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Rafael Benítez on the brink of leaving Liverpool over Anfield rift

Rafa_The_Gaffa

By Rafa_The_Gaffa,
in FF - Football Forum

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Antynwa Grand Master

Antynwa

Posted
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Anyway I enjoyed this article by that twat Oliver Holt today

 

Rafa thinks he had it bad? Jeez

 

 

People say Roy Hodgson has performed miracles at Fulham this season.

 

Well, he has performed great feats of management that mark him out as a man of outstanding ability in his field.

 

But if it's miracles you want, let me tell you the story of Eddie Howe, the manager of AFC Bournemouth. He is 32 and the youngest manager in the English leagues.

 

He knew all about adversity before he got the job.

 

His playing career ended at the very moment he glimpsed the big time.

 

He had spent eight years as a player at Bournemouth, loyal and popular with the fans.

 

He was capped for the England Under-21s.

 

Then Harry Redknapp made him his first signing at Portsmouth. In his first game, Howe got a knee injury that ruled him out for the season.

 

He battled his way back to fitness. In the first game of the next season, he injured his knee again. His playing career at the top level was over.

 

But Howe (right) was always an old head on young shoulders. He had been captain at Bournemouth.

 

He might have looked like a cherub, but there was a steel about him that made other players respect him.

 

He took over at Dean Court at the start of last year after the club had been docked 17 points for a variety of financial problems.

 

Bournemouth were 10 points adrift of safety at the foot of League Two. Howe lost his first two games.

 

Then something r e m a r k a b l e happened.

 

B o u r n e -mouth started winning and finished the campaign five points clear of the relegation zone.

 

That was the easy part. Then things started to get tough. The Football League imposed a transfer embargo on the club before the start of this season. Last season, the wages of players and administrative staff were not paid for three months.

 

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But Bournemouth won their first match 3-0 at Bury and by mid-September, Howe had steered them to the top of League Two.

 

He was only able to field a full quota of substitutes 10 times this season, and played half the campaign with one recognised centre back. On several occasions, he only had three on the bench, usually one professional and two boys from the club academy.

 

"Whoever was left standing, basically," Niall Malone, the Cherries' public relations boss, said.

 

Malone, by the way, is a student at Bournemouth University. Like most of the other people at the club, he punches above his weight. He does a better job than plenty of his equivalents in the Premier League.

 

He mentioned the time Howe found himself in even worse trouble than usual the morning of a top-of-the-table clash at Shrewsbury at the end of February. So Howe rang a 16-year-old schoolboy from the academy called Jayden Stockley and told the GCSE student to travel 145 miles by taxi to Shrewsbury. Stockley was preparing to watch Chelsea v Manchester City on television when the phone rang. He called a cab and arrived at the New Meadow 20 minutes after kick off. But he still played. Howe brought him on in the second half of a 1-0 defeat.

 

The transfer embargo was finally lifted on the day after the transfer window closed and 10 days ago, Howe led his side to promotion when they won 2-0 at Burton Albion.

 

On Saturday, after they had thrashed Port Vale 4-0 in front of a capacity crowd at Dean Court, the fans invaded the pitch and chanted for the players to reappear and take a bow. Howe, who had never moved from the touchline, had already been named man of the match.

 

Now, there was only one name on the supporters' lips. "Eddie, Eddie, Eddie," they chanted over and over again. Afterwards, when the stadium was empty, Howe stood near the entrance to the players' tunnel.

 

He talked softly and thoughtfully. There was no triumphalism, no thought of taking the credit for himself.

 

"I want to stay here," he said.

 

"I'm only young. I haven't been in the job very long. I'm not getting ahead of myself."

 

Others have spoken of Howe's calmness, a thoroughness in preparation that rivals Jose Mourinho, a clever football brain and an excellent manmanagement technique. "Last season, we believed that if we had gone down the club could have gone out of existence and I desperately didn't want that on my CV," he added.

 

"This year, we have carried the momentum on and it is a collective spirit and togetherness that has got us through. The players deserve huge credit."

 

Inside, Port Vale's boss Micky Adams, spoke about how far Howe could go. Adams was a wunderkind once, too, who has been to the top and is starting again.

 

"Eddie's made the biggest step as a manager," he said. "These days, if you don't get the first job right, you're never seen again."

 

Eddie's got the first job right. No one could have got it more right. If he ever decides to move on, there will always be a job for a miracleworker.

