It's Rafa Benitez
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I get why you guys wouldn't want him - his heart is at Liverpool but then so was Torres' and you took him with a smile, at first.
There's a lot of media BS on Rafa and I can't believe I'm still having to defend him but the fact I still am shows my belief in the guy. So, to deconstruct some of those myths and hopefully make it a little easier for you and my ma to accept if not welcome him.
Zonal is rubbish? Pepe Reina had three Golden Gloves when VDS and Cech had one each. That's more GGs than the rest of the league put together. Don't tell me that has nothing to do with Rafa's use of zonal. The man himself actually showed journos once that there's very little difference between M2M and zonal and it's down to a manager's preference.
He wasted £200m on rubbish? Where Tom Hicks got £200m from is a mystery but Lucas, Reina, Agger, Skrtel and Johnson are still at Anfield three managers later. That's half the first XI. Rafa kept our first XI competitive as H&G eroded the rest of the squad, which caught up with us in his final season as Rafa wasn't even given money from player sales and we were reduced to taking freebies like Jovanovic.
He's too defensive? No, he's very good at defence. See Reina's three Golden Gloves. But in 2008/09 we scored nine goals more than anybody and that was when Utd had a front line of Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney. That season was actually an over-achievement to get within four points of the title, not a failure to win the league. We were allegedly a "two man team" back then, as you lot constantly reminded us. Note back then nobody seemed to include Alonso in that two (Rafa's first "poor" signing for us) but that's a side issue. It was Torres and Gerrard, yet those two were out injured for chunks of that season. So a bunch of over-priced and poor signings scored nine goals more than anybody, only lost two games and got doubles over Chelsea and Utd. And this is a bad manager?
He drove Alonso away for Barry? We got Alonso's best season out of him so maybe Rafa should've upset him sooner. Rafa didn't want to lose Alonso; he wanted Keane and Barry as a partnership on the left. If not both then Barry, not Keane. He was given Keane and told he had to sell to buy Barry. Steve McLaren had dropped Lampard in England's Euro qualifiers, as they were close to not qualifying, and Barry with Gerrard turned results around. Sure, Alonso is a better individual player but there were good reasons for us to go for Barry. The guy scored twice as many goals as Alonso in the period Alonso was at Liverpool, and that in a weaker team. Barry went to City and Bellamy became their player of the season with Barry behind him, though how much the two are linked I wouldn't know.
He failed at Inter? Not his best three months' work but a better win % than Hodgson's time there, which was held up by the media as proof of RH's quality. That treble-winning team had peaked, was ageing and needed rejuvenation. Fergie and Guardiola both did after their trebles. But Inter didn't want to spend. The UK media hounded him to Italy, then when he used a Spanish proverb in Italy, which any muppet and her sister could see the meaning of, the media acted like he was reading aloud from the Tom Cruise Book of Scientology.
The result of all this is I'm torn between wanting Chelsea to fail but wanting Rafa to succeed. Because football aside, he's a top bloke.
There's a lot of media BS on Rafa and I can't believe I'm still having to defend him but the fact I still am shows my belief in the guy. So, to deconstruct some of those myths and hopefully make it a little easier for you and my ma to accept if not welcome him.
Zonal is rubbish? Pepe Reina had three Golden Gloves when VDS and Cech had one each. That's more GGs than the rest of the league put together. Don't tell me that has nothing to do with Rafa's use of zonal. The man himself actually showed journos once that there's very little difference between M2M and zonal and it's down to a manager's preference.
He wasted £200m on rubbish? Where Tom Hicks got £200m from is a mystery but Lucas, Reina, Agger, Skrtel and Johnson are still at Anfield three managers later. That's half the first XI. Rafa kept our first XI competitive as H&G eroded the rest of the squad, which caught up with us in his final season as Rafa wasn't even given money from player sales and we were reduced to taking freebies like Jovanovic.
He's too defensive? No, he's very good at defence. See Reina's three Golden Gloves. But in 2008/09 we scored nine goals more than anybody and that was when Utd had a front line of Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney. That season was actually an over-achievement to get within four points of the title, not a failure to win the league. We were allegedly a "two man team" back then, as you lot constantly reminded us. Note back then nobody seemed to include Alonso in that two (Rafa's first "poor" signing for us) but that's a side issue. It was Torres and Gerrard, yet those two were out injured for chunks of that season. So a bunch of over-priced and poor signings scored nine goals more than anybody, only lost two games and got doubles over Chelsea and Utd. And this is a bad manager?
He drove Alonso away for Barry? We got Alonso's best season out of him so maybe Rafa should've upset him sooner. Rafa didn't want to lose Alonso; he wanted Keane and Barry as a partnership on the left. If not both then Barry, not Keane. He was given Keane and told he had to sell to buy Barry. Steve McLaren had dropped Lampard in England's Euro qualifiers, as they were close to not qualifying, and Barry with Gerrard turned results around. Sure, Alonso is a better individual player but there were good reasons for us to go for Barry. The guy scored twice as many goals as Alonso in the period Alonso was at Liverpool, and that in a weaker team. Barry went to City and Bellamy became their player of the season with Barry behind him, though how much the two are linked I wouldn't know.
He failed at Inter? Not his best three months' work but a better win % than Hodgson's time there, which was held up by the media as proof of RH's quality. That treble-winning team had peaked, was ageing and needed rejuvenation. Fergie and Guardiola both did after their trebles. But Inter didn't want to spend. The UK media hounded him to Italy, then when he used a Spanish proverb in Italy, which any muppet and her sister could see the meaning of, the media acted like he was reading aloud from the Tom Cruise Book of Scientology.
