Liverpool FC Forum

by **Reg** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 3:42 pm

Appears now the owners are playing games with Rafa which seems counterproductive, a club without a charismatic manager is reduced in value and a new manager would want to spend. So why are they playing like this?
+++

Liverpool owners were split over Gareth Barry transfer, maintains Rafael Benitez
Rafael Benitez, the Liverpool manager, is standing by his view that the club's American owners were split over his drawn-out pursuit of Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry.

19 Aug 2008

Fighting words: Rafael Benitez maintains that Liverpool's owners were split over the transfer of Gareth Barry from Aston Villa Photo: EPA
Although the club has stated the its failure to complete the transfer was due to Villa demanding too high a price for the player, Benitez has said that co-owner Tom Hicks assured him adequate funds were in place.

According to the Daily Mail, Benitez said: "He told me we had the money. We have sold players for more than £20 million during the summer, and he told me: 'If you sell players, you can buy with that, too'.

"I have the support of at least one of the owners. I sent e-mails to all of them, but he was clear we had the money. If the manager has an idea, and it is not a question of money, we have to make the right decision in terms of who we bring in. That has to be the decision of the manager," Benitez said.

At the weekend, Rick Parry, the Liverpool chief executive, made it clear that he will stand firm against Benitez amid the latest outbreak of internal warfare at Anfield.

Benitez's recent statements put Parry's position in doubt by criticising the speed and tactics of the club's pursuit of transfer targets.

However, Benitez's suggestion that Hicks would support the £18 million purchase of Barry will surely have been met with bewilderment by Parry because last week's statement was sanctioned by both owners who appeared to be in agreement that Villa's valuation was too high.

Yet the issue has riled Benitez, who contradicted the club's official stance after Saturday's win at Sunderland.

"It isn't a question of money," Benitez said. "We have problems because we are not doing things that, in my opinion, we have to do in terms of signing players."

When asked if the problem was with Parry, Benitez said: "The question is that we have to be quicker and I told them these things four years ago and I continue thinking the same." Parry, though, believes he has been acting in line with the owners' wishes over the Barry saga.

After the breakdown in the relationship between Hicks and Tom Gillett last season, there has been regular contact during the summer between the chief executive and the American owners.

Earlier this year, Hicks called for Parry's resignation but, while the chief executive's relationship with Benitez appears to be deteriorating, he maintains board support from Gillett and former chairman David Moores.

by **Igor Zidane** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 5:54 pm

THE OWNERS . . .
Aug 19 2008 by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo

NEITHER Tom Hicks nor George Gillett have gone public on the ongoing Gareth Barry situation despite the continuing fallout.

But privately, Gillett is fuming that Rafa Benitez has chosen to make his displeasure public about Barry not being a Liverpool player.

The American businessman and his son Foster were heavily involved in the bid to bring Barry to Anfield and believe the Reds boss has since overstepped the mark.

Hicks' position on the matter is less clear with Benitez having told the media at the weekend that the Texan has told him the money is in place to sign Barry despite the fact that no further offer for the player is imminent.

Significantly, Hicks and Gillett chose not to put their names to an official club statement insisting the £18m asking price for Barry was too high, preferring to leave it to go out in Parry’s name.

In effect, Parry was handed a smoking gun, in all likelihood because the owners feared any perceived lack of backing for Benitez would have a negative effect on their already negligible popularity among Liverpool's fans.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpo....1558685

by **heimdall** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:12 pm

First manager to get the sack this season, maybe it'll be Rafa :oh:

Why oh why must he continue to play these stupid fecking games with the media when he knows they p1ss off the owners, I actually think he is now looking to get sacked and receive a nice little pay off. :veryangry

So many happy clappers on this forum drone on and on about how rafa has the best interests of the club and loves the club etc etc but in that case why does he continue to drag it's good name through the mud with this tawdry and petty tit for tat with Parry and the owners via the media.

by **The Manhattan Project** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:15 pm

This ownership stuff needs to be sorted quickly.

We cannot have another season with people unsettled.

As far as Rafa getting sacked, it would be a mistake, because there is simply no one available who is better.

by **account deleted by request** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:35 pm

While I can understand anyone having issues with the way that Rafa publicises his problems with the owners and Parry, I also believe that Rafa is under enormous pressure both to improve the squad and to make sure we challenge this year. The added frustration of sitting idly by whilst someone who Rafa obviously has little or no faith in negotiates crucial transfers must at times be almost as hard as coping with owners that hardly communicate but seemingly find little problem interfering.

As for better managers, I think there are probably some out there, whether we would get one if Rafa left is another question. Judging by Parrys choice of owner, I tremble to think what his choice of manager would be.

by **LFC2007** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:36 pm

Reg wrote:According to the Daily Mail, Benitez said: "He told me we had the money. We have sold players for more than £20 million during the summer, and he told me: 'If you sell players, you can buy with that, too'.

