Alberto Aquilani

[Ted]

Did he, or did he not hand in a transfer request?

 

Did Benitez, numerous times over the course of last season, state that he wanted the player to stay?

 

Benitez to Alonso in summer 2008: Find yourslef another club. (Also told his agent).

 

No change through the whole of the season.

 

Xabi to Benitez in summer 2009: I've found that club you told me to look for.

[JohnnyH]

Benitez to Alonso in summer 2008: Find yourslef another club. (Also told his agent).

 

No change through the whole of the season.

 

Xabi to Benitez in summer 2009: I've found that club you told me to look for.

 

That ever so slightly leaves out the middle bit of Rafa continually saying he now wanted Xabi to stay.

[Ted]

That ever so slightly leaves out the middle bit of Rafa continually saying he now wanted Xabi to stay.

 

Never said it to Xabi.

[hamstrung]

Next one to mention Alonso gets a slice of neg pie.

 

Starting from...............

 

........NOW

[Guest Ulysses Everett McGill]

Never said it to Xabi.

 

Again, file under gossip, conjecture and innuendo

[Carra_is_legend]

That ever so slightly leaves out the middle bit of Rafa continually saying he now wanted Xabi to stay.

 

Pffft!

 

That is nothing compared to him saying he doesn't want to sell Keane 4 days before actually selling him.

[coop]

Squad strength of the team is shite, injuries to the squad have showed that.

 

Voronin, Babel, Degen and Dossena are all tipped to leave in January.

 

Chances are Pacheco, Spearing, Kelly or Darby and Eccleston are likely to take their place in the team.

 

I have no problem with the kids getting in the first team squad infact i hope they do as it will be great to see.

 

The thing is those players that are going to leave will get the club about £10-15m plus wages saved yet none of it is expected to put back into the playing staff.

 

Mascherano is likely to be sold in the summer but Rafa will not be able to have cash to spend on one player but instead will need to spread it much like he did this summer with Aquilani and Johnson.

 

Thats presuming he would get to see all the cash anyways.

 

Problems at the club, you bet there is.

[Ted]

Again, file under gossip, conjecture and innuendo

 

You can if you want, but I know exactly where I'm gonna file it.

[JohnnyH]

Never said it to Xabi.

 

You know this as fact?

 

Pffft!

 

That is nothing compared to him saying he doesn't want to sell Keane 4 days before actually selling him.

 

Big difference saying 4 days before the transfer window shuts that you are not selling a player, so that if the deal falls through you don't have to deal with the press constantly referring to the player you are stuck with. To saying all season that you want a player to stay and hope he does.

[Whelan]

Mascherano is likely to be sold in the summer but Rafa will not be able to have cash to spend on one player but instead will need to spread it much like he did this summer with Aquilani and Johnson.

 

Thats presuming he would get to see all the cash anyways.

 

Problems at the club, you bet there is.

 

I was talking to a mate on Friday about the situation, don't get much information from him normally, I mentioned buying Bosman's next season, and making a play for Adam Johnson, Pandev etc and making sure we get them on board in January, and added that I don't know why we didn't do it last year with Olic etc

 

And he just said, that this time last year, nobody at the club thought we would need them!

 

I think those two refinancing has caused a lot more problems than anyone is letting on at the moment, and seriously affected the planning.

[Ted]

You know this as fact?

.

 

Why would I defend it as I am if I didn't?

[coop]

I was talking to a mate on Friday about the situation, don't get much information from him normally, I mentioned buying Bosman's next season, and making a play for Adam Johnson, Pandev etc and making sure we get them on board in January, and added that I don't know why we didn't do it last year with Olic etc

 

And he just said, that this time last year, nobody at the club thought we would need them!

 

I think those two refinancing has caused a lot more problems than anyone is letting on at the moment, and seriously affected the planning.

 

It is a valid point regards refinance and i think quite a few people didn't expect the owners to still be here (i admit i didn't).

 

At one point it did look like refinance was not going to happen so who knows what information was getting back to the players and staff.

 

If atk is right regards RBS not allowing another refinance then it looks like another fun summer ahead, especially if there is no Champions League football to look forward to.

[Carra_is_legend]

Big difference saying 4 days before the transfer window shuts that you are not selling a player, so that if the deal falls through you don't have to deal with the press constantly referring to the player you are stuck with. To saying all season that you want a player to stay and hope he does.

 

As if the press were never talking about Keane in the first place, eh?

 

The bottom line is, managers tell porkies sometimes so they can manage the situation when things don't go to plan. Rafa is no different.

 

EDIT: Just like "I will not sell them a virus.....£80m, thank you very much".

[JohnnyH]

Why would I defend it as I am if I didn't?

 

I've never seen you defend it. In fact it's the first time I've seen you say this.

 

So basically you are sayig that Xabi Alonso told you that Rafa has never said to him that he wants him to stay. Ok, fair enough.

 

Rafa Benitez, on the other hand has said he has, many times.

 

So someone is a liar between Xabi and Rafa.

 

One of these people feels he was hard done by, by his boss at the club once, and so bided his time, got his form, and made sure of the very best move possible.