The result of all this is I'm torn between wanting Chelsea to fail but wanting Rafa to succeed. Because football aside, he's a top bloke.
they are not that many anyway
We passed Liverpool some years ago and if there aren't many of us then we can't have a load of glory hunting muppets like yourself
The survey, conducted by SportMarket on behalf of the Premier League, shows Manchester United have 354 million supporters worldwide, Chelsea have 134 million and Arsenal have 113 million. Liverpool are fourth with 71 million and even trail in traditional strongholds. Chelsea have 44 million fans in Asia and the Far East while Liverpool have 33 million.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...-in-danger-if-right-manager-is-not-found.html
Yeah, they sacked a guy that won those in a couple of months and hire a guy that won the same amount in six years!!
You couldn't make it up!
Personally, I have no qualms about Benitez.....I suggest some people should pull their heads in; he's been given a short term assignment to turn our season around - if he can paper over the cracks that makes up our defence that would be some achievement at least.
If RA gives him money to spend in the january window he might just be there longer than your owner would have you think.
H
Hoddle is a god
Guest
That's a little hard on Redknapp, as he's never had the resources at his disposal that the likes of Benitez and all of the Chelsea managers have had.
Benitiez had and blew £millions. He is a clown of the first order.
What good would Benitez be to QPR in their fight against relegation? Redknapp would be a far better choice of manager for them.
Funny that, Spurs managers blow millions and win nothing and Rafa did the same and won Big Ears in the competition you Spuds cry to be in and for good measure he got to another CL final.
Should change your name to Coco the clown HIAG because making slapstick comments is becoming your trade mark.
Harry's not half the manager Rafa is
Rafa is one of the best tacticians in football and he's won league titles and a CL on a fraction of the budgets of the competition
Harry won a cup once (I think) and relegated and bankrupted clubs when he wasn't just impoding after a short term boost from the old 'arry speech and grinding players out
Rafa is one of the best tacticians in football and he's won league titles and a CL on a fraction of the budgets of the competition
Harry won a cup once (I think) and relegated and bankrupted clubs when he wasn't just impoding after a short term boost from the old 'arry speech and grinding players out
Just shows how far Liverfool have sunk. Their measure of success is how many points they finish behind the Winners!
Trivia: What have N-Power Championsh*t Club Blackburn done that Liverpool haven't?????
Where your headed pal.
Rafa Benitez has won more by himself than the whole club of QPR ever have in total.
That is embarrassing. I pity you lot
Rafa took Liverpool from a degrading team under Houllier to 2 CL finals, our first proper league challenge I can remember, had us playing the best footy I've ever seen with my own eyes beating Barca and Madrid on their own patch, and made LIverpool the number 1 team in Europe in UEFAs official ratings.
Mark Hughes has, er, done nothing since he was a player.
H
Hoddle is a god
Guest
Not one single Spurs manager has had the kind of money that Benitez had and blew - not a single one.
Benitez was sacked because, even with having spent something like £300 million of the bank's money, he still couldn't buy 'Pool back their glory days.
Redknapp, on the other hand, in three and a half seasons with Spurs, got us 4th, 5th, and 4th in consecutive seasons, operating on a fraction of the budget (particularly wages) that Benitez had.
Please, don't talk rubbish. Benitez wouldn't know what to do with a team unless he had the money to blow on the best players, which became increasingly evident during his last days at 'Pool, as the quality of your squad began to diminish. The quality of the players at Chelsea will hide his shortcomings as a manager, just as they did at 'Pool.
This really is a joke appointment. Every neutral fan can see that.
We passed Liverpool some years ago and if there aren't many of us then we can't have a load of glory hunting muppets like yourself
The survey, conducted by SportMarket on behalf of the Premier League, shows Manchester United have 354 million supporters worldwide, Chelsea have 134 million and Arsenal have 113 million. Liverpool are fourth with 71 million and even trail in traditional strongholds. Chelsea have 44 million fans in Asia and the Far East while Liverpool have 33 million.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...-in-danger-if-right-manager-is-not-found.html
Utter bollocks.
There is no way on earth you have more supporters than us when you can't fill your stadium or Wembley and about 3 people turned out for your CL Cup parade compared to 700,000.
I'd like to see that study independently replicated because there is no way thats accurate. Just commonsense tells you that by our global match viewing figures alone.
Can you remind what Rafa Benitez has won please?
Yeh. thats you shutting up.
No Spurs Manager will ever get close to Rafas record or his achievements.
I think you are more globally supported than we are but the ****e you've just thrown out there is ludicrous, we sell basically every weekend with exception to a few lower league clubs, sell out every away game - to memory we failed to sell out one away game last season (City). When the **** have we not sold out at Wembley? If you're talking about the Spuds game, we did, the camera was pointing at corporate seats which separate both sets of fans (believe me, I tried and couldn't get a ticket.)
you're in possession of quite a few factually challenged 'fachts' there Hoddle
and do all 'neutrals' use posts from Liverpool supporters in their sig? that's a bit sad
There is a reason 'arry hasn't ever managed a big club and Rafa is on his fourth now.
and do all 'neutrals' use posts from Liverpool supporters in their sig? that's a bit sad
There is a reason 'arry hasn't ever managed a big club and Rafa is on his fourth now.
thanks for the good words from some of you Reds..
Hope Rafa does ok and wins a cup atleast and league also if possible..
And whoever brings - Rafa at Inter as his failure should know better..
Inter were shambles when Rafa took over..
Zlatan & Mario left Inter, Wes Sneijder injured to name a few..
Hope Rafa does ok and wins a cup atleast and league also if possible..
And whoever brings - Rafa at Inter as his failure should know better..
Inter were shambles when Rafa took over..
Zlatan & Mario left Inter, Wes Sneijder injured to name a few..