Doctor Mac is back!
Liverpool sack Rafa Benitez
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[quote author=Sheik Yerbouti link=topic=40455.msg1112749#msg1112749 date=1275590483]
I like Rafa the man. I enjoyed his obvious love for the club, his respect and knowledge of it's history and his respect for the city and the fans. I honestly believe he did everything with the club's best interests at heart. The owners are a pair of cunts. That can't be denied. But basing the situation on the footballing side alone, after this season, he simply had to go. Now that Mourinho isn't a possibility I'm a bit more nervous but I do think there are managers out there who would do better than this season's performances. At some point you have to take a gamble. It might come off. It might not. I'll worry about it when we're losing around 19 games a season.
[/quote]
Even if Mourinho had not agreed a deal with Real, he was never a possibility under the current owners.
I like Rafa the man. I enjoyed his obvious love for the club, his respect and knowledge of it's history and his respect for the city and the fans. I honestly believe he did everything with the club's best interests at heart. The owners are a pair of cunts. That can't be denied. But basing the situation on the footballing side alone, after this season, he simply had to go. Now that Mourinho isn't a possibility I'm a bit more nervous but I do think there are managers out there who would do better than this season's performances. At some point you have to take a gamble. It might come off. It might not. I'll worry about it when we're losing around 19 games a season.
[/quote]
Even if Mourinho had not agreed a deal with Real, he was never a possibility under the current owners.
[quote author=the count link=topic=40455.msg1112758#msg1112758 date=1275591506]
[quote author=gene hughes link=topic=40455.msg1112756#msg1112756 date=1275591439]
Doctor Mac is back!
[/quote]
he never went away you know!
[/quote]
I've been keeping a low profile.
Bit busy this weather.
[quote author=gene hughes link=topic=40455.msg1112756#msg1112756 date=1275591439]
Doctor Mac is back!
[/quote]
he never went away you know!
[/quote]
I've been keeping a low profile.
Bit busy this weather.
Exam season?
Not tarragon, whatever you do. Can't stand the stuff.
I've never tasted tarragon, strangely enough. I've started to chop up fresh fennel seeds for my home made burgers though and it's great. Highly recommended.
Interesting. I've not had the seeds, just the actual fennel, which I'm not mad keen on. Might give that a try though.
Fennel seeds are awesome. Caraway seeds are good too. But I think we digress.
Just chop up a few seeds and pop them into your burger mix, maybe 3 seeds per burger. Happy days.
Changing the owners is more important than our manager however Rafa probably needed a fresh start just like the club. It's still a sad day as far as I'm concerned. I watched the great European Cup wins on TV as a young lad, was at Wembley to watch us lift the FA Cup twice and Anfield to watch us clinch numerous Titles however that incredible night in Turkey eclipses everything.
My children have sung the "Rafa, Rafa Benitez" song as I've told them the story of the Miracle of Istanbul on countless occasions using it as the ultimate example of never giving up no matter what. My eyes water every time. When waking up in the morning for at least ten days after that final I wondered if I'd just had a dream.
Rafa played his part in that unforgettable night and so I will always remember him fondly and wish him well. I wish it had worked out differently for him.
My children have sung the "Rafa, Rafa Benitez" song as I've told them the story of the Miracle of Istanbul on countless occasions using it as the ultimate example of never giving up no matter what. My eyes water every time. When waking up in the morning for at least ten days after that final I wondered if I'd just had a dream.
Rafa played his part in that unforgettable night and so I will always remember him fondly and wish him well. I wish it had worked out differently for him.
[quote author=gene hughes link=topic=40455.msg1112782#msg1112782 date=1275594335]
Exam season?
[/quote]
That, and organising a conference and assorted other shit.
Exam season?
[/quote]
That, and organising a conference and assorted other shit.
Rafa has gone! Gene has never tasted tarragon! Fucking hell, what a day this has been...
[quote author=TheBunnyman link=topic=40455.msg1112798#msg1112798 date=1275597113]
Rafa has gone! Gene has never tasted tarragon! Fucking hell, what a day this has been...
[/quote]
Hahaha. Will this rollercoaster ever end?
Rafa has gone! Gene has never tasted tarragon! Fucking hell, what a day this has been...
[/quote]
Hahaha. Will this rollercoaster ever end?
