Liverpool FC Forum

by **NANNY RED** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:29 pm

Right i found that piece i was talkin about so anyone who thinks Raffas giving it to the Yanks to this Beasley need to read what this fella has to say

Makes sense to me

Perfect excuse? Or just a worried Chelsea fan?
Posted on February 10th, 2008 by Jim Boardman
Fresh quotes this morning blaming Liverpool’s on-field mess on the owners’ off-field meddling have been attributed to Rafa Benitez, in an “exclusive” by Rob Beasley. But can we believe them?

Rob Beasley is a journalist working in London for the News of the World. If you’ve ever been unfortunate enough to have seen him speak on the Sky discussion show “The Sunday Supplement” you’ll probably take much of what he says about Liverpool with a pinch of salt. Especially if what he’s talking about somehow relates to Chelsea, who happen to be the Reds’ opponents today.

Beasley is the one who claimed he had been kept informed of Jose Mourinho’s intentions with regards the England job, right up until the moment he was told that Mourinho wasn’t going to take the job because he’d got a better offer from a club side somewhere. He claimed he got regular texts off Mourinho.

Beasley is also the one who knew about Ashley Cole’s dodgy discussions with Chelsea when still an Arsenal player, he knew about this tapping-up incident before either Arsenal or the authorities did. Considering that the only people who would have known about it then were the player, his agent and Chelsea, it narrows down the possibilities of who tipped him off, and of who wanted to make it harder for Arsenal to hold onto their player.

Reading most of his articles, listening to most of his comments, his apparent love of Frank Lampard and Chelsea jumps out of the page at you, his comments often seeming clouded as a result. The only time he seems to have had a pop at Chelsea was when he claimed - exclusively - that Avram Grant would be gone by Christmas, Steve Clarke within two weeks. That was at the end of September, after a run of four (he put it in caps) games without a win. Both are still there of course. Beasley got it wrong. Did he make it up?

It’s rather strange, therefore, that Rafael Benitez would give an exclusive to Beasley of all people ahead of the game against Chelsea.

First of all, Rafa’s exclusives generally go to those he trusts in the press. Beasley’s colleague at the paper Chris Bascombe is the man he’s used many times in the past to give exclusives to, or to leak information through. Last week’s News of the World featured some heavy criticism of Rafa from Bascombe, mostly written when the scores were level and the Reds were still struggling in a game that followed five without a win. He spoke of discontent from Carragher and Gerrard, and wouldn’t have been surprised had he upset the Reds boss.

With that in mind, perhaps Rafa wouldn’t be willing to give an exclusive to Bascombe. But why would he instead give one to Beasley? He’s got plenty of other allies in the press: Paul Joyce, Oliver Kay and Tony Barrett to name just three. There simply is no reason for him to speak exclusively to Beasley.

Beasley proves this with his “exclusive” article, headlined: “It’s your fault - Benitez in new blast at owners.”

Beasley starts off with his intentions pretty clear. He wants Rafa to get an ear-bashing from the owners, saying Rafa has “again risked the wrath of Liverpool’s American owners by blaming them for ruining his team’s title hopes.” Beasley claims Rafa told him that the owners’ Jurgen Klinsmann moves in November “de-stabilised the club and undermined all hopes of winning the Premier League.”

Still without a quote from Rafa, Beasley then tells us that Rafa “chose his words carefully” and that this is “hardly surprising after receiving a rap from Tom Hicks and George Gillett for earlier outbursts.”

Finally some quotes from Rafa, if indeed they are genuine quotes: “What is evident is that back at that time we were in a great position and the team was in shape to win many of the games which we eventually drew,” Rafa reportedly said. “So the entire process is what allowed the gap to open between us and the leaders.”

There’s little doubt in the minds of even the most anti-Rafa Liverpool fans that the owners’ meddling has undermined the boss. Players at any club underperform when their manager’s future is in doubt - look at Manchester United in the season where Ferguson planned to retire. Rafa had to abandon hope of beating Reading away because he knew that a few days later a defeat in the Champions League would have ended his time as Liverpool boss, he was blocked from negotiating transfers, blocked from appointing a new assistant to replace Pako Ayesteran, had to endure taunts from opposition fans that he was about to be sacked and saw the owners denying just about anything other than their plan to sack him. He was mocked and criticised publicly by Tom Hicks, and knew that both owners were looking at selling up. Whether he said it or not remains to be seen, but it’s certainly correct: “If I wanted, I have the perfect excuse,” he reportedly said.

Beasley closes with this alleged quote from Rafa: “The only solution I have is to try to bury myself in my work. And it is vital we win today to enable us to fight at least for that fourth-place spot.”

