by ivor_the_injun » Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:15 pm
Okay, now to get serious, here are some questions...
Since the takeover, have discussions taken place among the Anfield hierachy related to Rafa Benitez being removed or replaced?
Have the club had discussions of any kind with Jurgen Klinsmann or his representatives with view to him assuming a position at the club?
When reports in the British media have surfaced relating to Rafa Benitez being removed or replaced, can you explain why you haven't come out and addressed them?
Do you agree that it's unsettling both for the manager and the fans when these reports emerge and the claims made aren't addressed or denied? Is this not a case where ignoring rumours either true or false has actually given the stories legs, and put unwanted pressure on the manager and the team?
It's seemed the case recently that Rafa, as the face of the club, has had to go into pre-match press conferences and deal with all of the press speculation alone, and given the intensity of the questioning, this has subsequently been reported in a way that has made the speculation worse. At times when troubling rumours are in the public domain, why don't you join him at these press conferences in order to alleviate the pressure and to provide an alternate voice for the press to focus their spotlight on?
Can you explain how secure or otherwise Rafa Benitez's position is, and highlight exactly what the minimum level of success is to ensure he is able to retain his position until the end of his contract?
How secure or otherwise is your own position?
What exactly is Foster Gillett's day-to-day position at the club, and how has his appointment affected your own role?
On the same point, who has authority out of the two of you, and who is the main voice relaying salient information to the club's owners?
In December, there was continued talk of a summit meeting with the owners upon their arrival following the Man U game. Why was this meeting not pulled forward in view of the problematic press the manager was getting?
Exactly how many times have the owners visited the club since taking over?
Since the recently-unveiled stadium plans were scrapped, we have made one significant first team signing in Martin Skrtel. Given the long-distance relationship the club has with its owners, can you explain:
* exactly when moves to secure the player were initiated
* exactly how much input the owners had in the transfer
* your own role in the transfer
* Foster Gillett's role in the transfer
* and finally, how long from beginning to end the deal took?
In a competitive transfer market, in recent years LFC have often been described as being too slow off the mark to make deals happen ahead of their rivals, an accusation most significantly made by the manager himself following our loss in the Champions League final. Is this being addressed, or is this a failing which will be exacerbated by the geographical distance between the club and the owners?
You've recently made comments about transfer funds being available should players be needed. If a situation arises where, say, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres both suffer career-ending injuries in the second half of the season, would our finances allow us to invest the kind of money required to secure top quality, £20m+ players to replace them?
Javier Mascherano has been an unqualified success since arriving at the club. He's been praised by his team-mates, his manager, the fans and the press. He's made very passionate pleas to have his career secured at the club, and Rafa has similiarly expressed a desire to secure him on a permanent contract. Since the transfer window opened, Sven Goran Eriksson has expressed an interest in the player, should LFC not make use of the option to sign him. When it's clear that he's a world class talent that is clearly an asset to the club, why wasn't this deal finalised as soon as the current transfer window opened, and what is stopping it from being concluded?
With plans under consideration by the club, and permission already given for a new stadium of the size required, when is the absolute latest date that the fans can expect to see their team play in their new home?