Liverpool FC Forum

[Kerry07]

Social skills:
The ability to remain relaxed, or at a tolerable level of anxiety while in social situations
Listening skills, including letting others know you are listening
Empathy with and interest in others' situations
The ability to build rapport, whether natural or learned

Sarcasm:
1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark
3. using a characterisation of something or someone in order to express contempt

He fails badly on the latter three. He doesnt listen (take in whats being said) because his response very often is not in relation to what he was asked. He doesnt have empathy as displayed with Alonso wanting to see the birth of his kid, and ultimately drove our controlling midfield lynchpin out of the club (the man didnt bother attempting to get back for his own fathers funeral). He doesnt build a rapport as his manmanagement is regarded among the worst in the league... you only need to read the comments from Gerrard, Carra, Torres, Alonso..and Pako who ran off. He wont get people..never will.

His bitter use of sarcasm i hadnt mentioned but its a trait that further alienates him with people. The one time i did applaud him for it was recently describing Souness as a "fantastic" manager.

As much as i respect Rafa for his strategic analysis (massively contributing to his 56% win ratio)..as a man i have no time for him. While i couldnt care what the LMA think, hes the least popular among all the other managers (only compatriot Martinez defended him)...thats telling.

Hes regimented, stubborn, control freak...will choose less talented players (lucas, kuyt) who are obedient yes men, over vastly more talented outspoken people (Bellamy). He doesnt develop flair players (Babel, and i worry for Aquilani) ... he develops workhorses....footsoldiers.



The reason all of this is relevant is because the mentality of the manager is the mentaliy of the team... we are shackled with him in charge, theres no freedom for the players to express themselves... coincidently as was the case with Houlli.

[made in UK]

Social skills:
The ability to remain relaxed, or at a tolerable level of anxiety while in social situations
Listening skills, including letting others know you are listening
Empathy with and interest in others' situations
The ability to build rapport, whether natural or learned

Sarcasm:
1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark
3. using a characterisation of something or someone in order to express contempt

He fails badly on the latter three. He doesnt listen (take in whats being said) because his response very often is not in relation to what he was asked. He doesnt have empathy as displayed with Alonso wanting to see the birth of his kid, and ultimately drove our controlling midfield lynchpin out of the club (the man didnt bother attempting to get back for his own fathers funeral). He doesnt build a rapport as his manmanagement is regarded among the worst in the league... you only need to read the comments from Gerrard, Carra, Torres, Alonso..and Pako who ran off. He wont get people..never will.

His bitter use of sarcasm i hadnt mentioned but its a trait that further alienates him with people. The one time i did applaud him for it was recently describing Souness as a "fantastic" manager.

As much as i respect Rafa for his strategic analysis (massively contributing to his 56% win ratio)..as a man i have no time for him. While i couldnt care what the LMA think, hes the least popular among all the other managers (only compatriot Martinez defended him)...thats telling.

Hes regimented, stubborn, control freak...will choose less talented players (lucas, kuyt) who are obedient yes men, over vastly more talented outspoken people (Bellamy). He doesnt develop flair players (Babel, and i worry for Aquilani) ... he develops workhorses....footsoldiers.



The reason all of this is relevant is because the mentality of the manager is the mentaliy of the team... we are shackled with him in charge, theres no freedom for the players to express themselves... coincidently as was the case with Houlli.

Where did you read/hear he was one of the least favourite of blokes among the LMA?

My second question Kerry, your not Ronnie Whelan's love-child by any chance are you?   

[Kerry07]

you can all take this p!ss out of this kerry poster but we all know he has a point. rafa acts like a robot and wants his players to act like robots. i too would love to see him more animated, more dynamic, more involved with the players during the game. i'd love to see him make the slightest gesture of happiness when we score a goal, i'd love to hear him praise players when they have done well, and also to make it clear when they haven't. i'd love him to be the kind of manager that motivates his players and makes them want to play for him, run through walls for him, believe in him.

i know that some will counter that he must be doing allright because we came within a sniff last season, yada yada yada. but as long as he's been here there have been players voicing their concern about the way they are treated, and we arguably lost one of our most influential players because of it. and pennant!! i'm sure that if he was the motivational, 'lets form a gang and wipe the floor with everyone, boys' type of manager we'd probably of kept it going and won the prem last season, and we'd sure as eggs be performing a lot better this one.

Egg Zachary!

Thing is we did come within a sniff of winning the league...only because in late January Rafa after a series of draws playing a defensive system, and now playing catch-up, he stated..."we have to go for the 3 points". Errr...why not that mentality from August?? We came within a sniff of winning the league with Alonso at the heart of midfield as the crucial pivot linking defence with attack... who has since left the club after Rafa alienated him over his kids birth, and hawking him around Europe for a buyer.

Rafa cuts off his nose to spite his face...his stubborness and lack of warmth, emotion, flexibility... means the team is very constrained, regimented... no flowing football.

[teamleader1]

I'm not particularly worried what the manager says to the press after the game either, I really couldn't give a s...h...i...t...e. I'm far more worried that Rafa thought the lads were performing well enough to not use two more substitutions.

