Liverpool FC Forum

[account deleted by request]

Imo if we get £20 million + player sales, thats about as good as it gets till we get new investment/owners.

[tubby]

Saint every time I have a glimmer of hope you shoot me down!

Im just hoping out of desperation more than anything that things will turn out good. Can't really be arsed with a summer full of will he wont he for our best players.

[account deleted by request]

Saint every time I have a glimmer of hope you shoot me down!

Im just hoping out of desperation more than anything that things will turn out good. Can't really be arsed with a summer full of will he wont he for our best players.

FFSdon't read this link Bav

and if you do try to remember there are no quotes mate. 

[tubby]

Saint every time I have a glimmer of hope you shoot me down!

Im just hoping out of desperation more than anything that things will turn out good. Can't really be arsed with a summer full of will he wont he for our best players.

FFSdon't read this link Bav

and if you do try to remember there are no quotes mate. 

The Mail are as bad as the Mirror and NOTW these days.

[tubby]

Nice moves from Rafa btw.

[account deleted by request]

Nice moves from Rafa btw.

Looks like he is just about to shove something up someones backside 

[account deleted by request]

How Rafa Benitez's Liverpool FC reign went wrong
May 6 2010 By Ben Thornley

IN a time of great uncertainty at Anfield the only thing  which appears assured is that Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool reign is coming to a hasty end.
By 2006, Benitez had led Liverpool to glory in the Champions League and the FA Cup while attaining the Reds’ highest ever Premier League points total.
However, after the club’s worst league season since Gerard Houllier’s first at the club and four years without a trophy,    the Spaniard is on the brink.
So, where did it go wrong?

THE YANKS
Tom Hicks and George Gillett  arrived at Anfield in February 2007 vowing to give Benitez the finances to buy the best players in football.
That, however, proved to be just one of the many promises they failed to keep.
Benitez was on the verge of being sacked  by the December with Jurgen Klinsmann lined up as his successor  after the manager made a series of remarks about a lack of transfer funds.
Even before the credit crunch, the Americans were struggling to find the finances to back up their bold words.  Since the global recession they’d do well to get a Burton store card.
In recent transfer windows Benitez has been forced to trade at a profit after the Americans’ financial bungling.
Just as damaging, though, have been the Anfield factions and the toxic relationship between the two owners, their families, chief executives, managing directors and the manager.


THE 2007 ATHENS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
If Benitez’s victory in Istanbul ensured him legendary status at Anfield, a second Champions League final victory in 2007 would have made him untouchable.
The  brilliance of Steven Gerrard rescued Benitez’s bungling in 2005,  when the manager decided not to use his best defensive midfielder, Dietmar Hamman, to snuff out  the finest trequartista in world football, Kaka.
But even the skipper couldn’t intervene when the Spaniard once more made a hash of it against AC Milan the second time round.
With Carlo Ancelloti’s aged defence vulnerable to height and pace,  tactical genius Benitez left 6ft 7 Peter Crouch and lightening quick Craig Bellamy on the Olympic Stadium bench in favour of Dirk Kuyt, used as a lone striker.
Milan, who triumphed 2-1,  couldn’t believe their luck.
Benitez spent the summer growing a goatee beard.  Liverpool have failed to reach a cup final since. Coincidence?

THE LOSS OF PAKO AYESTERAN AND PACO HERRERA
Both men played a key role in Valencia’s two title triumphs and were highly regarded by the Liverpool boss.
Herrera provided Benitez with tactical insight while Ayesteran was regarded as among the best fitness coaches in the game.
More importantly, though, they were not afraid to tell their friend when he was wrong – and Benitez respected their opinion.
Since their departure the Anfield chief has allowed himself to be surrounded by yes men who have allowed all of his dubious tactical and transfer decisions to go unquestioned.

