hi red brothers, benitez signed for atletico!

[Trucker Paddy]

 

No need to drag up Morientes again.

 

I was over the moon when we signed him, he was my favourite non LFC player, real pity that cup tied rule was there or he'd have been involved in Istanbul

[goatboy59]

Still just an offer then?

 

Any chance of this being a Juve-style 'smoke-out'? Same as the Turkey denial?

 

Too good for Villa or Blackburn, Abramovich arrogant enough to wait for Guardiola or Villas Boas, City trying stability for a change?

 

Take it, Rafa, and all the best.

[Dougie Do'ins]

Still nothing official ? Cant see it happening myself.

[Iantn]

I was over the moon when we signed him, he was my favourite non LFC player, real pity that cup tied rule was there or he'd have been involved in Istanbul

 

Not sure him not being cup tied would've helped us in that run, to be honest.

[mypost]

Aguero going to Madrid is like Torres going to the Mancs - what a fucking sickener!

 

It's not, as Real see Atletico how we see the blueballs across the road. Sad, bitter, a figure of fun, and in the bigger picture, rather irrelevant.

 

He always said that like's atletico. SCUM real has the money, the power, the referee helps, highest Tv revenues, not only in madrid, in spain. I don't think benitez need's to rebuild his credit, he wants to take a club, and there it is a good offer.

 

Real earn the money the club does, because Real can negotiate very lucrative tv contracts as people want to watch Real, Real always qualify for the CL, and always do well in it. Cue €£$. Real's beautiful stadium is full every week, and Atletico's stadium is full twice a year. Cue the handouts.

 

But as sure as Paella has rice, when it goes sour at Atletico, his Real background will be a focus for anger, and he'll be gone soon afterwards. Not every owner is like G&H.

Edited May 29, 2011 by mypost

[Trucker Paddy]

Not sure him not being cup tied would've helped us in that run, to be honest.

 

I was saying from his point of view, kinda felt sorry for him that he was'nt part of the 18

[gkmacca]

I'd have reservations. He causes absolute bedlam at boardroom level, but he might bring you a bit of success.

 

It's a bit too early for that generalisation. Valencia was all over the place at boardroom level, and he only started fighting here when those nice guys Hicks and Gillett turned up. Any manager with any integrity would have clashed in those situations.

[Iantn]

I was saying from his point of view, kinda felt sorry for him that he was'nt part of the 18

 

That's true. I was gutted how his time at us went. Same as Litmanen. Two players I would've loved to have seen in Red that really didn't work at when it happened.

[Dicko]

Still just an offer then?

 

Any chance of this being a Juve-style 'smoke-out'? Same as the Turkey denial?

 

Too good for Villa or Blackburn, Abramovich arrogant enough to wait for Guardiola or Villas Boas, City trying stability for a change?

 

Take it, Rafa, and all the best.

 

It's amazing that in this country the supporters are so easily fucking brainwashed that Villa & Tottenham supporters (should Redknapp leave for England or Chelsea) would rather have Moyes or Coyle than Benitez.

 

Not entirely convinced that Atletico is the best option, but fuck off out of this footballing backwater for your own sake.

 

Oh and PS don't sell your house.

At least not to Cecil, no matter how much he offers for it.

[goatboy59]

To be honest and for about the 40th time, I really don't believe this is a decrying of his ability. I think they'd want Coyle or Moyes because they think they'll hang around, the latter especially has had the patience of a saint. Big fish little pond syndrome; that's not Rafa.

 

I think a lot of clubs have silent majorities, and they will take one look at the trophies won and think they can tap into that side of him.

 

Bit like Collymore when people saw the goals, assists and occasional unstoppable performance and thought 'the other side' could be tamed.

 

The shadow over Benitez is Inter, not Liverpool. He may well have had a case, but you don't turn up at a treble winning club and start telling them where they're going wrong!

 

Rafa has to go somewhere, knuckle down, somehow let the inevitable shit any major team will throw at you pass him by and build a foundation from which he can then start making his usual demands.

 

Frankly there's only one job where you could get patience and resources.

 

And Kenny's got it.

[chorlton]

Hi red friends, how is goin everything there?

 

I think lfc will absolutely fight for premier next season and I will se here

 

Well, benitez is the new atletico's coach for next season, signed for 2 years!

 

We should be optimist with rafa? let me know, what you think all of you.

 

I thought I'd have seen all with nando going to chelsea, but aguero i'ts signed by

real madrid, eat that, a new traitor, what can you feel if traitor nando would have been united player?

 

truly sad, but atletico fans should be optimist with benitez sign?

 

huges!!

 

I like atletic, i like rafa. Good luck, hope it goes well.

