Liverpool FC Forum

by **account deleted by request** » Mon May 10, 2010 9:52 pm

Public battle is not the Liverpool way
Tony Barrett

For seasoned Anfield observers it was one of the most depressing sights seen at the ground for many years. As Alan Wiley, the referee, gave a final blast of his whistle to signal the end of Liverpool’s game against Chelsea on Sunday, a number of supporters in an executive box in the Centenary Stand unfurled a banner calling on Rafael Benitez to quit.

“Rafa Out – Not Good Enough And That’s A Fact” read the professionally produced placard, prompting angry scenes, with fans below banging on the windows of the executive box, demanding that the planned protest was halted immediately.

Over on the Kop, another dispiriting scene unfolded when the holder of a pro-Benitez banner was told by a group of dissenters gathered around him to down his flag. It was all a long way removed from the brand of unity with which Liverpool supporters are so often credited, particularly when faced with adversity.

That is what happens, though, when internal club politics spill out on to the stands. The shockwaves caused by a manager continually locking horns with the club’s hierarchy reverberate right through the fanbase, with people who should be united by a common cause being divided by dogma and forced into taking sides.

Some believe Benitez has been treated shabbily by Liverpool’s owners and that he has been competing this season with a hand tied behind his back. Others feel the ownership situation has provided a useful smokescreen for the Spaniard to cover his managerial shortcomings. Both positions have merit and both, in normal circumstances, would cause nothing more than common debate.

The problem is that with Benitez and the Liverpool board in direct opposition, the manager’s job in question and the future of the club in doubt, the stakes have been raised and reasoned argument is being replaced by outright conflict

Benitez and the Liverpool hierarchy have a responsibility to put the club first. They can carry on accusing one another – one day the manager outlines his frustrations at having not met Martin Broughton, the new chairman, the next a leak intimates that Benitez has actually snubbed two opportunities to meet Broughton – bearing their teeth and preparing for battle, or they can revert to an amicable stance and resolve the situation at the negotiating table. That would be the much fabled – but, sadly, seldom seen of late – Liverpool way of doing things.

Benitez has always spoke of how he embraces the traditions of the club and holds their supporters in such high regard. This is his chance to live up to his beliefs by putting the club first to save the fans from becoming even more polarised. The same principle must apply to Christian Purslow, himself a Liverpool supporter, and the other members of the Liverpool board who have a responsibility to do what is right by the club.

Benitez’s agent has claimed that his client does not wish to depart. If that is the case, the manager must accept the spending restrictions and move forward with a renewed desire to improve his squad as best he possibly can.

Should he feel that his requested assurances will not materialise and that that means the club’s ambitions are different to his, both sides must work out a way of parting company on the best possible terms, with their dignity intact and the possibility removed of the club’s reputation being damaged even more.

Six years ago, Gerard Houllier left Anfield having bid it an emotional and stage-managed goodbye after being relieved of his managerial duties by mutual consent. The way his departure was carefully orchestrated by him and the club won the admiration of all who witnessed it.

There were no accusations and counter-accusations, no signs of the schisms that had played a part in Houllier’s departure and no retributions afterwards. If ever a managerial term came to an end in the most elegant way possible, it was that one.

If a parting is inevitable for Benitez and Liverpool, that is the standard that all involved must aspire to. It is still not too late for their differences to be settled in private and, for the good of Liverpool and the fans, that is exactly what must happen.

by **Reg** » Mon May 10, 2010 10:04 pm

Let me rephrase that:

Some fella at the front started waving a flag right as the team were doing their lap of honour in front of the kop. Half a dozen fellas shouted out 'Put that flag away you dozy gét, we cant see". Said fella replied 'Sorry lads, I didnt realise'.

As always in these situations, you interpret things the way thats convenient for your viewpoint. :idea

by **account deleted by request** » Mon May 10, 2010 10:09 pm

Reg wrote:Let me rephrase that:

Some fella at the front started waving a flag right as the team were doing their lap of honour in front of the kop. Half a dozen fellas shouted out 'Put that flag away you dozy gét, we cant see". Said fella replied 'Sorry lads, I didnt realise'.

As always in these situations, you interpret things the way thats convenient for your viewpoint.

which is more or less what I said :-

I know a banner was taken down iN the Centenery stand Nanny. This wasn't the Centenary stand it was at the front of the KOP. It was a banner in support of Rafa and the people waving it were told to take it down...... and they did. Maybe it was just for the "lap of honour" but thats when it happened.

All depends how you want to read it. :laugh:

by **NANNY RED** » Mon May 10, 2010 10:15 pm

Well if Barrett says there was a flag there, it must of been there then,

But i know the dirty big Rafa waver was there ha ha

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/eseason/Features/Players-salute--18681.php3

Check out the players taking photies of themselves . and Rafa loving it with the kids, gentle side of Rafa here

by **Beachdrifter** » Mon May 10, 2010 10:35 pm

Kopite -7- wrote:
Beachdrifter wrote:I agree Kopite-7

He has bought some good players If we had kept Crouch, Alonso, Riise, Keane I think we would have won the title, seriously. For me he doesn't show any passion, he's got a habit of playing a striker up front on his own with midfielders trying to brake forward and support him. Gerrard, who a couple of season back was one of the top midfielders in the world and scoring goals from there, is now playing too far up the pitch so we are losing his passing and drive from midfield and this zonal marking for set pieces. learn and change.
Also all this talk of players leaving. If they are under contract to the club the they stay at the club until they are ready to be sold by the club. No player is bigger than Liverpool FC.
Lets look forward to next season, let start with hope in our hearts.
Get new owners, invest in the club and whoever the manager is support him.

YNWA

I agree with alot of what you say.

