Rafa to finally pen 5 year deal next week?

[1892-LFCWasBorn]

Benitez finally ready to sign his five-year deal with Liverpool

 

By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 9:05 PM on 12th March 2009

 

Rafael Benitez is expected to sign his five-year deal by the end of next week.

 

The Liverpool manager and his advisers seem unlikely to reach total agreement with the club in time for a morale-boosting announcement ahead of Saturday's game against Manchester United. Benitez instead will finalise terms after the game.

 

He said: 'I have a contract with Liverpool and I owe the club. Next week I will sit down with my bosses and study the future plans. I have to make a decision in two weeks.'

 

Fresh from the 4-0 trouncing of Real Madrid, the Anfield boss defended his Barclays Premier League record against United.

 

He said: 'Competing in the Premier League with Manchester United and Chelsea is difficult. I am not a cry-baby. They have the money to sign five £20million players and so, if one or two don't work out, they are still left with three more. I only have resources to sign two.

 

'I am still a young coach (49 next month) and I am not able to guess what will happen. Real Madrid is a big club, but I am at another massive club and that motivates me.'

 

Benitez finally ready to sign his five-year deal with Liverpool | Mail Online

 

I know it's the shitty Mail, but loads of direct quotes. Guess we'll have to wait for proper confirmation.

[Hermes]

He said: 'Competing in the Premier League with Manchester United and Chelsea is difficult. I am not a cry-baby. They have the money to sign five £20million players and so, if one or two don't work out, they are still left with three more. I only have resources to sign two.

 

 

How much longer is he going to spout this shite? he's beginning to sound like David Moyes. The press should present him with the evidence that he has spent more than Ferguson since he took the job and let him explain that "fact".

[Guest Ulysses Everett McGill]

How much longer is he going to spout this shite? he's beginning to sound like David Moyes. The press should present him with the evidence that he has spent more than Ferguson since he took the job and let him explain that "fact".

 

 

Seriously

 

Get to fuck you tiresome twat

 

The facts are there, you just choose to ignore them

[DJLJ]

Whatever we are going to do. Never again are we to have a manager sign a deal in the middle of a season. It never brings any good to the table. Do that shit in the summer.

[Hermes]

Seriously

 

Get to fuck you tiresome twat

 

The facts are there, you just choose to ignore them

 

No, the facts are here:

 

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/forum/ff-football-forum/74246-transfer-spending-since-2002-a.html

 

and have been printed by several newspapers over the last few weeks. Rafa and his apologists refuse to accept them.

[Chinandeler Bong]

Benitez finally ready to sign his five-year deal with Liverpool

 

By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 9:05 PM on 12th March 2009

 

Rafael Benitez is expected to sign his five-year deal by the end of next week.

 

The Liverpool manager and his advisers seem unlikely to reach total agreement with the club in time for a morale-boosting announcement ahead of Saturday's game against Manchester United. Benitez instead will finalise terms after the game.

 

He said: 'I have a contract with Liverpool and I owe the club. Next week I will sit down with my bosses and study the future plans. I have to make a decision in two weeks.'

 

Fresh from the 4-0 trouncing of Real Madrid, the Anfield boss defended his Barclays Premier League record against United.

 

He said: 'Competing in the Premier League with Manchester United and Chelsea is difficult. I am not a cry-baby. They have the money to sign five £20million players and so, if one or two don't work out, they are still left with three more. I only have resources to sign two.

 

'I am still a young coach (49 next month) and I am not able to guess what will happen. Real Madrid is a big club, but I am at another massive club and that motivates me.'

 

Benitez finally ready to sign his five-year deal with Liverpool | Mail Online

 

I know it's the shitty Mail, but loads of direct quotes. Guess we'll have to wait for proper confirmation.

 

 

I dont like it , I just dont like it .......... sounds to me that he may leave at the end of his contract , like he says he owes the club but ive still yet to hear the man say " I want to sign a new contract "

[Roy Hobbs]

No, the facts are here:

 

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/forum/ff-football-forum/74246-transfer-spending-since-2002-a.html

 

and have been printed by several newspapers over the last few weeks. Rafa and his apologists refuse to accept them.

 

LOL. Perhaps they interpret them for themselves rather than just believe the spin.