Back in January Beasley was on the more-often-than-not nauseous Sunday Supplement when he had a dig at Rafa. Again the News of the World had run an article attacking Rafa, again it didn’t have Chris Bascombe’s name against it. It was headlined “Rafa: I’m a dead man walking”. This was the article carrying quotes allegedly from “a close friend of Benitez”, but which could be seen easily to be untrue by the way the referenced Mascherano refusing to sign, when in reality there was no deal on the table for him to sign. All the Sundays covered the story, but it was the News of the World that carried the quotes, designed to sound as if they’d come from the man himself. Rafa strongly denied the following day that they had come from him, or from any friend of his.

It didn’t stop Beasley from taking the opportunity to attack Rafa on the Sky programme. “I think this is classic Benitez,” Beasley sneered, “he behaves at times like a petulant spoilt brat. One of his favourite ploys is to give these secret little briefings where he asks journalists to turn off their microphones and he then gives them a bit of inside information.” And of course Rafa is the only manager to do that is he Beasley?

He went on, clearly enjoying the chance to attack the manager that twice sent his beloved Chelsea and Mourinho crashing out of the Champions League: “He’s certainly got a problem with the new owners, he’s spent a lot of money and now he wants more. The thing about Benitez that annoys me is not just his petulance, but nothing is ever his fault.” This coming from Mourinho’s friend! He went on: “But when things go well it’s always to his credit and nobody else’s and I don’t like that in a manager.”

He wasn’t stopping there: “He’s made a classic mistake of believing his own publicity. He’s had a degree of success at Liverpool - nothing in the Premier League - they haven’t won the championship since 1989-90 and that’s a long time for Liverpool not to be the dominant force in English football.”

His hatred dripping from his mouth, he carried on sticking that knife in: “Yes he’s had Champions League success once and they won the FA Cup under Benitez, but that’s not the success that is expected at Liverpool.”

And then: “People try and make him out to be some sort of tactical magician, well he wasn’t a tactical magician in the 2005 Champions League final because they were being trounced by Milan and so his tactics were quite clearly wrong. And if anybody says ‘well he was a tactical genius because he turned it around’ well when you’re in that sort of a mess it doesn’t take much tactics to say ‘we’re in a mess, let’s just go and attack and try and get back and turn it around’.”

But that wasn’t enough, so on he went, the bloodlust getting the better of him: “And again against West Ham in the 2006 FA Cup final, they were out thought, out manoeuvred and trailing. It was the last throw of the dice - ‘let’s pile forward’ and Steven Gerrard got them out of jail in that one as well. Both finals they won on penalties.”

Who did Liverpool knock out on the way to that FA Cup win? Chelsea of course.

Unbelievably, he thought he’d better point something out: “I’m not a fan of Benitez the manager and Benitez the person.” Really? Gosh Rob, you hid it so well, we’d never have guessed. Why? “Because I think he’s a bit snide and secretive. He tries to use the press to then ignite the fans - who adore him at Liverpool - to try and put pressure on the owners.” Again, Mourinho’s mate comes out with this!

Although this programme was on before Hicks admitted he’d lined up Klinsmann to replace Rafa in readiness for sacking him, Beasley will have known well enough that the plan had been there to sack him. He’ll have known why Rafa was so upset at the infamous press conference. But facts shouldn’t get in the way of a gutter journalist on the attack. Beasley went on: “He’s made the classic mistake, he’s called it on with the owners and they’ve said ‘no, we’re in charge, not you, get your head down’. If you remember not that long ago there was that classic press conference when Benitez showed his petulance and stupidity to the extreme where he’d had a tiff, they’d rapped him across the knuckles and said ‘keep your head down, focus on coaching and training the players - that’s your job’. And in the press conference Benitez was asked 25 different questions. 25 times he said ‘my job is to focus on the coaching and training of the players’.

“Now after you’ve been wrapped across the knuckles by your boss and you go and do that, you are effectively saying ’sod you’ and the owners have come back to him and said ‘no, sod you!’”

Well sod you Beasley - you say all this about Rafa and then weeks later expect us to believe he’s given you an exclusive? Something doesn’t add up - I’d guess that either you’ve twisted words spoken off the record (and to someone else not you), or you’ve made all of this up.

Seriously - would anyone in their right mind believe that Rafa would go to such an agenda-driven reporter who has attacked him so often?

