Cowboy-boot messiahs show their hand

[AFII]

Why hasn't he sacked him then?

Hicks probably wanted to be seen as the strong man so he let it be known that Rafa would be sacked and hoped that Rafa would resign so Benitez would take most of the blame.

Rafa allegedly offered his resignation but by then he had already used the media to get the fans behind him.

No way that Hicks could sack Rafa after that without looking like an idiot.

[Sir Bob]

Why hasn't he sacked him then?

I think they want Rafa until the end of the season and then get shut. Rafa may well have got wind of that and called their bluff. H&G won't want too much disruption as they want to ensure CL qualification for next season.

I just fail to see how people say this all a media conspiracy when its obvious there are major differences. H&G are nobodies fool. They will be all too aware of how the t/fer window works over here. FFS it would take Parry 2 minutes to tell them we need to plan t'fers well in advance not on Dec 16th. They wouldn't let Rafa conclude 2 Bosmans for next summer. Why?

[kurtangle01]

Do you reckon Guillem got paid to appear on that webcast?

Do you think they'd have had him on if he didn't have something new to say about the Benitez situation?

See how easy it is to make assumptions and accusations without any foundation?

I've found that, despite being very articulate and having the ability to make his stories sound like 100% accurate inside info, Balague gets very little right.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

But to be totally honest with you all, I thought it was a good thing Hicks told Rafa to worry about training and coaching his team because we hadn't played great for a while, especially disappointing was drawing a game we were winning against Arsenal, then failing to beat Blackburn after it Man U and Arse had handed us a chance of closing the gap on the leaders.

Careful now mate. The "RCDNW, if they sack him we're just another club doom mongers, we can't trust these yanks *******s" brigade will have you strung up for that.

[REDSCOUSER]

Hope you're right mate.

I think part of the problem is the differences between the 2 cultures. Lets face it we don't understand them and I'm pretty sure they don't understand how we think and operate this side of the pond.

Rafa is a key asset, and they must realise that replacing him will cause uproar but i'm not convinced that will be enough to keep him if they want shut. I do think though that results on the pitch will be key. If we have a great season, it will be almost impossible for Rafa to be sacked. However, if we fade away in the league it will make it all the easier for H&G if they do want to change the manager.

I think from the fans point of view we trusted Moores and those that went before him at LFC's helm. We didn't always agree with everything they said and done but deep down you felt they had the clubs best interests at heart.

I don't feel that why with H&G. Never have and nothing they've done thus far has filled me any confidence. Part of that may well be down to our cultural differences but there's something about H&G and H in particular that I just don't trust. If he told me it was Thursday, i'd check the paper to make sure.

You have always said you did not like them so fair do's. They have to earn our trust for sure. On the other hand, they have done well to get the new stadium a reality, a new state of the art stadium any other big club will look at with envy. They have secured all our major players on long term contracts and gave RAFA a bit to sign the likes of Torres, Babel & Benayoun(although we sold to generate a bit of dosh).
Bottom line is they still have not earned the trust of Kopites 100% and the media aint helping them or Rafa either.

Brilliant post Redscouser - I've always found this crisis ‘media generated’.
All G&H said was "Nothing has changed, they'll still chat to Rafa on the 16th"
That to me does not say we will be sacking him if he fails to deliver in the next 5 matches! It's saying, they've said what they wanted, and it's unnecessary for them to continue having spats through the media. Rafa had come back with another response after the Newcastle game... now if they'd responded the way Rafa did then it would start to become a problem of using the media for little spats.

Looking at Rafas interview after the match there was something of an embarrassment and awkwardness about him with his body language when he spoke about the support etc. This had me wondering if he thought his time was up and that the media were right... or maybe he was just so emotional and overwhelmed.

But now today he's ready to talk to G&H. Coincidentally, Fosters back in town
(as he was there last night), maybe he said something to Rafa or Rafa couldn't wait to get hold of him after the game or first thing in the morn... He's could have been given some encouragement from one of the owners (probably not both) to try and get them to arrive before the middle of December for transfer talks.

But to be totally honest with you all, I thought it was a good thing Hicks told Rafa to worry about training and coaching his team because we hadn't played great for a while, especially disappointing was drawing a game we were winning against Arsenal, then failing to beat Blackburn after it Man U and Arse had handed us a chance of closing the gap on the leaders. He probably knew after the international break we had some tough games coming up that go right on till the 16th December. And believe it or not we have seen a difference with the teams we've put out since the internationals.

PEOPLE, WE'RE SCORING GOALS AND WINNING BY COMFORTABLE MARGINS AND ROTATION IS STARTING TO PAY OFF TACTICALLY.