DIRK KUYT
The Dutchman has contributed  many vital goals, particularly in Europe, since his  signing from Feyenoord  in 2006.
Liverpool,  however, took a significant step back for his arrival when  he replaced Peter Crouch as the Reds’ first-choice striker.
Poor in the air, a miserable first touch and a lack of pace made him ill-suited to either of the striker roles.
That mattered little to Benitez, though. Kuyt’s relentless running and pressing of opponents  made him the boss’ forward of choice, destroying the dynamic of the team and reversing the progress that had been made the season before.
The 29-year-old has successfully reinvented himself as a right winger, but is all too often asked to play as a lone striker in Torres’ absence – a task he lacks the attributes to perform. It has never worked – but that hasn’t stopped Benitez.


TACTICS/ BENITEZ’S CAUTION
Benitez’s command  of English has  improved during his six years at Anfield but his grasp of what it takes to win the English Premier League has  not.
In a division that regularly  sees the champions finish with more than 90 points,  playing for a draw against a team outside of the top four isn’t an option.
Benitez threw away  his and Liverpool’s best opportunity to finally end their title  drought last season by allowing his caution to stifle the Reds.
Had Benitez’s side  turned a handful  of the dreadful draws against the likes of Hull City, Stoke City and Everton into victories, they would have been champions.

4-2-3-1
Benitez’s preferred formation since his Valencia days. It’s merits are obvious – but the dogmatic 50-year-old  often fields players unsuitable for particular  roles   within the system when key men  are unavailable,  rather than switch to  a shape that would better suit his personnel.
And do Liverpool really need two defensive midfield players against the likes of Wolves?


XABI ALONSO/ ALBERTO AQUILANI
Forcing the Basque midfielder’s exit from Liverpool was perhaps the manager’s greatest mistake – an even poorer decision than opting to sign the perennially crocked Alberto Aquilani as his replacement.
Alonso – the Reds’ player of the season in 2008/09 –  was integral to the way Liverpool played, providing Torres and Gerrard with quick possession in dangerous areas of the pitch.
There’s a reason Real Madrid paid £30m for him – he’s the best in the business at what he does.


INJURIES TO TORRES AND  GERRARD
The Anfield boss has been unfortunate in this respect, particularly during the last two seasons.
Some of the worst performances of this period, though, have been delivered with both men in the starting XI.

STRIKER LIGHT
Parting company with  Bellamy and  Crouch rank among the manager’s worst moves  in the transfer market.
Particularly given the injury record of Fernando Torres and the paucity of options last season in the Spaniard’s absence.
Entering the season with just the raw  David Ngog and awful Andriy Voronin as back-up  was criminally negligent.


2008/09 TRANSFER DEALINGS
This was Benitez’s    Houllier 2002 moment.
Summer signings Robbie Keane (£21m), Andrea Dossena (£7m) and Phillip Degen (free)  all failed to make an impact, with Keane and Dossena both failing to last more than  a season.
Degen – who has an injury record that makes  Aquiliani look indestructible   –  too would have been jettisoned if anyone would take him.
It could have been worse. Benitez nearly sold Alonso to Arsenal for £12m – a year before he fetched £30m – and bought Gareth Barry for £20m before the owners and Rick Parry  intervened.
At least they got something right.


THE APPOINTMENT OF EDUARDO MACIA
Liverpool’s chief scout and the man responsible for a series of transfer  disasters, notably  Alberto Aquilani and  Andrea Dossena.
Even if he tells you Lionel Messi is  a decent prospect, get  a second opinion.

[fergieisawhiskeynosedtw@t]

Does anybody seriously think that if your a proffesional and you are sytematically being usurped by those above you it would not throw you and put you off your job ffs . Get real . It is all starting to come out now , how are manger has been batteling not only the owners , but the MD and his media cronies and not just that he's trying to compete against 19 0ther teams in the prem .

Do you really believe that the negative tactics, strange line ups and even stranger substitutions that have been a more often than not part of the season can be excused away by blaming the owners?

cannot argue with that point! we all have pressure from above at work but some of rafa's decisions this year have been ludicrous and if I was a gambling man it was if he wanted2 get the sack  ??