I have to pick up some of Jean's shoes from the cobblers on the way home but if I've time I'm going to buy some tarragon.
That 6m was to be rafa's wages for the next 18 months or so. i assume it will just mean we've less to spend on our next managers wages. given wins been touted we'll probably make money out of it
Reina the first player to commit hopefully Torres and Gerrard to follow.
Reina is in South Africa with the Spain squad ahead of the World Cup and took time out after playing in a 1-0 win in a warm-up game against South Korea to speak to Goal.com about his former manager.
"Something like this is always sad," said Reina. "Rafa is the one who has always trusted me. I can only give my utmost gratitude for all that he's done for me. I wish him the very best."
Reina committed his future to Liverpool earlier this year, and reiterated his desire to stay at Anfield despite the managerial upheaval.
"This changes nothing," said Reina when asked about his own situation. "I still have a six-year contract with Liverpool."
Reina is in South Africa with the Spain squad ahead of the World Cup and took time out after playing in a 1-0 win in a warm-up game against South Korea to speak to Goal.com about his former manager.
"Something like this is always sad," said Reina. "Rafa is the one who has always trusted me. I can only give my utmost gratitude for all that he's done for me. I wish him the very best."
Reina committed his future to Liverpool earlier this year, and reiterated his desire to stay at Anfield despite the managerial upheaval.
"This changes nothing," said Reina when asked about his own situation. "I still have a six-year contract with Liverpool."
[quote author=Gerry_A_Trick link=topic=40455.msg1112805#msg1112805 date=1275598804]
That 6m was to be rafa's wages for the next 18 months or so. i assume it will just mean we've less to spend on our next managers wages. given wins been touted we'll probably make money out of it
[/quote]
I read somewhere that Inter were paid 6.8 million compensation from Real for Jose. Maybe thats where the the 6 million figure has come from?
That 6m was to be rafa's wages for the next 18 months or so. i assume it will just mean we've less to spend on our next managers wages. given wins been touted we'll probably make money out of it
[/quote]
I read somewhere that Inter were paid 6.8 million compensation from Real for Jose. Maybe thats where the the 6 million figure has come from?
I have to say, I find that idea ridiculous.
I always miss the good threads with loads of action and wielding of bansticks.
*goes off to sulk*
FWIW Sheik has it spot on.
*goes off to sulk*
FWIW Sheik has it spot on.
From The Times
June 4, 2010
Tony Barrett
Final curtain always on the cards with Rafael BenÃtez doing it his way
Liverpool fans burnt American flags and called for the head of Christian Purslow, the managing director, as shock over Rafael BenÃtez’s departure turned to anger at the way the club are being run.
About 500 supporters descended on Anfield last night after confirmation that BenÃtez’s six-year tenure as Liverpool manager had come to an end.
The main targets for their outrage were Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, the co-owners, but Purslow was also the subject of fervent chanting as the divisions that have riven Liverpool in recent years spilt out on to the streets surrounding their ground.
Conflict has been one of the key features of the BenÃtez era, the Spaniard having fallen out with a string of club executives, each of whom, he believed, had let him down by breaking promises or by being guilty of tardiness in the transfer market.
The cordial joint statement that ended one set of hostilities by bringing BenÃtez’s time at the helm to a close was significant for so many reasons, not least of which was the fact that it was the first time BenÃtez and the club’s hierarchy had sung from the same hymn sheet in some considerable time.
It was dated June 3, 2010, but the beginning of the end came on August 24 last year and had BenÃtez not pulled back from the brink, he would have quit on January 20 this year. What happened yesterday was merely the inevitable conclusion to a season that took manager, players, supporters and the entire club through one of the most turbulent campaigns in their history.
The importance of the events that took place on that evening should not be understated. Liverpool were beaten 3-1 at home by Aston Villa and their obvious shortcomings as a team were laid bare. That defeat in itself was damaging to BenÃtez because it indicated that he would not be presiding over a second successive title challenge. Words, though, rather than actions had the biggest impact.
In his post-match press conference, BenÃtez attempted to protect Lucas Leiva, who had scored an own goal and is so often a lightning rod for criticism, but the Spaniard’s defence of one player was to land him in hot water with several others.
“It is up to the senior players to take responsibility,†BenÃtez said in a very public admonishment that brought about a sudden deterioration in his relationship with a section of the dressing room.