Rafa didn’t speak to Beasley. Beasley wanted to stir up trouble. And what a day to do it on - the day your favourite team face Liverpool. The team you saw knock your beloved blues out of the Champions League twice and the FA Cup once. The team who’ve not done quite so well in the league against you, but were only denied three points earlier in the season thanks to the dodgiest refereeing decision outside of Italian football. The team based in Liverpool, city of the Scousers you so dislike.

Liverpool aren’t the team they were at the beginning of the season though, the team that had Chelsea on the ropes. Rafa’s not completely devoid of blame, but he’s certainly had the stuffing knocked out of his plans by owners who have done more to set the club back than any rival manager could hope to. Liverpool’s confidence-shattered squad has only a slim chance of winning today, and that was the case even before Fernando Torres suffered a hamstring injury. Despite his best efforts, Rob Beasley’s continuous attacks on Rafa are little more than midge bites on the battered and broken body of a manager who has been betrayed.

by **Ciggy** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:39 pm

NANNY RED wrote:Right i found that piece i was talkin about so anyone who thinks Raffas giving it to the Yanks to this Beasley need to read what this fella has to say

Makes sense to me

Perfect excuse? Or just a worried Chelsea fan?
Posted on February 10th, 2008 by Jim Boardman
Fresh quotes this morning blaming Liverpool’s on-field mess on the owners’ off-field meddling have been attributed to Rafa Benitez, in an “exclusive” by Rob Beasley. But can we believe them?

Rob Beasley is a journalist working in London for the News of the World. If you’ve ever been unfortunate enough to have seen him speak on the Sky discussion show “The Sunday Supplement” you’ll probably take much of what he says about Liverpool with a pinch of salt. Especially if what he’s talking about somehow relates to Chelsea, who happen to be the Reds’ opponents today.

Beasley is the one who claimed he had been kept informed of Jose Mourinho’s intentions with regards the England job, right up until the moment he was told that Mourinho wasn’t going to take the job because he’d got a better offer from a club side somewhere. He claimed he got regular texts off Mourinho.

Beasley is also the one who knew about Ashley Cole’s dodgy discussions with Chelsea when still an Arsenal player, he knew about this tapping-up incident before either Arsenal or the authorities did. Considering that the only people who would have known about it then were the player, his agent and Chelsea, it narrows down the possibilities of who tipped him off, and of who wanted to make it harder for Arsenal to hold onto their player.

Reading most of his articles, listening to most of his comments, his apparent love of Frank Lampard and Chelsea jumps out of the page at you, his comments often seeming clouded as a result. The only time he seems to have had a pop at Chelsea was when he claimed - exclusively - that Avram Grant would be gone by Christmas, Steve Clarke within two weeks. That was at the end of September, after a run of four (he put it in caps) games without a win. Both are still there of course. Beasley got it wrong. Did he make it up?

It’s rather strange, therefore, that Rafael Benitez would give an exclusive to Beasley of all people ahead of the game against Chelsea.

First of all, Rafa’s exclusives generally go to those he trusts in the press. Beasley’s colleague at the paper Chris Bascombe is the man he’s used many times in the past to give exclusives to, or to leak information through. Last week’s News of the World featured some heavy criticism of Rafa from Bascombe, mostly written when the scores were level and the Reds were still struggling in a game that followed five without a win. He spoke of discontent from Carragher and Gerrard, and wouldn’t have been surprised had he upset the Reds boss.

With that in mind, perhaps Rafa wouldn’t be willing to give an exclusive to Bascombe. But why would he instead give one to Beasley? He’s got plenty of other allies in the press: Paul Joyce, Oliver Kay and Tony Barrett to name just three. There simply is no reason for him to speak exclusively to Beasley.

Beasley proves this with his “exclusive” article, headlined: “It’s your fault - Benitez in new blast at owners.”

Beasley starts off with his intentions pretty clear. He wants Rafa to get an ear-bashing from the owners, saying Rafa has “again risked the wrath of Liverpool’s American owners by blaming them for ruining his team’s title hopes.” Beasley claims Rafa told him that the owners’ Jurgen Klinsmann moves in November “de-stabilised the club and undermined all hopes of winning the Premier League.”

Still without a quote from Rafa, Beasley then tells us that Rafa “chose his words carefully” and that this is “hardly surprising after receiving a rap from Tom Hicks and George Gillett for earlier outbursts.”

Finally some quotes from Rafa, if indeed they are genuine quotes: “What is evident is that back at that time we were in a great position and the team was in shape to win many of the games which we eventually drew,” Rafa reportedly said. “So the entire process is what allowed the gap to open between us and the leaders.”

