpool teams that later, even without him, went on to win those four European Cups.
"My challenge is to find, teach and inspire the old Liverpool FC spirit, the mentality, the philosophy of respect and the original values of football that our club made famous over generations.
"Rather than try and mimic one individual era or team, the task now is to distil all these great qualities that made Liverpool FC successful and legendary and then base the new era around them - but with some of the modern ideas and discoveries adapted into the mix."
There are many similarities between Liverpool Football Club's modern day founding father and the man entrusted with bringing back the glory days of the sixties, seventies and eighties.
One of the most striking is their passion and obsession for the game, and Benitez adds: "It is true that I think too much about football, I always have. I spend ten hours or more every day in Melwood and when I come back to my house I still think about football.
"I'm on the sofa watching a video, maybe an old one from great Anfield nights in the 1970s or a scouting video or one taken of our next opponents, then I talk to my wife about my day at Melwood and all the things that are unresolved in my head. I fight hard to find some time for my daughters, but the rest...it's football."
Shanks & Rafa - a meeting of two great football minds
What Shankly said: "Football is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass. It's terribly simple."
What Benitez says: "This is the pass-and-move thing. If we could take this concept on to the pitch every time we played then football would be simple and beautiful. Every single manager tries to achieve it, but we can hardly ever do it."
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What Shankly said: "The trouble with referees is that they know the rules but they do not know the game."
What Benitez says: "This is an old, old debate. By the time referees are finally experienced enough to understand the teams and what the players are trying to get away with, it's time for them to retire. It's a disgrace, but that's the way things work at the moment."
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What Shankly said: "Somebody said to me, 'Football's a matter of life and death to you.' I said, 'Listen, it's much more important than that."
What Benitez says: "I wouldn't be as extreme in my expression, but it does explain perfectly the passion he had for this sport. We have to place a huge value on our jobs because we have so many people whose hopes and happiness hang on what we do. It is very important to do everything as well as we possibly can, just for them."
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What Shankly said: "A lot of football success is in the mind. You must believe you are the best and then make sure you are. In my time at Liverpool we always said we had the best two teams on Merseyside, Liverpool and Liverpool reserves."
What Benitez says: "I agree that the mind is crucial not only for football, but also for your normal everyday life. If you want to reach your goals you need a great and strong mind."
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What Shankly said: "If you are first you are first. If you are second you are nothing."
What Benitez says: "People never remember the seconds. The third places always enjoy it more than the second. The third wins a bronze, but the second loses the gold medal."
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What Shankly said: "At a football club there is a holy trinity - the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don't come into it - they are only there to sign the cheque."
What Benitez says: "When he says 'come into it' then if it means obstruct, it is not beneficial. If it means bringing useful knowledge, then it is."
"I get bored quickly and like to change things — except my wife!” - Cisse
We all dream of a team of Sissoko's!! All 15 of them !!