Sunday news report thread

[Larakin15]

Guys I don't know if this has been posted here before.. But why not show your support by signing the Online petition to keep Rafa..

Here is the link... Like I as sorry if it's been posted before...

http://www.petitiononline.com/amg83ds/petition.html

Signed petition, which is really all I can do from over here in Oz, but I feel strongly about fans voicing their opinions at Wednesdays match. We really need the Kop to show their backing for Rafa, and give the yanks an idea of how upset we would be if Rafa was sacked. Power to the people!

[Shanks65]

Daily Post this Morning:

Nov 26 2007 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post


RAFAEL BENITEZ’S future will be decided next month amid a growing belief the Spaniard’s tenure at Liverpool is drawing to a close.

The uncertainty that has engulfed Anfield since Thursday showed no signs of abating over the weekend with both the manager and the club’s American owners refusing to budge on their stance over transfer policy.

The two parties remain on collision course after Benitez on Saturday ignored the advice of Tom Hicks and George Gillett and reiterated his criticism over what he perceives as the pair dragging their heels over dealings for the forthcoming January window.

Hicks and Gillett responded yesterday by issuing a second joint statement inside four days stating they plan to address the matter with Benitez when they make their next scheduled visit to Merseyside for the home clash with Manchester United on December 16.

However, the Americans did not go as far as commenting on reports that Benitez will be sacked and failed to offer their unequivocal backing to the Spaniard, fuelling the feeling that they have lost faith in the manager.

Benitez’s position is all the more precarious given his working relationship with chief executive Rick Parry is also presently at a low ebb.

With Liverpool having entered a pivotal four-week period that will shape the remainder of their season, an uneasy peace will persist until Hicks and Gillett cross the Atlantic next month.

Benitez, who would be in line for a substantial pay-off if dismissed, has again insisted he has no intention of quitting the club.

But it now appears increasingly likely that only a total climbdown by the Spaniard will ultimately save him from being removed from a position he has filled since replacing Gerard Houllier in June 2004.

A joint statement from Hicks and Gillett read yesterday: “Despite speculation in today’s newspapers, there is nothing new to say. We had a good win yesterday and have got some very important games coming up starting with Porto on Wednesday, followed by Bolton and Reading, before Marseille and Manchester United in a few weeks.

“Both of us, together with chief executive Rick Parry, plan to meet with Rafa when we come over in mid-December to make decisions on the team’s requirements at that time.”

Benitez’s concerns lie not only in missing out on his transfer targets, but also on being unable to sanction the sale of present members of the squad.

The manager is prepared to let up to three players leave while revealing that there are “two options we have at the moment” for bringing in reinforcements.

It is a case of history repeating itself for Benitez. He left as coach of Extremadura after speaking out about not having sufficient funds to avoid relegation, with the same situation occurring at Tenerife.

Benitez’s most bitter dispute then came at Valencia when he fell out with chief executive Manuel Llorente and sporting director Jesus Garcia Pitarch over transfer targets. The latter left the club, but Benitez in any case resigned to take over at Liverpool.

The Spaniard has already called on the American owners to move swiftly in the transfer market in the aftermath of Liverpool’s Champions League final defeat in Athens in May.

Privately the joint owners took a dim view of the public outburst the morning after the 2-1 defeat to AC Milan, although they supported a summer spending spree in excess of £40million. Liverpool recouped around £20m of that on player sales.

Of Hicks and Gillett, Benitez said on Saturday: “They don’t understand what the transfer window means in Europe. They need to understand how difficult it is to sign a player and, when the possibility comes, you must do it or you will lose him.

“It is like when a new player comes in, they need to settle in and understand what happens.

“Mr Hicks wants the best for the club and we want the best for the club. We know what it means to sign players right now. I wasn’t asking about spending money – I was asking about free players.

“Hicks wants the best for the club – me too. I’ve been here three years and I know football in Europe and the passion for the club.

“We need to talk to agents and sign players now. If we don’t we will lose targets and need to do something in the summer which would be far more expensive. Hopefully it will be resolved because we want the best for the club.

“That means to sign players like (Andriy) Voronin, or to sign players like the two options we have at this moment.”

Benitez traced the present impasse back to his most recent meeting with the American owners last month, and added: “It was really, really positive, but after this meeting it was a surprise to me that something changed. I tried to explain my ideas and they told me to keep focusing on the team because Rick Parry is in charge of buying and selling players, so okay, we will see.