Do care to cite which of these so called decisions were "ludicrous"?

your not serious are you?

if you can honestly sit there and tell me that some of the decisions Rafa has made with tactics, team selection, etc, have benefitted LFC this year then you should work as Gordon Brown's spin doctor.

 

Aquillani?, NGog as only back up for Torres, zonel marking, the list goes on mate

Personally, my heart goes out to him in one respect as I do honestly believe he loves the club and that the owners have made his job nearly untenable, however, publicly promising your best player (that's F Torres by the way) that you will 'guarantee' we will finish in the top 4 was in hindsight a big f... up.

[lakes10]

No reports of a meeting today.....that means there was one lol

see got that right    lol

[Greavesie]

zonal marking is fine mate, seriously the amount of sh!te that gets spouted off about it when we concede from a set piece is a joke but when everyone else concedes using man marking not a word gets uttered. We went almost a year not conceding from set pieces. I'm happy for us to use zonal, it worked for a pretty long time before so IMO it ain't broke.

[Sir Roger]

How Rafa Benitez's Liverpool FC reign went wrong
May 6 2010 By Ben Thornley

IN a time of great uncertainty at Anfield the only thing  which appears assured is that Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool reign is coming to a hasty end.
By 2006, Benitez had led Liverpool to glory in the Champions League and the FA Cup while attaining the Reds’ highest ever Premier League points total.
However, after the club’s worst league season since Gerard Houllier’s first at the club and four years without a trophy,    the Spaniard is on the brink.
So, where did it go wrong?

THE YANKS
Tom Hicks and George Gillett  arrived at Anfield in February 2007 vowing to give Benitez the finances to buy the best players in football.
That, however, proved to be just one of the many promises they failed to keep.
Benitez was on the verge of being sacked  by the December with Jurgen Klinsmann lined up as his successor  after the manager made a series of remarks about a lack of transfer funds.
Even before the credit crunch, the Americans were struggling to find the finances to back up their bold words.  Since the global recession they’d do well to get a Burton store card.
In recent transfer windows Benitez has been forced to trade at a profit after the Americans’ financial bungling.
Just as damaging, though, have been the Anfield factions and the toxic relationship between the two owners, their families, chief executives, managing directors and the manager.


THE 2007 ATHENS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
If Benitez’s victory in Istanbul ensured him legendary status at Anfield, a second Champions League final victory in 2007 would have made him untouchable.
The  brilliance of Steven Gerrard rescued Benitez’s bungling in 2005,  when the manager decided not to use his best defensive midfielder, Dietmar Hamman, to snuff out  the finest trequartista in world football, Kaka.
But even the skipper couldn’t intervene when the Spaniard once more made a hash of it against AC Milan the second time round.
With Carlo Ancelloti’s aged defence vulnerable to height and pace,  tactical genius Benitez left 6ft 7 Peter Crouch and lightening quick Craig Bellamy on the Olympic Stadium bench in favour of Dirk Kuyt, used as a lone striker.
Milan, who triumphed 2-1,  couldn’t believe their luck.
Benitez spent the summer growing a goatee beard.  Liverpool have failed to reach a cup final since. Coincidence?

THE LOSS OF PAKO AYESTERAN AND PACO HERRERA
Both men played a key role in Valencia’s two title triumphs and were highly regarded by the Liverpool boss.
Herrera provided Benitez with tactical insight while Ayesteran was regarded as among the best fitness coaches in the game.
More importantly, though, they were not afraid to tell their friend when he was wrong – and Benitez respected their opinion.
Since their departure the Anfield chief has allowed himself to be surrounded by yes men who have allowed all of his dubious tactical and transfer decisions to go unquestioned.

DIRK KUYT
The Dutchman has contributed  many vital goals, particularly in Europe, since his  signing from Feyenoord  in 2006.
Liverpool,  however, took a significant step back for his arrival when  he replaced Peter Crouch as the Reds’ first-choice striker.
Poor in the air, a miserable first touch and a lack of pace made him ill-suited to either of the striker roles.
That mattered little to Benitez, though. Kuyt’s relentless running and pressing of opponents  made him the boss’ forward of choice, destroying the dynamic of the team and reversing the progress that had been made the season before.
The 29-year-old has successfully reinvented himself as a right winger, but is all too often asked to play as a lone striker in Torres’ absence – a task he lacks the attributes to perform. It has never worked – but that hasn’t stopped Benitez.


