Liverpool F.c.

[StevieH]

LOOKS LIKE Benitez has had his bluff called, or that his brinkmanship isn't going to work THIS time.

Seems this new chairman isnt going to run round putting Rafa's toys back in the pram and trying to placate him as best he can.

Its just a pity it had to happen to our once great club in such a public way

Penkoprod

what a load of <deleted>.

"It is not clear why Benitez cancelled the meetings with Broughton, although the last two weeks have been affected by preparations for Liverpool's Europa League semi-final meetings with Atletico Madrid. The first week in particular was heavily disrupted as Benitez's team were forced to make the long journey to the Spanish capital by road and rail after flights were grounded by ash from the Icelandic volcano."

bloody club briefing the press against the manager. shocking it is.

[Devil]

LOOKS LIKE Benitez has had his bluff called, or that his brinkmanship isn't going to work THIS time.

Seems this new chairman isnt going to run round putting Rafa's toys back in the pram and trying to placate him as best he can.

Its just a pity it had to happen to our once great club in such a public way

Penkoprod

what a load of <deleted>.

"It is not clear why Benitez cancelled the meetings with Broughton, although the last two weeks have been affected by preparations for Liverpool's Europa League semi-final meetings with Atletico Madrid. The first week in particular was heavily disrupted as Benitez's team were forced to make the long journey to the Spanish capital by road and rail after flights were grounded by ash from the Icelandic volcano."

bloody club briefing the press against the manager. shocking it is.

Stevie - Thank <deleted>*k there are still some sane LFC fans with common sense left on this forum!

I have given up even trying to even suggest that what Rafa has achieved has been nothing short of a miracle given the squad he took over, trying to compete with the other top clubs financially, the club being sold to two ****** and the lack of investment and broken promises end of last season.

Roll on next season I say... so the bullshit can all start again

[MSingh]

Stevie - Thank <deleted>*k there are still some sane LFC fans with common sense left on this forum!

I have given up even trying to even suggest that what Rafa has achieved has been nothing short of a miracle given the squad he took over, trying to compete with the other top clubs financially, the club being sold to two ****** and the lack of investment and broken promises end of last season.

Roll on next season I say... so the bullshit can all start again

Giving up suggesting to who ??

Yourself ??

[StevieH]

Stevie - Thank <deleted>*k there are still some sane LFC fans with common sense left on this forum!

I have given up even trying to even suggest that what Rafa has achieved has been nothing short of a miracle given the squad he took over, trying to compete with the other top clubs financially, the club being sold to two ****** and the lack of investment and broken promises end of last season.

Roll on next season I say... so the bullshit can all start again

it's become ever clearer this week penko, and any fan who still doesn't get it is stupid or being willfully ignorant. rafa benitez has been fighting a battle for the future of the club since the morning after the 2007 european cup final when he publically called out the owners on the finances and the availability of transfer funds. that season he got to spend £25m net, not really that much for a team which has just got to a european cup final and wants to kick on, and the following two summers he actually made a profit in the transfer market. it's been a fuc_king disgrace from day one under these bastard owners.

the manager has his faults and has made his share of poor choices and decisions, but hanging him out to dry while the club has been undermined from within is a joke.

Edited May 5, 2010 by StevieH

[Devil]

Stevie - Thank <deleted>*k there are still some sane LFC fans with common sense left on this forum!

I have given up even trying to even suggest that what Rafa has achieved has been nothing short of a miracle given the squad he took over, trying to compete with the other top clubs financially, the club being sold to two ****** and the lack of investment and broken promises end of last season.

Roll on next season I say... so the bullshit can all start again

Giving up suggesting to who ??

Yourself ??

Do one Singhy, got nothing constructive to say then go eat a pie

[StevieH]

think he's gone. announcement possibly friday more likely monday.

[Penkoprod]

Stevie - Thank <deleted>*k there are still some sane LFC fans with common sense left on this forum!

I have given up even trying to even suggest that what Rafa has achieved has been nothing short of a miracle given the squad he took over, trying to compete with the other top clubs financially, the club being sold to two ****** and the lack of investment and broken promises end of last season.

