Liverpool FC Forum

[stmichael]

Just been emailed this - apparantly it's an interview with Rafa in Marca!

Q: After winning three trophies, why did your relationship with Valencia end so badly?

RB: Somebody wants to sell the idea that my relationship with the club is bad, but I’m very grateful to Valencia and the fans. However, the person who dealt with my agent did not have much interest in my staying and now he is interested (as has happened with so many others) in making me look like the bad guy.

Q: The club has filed a suit against you for moral, sporting and financial damages for which they are claiming three million Euros. What do you think of this?

RB: It’s incredible that they could sue me when the president himself, Señor Ortí, said in an interview with this newspaper that there were no hard feelings and that no damage was done to the club either. I think it’s got to do with a strategy to get some money out of Liverpool and I don’t understand it, because Soler and Lucas both told me in their office that they had no intention of going to the law courts looking for millions. The only way I can explain it is that somebody, who wants to explain away their mistakes, is making them think that being in the law courts all the time makes them look a lot stronger in front of the fans.

Q: The club – said a spokesman – believe that that you had an agreement with Liverpool before leaving for Valencia.

RB: It’s not the club. Some employee of the club has leaked it to the press (as they did with Mista to Liverpool) and they’re using that tactic to confuse the fans.

Q: Do you think that there is a campaign to sully your reputation?

RB: This has happened to many people who have left Valencia in the last few years, there must be a reason. They change things around a lot, but some people stay at the club and this behaviour goes on, the difference now being that there’s no opposition and they can control certain parts of the media better.

Q: On the radio station Onda Cero, Valencia said that the person responsible for your not staying at Valencia was the Managing Director, Manuel Llorente. Why?

RB: He carried out the negotiations in his own way for two months and all the evidence and individual reports indicate that he was simultaneously looking at other coaches when I still had a year left on my contract. Make of that what you will.

Q: You argue that Valencia were never convinced that they wanted to renew your contract and then felt obliged to once you’d won the league and the UEFA. In what way did you notice this?

RB: Two months of negotiations, if you can call them that, is sufficient time to form a conclusion on how much interest there is and how much they value you.

Q: Coaches often have the door left open to them when they leave clubs in triumph; this doesn’t appear to be the case with you, at least as long as Manuel Lllorente is there.

RB: I think that the majority of the fans realised how events were going and actions afterwards confirm the lack of support we had. As well as that, however much some people want to, even if they don’t take photos of us, we will always be in the memory of good fans. [Can’t work this last sentence out – sorry!]

Q: This question has been asked by many people, but I would like to know your answer now that some time has passed. Why did you leave Valencia?

RB: Obviously because of the lack of support and appreciation.

Q: Why Liverpool?

RB: Of the options that were suggested this was the most attractive in terms of the working possibilities and the duration of the contract. There were other financially better options but the most interesting on a football level was this one.

Q: Your assistant at Valencia, Antonio Lopez, criticised the way you left Valencia and your assistant at Liverpool – Sammy Lee –left to coach the under 21s as soon as Benitez arrived. What do you do to your assistants?

RB: In Sammy’s case, I barely had time to get to know him when the Under 21s came calling and he wanted to try his hand as a manager. In Lopez’ case, I would rather not get into details.

Q: What has most impressed you at Liverpool?

RB: The exquisite treatment I’ve received and the recognition of what we achieved at Valencia.

Q: What objectives have the board set for you?

RB: The contract is a long-term one, they want the team to be competitve and, in about three years, able to win the Premiership.

Q: Will Liverpool play like the champion Valencia team?

RB: Systems depend a lot on players, we’ll try to make sure they’re similar, but respecting the characteristics of our players.

Q: Are you not going to take any players from Valencia with you? Why?

RB: Despite the malicious rumours that came out of the club, it’s not my intention to. I wouldn’t want the fans to think that I want to damage Valencia. Only if there was interest on on both sides would I consider it.

Q: Changing the topic: what do you think of the new Spanish coach, Luis Aragones?

RB: It seems it’ll be positive, given that we all agree that he’s a great coach and charismatic too, which will help everyone to support the team.

Q: Would you like to occupy the post some time?