[Drewas]

No, the facts are here:

 

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/forum/ff-football-forum/74246-transfer-spending-since-2002-a.html

 

and have been printed by several newspapers over the last few weeks. Rafa and his apologists refuse to accept them.

 

Didnt Rafa join in 2004?

[Hermes]

Didnt Rafa join in 2004?

 

Yes, the thread I posted above gives all the figures season by season. Rafa has outspent Ferguson by about £5m since he took the job.

 

But of course, Rafa doesn't decide who we sign does he? That's his latest excuse.

[Liverpool lad]

Isn't the arguement about net spend though?

 

I thought year on year Rafa had fuck all to spend. I just don't know what to believe anymore, I haven't been this puzzled since I lost my virginity.

[Jose Jones]

Yes, the thread I posted above gives all the figures season by season. Rafa has outspent Ferguson by about £5m since he took the job.

 

But of course, Rafa doesn't decide who we sign does he? That's his latest excuse.

 

Hermes, you do realise that by spouting stuff like "Rafa apologists" and "But of course, Rafa doesn't decide who we sign does he? That's his latest excuse" makes you sound like a hysterical teenage girl rather than the old voice of reason we know and love?

 

Of course Rafa has had a fair bit of money to spend, but it's not all about signings is it? It's about the quality and expense of the squad the club has at that current time. As everyone's favourite apologist Tompkins banged on about in this thread:

 

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/forum/ff-football-forum/75913-direct-hq-tomkins-end-shocking-transfer-myth.html

 

The most expensive squads (excluding players out on long-term loan) are as follows:

 

Chelsea £207m

Manchester United £206m*

Spurs £188m

Manchester City £140m

Liverpool £127m

[Hermes]

Hermes, you do realise that by spouting stuff like "Rafa apologists" and "But of course, Rafa doesn't decide who we sign does he? That's his latest excuse" makes you sound like a hysterical teenage girl rather than the old voice of reason we know and love?

 

Of course Rafa has had a fair bit of money to spend, but it's not all about signings is it? It's about the quality and expense of the squad the club has at that current time. As everyone's favourite apologist Tompkins banged on about in this thread:

 

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/forum/ff-football-forum/75913-direct-hq-tomkins-end-shocking-transfer-myth.html

 

The most expensive squads (excluding players out on long-term loan) are as follows:

 

Chelsea £207m

Manchester United £206m*

Spurs £188m

Manchester City £140m

Liverpool £127m

 

Ah yes, Tomkins. The man ridiculed by all and sundry on here as continually writing inaccurate articles, except when his inaccuracies appear to back up Rafa's case of course.

[Anubis]

How much longer is he going to spout this shite? he's beginning to sound like David Moyes. The press should present him with the evidence that he has spent more than Ferguson since he took the job and let him explain that "fact".

 

I've been meaning to ask you, why is it when we were neck and neck with Chelsea earlier in the season, and when we were top, you were conspicuous by your absence, yet as soon as we dropped off the pace you were back with a vengeance? I'm genuinely curious.

[Jose Jones]

Ah yes, Tomkins. The man ridiculed by all and sundry on here as continually writing inaccurate articles, except when his inaccuracies appear to back up Rafa's case of course.

 

I believe people ridicule Tomkins for his self important relentlessly optimistic waffle, rather than his inaccuracies. In this case his figures came from lfchistory.net, and seem pretty impeccable. Nice to see you played the man and not the ball though Hermes.

[Monkeywool]

Let's for a minute forget the fact that Ferguson had a title winning team all in place before Rafa got there, let's forget the fact he had a £30m defender in place, let's forget the fact that Rafa had only Gerrard, and Owen who were genuinely world class (who he had to sell on a cheap) and take the figures quoted as gospel and say Rafa is shit.

 

The hermes way, fantastic.

[Drewas]

Ah yes, Tomkins. The man ridiculed by all and sundry on here as continually writing inaccurate articles, except when his inaccuracies appear to back up Rafa's case of course.

 

Dont really see how anyone can say Rafa's done poor job since he arrived. We are No. 1 for European results despite being only No 7 in the wealth stakes.

[Lupin]

No, the facts are here:

 

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/forum/ff-football-forum/74246-transfer-spending-since-2002-a.html

 

and have been printed by several newspapers over the last few weeks. Rafa and his apologists refuse to accept them.