There’s little doubt in the minds of even the most anti-Rafa Liverpool fans that the owners’ meddling has undermined the boss. Players at any club underperform when their manager’s future is in doubt - look at Manchester United in the season where Ferguson planned to retire. Rafa had to abandon hope of beating Reading away because he knew that a few days later a defeat in the Champions League would have ended his time as Liverpool boss, he was blocked from negotiating transfers, blocked from appointing a new assistant to replace Pako Ayesteran, had to endure taunts from opposition fans that he was about to be sacked and saw the owners denying just about anything other than their plan to sack him. He was mocked and criticised publicly by Tom Hicks, and knew that both owners were looking at selling up. Whether he said it or not remains to be seen, but it’s certainly correct: “If I wanted, I have the perfect excuse,” he reportedly said.

Beasley closes with this alleged quote from Rafa: “The only solution I have is to try to bury myself in my work. And it is vital we win today to enable us to fight at least for that fourth-place spot.”

Back in January Beasley was on the more-often-than-not nauseous Sunday Supplement when he had a dig at Rafa. Again the News of the World had run an article attacking Rafa, again it didn’t have Chris Bascombe’s name against it. It was headlined “Rafa: I’m a dead man walking”. This was the article carrying quotes allegedly from “a close friend of Benitez”, but which could be seen easily to be untrue by the way the referenced Mascherano refusing to sign, when in reality there was no deal on the table for him to sign. All the Sundays covered the story, but it was the News of the World that carried the quotes, designed to sound as if they’d come from the man himself. Rafa strongly denied the following day that they had come from him, or from any friend of his.

It didn’t stop Beasley from taking the opportunity to attack Rafa on the Sky programme. “I think this is classic Benitez,” Beasley sneered, “he behaves at times like a petulant spoilt brat. One of his favourite ploys is to give these secret little briefings where he asks journalists to turn off their microphones and he then gives them a bit of inside information.” And of course Rafa is the only manager to do that is he Beasley?

He went on, clearly enjoying the chance to attack the manager that twice sent his beloved Chelsea and Mourinho crashing out of the Champions League: “He’s certainly got a problem with the new owners, he’s spent a lot of money and now he wants more. The thing about Benitez that annoys me is not just his petulance, but nothing is ever his fault.” This coming from Mourinho’s friend! He went on: “But when things go well it’s always to his credit and nobody else’s and I don’t like that in a manager.”

He wasn’t stopping there: “He’s made a classic mistake of believing his own publicity. He’s had a degree of success at Liverpool - nothing in the Premier League - they haven’t won the championship since 1989-90 and that’s a long time for Liverpool not to be the dominant force in English football.”

His hatred dripping from his mouth, he carried on sticking that knife in: “Yes he’s had Champions League success once and they won the FA Cup under Benitez, but that’s not the success that is expected at Liverpool.”

And then: “People try and make him out to be some sort of tactical magician, well he wasn’t a tactical magician in the 2005 Champions League final because they were being trounced by Milan and so his tactics were quite clearly wrong. And if anybody says ‘well he was a tactical genius because he turned it around’ well when you’re in that sort of a mess it doesn’t take much tactics to say ‘we’re in a mess, let’s just go and attack and try and get back and turn it around’.”

But that wasn’t enough, so on he went, the bloodlust getting the better of him: “And again against West Ham in the 2006 FA Cup final, they were out thought, out manoeuvred and trailing. It was the last throw of the dice - ‘let’s pile forward’ and Steven Gerrard got them out of jail in that one as well. Both finals they won on penalties.”

Who did Liverpool knock out on the way to that FA Cup win? Chelsea of course.

Unbelievably, he thought he’d better point something out: “I’m not a fan of Benitez the manager and Benitez the person.” Really? Gosh Rob, you hid it so well, we’d never have guessed. Why? “Because I think he’s a bit snide and secretive. He tries to use the press to then ignite the fans - who adore him at Liverpool - to try and put pressure on the owners.” Again, Mourinho’s mate comes out with this!

Although this programme was on before Hicks admitted he’d lined up Klinsmann to replace Rafa in readiness for sacking him, Beasley will have known well enough that the plan had been there to sack him. He’ll have known why Rafa was so upset at the infamous press conference. But facts shouldn’t get in the way of a gutter journalist on the attack. Beasley went on: “He’s made the classic mistake, he’s called it on with the owners and they’ve said ‘no, we’re in charge, not you, get your head down’. If you remember not that long ago there was that classic press conference when Benitez showed his petulance and stupidity to the extreme where he’d had a tiff, they’d rapped him across the knuckles and said ‘keep your head down, focus on coaching and training the players - that’s your job’. And in the press conference Benitez was asked 25 different questions. 25 times he said ‘my job is to focus on the coaching and training of the players’.

