Pressures that threaten to tear LFC apart

[einar]

Player for player - they have the most expensive squad. A world class manager and potentially the biggest budget of any club in the world, so on those criteria - i.e. those that define the task of catching up with or overtaking all the other PL clubs / clubs in Europe they have to be seen as the benchmark along with AC Milan and Barcelona. It really depends what you mean about "greatest" but if you can't see the point his is getting at then you are wearing very red tinted spectacles.

He just tends to say the wrong thing.

And also like I said, the whole tone of the thing is not to good IMHO.

[sonsofthedesert]

"Chelsea are perhaps the greatest club in the world."

"It sounds sensible and realistic to me." Really!


And also, the whole thing sounds to me like they have told Rafa that he will not get much this summer and he has to wait longer for things to change.

The way I read it was that he thins one big spending summer will not allow us to catch up, 2 will do it and also mean that players have time to settle in.

[Harv]

From the Daily mail.

Buy George, Gillett doubts Liverpool title bid
Last updated at 09:59am on 27th May 2007

Comments Comments
Liverpool's American co-owner George Gillett has cast doubt over his club's ability to claim the Barclays Premiership title next season.

Confidence is high on Merseyside after the Reds finished the current campaign strongly, culminating in last week's Champions League final defeat to AC Milan.

Immediately after that heart-breaking loss in Athens, manager Rafael Benitez called on Gillett and fellow owner Tom Hicks to back his summer restructuring at Anfield to give his side a genuine chance of competing for Manchester United Premiership crown next time out.

But although the arrival of the Americans has guaranteed a substantial summer war chest for the Spaniard, Gillett is not convinced the likes of United and Chelsea can be caught straight away.

He said: "I don't know if we are capable of challenging for the title next year.

"We want to make progress but it is a multiple-year programme. We want to challenge but we won't do it overnight.

"Manchester United are formidable competitors, Arsenal are one year older with brilliant young players and Chelsea are perhaps the greatest club in the world. They're not going to get any worse.

"Next season is up to Rafa Benitez and our chief executive Rick Parry.

"They have a plan and we're working on it. We're right behind it but we've got a big job to do."

Does not sound to good does it?

just sounds like they are keeping a lid on things to me.

hes not going to come out and say we are signing 4 world class players for £20m each...and we will defo win the league.

[dww]

The way I read it was that he thins one big spending summer will not allow us to catch up, 2 will do it and also mean that players have time to settle in.

[thesilverfoxlfc]

It appears to me that Rafa has identified the players he wants and given the list to the board - and has told them he's going on holiday and bloody well expects those players to be signed by the time he gets back.

I'm worried about this - because you KNOW that when he comes back nothing will have changed. I can see him becoming increasingly frustrated and looking towards the Madrid offer.......

What the feck we'll do then is anybody's guess.

Well said Les he wants them to work quick and have these deals in plenty of time cause before you know it pre season training will start and everyone is panic buying and i hope we are with 2nd and 3rd choice players

[Jayesh87]

Parry plays down Benitez reports

Parry plays down Benitez reports

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has played down reports that manager Rafael Benitez is unhappy with the progress made over new signings.

Parry insists American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett will provide Benitez with money for transfers.

"They think Rafa is the right man for the job, they think he's a fantastic coach and they want to provide him with the backing," he told BBC Five Live.

"The position is to focus on getting things done and stop the speculation."

Spaniard Benitez has called for substantial funds so he can strengthen his squad in a bid to challenge Manchester United and Chelsea for the Premiership title

The Reds reached this season's Champions League final, where they lost to AC Milan, but again fell short in the league, finishing the season 21 points behind champions United.

It is now 17 years since Liverpool last won the domestic title.

"The commitment of the owners is absolutely clear," added Parry.

"They are going to provide backing and have made that clear to Rafa and we will be moving forward very positively."

However, Gillett is not convinced the Premiership crown is a realistic target next season.

"I don't know if we are capable of challenging for the title next year," stated the American.

"We want to make progress but it is a multiple-year programme. We want to challenge but we won't do it overnight.

"Manchester United are formidable competitors, Arsenal are one year older, with brilliant young players, and Chelsea are not going to get any worse.

"Next season is up to Rafa Benitez and our chief executive Rick Parry.

"They have a plan and we're working on it. We're right behind it but we've got a big job to do."

Meanwhile, Parry hopes Uefa make positive strides in assessing and reacting to the crowd chaos at the Champions League final in Athens.