Roll on next season I say... so the bullshit can all start again

it's become ever clearer this week penko, and any fan who still doesn't get it is stupid or being willfully ignorant. rafa benitez has been fighting a battle for the future of the club since the morning after the 2007 european cup final when he publically called out the owners on the finances and the availability of transfer funds. that season he got to spend £25m net, not really that much for a team which has just got to a european cup final and wants to kick on, and the following two summers he actually made a profit in the transfer market. it's been a fuc_king disgrace from day one under these bastard owners.

the manager has his faults and has made his share of poor choices and decisions, but hanging him out to dry while the club has been undermined from within is a joke.

Whats the phrase????

"what a load of <deleted>" i think was the one used above, i think

If theres one thing that a manager of LFC can NEVER be forgiven for doing, is airing dirty washing like he did, in the way he did it. He has been fighting for himself more than any "love of the club and its fans"

If there's a better way of "undermining the club from within" then i have yet to see it. Quite simply put, that is NOT the Liverpool way !!!!!!

No self respecting fan with more than just a passing interest in the history and tradition of Liverpool Football Club could think any different than thats the time Rafa lost any moral high ground he might have had, by fluking a couple of cup finals on penalties at the start of his tenure. Since then, he has just played the fans off against the owners, the owners off against each other and always got his way, when the dummy was spat out the Yanks did everything to appease him, while he was content with mediocrity, and saying "finishing second is an achievement". (I can think of one past LFC manager that "might" disagree with that statement )

NOW, though, since the Yanks are selling up, he has no one to play off against each other. And this new chairman seems more of a match for him than 2 rednecks who dont know the 1st thing about British sports.

Now the situation is such that the big bad, nasty bogey men have gone, does he make any effort to stay?

Sure doesn't look like it. More a case of a parting of the ways "by mutual consent"

Dont get me wrong, i actually feel a little sorry for the man, cause he is out of his depth the the EPL......a lot like most of the rest of the foreign managers who come here thinking they know more about the EPL than people who have played and managed in it most of their careers........as long as there's a sack full of money to throw around.

Penkoprod

[StevieH]

you're way off penkoprod. absolutely way off.

[bkkjames]

think he's gone. announcement possibly friday more likely monday.

Can I get one tapas set before he leaves? So who is the replacement, King Kenny?

[StevieH]

i really, really hope not. kenny's not managed for ten years and the thought of some of the pillocks who follow liverpool turning on the king in the way they've turned on benitez this season turns my stomach.

i'm expecting martin o'neill, or failing that, maybe alex mcleish.

[bkkjames]

i really, really hope not. kenny's not managed for ten years and the thought of some of the pillocks who follow liverpool turning on the king in the way they've turned on benitez this season turns my stomach.

i'm expecting martin o'neill, or failing that, maybe alex mcleish.

o'neil seems logical considering his rumblings recently at Villa.

[StevieH]

i really, really hope not. kenny's not managed for ten years and the thought of some of the pillocks who follow liverpool turning on the king in the way they've turned on benitez this season turns my stomach.

i'm expecting martin o'neill, or failing that, maybe alex mcleish.

o'neil seems logical considering his rumblings recently at Villa.

indeed. though as a manager he's a huge step downwards in ability and experience from rafa.

[Jimjim]

Lets be honest here for the first 30 minutes Liverpool give Chealsea a game,after that it was shameful like watching Tranmere Rovers.

Thanks for the effort not! After that performance i would say Liverpool are at there lowest point now and will be very interesting come the summer!

They need something that Benitez cannot give them.....a championship and he has had enough time....get rid!

Quite funny considering it took Ferguson 7 seasons to get his first title at Man U and now look at their club, and Benitez has been here 6 seasons.

Not saying if he stayed we'd win the league next year, but just a little perspective...

And when was the last time Arsenal won anything?

Edited May 6, 2010 by Jimjim

[StevieH]

Lets be honest here for the first 30 minutes Liverpool give Chealsea a game,after that it was shameful like watching Tranmere Rovers.

Thanks for the effort not! After that performance i would say Liverpool are at there lowest point now and will be very interesting come the summer!

They need something that Benitez cannot give them.....a championship and he has had enough time....get rid!