 

Can you tell me at what point in that period Ferguson had to rebuild his entire team and most of his reserves from scratch - and do it by selling much of what he already had - which in our case, was largely past-it junk.

 

Ferguson was spending £30m on Fishlips, £19m on van Kneestillsore, £28m on Veron etc when we were struggling to pay £11m for Heskey (then a club record) - and we had at least 5-6 other positions that needed filling badly - but that doesn't fit the agenda does it? For years Slur has had more to spend on individuals as he never had to tear it down and start again.

[ToxtethTerror]

I think we cannot deny that Rafa has spent vast sums of money, some on fantastic players and quite a lot on mediocre players who have been on some sort of revolving door of shite in and shite out. It can also be argued especially in the last 3 years that Rafa has spent just as much as United and Chelsea and much more than Arsenal - yes and that includes ages. Even if he has spent less it isn't significant and in all honest he was bought here to win the league on a shoestring.... that was his USP that seems to be have been forgotten. None of us wanted Abramovich money in 2004 and said we want to win with dignity and class and not money, how times change.

 

In addition to some pretty mediocre spending especially on attacking players (Kuyt, Riera, Babel, Morientes, Bellamy, N-Gog, Gonzalez, Pennant - £52m) who are all decent but never good enough to be first team players here, he also has us playing some of the worst football ever seen at Anfield. Some performances this season have been up there with Houllier's. We had a great attacking performance against Madrid but then even Houllier could muster the odd attacking tour-de-force - he did it against Roma... but both managers will revert to pragmatism as the status quo once the dust settles. If you want attacking football like Manchester United then Rafa is not your man.

 

Rafa has also bought about 50 kids since he came here and not one has made it in the first team proper and become a star - no N-Gog doesn't count. Not a single notable youth success in 5 years speaks volumes for Rafa's ability to develop players into special talents as opposed to a robot taking instructions.

 

BUT

 

Lets talk of European games, any manager that has got his team to be the number 1 seeded club in Europe doesn't deserve the sack. He deserves a new contract. Carlo Ancellotti would have been sacked long ago if his league performances were anything to go by. Rafa has us as the best team in Europe, that cannot be denied. The next man who comes in may not be able to do the same and he might not crack the league either and we will be left with nothing. You only have to look at Chelsea and Scolari to realise that even world cup winning managers can fold from the pressure of this league.

 

So in conclusion, being objective and putting aside my dislike of our style of play and some of the dross we have in the squad - there is nothing to suggest a Mourinho or a Rijkaard can get us better results, nothing to suggest that Rafa hasn't learnt his lesson we all know he can attack teams and have us up there - he did it at the end of last season - and he has done it in the odd game here and there.

 

I think Rafa should be given a 2 year contract extension on the basis that he prioritises the league championship and a remit to have the team playing good football - neither is anything out of the ordinary and both would be demanded if he went to Real Madrid.

 

In return he has control of the first team and reserves, he works with the academy director to bring in players, dismantles his mini-academy at Melwood, and has full control of the transfer budget and can bring in and sell whoever he wants so long as it makes financial and footballing sense. i.e. selling Alonso and buying Barry for more money would not make financial or footballing sense.... he has to have some sort of line manager - a CEO whom he respects and is respected the world over would be a good start.

 

I am waffling now but you get my jist, a better time to judge all this though would be the summer. We must never again allow a manager to go public on his contract during the season just because the team is doing well...

[Code]

Can you tell me at what point in that period Ferguson had to rebuild his entire team and most of his reserves from scratch - and do it by selling much of what he already had - which in our case, was largely past-it junk.

 

Probably the season after we finished only 1 point behind them.

 

Try to take a look at how many players we have sold and brought in since then and then compare it with the mancs.

 

Also take a look at how many of those players you think are more than decent and compare it with the mancs.

[King Emlyn]

Whatever the net spend, gross spend blah, blah, blah i'm with Hermes on this one. He's had lot's of money to spend and he IS beginning to sound like Moyes.

[Code]

This is ours by the way.

