An article from the Daily Mail to piss you right off!

[kurtangle01]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=428004&in_page_id=1779

This is undobtedly the worst piece of journalism I have read in a long time.

[kurtangle01]

Can't edit the headline. It should say"to piss you right off"

Can a mod edit it please?

[Dhav]

Mate this is the article I read which infuriated me so much I started the Rafa thread.

This loon is so out of touch it's untrue. At the end of the day these clowns can say what they want, but the only opinions that matter are those of the playing and coaching staff at the club, the board, and the fans.

[kurtangle01]

Mate this is the article I read which infuriated me so much I started the Rafa thread.

This loon is so out of touch it's untrue. At the end of the day these clowns can say what they want, but the only opinions that matter are those of the playing and coaching staff at the club, the board, and the fans.

You'd think that we were in a major crisis and in danger of being relegated the way the press are going on! We lost on Saturday at home for the first time in 15 months to a team who got their tactics spot on, on the day. We lost last night and there has rightly been a few questions asked and a few raised eyebrows but to print ****e like that makes me ****ing angry.

To think that these ******s are paid for their opinion...

[andyinswinton]

It is utter nonsence.

You would expect more from the Daily Mail.

[Red Chilli]

Yeah but look at the authors name


"Ooooooh ladyman"

[kurtangle01]

You would expect more from the Daily Mail.

Would you? Really?!

[Dhav]

You'd think that we were in a major crisis and in danger of being relegated the way the press are going on! We lost on Saturday at home for the first time in 15 months to a team who got their tactics spot on, on the day. We lost last night and there has rightly been a few questions asked and a few raised eyebrows but to print ****e like that makes me ****ing angry.

To think that these ******s are paid for their opinion...

Exactly, I mean Arsenal might have beaten us in two cup competitions in consecutive games, one of which we're the holders so would find it difficult to defend, and the other a mickey mouse competition, but they're still below us in the league, but Wenger's a genius and Rafa's bungling. But not like the gutter press to grossly overreact though is it? :whatever:

Sometimes, discovering your limits and limitations can be a good thing, and hopefully that's what last night will prove to be.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

Lets see Hate Mail and a foreigner involved. Inevitable outcome really.

[lfc4ever]

More paper talk:

Benitez puts blame on board for débâcle
By Andy Hunter
Published: 11 January 2007

The inquest opened into Liverpool's humiliating Carling Cup defeat by Arsenal with manager Rafael Benitez blaming the Anfield board for a lack of investment in young players and the goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek excusing his own lamentable display on a lack of match sharpness. Between them, they passed the buck with more conviction than the team had passed the ball during the club's heaviest home defeat for 77 years.

Recriminations had commenced long before it was announced Luis Garcia would miss the rest of the season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee - and for Dudek, out of contract in the summer, plus Lee Peltier and Danny Guthrie, Academy graduates for whom self-belief is essential at this stage in their development, the consequences may be far-reaching. As they could be for Liverpool's prospective new owners, Dubai International Capital, who might be in a position officially to commence their £400m takeover of the club from the chairman, David Moores, next week.

Until yesterday Benitez had kept in check his frustration at the board's inability and occasional reluctance to secure his primary transfer targets, but the Spaniard has never disguised his irritation at the production line at the Liverpool Academy or the club's failure to follow the Arsenal system of investing heavily in young talent from around the globe. It was a complaint he raised prior to the postponed Carling Cup quarter-final in December and will no doubt stress again to the representatives of DIC once they assume control, but it does not address the reasons for the excruciating end to Liverpool's domestic cup ambitions for this season.

Benitez, his hopes of a trophy this season now resting on a Champions' League date with Barcelona, insisted: "The conclusion that worries me is Arsenal could pick nine reserves and score six goals at Anfield.

"We had seven players with first-team experience and could not win. There is a lesson there for the whole of our club. If you want to compete at the top level you must be able to spend a lot of money not only on your first team, but on the young players and reserves. Arsenal spent £4m on [Abou] Diaby, £4m on Denilson, £8m on [Theo] Walcott and [Julio] Baptista is a £22m player.

"They have been working for 10 years to build a strong squad and we have been working for two," he added. "My scouting department has done an excellent job but sometimes we go too slowly as a club to make the signings we need and when we do there is not a lot of money.

