diego

Long before he left the Echo Bascombe was peddling his analysis that there were two Liverpool's - Rafa's and Parry's. It was an extreme exaggeration. But it was the view he peddled to anyone who communicated with him privately and it also could be discerned in many of his reports although he was a bit more politic about disguising it when he was with the Echo. Clearly he aligned himself with what he thought was "Parry LFC", which included all the cooks and bottle washers who were happy to pass on anti-Rafa gossip to him. The anti-Spanish xenophobia that creeps into his remarks is all part and parcel of his technique of currying favour with his informants who, by and large, are disenchanted Parryists.

I said a few days ago that disgruntled former employees and their mates will flood the forums with anti-Rafa complaints. One or two of them are suspected of supplying Bascombe with tittle-tattle for some time. He's so open to it that its not surprising that they should turn to him first. As for the title of his piece which "blames" Rafa, I would give CB the benefit of the doubt that that would have been written or edited by the sub-editor. Its is certainly at odds with the main contents of the article. As I suggested the other day, some if not most of the cuts may be motivated by the need for cost-cutting. LFC pays more in administrative wages as a percentage of the club's income than any of the other top four clubs. The decision to streamline by declaring redundancies is an administrative decision driven by Director of Finance. However, it also coincides with Rafa's determination to make changes to key staff positions following McPharlane's review and his own analysis. A 2 million saving is not insignificant. A million here and a million there and pretty soon we are talking real money. If the redundancies and sackings also rid Melwood and the Academy of the anti-Rafa gossips who supply CB and those on here whom he briefs - so much the better.

Even though LFC's administrative staff costs in absolute terms are lower than any of the top four clubs, they are higher than any of them as a percentage of income. Therefore it makes good sense to bring staff costs into line with other clubs. I do not know if this is the reason for some of the "sackings", but it could be. If it is it would be an administrative decision authorised by the BoD following an analysis of the annual accounts.

People should make a distinction between the accountants and the auditors. The statement today was by the auditors. The auditors are hired by the BoD and are obliged to report to them. The company is obliged to file their report with Companies House. That's how the report became public. The auditors are required by law to declare whether a company will be a going concern for the next twelve months. LFC and its parent company will not be going concerns based on the information supplied to the auditors. They have debts which can be called by the lenders in July 2009. If those debts are called but not repaid the companies will be bankrupt. Clearly, the hope is that the finance will be re-negotiated so that the debts will not be called for another year or two years. But the auditors do not know if such renegotiations will succeed. Even if the repayment deadline for the debts is extended for a year or more the companies will not be going concerns because they cannot service those debts from projected finances. Another possibility is that the owners will (a) sell assets to raise cash and reduce debt (b) invest cash to reduce debt © sell equity in the companies to other investors (d) sell the companies. If they could get a cash investment or a construction loan for a new stadium, the projections of future cash flow would look a lot brighter allowing the auditors to say that all debts could be serviceable and repayable from cash-flow.

I can see the bulletin boards being flooded by disgruntled former employees or their mates disguised as "insiders" with an anti-Rafa agenda. But hang on that's already the case on TLW. If Rafa is doing the sacking it might be a case of "may as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb".

Thompson was the main instigator in getting rid of Robbie Fowler. I think for that alone any idea of him being Rafa's supervisor is nonsensical.

You are the one who is wrong and I don't see you admitting it let alone apologising. When this issue was raised last summer/autumn Rafa replied in words to the effect - you can say that I changed my mind (about Alonso) or Alonso changed his mind (about going) it doesn't really matter. The bottom line is he is our player and is under contract for four years. The fact is, Antynwa, Rafa got it right. When Alonso tried to find another club, last year, Rafa fixed a price that would have paid for his replacement. When he did not get the price he refused to sell. The whole exercise resulted in Alonso bucking up his ideas and trying a lot harder. This year the situation is the same. Only this time Rafa will insist that Alonso put in writing any desire to move. You also got it wrong about Keane. Rafa did not say 24 hours before he left that he would be staying. He said that he thought he would be staying. And that is exactly right. At that point Rafa's judgement was that Spurs would not pay the asking price. His brinkmanship resulted in Spurs ponying up the asking price the next day.

If you have not bought into the rubbish peddled by Rashid-ATK and others on here it is very obvious why Barry has signed for City. 1. He knew he was not wanted by LFC, Chelsea, Arsenal or Man Utd. 2. He wanted to get away from Villa because of the way he was treated last year i.e. booed, villified, denied a benefit after ten years loyal service, denied a move to LFC at a reasonable price, and demoted from the captaincy which he had earned. 3. Apart from City, there were no other teams that could match or better the deal being offered by Villa. 4. At City he will be a regular which will help his international ambitions.