[Dicko]

To be honest and for about the 40th time, I really don't believe this is a decrying of his ability. I think they'd want Coyle or Moyes because they think they'll hang around, the latter especially has had the patience of a saint. Big fish little pond syndrome; that's not Rafa.

 

I think a lot of clubs have silent majorities, and they will take one look at the trophies won and think they can tap into that side of him.

 

Bit like Collymore when people saw the goals, assists and occasional unstoppable performance and thought 'the other side' could be tamed.

 

The shadow over Benitez is Inter, not Liverpool. He may well have had a case, but you don't turn up at a treble winning club and start telling them where they're going wrong!

 

Rafa has to go somewhere, knuckle down, somehow let the inevitable shit any major team will throw at you pass him by and build a foundation from which he can then start making his usual demands.

 

Frankly there's only one job where you could get patience and resources.

 

And Kenny's got it.

 

I disagree Ste I think most fans in this country genuinely believe that the others mentioned are better managers. Certainly arguments I've had with Blues about both managers would bear this out, regardless of the overwhelming evidence in favour of Benitez.

 

Remember it wasn't so long ago that some of our own supporters openly welcomed a manager who wasn't fit to polish the trophies the previous manager had won merely by getting to a cup final and losing that Benitez had actually won.

 

The ridiculous generalisations about Benitez continue to be paraded, and the lack of respect shown to him illustrated perfectly by the sniggering & snide way he was dismissed as a potential Chelsea manager on the Sunday Supplement today shows the mountain he still has to climb to try & resurrect his reputation in this country.

 

Regarding Inter, then yes he didn't help himself but he was put in an impossible position by Moratti he could either watch Inter deteriorate and take the blame himself or come out against a man who clearly saw him as a second or third choice.

 

It's interesting to note though that the man who you thought would cause the most trouble for Benitez was in fact his biggest supporter Etoo. And the man you thought you could depend on turned out to be the biggest prick in Sneijder.

 

Benitez hasn't helped himself though and wherever your sympathies lie regarding his stint at Inter it has damaged his credibility in this country which was already low to begin with.

[King Emlyn]

You can argue till you're Blue in the face, the man is way, way too confrontational with his employers; no matter the rights or wrongs you simply cannot continue in that vein. As I've said on numerous occasions, I can think of only Clough who was more abrasive.

[Chippo]

You can argue till you're Blue in the face, the man is way, way too confrontational with his employers; no matter the rights or wrongs you simply cannot continue in that vein. As I've said on numerous occasions, I can think of only Clough who was more abrasive.

 

Mourinho?

[goatboy59]

Good comparison, that.

 

Liverpool was his Derby, Inter his Leeds.

 

Atletico his Forest?

 

And maybe he's got to swallow some pride and patch up differences with his seconds in command, who perhaps had more to do with his success than he'd care to admit?

 

Even Shankly didn't do it alone.

[goatboy59]

I disagree Ste I think most fans in this country genuinely believe that the others mentioned are better managers. Certainly arguments I've had with Blues about both managers would bear this out, regardless of the overwhelming evidence in favour of Benitez.

 

Regarding Inter, then yes he didn't help himself but he was put in an impossible position by Moratti he could either watch Inter deteriorate and take the blame himself or come out against a man who clearly saw him as a second or third choice.

 

It's interesting to note though that the man who you thought would cause the most trouble for Benitez was in fact his biggest supporter Etoo. And the man you thought you could depend on turned out to be the biggest prick in Sneijder.

 

Benitez hasn't helped himself though and wherever your sympathies lie regarding his stint at Inter it has damaged his credibility in this country which was already low to begin with.

 

Can't remember saying owt about Eto'o or Sneijder, to be honest.

 

And I think your blue mates might be having a little fun at your expense. One thing they do know and that's how to press Liverpudlian buttons!

 

It wasn't a case of "watching Inter deteriorate", it was a case of having patience and at least waiting for the second season, or at least the second transfer window. Certainly waiting for the return of fitness and form for genunely gifted players.

 

Is it only Rafa who has to deal with players who act above their station? To listen to some you'd certainly think so, and no one will ever convince me that Rafa couldn't have out-performed a nobody like Leonardo with the same resources.

 

5-2 at home to Schalke? Absolutely no fucking chance.

 

And in a semi with United, there's every chance we'd have not got in such a flap yesterday.

[King Emlyn]

Mourinho?

He's in that bracket yeah. Not as full on as Rafa and Clough though.

[Red Nick]

Not sure its a great move for Athletico but a good move for Rafa to try and re-establish his tattered reputation.