“Now after you’ve been wrapped across the knuckles by your boss and you go and do that, you are effectively saying ’sod you’ and the owners have come back to him and said ‘no, sod you!’”

Well sod you Beasley - you say all this about Rafa and then weeks later expect us to believe he’s given you an exclusive? Something doesn’t add up - I’d guess that either you’ve twisted words spoken off the record (and to someone else not you), or you’ve made all of this up.

Seriously - would anyone in their right mind believe that Rafa would go to such an agenda-driven reporter who has attacked him so often?

Rafa didn’t speak to Beasley. Beasley wanted to stir up trouble. And what a day to do it on - the day your favourite team face Liverpool. The team you saw knock your beloved blues out of the Champions League twice and the FA Cup once. The team who’ve not done quite so well in the league against you, but were only denied three points earlier in the season thanks to the dodgiest refereeing decision outside of Italian football. The team based in Liverpool, city of the Scousers you so dislike.

Liverpool aren’t the team they were at the beginning of the season though, the team that had Chelsea on the ropes. Rafa’s not completely devoid of blame, but he’s certainly had the stuffing knocked out of his plans by owners who have done more to set the club back than any rival manager could hope to. Liverpool’s confidence-shattered squad has only a slim chance of winning today, and that was the case even before Fernando Torres suffered a hamstring injury. Despite his best efforts, Rob Beasley’s continuous attacks on Rafa are little more than midge bites on the battered and broken body of a manager who has been betrayed.

What a tw@t he is feckin kunt.

by **Igor Zidane** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:44 pm

Did anyone see rafa's interview before the game on sky. Basically he said ,there are two papers that noone trusts in liverpool and he works for one of them (notw) , he said beasley was a liar about 3or 4 times . Get in rafa lad , put the feckers straight. People should know better than to believe what's written in that rag anyway. Rob Beasley = tw@t . FACT.

by **god_bless_john_houlding** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:46 pm

Ciggy wrote:I watched two great games today and I witnessed two outstanding players Didi hamann and Javier Mascherano the two of them deserved MOTM in both games.
No one is questioning Sven now are they?
Or if City finish 4th is he going to be the new whipping boy by the media? God knows he was cruisfied when he was the England boss.
Everton where feckin awful yesterday why isnt Gollum under the cosh hey?
Where are the Moyes bashers in the press 4th placed team......

Why us? Why is it always feckin us?

It's always us for one plain and bloody good reason, because we deserve it. We are Liverpool Football Club, the biggest club in the entire world and we are struggling to even make the top 4 this year. As for years gone by, it's been us because we've struggled to mount a title challenge, and when the biggest football side don't mount challenges for major honours, people talk. As for the years when we have mounted title challeneges, it's been us for one simple reason again, the entire country is JEALOUS of Liverpool Football Club. Our history is second to none and people are jealous of it so they try and make us look as bad as possible. That's why it's us, because people are so obssessed with this great club they can't help but talk about us.

As for why Sven and Moyes aren't been slaughtered is because they're performing above expectations. Whereas when Sven was manager of England, the expectation was to win trophies, he didn't, so he got the rightful criticism. Like Benitez now, he's in charge of a club where the expectation is to win the league, he hasn't and doesn't look like he will, so he'll be criticised.

by **Igor Zidane** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:47 pm

lakes10 wrote:I am in shock that Rafa has once again hit out at the owners in the press.

I heard it first on radio 5 .

RAFA BENITEZ has again risked the wrath of Liverpool's American owners by blaming them for RUINING his team's title hopes.
The Anfield boss says their bid to replace him with Jurgen Klinsmann late last year de-stabilised the club and undermined all hopes of winning the Premier League.

Benitez, whose side take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge today, chose his words carefully — hardly surprising after receiving a rap from Tom Hicks and George Gillett for earlier outbursts.

But he said: "What is evident is that back at that time we were in a great position and the team was in shape to win many of the games which we eventually drew.

"So the entire process is what allowed the gap to open between us and the leaders.

"If I wanted, I have the perfect excuse.

The only solution I have is to try to bury myself in my work. And it is vital we win today to enable us to fight at least for that fourth-place spot."

fECKIN LIAR BEASLEY :angry:

by **Igor Zidane** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:49 pm

peewee wrote:
lakes10 wrote:I am in shock that Rafa has once again hit out at the owners in the press.

I heard it first on radio 5 .

RAFA BENITEZ has again risked the wrath of Liverpool's American owners by blaming them for RUINING his team's title hopes.
The Anfield boss says their bid to replace him with Jurgen Klinsmann late last year de-stabilised the club and undermined all hopes of winning the Premier League.

