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by **84-1106852058** » Thu May 05, 2005 3:33 pm

News

I'll stay for 20 years - Benitez May 5 2005

EXCLUSIVE by Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo

LIVERPOOL boss Rafa Benitez has confidently predicted this month's Champions League final will be the first of many in a '20 year' managerial career at Anfield.

Benitez has his sights on creating a legacy the equal of his illustrious predecessors, and with comments which will thrill his adoring followers says he hopes to spend two decades at the helm at Liverpool.

The Reds will face AC Milan in Istanbul on May 25 following the Italians' dramatic 3-3 away goal victory over PSV Eindhoven.

But whatever the outcome later this month, Benitez is sure he'll lead his club into many more European Cup finals.

"As a manager I'm young and if I'm at Liverpool for another 20 years, I hope to reach many more finals and win many more trophies," said Benitez.

"I don't know if I'll be here that long, but I hope so. When you're happy here, you're winning and you see the supporters, why wouldn't you want to stay for so long?

"I was expecting the club to be like this when I joined, but only when I experienced nights like the Arsenal and Olympiakos matches did I realise how good it was.

"On Tuesday people spoke about the St Etienne match in 1977, but for us this is more important because it's about now and the future. I've never seen supporters like those against Chelsea. It was fantastic."

by **Woollyback** » Thu May 05, 2005 3:35 pm

Rafa for prime minister :bowdown

by **Lando_Griffin** » Thu May 05, 2005 3:49 pm

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If he became PM, we'd have to get Moris as manager!!!!!lol!!!!! Up the 'pool! :laugh:

by **adamnbarrett** » Thu May 05, 2005 5:33 pm

Give him the key to the city :bowdown

. I'd be happy to keep him for 20 years. Obviously he wants to win more trophies than shankly and paisley put together and get his own gate and have a statue of himself and be remembered as one of the greatest Liverpool managers of all time which I believe he will become.

by **yckatbjywtbiastkamb** » Thu May 05, 2005 6:53 pm

i hope he means that and its not just a throwaway comment.
he has performed a miracle in getting us to the final of the cl and he hasnt even had time to put down his suitcases yet, he hasnt even been in this country a calender year.
i think we also should praise his back up team and especially paco, that fella seems to know the score and talks a lot of sense. our team was a long ball outfit a year ago and just to get us playing on the deck again in such a short space of time is a major achievement in itself so credit to paco and the fella`s who take the day to day training.
there`s going to be some bad spells and some poor results as he tries to build a side for the future but i`m absolutley convinced he`ll get us there eventually (the league title). just imagine performances like the arsenal, everton and juventus home matches on a regular basis, they were a glimpse of the footballing promised land and rafa will lead us there.
hail rafa the boss.

by **Sean** » Thu May 05, 2005 11:08 pm

Hopefully Rafa will be around for a long time but expect Madrid to try their best to tempt him away from us.

by **76-1115222408** » Thu May 05, 2005 11:31 pm

Sean wrote:Hopefully Rafa will be around for a long time but expect Madrid to try their best to tempt him away from us.

Agree totally, but did u have to post that as yer 666th post, not a good sign :devil:

Hopefully its not a sign

Rafa Rafa Rafa

:bowdown

YNWA

by **L-type** » Fri May 06, 2005 12:24 am

yckatbjywtbiastkamb wrote:i hope he means that and its not just a throwaway comment.

Does he really strike you as a man who just throws around words. He knows what it means, and he is tryin to build up our excitement. Hope he can deliver our CL, if I do recall no coach has ever won it in his first year at a given team.

by **A.B.** » Fri May 06, 2005 1:44 am

Hopefully Rafa will be around for a long time but expect Madrid to try their best to tempt him away from us.

They can try their best but they will fail. Benitez left Valencia because of the clubs politics, and there is no other club in Spain with worser politics than Real Madrid. Too many ego's, from the chairman to the players and thats one thing Benitez doesn't like.

Thats why he's here and not there.

by **el_stinger** » Fri May 06, 2005 2:19 am

Imangine what he can do with his own squad, and build it from the foundations. If he has come this far with the team he has to put up with, imagine.

by **Liverpool 4 EVA** » Fri May 06, 2005 2:38 am

el_stinger wrote:Imangine what he can do with his own squad, and build it from the foundations. If he has come this far with the team he has to put up with, imagine.

I thought the same thing many times.

At Valencia he had a team that he quite liked and was confident with.

His Valencia side where such a GREAT unit, fantastically technically gifted, FAST, skillful and attacked from the wings and midfield with such style, danger and panaché, it was brilliant to see.

It's obvious he will try and build a very similarly gifted team, with great character.

by **blizzardic** » Fri May 06, 2005 8:08 am

Rafa to be the next king....

by **wee_boi888** » Fri May 06, 2005 11:57 am

A.B. wrote:
Hopefully Rafa will be around for a long time but expect Madrid to try their best to tempt him away from us.

They can try their best but they will fail. Benitez left Valencia because of the clubs politics, and there is no other club in Spain with worser politics than Real Madrid. Too many ego's, from the chairman to the players and thats one thing Benitez doesn't like.

Thats why he's here and not there.

Yes the politics are 'worser' than AB's grammar!

=P~

by **Woollyback** » Fri May 06, 2005 12:12 pm

wee_boi888 wrote:
A.B. wrote:
Hopefully Rafa will be around for a long time but expect Madrid to try their best to tempt him away from us.

They can try their best but they will fail. Benitez left Valencia because of the clubs politics, and there is no other club in Spain with worser politics than Real Madrid. Too many ego's, from the chairman to the players and thats one thing Benitez doesn't like.

Thats why he's here and not there.

Yes the politics are 'worser' than AB's grammar!

=P~

Oi Boi! That's MY job to take the p*ss out of everybody's grammar & spelling!!

by **2520years** » Fri May 06, 2005 12:13 pm

A Spanish journalist related a story on Radio 5 this week about Rafa and Real Madrid. He reckons the President of Real said to Rafa "You do know you'll be coach here one day don't you?" Rafa didn't respond.

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