Rafael Benítez on the brink of leaving Liverpool over Anfield rift

[BexBissel]

Has he made anything from sales yet?

£6 mil from Foster. Plus whatever he gets from the rest of his flops.

[Barrington Womble]

Glazers spend all the money on debt. They tell Gill, or Gill finds out, whichever way it works out. So Gill tells Ferguson, just tells him straight. Ferguson gets pissed off with it, but a few smashed gin bottles later and he's come to terms with it. And he knows Gill has told him the truth about it. He knows it's unavoidable the way his club is now structured. And so he and Gill agree to stick together about it. "We didn't want any new players anyway".

 

G&H spend all the money on debt. They tell Purslow. Purslow doesn't tell Rafa. Purslow says one thing at the start of the summer, then does another over the course of the summer. Rafa obviously works this out as the summer goes on. Purslow then tells the press there was money, £20m of it.

 

If Purslow had sat with Rafa last summer and told him that the owners had spent all the money on paying off debt, had let Rafa smash his red wine bottles and had then agreed with Rafa they would come clean about it (but maybe with a cover story that suggested they both agreed it was good for the club's long-term future to tighten its belt) I honestly think last season would have been different from the off, and different for the better.

 

It might not have been enough, but it might have been the difference between fourth and seventh.

 

Rafa even spoke about understanding the need to "balance the books", it was an ideal opportunity to show that those who were here every day were accepting that times were shit and we had to make do.

 

According to reports ahead of his visit to Broughton his only financial demand was that he gets to reinvest whatever he makes from sales. Hardly asking for a fortune really, surely it's not too much to ask.

 

Say United had sold Ronaldo last season and told Ferguson he could have all the money from that sale. He lined up some targets to spend it all on, then his CEO told him at the last minute that this wasn't the case at all, he couldn't have the money after all. Ferguson would have blown his top completely. (Even though he was in less need of the money than we were.) But then, if that's not bad enough, and just as he'd accepted it, his CEO went to the press and said they'd actually spent £20m net and Ferguson had been given all the targets he'd asked for. Can you imagine the fallout?

 

This is the Ferguson who won't talk to some TV stations because of old grudges he holds with them, the Ferguson who just refuses to speak at all or dictates what he'll answer questions on. If he ever thought his CEO was stitching him up behind his back we'd know about it, and we'd know about it fast.

 

If Purslow had been the Manc CEO and had acted the way he has for us Ferguson would have had him hung out to dry a long time ago, and he'd have had nobody trying to stop him from doing it.

 

Jim, I agree Purslow is a snide. However, everything we've seen from Rafa - not just here but at Valencia too, is you would tell him as little as you needed to because as soon as he doesn't get the answer he wants, he runs to the press. He's the type of person you can't win with. Let's put it this way, I've seen Rafa do it with Purslow and Coco. I have no record of how Purslow behaves prior to this job, but Coco didn't have these issues with Houllier. Rafa did have exactly these problems at Valencia. And I believe at one of his other former clubs - but I'd have to check that out. If you give me the choice today of picking which one of those would go, I would pick Rafa and be letting Purslow know if he doesn't make it work with the new manager he'll be gone too - if he is sackable rather than just RBS's man watching the shop.

 

We'll have to agree to disagree, because I know I can't persuade you and you won't be persuading me because I have no respect for how Rafa goes about his work.

[Moo]

You know what Barry. Spot on about Ferguson.

 

It's really not spot on about Ferguson. He has championed the Glazers every step of the way. He does not hide what's going on behind the scenes because it seems as far as he's concerned there is no problem behind the scenes.

 

If anyone thinks our manager should have kept schtum about our illustrious owners then they're taking the fecking piss.

[Barrington Womble]

Hasn't Ferguson been spending the money during the season youngsters such as Spalling and that Mexican kid.

 

About £20m there.

 

dunno how much the mexican kid is, but the lad from fulham, is only about 4m up front isn't he? bearing in mind he sold a player for 80m last year and spent about 30m iirc, he's hardly splashing the cash and was on sky today saying he only wants one more player. Our manager on the other hand, despite knowing we're absolutely fucked, lending more money will only fuck us more can only bang on about the fact he wants 4 or 5 top players.

[coop]

dunno how much the mexican kid is, but the lad from fulham, is only about 4m up front isn't he? bearing in mind he sold a player for 80m last year and spent about 30m iirc, he's hardly splashing the cash and was on sky today saying he only wants one more player. Our manager on the other hand, despite knowing we're absolutely fucked, lending more money will only fuck us more can only bang on about the fact he wants 4 or 5 top players.

 

Personally mate i just think Rafa wants assurances that he can have all the money from sales.

 

I don't think he is asking for any cash other then that.

 

Is that too much to ask regardless of who the manager is.

[Antynwa]

It's really not spot on about Ferguson. He has championed the Glazers every step of the way. He does not hide what's going on behind the scenes because it seems as far as he's concerned there is no problem behind the scenes.

 

If anyone thinks our manager should have kept schtum about our illustrious owners then they're taking the fecking piss.