Benitez, whose side take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge today, chose his words carefully — hardly surprising after receiving a rap from Tom Hicks and George Gillett for earlier outbursts.

But he said: "What is evident is that back at that time we were in a great position and the team was in shape to win many of the games which we eventually drew.

"So the entire process is what allowed the gap to open between us and the leaders.

"If I wanted, I have the perfect excuse.

The only solution I have is to try to bury myself in my work. And it is vital we win today to enable us to fight at least for that fourth-place spot."

yeah i read this earlier, i wonder what his excuse is for the previous 3 seasons.

he doesn't do himself any favours when he spouts sh*te like this

fECKIN LIES FROM BEASLEY :angry:

by **destro** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:51 pm

The most interesting thing in all this is that some members on here when they first got news of the what Rafa supposedly said decided to take it as gospel and have yet another dig at him "he never learns" blah,blah,blah. Have we learnt nothing about what lengths some reporters will go to to sell their papers :no

by **Igor Zidane** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:51 pm

The_Rock wrote:
lakes10 wrote:I am in shock that Rafa has once again hit out at the owners in the press.

I heard it first on radio 5 .

RAFA BENITEZ has again risked the wrath of Liverpool's American owners by blaming them for RUINING his team's title hopes.
The Anfield boss says their bid to replace him with Jurgen Klinsmann late last year de-stabilised the club and undermined all hopes of winning the Premier League.

Benitez, whose side take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge today, chose his words carefully — hardly surprising after receiving a rap from Tom Hicks and George Gillett for earlier outbursts.

But he said: "What is evident is that back at that time we were in a great position and the team was in shape to win many of the games which we eventually drew.

"So the entire process is what allowed the gap to open between us and the leaders.

"If I wanted, I have the perfect excuse.

The only solution I have is to try to bury myself in my work. And it is vital we win today to enable us to fight at least for that fourth-place spot."

Jesus christ rafa......you can point your finger at anyone but which direction are the other 4 pointing at....

This is getting ridiculous..... How about being a man rafa and accepting the blame for persisting with kuyt, playing crouch on the left wing....etc.....

Its over....rafa has to go. He is not focused on the team. He just does not want any tarnish to his reputation.....he has to go.

What do the happy-clappy brigade think about rafa's latest outburst.....

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer....results

Rafa blames rift for bad results

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez believes he has "the perfect excuse" for his side's lackluster performance in the Premier League this season.

The Spanish coach's relationship with co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks came in for some intense scrutiny around the turn of the year as concerns over the size of the available transfer budget seemingly caused a rift.

Hicks later admitted that the Americans had held talks with former Germany manager Jurgen Klinsmann - a fact which further destabilised Benitez's position and led to fan protests in defence of the manager.

"What is evident is that back at that time, we were in a great position and the team was in shape to win many of the games which we eventually drew," he told the News of the World.

"So the entire process is what allowed the gap to open between us and the leaders.

"If I wanted, I have the perfect excuse. The only solution I have is to try to bury myself in my work."

The Reds travel to face Chelsea on Sunday with their title ambitions extinguished and a battle to retain their Champions League berth for next season now their primary focus.

Benitez added: "What is vital is that we win to enable us to fight for at least the fourth-placed spot."

FECKIN MORE LIES FROM BEASLEY , DON'T BELIEVE A WORD THE NOTW WRITE , IT'S ALL LIES. :angry:

by **god_bless_john_houlding** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:52 pm

Igor Zidane wrote:Did anyone see rafa's interview before the game on sky. Basically he said ,there are two papers that noone trusts in liverpool and he works for one of them (notw) , he said beasley was a liar about 3or 4 times . Get in rafa lad , put the feckers straight. People should know better than to believe what's written in that rag anyway. Rob Beasley = tw@t . FACT.

This will only bring up the Gerrard debate again, his book was wrote by Henry Winter (sports journalist for the sister paper)

Do we all suddenly hate Gerrard?

I do for what he done, he should know as well as anyone that, that paper is considered scum around Liverpool. I love Gerrard for what he's done on the pitch and still hold him as our greatest ever player, I love Gerrard because he's a fan and knows and feels the same failure as us, but Gerrard as a man went down in my estimation for doing what he has.

by **destro** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:54 pm

glenbuck patriot wrote:Lando Your,

Three points: And i'm sorry it's taken so long to reply, did'nt want to use BIG Words that might Blow your Tiny Little Mind!

