Benayoun going to Chelsea (with quotes)

[The Dude Abides]

as for Maxi being Benny's replcement, well thats a serious step down IMO.

 

Nah.

[hamstrung]

I think he has done ok, but I don't think he has provided value for money.

 

That's exactly what he has done. £2M worth. He's been a £2M defender.

[mickeydocs]

Why can't we sell Kuyt instead?

[stringvest]

Sami left because he wanted first team football not because of a fall out with the manager.

 

Riera has fallen out with the manager because he is shit and wonders why he can not get in the team.

 

Alonso left the club because of the manager but don't let the fact he is getting a far higher wage at Madrid pass you by either.

 

So did Crouchie but that wasn't why he left either Coop.

[Code]

I really hate it when people try and drag the Hyypia thing into the argument. It shows great disrepesct to Sami for starters. Sami is much bigger then walking out after some row. And anyway, Sami is one of the ex-players to come out in support of Rafa recently.

 

Sami wanted to go because he wasn't getting first team football. So he left and went to a weaker league where he has done well. Had he stayed, and we had not had the injuries we had had, then Sami would have played even less. It was a good decision for him and has worked out fine.

 

Please stop dragging a legend like Sami into these dumb arguments.

 

Well when your best CB cant get games who else is there to blame but the manager.

 

Ridiculous treatment of a player.

[Coro]

Well when your best CB cant get games who else is there to blame but the manager.

 

Ridiculous treatment of a player.

 

Sami Hyypia has hit back at Rafael Benitez's detractors, insisting that the Liverpool manager will deliver the side to a top four finish in the Barclays Premier League this season.

 

The Finn, who left Anfield last summer after a decade on Merseyside, responded to critics calling for the Kop boss to resign following a tumultuous campaign for the Reds which has seen them fail tu build on last season's second-place achievement.

 

However Hyypia, 36, feels that the Spaniard's achievements in the Champions League have been largely downplayed despite working on a significantly lesser budget than Chelsea.

 

He said: "Should Benitez quit as Liverpool manager? Absolutely not, he has done a great job there so why should he? He hasn't had the money of Manchester United and Chelsea, but he has still been successful.

 

"Look how much Chelsea have spent to try and win the Champions League. Rafa won the Champions League in his first season in charge, then got to another final with nowhere near the budget of Chelsea."

 

Speaking ahead of Tuesday's trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Hyypia has tipped his former club to pip the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City to the elusive Champions League qualification spot and thinks the players will thrive on the pressure to win the race for fourth spot.

 

"I am sure that Liverpool will finish in the top four," he insisted.

 

"Manchester City and Spurs have put together great squads, but when the pressure is on in the last 10 games of the season, experience starts to show.

 

"Most of those Liverpool lads know what it is like to play under pressure, and that for me is why they will finish the season in the top four.

 

"Rafa is an excellent man-manager and during all my time at Liverpool everybody liked him and everybody respected him.

 

"Players don't stick up for their gaffer if you are not a good man-manager.

 

"It would be easy for the players to blame the manager, but they are taking responsibility and sticking up for their boss - and that's a rare thing now."

 

Hyypia, currently plying his trade at Bayer Leverkusen, still holds Anfield close to his heart and believes that there may be a role for him at the club once his playing days are over.

 

He added: "I had some great years there, made some great friends, and built up a very special relationship with the fans.

 

"I think the door will always be open for me at Liverpool."

[Original202]

I'd kiss Benitez's arse if I thought it might land me a coaching job in the future... :whistle:

 

It's worked for Didi and Rushie.

[Code]

Sorry mate but that's wrong. Sami is probably my favourite player of the last decade for his attitude and ability, but he was not in any way our best CB over the last 2 years of his life with us. He came in and had some great performances over his last season but he was also well capable of having some very poor performances as his legs were all but gone. Thus why he left for a poorer league and was not snapped up by an Italian or Spanish club.

 

The guy is a proper legend (and not in the way every second player gets called one nowadays, but a proper one) but had Skrtel, Agger and Carra kept their form and fitness then we would not have even noticed the departure of Sami. Defence wasn’t really our problem last season anyway (We only conceded 3 more goals the Chelsea all season) it was in attack where we really struggled. Yes we made mistakes early on, but we should have been able to remedy those with decent attacking cover.

 

 

 

And Lucas was better than Alonso, and Insua better than Riise, and Rafa is a better manager than Mourinho.

 

Do you see a pattern here?

 

Well I do.