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Dougie Do'ins Grand Master

Dougie Do'ins

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Liverpool FC legend demands Rafael Benitez resolution after embarrassing season > Liverpool FC > Sport | Click Liverpool

 

Anfield legend Tommy Smith has called on Rafael Benitez to end the growing speculation that surrounds his future at Liverpool following an "embarrassing" season.

 

Italian giants Juventus are currently lying in wait for the Kop boss having issued a deadline of the end of this week by which he has to accept their offer to take the managerial reins at the Stadio Olimpico.

 

Tough-tackling Smith, 65, wants the Spaniard to clarify his future in order to avoid another summer of unrest at Anfield and insists that owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks should not be held accountable for the club's "embarrassing" campaign.

 

He said: "Rafa has always said he loves the club, the fans and the city. For the sake of all three, he must now come out and make his intentions clear - one way or the other.

 

"He has said nothing publicly to suggest he is still up for the challenge, ready to try and sort out the problems and go again. That is only adding to the anxiety and fuelling more controversy.

 

"We all know the problems the American ownership has brought - and at times caused the manager. It can't have been easy for him to a degree but in truth he has made mistakes which cannot be blamed on Hicks and Gillett.

 

"Not only has this campaign been the season from hell, with 19 defeats, the manager is giving every indication he has had enough and wants out.

 

"One word sums up the whole, sorry state of affairs at Liverpool these days - embarrassing.

 

"The Liverpool supporters are always there through thick and thin - and right now it is very thin times indeed for them all.

 

"The manager must first come out and make his intentions clear. Then we have to pray that soon the club is sold to owners who have the clout to invest in it and get us back on track.

 

"For the sake of those wonderful fans, I hope they get some good news soon. Because they deserve it."----------------------------------------------------

 

The same "wonderful fans" he walked past laughing at and shaking his head when we were protesting in the Main Stand car park ?

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SCOUSE TAPAS Veteran

SCOUSE TAPAS

Posted
Posted
Remember Pako Ayesteran? Not just a post on this thread reminding everyone of what i think will be seen as the seminal moment in rafa's reign - the breakdown of his 11 year working relationship with pako, the only man who had the courage to say 'no' to him.

 

But thinking about Pako reminded me of Rafa's explanation as to why he put him on gardening leave - because he was holding meetings with another club about taking a position there.

 

And yet Rafa has (presumably) authori

 

Quote)

 

 

This meeting Rafa had two weeks ago,can you post a link to something about this please,as I not seen anything about that thanks.

 

Also I thought the Pako thing was all hearsay,and a offical statement on his leave was never given.

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Antynwa Grand Master

Antynwa

Posted
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"The fans aren't 100% behind Rafa though"

 

"The real ones are"

 

 

Oh joy.

 

Antony = Me

 

It's been closed no doubt to remove my comments.

 

I actually wasn't there on a wind up, I just had to question the whole 'Fans are 100% behind Rafa shite'

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Moo Veteran

Moo

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I like Hodgson and think he's a good manager. But do I think that Torres, Reina and Mascherano (or most potential top quality recruits) would be impressed by a package of Hodgson, no CL football and no prospective investment in the club? Do I need to answer that one?

 

And the same goes for O'Neill, Maclaren and most other names we've been linked with.

 

That type of appointment doesn't make much sense unless we're switching strategy to battening down the hatches, spending fuck all and settling for top-eight while we get new owners and the new stadium.

 

I think that's exactly what we'll have to do, it's the only logical conclusion for me.

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usernameunknown Proficient

usernameunknown

Posted
Posted
Antony = Me

 

It's been closed no doubt to remove my comments.

 

I actually wasn't there on a wind up, I just had to question the whole 'Fans are 100% behind Rafa shite'

 

Looks like you were right, deleted. You aren't allowed a different viewpoint on there.

 

It still baffles me how they seem completely oblivious to the fact he's been talking to Juventus and he actually might want to leave.

 

And what on earth do they think sending 100 letters to sky or Tony Barrett is going to achieve?

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coop Grand Master

coop

Posted
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Has anyone thought that Hodgson may actually surprise people. People are doing him a dis-service.

 

He deserves a little more respect than that.

 

Funnily enough i think that of the current Liverpool manager.

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jackofdk Mentor

jackofdk

Posted
Posted
Has anyone thought that Hodgson may actually surprise people. People are doing him a dis-service.

 

He deserves a little more respect than that.

 

His career so far doesn't really inspire any confidence what so ever. A good European run one season doesn't change that.

 

Nothing to do with a lack of respect, just a lack of stuff to be impressed by in his resume.

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