Chris Bascombe

[Ulysses Everett McGill]

Hope this hasn't come from Carra as it smacks of passing the buck

[kop]

Originally Posted by Kaizer Sauze Hope this hasn't come from Carra as it smacks of passing the buck

I agree.

And if, just if, it commes from him, then he will have a hard time defending the next manager who commes in and starts rotating.

[bobhorse]

Finnan is going into the last year of his contract he can sign a Bosman in Jan of next season so Rafa has a Choice does he give him a 2 or 3 year deal or does he replace him cos he isnt going to sign a 12 month deal ?

I think Rafa has made his decision on Crouch Kewell Finnan Sami and it is as simple as that

[DomL]

Originally Posted by bobhorse If Carra and Gerrard Have no faith in there Manager then they should both have fucked off They play for Liverpool Football Club not Rafa Benitez 11 no excuse in the world for spitting the dummy out and deliberately putting in under par performances Im not say they did or are only they know the answer to that for sure But I wont have it that they are deliberately playing under par to oust the Manager They are Liverpool Players and they know what is expected of them and they give all they can when they play IMHO

I agree i did not want to come over like i have said they are putting in under par performances to sack the manager, but performances havent been of the highest of late for whatever reason.

Its just adds flames to alot of speculation and in dont know what to believe i just want to end to it all either way.

[bigguly]

Reading the replies on this thread is not doing my well being any good. I should be enjoying the result today, but I feel like shit. Does anybody else feel pretty low?

[Ulysses Everett McGill]

Originally Posted by bigguly Reading the replies on this thread is not doing my well being any good. I should be enjoying the result today, but I feel like shit. Does anybody else feel pretty low?

Fucking terrible, and it won't get any better for a while

[Hermes]

The problem is on the pitch not in the boardroom, one day people will wake up to that fact.

[atk]

Originally Posted by Hermes The problem is on the pitch not in the boardroom, one day people will wake up to that fact.

Don't question me Hermes on the manager

We support our club,we have to.

[zigackly]

Originally Posted by Hermes The problem is on the pitch not in the boardroom, one day people will wake up to that fact.

There are problems on the pitch AND in the boardroom and anyone with a shred of honesty wouldn't be completely myopic in support of their agenda.

[Judge]

Originally Posted by bobhorse If Carra and Gerrard Have no faith in there Manager then they should both have fucked off They play for Liverpool Football Club not Rafa Benitez 11 no excuse in the world for spitting the dummy out and deliberately putting in under par performances Im not say they did or are only they know the answer to that for sure But I wont have it that they are deliberately playing under par to oust the Manager They are Liverpool Players and they know what is expected of them and they give all they can when they play IMHO

Fuck of Gerrard and Carra? In the light of the last months shambles on and off the pitch, that hardly seem like a smart solution.

Carra and Gerrard are the backbone of the team, they love LFC and will give everything for their team to win the league. As time goes they see more and more clearly what many of us have suspected for a long time: Rafa has totally lost the plot regarding how to challenge for the league title and the team falls further and fiurtehr behind the top three.

I very much doubt that they intentionally leak their frustrations to the press, but when the frustration among the players gets high enough the press WILL find out, no matter how much the players and staff wants to avoid it.

Regarding Bascombe: He seem to be a genuine red who really wants the best for the club. He obviously have sensed that the situation is intolerable and that the team is moving fast backwards in erevy aspect. He reports it. I believe what he writes.

The only thing that doesn`t make sense in that article is the bit about the protest after the game.

Come on folks: I am 100% certain that we all have loved Rafa at some point, but the evidence is overwhelming: He will not win us the league or make us play attractive football. Ever.

To even suggest that we should get rid of Carra and Gerrard and keep Rafa is pure madness.

[snez1]

That's a fucking damning report. Unfair on the whole too, in my opinion. If that's come from Carra then i'd be very very dissapointed.

Rafa's not perfect and everyone has their doubts right now, but that report is way over the top and damaging to Rafa, a man who has carried himself impeccably in amongst this shit storm of a season, in the extreme.

If he makes a decision that proves to be a mistake then fine say it like it is, but all this "local hero's" shit just becauise Carar played at right back and our "captain" has played on the wing in the past is vomit inducing. I love Carra but if that has come from him he needs to shut the fuck up because a large reason for where he is today (a world class centre back) is thanks to Rafa.

As for the Steven Gerrard on the right shit, Bascombe's changed his tune and has a short memory because he defended Rafa for that for a long time over the whole media wankfest about Stevie being on the wing. Stevie's not exactly been at his best despite being in the middle this season. Mark fuckign Noble had him off the other night. You are privalleged to play for this club no matter how good you are, get the fuck on with it.

