Liverpool FC Forum

[Reg]

As a passing thought spurred by the anarchy in the Rumours thread at the moment that Rar-far only has 1.5 million to spend and he´s about to resign.......

He signed a new contract just a few months ago, it took an age to agree teh terms, it became very political, Parry lost his job, Rafa got more control that Stalin could dream about and Ablett and 12 others left the academy set up as the Rafa-ator flexed his muscles.

You're telling me transfer budgets didnt come into the negotiation? He signed a new contract without knowing whether he´d have cash avialble to beef up the squad?

Either Rafa is not the brightest light on the christmas tree and forgot to negotiate that bit, he accepts the owners dont have funds (so why did he decide to sign) or he's got funds but wants to wait until the Real Madrid furor has died down and hopefully picks up his targets at more reasonable prices.

[Number 9]

As a passing thought spurred by the anarchy in the Rumours thread at the moment that Rar-far only has 1.5 million to spend and he´s about to resign.......

He signed a new contract just a few months ago, it took an age to agree teh terms, it became very political, Parry lost his job, Rafa got more control that Stalin could dream about and Ablett and 12 others left the academy set up as the Rafa-ator flexed his muscles.

You're telling me transfer budgets didnt come into the negotiation? He signed a new contract without knowing whether he´d have cash avialble to beef up the squad?

Either Rafa is not the brightest light on the christmas tree and forgot to negotiate that bit, he accepts the owners dont have funds (so why did he decide to sign) or he's got funds but wants to wait until the Real Madrid furor has died down and hopefully picks up his targets at more reasonable prices.

Could be down to being told money was available and finding out that he was bullsh'itted to!

Lets face it,the two yank kunts are no stranger to telling the odd porky....basta'rds from hell they are!!

[Madmax]

Yeah thats what i think aswel.. Yankies have spent the money for their own pleasure via escort services. This season will either go as a good one or really bad one!

[Toffeehater]

Where are the rumors saying that he will resign?

[Owzat]

Yeah thats what i think aswel.. Yankies have spent the money for their own pleasure via escort services. This season will either go as a good one or really bad one!

Last time Rafa reached 80+ points he finished the next season limply with just 68 points and held off the goners only on GD.

It's easy to blame Parry, the owners, the ref etc, but he showed again his tactical limitations on Sunday. No sub until too late to make a difference, going with Babel over Benayoun and the bench was rather wishy washy. And he has had money to spend, £37.5m on two players even if a £7m debt was written off in the Johnson robbery.

Last three big signings have been Keane (flop), Johnson (overpriced) and Aquilani (overpriced injury merchant). Maybe someone blocking those signings would have been a good thing, but I'm sure it's much easier to blame the owners for Rafa's poor trading in the transfer market. I'd rather the £30m had been spent on a quality LWF, and maybe taken a gamble on Owen to bolster our bench.

If you don't have enough cash to throw it about, spend without a care, then you spend wisely. Has Rafa? I'd be very surprised if ANY right-back proved worth £17.5m let alone Johnson. I hope Aquilani gets fit and turns us into title contenders, I'm not overly optimistic given his injury history.

What will happen next season? We may end up selling Mascherano, Agger and Aquilani while signing Turner of Hull and Jenas of spudz for silly money. I'm sure the owners aren't digging deep and funding Rafa's extravagance, probably don't know enough to comment on his activity either, but I doubt I'm the only one who is worried by our signings for the second year running. Last season it was Dossena and Keane the flops, Riera the ok signing and this season the outgoers are better than the incoming (Arbeloa & Alonso >>>>> Johnson & Aquilani)

In fact HTF is it the owners fault that they gave Rafa £35m last summer that he wasted on Keane, Dross and Riera* and this season he gets £37.5m which he's spent on Johnson** and Aquilani?

*Riera not necessarily a bad signing, but not a great signing either
**£7m may have been a debt written off, but it's £7m that was owed us and stays in their bank not our's.

[Dazzer]

Hang on where are you getting your info about Rafa walking ?
I havent seen any thing about this ? 

[maguskwt]

Benitez to face FA charge and transfer block?

Rafael Benitez has already endured a miserable start to the season but things could be about to get much worse.


GettyImages

Rafa Benitez: Not happy.

The Liverpool boss could in trouble with the Football Association for his outburst against referee Phil Dowd following the Anfield club's 2-1 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday.

