Is it really an injustice?

[Antynwa]

I think "doesn't trust Rafa to buy the players needed for us to challenge, getting rid of the owners first should be the priority" kind of sums up how I feel regarding everything around the club.

[Dirk]

Meeting with George Gillett and Tom Hicks over stadium not Rafa Benitez

 

Jan 9 2008

 

by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

 

 

Rafa Benitez

 

LIVERPOOL have reiterated Rafael Benitez’s Anfield future was not on the agenda of yesterday’s New York summit.

 

Club owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks met with chief executive Rick Parry to discuss the next step in their plans for a new stadium after scrapping an elaborate 76,000-seater scheme.

 

Dallas architects HKS and Manchester-based designers AFL have submitted fresh proposals, with Liverpool expected to this week announce which avenue they will pursue.

 

It was also anticipated that Benitez’s position would also come under discussion.

 

 

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But sources in America said yesterday: “The all-day meeting today was to pick a stadium design. No other items were on the agenda.”

 

Nevertheless, speculation continues to build over Benitez’s future with the Anfield hierarchy refusing to publicly back the manager.

 

Jurgen Klinsmann has been mooted for some time in football circles as a possible replacement for the Spaniard at the end of the season.

 

The German, who is based in California, has forged a friendship with Gillett after his sports consultancy company did some work for the American.

 

And it is believed the emergence of those links contributed to Benitez’s manner during the infamous Press briefing at the end of November that lifted the lid on the discord behind the scenes at Anfield.

 

Klinsmann has been out of football since guiding Germany to the World Cup semi-finals 18 months ago, but has let it been known he is ready to return to the game with a first job in club management.

 

However, Liverpool’s American owners have backed Benitez with funds in this month’s transfer window, with Martin Skrtel expected to rubber-stamp his

 

£6million move from Zenit St Petersburg today and become the most expensive defender in Liverpool’s history.

 

The formalities will be completed on the deal for the 23-year-old Slovakia international, who has passed a medical and agreed personal terms.

 

Skrtel is likely to go straight into the squad for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Middlesbrough, with Daniel Agger continuing his rehabilitation from a broken metatarsal.

 

However, Fabio Aurelio is still being troubled by a minor hamstring injury and has already been ruled out.

 

icLiverpool - Meeting with George Gillett and Tom Hicks over stadium not Rafa Benitez

[Skidfingers McGonical]

Anybody see Paul Macarthy this morning on SSN?

 

He was really sinister and snidy about his comments abut Rafa. I am starting to think this is a witch hunt against Rafa myself.

 

On Revisita Da Liga last night Ballague dismissed the rumours that Real Madrid want Rafa in the summer. He said al this bullshit (my words not his) about Real sounding out Rafa again was only in the english press, and nothing was mentioned in Spain at all.

 

Gullieme Balague on Revisita Da Liga

 

I know many people take what he says with a pinch of salt, but I reckon that he gives a little bit more than what the media over here have regarding Rafa.

 

I am starting to become disgusted at the way the media over here are treating Rafa Beintez on the whole.

 

I am starting to believe that it is becoming more xenonphobic by the day. The way the media specialists who go onto SSN, pull faces of contempt when they talk about Rafa is disgusting.

 

Or is it just me thinking that?

[Antynwa]

I am starting to believe that it is becoming more xenonphobic by the day. The way the media specialists who go onto SSN, pull faces of contempt when they talk about Rafa is disgusting.

 

Or is it just me thinking that?

 

2 Words, one Failure

 

Steve Fooking McLaren ;)

[KevieG]

Anybody see Paul Macarthy this morning on SSN?

 

He was really sinister and snidy about his comments abut Rafa. I am starting to think this is a witch hunt against Rafa myself.

 

On Revisita Da Liga last night Ballague dismissed the rumours that Real Madrid want Rafa in the summer. He said al this bullshit (my words not his) about Real sounding out Rafa again was only in the english press, and nothing was mentioned in Spain at all.

 

Gullieme Balague on Revisita Da Liga

 

I know many people take what he says with a pinch of salt, but I reckon that he gives a little bit more than what the media over here have regarding Rafa.

 

I am starting to become disgusted at the way the media over here are treating Rafa Beintez on the whole.

 

I am starting to believe that it is becoming more xenonphobic by the day. The way the media specialists who go onto SSN, pull faces of contempt when they talk about Rafa is disgusting.

 

Or is it just me thinking that?

 

Who gives a shit what the likes of McCarthy and Martin Samuel think.

 

Bottom line is if Rafa wants to ease this immediate pressure we start doling out a few hidings to the shit teams we've been facing. A couple of big wins in our next two games will do nicely, humiliating Luton would be so sweet.

 

So no tinkering, just send out our best 11, fully motivated and starting kicking some ass.

[Best Believe It]

I don't think it's xenophobia, because a lot of the press salivated over Mourinho. But there definitely seems to be a number of journos who dislike Rafa, for reasons I'm not sure of. And I mean dislike as in dislike him as a person and then look to belittle him as a manager as a result.

 

Which is why some of them are queue jumping to stick the knife in at the moment.

[Antynwa]

I don't think it's xenophobia, because a lot of the press salivated over Mourinho. But there definitely seems to be a number of journos who dislike Rafa, for reasons I'm not sure of. And I mean dislike as in dislike him as a person and then look to belittle him as a manager as a result.

 

Which is why some of them are queue jumping to stick the knife in at the moment.

 

I don't know, did they hate him when he did that Infamous Cricket conference?

 

I don't think the media HATES Benitez I think thats way off the mark, I think it's down to the fact he hasn't won the league, I mean does the media hate Fergie or Wenger? No, because they have won the league PLUS they have brought the likes of Henry, Bergkamp, and dare I say Ronaldo, Cantona and Van Horseface to the country.