“I’m sure Mr Hicks knows what I want. I have a very good squad and want to improve the squad. I didn’t talk about money – I was thinking about bringing money back in, we have brought £26million back this year.

“I don’t think the situation is serious but we do need to get it sorted soon.”

With heightened tension in the corridors of power at Anfield, Benitez made a pointed remark about the club’s fans by saying: “I am focusing on training and winning games for my supporters.”

Certainly, the prospect of Benitez being dismissed from his position has been met with an outcry from the majority of Liverpool supporters over the weekend.

Having lifted the European Cup in 2005, the FA Cup 12 months later and reached another Champions League final in May, the Spaniard has become a massively popular figure with the club’s followers.

Benitez’s name was chanted during the 3-0 victory at Newcastle United on Saturday, and a huge protest in support of the manager is being planned by fans at Wednesday’s Champions League game against Porto at Anfield.

[AFII]

Good stuff mate.

We'll be set back a few years if G&H sack Rafa.

I hope to God this is all a storm in a tea cup and things will be ironed out asap.

It won't be ironed out if something strange doesn't happen. It's to many people with connections to LFC that are saying the same thing.

Bascombe, Maddock and Balague. If one of them had come out with some bull**** then you could say that's crap but not when everyone of them say the same thing.

Rafa will be sacked by some idiotic owners who think that spending £20m net is enough to make us clear cut favourites to win the league and anything else than a league title is unacceptable.

If they had spent £75m-£100m net, then they could have had a point but not when they spent £20m net, that's a total disgrace.

[Harv]

Signed petition, which is really all I can do from over here in Oz, but I feel strongly about fans voicing their opinions at Wednesdays match. We really need the Kop to show their backing for Rafa, and give the yanks an idea of how upset we would be if Rafa was sacked. Power to the people!

definately

When i get up early on Thursday morning (Oz time) to watch the game i better hear the loudest rendition of YNWA ive heard for some time. I also better hear the Rafa Rafa Benitez La Bamba resonating around the whole stadium.

These ****ing Yanks better not even think about sacking Rafa, and the fans on Wednesday night better make that well clear to them.

[kopdan]

I think we'll see him walk today.

Question is.....who would come in now...Jose?

Whoever comes in...should he go, I think we'll lose a few players too.

[Morten_nogamst_Pedersen]

Benítez living on borrowed time after riling owners again


Andy Hunter
Monday November 26, 2007
The Guardian

Rafa Benitez
Rafael Benítez could pocket £6m if he is asked to leave Liverpool. Photograph: Scott Heppell / AP


Rafael Benítez openly defied Liverpool's American owners at Newcastle on Saturday, having discovered they no longer share his confidence that he can deliver the Premier League title.

The Liverpool manager, who won two Spanish titles and the Uefa Cup with Valencia and has lifted the FA and European Cups in England, is on borrowed time at Anfield having reacted furiously to doubts by Tom Hicks and George Gillett that he is the man to end the club's 18-year run without the league title next May.

Article continues
At St James' Park, Benítez ignored Hicks' orders to cease talking about transfer policy in public. "They don't understand the transfer window in Europe," he said after their 3-0 victory. In doing so, he exacerbated the divisions and continued agitating for a P45 that, should it arrive within his current contract, would do so with a £6m pay-off.

Benítez, whose side remain unbeaten in the Premier League and who retains the backing of Liverpool's supporters, opted to continue on the offensive against the Americans following their refusal to back his January transfer plans and the £17m permanent signing of Javier Mascherano. Hicks and Gillett have made it clear they expect more from last summer's recruits but it is their suspicion over Benítez's ability to wrest the title from Manchester United that ignited the Spaniard's ire. The manager now believes he has nothing to lose by confronting the tycoons in public and is prepared to make life as difficult for them as possible during what remains of his time at the club.

Liverpool's co-chairmen issued their second statement in four days last night when they dismissed reports that a decision had already been taken to sack Benítez and approach Jose Mourinho to be his successor. But they stopped short of giving the Spaniard unequivocal support and are prepared to leave him stewing until they next visit for the Manchester United home game on December 16.

"Despite speculation in today's newspapers, there is nothing new to say," it read. "We had a good win yesterday and have got some very important games coming up starting with Porto on Wednesday, followed by Bolton and Reading, before Marseille and Manchester United in a few weeks. Both of us, together with the chief executive Rick Parry, plan to meet with Rafa when we come over mid-December to make decisions on the team's requirements at that time."