Don't feel bad - most of us did not believe you anyway. Someone who virulently expresses his personal hatred of the LFC manager and jumps on every anti-Rafa bandwagon in the gutter press, as you have done, is hardly a reliable source of information at what goes on at a classy club like LFC. The only people who treated your ridiculous reports as though they might be credible were those who shared your hatred of Rafa or who come on here to participate in stupid conspiracy theories.

You may be confused but most LFC supporters are not. They believe Rafa and Alonso. They have both said they are happy at LFC and are looking forward to next seasopn. For reasons known only to yourselves, you and others on here choose to propagate an alternative world which fits your prejudices about Rafa. What a tangled web they weave who set out to deceive. Until Alonso or his agent explains we don't know why he asked for a meeting with Rafa. It could be that he was aware that Torres would be offered a pay raise and thought it might be worth asking for one, too.

Why were you Kraptalk's main dishwasher for so long and big pal of Oldham until he ditched you (according to his side of the story)? He said he "hired" you because you stirrred up anti-LFC controversies which were his bread-and-butter. All he was interested in was revenue-generating hits. You were happy to play the role of main moderator presiding over his scam until he dumped you. You employ Kraptalk techniques on here - pretending that LFC is run on the basis of personal vendettas and claiming to be in the know about them or encouraging others to pretend they are in the know. Its no accident that this site is also the "home" site of Bascombe who has also adopted many of the Oldham techniques of citing unattributable sources ever since he lost the insider privileges he enjoyed when he was a reporter with the Liverpool Echo. Like Oldham he does it for money, too - over 60,000 pounds a year. His word and yours will never be accepted over Rafa's. That fact doesn't prevent you from trying it on - every day.

The problem last season was the inability to convert chances in those games which we eventually drew at home. Owen must have one of the very worst records in the PL for converting chances - even when he was at his prime - which was many years ago. His actual goal tally in those days blinds people to the fact that he missed so many good chances. At one time under Houllier I used to keep count and it was something like 1 chance taken in 30 clear chances. Absences from injuries usually meant that he was useless for 4-6 games after he recovered from the injury. Too often to be a coincidence, he recovered from injury two weeks before the England squad was selected. People also forget that his goals totals include a substantial percentage from penalties - 50% of which he missed in his final two years with LFC. More important, they forget his need to be the top scorer in those days meant that the team played kick-and-rush to accommodate his strengths and weaknesses. Owen scored, others didn't and the team struggled. Gerrard has tried for years to advocate the case for Owen - partly because they were at the Academy together partly because they shared the same agent and Gerrard always took his commercial leads from Owen. (Owen influenced Gerrard to seriously contemplate leaving LFC for Chelsea). Carragher is another who shared some commercial deals with Owen. There is something very self-indulgent and not quite right about Gerrard's and Carragher's constant attempts to have a cash-strapped LFC pay out large sums of money every week to one of their mates who was already overpaid by Newcastle, RM and LFC even when he was a functional striker - which he no longer is. Owen's arrival would also upset the team spirit which Rafa has developed. I trust Rafa to exercise his usual good judgement in rejecting advice from Gerrard and Carragher whether it was leaked to the press by them or somebody else.

Kenwright thinks he can be "one of the boys" by pandering to the chronic sense of grievance displayed by many Evertonians. But he is still Chairman only because he could not find a buyer for the club. I still wish Everton all the best against Chelsea. Most of my childhood weekends were spent at either Anfield or Goodison with my Evertonian friends and I much prefer the old days when the rivalry was good natured banter.

You can always go and support Xabi in Madrid if he asks to go there and they meet our price. Maybe the "antics" of the RM administration are more up your street. In an earlier post you said "you reap what you sow". I suppose that applies to Xabi. Playing below par for a couple of years, as he did, and raising questions about his own loyalty to LFC and its manager, as he did, and having his agent sound out other clubs for a transfer, as he did, should certainly have consequences. The fact that LFC would not sell him to a club of his choice for less than his replacement cost is a conseqence of sorts, even if it was mild. There is something irrational in the whole "Xabi was hurt by Rafa" argument. I think it is used by Xabi, his agents and contacts in the press (and their lackeys on TLW) to disguise the fact that what really hurt Xabi was the prospect of having to compete with Barry for his place in the team. I remember one or two quotes last summer from him to the effect that he thought he should not have to compete with Barry.

