Rafa can't leave. Montse wants a new watch.
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Liverpool born and bred. -
Rafa!!!!
--== Because the gang and the government is no different ==--Comment
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Weak willed, Wank or do they have a masterplan?
Think we have the answer..Slot!!
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Todays Broadsheets:
From The Times
April 18, 2007
Benítez twice turned down Real riches
James Ducker
Rafael Benítez rejected two highly lucrative offers to manage Real Madrid in the space of a few weeks after convincing himself that there was no club he would rather be at than Liverpool.
The first approach came in the fortnight before Benítez held talks with George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks, the new Liverpool owners, on April 1. The second offer was turned down in the days after the decisive meeting with the Americans that assured the Spaniard he could fulfil his ambitions at Anfield.
As revealed by The Times last month, Real had identified BenÍtez rather than José Mourinho, the Chelsea manager, as the leading choice to replace Fabio Capello as coach in the summer, but for the second season running he has resisted attempts to lure him to the Bernabéu, in the city where he was born.
The news will come as a relief to Liverpool supporters, who feared that the temptation to join Real — where Benítez worked as a youth and B-team coach from 1989 to 1993 — might be too great to refuse for the manager who led them to the Champions League in 2005. It has also strengthened the prospect that he will see out, or even extend, the four-year deal he signed last year.
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“I said no to Real when they offered me more money than I get here, even though there maybe were greater expectations. Madrid may be my town, but . . . we [my family and I] are happy here,” Benítez said yesterday.
“There were some teams interested in me, but I said no because after the meeting with the Americans I think [it was clear] we are going in the right direction.
“It’s not easy to find a club where all the supporters or the majority of the supporters are behind you and you have a good staff and players. The future can be brilliant here and these things are more important than money. In football, we are lucky because we earn good money, but the difference for me is not the money but the support of the people and the possibilities of the club.”
Although he spurned Real’s initial advances, it is clear that the assurances Benítez received from Gillett and Hicks during their five-hour meeting went a long way towards convincing the manager to stay. “They knew when we were talking what the situation was,” Benítez said. “The meeting was very positive. I was really pleased before — the situation at Liverpool was really good — but now it can be better.”
With his future resolved, Benítez has sought to remind some of his players before the Barclays Premiership match at home to Middlesbrough this evening that they will be playing for their futures between now and the end of the season.
Benítez was disappointed with the level of performance in the goalless draw against Manchester City on Saturday and feels that, with a top-four finish virtually assured, some players may be slacking off before the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea.
“You try to explain to them how important it is to finish in the top three or four, but each player is different and for some it’s easier to be focused and others you need to push a little bit more,” Benítez said.
“They need to understand that I can decide about the future of some of them based on the things that I see now.”
Benitez rejected big offer from Real Madrid
By Richard Bright
Last Updated: 1:14am BST 18/04/2007
Rafael Benitez has stated publicly for the first time that he turned down a lucrative offer to move to Real Madrid.
As the Liverpool manager prepared his side for tonight's home Premiership game against Middlesbrough, it has become clear that he rejected an approach from Real which could have virtually doubled his income at Anfield.
Sources close to Benitez said that the Spanish side wanted Benitez before apparently turning their attention to Jose Mourinho.
Interestingly, the Benitez camp chose the week before the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Mourinho's Chelsea to let it be known who Real Madrid wanted first.
Benitez had previously been reluctant to be too specific about what was going on behind the scenes, but he has now spoken plainly about the interest from his home club.
He rejected overtures last summer from Real Madrid, where he has played, coached the youngsters and been assistant manager, but the Spaniards have made a new approach in the past few weeks.
Benitez said: "I said no to Real when they offered me more money than I get here, even though there maybe were greater expectations.
"Madrid may be my town, but I am happy here and pleased with everything. We want to stay because of the new ideas and the new owners are very exciting.
"It is so positive for the future. And I could not ignore the noise and support I received from the supporters last week against Eindhoven, it was tremendous and moving.
"My family are really happy here at Liverpool and I am prepared to have my daughter with a Scouse accent, even though it is sometimes a problem for me."
Craig Bellamy is out of the game against Middlesbrough with a knee injury.
Benítez reveals he rejected huge offer from Madrid
Ian Winrow
Wednesday April 18, 2007
The Guardian
Rafael Benítez last night revealed he recently rejected a huge offer from Real Madrid as he confirmed his long-term future lies with Liverpool because he believes his long-term ambitions can be achieved more readily on Merseyside after the recent takeover of the club.
It is believed that Madrid's offer would have virtually doubled Benítez's salary at Anfield but the manager explained his decision to stay: "I said no to Real when they offered me more money than I get here, even though there maybe were greater expectations.
"Madrid may be my town, but I am happy here and pleased with everything. We want to stay because of the new ideas and the new owners are very exciting.