 

06/07:

In:

Craig Bellamy - Blackburn, £6M

Gabriel Paletta - Banfield, £2M

Fabio Aurelio - Valencia, free

Mark Gonzalez - Albacete, £1M

Jermaine Pennant - Birmingham, £6,7M*

Dirk Kuyt - Feyenoord, £9M

Nabil El Zhar - St Etienne, unknown

Alvaro Arbeloa - Deportivo, £2.6M

Javier Mascherano - West Ham, £1.5M

 

Loans:

Danielle Padelli - Sampdoria, 2006/07

Emiliano Insua - Boca Juniors, 2006/07-07/08

 

Out:

Robbie Foy - Scunthorpe, released

Fernando Morientes - Valencia, £3M

Zak Whitbread - Millwall, £200.000

Bruno Cheyrou - Rennes, unknown

Carl Medjani - Lorient, unknown

David Raven - Carlisle, free

Dietmar Hamann - Bolton(Man City), unknown

Antonio Barragan - Deportivo, £675.000

Djimi Traore - Charlton, £2M

Neil Mellor - Preston £500 000

Jan Kromkamp - PSV Eindhoven £2M

Chris Kirkland - Wigan £3.5M

Darren Potter - Wolverhampton £250 000

Stephen Warnock - Blackburn £1.5M

David Mannix - Hamkam, released

Salif Diao - Stoke, released

 

07/08:

In:

Sebastian Leto, Lanus - £1.85M

Andriy Voronin, Bayer Leverkusen - free

Lucas Leiva, Gremio - £6M

Fernando Torres, Atletico Madrid - £20,2M

Ryan Babel, Ajax - £11.5M

Yossi Benayoun, West Ham - £5M

Charles Itandje, Lens - £2M

Emiliano Insua, Boca Juniors, unknown

Martin Skrtel, Zenit St Petersburg - £6.5M

Javier Mascherano, MSI - £18.6M

 

Out:

Danny O'Donnell, Crewe - £100 000

Daniele Padelli, Sampdoria - end of loan

David Roberts, Bangor City - released

Robbie Fowler, Cardiff - released

Jerzy Dudek, Real Madrid - released

Boudewijn Zenden, Marseille - released

F. Sinama-Pongolle, Recreativo - £2.7M

Luis Garcia, Atletico Madrid - £4M

Djibril Cissé, Marseille - £6M

Craig Bellamy, West Ham - £7.5M

Mark Gonzalez, Real Betis - £4M

Gabriel Paletta, Boca Juniors - £2M

Jimmy Ryan, Shrewsbury - released

James Smith, Stockport - released

Mohamed Sissoko, Juventus - £9.6M

Lee Peltier, Yeovil - unknown

Besian Idrizaj, FC Wacker Innsbruck - released

 

 

08/09:

In:

Philipp Degen, Borussia Dortmund - free

Andrea Dossena, Udinese - £6M*

Diego Cavalieri, Palmeiras - £3.5M

David N'Gog, Paris Saint-Germain - £1.5M

Robbie Keane, Tottenham - £19M

Albert Riera, Espanyol - £8M

Out:

John Arne Riise, Roma - £4M

Anthony Le Tallec, Le Mans - unknown

Harry Kewell, Galatasaray - released

Peter Crouch, Portsmouth - £11M

Danny Guthrie, Newcastle - £2.25M

Scott Carson, West Bromwich - £3.75M

Steve Finnan, Espanyol - £2.5M

Robbie Keane, Tottenham - £16M

 

Loans:

Paul Anderson, Nottingham Forest 01.07.08 - 31.05.09

Robbie Threlfall, Hereford 21.07.08 - 01.01.09, Stockport 03.01.09 - 31.01.09

Adam Hammill, Blackpool 19.07.08 - 31.12.08, Barnsley 02.02.09 - mai 09

Miki Roque, FC Cartagena 22.07.08 - 30.06.09

Godwin Antwi, Tranmere 25.07.08 - 31.12.08, Hereford 17.02.09-21.03.09

Jack Hobbs, Leicester 25.07.08 - 31.05.09

David Martin, Leicester 04.08.09 - 31.05.09

Sebastián Leto, Olympiacos 05.08.08 - 30.06.09

Craig Lindfield, Bournemouth 22.08.08 - 31.12.08, Accrington Stanley 26.01.09 - 02.05.09

Andriy Voronin, Hertha Berlin 01.09.08 - 30.06.09

Ryan Flynn, Wrexham 27.11.09 - 26.04.09

Jermaine Pennant, Portsmouth 20.01.09 - 30.06.09

Jordy Brouwer, RKC Waalwijk 22.01.09 - 30.06.09

Krisztian Nemeth, Blackpool 26.01.09 - 28.02.09

Peter Gulacsi, Hereford 02.02.09 - 02.05.09

[ToxtethTerror]

Jesus Christ, that's a whole lot of players in and out every summer he has made inprecedented changes no other club has had that level of change not even Chelsea. We have 15 players on loan!!