TACTICS/ BENITEZ’S CAUTION
Benitez’s command  of English has  improved during his six years at Anfield but his grasp of what it takes to win the English Premier League has  not.
In a division that regularly  sees the champions finish with more than 90 points,  playing for a draw against a team outside of the top four isn’t an option.
Benitez threw away  his and Liverpool’s best opportunity to finally end their title  drought last season by allowing his caution to stifle the Reds.
Had Benitez’s side  turned a handful  of the dreadful draws against the likes of Hull City, Stoke City and Everton into victories, they would have been champions.

4-2-3-1
Benitez’s preferred formation since his Valencia days. It’s merits are obvious – but the dogmatic 50-year-old  often fields players unsuitable for particular  roles   within the system when key men  are unavailable,  rather than switch to  a shape that would better suit his personnel.
And do Liverpool really need two defensive midfield players against the likes of Wolves?


XABI ALONSO/ ALBERTO AQUILANI
Forcing the Basque midfielder’s exit from Liverpool was perhaps the manager’s greatest mistake – an even poorer decision than opting to sign the perennially crocked Alberto Aquilani as his replacement.
Alonso – the Reds’ player of the season in 2008/09 –  was integral to the way Liverpool played, providing Torres and Gerrard with quick possession in dangerous areas of the pitch.
There’s a reason Real Madrid paid £30m for him – he’s the best in the business at what he does.


INJURIES TO TORRES AND  GERRARD
The Anfield boss has been unfortunate in this respect, particularly during the last two seasons.
Some of the worst performances of this period, though, have been delivered with both men in the starting XI.

STRIKER LIGHT
Parting company with  Bellamy and  Crouch rank among the manager’s worst moves  in the transfer market.
Particularly given the injury record of Fernando Torres and the paucity of options last season in the Spaniard’s absence.
Entering the season with just the raw  David Ngog and awful Andriy Voronin as back-up  was criminally negligent.


2008/09 TRANSFER DEALINGS
This was Benitez’s    Houllier 2002 moment.
Summer signings Robbie Keane (£21m), Andrea Dossena (£7m) and Phillip Degen (free)  all failed to make an impact, with Keane and Dossena both failing to last more than  a season.
Degen – who has an injury record that makes  Aquiliani look indestructible   –  too would have been jettisoned if anyone would take him.
It could have been worse. Benitez nearly sold Alonso to Arsenal for £12m – a year before he fetched £30m – and bought Gareth Barry for £20m before the owners and Rick Parry  intervened.
At least they got something right.


THE APPOINTMENT OF EDUARDO MACIA
Liverpool’s chief scout and the man responsible for a series of transfer  disasters, notably  Alberto Aquilani and  Andrea Dossena.
Even if he tells you Lionel Messi is  a decent prospect, get  a second opinion.

What an article:
"With Carlo Ancelloti’s aged defence vulnerable to height and pace,  tactical genius Benitez left 6ft 7 Peter Crouch and lightening quick Craig Bellamy on the Olympic Stadium bench in favour of Dirk Kuyt, used as a lone striker.
Milan, who triumphed 2-1,  couldn’t believe their luck."

Oh
My
God

[Emerald Red]

Does anybody seriously think that if your a proffesional and you are sytematically being usurped by those above you it would not throw you and put you off your job ffs . Get real . It is all starting to come out now , how are manger has been batteling not only the owners , but the MD and his media cronies and not just that he's trying to compete against 19 0ther teams in the prem .

Do you really believe that the negative tactics, strange line ups and even stranger substitutions that have been a more often than not part of the season can be excused away by blaming the owners?

cannot argue with that point! we all have pressure from above at work but some of rafa's decisions this year have been ludicrous and if I was a gambling man it was if he wanted2 get the sack  ??