 

Thats just my simple, probably naive few of Rafa and the media.

[Guest Romano Polizia]

Rafa is not exactly the most open person with the press is he? He keeps things pretty close to his chest and leaves himself open to speculation and character assassination. Plus there's a natural dislike of Liverpool FC in general among the media.

 

The press did like Mourinho, but they also bullied him into speaking out against Chelsea, and countless others, and were instrumental in getting him sacked. Not quite sure it's a xenophobic thing, at last not to the decent journos, more that a big club managerial sacking is a big story.

 

As someone else said, the only way to stop it is results, and in our current predicament, Rafa is an easy target.

[Rashid]

Now it's the race card? What fucking next. Wake up guys... it goes with the territory... if Rafa wasn't tinkering, struggling in the league and playing God awful football then they wouldn't be doing this.

[stringvest]

The paranoia on here is laughable. The press don't hate Rafa, for fuck's sake. They see a story there, and they're going for it. Same as it ever was.

[Antynwa]

 

As someone else said, the only way to stop it is results, and in our current predicament, Rafa is an easy target.

 

Crux of it really

[Skidfingers McGonical]

Now it's the race card? What fucking next. Wake up guys... it goes with the territory... if Rafa wasn't tinkering, struggling in the league and playing God awful football then they wouldn't be doing this.

 

Yes Rash that's the feeling I am getting from the press. But it was a simple question I thought was open to debate. By the way xenophobia and racism are two different things. One is a fear or hatred of soemthing or someone foriegn, and the other is hatred or disgust at a race, colour or creed.

 

Look at the response over Cappelo being Engalnd manager. That was xenophobia ( I spelt it right this time, I think)

 

It shouldn't go with territory though, the treatment is shocking, and I would say the same about the treatment of Sven. Even though he did bring a lot of it on himself, and fair play to him shagging a few different birds. But the aftermath of trying to get hin out was unreal, for 4 years they had a witch hunt.

 

I am finding it hard to fucking not insult you lately, I really fucking am.

 

You would even test the most placid man on the earth.

 

Rafa is not struggling in the league, are we in the bottom half? No.

 

We are not struggling we have had a blip in our form that has seen us drop off the pace a little, but it has keep is still in with a chance of an acceptable challenge to the more realistic fan.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

The paranoia on here is laughable. The press don't hate Rafa, for fuck's sake. They see a story there, and they're going for it. Same as it ever was.

 

It's the manner in which they are doing it though. You watch the type of twats they get on SSN, and the Sunday Supplement, all southern pricks who talk with bile and hatered when talking about Rafa. it's not paranoia mate, it's stating the obvious.

[KevieG]

 

Rafa is not struggling in the league, are we in the bottom half? No.

 

We are not struggling we have had a blip in our form that has seen us drop off the pace a little

 

This is quite simply ludicrous, who the fuck do you think we are Villa?

[Best Believe It]

It's the manner in which they are doing it though. You watch the type of twats they get on SSN, and the Sunday Supplement, all southern pricks who talk with bile and hatered when talking about Rafa. it's not paranoia mate, it's stating the obvious.

 

Yeah, that's the thing I pick up on. If they want to doubt his ability as a manager, fine, I'm going to disagree, but I just get the feeling having listened to cunts of the ilk of Rob Beasley that they actually dislike him as a person.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

This is quite simply ludicrous, who the fuck do you think we are Villa?

 

As ludicrous as saying we are struggling in the league?

[RedinSweden]

Now it's the race card? What fucking next. Wake up guys... it goes with the territory... if Rafa wasn't tinkering, struggling in the league and playing God awful football then they wouldn't be doing this.

 

I see you have tweaked up your anti-rafa stance a notch or two.

[KevieG]

As ludicrous as saying we are struggling in the league?

 

we are out of it by new year.

 

for us that is struggling, if you want to judge us by wigan standards we're flying

[WaltonRed]

Klinsmann on the pay roll? As in being paied for consultancy work not connected to getting the job or is he on a retainer in order to take over?

 

Ive often wondered if Tom and George had the ear of someone who was telling them stuff about the team. The whole 'assess the squad before buying more' stuff from Hicks made me wonder who was doing the 'assessing' because it couldnt be those two.

 

Once the Inter games are out of the way, if we win Rafa stays till we go out, if go out I think he'll go then.

 

If Jurgen does come I expect to see Markus Babbel has his number two, in an attempt to appease us all.

[RedKnight]

Rafa has little to no supporters in the main stream press and it shows every time one of the 'leading' journos talks about him. Beesley on Sunday Supplement was a disgrace last sunday. Talking without a shred of perspective and totally as a Chelsea fan. There was no counter argument to the crap he spouted at all.

[stringvest]

If Jurgen does come I expect to see Markus Babbel has his number two, in an attempt to appease us all.

 

Don't get the Germans going on appeasement - that's what brought about the conditions for Nazism...

 

I think we can expect to see Herr Flick as his number three, for the ladies, and Stan Boardman in at number four, for the cunts.

[WeAreTheBest]

Beesley on Sunday Supplement was a disgrace last sunday.

 

That was fucking sickening

[WaltonRed]

There is a definite sense of having it in for Rafa and on a bigger level having it in for the club.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

we are out of it by new year.

 

for us that is struggling, if you want to judge us by wigan standards we're flying

 

Have you anything positive to say at all mate?

 

I look at us being out fo it when we are mathamatically out of the title race. Just because we are 13 points behind does not mean we are out of it, it is our a bad patch in relation to run of games.

[Kopite]

My take on all this is...

 

The vermin got rid of Mourinho, then they ensured Jol lost his job and now Rafa's in the firing line.

 

We've got to ride this one out as a club. United we stand, divide we fall.