Fanning was right. Six(+) months on, the Benitez era does look like a golden age.

[FrenchEyeGlass]

In six months, the Benitez era will seem like a golden age - Sport, Frontpage - Independent.ie

In six months, the Benitez era will seem like a golden age

In the dressing room and on the balance sheet, Liverpool have fallen over the edge, writes Dion Fanning

 

Sunday May 09 2010

 

I f Liverpool thought this season was bad, the summer may have them looking back wistfully. The release of their latest financial figures might shake some sense into those who think that Rafael Benitez's possible departure will make things better. Liverpool, as the figures show, are in great peril. In six months, the Benitez era will seem like a golden age.

 

The idea that Jose Mourinho can be parachuted in to save the club should crash up against the reality of these numbers. For the second successive year, the auditors, KPMG, expressed "material uncertainty" about Liverpool's ability to continue as a going concern.

 

The new chairman Martin Broughton has had to appear before the Premier League to give a guarantee, which had to be backed up by the banks, that Liverpool will be able to fulfil their fixtures next season (anyone who saw Liverpool's performance in Portsmouth this season may question if that guarantee was given last season). Yet some people cling to the view that Liverpool need simply to sign a new full-back. There is no quick-fix for Liverpool. There may be no slow-fix either.

 

This weekend, it does not seem as inevitable that Benitez will leave. At this stage, the decay has affected him so profoundly that it would be no bad thing for him to go. At the very least, his departure would allow those who criticise his management to understand slowly what he was up against. Alan Curbishley won't be able to do much better.

 

On Friday, an internet campaign launched by a Liverpool forum resulted in journalists receiving hundreds of emails from supporters backing Benitez. It is customary for their loyalty to be applauded slightly patronisingly at this point before asking at what other club would a manager be backed in this way?

 

Benitez earned their loyalty by providing as magical a night as any Liverpool fan has experienced in Istanbul, defying Chelsea in the semi-final and challenging for the title last season. He earned their loyalty by being misunderstood, as Liverpool people feel they are, and he earned their devotion by rumbling Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

 

So when they chant his name or send an email, they are not displaying blind devotion. They are acknowledging the complications of managing a club that has no future until things change and recognising that Benitez has, imperfectly, managed until this season somehow to keep Liverpool competitive.

 

Once Liverpool's players started spinning about the race for fourth and once Benitez started talking about how the value of the club had increased during his time at Anfield, then things were destined to unravel. That was not Benitez's racket. At his best, he felt no need to point to his record because he didn't respect the people who were looking it up.

 

They were wrong about everything: wrong about his transfer record, wrong about rotation, wrong about how often he rested Torres. Yet they never shut up and they wore Benitez down. The reasons Rafael Benitez is no longer the right manager for Liverpool are exactly the same as the reasons he was such a successful manager of Liverpool. His stubbornness allowed him to ignore the voices that told him he should buy Michael Owen or play Steven Gerrard in his "favoured" central midfield position.

 

Then he became distracted and demented by the financial position and gaining control. His attempt to sell Xabi Alonso was a disaster -- not because Alonso was in sparkling form and it made no sense -- but because his return to form was achieved not by coaxing the best from him but by instilling a sense of resentment that made his departure inevitable.

 

One of the key tenets of Benitez's philosophy is that he does not get close to the players. There is nothing wrong with that but it works best if the manager does not hold resentments if the players react to that distance, as Alonso did. The sadness in the fracturing of the relationship with the player once known as 'Son of Rafa' was compounded when, having taken the biggest risk of his career at Liverpool, Benitez barely saw any of the transfer fee.

 

Instead, he was forced to gamble on a fragile player like Alberto Aquilani and the pressure was on once it quickly became apparent that the title would not be achieved as many had expected. Benitez had been exhausted by the battles he had to fight. He was contaminated by the bullshit coming down the line and the players appear to have had enough.

 

Just as his success masked the dysfunction of the regime he was employed by, his failures have hidden them too. Benitez took on Hicks and Gillett and paid the price: not the loss of his job but the loss of his vision of what the team should be. Like all obsessives, he is always at risk of losing touch with reality.

 

Liverpool, out of the top four and with their most glorious footballer Fernando Torres agonising over his future, have more chance of sinking further next season than they do of reclaiming a Champions League place.