Quite funny considering it took Ferguson 7 seasons to get his first title at Man U and now look at their club, and Benitez has been here 6 seasons.

Not saying if he stayed we'd win the league next year, but just a little perspective...

And when was the last time Arsenal won anything?

well wenger does get the leeway of having won the league a few times in england.

but looking at rafa's tenure overall, and considering that he's been fighting the owners by himself for three bloody years now, i can't see how things don't now get a lot worse before they ever get better.

[NADTATIDA1]

Lets be honest here for the first 30 minutes Liverpool give Chealsea a game,after that it was shameful like watching Tranmere Rovers.

Thanks for the effort not! After that performance i would say Liverpool are at there lowest point now and will be very interesting come the summer!

They need something that Benitez cannot give them.....a championship and he has had enough time....get rid!

Quite funny considering it took Ferguson 7 seasons to get his first title at Man U and now look at their club, and Benitez has been here 6 seasons.

Not saying if he stayed we'd win the league next year, but just a little perspective...

And when was the last time Arsenal won anything?

Jim i take your point and agree... but also that was a very longtime ago when managers where given a bit of time,nowadays they are not and Benitez(the spanish waiter )has been fortunate in this day and age and been given time but has come to a brick wall,i tend to agree with penkos view a little also,at the end of the day the board run the club and the manager has to stick to guidelines set out..after all he is an employee(not god)only fergie can assume that but he still tows the official line at OT!!

I hope Benitez stays and is given more time also but i think he will be gone Monday and then the fallout will really start because whoever the new man is will have to follow the boards decision instead of bleating on about what he has got to play with or hasn't.He has been given time and has spent a lot of money on Spanish imports.

[StevieH]

Jim i take your point and agree... but also that was a very longtime ago when managers where given a bit of time,nowadays they are not and Benitez(the spanish waiter )has been fortunate in this day and age and been given time but has come to a brick wall,i tend to agree with penkos view a little also,at the end of the day the board run the club and the manager has to stick to guidelines set out..after all he is an employee(not god)only fergie can assume that but he still tows the official line at OT!!

I hope Benitez stays and is given more time also but i think he will be gone Monday and then the fallout will really start because whoever the new man is will have to follow the boards decision instead of bleating on about what he has got to play with or hasn't.He has been given time and has spent a lot of money on Spanish imports.

notwithstanding that the board at liverpool currently doesn't run the club, can you tell me what you think the guidelines set out at liverpool are?

[carmine]

Jim i take your point and agree... but also that was a very longtime ago when managers where given a bit of time,nowadays they are not and Benitez(the spanish waiter )has been fortunate in this day and age and been given time but has come to a brick wall,i tend to agree with penkos view a little also,at the end of the day the board run the club and the manager has to stick to guidelines set out..after all he is an employee(not god)only fergie can assume that but he still tows the official line at OT!!

I hope Benitez stays and is given more time also but i think he will be gone Monday and then the fallout will really start because whoever the new man is will have to follow the boards decision instead of bleating on about what he has got to play with or hasn't.He has been given time and has spent a lot of money on Spanish imports.

notwithstanding that the board at liverpool currently doesn't run the club, can you tell me what you think the guidelines set out at liverpool are?

Ther arn't any, it's a shambles and Rafa has my sympathy. It can;t be much fun working for that pair of tos#ers.

[StevieH]

Jim i take your point and agree... but also that was a very longtime ago when managers where given a bit of time,nowadays they are not and Benitez(the spanish waiter )has been fortunate in this day and age and been given time but has come to a brick wall,i tend to agree with penkos view a little also,at the end of the day the board run the club and the manager has to stick to guidelines set out..after all he is an employee(not god)only fergie can assume that but he still tows the official line at OT!!

I hope Benitez stays and is given more time also but i think he will be gone Monday and then the fallout will really start because whoever the new man is will have to follow the boards decision instead of bleating on about what he has got to play with or hasn't.He has been given time and has spent a lot of money on Spanish imports.

notwithstanding that the board at liverpool currently doesn't run the club, can you tell me what you think the guidelines set out at liverpool are?