The news comes amid speculation that Liverpool's American owners are refusing to release funds for the Spaniard to buy new players.

The FA's compliance department will write to Benitez for an explanation following his comment about Dowd when asked after the game whether he would expect to get two penalties as an away team.

Benitez is reported as saying: "No, with this referee I knew that was impossible.''

The FA are also concerned with Benitez's attempts at humour when asked about two penalty decisions that went against Liverpool in the final minutes.

Benitez had been furious that a push on Andriy Voronin by Benoit Assou-Ekotto had gone unpunished, as had a handling incident when a cross hit the same player on the arm as Liverpool were battling for an equaliser.

In the post-match press conference, Benitez had theatrically taken a glasses case out of his inside pocket, taken out the glasses and looked through them before putting them away again.

The implication was seemingly that Dowd either needed glasses or had not seen the incidents.

Assistant boss Sammy Lee was sent off by Dowd after the coach had been involved in a row with the fourth official.

It is believed that the FA are not prepared to quiz Benitez further on his suggestions that 26-year-old Stuart Attwell was too young to officiate at Premier League level.

It is also being reported that Tom Hicks and George Gillett are blocking Benitez's attempts to buy a centre-back to ease the club's injury problems before the transfer window shuts.

And the situation could well escalate into yet another financial crisis at Anfield.

Benitez's diminishing transfer budget is overshadowing Anfield's opening league game of the season on Wednesday against Stoke, who achieved a goalless draw on Merseyside last season.

Benitez was today asked several times at his pre-match media conference to explain his cash-flow problems, but on each occasion he said: "I do not want to discuss money.''

But sources close to the Spanish coach confirm he has held talks with temporary managing director Christian Purslow, appointed by owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett in the wake of Rick Parry's summer departure, and now the go-between for Benitez and the American owners.

Benitez has explained the pressing need for another centre-back to be signed, with Daniel Agger now out for another three weeks with a worrying back problem.

Martin Skrtel is doubtful to face Stoke following the jaw injury he sustained in Sunday's defeat at Spurs, although he did train today. Benitez will not make a decision on whether to risk the Slovakian until closer to kick-off.

With Sami Hyypia now having left the club on a free transfer, Benitez is left with youngster Daniel Ayala to partner Jamie Carragher, who has recovered from the head injury sustained at White Hart Lane that needed stitches.

But it is Benitez's transfer budget, or the lack of it, that is causing serious problems at the club. The source said: "The figures have changed since Rafa signed his contract. He has sold several players and raised a lot of money, but is not being allowed to spend it.''

There is a belief among fans the club's owners have soaked up much of the money Benitez has generated this summer to pay off the £60m they were instructed to find by the banks to reduce their debt, ahead of the re-financing package for the loans they took out to buy the club.

Financial experts in the USA predicted last month the owners would use player sales to raise the £60m they need, and fans now fear that is what is happening.

Benitez insists he is not prepared to gamble £6m-plus on Stoke's former Manchester United defender Ryan Shawcross, when he has comparable youngsters on the staff at Anfield who deserve a chance.

But Benitez is believed to want to buy Athletic Bilbao defender Fernando Amorebieta, and is not being allowed the cash to do so.

The key problem is that Benitez was promised £20m for his transfer kitty when he signed his new contract last season, and told he could have any money he raised in the market, plus the fee received when Robbie Keane returned to Spurs.

Benitez has raised around £40million from the sales of Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa, Sebastien Leto, Paul Anderson, Jack Hobbs and Adam Hammill. His buys have been Glen Johnson from Portsmouth and Alberto Aquilani from Roma. The cash up front for those two is under £20m.

But it is clear that in the last few weeks the financial dynamics of Benitez's kitty has changed. The owners seem to be insisting the money spent on new contracts for Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Agger and Dirk Kuyt as well as several of Benitez's backroom team, must come out of the transfer budget.

This stand-off is doing nothing to calm concerns at Anfield following the nature of Liverpool's defeat at Spurs, where the paucity of his squad depth was obvious. Now Liverpool must overcome Tony Pulis' physical, organised Stoke to get their season back on track.

Benitez said: "We know the problems from last season in facing Stoke. But our home fans will want us to show our quality. We must play well, keep possession and be positive to make our chances. Stoke's manager is clever, he uses his players well and they are physical and well organised.