Thousands of Liverpool fans failed to get into the ground, despite having tickets, and riot police used tear gas and batons outside the Olympic Stadium to quell disturbances as supporters were turned away.

Uefa spokesman William Gaillard has suggested future finals could be rotated around stadiums with a capacity of at least 70,000 and Parry would back such a plan.

"It has got to be a good idea to stage finals in stadiums that are up to the task," said Parry.

"To have a stadium with no counting systems and no turnstiles in this day and age is simply unforgivable for any standard of game, let alone a major final.

"We produced a report for Uefa the week before predicting, sadly, all of the things that actually did go wrong.

"We told Uefa our intelligence suggested there were 5,000 forged tickets in existence.

"They knew and we knew that thousands would travel without tickets and stressed the need for a proper check at the outer cordon.

"We don't condone the behaviour of Liverpool fans who charged gates, who stole tickets or knowingly had forgeries but, at the same time, we are hugely concerned that many innocent fans with valid tickets did not get in.

"There was real breakdown in procedures by any analysis and the checks at the outer cordon clearly didn't work.

"Short of having 40,000 tickets you are always going to have disappointed people.

"But 17,000 was nowhere near enough. We have seen the numbers in Dortmund for the Uefa Cup final in 2001 and Istanbul for the Champions League final two years ago and it was clear there was going to be the same or even a greater demand in Athens."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ol/6696155.stm

[TheStig]

But I would say Rafa's put an awful lot of pressure on himself with his latest outburst. He's made the Yanks look bad publicly and if they turn around and hand over all the cash and in the time frame Rafa wants and we don't challenge for the premiership next season then he may find himself in trouble.

No excuses now for Rafa, if he gets his top targets.

[RedProf]

and Rafa is absolutely bang on. He has had to wait for a long time for some of the signings he wanted most, and missed out on many others. he is frustrated and this is an opportunity for him to exert pressure. Fair play to him. he is ambitious and feels a little let down no doubt. Time to show him the money. Then its on his head, but we already know he can do well with good players.
I think this is very positive. We have a ballsy manager who is not prepared to put up with bull****.

The frustration has probably boiled over when he knew we should be beating Milan - there for the taking really. Yet the same old failings let us down - unclinical finishing when we had chances and being punished for the odd lapse at the back. Cost us another trophy - so he sure as hell doesnt want to miss out on another chance to rectify this hence his outburst imo.

[ARIMAN]

No excuses now for Rafa, if he gets his top targets.

We`ve had three EPL seasons so far. One good one, one average one, and one terrible one. Ged had five years, I dont know if we are going the EPL, with this team, and these tactics, in two years. Europe - yes we are brillant, one of the top, top teams.

I dont go regularly to the games, I hence I dont know what the grassroot feeling of local fans is - but I imagine another average start to next season will start the sounds of discontent

[Tom]

you're not going to win anything signficant long term if you chop and change, and by that I mean the premiership. Chelkski did it by spunking half a billion quid. the other 2 winners have managers who have been in the club for over 20 years. Sacking rafa won't get you anywhere.

[Tom]

By the way seen reports today that manure are talking t Eto this week.

[Jayesh87]

By the way seen reports today that manure are talking t Eto this week.

those reports said 25mil to sign him

[kemm1]

I have to admit, I can't see Parry keeping hold of his job for much longer.

Why shoud he? I have absolutely no inside info but I have been consistent in my assumptions that Parry and the Board are rubbish and have been that way for years. Rafa's comments just re-affirms my assumptions.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

I don't think we should start panicking after these quotes from Rafa.

We've known of these problems for a while, but with the new owners now in charge Rafa can now flex his muscles within the club and put pressure on people who need a kick up the arse, ie. Parry.

G+T are going to make changes, just guessing here but you get the feeling that Rafa wants to undercut Parry and gain more control.

He's already seen off Steve Heighway remember. I think this is just the next step towards him gaining complete autonmy over the footballing operations.

The recent outburst fits: "we've missed out on targets in previous summers and have been slow to resign important players" basically reads as "Our board is slow and incompetent and is holding us back."

Rafa is going nowhere. He's put in too much groundwork to walk away now.

[einar]

Is it not very likely that they never meant to match Man U in the transfer market until after the new stadium is built witch means it is the same old same old for the next 3 summers.
And that simply means Rafa wont stay.