Rafa press conference 19/10/2010

[The Special One]

Mentalism.

[Hermes]

And when was finishing second an achievement.

 

 

From the day "winning trophies is not what matters, but competing for them".

[RobbieOR]

Some of you lot are bitter cunts.

[RSM]

His list of enemies grows with every passing day. Is there a man walking the earth that Rafa gets on with?

 

Ahh... good job that everyone out there loves good old Roy Hodgson. It is very important, just ask Carragher.

[RSM]

Purslow must of bought Aqulani then and fell out wth Alonso and was single handedly responsible for winning fuck all for 4 seasons. And when was finishing second an achievement.

 

Fucking tosser !!

 

Is there any need to refer to him as a fucking tosser?

 

Like him or not; have some respect.

[YNWAViking]

I like Rafa.

 

And I like milk.

[Trumo]

Gonna read between the lines here, so bear with me:

 

First, let's be clear that Rafa cannot go into any detail about what happened at Liverpool because it would carry legal ramifications. So he chooses a cryptic answer to the various questions for a number of reasons.

 

1 - not to fall foul of his severance agreement

2 - because he likes playing games in the media

3 - his dislikes Purslow for stepping on his toes

 

Point 3 is where I'm reading between the lines. In March 2009 he'd signed a new contract that increased his influence at the club, and gave him the control he wanted. Mere months later, Purslow came in with a remit to find new investors in the club. As the newly installed MD, part of his role was dealing with issues that put him on collision course with Rafa. As well as trying to fulfil his primary role, Purslow is not adverse to playing games using the media, so he decided to reveal little snippets via his friends in the media.

 

Rafa's problem was that he stretched his resources thin by seeking full control, and by crossing paths, found another person to pick a fight with. He decided to join Purslow in playing games, getting people to pick sides. He took his eye off his primary role and the squad suffered because of it. Strange as it sounds, if he'd actually followed Tom Hicks' October 2007 chastisement and concentrated on training and coaching the team, he would have faced fewer battles. We might not have done as well in the league as in 08/09, partly down to losing Alonso, but I think with a fully focussed squad we would certainly have finished in the top 4.

 

You might have noticed none of this has anything to do with money. While the lack of it was a big concern, what little we had wasn't utilised very well, and has had the knock-on effect we've seen since. While Rafa may be right about other influences derailing his efforts, he made a rod for his own back with an unsympathetic British media by allowing himself to take his eye off the ball.

 

As for Purslow, whilst I'm grateful to him for his role in ousting the tumours, he also allowed his focus to shift from his primary role and into other areas where he had little to no expertise. Having friends in the media helps, and it might all have been part of his overall game to get rid of Rafa as collateral damage in resolving the club's future, but the net result is new owners that have an uphill task ahead of them. More so than they really needed.

 

Each has done something for the club's fans to be grateful for, but they both have to accept some culpability for the situation we currently find ourselves in (on the field). That's just how it is.

 

And for the record: Gillett and Hicks are ultimately responsible for making a mess of things.

[GJM]

From the day "winning trophies is not what matters, but competing for them".

 

Or just entering them, if you are the current manager.

[Lycan]

I love rafa and would much rather have him back with a few bob to spend than most other names that get a mention. I really don't get all this anti rafa shite, he won us a couple of cups, getting to another final & stood up to the yanks & slur alex, and Had a a good dig at our blue friends. Giving us some of our best memories in recent times, Chelsea semis, juve, arsenal quarters, our derby record, Istanbul, Athens, Cardiff. The difference in attitude to when we won the uefa cup under houllier to when some on here actually wanted us to lose the semi v athletico coz the uefa cup

was 'beneath us' speaks volumes for the way rafa moved our club on. I'd didn't work

out last season but he deserves our fuckin respect so give it. It's a sign of the times and the shitness of our so called fans that a manager who achieved what he did doesn't get the respect he deserves.

 

Well said mate.

[WaltonRed]

He's just gutted Purslow's getting some credit and no ones mention poor old rafa for atleast a week

[That fella]

He will be home soon. Even his press conferences are better than Roys "hopefully we will get the thwee points and go from there" type of thing.

[Brownie]

He will be home soon. Even his press conferences are better than Roys "hopefully we will get the thwee points and go from there" type of thing.

 

No he won't. And rightly so.

[Irishlad]

Should have kept Parry on then. What's that? He fell out with him and wanted him gone as well!

 

Purslow done more for this club in the last few weeks then Rafa ever did

[Torvald Utne]

I love Rafa.

 

Some of you lot are bitter cunts.

 

Too true, it's the same old people as well who are jumping over anything he says or does and have been for years. And it's the same old people telling us 'he's gone, g** **** **'

 

Doesn't anything ever change around here?

[Mustangt125]

Besides winning the CL right?

[Torvald Utne]

Should have kept Parry on then. What's that? He fell out with him and wanted him gone as well!

 

Purslow done more for this club in the last few weeks then Rafa ever did

 

Purslow did what he was appointed by RBS to do, when it came to a vote by the board he sided with RBS. Hardly a monumental achievement.

[Cherry Ghost]

""We have a saying in Spanish: 'White liquid in a bottle has to be milk'," said Benitez. "

 

That's why so many Spanish schoolchildren are taken to hospital each year for downing Fabric Conditioner Milk Shakes and also why you should never accept a cup of tea in a Spanish fertility clinic.

[BCM]

Purslow did what he was appointed by RBS to do, when it came to a vote by the board he sided with RBS. Hardly a monumental achievement.

 

Don't you know Christian is the messiah, he can walk on water, he is a hero.....

 

2nd from bottom is the new 2nd anyway. No1 ranked team in Europe to 2nd best team on merseyside, i know who i blame. And its not the fella who had a clutch of top european clubs after his services............ :wallbutt:

[tobycatz]

Should have kept Parry on then. What's that? He fell out with him and wanted him gone as well!

 

Purslow done more for this club in the last few weeks then Rafa ever did

 

Total and Utter Nonsense.

[Wor Horse]

Don't you know Christian is the messiah, he can walk on water, he is a hero.....

 

2nd from bottom is the new 2nd anyway. No1 ranked team in Europe to 2nd best team on merseyside, i know who i blame. And its not the fella who had a clutch of top european clubs after his services............ :wallbutt:

 

Ha ha!

[BCM]

Ha ha!

 

Glad your happy.

[Il Fenomeno]

"White liquid in a bottle. If I see John the milkman in the Wirral, where I was living, with this bottle, I'd say, 'It's milk, sure'."

 

This was the best quote of the interview.

 

Legend.

[The Special One]

That was a bit 'if you don't have eggs' of him.

[Juniper]

That was a bit 'if you don't have eggs' of him.

 

Milk? Eggs?

 

Really craving an omelette now.

[Torvald Utne]

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.