"Today for example we are signing a young Italian goalkeeper on loan [Sampdoria's Daniele Padelli] with an option for later. We have also been working for many weeks to sign the young Scot, James McCarthy [from Hamilton Academicals]. These are the deals we are doing because we want to build for the future but without spending money it is difficult."

However, Benitez has been lavished with comparable funds to Arsène Wenger since his arrival in 2004 - swelled by the riches from his Champions' League triumph in 2005 while Arsenal were building a new stadium - and Liverpool were outclassed on Tuesday because their manager made nine changes to his side. The bottom line.

"I used Momo Sissoko in the Carling Cup at Birmingham and we lost him for four months. Now we have lost Garcia for the rest of the season and [Mark] Gonzalez and [Stephen] Warnock are also injured," he said. "What is more important? The Premiership, Champions' League or Carling Cup? If Arsenal can play nine reserves and score six at Anfield, people should be asking why is this. It's not because of one game, it's because of many reasons."

Dudek was also quick to defend his part in Liverpool's first six-goal reverse at Anfield since 1930. "I'm devastated," the stand-in goalkeeper admitted. "I've never had a game like that before. Almost every shot went in.

"I just wanted to take my opportunity and build some confidence," Dudek added, "but it is difficult. The last time I had played at Anfield until Saturday was in March. For a goalkeeper you can use experience, but you can't build confidence in training. It's very, very difficult."

Wenger determined to keep 'unhappy' Aliadière

After his young French compatriot's heroics at Anfield on Tuesday night, the Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger said he wants to keep Jérémie Aliadière at the Emirates Stadium even though he is seeking a move in search of a regular game.

The progress of the 23-year-old forward, who scored one goal himself and set up three more in the 6-3 victory against Liverpool, has been hindered by a succession of injuries, and he has spent much of his time with the Gunners out on loan, but performances such as the one he managed on Tuesday night make it unlikely that the club will part with him.

"I don't like to lose Jérémie Aliadière," Wenger said after the game. "He doesn't play enough but... I persisted with him for the last month as I have seen signs in training that he has made a big step forward. He made an outstanding performance [against Liverpool] and I am not surprised as he puts in that kind of performance in training. He has not yet transferred that into the Premier League. He is not happy because he does not play enough, but we will try to keep him."

http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article2144001.ece

[blacky]

ITo be honest I can't see what the issue with the article is..............it's falrly straight up and to the point.

[kemm1]

Benitez puts blame on board for débâcle

Benitez puts blame on board for débâcle

By Andy Hunter
Published: 11 January 2007
The inquest opened into Liverpool's humiliating Carling Cup defeat by Arsenal with manager Rafael Benitez blaming the Anfield board for a lack of investment in young players and the goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek excusing his own lamentable display on a lack of match sharpness. Between them, they passed the buck with more conviction than the team had passed the ball during the club's heaviest home defeat for 77 years.

Recriminations had commenced long before it was announced Luis Garcia would miss the rest of the season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee - and for Dudek, out of contract in the summer, plus Lee Peltier and Danny Guthrie, Academy graduates for whom self-belief is essential at this stage in their development, the consequences may be far-reaching. As they could be for Liverpool's prospective new owners, Dubai International Capital, who might be in a position officially to commence their £400m takeover of the club from the chairman, David Moores, next week.

Until yesterday Benitez had kept in check his frustration at the board's inability and occasional reluctance to secure his primary transfer targets, but the Spaniard has never disguised his irritation at the production line at the Liverpool Academy or the club's failure to follow the Arsenal system of investing heavily in young talent from around the globe. It was a complaint he raised prior to the postponed Carling Cup quarter-final in December and will no doubt stress again to the representatives of DIC once they assume control, but it does not address the reasons for the excruciating end to Liverpool's domestic cup ambitions for this season.

Benitez, his hopes of a trophy this season now resting on a Champions' League date with Barcelona, insisted: "The conclusion that worries me is Arsenal could pick nine reserves and score six goals at Anfield.

"We had seven players with first-team experience and could not win. There is a lesson there for the whole of our club. If you want to compete at the top level you must be able to spend a lot of money not only on your first team, but on the young players and reserves. Arsenal spent £4m on [Abou] Diaby, £4m on Denilson, £8m on [Theo] Walcott and [Julio] Baptista is a £22m player.