Have you ever actually spoken with Gillet, as I have? If you had you would never suggest that his judgement about the worth of any player should take precedence over anybody's let alone over that of one of the best manager's in world football. Your description of the board's so-called decision not to fund the Barry purchase as "brilliant" and your false claim that the board prevented Rafa from selling Xabi last summer is a prime example of the garbage you constantly spin. You are not very good at disguising your personal dislike of a manager whose verve and sophistication and sheer strength of character constantly shows up the poverty of your analysis and leaves you flapping about clutching at straws.

Those who argue that because Rafa tried to get rid of Xabi last year, Xabi has the right to leave when he wants and to whichever team he wants are factually wrong. Most of those who make the argument don't care about facts because they will seize on any opportunity to blame Rafa. Xabi wanted to leave last year. But he wanted to dictate where he would move. The teams he wanted to move to did not want him or were not prepared to pay LFC a fee that would cover the cost of his replacement. Rafa agreed to sell him only if the price was right. This was after two years of indifferent performances for LFC by Xabi. As a result of Xabi's desire to leave, Rafa's efforts to sell and Xabi's refusal to go to the teams that were prepared to pay the asking price, he decided he wanted to stay and try again this summer - which is what he is doing. At the end of last summer Rafa replied to the criticism by stating that people can say that he changed his mind about selling Xabi, or that Xabi changed his mind about going. Rafa didn't care what they said because the fact was that Xabi was contracted to LFC and would be selected for the forthcoming season. Its interesting that the events of last summer seem to have caused Xabi to improve his game. Rafa did what he is supposed to do - he managed the situation to the benefit of LFC. Clearly, Xabi is trying to continue his long-standing attempts to engineer a move to a team of his choosing. But he will not come out and ask for a transfer because it will affect the financial compensation he will get. It does not matter to him or his agent that this stance puts LFC and Rafa in a difficult position. When Xabi says he does not know if he will be at LFC next season its because he does not want to be here but does not know (a) if a team he prefers wants him and (b) if Rafa will let him go. Meanwhile Rafa is doing what he should in LFC's best interest by reminding Xabi and any interested purchaser that Xabi is under contract for three more years and Rafa and LFC do not want to sell him. I would hope that Rafa will sell him only if the timing of the sale and the price is good for LFC.

LFC gave him the financial and career security of a long extension to his original contract. At the same time he allows his agent to send out "come and get me" calls periodically while also playing the role of a brooding Hamlet for the press. Despite all the hot-house hysteria from those trying to use the situation to diss Rafa, he is not world-class nor is he essential to LFC. He had a good first year under Rafa, two poor years, and one more good year this year after it was clear that his previous poor form had made him dispensable but not attractive enough to the kind of teams he would deign to play for. His attitude puts us in a difficult position. Do we plan next year on the assumption he will be here and properly dedicated to the cause - or do we take the hard-headed view that his ambitions are too much of a risk and we should go ahead and use some of our scarce money to buy a replacement? Its not a simple question. If I were Rafa I would hold him to his contract and go ahead and make my purchasers as though he would be here. But I would have a contingency plan ready if Real Madrid or anyone else turns his head.

Xabi is not a shrinking violet. He is an intelligent, ambitious man. He speaks his mind when he wants and will oppose the manager and Carragher in public if he wants. He was bought by Rafa for about 6 million when he was not as highly valued as he is now. He signed a long contract and renewed it because it was advantageous to him. Last year, when there was still four years to run on that renewal, he expressed a serious interest in being transferred to at least two teams which refused to pay the going market rate for him. This year his performances have increased his chances of securing a transfer to other teams at the market rate. In this year, his agent has several times indicated that he reserves the option to seek a transfer. Rafa has repeatedly reminded everyone that he does not want to transfer him and that LFC has him under contract for three years. If Xabi wants to go - for whatever reason - the real question is whether Rafa should hold him to his contract and to his repeated assertions that he wants to stay - or make contingency plans to get the best price for him in order to secure an adequate replacement. I trust Rafa to think of LFC first. I don't trust Xabi or his agent in the same way and I certainly don't trust the likes of those on here who have repeatedly shown they have an anti-Rafa agenda. Nor do I trust Bascombe who has a vested, monetary interest in stirring up controversy, as well as a desire to revenge the fact that LFC has cut him off from the acess he received when he was the Echo reporter. As for Xabi's abilities. He passes well but is a little too predictable and slow to be world-class, and wastes many attacking opportunities by his poor long range shooting (even though a few of his many chances have found the target).

