Liverpool FC Forum

[Sir Roger]

Yet another example of Rafa's great man management...

Good stuff from Riera. that's exactly what we want - players desperate, passionate to play

From what Riera says Rafa handled it exactly right

“Benitez is a special coach who defends his own. I know he is with me, because he said so,”

Or would you rather rafa give them a reach around? 

What was the point he was trying to get across?
Why did he feel the need to go public?

[DrPepe]

Yet another example of Rafa's great man management...

Good stuff from Riera. that's exactly what we want - players desperate, passionate to play

From what Riera says Rafa handled it exactly right

“Benitez is a special coach who defends his own. I know he is with me, because he said so,”

Or would you rather rafa give them a reach around? 

What was the point he was trying to get across?
Why did he feel the need to go public?

Why did Riera go public?

prob cos he was asked a question  at a spain pre-match conf 

Everyone plays the football game. Papers need to fill their pages, players/clubs/association need to  generate publicity. too many interviews, too much coverage - fans read too much  between the lines....

[GYBS]

You sure your not reading too much into it to see what sort of angle you find to stick a dig in at Rafa - they had a few choice words - he has mentioned it and im sure Rafa wouldnt have a problem with him mentioning it - its happened - there is no harm done we move on .

Or we can drag it out for weeks and once again say that rafa is a poor man manager , poor at transfers , has his favourite love childs , doesnt love the players enough and read them bed time stories or tuck them in ?

[Sabre]

I can't confirm Riera said that to AS because in the online edition of AS there's nothing related to Riera sin the early days of August.

Later when I take the post meal coffee in the pub, I'll check if in the paper edition there's something like that. I would like to know what he actually said and whether it can be translated as "flare up".

[aCe']

I just found the whole thing funny.. i mean why didnt Rafa play Riera in the Tottenham game, or the Villa game ?

[Sir Roger]

Yet another example of Rafa's great man management...

Good stuff from Riera. that's exactly what we want - players desperate, passionate to play

From what Riera says Rafa handled it exactly right

“Benitez is a special coach who defends his own. I know he is with me, because he said so,”

Or would you rather rafa give them a reach around? 

What was the point he was trying to get across?
Why did he feel the need to go public?

Why did Riera go public?

prob cos he was asked a question  at a spain pre-match conf 

Everyone plays the football game. Papers need to fill their pages, players/clubs/association need to  generate publicity. too many interviews, too much coverage - fans read too much  between the lines....

Thats my point
Just because a journo asks a question you dont have to give him any information. Rierra, if he has said this, must have wanted people to know.
Why?

[GYBS]

Ask Rafa - Maybe he didnt think he was match fit or ready to play - being the manager he is allowed to make those choices .

He was on the bench for the stoke game and came on and on the bench for the villa game then started the next so to me that suggests he wasnt ready fitness wise to start because of his pre season ankle injury he picked up .

[GYBS]

Yet another example of Rafa's great man management...

Good stuff from Riera. that's exactly what we want - players desperate, passionate to play

From what Riera says Rafa handled it exactly right

“Benitez is a special coach who defends his own. I know he is with me, because he said so,”

Or would you rather rafa give them a reach around? 

What was the point he was trying to get across?
Why did he feel the need to go public?

Why did Riera go public?

prob cos he was asked a question  at a spain pre-match conf 

Everyone plays the football game. Papers need to fill their pages, players/clubs/association need to  generate publicity. too many interviews, too much coverage - fans read too much  between the lines....

Thats my point
Just because a journo asks a question you dont have to give him any information. Rierra, if he has said this, must have wanted people to know.
Why?

Is that not a case of just looking for something that isnt there - some sort of consipracy theory that him and rafa dont get on now and he wants the world to know ?


But why would he praise Rafa very highly

[GYBS]

Where did you get the report from Ace as i see nothing on the internet

[DrPepe]

I just found the whole thing funny.. i mean why didnt Rafa play Riera in the Tottenham game, or the Villa game ?

Riera told Spanish publication AS: “I didn't play the first game because I started training late after the Confederations Cup, like [Pepe] Reina and [Fernando] Torres,”

that's why


maybe also because riera had his friend die in recent weeeks 

[Reg]

Its all very complicated.

[bigmick]

The only shame about the whole thing is that the row occurred in the first place, and unquestionably it impacted upon the teams performance. Riera is the best left midfielder we've got by quite a long way, and if it's the case that he's not playing for any other reason than a tactical one or he's not fit, then it's a real pity.

Course whether or not it was rafa's fault or Riera's fault or infact nobodies fault and just one of those things we will never know. The only thing we know for certain is that if our best left midfielder doesn't play, we have more chance of dropping points than would otherwise be the case. Whether or not the "row" directly caused us to lose any points is of course unproveable either way, but given our relative lack of strength in depth it really might be an idea if we all try and get along with each other and avoid the necessity to drop player in order to prove a point.

[DrPepe]

The only shame about the whole thing is that the row occurred in the first place, and unquestionably it impacted upon the teams performance.Riera is the best left midfielder we've got by quite a long way, and if it's the case that he's not playing for any other reason than a tactical one or he's not fit, then it's a real pity.

Course whether or not it was rafa's fault or Riera's fault or infact nobodies fault and just one of those things we will never know. The only thing we know for certain is that if our best left midfielder doesn't play, we have more chance of dropping points than would otherwise be the case. Whether or not the "row" directly caused us to lose any points is of course unproveable either way, but given our relative lack of strength in depth it really might be an idea if we all try and get along with each other and avoid the necessity to drop player in order to prove a point.

nah he had the bust up after being benched for 3 games

he had a bust up with Rafa Benitez after he started the first three Premier League games from the bench.

and by the sounds of it he was benched as rafa decided he wasn;t fit

“I didn't play the first game because I started training late after the Confederations Cup

[aCe']

Reina and Torres seemed okay.... So did Dempsey, Howard, Robinho...etc etc....

Him not being in the side definitely had a negative effect on our performances, and the fact that he wasnt happy about not getting picked suggests that he himself thought he was fit enough/ready to start those games on the pitch rather than on the bench....

[Lando_Griffin]

Reina and Torres seemed okay.... So did Dempsey, Howard, Robinho...etc etc....

Him not being in the side definitely had a negative effect on our performances, and the fact that he wasnt happy about not getting picked suggests that he himself thought he was fit enough/ready to start those games on the pitch rather than on the bench....

If you think Torres has been match fit, you need to give your eyes a rub mate.

He was so far off the pace at times it was like watching a different player.