 

The other person was also hard done by, by his bosses at the club nearly every summer with trying to get a vastly inferior person in to replace him behind his back on one occasion (much like the other person some would say), yet he has stayed loyal and commited himself to the future, despite having ample opportunity to leave for more money.

 

So the question is, who do I believe. The one who turned his back and fucked off, or the one who stayed loyal. Wow, this is a difficult one. Actually it's not. Goodbye Xabi.

[Code]

Teams will always get injuries, when a team is so dependent on two players like we are they are setting themselves up for a big fall when the inevitable happens.

 

To gamble on an injury free season especially fro players such as Gerrard, Torres and also Agger is naive at best.

[Whelan]

It is a valid point regards refinance and i think quite a few people didn't expect the owners to still be here (i admit i didn't).

 

At one point it did look like refinance was not going to happen so who knows what information was getting back to the players and staff.

 

If atk is right regards RBS not allowing another refinance then it looks like another fun summer ahead, especially if there is no Champions League football to look forward to.

 

I think it is the timing more than anything which has buggered us up, I get the impression the change came about June/July (the Silva deal was apparently pulled about then), and I think Barry signing for City (which was when Tuncay was muted i.e. Barry and Tuncay) has added to it.

[Jose M]

You had Torres, Gerrard and i think Carragher (cant be sure on that one) all stating that they were looking forward to adding to the team with quality.

 

Like one of the best young talents in Italy and the best attacking left back in England?

 

Every manager wants more money and every player wants to play with better players, but that doesn't excuse the fundamental mistakes this season, most of which stem from the manager's methods and poor strategic decisions.

[JohnnyH]

Like one of the best young talents in Italy and the best attacking left back in England?

 

Every manager wants more money and every player wants to play with better players, but that doesn't excuse the fundamental mistakes this season, most of which stem from the manager's methods and poor strategic decisions.

 

You expect to have decent debate with that username?

[Ted]

I've never seen you defend it. In fact it's the first time I've seen you say this.

 

So basically you are sayig that Xabi Alonso told you that Rafa has never said to him that he wants him to stay. Ok, fair enough.

 

Rafa Benitez, on the other hand has said he has, many times.

 

So someone is a liar between Xabi and Rafa.

 

One of these people feels he was hard done by, by his boss at the club once, and so bided his time, got his form, and made sure of the very best move possible.

 

The other person was also hard done by, by his bosses at the club nearly every summer with trying to get a vastly inferior person in to replace him behind his back on one occasion (much like the other person some would say), yet he has stayed loyal and commited himself to the future, despite having ample opportunity to leave for more money.

 

So the question is, who do I believe. The one who turned his back and fucked off, or the one who stayed loyal. Wow, this is a difficult one. Actually it's not. Goodbye Xabi.

 

No, I'm not. But you carry on.

 

I mean, I didn't say you HAD to believe me, did I?

[hamstrung]

Like one of the best young talents in Italy and the best attacking left back in England?

 

Every manager wants more money and every player wants to play with better players, but that doesn't excuse the fundamental mistakes this season, most of which stem from the manager's methods and poor strategic decisions.

 

A fundamental mistake you say?

[JohnnyH]

No, I'm not. But you carry on.

 

I mean, I didn't say you HAD to believe me, did I?

 

I asked you if you knew this for fact. You replied "Why would I defend it as I am if I didn't?" The only possible way you could know it for fact, is if Xabi told you himself. If you've heard it even from a second party, then, as UEM said, if can be filed under gossip, conjecture and innuendo.

[Carra_is_legend]

What if Ted IS Xabi?

 

Think on, eh?

[Ted]

I asked you if you knew this for fact. You replied "Why would I defend it as I am if I didn't?" The only possible way you could know it for fact, is if Xabi told you himself. If you've heard it even from a second party, then, as UEM said, if can be filed under gossip, conjecture and innuendo.

 

Right then, so EVERYONE who posts anything relating to anything going on within the club you're going to ask them the same question are you?

[JohnnyH]

Right then, so EVERYONE who posts anything relating to anything going on within the club you're going to ask them the same question are you?

 

I someone says they know what happened in what would be a private conversation between one of our footballers and our manager? Yes, I'll ask the question if I'm involved in the debate with the person claiming to knwo it as "fact". When you said you know for a fact that Xabi was never told personally by Rafa that really left me with only two alternatives. That Xabi told, you or Rafa had. And i dont think you are talking to Rafa at the moment....

 

Just my tuppence worth.

[Tom R]

Right. I'm nipping this in the bud right now.

 

Xabi Alonso told me IN PERSON that Rafa tried to sell him behind his back. Since that point they never got on.

 

Any time Benitez publicly said he wanted Xabi to stay, it was only to make sure he got decent money for him, and to ensure Alonso had to hand in a request.

he regularly told Xabi that he could leave, if the price was right.

 

The player told me this first hand during a meal I had with him and three other friends.

 

So consider the bud well and truly nipped.

I don't care what you all believe.

 

You can all now argue about whether or not I'm telling the truth