Ther arn't any, it's a shambles and Rafa has my sympathy. It can;t be much fun working for that pair of tos#ers.

there's a lot more coming to light at present and more will come when he walks, but essentially:

1. the two owners don't speak to one another

2. one of the two owners has admitted to simply biding his time until he can cash in and make a £75m profit on the club for actually taking it backwards

3. the CEO brought in, purslow, is a lying get who trots out whatever he is told to by hicks and gillett and has publically undermined the manager several times

4. the new chairman brought in has no say or power other than trying to find a buyer prepared to pay G&H's over-valued sum for the club

5. the manager has been repeatedly lied to by the owners and the club's administrators over the past 3 years about transfer funds, player contracts and of course the stadium - about which gillett said after they 'bought' the club 'we'll have a spade in the ground within 60 days'.

rafa benitez's guidelines have basically been to secure champions league qualification every season, reach the knockout stages of that competition and have a decent tilt at the domestic title if possible each year while making a profit in the transfer market the past 2 years. this despite already playing catch-up on rivals with far greater resources and watching new money pour into the likes of city, spurs and villa.

there's only been one person fighting for the future of liverpool fc for the past few years, and it's been the manager. meanwhile his supposed bosses have sought to undermine the club in the name of a quick buck. it's disgusting and should never have been allowed to happen. for that thank david moores and the premier league's pathetic fit & proper person test.

Edited May 6, 2010 by StevieH

[NADTATIDA1]

I respect your view stevie as an avid follower,but surely Benitez has been coasting there also and taking the money while protecting his own interests,of course he is going to butter up the supporters they are the majority... he is very good at deflecting the blame...he has had money to spend!

I dug this out for a look at....it was written over a year ago..although a good break down of the money he has spent!!!

untrue or erroneous story or belief."

There appears to be a trend growing amongst media outlets, “expert” pundits, and rival supporters who strive to ensure a negative air surrounds Liverpool Football Club and more commonly its manager, Rafa Benitez.

It seems he can do no right in the eyes of some people—his own supporters included—and more false claims appear every week that serve only to derail him from his quest of rebuilding Liverpool Football Club.

As more and more newspapers churn out sensational headline after headline and "expert" television pundits spout opinion as fact; the more people are brainwashed by these stories and the further from reality a situation will get.

Many lazy debaters claim their opinion to be a pragmatic truth whilst they simply recycle misleading newspaper propaganda as their own knowledge or belief.

Biased supporters who choose to jump on the slander bandwagon when it involves a rival team are common place, and this only adds to the ever-growing ideology of a story perceived as fact.

Ideology: “a system that derives ideas exclusively from sensation or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant group of a society to all members of this society.”

“Organizations that strive for power will try to influence the ideology of a society to become closer to what they want it to be. Organizations and other groups (e.g. Media Outlets) try to influence people by broadcasting their opinions.”

One such myth which seems to have appeared recently has been the same tired line about Rafa Benitez and his transfers since his time at Liverpool.

You will hear people claiming things like:

“A larger proportion of Rafa's signings have been expensive and poor.”

This does of course depend on how a person interprets the words expensive and poor—the latter obviously being down to their personal opinion of a player.

If someone wants to use the barometer of anything over a million pounds to be expensive and any player other than Messi or Ronaldo is considered poor; then anyone will struggle to argue against that logic—me included.

We can easily address the “expensive” part of this particular argument:

(Numbers in brackets are players still at the club)

£20+ million: 1 (1)

Torres

£15-20 million: 2 (1)

Mascherano, Keane

£10-15 million: 2 (2)

Babel, Alonso

£5-10 million: 14 (9)

Dossenna, Riera, Agger, Skrtel, Reina, Benayoun, Leiva, Kuyt, Pennant, Crouch, Bellamy, Sissoko, Morientes, Garcia

£0-5 million: 47 (36)

Degan, Cavelieri, Ngog, Plessis, Insua, Leto, Itandje, Voronin, Arbeloa, El Zhar, Aurelio, Palletta, Fowler, Kromkamp, Barragan, Nunez, Zenden, Gonzalez, Carson, Pellegrino, Josemi, Martin, Antwi, Hobbs, Miki Roque, Gulacsi, Padelli, Anderson, Poloskei, Crowther, Hansen, Saric, Ayala, Weijl, Blanco, Flora, Mendy, Ajdarevic, Simon, Bouzanis, Nemeth, Pacheco, Palsson, Brouwer, Durán, Huth, Domínguez.