[WaltonRed]

Fucking hell lads, another thread goes down the pan.

[SpeedyG]

Benítez to hold talks next week on Liverpool future• Manager brings feel-good factor of European win to the table

• Spaniard wants long-term contract for long-term project

Digg it Sid Lowe The Guardian, Friday 13 March 2009 Article history

 

 

Rafael Benítez has reiterated his desire to remain at Liverpool and will meet the club's owners to discuss his future next week, with a final decision to be made within a fortnight. Benítez's position has been the subject of recent speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid and he has been quick to take advantage of Liverpool's win over the Spanish champions on Tuesday to defend his record.

 

"Next week I am going to study my present and my future with my bosses," said Benítez, who was also quick to dismiss suggestions that he could leave ­Merseyside. "I have to decide on my future in the next two weeks.

 

"People who see me leaving for Madrid are wrong. I have a contract with Liverpool, I owe Liverpool and I am only thinking about Liverpool. I am happy here and there is a project under way. I have been here for five years and [if I was to stay] from now on things would be easier."

 

For the first time, though, there was the hint that he is considering other alternatives should Liverpool not allow him to lead a stable project on his terms. There was a hint too of irritation at those who have jumped on the Benítez bandwagon now but did not back him before.

 

"I want a medium- or long-term project. I don't want to be working day to day, always hanging on the latest result, without a programme to follow or an idea to develop over a period of time," he said. "What I want is hard to find in Spain. Long-term projects do not exist [in Spain], like they do in England. I am young as coaches go and I can't predict my future. Real Madrid are a great club, a very great club, but I am at another wonderful club – one that really motivates me. I will work where I feel I can develop a project."

 

Benítez defended his record at Anfield on what he insisted were limited resources. He also responded to those who criticised his team's style and admitted that the words of Vicente Boluda, the Real Madrid president who said that the Spaniards would "take the mickey out of Liverpool"‚ gave his team added motivation.

 

"Competing with Manchester United and Chelsea is very difficult," he said. "I am not a cry-baby but they have enough money to sign five £20m players and, if one or two of them doesn't succeed, they have three more. I can sign two of them and, if one doesn't succeed or I make a mistake with one, then you really notice it."

 

"I have been given a tag that I do not deserve and is not true," Benítez added. "I keep saying so but it doesn't do any good. Last season we scored 119 goals – more than anyone else in England. Liverpool don't just hoof the ball, as I keep reading and hearing. We have produced some very good performances to get to two Champions League finals and a semi-final in the last four years. We are the best team in Europe over the last five years.

 

"With our full team against Madrid in the second leg we showed that we are aggressive and ambitious. We went for them. We could have scored more, too. Liverpool are a good team – despite the fact that people have showed us a lack of respect during this tie. I reminded my players of what Boluda said and that reinforced the need to win."

 

The Liverpool manager also paid tribute to his Spanish World Cup striker Fernando Torres, who played through an injury at Anfield and worked hard to score the opening goal.

 

"I didn't want to push him considering we have the game with Manchester United at Old Trafford coming up and we have no choice but to win that to keep our chances of winning the league alive," he said.

 

"However, he insisted and insisted and insisted on playing, he fought against the pain, he took injections, they almost had to plaster his ankle – and the miracle worked with the first goal. That's Torres for you: a real great."

Edited March 13, 2009 by SpeedyG

[WaltonRed]

It does stick in the throat but we'll see.

 

We have a huge squad, it needs trimming and whatever is raised and whatever he gets off the board should go on one or two and thats it, if we have 6 or 7 out 6 or 7 back in its a stupid thing to do.

 

We are close, time will tell if we make it or not.