 

It's not about keeping shtum, and it's not about being a loud mouth twat.

 

It's about making sure your players both give their all, and the manager makes the right decisions.

 

Neither has happend

[Torvald Utne]

He should lay off G&H, it would be much better for them if he just stopped talking about money.

[RobbieOR]

It's really not spot on about Ferguson. He has championed the Glazers every step of the way. He does not hide what's going on behind the scenes because it seems as far as he's concerned there is no problem behind the scenes.

 

If anyone thinks our manager should have kept schtum about our illustrious owners then they're taking the fecking piss.

 

I dont think that. There is a right and a wrong time to do it.He usually picks the wrong time. Benitez reminds me a bit of Stalin trying to gain power in Russia after Lenin died. He tries to play kicks and Gillet off one another. Just like Stalin did with Kamenev and Zinoiev.

[Walton Park]

So what are we looking at then. Selling 3 squad players for £20million and getting one in for £20million?

 

Were fucked!!

[Moo]

It's not about keeping shtum, and it's not about being a loud mouth twat.

 

It's about making sure your players both give their all, and the manager makes the right decisions.

 

Neither has happend

 

That's a seperate issue.

 

I was addressing the point on this thread that Ferguson is somehow the example to follow as far dealing with shitty owners is concerned.

"What shitty owners?" is what Ferguson would say.

[piscinin]

The managers comments about Mourinho are fucking hilarious. What a cheek. Erm what have you wont the last 4 years mate? FUCK ALL THATS WHAT.

 

Come on you know what he's alluding to. Playing style.

 

People complain about us and 2 holding players, well Mourinho, a couple of weeks ago, played 5 defenders and 4 holding midfielders. If he does that at Madrid he could win the lot including Miss World and they will sack him if their past record is anything to go by. To be a success there is going to require something different from him. It'll be interesting if he goes.

[Moo]

I dont think that. There is a right and a wrong time to do it.He usually picks the wrong time. Benitez reminds me a bit of Stalin trying to gain power in Russia after Lenin died. He tries to play kicks and Gillet off one another. Just like Stalin did with Kamenev and Zinoiev.

 

So if he "picked" the wrong times (and what were these wrong times?), what would have been the right times?

[Delmar]

This thread has turned to nothing but a parody of itself. We have reached a point where he supporters of our club openly admire the manager of our fiercest rivals, where the biggest failure of a chairman of the club is being defended, where our existing manager is reduced to a laughing stock.

 

It is a pitiful state, there's not much else to say.

[Barrington Womble]

We can't give up that easily surely? We've got to keep chipping away at each other until one of us cracks! No I respect what you're saying, and it's a credit to you that you still keep following the club like you do given the way you feel about him.

 

I've absolutely no trust in Purslow at all, going right back to when he ignored that proposal for stadium finance but that was more of the warning to be on my guard than the main reason for losing my trust in him.

 

One thing we do agree on is that we shouldn't even be having this conversation - there shouldn't be any need for our manager to get political, and if he did there'd be no reason to keep him.

 

Jim, you know how I feel, I want the lot of them gone. I genuinely fear for the future of our club - in fact right now I actually see a swift move to administration possibly the best thing we can hope for. The club is littered with people who are only there to line their own pockets, look after their own self interest and fuck us soft cunts who go the game and give those twats the lifestyles of kings.

 

We're getting closer and closer to a time where i can see myself fucking it all off. I haven't even decided yet if I want to renew my ST. fuck those cunts, I am sick of giving them my money. It just sickens me when I look at season like this one we've just had. We're not 7th bad. But we've allowed ourselves to be dragged there. The players have bought into the hard luck stories. The manager can't stop going on about them, while we have an MD who is clearly a top of the range cunt, tells the press one thing on the record, another off the record and then snides off to speak to the SoS with another story and fucks that up to. Everything at the club is disease ridden and it's dragging everything down with it - both on the field and in the stands. And all of this is happening while that pair of fucking leeches sit in the states creaming 10% interest off a loan I can only assume was taken out to pay their millions in expenses, pay for the loan facilities we never needed before they turned up and pay for that boss stadium they've some how spent 50 mil on - wonder where all that money has filtered away to?

 

For me the manager is part of the problem. It's why I want him gone - if it takes Purslow with him great. If it can also take the other pair with him even better. That's when we can all start dancing on the streets.

[Redexile]

so that's a yes then

 

I think his answer is far from a yes but don't let that stop you from looking an idiot.

[dirty_sanchez]

So what are we looking at then. Selling 3 squad players for £20million and getting one in for £20million?

 

Were fucked!!

 

The Code72 theory. Sell half your squad to buy one really good player.

[Barrington Womble]

Personally mate i just think Rafa wants assurances that he can have all the money from sales.

 

I don't think he is asking for any cash other then that.

 

Is that too much to ask regardless of who the manager is.

 

Considering he sold alonso and arbeloa last year and we've ended up with Johnson and aquilani, I think it's fair to say his policy of change for changes sake wasn't really a success. I'd sooner we gave him nothing else and told him to work with what he has if he has to stay, just look at his transfers in the last couple if season, why would you let him potentially sell a torres or gerrard and allow him to replace them with same random shitarse from Italy?