"It is so positive for the future. And I could not ignore the noise and support that I received from the supporters last week against Eindhoven, it was tremendous and moving. I repeat, I am very happy here.
"It was not a difficult decision. I have an objective here, I explained that when I spoke to the new owners and they told me they would be supportive. It is clear Madrid was an opportunity but I said 'no' - because I have a lot of confidence in the future here. I believe we can win more trophies."
The Spaniard gave a commitment to Liverpool's American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, in a meeting at Anfield following Liverpool's Premiership victory over Arsenal on April 1 after receiving assurances about the direction of the club and, specifically, future spending plans.
Benítez signed a four-year contract last summer and admitted at the time he had been made aware of interest from Madrid, the club where he started his playing and coaching career. Facing another trophy-less season, Madrid came back with a big offer for the manager who has steered Liverpool to a second Champions League semi-final in three years.
But Hicks this week revealed Benítez would stay and the manager willingly confirmed his belief that Liverpool, who face Middlesbrough tonight, can now satisfy his long-standing desire to challenge consistently for major honours.
Benítez added: "It's not easy to find a club where the majority of supporters are behind you and you have good staff, good players and the future can be brilliant. These things are more important than anything else. When I decided to come here I also had a good offer to stay in Valencia but the difference doesn't matter that much when you already have a good salary."
Benítez has challenged his players to this week and secure the victories over first Boro and then Wigan on Saturday that will ensure the season's primary target of a top-four finish is achieved.
Benitez reveals why he rejected lure of Madrid
By Andy Hunter
Published: 18 April 2007
Rafael Benitez has rejected a third lucrative offer from Real Madrid to leave Liverpool - on the basis that his ambitions will be realised at Anfield long before the Bernabeu.
The Liverpool manager yesterday revealed that, despite recent public assurances that he had no desire to return to the club he served as a player, youth team manager and first team coach for over two decades, another approach was made for his services within the last month.
As in the past two close seasons, however, Benitez resisted the financial and emotional lure of Madrid to continue his "project" of winning the Premiership with the Champions League semi-finalists, albeit only having received assurances on the club's future from new American owners George Gillet and Tom Hicks.
Benitez enjoyed a four-hour meeting with the multi-millionaires on 1 April when his concerns over the lack of communication from the American hierarchy and their plans for the club were allayed in detail. The Liverpool manager had pledged to honour the four-year contract he signed last summer in the days prior to that meeting, but the doubts he expressed at the time encouraged Madrid to believe their former employee would consider replacing Fabio Capello at the end of this season.
The Spaniard, whose revelation will not sit easily with the Americans or the Italian, claimed: "I said no to Real when they offered me more money than I get here, even though there maybe were greater expectations. Madrid may be my town but, although I have problems with my daughter's Scouse accent, we are really happy here. Teams were interested in me but I said no because, after meeting the new owners, I think we are going in the right direction.
"Everything is good for me here. It is not easy to find a club where all the supporters are behind you and you have a good staff, good players and the future can be brilliant. I was really happy before the meeting. Now I know it can be even better. For me, the future can be better here than anywhere else."
Benitez, who was preparing yesterday for tonight's game against Middlesbrough, is believed to have been promised at least £30m to spend this summer, with a leading European striker a prerequisite for next season. Gillet and Hicks hope to secure prized assets such as Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Xabi Alonso, but Benitez has warned the rest of his squad they will be discarded from his long-term plans if they approach Liverpool's remaining league games with the Champions League date with Chelsea in mind.
"The players need to understand that we can decide their futures from what we see every day," he said. "To win the league, you need players for nine months, not just one month. It is not a problem to be motivated for a Champions League semi-final but to win a league with 85-90 points you need players with a good mentality."Comment
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Madrid preferred Rafa to Jose! Given the size of Jose's ego this will hurt him. Make you think what Rafa will achieve with some decent financial backing."I watched the Champions League quarter-finals and the way they crushed Arsenal. Only the greatest and the best can play such a match.
The Future is Red!Comment
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I'd say Fabio Cappello might be slightly more pissed off...Originally posted by carlton View PostJust when I discovered the meaning of life, they changed itComment
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Looks like Rafa is using this news to piss of Mourinho, like been said before Jose´s ego will have been hurt by the fact that Madrid don´t consider him that special.* The above is posted in my opinion. Feel free to disagree.Comment
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Not if he has already said he is going (or they have told him)Originally posted by Maestro View PostComment
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True.Originally posted by theriotact View Post
By the way - I think I've read you before....Just when I discovered the meaning of life, they changed itComment
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The Spaniard, whose revelation will not sit easily with the Americans or the Italian,
Why would the Americans not be happy. Also later in the report where does the £30m come from?Comment
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