That worried me the most mate, he didn't change anything last night, he just put in Ngog to inject some pace, but he didn't change his passing game, we looked really rigid and one dimensional. I'm always worried that he says that the midfield was working hard and like that, we needed to inject some fluidity in our play, Pacheco and Aquilani could have gave us a bit of flair. We were poor in the final third, we pumped long balls in the box and we lost alot of possession.

We looked like an average team.. FACT

Mate, we looked like a bad team.

We 'ARE' a bad team m8

Would anyone on here really put the mortgage money on us beating anyone at Anfield, be they top or bottom?

We are completely void of any shape or fluidity, have absolutely no cutting edge and have a soft under belly that sees us crumble more often than not to a bit of sustained pressure.
Rafa has been by a country mile the worst culprit in bringing about this current state of affairs
There is no excuses, its gone on for far to long without any decisive action from the manager
His performance in the Wolves game said it all, Clueless!

We are now at the point were the powers that be MUST take action before the crowd start voting with their feet.
I for one wont be going next season if Rafa is still there

[Reg]

The Times January 29, 2010

Rafael Benítez ‘is not leaving Liverpool for Juventus’Tony Evans, Tom Dart

Benitez is Juventus's favourite to replace Ciro Ferrara, who is likely to lose his job after a poor run of results
Liverpool officials issued a series of denials last night that Rafael Benítez is on the verge of leaving Anfield and signing a deal to coach Juventus next season.

It has been widely reported in Italy that the Liverpool manager had agreed a deal with the Turin club after a poor run of results had put the position of Ciro Ferrara, the Serie A side’s coach, in jeopardy. Ferrara is expected to part company with the club today after Inter Milan knocked them out of the Italian Cup at the San Siro last night. That setback followed a run of five defeats in six league matches.

The Times broke the story of Juventus’s interest in Benítez on Tuesday, but Liverpool denied that the Spaniard was about to leave the club. Benítez signed a five-year contract at Anfield ten months ago and it is unlikely that the manager would leave of his own volition at this stage of the season. Benítez’s relationship with Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr has been fractious at times but it would cost the American owners about £12 million to push the manager out of Anfield.

Benítez has turned down a number of tempting offers to leave Liverpool — from Premier League clubs as well as abroad — but has remained committed to Anfield. However, Liverpool’s poor run of form and lack of financial support from the owners, who are desperate for new investment, have worn down the manager.

Meanwhile, the club face a desperate struggle in their bid to claim a Champions League berth for next season given their long injury list.

Senior figures at Anfield insisted last night that the club had no intention of dismissing Benítez, nor were they aware of indications that the manager was about to resign. However, the constant uncertainty about the club’s future — whether with the ownership situation or the manager’s position — has produced a destabilising mood at Anfield that has worn Benítez down. The performances on the pitch have seen a large margin of Liverpool’s support turn against the manager, while the hardcore support who are aware of the backroom turmoil have rallied around the Spaniard.

Claudio Gentile was the favourite to replace Ferrara but on an interim basis and with coaching positions likely to be free in Milan and Madrid come the summer, few would bet big money that Liverpool will start next season with the same manager.

[Kerry07]

The Wolves game was crying out for a bit of attacking invention...while creative players Aquilani and Pacheco remained sat on the bench, limited workhorses Lucas and kuyt stayed on. Again, he favours obedient yes men. We had 1 shot on target in 90 minutes, and Rafa at FT saying it was a "fair result"

He just accepts it...he doesnt go for the jugular. This is what seperates Rafa from the very best... dare i say it Whiskey nose. Rafa lacks balls... he lacks personality, lacks emotion, hes a very good manager...not a great one. United keep attacking to the death (the old Liverpool) with waves of pass and move -- saw yet again midweek when Rooney got the winner. Such drive, proactive, forward thinking  management aint Rafas style. Hes passive.


Id take Mourinho or Hiddink in a heartbeat.

[loopyliverpool]

The thing is really that after five or so years as our manager the team is now fully in the image of its modeller and the fact that there is absolutely nothing positive to take from the team's displays (bar Utd game) leaves Mr. Benitez in a quandry which has made his post match interviews something akin to a man repeating a set mantra. A classic is 'We must work harder'.... FFS. Of course it would be easier for him if there were some real positives to be taken from games but there just are not. As for his 'we must work harder' ...why? They all should be working to the maximum, they get paid enough. Maybe the problem is not that they should work harder but that the squad Benitez has assembled aint up to it. The displays this season have been the worst I can ever recall in my lifetime. The lack of creativity, vision and basic skills in some of our players is dumbfounding, there is no constructive pattern to our play and yet the Manager persists with these 'failed' tactics and players. I just wish we could put in some performances which make you feel proud to support the team. The type of football Benitez has us playing leaves me cold a bit like his post match interviews.