1. It wasn't a personal attack before you stuck your oar in.

What would you call it then, I'm Lando I can say anything I WANT to other member's but you've all got to remember I'M LANDO SO WHATEVER CR@P I SPOUT IT ISN'T PERSONAL?

2. I suffered direct abuse which went unnoticed (or un-condemned) by yourself

(OH POOR YOU,YOU SUFFERED DIRECT ABUSE, IS IT ANY WONDER WHEN YOU CONDEMN EVERY OTHER MEMBERS POINT OF VIEW JUST BECAUSE IT DOES'NT COINCIDE WITH YOUR'S?).

3. Patently, not everybody does support the manager or players.
Look at the dog's stick Kuyt recieves on here. Is it OK for people to insult them? Is that what you think?

DID I SAY I CONDEMNED THE MANAGER OR PLAYERS ..... NO, WHAT I SAID WAS I HAVE THE RIGHT AS DOES EVERY OTHER FORUM MEMBER TO QUESTION RAFA'S TACTICS, FORMATION OR THE ROTATION POLICY.

DID I ONCE CONDEMN THE FORM OF DIRK KUYT, IF YOU LOOK BACK I DIDN'T MENTION INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS!

Because there's no way on planet Earth you can justify some of the abuse Rafa, Kuyt, and whomever else is not flavour of the Month get, whilst condemning my methods.

I DIDN'T JUSTIFY ABUSE OF THE CURRENT PLAYERS OR THE MANAGER, I CONDEMNED YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR METHODS OF BEING COMPLETELY CHILDLIKE IN YOUR ARGUMENT OF YOUR POINT OF VIEW (or lack of it as the case might be!).

Questioning tactics are part-and-parcel of the forum - yes. Calling the manager an idiot, etc, isn't.

DIDN'T CALL RAFA AN IDIOT, MIGHT CALL YOU AN IDIOT, EVEN SAID MY POST WAS IRRELEVANT! , THE POINT OF MY POST WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY LOST ON AN APRICOT LIKE YOU WAS as follows (EARS OPEN LISTEN IN) to berate as you are now and abuse as you are now fellow forum members is a complete and utter waste of time, GET'S EVERYONE NOWHERE!, GET'S MY BACK UP CAUSE you don't read what's been posted and are too quick to shoot your mouth off & other members view's down.

This is the first time in a long time i've posted, generally i'm happy to read other members point's of view, agree with a lot disagree with a lot but you boil mi pi55!, with the uncontrolled vitriol you spout, if you've got nothing more to say than "I'm right and if you don't agree I'm taking my ball home & calling you all names", don't bother posting, you've said that more than once when members have disagreed with you

If people don't wish to be insulted, they shouldn't spout b*llocks.

WELL ON THIS POINT AT LEAST WE'RE AGREED LANDO AND LET ME CONGRATULATE YOU ON SPOUTING THE MOST B*LLOCKS ON THIS FORUM SINCE STU THE RED LEFT THE FORUM!

OR ARE YOU STU THE RED IN DISGUISE?

Anyway alway's happy to debate how wrong I and everyone else on this forum will be in your eyes!, cause we're not you.

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by **Igor Zidane** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:55 pm

god_bless_john_houlding wrote:
Igor Zidane wrote:Did anyone see rafa's interview before the game on sky. Basically he said ,there are two papers that noone trusts in liverpool and he works for one of them (notw) , he said beasley was a liar about 3or 4 times . Get in rafa lad , put the feckers straight. People should know better than to believe what's written in that rag anyway. Rob Beasley = tw@t . FACT.

This will only bring up the Gerrard debate again, his book was wrote by Henry Winter (sports journalist for the sister paper)

Do we all suddenly hate Gerrard?

I do for what he done, he should know as well as anyone that, that paper is considered scum around Liverpool. I love Gerrard for what he's done on the pitch and still hold him as our greatest ever player, I love Gerrard because he's a fan and knows and feels the same failure as us, but Gerrard as a man went down in my estimation for doing what he has.

Agreed john ,he shouldn't have gone anywhere near that rag. Feck me Rafa's only been here 3or4 years and he knows it's sh!t.

by **god_bless_john_houlding** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:58 pm

Igor Zidane wrote:
god_bless_john_houlding wrote:
Igor Zidane wrote:Did anyone see rafa's interview before the game on sky. Basically he said ,there are two papers that noone trusts in liverpool and he works for one of them (notw) , he said beasley was a liar about 3or 4 times . Get in rafa lad , put the feckers straight. People should know better than to believe what's written in that rag anyway. Rob Beasley = tw@t . FACT.