[Mathewbet1]

yossi's or third best attacking option and the only ball carrier (dribbler) we have got.

[Iantn]

And Lucas was better than Alonso, and Insua better than Riise, and Rafa is a better manager than Mourinho.

 

Do you see a pattern here?

 

Well I do.

 

Unless you are commenting on things that Johnny has exactly said then them 'better than' remarks are laughable. Next you'll be added N'Gog better than Crouch, or something of that ilk!

[Iantn]

yossi's or third best attacking option and the only ball carrier (dribbler) we have got.

 

Point is if we get to spend the money on a better option we should do this. Our financial restraints make keeping Benayoun to be a good back up, discounting that I don't think Benayoun would want that, beyond what we can afford to do.

[Guest TesticleOReilly]

yossi's or third best attacking option and the only ball carrier (dribbler) we have got.

 

He spends more time scampering about on his hands and knees like a terrier than he does with the ball at his feet. He once got knocked over by Caspar the Friendly Ghost. True story.

[JohnnyH]

And Lucas was better than Alonso, and Insua better than Riise, and Rafa is a better manager than Mourinho.

 

Do you see a pattern here?

 

Well I do.

 

 

Just in case you're wondering Code, I think you're a dribbling idiot incapable of having a sane thought (well proven above), thus why I don't bother replying to anything you say anymore. However, I do read your posts out loud in the house as it makes my dog feel talented, so for that I thank you.

[danperkins]

Nah.

Yeah Maxi's done well alright for us so far:whistle:

 

We shall see

[danperkins]

The truth of the matter is Yossi is not rated by the current manager and was told so by him. I think Yossi is more than intitled to look elsewhere, as the manager does not want him, If he goes to chelsea then so be it, its not yossi's fault.

I concur

[1892-LFCWasBorn]

The truth of the matter is Yossi is not rated by the current manager and was told so by him. I think Yossi is more than intitled to look elsewhere, as the manager does not want him, If he goes to chelsea then so be it, its not yossi's fault.

 

Wouldn't be the first time Rafa discarded a player that he signed for no fucking reason.

 

This is what sticks in peoples throats when Rafa picks certain players who do not perform game after game.

 

Madness strikes again.

[AmerScouse]

is it possible that this story is being twisted slightly?

 

i can't fathom that rafa doesn't rate benny anymore. if anything, i can see rafa telling the player that he doesn't have a future here, but that it has more to do with benny being a saleable asset, it being the right time to sell him if anything, and saying so so the player can find himself the right team.

 

it could be that he has bigger plans for babel this season, or he may feel that pacheco is ready for the first time on a full time basis.

 

rafa doesn't play players he doesn't rate.

[Kraken]

By the manager before the Hull game.

 

So that's sorted the who, and when. What about the quotes?

 

What was evident is that Benayoun was not in the squad for the Hull game, anything else is just a Bascombe-load of nothing, unless you know different.

[1892-LFCWasBorn]

is it possible that this story is being twisted slightly?

 

i can't fathom that rafa doesn't rate benny anymore. if anything, i can see rafa telling the player that he doesn't have a future here, but that it has more to do with benny being a saleable asset, it being the right time to sell him if anything, and saying so so the player can find himself the right team.

 

it could be that he has bigger plans for babel this season, or he may feel that pacheco is ready for the first time on a full time basis.

 

rafa doesn't play players he doesn't rate.

 

Fuck me. If we're gonna rely on Babel to do the business, we're absolutely fucked. I'd rather sell Babel and keep Benny.

 

If Rafa is staying on, hasn't he realised that under these two cunts, that chances are that he's not gonna get any money from players that are sold like what has happened previously with Keane, Xabi etc?

 

I thought that was the point in not selling Babel in January was because he wouldn't have seen a penny of he sale.

[Jose Jones]

Decent squad player.

We shouldn’t miss a player of his quality, but as Rafa hasn’t endowed the squad with attacking talent and because we’ve got no money to replace him, we probably will.

[Coro]

Maybe the manager sees Jovanovic as a replacement for Yossi and he will use the money generated from the sale on strengthening other positions in the side i.e. left back.

[Juan Galonso]

If he is still here Coro.

[Jose Jones]

Do you reckon Rafa’s off JG?

Only chance I see is if he gets offered a top job and the club make it clear they’re willing to negotiate a contract pay-off.

[Mathewbet1]

We should be using Yossi in a swap and cash (5m?) for j.cole.

[The Special One]

Top class taggage.