The warring factions last met following the home draw with Arsenal on October 28 when, following extensive talks on the club's transfer strategy for January and the proposed £400m stadium on Stanley Park, their working relationship was repaired to harmonious levels. It had been strained since May, when Benítez first attacked spending policy in the wake of the European Cup final defeat by Milan and when he was in a far more powerful position with the fledgling owners than he is now.

"After that meeting, something changed," added Benítez at St James'. "They said to me, 'Rafa, concentrate on coaching and training the team because Rick Parry will be in charge of buying and selling players.' So now I will wait and maybe we will lose some targets."

The relationship has deteriorated with astonishing speed in the past week and Benítez's future may well be decided before he meets Gillett and Hicks in 20 days' time. Their fate in the Champions League will be decided by December 11 - they play in Marseille on that date and entertain Porto on Wednesday in must-win fixtures - and the Americans will not release substantial funds if they are out.

Liverpool supporters, meanwhile, are considering staging a protest against the co-chairmen during the Porto game.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2217105,00.html

[AFII]

If they sack Rafa then it will probably be a few thousand empty seats the next few home games IMO.

Our supporters showed at the end of the 2004 season what they are prepared to do.

[Shanks65]

It won't be ironed out if something strange doesn't happen. It's to many people with connections to LFC that are saying the same thing.

Bascombe, Maddock and Balague. If one of them had come out with some bull**** then you could say that's crap but not when everyone of them say the same thing.

Rafa will be sacked by some idiotic owners who think that spending £20m net is enough to make us clear cut favourites to win the league and anything else than a league title is unacceptable.

If they had spent £75m-£100m net, then they could have had a point but not when they spent £20m net, that's a total disgrace.

Yeah I agree it looks pretty bleak.

Just got to hope that the different parties can see sense and come to some sort of resolution.

[ningnangnong]

definately

When i get up early on Thursday morning (Oz time) to watch the game i better hear the loudest rendition of YNWA ive heard for some time. I also better hear the Rafa Rafa Benitez La Bamba resonating around the whole stadium.

These ****ing Yanks better not even think about sacking Rafa, and the fans on Wednesday night better make that well clear to them.

****ing spot on mate.

[AFII]

I think we'll see him walk today.

Question is.....who would come in now...Jose?

Whoever comes in...should he go, I think we'll lose a few players too.

Probably Jol. It looks like at least Hicks want a yes man in charge, Jol is a yes man, Mourinho isn't.

[Maestro]

Really?!?

A hunch, or info?

Something you may have heard?

Or just an opinion?

Just my opinion.

No way mate, it wont make sense for Rafa or Liverpool, who he gonna go to?

I agree it doesn't make sense ... but many things in football don't. I really hope you're right, and that I'm wrong.

[kopdan]

It won't be ironed out if something strange doesn't happen. It's to many people with connections to LFC that are saying the same thing.

Bascombe, Maddock and Balague. If one of them had come out with some bull**** then you could say that's crap but not when everyone of them say the same thing.

Rafa will be sacked by some idiotic owners who think that spending £20m net is enough to make us clear cut favourites to win the league and anything else than a league title is unacceptable.

If they had spent £75m-£100m net, then they could have had a point but not when they spent £20m net, that's a total disgrace.

Yeah I agree it looks pretty bleak.

Just got to hope that the different parties can see sense and come to some sort of resolution.

although to be fair, Hicks and Rafa handed them a story on a plate.

They'd be mad to not back that horse now

[Shanks65]

I think we'll see him walk today.

Question is.....who would come in now...Jose?

Whoever comes in...should he go, I think we'll lose a few players too.

Most articles seem to be saying that Rafa will need to back down in order for this to be sorted out (see Daily Post this morning).

IMO there's no way Rafa will back down. He doesn't seem the type of guy to change his footballing philosophy for anyone. So if the owners dont allow him to chase his transfer targets when he wants to, then he's gonna walk.

[Dalglish]

Whoever comes in...should he go, I think we'll lose a few players too.

That's the worry. Reina, Alonso, Torres etc

[kopdan]

Most articles seem to be saying that Rafa will need to back down in order for this to be sorted out (see Daily Post this morning).

IMO there's no way Rafa will back down. He doesn't seem the type of guy to change his footballing philosophy for anyone. So if the owners dont allow him to chase his transfer targets when he wants to, then he's gonna walk.

aye

will be funny watching Jose running up and down the pitch in a red tracksuit