Five months later, BenÃtez had seen his team knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage, embarrassed in the FA Cup by Reading and left well off the pace in the Barclays Premier League. His lowest ebb came when Tottenham Hotspur visited Anfield in January, his morale having plummeted to such an extent that there were fears within the club that he could quit on the day of a game.
Had it not been a match day, he might have walked out there and then, but the realisation of the disarray that such an abrupt decision would have caused helped to bring him back from the brink. A show of support from the fans leading up to kick-off ensured that thoughts of ending his association with the club he took to Champions League glory in 2005 cooled.
If anything, though, the antipathy between BenÃtez and the boardroom heated up from then on, as illustrated by a pre-match conversation between a senior Liverpool official and his opposite number from a rival club.
“Do you know why Rafa is playing two holding midfielders?†the Liverpool figure asked. “No,†came the reply. “Because he hasn’t got three,†came the answer.
While BenÃtez questioned those above him, they in turn had doubts about him, with concerns expressed privately about his man-management and motivational skills, and his record in the transfer market.
Gillett had a favourite phrase for BenÃtez, describing him as a “serial transactionalistâ€, in reference to the high turnover of players at Anfield. It was against this backdrop of infighting that Liverpool’s season unravelled as spectacularly as it did.
However, only a fool would believe that the removal of BenÃtez will cure all Liverpool’s ills: their problems — debt and lack of direction — are far too entrenched for that to happen.
The most important job facing Purslow and his colleagues now is to convince some of Liverpool’s biggest names that a revolution is afoot that will raise the club’s ambitions and improve their fortunes at a stroke — but with no buyer lined up, that will be no easy task.
Fernando Torres is known to be so disenchanted with Liverpool’s decline in fortunes that rival clubs have long since been alerted. It is unlikely that a game of managerial musical chairs will be enough to convince the striker that an upturn is imminent and Steven Gerrard will also be looking for reasons to remain at his boyhood club despite the interest of Real Madrid.
The jungle drums that beat incessantly on Merseyside had suggested that Torres and Gerrard would leave if BenÃtez remained but the departure of the manager does not guarantee their loyalty. Only the urgent fulfilment of the promises that have been made to them will do that.
In one respect, BenÃtez has already beaten them to the punch by heading for the escape hatch first. His destination remains unknown but, given his status as a Champions League-winning manager and his standing in European football, he will not be out of work for long, with Inter Milan leading the race for his signature.
“BenÃtez has a certain affinity with Inter fans,†Gabriele Oriali, a director with the Italian champions, has said. “He is very appealing to us. He has already given us great joy, namely the 2005 Champions League win against Milan. Who does not remember Istanbul?â€
The Liverpool fans certainly do, which explains why a section of them took to the streets in protest last night. BenÃtez may have gone but the recriminations look set to continue.
Men in the frame
Kenny Dalglish A Liverpool legend on the field and in the dugout. Won the Double in his first season as player-manager, with two more league titles and an FA Cup to follow, then won another league title with Blackburn Rovers. Less successful with Newcastle United and Celtic, he returned to an ambassadorial role at Anfield last year.
Roy Hodgson Took Fulham to the Europa League final this season with a team assembled on a limited budget, which will appeal to the Anfield owners. Vastly experienced and well connected in the European arena, he has managed big clubs such as Inter Milan as well as international sides.
Mark Hughes Learnt his trade as manager with Wales and Blackburn, where he built a combative team who were difficult to beat. Struggled to live up to expectations with Manchester City and his past as a Manchester United player may count against him, but is known to have met Liverpool representatives when they played Benfica in Lisbon. Plus, he is available and has a point to prove.
Martin O’Neill The Aston Villa manager ticks many boxes — with ambition, passion and big-club experience — and after managing Celtic, he would feel the pressure of life at Anfield less than most. On the other hand, he has spent big money without delivering trophies at Villa Park and the ownership situation at Liverpool would not appeal to him.
Guus Hiddink The Dutchman made an excellent impression when he took temporary charge of Chelsea in the second half of last season and has Holland and Real Madrid on his CV. However, he failed in his attempt to take Russia to the World Cup finals. In any case, he has taken up a position as the Turkey coach and would be reluctant to break his agreement with their FA.
