Not content with destabilising last season’s campaign, it looks like Liverpool’s debt-laden American owners are at it again as Rafa’s contract talks have stalled.
Going back to the infamous pre-Stoke press conference Benitez had said:
“My agent has not yet received any documents and is a little disappointed. I was talking with him and he didn’t have any news, so he’s not very happy.”
With the reds riding high and the reds boss understandably looking for some security in his job, it seems the US owners who promised the world then delivered a garden shed are once again slowly turning the spotlight off the pitch and on to the behind the scenes goings on at the world’s greatest football club.
It is believed that Benitez does not want to head in to the transfer market this January, however he has wanted clarification in his contract that the club’s transfer policy will rest with the manager of the football club.
In recent deals it has been Rick Parry and the club’s owners who have had an increasing say on which transfers can and can’t happen at Anfield. The collapse of the Gareth Barry transfer in the summer was believed to be down to the owner’s failing to sanction the move on the basis of ‘footballing value’.
Whilst we appreciate, regrettably, that the American’s do have limited amount of bank money to give Rafa for transfers – it is absolutely imperative that the manager decides which players to buy, and not the suits who know so little about football that they even considered Jurgen Klinsmann for the Liverpool job.
With two important games against Everton ahead, and with Liverpool currently top of the Premier League and in their first title chase for years – we suggest that the two useless owners at least attempt to get something right in their pathetic tenure to date – and get a move on with offering Benitez a substantial Anfield contract.
I believe Rafa should be given the full backing in all transfer decisions, not because he’s infallable, i think he has made some mistakes ( sorry dave, mate but I think you’ve got your head in the sand – Lucas regardless of potential, doesn’t look like he’ll ever come good and Voronin? never should have been in a red shirt) but because he’s our manager and all major transfer decisions HAVE to be made by the man in charge, not the money men. We’re a football club first, not a business. If they don’t trust rafa then rafa should leave for a club that will give him their full support. I just pray he doesn’t because I think he is the only man to take this club forward.
YNWA
Get rid of the Yanks NOT RAFA
Amazing that some supporters are quick to have a go at Raffa, short memories (Two champions League Finals and one win, FA cup win)
Why knock some new players
Dossena
Shaky start FIRST SEASON – unfair to judge
Lucas
Only just started to play a lot of games – great potential
Babel
Not played enough – great potential
Keane
FIRST SEASON – unfair to judge
Voronin
Not played enough – great potential
Degen
FIRST SEASON – unfair to judge
Torres
Fantastic
Leave Raffa alone and give him full control and some money
DAVID VILA?
RAFFA should be respected not knocked
I say get rid of Benitez and bring in Martin O’Neill – he will take us to the title and much more !!!
Rafa…..
don’t give up okay…….
love yu so much…
I agree with Vernon, Rafa has to go!
His recent signings (last season or two), team selections, and rant at Sir Alex Ferguson shows he has lost it.
I predict that within 5 games we will be at least 5 points behind United.
The amount of money Rafa has wasted on ordinary players is unbelievable.
Dossena (7 Million)
Lucas (8 Million)
Babel (10 million)
Keane (22 million)
Voronin (big signing on fee & wage)
Degen (big signing on fee & wage)
Thats 47 million, plus signing on fees & wages. Possible thats its nearer 60 million when all is considered.
In the same time some other clubs got bargains
Young to Villa (8 Million)
Lennon to Spurs (1.5 Million)
Walcott to Arsenal (10 Million Approx)
Wigan a host of south americans
Now lets look at the players we got rid off
Crouch (defo better than Ngog, Keane, Kuyt & Babel)
Finnan (again defo better than Arbeloa)
Guthrie (Better by a country mile than Lucas)
Riise (even with one leg tied behind his back, he would be better than Dossena)
Hopefully the above shows how inept Rafa has been in the transfer market
The manager is more qualified to buy players than any one else.The Americans have no idea and must surely see us at the top of the league and try to help us along.
We can win the league!!!!.
I hope Rafa is not going to ease off for his own personal
financial gains but im afraid this could be the case.
Look at his team selection and lack of positivity in his substitutions???
Cummon Rafa dont fuck it up
Not to forget the Americans.
We will still be here when theyve long gone!!
THE MIGHTY REDS LFC
Any football club manager should of course have total control over who the club signs, as at the end of the day it is the managers head on the block if things go wrong. But by the same token, it is up to the board to decide if we can afford such players that the manager requires, and to work out what there “sell on” worth would be if we decided to sellin the future. Also i can understand the boards releuctance to sign players over a certain age,k as obviously their “sell on” value will greatly diminish. So i think that we should respect both sides of the argument. El Tel
What’s the story? I didn’t hear this much crying when we drew to stoke in Sept. Rafa knows what he is doing and his players know what he is doing. If a player was having a whinge to me I’d sit him on the bench too. Nobody knows what truly goes on behind the closed doors. But on the pitch we are proving to be the best yet. I have been waiting for years to see us win and Rafa can do that for us. If he gets who he wants then good, I wasn’t %100 for Robbie Keane but he is one of us. Lets face it, alot of players could not fit in to the Anfield way! Any man with that shirt on deserves our support as well as Benitez. KEEP IT UP FELLAS!!!
well said could not agree more benitez will lose us the league by picking players that are just not good enough wake up benitez and start picking your strongest 11,would not offer a contract till the end of the season cos if we dont win the league its down to him,enough said could go on all day
Rafa should have total control of signings, he is the manager after all and he has to fit them into the team. Surely he knows best because he’ll have a clear idea in his head what he wants to do at Liverpool and he’ll know what players will help to achieve that. A new contract is also a must, to stop speculation linking him with other teams aswell, but the owners are stalling again, its definately time for those idiots to sell up now as they clearly have no idea about football.
That’s what you get if he’s not in control of transfers. He have to take chances in the market. If he have a total control he’ll be in it to pick the best for the team..not the 2nd or 3rd choice in the list which turn out to be a bad signing and then everyone pointing finger at him for it!!! Please let Liverpool go!!!!
I wondered how long it would take for them to start to derail our season.
I’m not sure what Anteater is talking about. So you want Rick Parry to be selecting and signing players then??? Or Tom and Gerry to be selecting players?
Of course the manager has to have control over the team he is building. This makes me doubt whether the story is false as it seems to come from the daily wail. The manager can of course select who he wants, the chief exec can then inform the manager if funds are available. If the player costs too much, then player B on the list might be signed.
Think about it, I think the story is false and could possibly be another attempt by Hicks’ PR gang to make Rafa look unreasonable – thus leaving the way clear for a ‘motivational US style’ coach who never needs to sign players…… 😉
The position we are in this season is down to stability and testament to Rafa’s hard work. Think about it, we now expect to win every game – he’s raised the bar! I cannot understand the fans that are still moaning about this player or that player being played – hindsight is wonderful, but it doesn’t win you games.
Come in Sheik Mohammed!!
In Rafa we trust!!!
I think people should not confuse football clubs as anything other than businesses that operate like all others.
Although Rafa should have the final say on who stays and who he would like to bring in, the reality is that the owners of the club/business can only sanction what realistically they can afford.
this shouldn’t be seen as undermining Rafa, purely economic reality.
just like any other business decision in the world!
I say get rid of Benitez and bring in Martin O’Neill – he will take us to the title and much more !!!
Rafa’s recent signings and the way he uses them, does not justify his demands of total control. For once the owners are right.