It is easy to see that the majority of Rafa’s signings have been below the £10 million mark and nothing like the fabrication that he has bought mostly “expensive” signings. It is also interesting to note that a large proportion are teenagers bought for the future of the club and may not be on alot of people's radars.

With 49 of his 66 signings still at the club, it means the selling on fee cannot yet be properly forecast and it is near impossible to fully determine if the original fee paid for each player is expensive.

Here are some more comments and claims made about Rafael Benitez:

“He has bought 53 players for £190 million and sold 56 for £108 million, clearly a loss of £82 million proves he doesn’t have a clue in the transfer market.”

I think the easiest way to explain this would be to just show you a full rundown of Rafael Benitez’ signings since he joined Liverpool in June 2004:

Players bought in by Benitez: 66

Players still at the club: 49

First Team: 18

Alonso, Reina, Agger, Aurélio, Kuyt, Arbeloa, Mascherano, Lucas, Torres, Itandje, Benayoun, Babel, Skrtel, Degen, Dossena, Cavalieri, Ngog, Riera.

Reserve Team: 22

El Zhar, Insúa, Palsson, Brouwer, Durán, Huth, Domínguez, Pacheco, Nemeth, Plessis, Hansen, Saric, Ayala, Weijl, Blanco, Flora, Mendy, Ajdarevic, Simon, Bouzanis, Crowther, Poloskei

Out on Loan: 9

Andriy Voronin, Jermaine Pennant, Sebastian Leto, David Martin, Godwin Antwi, Jack Hobbs, Miki Roque, Peter Gulacsi, Paul Anderson

A figure of 49 players bought by Rafa are still playing for the club with the majority (29) bought as youth players for the reserve team—with the idea for future revenue if they perform to their potential. It will also save the club a great deal of money if they turn out to be superstars worth a large transfer fee.

From that 49 figure, there are 18 still playing for the first team and contributing to the clubs success on a very large scale—with the majority of them being priced by many as a greater figure than when the players were initially bought by Rafa.

From the nine players out on loan, only two are established players with the other seven being young reserve players gaining experience at other clubs—with the hope of either returning to Liverpool’s first team or making a profit to invest in future transfers, a policy utilised by many big clubs.

Players Sold On by Benitez: 56

Players Bought by Other Managers and Sold on by Benitez: 39

Players Bought and Sold on by Rafa Benitez: 17

For me, this is the key point from which poorly informed debaters’ opinions collapse. Most propaganda articles or rival supporters will wildly claim that Rafa has sold "56" players and made little money in return.

They claim the “majority” of the "56" players the Liverpool manager has sold on have been at a loss and “proves” his failings in the transfer market. This is such a misleading statement to make that I really don’t know how people can still get away with it, let alone acctually believe it.

For starters, Benitez has sold 39 players bought by other Liverpool managers.

Benitez cannot be held accountable for selling a player at a loss when; Benitez was not the one who identified the player as a target in the first place; sanctioned the over-inflated transfer fee when the player was first purchased.

You can only really judge him on the players he has bought and sold since he has been at the club and this brings the true figure down to just 17 players.

Profit: 7

Carson +2.25, Barragan +0.43, Sissoko +2.6, Crouch +4.0, Gonzalez +2.0, Bellamy +1.5, Nunez +0.5

Loss: 6

Garcia -2.0, Morientes -3.3, Palletta -0.8, Josemi (swapped for) Kromkamp -0.25, Idrizaj -0.19, Keane -3.0 (could be even less depending on contract triggers)

Even: 4

Pellegrino, Zenden, Fowler, Padelli (all four players were brought in and moved on for a free transfer)

So the true extent of Rafa’s failings in the transfer market is just six players from 17, coming with a loss of just under £10 million within four and a half years—the most expensive loss being just £3.3 million; nothing like the losses achieved by other established Premier League managers who manage to avoid the media abuse storm.