I wont join in with the fickle bunch who say Rafa is terrible and insult the man. We were all chanting his name when we won in Istanbul, when we won the FA cup, reached a second champions league final and had our best finish yet in the premier league. So to turn round and make fickle remarks about Rafa is unfair and its not what Liverpool fans do. Were better than that.

I know we are all frustrated and things are a complete mess but see what happens.

Yanks out - Thats a must

Then we will hopefully have some investors who will show us the fibre of their fabric and give us some dosh to spend

Yeah the probem is that unless we can sort out new owners soon there wont be money there to spend on new players If dumb and dumber have put the club up for sale they aren't going to invest. We need to offload a few player but then the money would probably go on the interest.
Look the trouble with this club started with Souness. He sold some players too early without having younger player ready to step in, he broke up the boot room tradition (although I believe DALGLISH tinkered with it), Things improved slightly with Evans but stories of the team taking a pound coin onto the pitch and passing it around with whoever had it at the final whistle bought the drinks all night, yeah they were young lads enjoying themselfs but the were playing for Liverpool FC. Houllier and Thompson were ok, had a brilliant season 2001 winning 5 cups and after the 0-4 thrashing of Charlton I believe if the season had carried on for a further 6 weeks we would have won it, and the Benitez. Won the European cup in his first season and expectations went sky high. We had new owners who promised to invest in the club, a new stadium, players and get the club out of debt.They let us down on every count and it's Benitez whose carrying the can,I even thing he has been forced to sel players like Alonso, Crouch etc to try to balance the books. He's made mistakes but who hasn't just the mistakes we make aren't anylised by million of fans. No the rot started years ago we just forget and look to the latest person to blame. Lets just get behind the team we have, it breaks my heart to see them in this state but they are still Liverpool football club, my team.

by **Sabre** » Mon May 10, 2010 11:33 pm

Over on the Kop, another dispiriting scene unfolded when the holder of a pro-Benitez banner was told by a group of dissenters gathered around him to down his flag.

So for Tony Barret this is something worth of mentioning, but I guess the mega flags that you could see all the season are not worth mentioning.

I guess flags are only important for Tony Barret if they serve the purpose of giving stick to Rafa.

I don't even have an opinion about Rafa's future right now, the season has been that bad. But I think Rafa has enough problems in the club, and having to sort out a lot of things in the team, he doesn't really need Barret style of articles, he's well in the mud now.

by **account deleted by request** » Mon May 10, 2010 11:41 pm

woof woof ! wrote:Oh for f'ucks sake , here we go again. Don't even know your son Saint so how could I attach any veracity to anything you might have attributed to something he said, bearing in mind a lot would depend on whether you were picking him up before or after he'd had a night out on the p'iss.

"5000 spirits or the layers of an onion" , it's not alway about YOU Saint., I was merely seconding Nans opinion that she should check with someone who was actually there which obviously wasn't YOU.

Just because you are a p!sshead doesn't mean that everyone who goes for a drink is. I pick him up because I don't want him drinking and driving, not because he's been on the p!ss, no doubt when you get picked up its from lying in the gutter.

So whether it was before or after he had been out wouldn't matter.

by **lakes10** » Tue May 11, 2010 12:01 am

come on Rafa, do the Brown thing and step down to save our club so we can keep Torres

by **NANNY RED** » Tue May 11, 2010 12:06 am

Sabre wrote:
Over on the Kop, another dispiriting scene unfolded when the holder of a pro-Benitez banner was told by a group of dissenters gathered around him to down his flag.

So for Tony Barret this is something worth of mentioning, but I guess the mega flags that you could see all the season are not worth mentioning.

I guess flags are only important for Tony Barret if they serve the purpose of giving stick to Rafa.

I don't even have an opinion about Rafa's future right now, the season has been that bad. But I think Rafa has enough problems in the club, and having to sort out a lot of things in the team, he doesn't really need Barret style of articles, he's well in the mud now.

Sabes your wrong there mate with Tony Barrett, he is Rafas mate , one of the journos Rafa trusts . so he wouldnt be having a dig at Rafa , If he says he seen it , well he must of seen it , Good lad is our Tony :nod

by **NANNY RED** » Tue May 11, 2010 12:06 am

lakes10 wrote:come on Rafa, do the Brown thing and step down to save our club so we can keep Torres

What you talkin about

by **Reg** » Tue May 11, 2010 12:11 am

NANNY RED wrote:
lakes10 wrote:come on Rafa, do the Brown thing and step down to save our club so we can keep Torres

What you talkin about

Thats what I thought Nan as well..... :suspect:

by **lakes10** » Tue May 11, 2010 12:17 am

Reg wrote:
NANNY RED wrote:
lakes10 wrote:come on Rafa, do the Brown thing and step down to save our club so we can keep Torres

What you talkin about

Thats what I thought Nan as well.....

Gordon Brown to stand down as leader

by **LFC2007** » Tue May 11, 2010 12:19 am

Torres to take over as leader :laugh:

by **neil** » Tue May 11, 2010 12:24 am

Reg wrote:
NANNY RED wrote:
lakes10 wrote:come on Rafa, do the Brown thing and step down to save our club so we can keep Torres

What you talkin about

Thats what I thought Nan as well.....

pretty straight forward, Rafa- resign like Brown.

by **Reg** » Tue May 11, 2010 1:20 am

neil wrote:
Reg wrote:
NANNY RED wrote:
lakes10 wrote:come on Rafa, do the Brown thing and step down to save our club so we can keep Torres

What you talkin about

Thats what I thought Nan as well.....

pretty straight forward, Rafa- resign like Brown.

Goes to show you can misread posts, of course I know, as does Nan that Brown has offered to step down, but dont see the parallel, why would Rafa want to step down? Hence Nan's question and my comment.

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