June 4, 2010
Tony Barrett
Final curtain always on the cards with Rafael BenÃtez doing it his way
Liverpool fans burnt American flags and called for the head of Christian Purslow, the managing director, as shock over Rafael BenÃtez’s departure turned to anger at the way the club are being run.
About 500 supporters descended on Anfield last night after confirmation that BenÃtez’s six-year tenure as Liverpool manager had come to an end.
The main targets for their outrage were Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, the co-owners, but Purslow was also the subject of fervent chanting as the divisions that have riven Liverpool in recent years spilt out on to the streets surrounding their ground.
Conflict has been one of the key features of the BenÃtez era, the Spaniard having fallen out with a string of club executives, each of whom, he believed, had let him down by breaking promises or by being guilty of tardiness in the transfer market.
The cordial joint statement that ended one set of hostilities by bringing BenÃtez’s time at the helm to a close was significant for so many reasons, not least of which was the fact that it was the first time BenÃtez and the club’s hierarchy had sung from the same hymn sheet in some considerable time.
It was dated June 3, 2010, but the beginning of the end came on August 24 last year and had BenÃtez not pulled back from the brink, he would have quit on January 20 this year. What happened yesterday was merely the inevitable conclusion to a season that took manager, players, supporters and the entire club through one of the most turbulent campaigns in their history.
The importance of the events that took place on that evening should not be understated. Liverpool were beaten 3-1 at home by Aston Villa and their obvious shortcomings as a team were laid bare. That defeat in itself was damaging to BenÃtez because it indicated that he would not be presiding over a second successive title challenge. Words, though, rather than actions had the biggest impact.
In his post-match press conference, BenÃtez attempted to protect Lucas Leiva, who had scored an own goal and is so often a lightning rod for criticism, but the Spaniard’s defence of one player was to land him in hot water with several others.
“It is up to the senior players to take responsibility,†BenÃtez said in a very public admonishment that brought about a sudden deterioration in his relationship with a section of the dressing room.
Five months later, BenÃtez had seen his team knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage, embarrassed in the FA Cup by Reading and left well off the pace in the Barclays Premier League. His lowest ebb came when Tottenham Hotspur visited Anfield in January, his morale having plummeted to such an extent that there were fears within the club that he could quit on the day of a game.
Had it not been a match day, he might have walked out there and then, but the realisation of the disarray that such an abrupt decision would have caused helped to bring him back from the brink. A show of support from the fans leading up to kick-off ensured that thoughts of ending his association with the club he took to Champions League glory in 2005 cooled.
If anything, though, the antipathy between BenÃtez and the boardroom heated up from then on, as illustrated by a pre-match conversation between a senior Liverpool official and his opposite number from a rival club.
“Do you know why Rafa is playing two holding midfielders?†the Liverpool figure asked. “No,†came the reply. “Because he hasn’t got three,†came the answer.
While BenÃtez questioned those above him, they in turn had doubts about him, with concerns expressed privately about his man-management and motivational skills, and his record in the transfer market.
Gillett had a favourite phrase for BenÃtez, describing him as a “serial transactionalistâ€, in reference to the high turnover of players at Anfield. It was against this backdrop of infighting that Liverpool’s season unravelled as spectacularly as it did.
However, only a fool would believe that the removal of BenÃtez will cure all Liverpool’s ills: their problems — debt and lack of direction — are far too entrenched for that to happen.
The most important job facing Purslow and his colleagues now is to convince some of Liverpool’s biggest names that a revolution is afoot that will raise the club’s ambitions and improve their fortunes at a stroke — but with no buyer lined up, that will be no easy task.
Fernando Torres is known to be so disenchanted with Liverpool’s decline in fortunes that rival clubs have long since been alerted. It is unlikely that a game of managerial musical chairs will be enough to convince the striker that an upturn is imminent and Steven Gerrard will also be looking for reasons to remain at his boyhood club despite the interest of Real Madrid.
The jungle drums that beat incessantly on Merseyside had suggested that Torres and Gerrard would leave if BenÃtez remained but the departure of the manager does not guarantee their loyalty. Only the urgent fulfilment of the promises that have been made to them will do that.
In one respect, BenÃtez has already beaten them to the punch by heading for the escape hatch first. His destination remains unknown but, given his status as a Champions League-winning manager and his standing in European football, he will not be out of work for long, with Inter Milan leading the race for his signature.