RB: Any manager would like to manage his country, but I’m not considering at the moment, because I want to keep building up experience.

[Ciggy]

Love the way he said he had offers financially better but he prefered the footballing side what a guy  

[blind]

where was the interview taken from.

like his style though not a fergy or keegan just a relaxed understated man who beleives he can get the best out of the team.

[stapo1000]

the board at valencia are a shower of miserable b.astards- sueing their most succesful manager ever. Imagine liverpool sueing bill shankly.

[JBG]

Yes Stapo: also notice how Benitez claims that Valencia are starting transfer rumours (i.e. concerning Mista) to poison Benitez' reputation with the Valencia fans!

I certainly am impressed by the way Benitez conducts himself.

[stapo1000]

he still stays diplomatic towards the valencia fans

[The_Rock]

He has passed the 1st test. Diplomatic & classy interview.

[stapo1000]

with no disrespect to houllier i think i can safely say that he had neither

[zarababe]

He's a man who thinks football, and really does have the interests of the club and fans at heart .. what a guy   

[The_Rock]

with no disrespect to houllier i think i can safely say that he had neither

well i would say houllier was very diplomatic with the press. Diplomatic but no class.

ie..."we have the most number of shots at goal in the league" after being told that the team eas playing boring football.

[115-1073096938]

Look,

Stop talking ****** about Houllier. He gave his all and it didn't work out. He nearly died trying and done some superb things for us and we should remember him as the man who got us back on track.

Before he came back against Roma, no-one had a bad word to say about him so why are you all so fickle?

Benitez reminds me alot of Houllier in the early years and i think Benitez could be even better. Lets face it, if he can do a bit better than Houllier, thats a league title isn't it?

[fritzylfc]

great post on rafa just what the fans and the club need after foolier legacy stu we won the treble yes but we did not play birmingham off the park we rode our luck against the gooners uefa cup final was a great game houllier cost our great club a lot time and money.

[stapo1000]

i know houllier did lots for the club but that is cancelled out by his failings imo.  he took the club as far as he could and no further. END OF STORY

[adayinthelife]

Look,

Stop talking ****** about Houllier. He gave his all and it didn't work out. He nearly died trying and done some superb things for us and we should remember him as the man who got us back on track.

Before he came back against Roma, no-one had a bad word to say about him so why are you all so fickle?

Benitez reminds me alot of Houllier in the early years and i think Benitez could be even better. Lets face it, if he can do a bit better than Houllier, thats a league title isn't it?

Look,

Will you ever stop defending houllier and his failings?

The season we finished 2nd you seem to forget that houllier wasn't even in the dugout for half the matches.

Was that just coincidence

I think not as under thompson we were alot more positive but yet as soon as houllier returned it was the same old story.

At the end of the day he just wasn't good enough but now we have a class act in Benitez who will do better than houllier.

Hey stu you make some good points but also they seem to contradict alot of houlliers ideas who you continue to defend in spite of his sacking by the board,who you also defended by sticking with your man until they saw sense and got rid of him.

Then all of a sudden you said we are gonna be the next spurs or villa

[azriahmad]

Houllier has tried his best and has done good things for the club. no questions or doubts from me at all.

As I have said before, Houllier is a good administrator, not a good coach or manager. His work at Clairefontaine, the French academy which has produced so many world class players, is a testiment to that. His failings is in the coaching anc managing aspects - will always be the nearly man, France failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup and Liverpool's stagnation from 2002 to 2004. Tactical shortcoming, lacking in depth palying philosophy as evident in Liverpool's dire one-dimensional style. He also is very poor at handling and getting the best out of "flair" players.

Let's give the man what he is due and not get overboard. He almost died trying to get Liverpool to become the top team in England because simply the job is beyond him. However, his legacy will be seen once the academy, as upgraded by him during his tenure, produce a couple of classy players in the future.

Benithez? At least it is very evident that he is a proven winner in a tough league in Spain twice, without the spending power of Read Madrid, Barca or Deportivo.

The man is down to earth, and it seems, is very focussed. The fact that he chose Liverpool for "footballing reasons", I like him already. Give him time, and he will certainly improve Liverpool.