Hopefully that is one media myth that's now been eradicated.

[bkkjames]

and now back to something a bit more current than last years stats...

Tom Hicks warns it could take two years to sell Liverpool

'I've paid a terrible price' laments American...

By Zack Wilson

6 May 2010 08:11:00

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has revealed that the intended sale of the club could take another two years.

Reds supporters are desperate for a change of ownership after a season of disappointment on every front, but Hicks believes that finding the right investor is not necessarily a straightforward process.

"There are plenty of those people [to invest in Liverpool] out there. We've owned it three years. We won't own it for five," Hicks told business reporters.

Hicks maintains that he can still support the club, but owning has taken its toll. He also admits that the Reds are not an in-built part of his heritage.

"I can still be a fan, but I’ve paid a terrible price,” he added.

"I’m 64 years old. I don’t want that anymore.

"Jerry Jones is a good friend of mine, but his life and his family’s life is the Dallas Cowboys. Mark Cuban, the (Dallas) Mavericks are his life. This isn’t my life."

[StevieH]

i can't answer that NADTATIDA1, i can't <deleted> read it. it hurts my eyes.

and james, it's articles like that which make liverpool fans feel such pity and sympathy for tom hicks as he sits on his fat arse destroying the club and waiting for his £75m profit for doing do. my heart bleeds for the fuc_ker.

[NADTATIDA1]

"i can't answer that NADTATIDA1, i can't <deleted> read it. it hurts my eyes."

Yes Stevie...it is a sight for sore eyes indeed,all that money .....any way his agent has reiterated again today that he thinks he will still be at Anfailed next season so who nows what is going on?

[carmine]

"i can't answer that NADTATIDA1, i can't <deleted> read it. it hurts my eyes."

Yes Stevie...it is a sight for sore eyes indeed,all that money .....any way his agent has reiterated again today that he thinks he will still be at Anfailed next season so who nows what is going on?

I doubt very much Rafa does

[Jimjim]

A lot was read in to what he said with this, and it was back in March, before they put the club up for sale, publicly. The greedy git, I think he wants to cash in as soon as he can, that's for sure. Be good to see him go but who will we get in return?

[longstebe]

I'm sure this week will bring some news.

Just been looking at the table, bloody sad.

[StevieH]

I'm sure this week will bring some news.

Just been looking at the table, bloody sad.

take a look at the club's statement of accounts for the last year. far sadder.

£23m paid out to an architect's company for design work on a stadium which will never be built. £31m profit made in the transfer market over the past two summers. £4m paid out to rick parry to get rid of the berk. the chairman having to provide the league with financial assurances from the banks that we'll be a going concern next season in order that they actually award us a license to play in the league.

rafa benitez is far from liverpool's biggest problem right now. a very long summer beckons.

[Devil]

I'm sure this week will bring some news.

Just been looking at the table, bloody sad.

take a look at the club's statement of accounts for the last year. far sadder.

£23m paid out to an architect's company for design work on a stadium which will never be built. £31m profit made in the transfer market over the past two summers. £4m paid out to rick parry to get rid of the berk. the chairman having to provide the league with financial assurances from the banks that we'll be a going concern next season in order that they actually award us a license to play in the league.

rafa benitez is far from liverpool's biggest problem right now. a very long summer beckons.

£31m profit made in the transfer market over the past two summers.

What a nightmare situation this is, I dont blame Rafa leaving and going onto new challenge and getting the best deal he can. The 4 M pay off to Parry is unbelievable!! and just shows what idiots we have running this club.

Very depressing looking at our position in the league table. I didn't even watch our game yesterday.

[StevieH]

I'm sure this week will bring some news.

Just been looking at the table, bloody sad.

take a look at the club's statement of accounts for the last year. far sadder.

£23m paid out to an architect's company for design work on a stadium which will never be built. £31m profit made in the transfer market over the past two summers. £4m paid out to rick parry to get rid of the berk. the chairman having to provide the league with financial assurances from the banks that we'll be a going concern next season in order that they actually award us a license to play in the league.

rafa benitez is far from liverpool's biggest problem right now. a very long summer beckons.