Cheers mate, good post yerself. Interesting bit of news about Foster being there yesterday, is that some sort of a insider info ?
To me Rafa looked a bit more relaxed yesterday in his post match interview with Sky so something must have happened before the game.
At the end of the day as you said we are doing well long may it continue.

[REDSCOUSER]

The "RCDNW, " brigade will have you strung up for that.

wots a "RCDNW" ?

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

I think they want Rafa until the end of the season and then get shut. Rafa may well have got wind of that and called their bluff. H&G won't want too much disruption as they want to ensure CL qualification for next season.

I just fail to see how people say this all a media conspiracy when its obvious there are major differences. H&G are nobodies fool. They will be all too aware of how the t/fer window works over here. FFS it would take Parry 2 minutes to tell them we need to plan t'fers well in advance not on Dec 16th. They wouldn't let Rafa conclude 2 Bosmans for next summer. Why?

Hold on, so they aren't sacking him then?

In your opinion of course.

Going by the rhetric of the stories (re. ****ing nonsense) last week, it was a major falling out and they were going to sack him within hours. Then another day passed. Then they said they'd sack him if we lost to Newcastle, we beat Newcastle. Then they said that they'll sack him if we lose to Porto. Now he's not getting sacked at all.

In other words a complete media frenzy ****efest, bet they made some ****ing coin out of it, didn't they?

[FatTony]

wots a "RCDNW" ?

Its a bit like the RDCNW group

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

wots a "RCDNW" ?

I'll humour you, though you are on a wind-up aren't you?

Rafa Can Do No Wrong.

[Sir Bob]

Careful now mate. The "RCDNW, if they sack him we're just another club doom mongers, we can't trust these yanks *******s" brigade will have you strung up for that.

I'm not a member of the RCDNW brigade but I do want him as our manager because he has shown himself to be a top notch manager.

As for the yankie *******s, too fcuking right I don't trust them. Trust has to be earnt and H&G haven't done that at all. To top it Hicks is a big mate of Bush. I wouldn't trust anyone who even voted for Bush never mind is a big mate of his.

If we sack Rafa we will be just another club because the next manager will get the same treatment sooner rather than later. We'll be like Inter & Madrid, changing managers every 5 minutes because we don't instantly win the league.

[AFII]

I doubt that Gillett or Hicks know the difference between sacking a very popular football manager and sacking a coach for a MLB/NHL/NBA/NFL team.

In the US it's a part of the business and a team can change coach two, three times a season.

I think that is the problem.

More short term thinking in the US.

[thekop]

I have absolutly no doubt that Rafa is the right man for the job here, we will win many league titles with him. That is, if Hicks does not get a rush of blood to the head.

Quite correct sir

Their's only a handfull of Coaches out there that could do the job we need doing, and Rafa IS one of them, ffs, the man inherited a team of mostly dead beats and still managed to turn them into bloody hero's(remember Instanbul) so, slowly but surely he's got/getting the Squad he needs to take us that one step to mightyness, and with one or two more quality signings to the squad, we'll see us back up their at the summit of where we brlong, and that, is where i beleive Rafa can take us

So G and H take great note, the Club need Rafa, the Fans Want Rafa and a host of top Clubs would want Rafa but, as it stands, WE'VE got Rafa so, pleeeeeeeeeeeease don't let him slip away

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

I'm not a member of the RCDNW brigade but I do want him as our manager because he has shown himself to be a top notch manager.

As for the yankie *******s, too fcuking right I don't trust them. Trust has to be earnt and H&G haven't done that at all. To top it Hicks is a big mate of Bush. I wouldn't trust anyone who even voted for Bush never mind is a big mate of his.

If we sack Rafa we will be just another club because the next manager will get the same treatment sooner rather than later. We'll be like Inter & Madrid, changing managers every 5 minutes because we don't instantly win the league.

My point being they haven't done anything yet to make me dis-trust them.

Lets look at it objectively, they've bought the club, they aren't going to intentionally hurt their own asset, are they?

It just seems to me that this minor disagreement of club policy, played out in public, has given people the opportunity to simply have a moan about something.

Lets be honest here, when it comes to our club, the harder the line we take, the more commited we are made to look as fans. I'd like to think that isn't the case but I think it largely is.

[REDSCOUSER]

I'll humour you, though you are on a wind-up aren't you?

Rafa Can Do No Wrong.

actually i didnt know what it meant h:
Rafa is a human being of course he can do wrong its just that people scrutinise him cos hes a footy manager.

[AFII]

If you look at the set up of the club now then G&H have now made the same set up at LFC as they have in the NHL for example, if you believe that Parry is now doing the buying and selling bit.

Owner - General Manager - Coach. The GM is doing all the buying and selling of players.

The same set up as Spurs for example.

G&H must change that and remove the GM, in this case Parry, or it will never work.