Because Rafa found out that he was actively seeking new jobs at other clubs behind his back even though the new season was approaching. When he talked to him about it he learned just how much and for how long Ayesterian was dissatisfied being No. 2 at Anfield. The five or six obsessives on here who have been frustrated by the utter failure of their season-long campaign against Rafa, cling to the hope that they will "get him" if Alonos goes. If that were to happen it will be because Alonso wants to go. At the moment we know his agent is entertaining the possibility and it would certainly be profitable for the agent (and Alonso) if it were to happen . But Alonso says he, personally, is not interested. Therefore, Alonso should control his agent. LFC (including Rafa) have had no communication with any club about such a transfer this year. They cannot speak for Alonso. Should he demand a transfer they would have to review their position. Meanwhile LFC and Rafa have no obligation to say anymore. They are not obliged to respond to the hot-house conspiracy theories pursued for more than two years by malcontents on TLW who are still sore about losing their campaign to get rid of Rafa.

After a spectacularly miserable, season-long campaign in which they won nothing, the "hang Rafa" crowd on here have run out of ammunition and have to resort to nit-picking Rafa's comments about the transfer budget. As others have noted, he was answering questions and in so doing revealed his well-developed thoughts on the subject. He has been the rock that has held the club together during all the upheavals since Moores and Parry brought in Hicks and Gillett, his thoughts about the budget deserve respect from supporters. It's clear H&G will not easily put cash money into the club and will take out all they can. Who else is there, apart from Rafa, to keep the heat on them to keep their word about transfer budgets? I guess he is also sending a message to possible future owners or investors letting them know that if they want a consistently winning (and profitable) club they have to invest at least as much as its leading rivals. When he said that the club has improved "on the field" he was clearly saying he has done his bit and now it is for the "off field" people to do theirs.

Maybe that's because he has been taking lessons from Babel, according to Babel.

"Agger close to signing contract." It can't be true because Bascombe said he had turned down the contract! Of course Bascombe, who has become an exponent of the Oldham technique of attracting readers by made-up "insider" exclusives, will simply say that Agger changed his mind. Trouble with that technique is it does not explain why Bascombe could not report the "change of mind" before Rafa, and why Rafa was right all along in saying Agger intended to stay even when Bascombe was pocketing Murdoch money for reporting the opposite while, at the same time somehow implying that it was Rafa's fault that Agger would not stay.

Moe What rubbish you post.

Paul - while your last two points have striven to be balanced in tone they are still, in my opinion, typical of that special TLW anti-Rafa thesis which has been over-the-top and far too reliant on on the kind of psuedo information provided by Bascombe. (I've made it clear that his is not genuine information but gossip and speculation animated by (a) his need to produce copy and (b) his wounded sense that he is different from other reporters and somehow entitled to inside information. The bottom line is he has become far too reliant on the techniques pioneered by Oldham at Kraptalk. Your critcism of Rafa's rotation policy is hackneyed and factually incorrect. He never did rotate more than other leading managers with relatively large squads. So your saying you approve because he is rotating less is meaningless. He rotates less in the last third of the season because that is the aim of rotation policy is to keep the core players fresh for the run-in. He treated Crouch very well and not shabbily. When Crouch was being hounded by many on here and throughout the country it was Rafa who insisted that even without goals he was contributing to the team. Rafa was proven right when Crouch began to score regularly and earned himself a starting position with England. But nobody believed that Crouch should be the height of our ambitions and Rafa certainly cannot be criticised for acquiring Torres. It was Crouch, not Rafa, who decided he did not want to sign an extension and instead made clear in polite and respectful but nevertheless clear interviews that he was available to other teams if they would offer him regular football. Why should Rafa continue to build on Crouch if it was clear that he did not want to stay in a supportive role. Whether Rafa's tactical decisions were consistently wrong for two seasons as you state is a matter of opinion. You can be as tactically correct as you like but it is the players who have to execute tactics not the manager and it takes a long time for them to be schooled and drilled. With all its resources and history and with players of above average skills United have played some tight games this year going through by an odd goal and often as the result of a set piece. Critcising Rafa for being involved in LFC politics is close to being stupid. The club had been hawked around the world for the first years of Rafa's reign. It was said to have been sold to DIC and then to the two cowboys. Rafa had to keep the team together through all the uncertainty. When Hicks and Gillett came along their sheer ignorance of the game and their inept decisions and statements were breathtaking. Parry was their bitch. The only person who provided stability and some independence was Rafa. Yet the owners publicly declared they had canvassed an alternative manager. Instead of lashing Rafa for being consistent and strong and inisisting on the restoration of order and efficiency through these turbulent times and instead of labelling his strength and vision as "politics" you should be grateful that we had him rather than some other manager like Mourinho who would have engineered a confrontation with his owner in order to get himself a nice pay off so that he could be free to chase another fat contract somewhere else. If Rafa's insistence on principle, clarity, efficiency and self respect is "politics" then let's have more politics at the club.

Good. You seem to have got the message. Nobody gives a shit what you think about Rafa.