by NANNY RED » Mon May 12, 2008 9:04 pm
This was written by a lad on Rawk
BSB is the lads name.
Sorry for copying and puttin it here but this lad sums up my entire feelings on Benitez and LFC . outstanding post IMO
The season has now ended. It's time to move on, learn from the mistakes, strengthen where needed and progress. Something we've done every single season under Rafa's tenure.
When he came to the club in the summer of 2004, he joined a club in turmoil. Gerard Houllier had dropped from the heights of the 2001 treble to a serious low in the 2003/04 season. Signings like Salif Diao, Bruno Cheyrou and El Hadji Diouf taking the club backwards instead of forwards. We'd changed from a swift counter attacking side into a defensive unit that looked all at sea. We weren't good. We were horrible to watch and an accident waiting to happen. So much so, Michael Owen decided we had no chance of silverware and off he went to Real Madrid. Our side was crumbling, and some weren't prepared to stay and fight, and give the new manager a chance to turn it around.
In that first season, he exceeded our wildest expectations. Who would have thought that a manager could win The European Cup in his first season in charge, with a team consisting of the likes of Le Tallec, Biscan, Pongolle and co? He inherited Houllier's dregs and worked wonders with them. We finished 5th in the league, after throwing everything at the European assault, and Everton finished above us by default. Resting the likes of Hyypia and replacing him with free transfer stop gap Pellegrino. We didn't have the money to go out and buy big, he had to operate on a shoestring.
We went to Burnley in the FA Cup, and Benitez shuffled the pack. A mix of experienced players on the fringes of the first team, like Biscan and Traore, and a selection of the younger players within the squad. We were beaten 1-0 and Rafa faced the backlash. That game taught him a lot. Firstly, that the FA Cup is not to be taken lightly, it's not like the Spanish Cups. And secondly, that the back up players and youth players at the club just weren't good enough. He responded to that by improving the youth and reserve squads. We needed to have a better squad, and Burnley highlighted that like no other game could. He also responded to the treatment of the FA Cup by going out and winning it the year after. What better way is there to respond than that? He learnt from the mistakes at Burnley and hasn't made them again. Our reserves have just won the league and the youth side are flying. Arsene Wenger brought in some lads from abroad years ago, and is reaping the rewards now with the likes of Fabregas. It's taken him ten years to get that result, we can't expect the same from Benitez in 3 or 4 years. It takes time. He's not here purely to pick players for the first team, he's running the whole club and building the foundations to bring us long term success. He can't go out and spend £80m in one summer like United did last year, we have to do things differently. Some fans don't seem to realise how hard that is.
For years, our record against the other clubs in the infamous top 4 has been embarrassing. This season, we've lost twice to United, but in the 9 games against Arsenal and Chelsea in the league and European Cup, we've won 1, drew 7 and lost 1. We roll over at Stamford Bridge and The Emirates every year. This season, we've been to them grounds 5 times and come away with 4 draws, and a sole defeat in the league cup when we played a makeshift side at Chelsea. Of course we can improve on that. Start beating them sides in the league and we'll get closer. But we're getting there.
The main criticism I hear of the manager, is that he's too negative and changes the side around too much. Well how about these facts. Not opinions, facts:
1. We have scored 119 goals this season in all competitions, more than any other side in the league.
2. Alex Ferguson has made more changes to his side this season than Rafa Benitez.
United rested / rotated / dropped Wayne Rooney 4 times this season. They lost all of those 4 games. Can you imagine the uproar if Torres had missed 4 games and we'd lost them all? Yes, United get away with it because they have won the league. Against every other side in the league, we have taken one more point than them. We have been better than them in every other game over the course of the season. The table proves that. But it's the two games against them that seperate us from the champions. Beat them home and away, we'd have finished ahead of them. Instead, they beat us home and away and took the title. Are we really that far away? Consider we finished 37 points behind Chelsea in 2005.
United also have a far bigger squad than us, and are able to bring in a better quality of squad player than ourselves. That's the result of spending hundreds of millions over a long period. They have tired in recent months, scraping over the line. We've finished the season in style, stronger than anyone else. Proof again that the manager's policy is working. If we had better squad players to come in when needed, we wouldn't be so far behind. United replace quality with quality, as do Chelsea, one look at their benches tells you everything. If we can bring in another 2 or 3 top quality players, it'll make all the difference.
And how can somebody call us defensive with a goal scoring record like that? Then take into account Pepe Reina has kept the most clean sheets in the country yet again, for the third year in succession. That bloody zonal marking again.....
Fernando Torres has not started in 6 league games this season. 3 of those were down to injury so unavailable to the manager. In the 3 other games, we drew 0-0 away at Portsmouth where he came off the bench, drew 0-0 at home with Birmingham where he came off the bench, and came off the bench in another home game that we won, I can't remember who against. So much for him being rested at the start of the season costing us a title challenge. It's a myth.
Some people seem to want instant success. To be able to turn a 37 point deficit around with the champions and win the league, while spending a tiny fraction of what they have in the transfer market.
Last year, United won the title and finished more than 20 points infront of us. We spent a net of around £25m during the summer - they went out and spent a further £50m net - yet we're expected to overtake them, no excuses. Well sorry, it's not as easy as that, and the job Rafa has done, amid all the chaos around the club, to get us this close is a miracle. Back him with money in the summer, clear up the mess in the boardroom, and allow him to take the club another step forward, and who knows what we could achieve.
Then again, we could always sack him and bring in Martin O'Neill and John Aldridge.....
All managers make mistakes. If they never, we'd go through all 38 games winning them all. Show me a side throughout history that has ever done that? United are the champions this season, yet they've lost away at Bolton, West Ham and Man City, and been beaten at home by Man City. Everyone drops points. All managers make mistakes, the same as players, and teams will drop points along the way. To expect anything else is unrealistic.
The spine of our side has never been stronger. Our youth and reserve sides are better than they've been in years. We're closing the gap on the sides above us year after year, despite spending a fraction of what they have in the transfer market. We've won The European Cup and been to another final. We've been in 3 European Cup semi finals in the past 4 years. We've won the FA Cup and had some of the best days and nights of our lives. Thank you Rafael Benitez..!!
Spend wisely this summer. Improve our squad with quality out wide. That title could be ours.
Players and fans alike have to start to treat every league game like a European tie. If we play our part at Anfield and get behind them like we would in Europe - those draws against Wigan and Birmingham will be turned into wins. We accuse the players of not putting it all in against the lesser sides, when we're guilty of it ourselves. Change that attitude, on and off the pitch, and it'll be a huge step into winning that league title.
We have 18 league titles to our name, and for years, we've held a comfortable cushion over the rest. United are now on 17 and breathing right down our necks. It's time for us to roll up our sleeves and push on. What bigger incentive is there for next season? Players and fans. Time to rise to the challenge. Roll on August....
HE WHO BETRAYS WILL ALWAYS WALK ALONE
I STILL DON'T LIKE THINKING ABOUT IT.
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