[navbasi]

Considering he sold alonso and arbeloa last year and we've ended up with Johnson and aquilani, I think it's fair to say his policy of change for changes sake wasn't really a success. I'd sooner we gave him nothing else and told him to work with what he has if he has to stay, just look at his transfers in the last couple if season, why would you let him potentially sell a torres or gerrard and allow him to replace them with same random shitarse from Italy?

 

I rate Johnson. Lucky we managed to get him for £6m as I don't think we would have got much of the £11m we sold Crouch for from Pompey.. Worked out ok.

 

Also I don't think it's fair to say he sold Arbeloa. Yes, technically he did, but Bob wanted to go back home and if anything it was Rafa that made Bob the player that he is today. A regular in the Real Madrid and Spanish national side.

[zigackly]

I rate Johnson. Lucky we managed to get him for £6m as I don't think we would have got much of the £11m we sold Crouch for from Pompey.. Worked out ok.

 

Did we fuck. And once again, the premier league ensured that Chelsea and Tottenham got the money Pompey owed them by holding back revenues. What makes us different?

[navbasi]

Did we fuck. And once again, the premier league ensured that Chelsea and Tottenham got the money Pompey owed them by holding back revenues. What makes us different?

 

It has been revealed cash-strapped Portsmouth owe Tottenham £1million for the sale of Asmir Begovic even though he has never played for the club.

 

Portsmouth have released their debt report to creditors, spelling out the entirety of the club's debts to be £119million.

 

Among the debts is the staggering revelation that Portsmouth owe money to Spurs over former goalkeeper Begovic.

 

During the final days of the January transfer window it is thought that, when Portsmouth sold Younes Kaboul to Tottenham in January, the club negotiated a double deal which included Begovic.

 

Begovic snubbed a move to White Hart Lane, preferring a transfer to Stoke, but the £1million sell-on clause included in the deal remained despite the fact the Bosnian has no connection with the North London outfit.

 

The report also revealed the club owe in the region of £9million to agents, including just over £2million to Pini Zahavi, and a further £2million to a company called 'PECO AG'.

 

A total of £38million is owed to assorted owners, including Sacha Gaydamak and Sulaiman al Fahim.

 

They also owe another £17.3million in transfer fees to clubs including Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

 

Players are also owed £3.04million in image rights and £1.86million in unpaid wages to illustrate the club's dire financial problems.

 

 

 

Sky Sports | Football | News | Spurs owed £1m over Begovic

[zigackly]

Dig a little deeper.

 

The Premier League withheld £7 million due to Portsmouth in broadcast fees in January as several clubs, most notably Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, complained that they were owed outstanding sums in transfer fees totalling up to £10 million. Several of those payments have been made, but Portsmouth’s £60 million debt is thought to include £3 million in unpaid transfer fees, meaning that the FA will withhold prize money unless the club can demonstrate that all their creditors are foreign sides.

 

FA prepares to hold on to Portsmouth bounty | Football - Times Online

[05 Milan]

Did we fuck. And once again, the premier league ensured that Chelsea and Tottenham got the money Pompey owed them by holding back revenues. What makes us different?

 

A bit stricter risk management, maybe? I'm guessing there was no guarantee that the revenue would be held back, or that this revenue would've been enough to pay back all creditors.

 

Anyway, it's only risk management, and Johnson shouldn't be presented as only costing 6m. The interesting point for me is if Rafa was cash restrained to the point where he had to look for potential signings at clubs that owe us money. That's a difficult situation for any manager at a top club to deal with.

[zigackly]

All seems a bit speculative to me. Has there ever been any indication from him or the club that he bought Johnson purely because of monies owed?

 

Remember, at that time the same people that defend him on this often repeat the mantra that he thought he had £20M plus player sales and was looking to bring another player in without selling.

 

So which is it to be?

[Kennys_spell]

Dig a little deeper.

 

The Premier League withheld £7 million due to Portsmouth in broadcast fees in January as several clubs, most notably Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, complained that they were owed outstanding sums in transfer fees totalling up to £10 million. Several of those payments have been made, but Portsmouth’s £60 million debt is thought to include £3 million in unpaid transfer fees, meaning that the FA will withhold prize money unless the club can demonstrate that all their creditors are foreign sides.

 

Hang on - those figures say that Chelsea and Spurs are owed £10 Mill - yet you're making the claim the "the FA made sure they got their money" by holding back £7 Mill - how does that work??

 

Even if Chelsea and Spurs are given the £7 Mill between them that would only work out at 35p on the Pound. Would you be happy with that?

[Ted]

Come on you know what he's alluding to. Playing style.

People complain about us and 2 holding players, well Mourinho, a couple of weeks ago, played 5 defenders and 4 holding midfielders. If he does that at Madrid he could win the lot including Miss World and they will sack him if their past record is anything to go by. To be a success there is going to require something different from him. It'll be interesting if he goes.

 

Like he's even in any sort of position to comment on that. Especially as we have zero playing style.