Rafa - "I'm Going Nowhere"

[desertscouser]

Mixed emotions. Like Ferguson driving over a cliff in my new Maserati.

[Dhav]

This gave me the fright of my life when I saw it on the front menu page as all it shows is Rafa - "I'm going

[Abro100]

[Shaggy]

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N155362070322-1054.htm

Rafael Benitez today dismissed rumours linking him to Real Madrid and re-affirmed his commitment to Liverpool.

The Reds boss said: "I think it's important the fans know I am completely committed to Liverpool Football Club and I'm going nowhere.

"I know there's been a lot of speculation in the Spanish media linking me with Real Madrid.

"Any manager would be honoured to be associated with such a famous club, especially as Madrid is my home city and also my former club. However, I want to make it clear I am very happy at Anfield and very happy in England and I'm genuinely excited by what the future holds for Liverpool.

"I've had some extremely positive discussions with the new owners and share their enthusiasm and determination to take this club back to the very top.

"I will be sitting down shortly with both Mr Gillett and Mr Hicks to discuss things face to face, but an enormous amount of work is already underway in preparation for the way forward."

[red g]

Liverpool owners make Benitez vow

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks says manager Rafa Benitez is "absolutely" the man they want to manage the club.

Newspaper reports have suggested Real Madrid want Benitez to succeed Fabio Capello as their boss this summer.

But Hicks says he and co-owner George Gillett will soon share their long-term vision for the club with Benitez.

He told Five Live Sport: "We're going to get together with Rafa the morning after the Arsenal match (on 31 March). It's now time to do that."

He added: "I'll have my whole family over and George is going to have his family there.

"We're all going to celebrate our first match together as the official owners. We've set aside half a day the next day to visit with Rafa."

The American duo are set to formally take control of the Anfield club next week, when the tendering process closes.

Hicks says this is the reason why he and Gilett are yet to have detailed talks with Benitez.

"I've exchanged a number of emails with Rafa and know George talked to him personally last week," he said.

"We've explained to Rafa, which he knows and I think is very comfortable with, that we don't own the team yet.

"We will officially own the team some time next week when the tender closes.

"It would be very inappropriate for us to start and have those kind of important meetings prior to being the owners."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...ol/6478665.stm

The arsenal teamtalk could be interesting, Before you all go out to play(staring at Pennant, bellamy etc) i would let you know we have 100million to spend......so we have lots of possibilities

[red g]

How long is Rafa contract??

[friedk]

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drill...70322-1054.htm

Rafael Benitez today dismissed rumours linking him to Real Madrid and re-affirmed his commitment to Liverpool.

The Reds boss said: "I think it's important the fans know I am completely committed to Liverpool Football Club and I'm going nowhere.

"I know there's been a lot of speculation in the Spanish media linking me with Real Madrid.

"Any manager would be honoured to be associated with such a famous club, especially as Madrid is my home city and also my former club. However, I want to make it clear I am very happy at Anfield and very happy in England and I'm genuinely excited by what the future holds for Liverpool.

"I've had some extremely positive discussions with the new owners and share their enthusiasm and determination to take this club back to the very top.

"I will be sitting down shortly with both Mr Gillett and Mr Hicks to discuss things face to face, but an enormous amount of work is already underway in preparation for the way forward."

It is just this lack of loyalty that is (besides winning the Champions League, FA Cup and attaining our highest league points total in 16 years) leading to the rapid decline of LFC

[Tee]

It is inevtiable that he will go to Madrid one day - all I hope is that it will not be for a few more years yet.

Rafa

[Red_Polo]

And so the saga ends in exactly the same way it has done before. With Rafa getting assurances, the only thing he was after all along as far as I'm concerned. **** all that 50/50 **** - that's just your typical media swill.

[Fowler_God]

How long is Rafa contract??

10 A4 sheets i think

[Neil Young]

And so the saga ends in exactly the same way it has done before. With Rafa getting assurances, the only thing he was after all along as far as I'm concerned. **** all that 50/50 **** - that's just your typical media swill.

By going public he also demonstrated he was willing to play "hardball" as the Americans call it.

Who's to say what the odds really were?

[red g]

By going public he also demonstrated he was willing to play "hardball" as the Americans call it.

Who's to say what the odds really were?

I dont doubt fdor one minute of he doenst get everything he wants he would be off. But at the same time i reckon give him everything he wants and he will be here for 5-10 yrs

[redblood]

David Maddock in The Mirror Today:

RAFA BENITEZ will stay at Anfield after a telephone call from new owner George Gillett gave him the promises he wanted.

Increasingly fervid reports in Spain suggest that Real Madrid are ready to make Benitez a money-no-object offer in the summer, to tempt him back to the Bernabeu.

The Spanish giants want to exploit the unease the Liverpool manager expressed last week, when he admitted that his side are not remotely close to challenging Manchester United and Chelsea.

But American tycoon Gillett has responded by mapping out his overview of the future of the club he bought in a £450million takeover with Texan Tom Hicks last month.

Gillett rang Benitez over the weekend and spoke from the heart about his views on the direction the club must take to return to the summit it occupied for so long.

The Spanish coach has also been sent several lengthy e-mails from the States informing him of the big plans the American pair have when they pick up the Anfield reins properly at the end of the season.

Benitez told close friends after the talks at the weekend that he is much more settled over his own future, and far more convinced that the new owners mean business.

Despite the continuing interest from Madrid, where Benitez played as a youth and reserve team player, and also cut his coaching teeth, the former Valencia manager, when asked if he would be at Liverpool next season, responded bluntly, "Yes, I will."

He has recently had a new house built on the Wirral, and even though there is genuine interest from Real as they look to replace Fabio Cappello, the Spanish coach is set to turn down the poisoned chalice on offer at the Bernabeu.

He is desperate to bring the Premiership title back to Anfield, backed by the promise from Gillett that he will have the funds to do so.

Injury-jinxed Chile winger Mark Gonzalez, meanwhile, has revealed how fellow crock Harry Kewell has helped him through his season of torment.

A succession of frustrating injuries have restricted the signing from Albacete to just 15 starts all season, and the winger admits to a real sense of disappointment.

Kewell has been plagued by a series of injuries that have become increasingly bizarre over the three-and-a-half years he has been at Anfield.

But that has helped him act as a counsellor to Gonzalez, who revealed: "Harry has talked to me about it because he has suffered in the same way since he came here.

"He knows just what I am going through. Harry has helped me a lot."


http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footba...name_page.html

Good man Paul, trust a southsider to be reading the Mirror and not working.

[Neil Young]

I dont doubt fdor one minute of he doenst get everything he wants he would be off. But at the same time i reckon give him everything he wants and he will be here for 5-10 yrs

I agree. I think what was in doubt is whether he would get everything he wanted.

I'm not sure he'll be with us another ten years but I think at least another three or four is realistic.

[redblood]

"Yes I will" isn't the most definitive statement of intent I've ever heard

What would be more definitive then 'Yes I will' a direct answer to a direct question doesn't leave room for any ambiguity.