"But the future of our club depends on showing the quality we have in our squad. I do not want to discuss my transfer budget. But our scouting department is continuing to work hard to find the players that we need.''

[maguskwt]

If the owner's really agreed on the transfer kitty and whatever Rafa can raise and are now using the money rafa had raised to pay back the 60 million debt, they are feckin a**holes..

[Dazzer]

I don't like what I am hearing atm bad times for liverpool very bad times. 

[sixbuster]

the 2 yanks are 2 w.a.n.k.s., fooled everybody with raising the 60million

[The Good Yank]

If the owner's really agreed on the transfer kitty and whatever Rafa can raise and are now using the money rafa had raised to pay back the 60 million debt, they are feckin a**holes..

Completely agree.  But shouldn't these issues, along with the suppposed, promised 20 million transfer budget (prior to player sales), have been put into the writing of Rafa's contract extension?  And if so wouldn't T&T be in breach of contract?

What a f'ing mess.

[Madmax]

Yeah thats what i think aswel.. Yankies have spent the money for their own pleasure via escort services. This season will either go as a good one or really bad one!

Last time Rafa reached 80+ points he finished the next season limply with just 68 points and held off the goners only on GD.

It's easy to blame Parry, the owners, the ref etc, but he showed again his tactical limitations on Sunday. No sub until too late to make a difference, going with Babel over Benayoun and the bench was rather wishy washy. And he has had money to spend, £37.5m on two players even if a £7m debt was written off in the Johnson robbery.

Last three big signings have been Keane (flop), Johnson (overpriced) and Aquilani (overpriced injury merchant). Maybe someone blocking those signings would have been a good thing, but I'm sure it's much easier to blame the owners for Rafa's poor trading in the transfer market. I'd rather the £30m had been spent on a quality LWF, and maybe taken a gamble on Owen to bolster our bench.

If you don't have enough cash to throw it about, spend without a care, then you spend wisely. Has Rafa? I'd be very surprised if ANY right-back proved worth £17.5m let alone Johnson. I hope Aquilani gets fit and turns us into title contenders, I'm not overly optimistic given his injury history.

What will happen next season? We may end up selling Mascherano, Agger and Aquilani while signing Turner of Hull and Jenas of spudz for silly money. I'm sure the owners aren't digging deep and funding Rafa's extravagance, probably don't know enough to comment on his activity either, but I doubt I'm the only one who is worried by our signings for the second year running. Last season it was Dossena and Keane the flops, Riera the ok signing and this season the outgoers are better than the incoming (Arbeloa & Alonso >>>>> Johnson & Aquilani)

In fact HTF is it the owners fault that they gave Rafa £35m last summer that he wasted on Keane, Dross and Riera* and this season he gets £37.5m which he's spent on Johnson** and Aquilani?

*Riera not necessarily a bad signing, but not a great signing either
**£7m may have been a debt written off, but it's £7m that was owed us and stays in their bank not our's.

We all are unsure about last seasons signing as some stated rafa didnt want keane in the first place. AS for this season life you've said we have spent 37 mill and i agree we should have used them on a creative player. Alonsos replacement was crucial but for me im 50/50 on aqua man aswel. johnson for me is a great player yes over priced but a great right back!

Signings have not been too good in the past few years which is a worry i must say!

[Ciggy]

The yanks probably wernt aware that the RBS would want 60 million off them, they probably thought about 30 but with the bank wanting to get the debt down it was 60 million or no re-fi for another 12 months.

He signed that contract before the re-fi and its not like our owners never lie now is it?

Spade in the ground within 60 days..............

[Reg]

Our mate LiverpoolMadman (he with the mighty avatar) has just posted this in the T&T thread:

http://www.anfieldroad.com/news....et.html

[heimdall]

The yanks probably wernt aware that the RBS would want 60 million off them, they probably thought about 30 but with the bank wanting to get the debt down it was 60 million or no re-fi for another 12 months.

He signed that contract before the re-fi and its not like our owners never lie now is it?

Spade in the ground within 60 days..............

yeah but on the other hand I do actually agree with them that the money to re-sign players should come out of the transfer budget, I don't have an issue with that but then they could have lied to Rafa about that too guaranteeing him that it wouldn't.

At the end of the day it's their club and I guess they can do whatever they want with it, as depressing as that is.