Rafa backs down?

[reddragon]

This is nicked from ynwa. It gave me a much needed laugh about the subject
http://www.jibjab.com/starring_you/receipt/3523415

[calvoboy]

What to read into Mourinho declaring himself interested in the England job tonight?

1. Benitez's offer of a truce has been accepted and Mourinho has been told he's out of the frame at Anfield?
2. A combination of Benitez's offer/apology and the fans reaction has taken the idea of sacking Benitez of the table, so there's no longer a place for Mourinho at Anfield?
3. The fans reaction has meant Mourinho is out of the frame at Anfield, but Rafa's position is unchanged?
4. Mourinho has to say he's interested just because his arch nemesis Rafa said he was?
5. It's totally irrelevant.
6. Mourinho is a cunt.

I'd go for 6, while optimistically hoping that 1 or 2 are also true.

[kurtangle01]

What to read into Mourinho declaring himself interested in the England job tonight?

1. Benitez's offer of a truce has been accepted and Mourinho has been told he's out of the frame at Anfield?
2. A combination of Benitez's offer/apology and the fans reaction has taken the idea of sacking Benitez of the table, so there's no longer a place for Mourinho at Anfield?
3. The fans reaction has meant Mourinho is out of the frame at Anfield, but Rafa's position is unchanged?
4. Mourinho has to say he's interested just because his arch nemesis Rafa said he was?
5. It's totally irrelevant.
6. Mourinho is a cunt.

I'd go for 6, while optimistically hoping that 1 or 2 are also true.

Or Mourinho just wants the England job.

Who gives a **** what that **** Mourinho does anyway? He can **** right off. I don't want Rafa to go but if he does I wouldn't want Mourinho anyhwere near the club.

[calvoboy]

Or Mourinho just wants the England job.

Who gives a **** what that **** Mourinho does anyway? He can **** right off. I don't want Rafa to go but if he does I wouldn't want Mourinho anyhwere near the club.

Damn right

But given the early reports said that he had been lined up as a replacement, with some even going so far as to say he had been offered and had accepted a deal to take over in the summer, anything that suggests that nightmare scenario is even a tiny bit less likely is a positive for me.

[carlton]

Apologies if this is already poster.Couldnt see it anywhere though:

Benítez backs down and says focus is football


· Reds manager takes heat out of row with owners
· Defence a worry for Porto visit after Agger setback

Andy Hunter
Wednesday November 28, 2007
The Guardian

Rafael Benítez did not hold out an olive branch yesterday but the Liverpool manager did make an effort to avoid further argument with the club's owners while appealing for his successes to be recognised.

The Spaniard made a small but significant step towards defusing the tensions that have threatened his Liverpool future when, at a briefing for tonight's Champions League visit of Porto, he insisted on discussing only a contest that has major implications for the club's qualification prospects and his managerial reign.

Article continues
Benítez rejected the opportunity to express regret for infuriating the co-chairmen, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, by bringing their transfer restrictions into the public domain. He did, however, toe the party line following a two-hour meeting with the chief executive, Rick Parry, on Monday evening, and gave a diplomatic performance that indicated he has accepted the demands from the US to keep his frustrations to himself.

"We did have a positive conversation but I prefer to talk about the game," claimed Benítez. Hicks and Gillett were not party to the meeting, and are believed not to have spoken to the manager since he criticised their transfer policy after Saturday's win at Newcastle. However, in a further indication that their working relationship may not be beyond repair, Liverpool's owners are considering holding a meeting with the Spaniard before their scheduled appointment on December 16.

Whether that is in response to Benítez's more tactful approach or the angry response of Liverpool fans to their manager's possible departure is unclear. Thousands of supporters have signed an online petition which has been sent to Hicks and Gillett, and a fans' march to the ground in support of the Spaniard has been organised before tonight's game.

Benítez, fully aware of the support he enjoys from the faithful, will not back down on his view that Liverpool require strengthening in key areas in January, and that belief has been reinforced after the defender Daniel Agger suffered a reaction to a recent metatarsal fracture in training. But his refusal to be drawn into a fresh row with Hicks and Gillett, or even discuss the uncertainty surrounding his position, will have found favour with the Americans.

"As Liverpool Football Club manager I know that the most important things are the supporters and the club, so I will talk only about the Porto game," Benítez began. "I know how important the game is, so I'd prefer to concentrate on that. The supporters like to see good football so we will try to play well and win."

Asked if he regretted taking on Liverpool's co-chairmen in public, Benítez replied: "I'll talk about the game. If I talk about the other things then people will talk about them, and I don't want any distractions - only to concentrate on this game."

Asked if his commitment to Liverpool has wavered in light of recent events, he added: "My commitment with the club is clear. But I don't want to go down that way. Honestly, I think the most important thing is the club, our supporters and the need to win this game."

Though his stock-phrase answers were reminiscent of last Thursday's, "I'm focusing on training and coaching my team", Benítez denied he is under instructions to discuss only Porto and was adamant it was his decision to do so. Yet the Liverpool manager was prepared to address concerns that his squad have not made sufficient progress this season as they approach a game that could decide their European fate - concerns that have been raised in private by Hicks and Gillett.

"In my opinion, the team is showing every game that we are progressing and improving," he elaborated. "In the last games we scored eight against Besiktas, two against Fulham and three against Newcastle while not conceding.