Regardless, it's now obvious that extremely powerful people inside the club (Carra and Stevie, the yanks) and Chris who has so much power in the press seem to have nailed their colours to the anti Rafa mast that has included 99% of the media from day one. It's probably a matter of time and if I was Rafa i'd fuck off at the end of the season and take some other more deserving club on to greatness. The way he's been treated by so many is a fucking disgrace and that has nothing to do with his rotation, slections, signing s or anything. From day one he's held his dignity in the face of so much shit and brought so much joy and respect back to this club and look how he has and is being treated.

We are in one of the darkest moments in this club history right now. It's a sad fucking day.

[Filo]

Rafa plans summer blood-letting
£40m KOP OUT FOR BENITEZ
By Chris Bascombe

RAFAEL BENITEZ'S plan to keep a grip on his Liverpool job involves a £40million summer bloodbath at Anfield.

As many as 10 players are earmarked for the cull, providing the Kop boss can convince new-owners-in-waiting DIC to give him another season to transform Liverpool's Premier League form.

Benitez's patience has finally run out with the enduring mediocrity of John Arne Riise, Peter Crouch, Harry Kewell and Andriy Voronin.

Most surprisingly, Benitez will allow Xabi Alonso to return to Spain after the midfielder fell out of favour with the boss.

Alonso signed a new long-term contract last summer and is valued at over £15m by Liverpool — but he's long attracted the interest of La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Visit

And the capture of Javier Mascherano on a permanent deal will keep Alonso below the Argentinian and skipper Steven Gerrard in the pecking order.

Alonso, Riise and Kewell were all left out of the Liverpool squad for Saturday's visit of Sunderland.

And although out-of-form Steve Finnan, who only recently signed a new contract, still has time to change Rafa's mind, long-serving legend Sami Hyypia is out of contract in June.

Striker Dirk Kuyt's position is under threat after a poor goal return since his £10m move from Feyenoord two years ago. Injury-prone Fabio Aurelio and calamity reserve keeper Charles Itandje are also in line for the axe.

Whether Benitez can convince his employers he's the man to lead yet another summer of rebuilding is a different matter altogether.

Chaos

Players such as Crouch were denied a January move because of the continued uncertainty surrounding the boss.

Matters off the pitch have been echoed by ongoing chaos on it — and while Benitez is inevitably making long-term plans, whether he'll be given the chance to see them through looks less certain.

A change of ownership AND manager remains more likely before the start of next season.

After admitting the plot to sack Benitez, revealed by the News of the World last November, co-owner Tom Hicks has now delivered a U-turn and promised he'll allow Benitez to see out the last two years of his contract.

However, few at Anfield believe the relationship between the Americans and Benitez is workable.

Prospective owners Dubai International Capital also recognise Benitez's popularity on The Kop and may give him a final chance — but that's not guaranteed.

Ally

The off-field political battle is crippling the club, with Hicks believing he's overcome the initial storm of protest against his leadership.

The Texan's chief ally at Anfield is commercial director Ian Ayre, who was appointed last summer with a view to eventually replacing chief executive Rick Parry.

Ayre has been briefing Hicks the fans have been won over by the recent £350m refinancing package — a claim which will be undermined by further demonstrations in the coming weeks.

The scale of the Anfield turmoil is unprecedented, but there remain hopes a DIC move will happen in ‘days rather than weeks'.

[zigackly]

Originally Posted by Judge Come on folks: I am 100% certain that we all have loved Rafa at some point, but the evidence is overwhelming: He will not win us the league or make us play attractive football. Ever.

What "evidence"? He makes mistakes as does every manager, but don't conflate your opinion with fact.

[WeAreTheBest]

Is that the story? The manager wants rid of the shit and maybe Alonso.

Wow. Earth shattering. Who was this beaut on the radio bigging it up then?

[Hermes]

Originally Posted by atk Don't question me Hermes on the manager We support our club,we have to.

Rafa is not the club.

Marching for a man who is plunging the club into mid-table mediocrity whilst demanding nearly £20m for another central midfielder when the team is crying out for a forward is not supporting the club.

He has totally lost the plot, is now losing the players and should lose his job. The biggest transfer budget in the history of the club has left us scrambling for a CL place and outplayed for 45 minutes against part-timers with a team containing £60m of Rafa signings.

Wake up people.

[King Emlyn]

Originally Posted by Hermes The problem is on the pitch not in the boardroom, one day people will wake up to that fact.

The problem is quite clearly both on the pitch and off it.