Rafa Benitez Considering his Future at Liverpool

[ArneSlot4PM]

Rafa Benitez Considering his Future at Liverpool
Liverpool boss has set a deadline for the American owners to sell up or he’s off
August 28, 2009


Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is fast losing patience at Anfield and is considering walking out at the end of the season.

The Tactician has had to suffer in silence as he missed out on numerous transfer targets due to the financial constraints he's currently under. Sources close to the Spaniard say he is feeling suffocated as the criticism mounts on him and his struggling team.

The Reds boss was in touching distance of delivering the Premier League to the Liverpool faithful last season. But Benitez feels powerless to improve on last terms heroics, having to work with such a small budget.

He has managed to sign Alberto Aquilani and Glen Johnson but the deals were funded from the sales of Alvaro Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso and Robbie Keane. The Reds manager has received no additional funds for transfers.

The Liverpool manager can only pray flops Ryan Babel, Lucas and Andrey Voronin start showing dramatic improvement. The Anfield chief had hoped to cash in this summer. But with the owner’s refusal to supplement any additional funds, suitable targets would still be out of Liverpool’s price range.

Turmoil

Tom Hicks and George Gillett have plunged the Merseyside club into financial turmoil since they arrived in 2007. The American owners arrived with talk of big transfer kitties and a plush new stadium but in reality all they have brought is debt and instability.

There has been talk of big money takeovers ever since the Americans financial problems emerged. So far none of these have materialised. If the situation doesn’t change by the January transfer window, Benitez is seriously considering cutting short his tenure with the club.

The successful coach would rather walk away with his head held high than have his reputation trampled on.

Rafa is extremely concerned that the Americans will try to make him a scapegoat if poor results continue on the pitch. The former Valencia chief has never had the best relationship with his bosses. Friends have revealed the Spaniards growing paranoia that the Americans may wield the axe to shift the blame from them.

Benitez though, is unlikely to walk out mid-season out of respect for the Kop faithful. The Yanks would expect an angry fans backlash aimed at them following any such announcement from the supporters favourite.

In such a situation insiders believe the American owners would be loathe to having Benitez still at the club knowing that he would receive the fans backing and sympathy.

Reds legend Kenny Daglish has been made favourite to takeover the Anfield hot seat if Benitez were to go. Such a move would surely only be a short-term measure with the Scot having not managed a side in over ten years.

Daglish, who is currently employed with the youth team at the club, is 9/4 to be the next permanent manager.

 

[Bologna]

Does Silly Season never end?

 

[Halmeister]

Where's that from, Rafa?

 

[Mors]

Is that off Kanwar.com ? That's a nothing story made up what people might think Rafa might be thinking maybe.

 

[The Nomad]

Where's the quotes??

Fuck it though, if I was rafa, and I was promised some cash... I'd be saying the same thing.

But I'm not rafa!

 

[ArneSlot4PM]

[quote author=Halmeister link=topic=35529.msg934227#msg934227 date=1251494217]
Where's that from, Rafa?
[/quote]

It's an exclusive from the highly respected GiveMeFootball.com

 

[Shadey]

Don't believe this at all..

 

[Rosco]

Yeah it's not like Rafa to blame everyone else but himself at all.

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=Rosco link=topic=35529.msg934238#msg934238 date=1251496030]
Yeah it's not like Rafa to blame everyone else but himself at all.
[/quote]

We've been here Ross and we all know he fucked up last Summer, but the American's have fucked up too. This Summer has been a joke financially and they've spent fuck all of their own money.

 

[Squiggles]

It all depends on what the owners promised Rafa when he signed his new contract. If false promises have been made then the Americans can rightly come under criticism.

But as I said in another thread, Rafa's equally culpable for the glaring weaknesses in our squad.

 

[Rosco]

[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=35529.msg934241#msg934241 date=1251496197]
[quote author=Rosco link=topic=35529.msg934238#msg934238 date=1251496030]
Yeah it's not like Rafa to blame everyone else but himself at all.
[/quote]

We've been here Ross and we all know he fucked up last Summer, but the American's have fucked up too. This Summer has been a joke financially and they've spent fuck all of their own money.
[/quote]

That's how it's been for as long as I've been a Liverpool fan.

I don't know why people expect something different. We made a loss last year, it was going to have an effect. This is it.

 

[Frogfish]

[quote author=Rafa4PM link=topic=35529.msg934230#msg934230 date=1251494602]
[quote author=Halmeister link=topic=35529.msg934227#msg934227 date=1251494217]
Where's that from, Rafa?
[/quote]

It's an exclusive from the highly respected GiveMeFootball.com
[/quote]

Ha Ha Ha ! Highly respected ? I sincerely hope that was tongue in cheek. ROFL !

 

[TheBunnyman]

Seems pretty much made-up, but it has the ring of plausibility about it as we've all been waiting for an article like this to turn up. I have a feeling we'll be reading more of the same in some of the more genuinely respected papers just after the transfer window closes.

 

[Hansern]

Purslow disagrees re the spending


Christian Purslow, the managing director of Liverpool, has defended the club’s spending in this summer’s transfer market.

Purslow denied that Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, has been starved of funds and insisted that net outlay is in keeping with previous years. Liverpool have made two significant signings since June with Alberto Aquilani, the Italy midfield player, and Glen Johnson, the England full back, moving to Anfield for a combined sum of about £36 million. In the past week, Sortis Kyrgiakos has also been signed for a fee of £1.5 million from AEK Athens, a bargain basement capture necessitated by continuing injury problems to key defenders.