"I have the support of at least one of the owners. I sent e-mails to all of them, but he was clear we had the money. If the manager has an idea, and it is not a question of money, we have to make the right decision in terms of who we bring in. That has to be the decision of the manager," Benitez said.

"It isn't a question of money," Benitez said. "We have problems because we are not doing things that, in my opinion, we have to do in terms of signing players."

"The question is that we have to be quicker and I told them these things four years ago and I continue thinking the same."

I can't disagree with any of that.

by **Igor Zidane** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:48 pm

heimdall wrote:First manager to get the sack this season, maybe it'll be Rafa
Why oh why must he continue to play these stupid fecking games with the media when he knows they p1ss off the owners, I actually think he is now looking to get sacked and receive a nice little pay off.
So many happy clappers on this forum drone on and on about how rafa has the best interests of the club and loves the club etc etc but in that case why does he continue to drag it's good name through the mud with this tawdry and petty tit for tat with Parry and the owners via the media.

Friggin hell lash , your posts just get more idiotic by the day . Looking to get himself the sack , nice little pay off .

Look none of us know what's going on behind the scenes , but i can take a feckin good guess that Rafa is not looking to get the sack . :no

by **lakes10** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:00 pm

It just bugs me that after all that was said last year about Rafa talking to the press he still can not keep his gob shut.

he should keep it all behind closed doors.

by **Reg** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:15 pm

We have to avoid self destruction:

Owners to change within the next 12 months, possibly for the worse and regardless, destabilising.
Parry gets the boot possibly before the change of owners.
Rafa being the first one to leave, either sacked or a storm out jobby.

Under those circumstances the club would be at the mercy of come what may and leaderless.

All three parties need to sit down and sort this out, it cannot continue.

by **Kukilon** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:23 pm

There is nothing to talk about. These :censored:

clowns that owns us need to sell up quick. It's harsh but the better it goes for our club the lesser the chance is of them selling. I hope we win the league this year because we have the players to do it. On the other hand if we don't have a chance for the title and miss out on CL footy the chance of them selling would be big.

Rafa is a :censored:

hero in my eyes.

by **Reg** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:57 pm

Thats nice to know mate however how well would the club respond to a change of owners, chief executive and manager all within 12 months? How would the players respond both on and off the pitch, how many might walk at the end of the season? What would happen to the stadium plans etc..? The next 2-3 seasons are crucial at Liverpool and we dont need the tomfoolery thats going on at the moment.

Anyway, where´s NannyRed hiding these days??

by **lakes10** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 10:23 pm

Kukilon wrote:There is nothing to talk about. These clowns that owns us need to sell up quick. It's harsh but the better it goes for our club the lesser the chance is of them selling. I hope we win the league this year because we have the players to do it. On the other hand if we don't have a chance for the title and miss out on CL footy the chance of them selling would be big.

Rafa is a hero in my eyes.

I understand how you feel mate but Rafa is going about this wrong, you do not turn and slag your boss of in the press.

Its not the Liverpool way, and dont you find it strange Rafa had his gob shut right untill a few days before the football year, some might say he is getting ready with his excuses already for us not winning the prem.

right know Rafa has a very good team, he needs to use them right and play the same players for most games and not to rest our best players before CL.

Rafa is the best manager in the CL now we will see if he can cut it in the Prem.

You know i will be the main to start say that he should go if things are not looking good, but right now we have only had one game, all he needs to do right know is to keep his gob shut.

Rafa should have one tne prem last year, now we are one good player down (thats how i see it) and i understand why he is mad with the owners but i can see our owners being or owners for some time, i also think they will be her after Rafa has gone. lets hope than means that Rafa and the owners do what they tell us the can do.

by **heimdall** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 10:38 pm

Hang on here I'm not saying that rafa should go, well not quite yet anyway ;-)
But if he carries on slagging off his bosses then what do you think will happen, I thought rafa was smart but openly criticising your bosses is just plain dumb! And if there is one thing Rafa isn't then it's dumb, baffling yes, annoying most certainly but dumb, absolutely not.

by **lakes10** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 11:08 pm

heimdall wrote:Hang on here I'm not saying that rafa should go, well not quite yet anyway ;-)
But if he carries on slagging off his bosses then what do you think will happen, I thought rafa was smart but openly criticising your bosses is just plain dumb! And if there is one thing Rafa isn't then it's dumb, baffling yes, annoying most certainly but dumb, absolutely not.

you are right , Rafa almost looks like he is trying to get the sack, thrying to see how far he can push the owners.

by **LFC2007** » Tue Aug 19, 2008 11:27 pm

Reg wrote:Anyway, where´s NannyRed hiding these days??

Her disappearance has handily coincided with the Olympics. My suspicion is she's secretly been training for the Taekwondo event.

Liverpool FC Forum

TAKEOVER COMPLETE - H & G Finally Jibbed!

Who is online