 

Unless he gets Pako back then he wont be getting his contract renewed

[sir roger]

You can argue till you're Blue in the face, the man is way, way too confrontational with his employers; no matter the rights or wrongs you simply cannot continue in that vein. As I've said on numerous occasions, I can think of only Clough who was more abrasive.

 

Valencia was the only job he resigned from & he was 4 years there and felt like he deserved a bit more respect after 2 La Ligas I would imagine, & Liverpool was a very volatile situation to say the least & he did 6 years here.

 

He could certainly brush up on his diplomacy & definitely needs a sidekick with the balls to argue the toss with him like Paco did , but it would also be nice if owners and chairmen didn't routinely lie to their managers & expect them to swallow it without comment.

[King Emlyn]

Good comparison, that.

 

Liverpool was his Derby, Inter his Leeds.

 

Atletico his Forest?

 

And maybe he's got to swallow some pride and patch up differences with his seconds in command, who perhaps had more to do with his success than he'd care to admit?

 

Even Shankly didn't do it alone.

Benitez fascinates you Ste doesn't he? Why is that? Do you see a flawed genius? Somebody who should have taken us back the giddy heights of yesteryear but failed due to personal issues? Genuine question, in no way a dig. I sense a real sense of frustration.

[King Emlyn]

Valencia was the only job he resigned from & he was 4 years there and felt like he deserved a bit more respect after 2 La Ligas I would imagine, & Liverpool was a very volatile situation to say the least & he did 6 years here.

 

He could certainly brush up on his diplomacy & definitely needs a sidekick with the balls to argue the toss with him like Paco did , but it would also be nice if owners and chairmen didn't routinely lie to their managers & expect them to swallow it without comment.

 

But that's life and that's the job. They are adequately compensated for it.

[dennis tooth]

thanks,well, rafa's father was a big atletico fan, he talked about that in the past.

He always said that like's atletico. SCUM real has the money, the power, the referee helps, highest Tv revenues, not only in madrid, in spain. I don't think benitez need's to rebuild his credit, he wants to take a club, and there it is a good offer.

 

I can see you doing to double over Barca next year!

I think Rafa will be at home at Atletico I thought he would do well at Inter but they didn't give him the time he needs, if we had acted like them we would never have won number 5! Hopefully He will get the time he needs there but if the squad is weakened you may find a struggle to beat small teams but great nights against big teams in big games, one of the best managers in the world but his main shortcoming is his refusal to recognise that against small teams football becomes a simple game and should only be overcomplicated when you are the underdog which is when Rafa is at his best.

 

Keeo the faith in him and be rewarded but I can't say about the politics of your club to be sure of success.

[Captain]

But that's life and that's the job. They are adequately compensated for it.

 

True.

 

But it's not about feeling sorry for the manager, more about facts.

 

What have Valencia achieved since Rafa left? What would we achieve if G&H still owned us?

 

God knows Rafa had his faults, but calling out G&H wasn't one of them.

 

I would love (and expect!) Kenny to do the same should the current owners go down the same finacial route as G&H.

[sir roger]

But that's life and that's the job. They are adequately compensated for it.

 

True enough King, but it baffles me why supposedly intelligent businessmen go through a process of choosing the best person to fill the position & then start pulling the rug from under them when they end up having to pay their contracts up in full if they go anyway.

 

I think his obsession with football management can a double-edged sword.

To me Benitez gives himself 100% to his job & expects the same from the people who employ him & if they are clowns like Parry & Moores or liars like Hicks & Gillett he will call them on it. If his job ends up in jeopardy then he would rather die on his feet than live on his knees.

 

Who do you feel he should have cosied up to more at Liverpool ?

[dennis tooth]

Not sure its a great move for Athletico but a good move for Rafa to try and re-establish his tattered reputation.

 

Unless he gets Pako back then he wont be getting his contract renewed

 

I find the Pako thing to be overplayed, time and time again on this subject but reality never played out that way. Rafa was not happy with our form in the league and rightly so. He complained we started slowly every season and after getting rid of Pako we had our best start and led the league for the first half of the season and eventually came up short but it was far better than previous form scoring more goals, losing less games than ever without him. Because we didn't replace Pako with someone better and Rafa left himself with too much to do on his own resulting in our implosion does not mean Pako was the answer but people make that conclusion by second guessing the internal politics and relationships at the club based on 2nd or third hand knowledge that is accepted without question.

 

Pisses me right off and whether you mean it or not is just agenda pushing revisionism by people trying to make a narrative that didn't really exist fitted poorly around their own prejudices.

 

Now no one person knows exactly what was going on but the results suggest we were better off without Pako certainly in the league and making our players too tired to perform should not be a badge of honour that should be used to beat Rafa's nuts with.