This will only bring up the Gerrard debate again, his book was wrote by Henry Winter (sports journalist for the sister paper)

Do we all suddenly hate Gerrard?

I do for what he done, he should know as well as anyone that, that paper is considered scum around Liverpool. I love Gerrard for what he's done on the pitch and still hold him as our greatest ever player, I love Gerrard because he's a fan and knows and feels the same failure as us, but Gerrard as a man went down in my estimation for doing what he has.

Agreed john ,he shouldn't have gone anywhere near that rag. Feck me Rafa's only been here 3or4 years and he knows it's sh!t.

Wasn't the first though, Liverpool legend Graeme Souness went and spoke to you know who. At least Souey had an excuse (however feeble) he had one. Gerrard's got no explaination other than the sister paper offered him most money. After all that's what football's turned into, a money grabbing sport where love, pride and passion mean next to nothing to players.

by **NANNY RED** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:05 pm

Igor Zidane wrote:
The_Rock wrote:
lakes10 wrote:I am in shock that Rafa has once again hit out at the owners in the press.

I heard it first on radio 5 .

RAFA BENITEZ has again risked the wrath of Liverpool's American owners by blaming them for RUINING his team's title hopes.
The Anfield boss says their bid to replace him with Jurgen Klinsmann late last year de-stabilised the club and undermined all hopes of winning the Premier League.

Benitez, whose side take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge today, chose his words carefully — hardly surprising after receiving a rap from Tom Hicks and George Gillett for earlier outbursts.

But he said: "What is evident is that back at that time we were in a great position and the team was in shape to win many of the games which we eventually drew.

"So the entire process is what allowed the gap to open between us and the leaders.

"If I wanted, I have the perfect excuse.

The only solution I have is to try to bury myself in my work. And it is vital we win today to enable us to fight at least for that fourth-place spot."

Jesus christ rafa......you can point your finger at anyone but which direction are the other 4 pointing at....

This is getting ridiculous..... How about being a man rafa and accepting the blame for persisting with kuyt, playing crouch on the left wing....etc.....

Its over....rafa has to go. He is not focused on the team. He just does not want any tarnish to his reputation.....he has to go.

What do the happy-clappy brigade think about rafa's latest outburst.....

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer....results

Rafa blames rift for bad results

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez believes he has "the perfect excuse" for his side's lackluster performance in the Premier League this season.

The Spanish coach's relationship with co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks came in for some intense scrutiny around the turn of the year as concerns over the size of the available transfer budget seemingly caused a rift.

Hicks later admitted that the Americans had held talks with former Germany manager Jurgen Klinsmann - a fact which further destabilised Benitez's position and led to fan protests in defence of the manager.

"What is evident is that back at that time, we were in a great position and the team was in shape to win many of the games which we eventually drew," he told the News of the World.

"So the entire process is what allowed the gap to open between us and the leaders.

"If I wanted, I have the perfect excuse. The only solution I have is to try to bury myself in my work."

The Reds travel to face Chelsea on Sunday with their title ambitions extinguished and a battle to retain their Champions League berth for next season now their primary focus.

Benitez added: "What is vital is that we win to enable us to fight for at least the fourth-placed spot."

FECKIN MORE LIES FROM BEASLEY , DON'T BELIEVE A WORD THE NOTW WRITE , IT'S ALL LIES.

The thing is Igor some people want Raffa out at ant cost so theyll believe anything that is told

When i heard it had come from this :censored:

i knew it was fake mate straight off but if another story came out tomorrow and said Raffa hadnt been for a shi.t in two days these get Raffa out lot would try and deciypher well he must not be pushing hard enough thats it get him out,

What are they doin believing anything that comes from that scum paper anyway they shouldnt of even been reading it

Some people need to give the man a break

by **account deleted by request** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:06 pm

I usually try to stay out of this particular argument as I am not from Liverpool and my views are unimportant when such a highly charged subject is under discussion. However as I understand things, the paper that is banned is NOT the NOTW. Gerrard could and probably should have been more sensitive to the feelings of fellow Liverpool supporters, but he did nothing wrong. Should all Liverpool players now refuse to give interviews to Sky? Are you not all contributing to the same company that owns the banned paper by paying your Sky subs every month?

Better to keep things simple, ONE PAPER IS BANNED and thats it.

Sorry if I offended anyone I wont be making any other posts on this matter.

by **god_bless_john_houlding** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:09 pm

Nanny I don't believe Benitez has said it, and I didn't know about it until the pre-match interview because those two papers aren't allowed in our household, but I still want him out. Not because of this, because of what's happening on the pitch.

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