Do care to cite which of these so called decisions were "ludicrous"?

your not serious are you?

if you can honestly sit there and tell me that some of the decisions Rafa has made with tactics, team selection, etc, have benefitted LFC this year then you should work as Gordon Brown's spin doctor.

 

Aquillani?, NGog as only back up for Torres, zonel marking, the list goes on mate

Personally, my heart goes out to him in one respect as I do honestly believe he loves the club and that the owners have made his job nearly untenable, however, publicly promising your best player (that's F Torres by the way) that you will 'guarantee' we will finish in the top 4 was in hindsight a big f... up.

Yes, I am serious. But tell me: what's these ludicrous decisions he's made during games?

Are you seriously going to tell me that you or anyone else on this forum knows better than Benitez on how to run HIS team? See, that's the problem with people. All talk, but very little substance to back it. Why? Because they can't. Simple.

[tubby]

Of course they do Emerald. They have played football manager 2010!

[Emerald Red]

How Rafa Benitez's Liverpool FC reign went wrong
May 6 2010 By Ben Thornley

IN a time of great uncertainty at Anfield the only thing  which appears assured is that Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool reign is coming to a hasty end.
By 2006, Benitez had led Liverpool to glory in the Champions League and the FA Cup while attaining the Reds’ highest ever Premier League points total.
However, after the club’s worst league season since Gerard Houllier’s first at the club and four years without a trophy,    the Spaniard is on the brink.
So, where did it go wrong?

THE YANKS
Tom Hicks and George Gillett  arrived at Anfield in February 2007 vowing to give Benitez the finances to buy the best players in football.
That, however, proved to be just one of the many promises they failed to keep.
Benitez was on the verge of being sacked  by the December with Jurgen Klinsmann lined up as his successor  after the manager made a series of remarks about a lack of transfer funds.
Even before the credit crunch, the Americans were struggling to find the finances to back up their bold words.  Since the global recession they’d do well to get a Burton store card.
In recent transfer windows Benitez has been forced to trade at a profit after the Americans’ financial bungling.
Just as damaging, though, have been the Anfield factions and the toxic relationship between the two owners, their families, chief executives, managing directors and the manager.


THE 2007 ATHENS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
If Benitez’s victory in Istanbul ensured him legendary status at Anfield, a second Champions League final victory in 2007 would have made him untouchable.
The  brilliance of Steven Gerrard rescued Benitez’s bungling in 2005,  when the manager decided not to use his best defensive midfielder, Dietmar Hamman, to snuff out  the finest trequartista in world football, Kaka.
But even the skipper couldn’t intervene when the Spaniard once more made a hash of it against AC Milan the second time round.
With Carlo Ancelloti’s aged defence vulnerable to height and pace,  tactical genius Benitez left 6ft 7 Peter Crouch and lightening quick Craig Bellamy on the Olympic Stadium bench in favour of Dirk Kuyt, used as a lone striker.
Milan, who triumphed 2-1,  couldn’t believe their luck.
Benitez spent the summer growing a goatee beard.  Liverpool have failed to reach a cup final since. Coincidence?

THE LOSS OF PAKO AYESTERAN AND PACO HERRERA
Both men played a key role in Valencia’s two title triumphs and were highly regarded by the Liverpool boss.
Herrera provided Benitez with tactical insight while Ayesteran was regarded as among the best fitness coaches in the game.
More importantly, though, they were not afraid to tell their friend when he was wrong – and Benitez respected their opinion.
Since their departure the Anfield chief has allowed himself to be surrounded by yes men who have allowed all of his dubious tactical and transfer decisions to go unquestioned.