"Everybody can see that we started the season playing well, then we had some problems but now we are playing well again. We have a squad now that is capable of challenging for the Premier League. We have nine more points than last time in the league [at this stage], we are unbeaten and we are in a very good position for the future. That is clear."

[AFII]

Uneasy truce at Anfield
David Maddock 28/11/2007

While his mood was certainly more conciliatory, there was no question of Rafael Benitez backing down yesterday.

He knows he can no longer rattle the cage of his American bosses with well-aimed barbs at their expense, but equally, the Liverpool manager is not about to roll over and have his stomach tickled like an obedient poodle.

There is a pride deep within the Spaniard about what he has achieved at Anfield, and with it a sense of bewilderment and hurt about why his credentials to perform the job have been brought into question.

He knows that he is one defeat away from giving club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett the excuse they need to sack him. Defeat this evening against Porto will almost certainly signal the end of his Anfield reign.


But he knows too that he has built a powerful squad at Liverpool, and he genuinely believes that given the right support, and time to do his job properly, he has a team capable of becoming champions.

Hicks and Gillett have arrived at the conclusion - from a distance of 3,000 miles away - that the Spanish coach is not the man to deliver what they want. But yesterday the man who led Liverpool to two Champions League finals in three years insisted he has delivered what has been asked of him, and will continue to do so.

"I believe I have built a squad here that is capable of challenging for both the Champions League and the Premier League, and I believe we are in a very strong position," he said.

"We are much stronger than when I arrived - look at the value of the players. In my opinion, this team has shown in every game that they are progressing, and they have the qualities required.

"We had problems at the start of the season, but that was natural, and we have emerged from that and it is clear we are much stronger."

Benitez yesterday declined to say any more on the crisis of confidence the owners seem to have developed in recent weeks. Equally, he offered no hint of regret about his outbursts.

Instead, he concentrated on the positive aspects of his reign at Anfield, emphasising just how impressive his side have been this season, and how much potential they possess.

"Ok, we had some setbacks early on, particularly in the Champions League, but we have nine more points in the Premier League than at the same stage last season, we are unbeaten and we are in a strong position," he said.

"What is important is that we have built a squad capable of challenging, and the club as a whole is much stronger now."

After a meeting with chief executive Rick Parry on Monday night, an uneasy truce has been declared. Until, at least, the Americans have their opportunity to wield the axe.

Benitez was at pains yesterday to suggest that for the good of the club on the eve of such a big match - which Liverpool must win to keep their Champions League hopes alive - he could not rock the boat any further. "I prefer to talk about the game because if I say anything else, people might say 'oh, oh, you should talk about the game'."

Instead, it was left to keeper Jose Reina, a staunch supporter of the Spanish manager, to outline the desire to keep Benitez in his job. "We must win against Porto to ensure we can progress, and to make people believe in us as a team," he explained. "And that is the same as saying that we must win tomorrow to make people believe in the job the manager is doing.

"For us, Rafa is doing a brilliant job. He has been really successful, and the investment he has made has been for the progress of the club.

"The players don't really understand what is happening at the moment, but it is clear our commitment to the manager, and to the club, is really deep, and we want to win for those reasons."

Defender Daniel Agger has had a setback and is again ruled out with a foot injury for tonight's game.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footba...9520-20170577/

[Guest]

This article is jumping to conclusions as regards him being sacked if we lose against Porto. There is no concrete fact to back that.

The fact remains that there's a problem and both parties are at loggerheads though.

[Harv]

Liverpool fans ready for mass Benitez rally
Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Rafael Benitez will be greeted with a tidal wave of support from Liverpool fans tonight as he bids to keep the club in the Champions League.

The Liverpool boss has called a halt to his amazing row with club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett over transfer policy ahead of the Group A showdown with Porto.

Benitez, who has launched two public verbal assaults on his bosses, would not be dragged into further acrimony ahead of the Porto game.

But in the battle between the warring factions at the club, Benitez had already said enough to ensure an impressive demonstration of fans' support before and during tonight's match.

A fans' march and non-stop chanting of his name are planned, and Benitez will be more than happy for that image to be carried across the Atlantic.

And Benitez, who has also received support from his players including Steven Gerrard and Jose Reina, does not believe he needs to do much to motivate them tonight.

Liverpool need to win both their final two group games, against Porto and then Marseille, to have any real chance of reaching the last 16.

Ahead of the game Benitez said: 'We know what must be done, we must approach the game with confidence and the right mentality. We are in good form so we must continue to play in that manner.

'You do not need to say too much to the players before such games, all they need to do is get out on the pitch and hear the supporters. That is enough motivation.

'Porto have been one of the top sides in Europe for years, we must be aware of that. And we know Champions League football is always different and something we must be aware of and keep our concentration.'

Benitez has no new injury problems, with Daniel Agger, Xabi Alonso and Jermaine Pennant still long term absentees.

[Shanks65]

This article is jumping to conclusions as regards him being sacked if we lose against Porto. There is no concrete fact to back that.

yeah its a MASSIVE conclusion for maddock to jump to. If we lose tonight, I'd be ****in gobsmacked if they sack Rafa mid season. If they're going to get rid, I'm sure it would be in the summer.