With Xabi Alonso and Ãlvaro Arbeloa having joined Real Madrid for fees of £30 million and £3.5 million respectively, Sebastian Leto signing for Panathinaikos for £3 million and several other fringe players departing Anfield, it appears that Benítez has balanced the books at the very least. Purslow, though, is adamant that this is not the case, contending that the Liverpool manager has in fact spent a net £20 million on reshaping his squad.

“We’ve spent pretty much the same as we’ve spent every year over the past four or five years,†said Purslow, who took up his new post at Anfield in June. “We’ve spent about £20 million more than we’ve generated, which is what we expected. We’ve bought players the manager wanted to buy and sold players the manager wanted to sell and it has cost us almost to the penny what we expected it to cost.

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“In fact, some of our competitors haven’t spent any money and we have. Spending isn’t the panacea everyone thinks it is, but we’ve spent £20 million and that’s real money. There are lots of costs associated with buying players and extending players that all go into transfer funds.â€

Speaking before today’s Premier League meeting with Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium, Benítez said it was unlikely that Liverpool would make any more signings before the transfer window closes on Tuesday. Despite having seen his team lose twice in their opening three games, the Liverpool manager retains confidence in his team and has been heartened by their reaction to the defeat at home to Aston Villa on Monday.

“The players were really good during the week,†said Benítez, who criticised his senior stars after the Villa game. “They were talking and working together, and I’m sure they are the first people that will have been disappointed with the defeat. In every training session, we have had good intensity.

“I was asked on Monday if teams had worked out our tactics. But the most common system in England is 4-4-2, most teams use that. So most teams are using the same tactics against each other, and still lots of goals are scored. We have to change something if it’s necessary. We’re trying to do this. But we have to work together and push harder, and I’m sure we will start winning games again. We need more at this moment from everyone, the team and the staff. We have to push in the same direction.

“The main thing for me is to react and show we can manage and improve. We have all been working very hard, the staff have analysed data and tried to give confidence to the players, and the players have shown in training that they are doing well.

“We can get back in the title race but we ave to start as soon as possible. If you can win, one weekend can change everything. But you have to win.â€

 

[Squiggles]

Isn't that just shameless spin from Purslow?

 

[Tinto]

[quote author=Squiggles link=topic=35529.msg934353#msg934353 date=1251536438]
Isn't that just shameless spin from Purslow?
[/quote]

Of course it is... if anybody doesn't believe that it is, I would like them to explain where the 55m pounds has gone.

 

[The Slugmonster]

The thing is tho, that because Rafa did so much fighting for his new contract he kind of has taken some of the blame off g&h's backs. He's got full control of transfers...right....unless he didnt read the small print. Where the fucks parry when you need him..........FUCK IT...ITS ALL POULSENS FAULT!!! 😀

 

[Rosco]

He didn't get full control of transfers because it's not allowed under Premier League rules.

 

[Rosco]

[quote author=Squiggles link=topic=35529.msg934353#msg934353 date=1251536438]
Isn't that just shameless spin from Purslow?
[/quote]

Yes.

It shows both sides can play that game.

 

[gkmacca]

That's a very odd contribution from Purslow. I'm not quite sure why he's commenting at all, but it's a strange way to behave, and he surely understands it's not his job to make comments about the playing side. His views on whether we need to strengthen the squad or not are irrelevant; he's certainly entitled to say whether we can afford to strengthen the squad, but that's another issue, and he should respect that.

 

[The Slugmonster]

[quote author=Rosco link=topic=35529.msg934360#msg934360 date=1251537339]
He didn't get full control of transfers because it's not allowed under Premier League rules.
[/quote]

Whatever....but basically the buck stops with him...or so we were led to believe,

 

[gkmacca]

The buck always stops with the manager. That's why managers tend to be so defensive. And that's why those who are surprised by any manager's defensiveness are so surprising.

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=gkmacca link=topic=35529.msg934362#msg934362 date=1251537538]
That's a very odd contribution from Purslow. I'm not quite sure why he's commenting at all, but it's a strange way to behave, and he surely understands it's not his job to make comments about the playing side. His views on whether we need to strengthen the squad or not are irrelevant; he's certainly entitled to say whether we can afford to strengthen the squad, but that's another issue, and he should respect that.
[/quote]

Did I misread that Macca, where did he talk about the playing side?

That aside, I don't really get what he's talking about, pound for pound transfer wise we've spent nothing 'net'.

 

[Molbystwin]

It is a very strange comment, in the convoluted world of football transfer finance i hope to god it isn't true.

Very strange comment indeed.... its almost begging Rafa to speak out in fact....

I am fucking hating this bullshit.

 

[TheBunnyman]

Don't forget who appointed Purslow.

 

[rage]

fuck me even i can't see how we've spent what we have in previous seasons. that purslow cunt needs a slap and for someone to keep on slapping him until he shuts the fuck up or tells the truth.

 

[Rosco]

What Purslow said could be "technically" true at this very point in time. But it would take some exclusion of relevant items.

i.e. if we take it we spent 17m on Glen Johnson, 5m up front on Aquilani, and only received 2m up front for Alonso (unlikely, but we definitely didn't get it all up front) - then that is technically a 20 net spend.

But it's still a lie.