[Ola Mr Benitez]

The Wolves game was crying out for a bit of attacking invention...while creative players Aquilani and Pacheco remained sat on the bench, limited workhorses Lucas and kuyt stayed on. Again, he favours obedient yes men. We had 1 shot on target in 90 minutes, and Rafa at FT saying it was a "fair result"

He just accepts it...he doesnt go for the jugular. This is what seperates Rafa from the very best... dare i say it Whiskey nose. Rafa lacks balls... he lacks personality, lacks emotion, hes a very good manager...not a great one. United keep attacking to the death (the old Liverpool) with waves of pass and move -- saw yet again midweek when Rooney got the winner. Such drive, proactive, forward thinking  management aint Rafas style. Hes passive.


Id take Mourinho or Hiddink in a heartbeat.

Can't really ague with that

[red till i die!!]

story just broke on ssn that ciro ferrarra has just been sacked by juve and have appointed a stand in untill the summer!!
looks like we will face another couple of months speculation now regarding rafas position:( .

[stmichael]

story just broke on ssn that ciro ferrarra has just been sacked by juve and have appointed a stand in untill the summer!!
looks like we will face another couple of months speculation now regarding rafas position:( .

The Sky w@nkfest can began.

[Owzat]

It's not on the s*y website yet (that I can see without scrutinising every word etc), but they do have the story anticipating his 'axing'

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11854_5892764,00.html

I wonder if they'll try their luck or bide their time, I mean they might get away without compensation if they wait (assuming they want Rafa) but we might not sack him!

[Reg]

So either Rafa earns 4.6 million a year here or 4.6 million a year over there.

The speculators can say what they want but Rafa at least wont be concerned.

[red till i die!!]

Juventus have dismissed coach Ciro Ferrara and replaced him with Alberto Zaccheroni on a contract until June following Thursday's 2-1 defeat by FC Internazionale Milano in the Coppa Italia.

Run of form
The quarter-final loss at San Siro was the Bianconeri's ninth defeat in 12 games in all competitions, a run which has left the Turin club sixth in Serie A, 16 points behind leaders Inter. Ferrara, 42, was named interim head coach in May after Claudio Ranieri was sacked with two games of the 2008/09 campaign remaining. Victories in both earned Ferrara the post full time and the Bianconeri a place in the UEFA Champions League, but with Juventus eliminated after the group stage and now out of the Coppa Italia, the club have turned to Zaccheroni.

Scudetto triumph
Zaccheroni, 56, has been without a job since leaving Juventus's city rivals Torino FC in 2007. After making his name with Udinese Calcio between 1995 and 1998, Zaccheroni led AC Milan to the Scudetto in 1999 before coaching S.S. Lazio and Inter. Juventus face AFC Ajax in the UEFA Europa League round of 32 on 18 and 25 February.

wouldnt it be sweet if we meet them in the final:D

[Big Niall]

Why not just sack him and put it in the contract that he gets paid his wages until he finds a new club. If he takes the Juve job then we aren't stuck paying him.

If he is a pure money man and sits out the remaining years then we get stuck with the tab.

I don't get why you can't sack a failure for rubbish and not have to pay him anything. It seems the rich just always win.

[Kerry07]

Social skills:
The ability to remain relaxed, or at a tolerable level of anxiety while in social situations
Listening skills, including letting others know you are listening
Empathy with and interest in others' situations
The ability to build rapport, whether natural or learned

Sarcasm:
1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark
3. using a characterisation of something or someone in order to express contempt

He fails badly on the latter three. He doesnt listen (take in whats being said) because his response very often is not in relation to what he was asked. He doesnt have empathy as displayed with Alonso wanting to see the birth of his kid, and ultimately drove our controlling midfield lynchpin out of the club (the man didnt bother attempting to get back for his own fathers funeral). He doesnt build a rapport as his manmanagement is regarded among the worst in the league... you only need to read the comments from Gerrard, Carra, Torres, Alonso..and Pako who ran off. He wont get people..never will.

His bitter use of sarcasm i hadnt mentioned but its a trait that further alienates him with people. The one time i did applaud him for it was recently describing Souness as a "fantastic" manager.

As much as i respect Rafa for his strategic analysis (massively contributing to his 56% win ratio)..as a man i have no time for him. While i couldnt care what the LMA think, hes the least popular among all the other managers (only compatriot Martinez defended him)...thats telling.

Hes regimented, stubborn, control freak...will choose less talented players (lucas, kuyt) who are obedient yes men, over vastly more talented outspoken people (Bellamy). He doesnt develop flair players (Babel, and i worry for Aquilani) ... he develops workhorses....footsoldiers.



The reason all of this is relevant is because the mentality of the manager is the mentaliy of the team... we are shackled with him in charge, theres no freedom for the players to express themselves... coincidently as was the case with Houlli.

Where did you read/hear he was one of the least favourite of blokes among the LMA?

My second question Kerry, your not Ronnie Whelan's love-child by any chance are you?   

Thread full of it on RAWK ...mention of his lack of popularity among other managers... and Martinez was the only one who stood up for him (Spanish tokenism).

Ronnie Whelan has it in for Rafa, its personal... therefore his judgement is skewed and hyper critical. He aint the sharpest (theres a shock), is a pundit on a show that contains the diplomatic shrinking violet Eamon Dunphy...so Whelan whose voice hasn't yet broke has to be outspoken to stand out, and he waffles alot.