"They have been working for 10 years to build a strong squad and we have been working for two," he added. "My scouting department has done an excellent job but sometimes we go too slowly as a club to make the signings we need and when we do there is not a lot of money.

"Today for example we are signing a young Italian goalkeeper on loan [Sampdoria's Daniele Padelli] with an option for later. We have also been working for many weeks to sign the young Scot, James McCarthy [from Hamilton Academicals]. These are the deals we are doing because we want to build for the future but without spending money it is difficult."

However, Benitez has been lavished with comparable funds to Arsène Wenger since his arrival in 2004 - swelled by the riches from his Champions' League triumph in 2005 while Arsenal were building a new stadium - and Liverpool were outclassed on Tuesday because their manager made nine changes to his side. The bottom line.

"I used Momo Sissoko in the Carling Cup at Birmingham and we lost him for four months. Now we have lost Garcia for the rest of the season and [Mark] Gonzalez and [Stephen] Warnock are also injured," he said. "What is more important? The Premiership, Champions' League or Carling Cup? If Arsenal can play nine reserves and score six at Anfield, people should be asking why is this. It's not because of one game, it's because of many reasons."

Dudek was also quick to defend his part in Liverpool's first six-goal reverse at Anfield since 1930. "I'm devastated," the stand-in goalkeeper admitted. "I've never had a game like that before. Almost every shot went in.

"I just wanted to take my opportunity and build some confidence," Dudek added, "but it is difficult. The last time I had played at Anfield until Saturday was in March. For a goalkeeper you can use experience, but you can't build confidence in training. It's very, very difficult."

Wenger determined to keep 'unhappy' Aliadière

After his young French compatriot's heroics at Anfield on Tuesday night, the Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger said he wants to keep Jérémie Aliadière at the Emirates Stadium even though he is seeking a move in search of a regular game.

The progress of the 23-year-old forward, who scored one goal himself and set up three more in the 6-3 victory against Liverpool, has been hindered by a succession of injuries, and he has spent much of his time with the Gunners out on loan, but performances such as the one he managed on Tuesday night make it unlikely that the club will part with him.

"I don't like to lose Jérémie Aliadière," Wenger said after the game. "He doesn't play enough but... I persisted with him for the last month as I have seen signs in training that he has made a big step forward. He made an outstanding performance [against Liverpool] and I am not surprised as he puts in that kind of performance in training. He has not yet transferred that into the Premier League. He is not happy because he does not play enough, but we will try to keep him."

http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article2144001.ece

[AFII]

They are as usual pointing out how much Rafa have spent and forgot about how much he have had to sell.

Rafa have spent around £8m/window nett.

I think many clubs in the PL spends that sort of money.

[The_weatherman]

What a stupid article, "Take away one night of unthinkable triumph in Istanbul 20 months ago and what progress has really been made?" You can´t say stuff like that I mean take away the league title Arsenal won and what have they done in recent years then? Stupid!

And this: "Of his current squad, the 47-year-old has spent considerable sums on Xabi Alonso (£10.5million), Dirk Kuyt (£9m), Peter Crouch (£7m), Jose Reina (£6m), Jermaine Pennant (£6.7m), Craig Bellamy (£6m), Luis Garcia (£6m), Daniel Agger (£5.8m), Momo Sissoko (£5.6m) and Gabriel Paletta (£2m)." We also had to sell players to fund these purchases and given that Rafa inherited a pretty much worthless squad on huge wages that has been difficult (Diouf, Diao, Cheyrou, Biscan, Smicer, Henchoz, Babbel, Le Tallec, Dudek).

We also know that Wenger uses dirty tactics in signing youngsters, like Flamini and Lupoli I think, and I would like to know how much he is paying for them all.

[ronanm]

Benitez puts blame on board for débâcle


However, Benitez has been lavished with comparable funds to Arsène Wenger since his arrival in 2004 - swelled by the riches from his Champions' League triumph in 2005 while Arsenal were building a new stadium - and Liverpool were outclassed on Tuesday because their manager made nine changes to his side. The bottom line.


http://sport.independent.co.uk/footb...cle2144001.ece

Not quite - Beni was building from scratch. Nonetheless, he has been given cash to spend and I don't think he should complain on that front. 14M on Pennant + Crouch (or however much it was) much could have been much better spent. Mouthing off like this is hardly going to impress suitors - he should take the blame/blame his players for these things some time.