 

Torres is not bigger than the club, the old cliché that may yet be used by the accountants this summer after he makes an impact on the balance sheet, but there is a strong case to be made that it stands or falls with him right now. For many reasons, Torres is no ordinary footballer. He is loyal and curious about his surroundings. His talent ensured he would be a favourite at Liverpool, but his heart quickly bound him to Anfield. His disillusionment, not about last season, but about the future, is likely to see him leave in the summer. Even if the banks were to allow Liverpool to replace him, he is irreplaceable.

 

Broughton has announced that Liverpool do not need to sell him to service their debts but when £85m has been paid in interest since 2007, the needs of the money men can sometimes become insatiable.

 

Torres will have his choices and he may decide, despite their failure to qualify for the Champions League, that Manchester City are the best option. Certainly, they can offer a challenge in the future that Liverpool cannot. If they could persuade Torres then it would be a spectacular announcement of their intentions which could speak even louder than qualification for the Champions League.

 

Liverpool are being squeezed by teams who have been allowed to build and clubs that have not been so badly run. Tottenham's progress has been through shrewd investment and the acquisition of a squad that Liverpool can only envy. Peter Crouch might have stayed at Liverpool if he had been offered a contract that would have made his time on the bench bearable. Instead, he ended up at Spurs, along with Robbie Keane, who played no more time at Tottenham than he did at Liverpool but nobody seemed to notice before he headed off to Glasgow.

 

City and Spurs are ready to replace Liverpool. They have energy, ambition and new ideas. Liverpool are just trying to make it through the night. They have been ripped from their community by the decision of David Moores to sell the club to Hicks and Gillett. The desire of supporters to see the club return to ownership they understand has now been replaced by the pressing urgency to find somebody to rescue them.

 

There was a time when Moores and Rick Parry (who received a pay-off of £3m, the latest accounts revealed) searched the world looking for new investment. Moores could have borrowed on the club to build a new stadium instead of selling to the Americans, who were borrowing on the club to buy it, and Liverpool would be in a better position today. Instead, he made a rash decision and a poor business one for him and for Liverpool.

 

Those were the good days when the world felt it could trust people like Hicks and Gillett. Because there were so many of them, they must be doing something right.

 

Last week's accounts showed Liverpool's loss was 34 per cent worse than 2008's figure as £40.1m went on servicing the club's £351.4m debt to Royal Bank of Scotland and US firm Wachovia. These loans have been extended until the sale but the club is now, according to KPMG, "dependent on short-term facility extensions". They are living hand to mouth. And yet they claim that Torres doesn't need to be sold. They do not need to sell him, much as a wino doesn't need a bed for the night.

 

It is worth noting that the accounts were taken in a good year for Liverpool, a run in the Champions League and second in the league. Next year, if there is a next year, things will be worse.

 

But still they blame the manager. Benitez is said to be torn about his departure. A number of senior players would be happy to see him go and a number would prefer if he stayed. His management style is undoubtedly wearing on players but Liverpool aren't faced with too many alternatives.

 

Few managers will be tempted in the summer to join a club which may not still have owners and has no money. Martin O'Neill is the only candidate who appeals, especially if he feels he has done as much as he can at Aston Villa. Liverpool may not end up like Leeds but there is every indication they could end up like Newcastle, who, unlike Liverpool, had a stadium that gave them the revenue to compete. Liverpool have nothing, not even freedom, as that isn't afforded to the indebted.

 

The days of standing on the edge of the abyss are over, Liverpool have fallen over the edge. Benitez seems reluctant not to fall with them. He staked his reputation on the club and he found that even when it plummeted, he didn't want to give it all up.

 

He has been promised riches and finances at Juventus but still he hesitates. He is bound by something more. He is a flawed hero but history will see his management as no less heroic for the reality that it was doomed.

 

Sunday Independent

 

You can say what you want.

 

But Ferguson took the mancs to 13th and 11th succesively in his early years.

 

One bad year for Rafa, under ridiculous circumstances, should not have seen the back of him.

 

He was building a dynasty and as you watch Hodgson's liverpool through the cracks of your fingers, reminiscing about Milan, Juve, Real Madrid, Chelsea victories...I hope you finally can admit that you were wrong.