“BenÃtez has a certain affinity with Inter fans,†Gabriele Oriali, a director with the Italian champions, has said. “He is very appealing to us. He has already given us great joy, namely the 2005 Champions League win against Milan. Who does not remember Istanbul?â€
The Liverpool fans certainly do, which explains why a section of them took to the streets in protest last night. BenÃtez may have gone but the recriminations look set to continue.
Men in the frame
Kenny Dalglish A Liverpool legend on the field and in the dugout. Won the Double in his first season as player-manager, with two more league titles and an FA Cup to follow, then won another league title with Blackburn Rovers. Less successful with Newcastle United and Celtic, he returned to an ambassadorial role at Anfield last year.
Roy Hodgson Took Fulham to the Europa League final this season with a team assembled on a limited budget, which will appeal to the Anfield owners. Vastly experienced and well connected in the European arena, he has managed big clubs such as Inter Milan as well as international sides.
Mark Hughes Learnt his trade as manager with Wales and Blackburn, where he built a combative team who were difficult to beat. Struggled to live up to expectations with Manchester City and his past as a Manchester United player may count against him, but is known to have met Liverpool representatives when they played Benfica in Lisbon. Plus, he is available and has a point to prove.
Martin O’Neill The Aston Villa manager ticks many boxes — with ambition, passion and big-club experience — and after managing Celtic, he would feel the pressure of life at Anfield less than most. On the other hand, he has spent big money without delivering trophies at Villa Park and the ownership situation at Liverpool would not appeal to him.
Guus Hiddink The Dutchman made an excellent impression when he took temporary charge of Chelsea in the second half of last season and has Holland and Real Madrid on his CV. However, he failed in his attempt to take Russia to the World Cup finals. In any case, he has taken up a position as the Turkey coach and would be reluctant to break his agreement with their FA.
if it's true that gerrard got the hump about those 'senior players' comments then he's a prick ( like i didn't know ).
I've not seen any of this. Have they really berated Purslow?
[quote author=SaintGeorge67 link=topic=40455.msg1112834#msg1112834 date=1275605003]
I've not seen any of this. Have they really berated Purslow?
[/quote]
purslow is depised in rawkland.
I've not seen any of this. Have they really berated Purslow?
[/quote]
purslow is depised in rawkland.
[quote author=ILD link=topic=40455.msg1112838#msg1112838 date=1275605345]
[quote author=SaintGeorge67 link=topic=40455.msg1112834#msg1112834 date=1275605003]
I've not seen any of this. Have they really berated Purslow?
[/quote]
He is a rat in Rawkland.
[/quote]
Isn't he a spinning-snake?
I'm getting confused.
[quote author=SaintGeorge67 link=topic=40455.msg1112834#msg1112834 date=1275605003]
I've not seen any of this. Have they really berated Purslow?
[/quote]
He is a rat in Rawkland.
[/quote]
Isn't he a spinning-snake?
I'm getting confused.
S
Squiggles
Guest
[quote author=ILD link=topic=40455.msg1112838#msg1112838 date=1275605345]
[quote author=SaintGeorge67 link=topic=40455.msg1112834#msg1112834 date=1275605003]
I've not seen any of this. Have they really berated Purslow?
[/quote]
He is a rat in Rawkland.
[/quote]
And a Snake in Rebel's head.
[quote author=SaintGeorge67 link=topic=40455.msg1112834#msg1112834 date=1275605003]
I've not seen any of this. Have they really berated Purslow?
[/quote]
He is a rat in Rawkland.
[/quote]
And a Snake in Rebel's head.
Atchly the term 'snake' is very much in vogue on RAWK.
Get it rightm, he is a spinning snake in Rebel-Land.
As I said earlier he was everyones chum when he arrived and was prepared to sit down with SoS (more fool him), and give Rafa some time. Then when he found out how the real Benitez operates and that SoS are just a shower when they published off the record remarks at a meeting when he was less than flattering about his bosses, he suddenly became a cunt.
regards
As I said earlier he was everyones chum when he arrived and was prepared to sit down with SoS (more fool him), and give Rafa some time. Then when he found out how the real Benitez operates and that SoS are just a shower when they published off the record remarks at a meeting when he was less than flattering about his bosses, he suddenly became a cunt.
regards
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