£31m profit made in the transfer market over the past two summers.

What a nightmare situation this is, I dont blame Rafa leaving and going onto new challenge and getting the best deal he can. The 4 M pay off to Parry is unbelievable!! and just shows what idiots we have running this club.

Very depressing looking at our position in the league table. I didn't even watch our game yesterday.

the £23m paid to an architect pisses me off more for some reason. that's a world class player right there or two very good ones. at least we now know where the robbie keane and xabi alonso money went.

i didn't watch us yesterday either, too depressing. mate who went said it was like a pre-season friendly, all our world cup going players doing the motions and making sure not to get injured.

[sharecropper]

I am currently in Liverpool and everyone I speak to here who supports Liverpool are all completely depressed about their season and next season, although there is a lot of stinging criticism of Rafa, even though the owners are also despised.

News reports this morning suggest he is staying put for next season (as he greedily seeks to be sacked). That would be terrible news for the club if he doesn't move on. You now need a Hodgson or an O'Neill as you try to put this season behind you. As an Evertonian I would cheer if he stayed.

This is an interesting article: http://tvnz.co.nz/football-news/ten-reason...verpool-3531418

[StevieH]

I am currently in Liverpool and everyone I speak to here who supports Liverpool are all completely depressed about their season and next season, although there is a lot of stinging criticism of Rafa, even though the owners are also despised.

News reports this morning suggest he is staying put for next season (as he greedily seeks to be sacked). That would be terrible news for the club if he doesn't move on. You now need a Hodgson or an O'Neill as you try to put this season behind you. As an Evertonian I would cheer if he stayed.

This is an interesting article: http://tvnz.co.nz/football-news/ten-reason...verpool-3531418

as an evertonian you know nothing about the ins and outs of being a large and successful club so i'll give your opinion little mind.

that new zealand article is a cobbled together mishmash of lazy cliches by someone who doesn't know what they're talking about.

now here's something from someone who does know what he's talking about and where the priorities lie.

Pepe Reina turns up pressure on owners to quit Liverpool

Tony Barrett

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle7122363.ece

The pressure on Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, the Liverpool owners, has intensified after one of the club’s most senior players called on them to sell up.

Pepe Reina, the Liverpool goalkeeper, has revealed that his concern over the future of the Merseyside club has turned to a desire to see Hicks and Gillett bring their three-year tenure to a swift conclusion. His words represent the most outspoken verdict on the controversial Americans from inside the Anfield dressing room.

Reina wants the ownership saga to be brought to a head so that the club can move forward after a season in which failure on the pitch has been accompanied by mounting concern about Liverpool’s long-term ability to service the £351.4 million debt piled on to their books by Hicks and Gillett.

“Of course a quick sale is vital,” Reina said. “It would be simple as it would mean we could start planning for next season earlier. All that I ask is that if it is going to happen, then it happens as soon as possible to help the club.

“Of course, we worry. It is a bit of a concern and we need to sort out these kinds of things, like the sale of the club and the things with the owners. Once we settle all this, then we can begin to look forward and improve the squad.”

Liverpool remain up for sale but have yet to find a buyer and the ownership situation is just one of a number of uncertainties plaguing the club. Also still to be resolved is the future of Rafael Benítez, who has revealed his desire to remain as manager after being linked with Juventus for several months. He is now seeking reassurances from Martin Broughton, the chairman, that he will have the backing of the board to instigate an overhaul of his squad.

While prepared to concede that problems behind the scenes cannot be used as an excuse for a season in which Liverpool failed to finish in the top six of the Premier League for the first time in more than a decade, Reina insists that boardroom wrangling and financial concerns were a hindrance to their efforts. He wants to see significant changes at the top of the club to facilitate the kind of spending that he feels is necessary to make Liverpool competitive again.

“We cannot avoid our responsibilities,” Reina said. “We are the ones who play, so there are no excuses about that. Of course it did not help, all the issues with owners and the situations with the ups and downs with the money.

“It has been a really disappointing season. The only thing we can do is look forward and try to improve and build a competitive squad. We need to spend some on the squad so we can fight for a place in the top four.”

Edited May 11, 2010 by StevieH