DIRK KUYT
The Dutchman has contributed  many vital goals, particularly in Europe, since his  signing from Feyenoord  in 2006.
Liverpool,  however, took a significant step back for his arrival when  he replaced Peter Crouch as the Reds’ first-choice striker.
Poor in the air, a miserable first touch and a lack of pace made him ill-suited to either of the striker roles.
That mattered little to Benitez, though. Kuyt’s relentless running and pressing of opponents  made him the boss’ forward of choice, destroying the dynamic of the team and reversing the progress that had been made the season before.
The 29-year-old has successfully reinvented himself as a right winger, but is all too often asked to play as a lone striker in Torres’ absence – a task he lacks the attributes to perform. It has never worked – but that hasn’t stopped Benitez.


TACTICS/ BENITEZ’S CAUTION
Benitez’s command  of English has  improved during his six years at Anfield but his grasp of what it takes to win the English Premier League has  not.
In a division that regularly  sees the champions finish with more than 90 points,  playing for a draw against a team outside of the top four isn’t an option.
Benitez threw away  his and Liverpool’s best opportunity to finally end their title  drought last season by allowing his caution to stifle the Reds.
Had Benitez’s side  turned a handful  of the dreadful draws against the likes of Hull City, Stoke City and Everton into victories, they would have been champions.

4-2-3-1
Benitez’s preferred formation since his Valencia days. It’s merits are obvious – but the dogmatic 50-year-old  often fields players unsuitable for particular  roles   within the system when key men  are unavailable,  rather than switch to  a shape that would better suit his personnel.
And do Liverpool really need two defensive midfield players against the likes of Wolves?


XABI ALONSO/ ALBERTO AQUILANI
Forcing the Basque midfielder’s exit from Liverpool was perhaps the manager’s greatest mistake – an even poorer decision than opting to sign the perennially crocked Alberto Aquilani as his replacement.
Alonso – the Reds’ player of the season in 2008/09 –  was integral to the way Liverpool played, providing Torres and Gerrard with quick possession in dangerous areas of the pitch.
There’s a reason Real Madrid paid £30m for him – he’s the best in the business at what he does.


INJURIES TO TORRES AND  GERRARD
The Anfield boss has been unfortunate in this respect, particularly during the last two seasons.
Some of the worst performances of this period, though, have been delivered with both men in the starting XI.

STRIKER LIGHT
Parting company with  Bellamy and  Crouch rank among the manager’s worst moves  in the transfer market.
Particularly given the injury record of Fernando Torres and the paucity of options last season in the Spaniard’s absence.
Entering the season with just the raw  David Ngog and awful Andriy Voronin as back-up  was criminally negligent.


2008/09 TRANSFER DEALINGS
This was Benitez’s    Houllier 2002 moment.
Summer signings Robbie Keane (£21m), Andrea Dossena (£7m) and Phillip Degen (free)  all failed to make an impact, with Keane and Dossena both failing to last more than  a season.
Degen – who has an injury record that makes  Aquiliani look indestructible   –  too would have been jettisoned if anyone would take him.
It could have been worse. Benitez nearly sold Alonso to Arsenal for £12m – a year before he fetched £30m – and bought Gareth Barry for £20m before the owners and Rick Parry  intervened.
At least they got something right.


THE APPOINTMENT OF EDUARDO MACIA
Liverpool’s chief scout and the man responsible for a series of transfer  disasters, notably  Alberto Aquilani and  Andrea Dossena.
Even if he tells you Lionel Messi is  a decent prospect, get  a second opinion.

What an article:
"With Carlo Ancelloti’s aged defence vulnerable to height and pace,  tactical genius Benitez left 6ft 7 Peter Crouch and lightening quick Craig Bellamy on the Olympic Stadium bench in favour of Dirk Kuyt, used as a lone striker.
Milan, who triumphed 2-1,  couldn’t believe their luck."

Oh
My
God

An article brimming with so many conradictions and holes that it makes a block of swiss cheese seem trite.

[account deleted by request]

Are you seriously going to tell me that you or anyone else on this forum knows better than Benitez on how to run HIS team? See, that's the problem with people. All talk, but very little substance to back it. Why? Because they can't. Simple.

I am not an expert bricklayer either mate, but I CAN tell when the jobs not been done right