 

Oh and by the way. You can all spout that "Hes gone, get over it" rubbish. He has gone. But who the fuck are we going to replace him with?

 

When people point back to Rafa, they aren't missing Rafa. They're missing the belief that they have a world class manager, who has a long term vision, who understands the city and it's fans, who appreciates the deep rooted history of our club and works night and day to place us back on that pedestal.

 

When you can replace that belief, i'll fucking get over it.

[Unrighteous]

I totally disagree with everything that you posted.

 

Cheers.

[jackofdk]

Rafa's past 18 months as a manager has represented a deroute that makes Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas look like a wholesome chap realising his potential.

[Zurbaran]

I totally agree with everything that you just posted.

 

Cheers.

[Barzini]

This thread is going to go well.

[FrenchEyeGlass]

Rafa's past 18 months as a manager has represented a deroute that makes Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas look like a wholesome chap realising his potential.

 

We could also rewrite this.

 

The last, and most crippling, 18 months under our old ownership represented a deroute that makes Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas look like a wholesome chap realising his potential.

[Coro]

Oh lordy, Hodgson is doing all he can to unite the support but some would still rather pick that Benitez scab.

 

Let it heal.

[FrenchEyeGlass]

Oh lordy, Hodgson is doing all he can to unite the support but some would still rather pick that Benitez scab.

 

Let it heal.

 

To be fair, I appreciate this.

 

But I just want to know, what those who found it so imperative for us to get rid of our ex manager would do now? What is their plan?

 

I bet they dont have one.

[PaulMcC]

Anyone could do a better job than Benitez.

 

Didn't you know that?

[jackofdk]

We could also rewrite this.

 

Definitely. I don't think you can blame Gillett and Hicks for Rafa guiding Inter to 7th in the Serie A, though.

 

Maybe it was the constant struggles with G&H and the directors, maybe it was just one of those things, but Rafa lost his way and keeping him would have been wrong.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

People lost any kind of perspective over the guy. The side that's against him, but also the side that's for him. The latter have trouble admitting that he made mistakes at all, but the former have trouble admitting that those mistakes were made during, and at least partially due to, the most troubling and turbulent ownership period the club has ever had to endure.

 

Fanning is obviously pro-Rafa, but his comments here do go some way to explaining that it's not just blind devotion but reasoned loyalty to one of the best managers in our history.

 

Benitez earned their loyalty by providing as magical a night as any Liverpool fan has experienced in Istanbul, defying Chelsea in the semi-final and challenging for the title last season. He earned their loyalty by being misunderstood, as Liverpool people feel they are, and he earned their devotion by rumbling Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

 

So when they chant his name or send an email, they are not displaying blind devotion. They are acknowledging the complications of managing a club that has no future until things change and recognising that Benitez has, imperfectly, managed until this season somehow to keep Liverpool competitive.

 

Fucking hell, I miss having a manager who has at least earned the support of the fans.

[Coro]

David Maddock has waded in with this absolute pearler this morning -

 

In Hodgson, Liverpool have an old-fashioned manager who offers reminders of Joe Fagan. He is a football man who speaks his mind and often – perplexed - finds himself in trouble because of it. He is a decent guy who deserves at least a chance.

 

If his team can finish higher than seventh and progress in the Europa League, then under the circumstances it will not have been a disastrous campaign, because the reality at Anfield these days, after such a horrible 2010, is that it will take years to sort out the mess Hicks and Gillett left behind.

 

 

Read more: David Maddock Liverpool 2010 review: The crisis might not be over, but at least there is now hope for the future - Mirror Football Blog - MirrorFootball.co.uk

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[Hades]

The reality is Benitez inherited a golden age but fucked it up by selling Xabi. So Fanning at least got that part right. But dont be fooled by the spin - any manager would have a tough time repairing the spendthrift cunt's profligacy.

 

4th would have been a miracle even with Benitez.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

The reality is Benitez inherited a golden age but fucked it up by selling Xabi.

 

He fucked up his inheritance by selling a player he purchased? You massive spoon.

[jackofdk]

David Maddock has waded in with this absolute pearler this morning -

 

So finishing sixth and getting knocked out of the quarters of Europe's second tier competition and winning no trophies wouldn't be disastrous. Fuck me, Maddock's standards for LFC are low.

[Hades]

He fucked up his inheritance by selling a player he purchased? You massive spoon.

 

Do the Rafaites prefer this then?

 

"The reality is Benitez inherited a golden age and found ways to complement its strengths - Alonso being the notable case. But in the end, hawking Xabi around whilst treating Kuyt like a messiah proved what we suspected all along; Benitez had been lucky and not as calculated as we had imagined."

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Do the Rafaites prefer this then?

 

"The reality is Benitez inherited a golden age and found ways to complement its strengths - Alonso being the notable case. But in the end, hawking Xabi around whilst treating Kuyt like a messiah proved what we suspected all along; Benitez had been lucky and not as calculated as we had imagined."

 

No, that's even more ignorant.

[FrenchEyeGlass]

Do the Rafaites prefer this then?

 

"The reality is Benitez inherited a golden age and found ways to complement its strengths - Alonso being the notable case. But in the end, hawking Xabi around whilst treating Kuyt like a messiah proved what we suspected all along; Benitez had been lucky and not as calculated as we had imagined."

 

Or

 

"Benitez made a mistake selling Xabi, but taking into consideration Wenger and Ferguson have made throughout their time at their respective clubs, it was completely blown out of proportion"

 

Rafa made mistakes. Us 'Rafalites" dont deny that. But if ANYBODY deserved another season, it was Rafael fucking Benitez.

 

Eitherway, you're missing the point of the thread. If not Rafa, fine, but then WHO THE FUCK DO WE BRING IN NOW GENIUS?

 

You can't advocate the sacking of a manager without suggesting his replacement.

[FrenchEyeGlass]

The reality is Benitez inherited a golden age but fucked it up by selling Xabi. So Fanning at least got that part right. But dont be fooled by the spin - any manager would have a tough time repairing the spendthrift cunt's profligacy.

 

4th would have been a miracle even with Benitez.

 

even with benitez?

 

Suggests that you think that he's a good manager. A spendthrift cunt though.

[Hades]

No, that's even more ignorant.

 

Just noticed you posted this in another thread.

 

His time at Inter 'proves' very little.

 

That's utterly insane. His spell at Inter was as shite as I've seen from a so-called "good" manager. Not even Hodgson was as bad there. If that's how far your level of critique goes than I'll take "ignorant" as a compliment.

[Hades]

Or

 

"Benitez made a mistake selling Xabi, but taking into consideration Wenger and Ferguson have made throughout their time at their respective clubs, it was completely blown out of proportion"

 

They've earned the right to make mistakes. Based on your line of reasonsing, Hodgson deserves to be let off for signing Konchesky and Poulsen.

 

Rafa made mistakes. Us 'Rafalites" dont deny that. But if ANYBODY deserved another season, it was Rafael fucking Benitez.

 

Why? For missing out on the Champions League two seasons out of 6? For spending more than any Liverpool manager in history? For failing to develop any youth prospects? For playing dire football 5 seasons out of 6?

 

Eitherway, you're missing the point of the thread. If not Rafa, fine, but then WHO THE FUCK DO WE BRING IN NOW GENIUS?

 

You can't advocate the sacking of a manager without suggesting his replacement.

 

Jurgen Klopp or Joachim Loew would by my choices. Tactically smart, counterattacking football with plenty of flair.

[YNWAViking]

I've never seen the Benitez era as a bad era. We won the Champions League, ended up in the CL final another year, a couple CL semi's, and got a few decent league position - including 2nd in his next to last season!

 

He signed players like Torres, Reina, Masch, Alonso and Arbeloa.

 

Damn how fast some people seem to forget.

[mypost]

if ANYBODY deserved another season, it was Rafael fucking Benitez.

 

June 2004-June 2010 isn't long enough these days. :wow::drool:

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Just noticed you posted this in another thread.

 

 

 

That's utterly insane. His spell at Inter was as shite as I've seen from a so-called "good" manager. Not even Hodgson was as bad there. If that's how far your level of critique goes than I'll take "ignorant" as a compliment.

 

It's a perfectly reasonable statement, when looking, unlike your cursory assessment, at all the facts of his short time there. It was in response to somebody suggesting it proves he lost his way here. It doesn't. It proves very little, in that regard and others.

 

Still, I think it's clear that you live in your own little reality, so I'd take it as a compliment and move on.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

Oh great, another Benitez thread.