Rafa is dicing with death (Sunday world)
By Roy Curtis:
It hardly requires a spirit level to measure the voilent tilt of public opinion towards Rafa Benitez in the ugly civil war that has wrecked Anfields equilibrium.
That the gradient over support across Merseyside is sloped steeply in his favour might flatter his ego,but Benitez has only to recall the fate of Jose Mourinho to understand that,in the big business world of the EPL,popularity is no match for power.
Worse,the boardroom can often view a manager who is revered on the terraces with more suspicion then a coach who is in capable of devising a credibale game plan.
To para-phrase a former White house incumbent: "It's all about the ego,stupid!"
That is why Benitez-despite the impressive quartet of results on which he surfs into today's meeting with Bolton-remains in very deep trouble.
There is a school of thought that says Mourinho's acrimonious departure from Stamford bridge had little to do woth a slip in performance or conservative tactics,but was because he, and not Roman Abramovich,was the man at whose feet the fans swooned.
More than a 3rd premiereship title,more than CL league glory,more than fantasy football,Abramovich craved affection.
And every time the smitten Chelsea support sang "stand up for the special one",the Russian looked on witht the wounded countenance of a cuckolded husband.
It was too much to bear that money-in his case truckload after turuckload of freshly-minted roubles-could not buy him love,that no matter how hespent he could not usurp Mourinho as the cblinding flash of light at the centre of Stamford bridge's universe.
So,in a jealous rage (and ignoring the anguished pleas from the blkeachers) he eliminated his rival.
Judging by his dramatic backtrack over the las 72 hours,it appears Benitez has realised-maybe just in the nick of time-that no empire can have more then one Caesar.
Well,actaully ,Liverpool has two. The American Siamese twins of their boardroom,George Gillet and Tom Hicks.
Whether Benitez likes or loathes it,whether the Kop approve,the fact is that these men own Liverpool,they control Liverpool and they can do as they see fit with Liverpool.
There was an admirable-if astonishingly naive-banner at Anfield on Wednesday which claimed the Americans were merely caretakers and that Liverpool belonged to that fans.
It was an innocent message of defiance from another time,when ownershipof a football club did indeed rest in the commuinity.Whenthe workers emerged from the colliery on a Saturday to go and cheer their neighbours who wore the club colours.
It's core power to the people proclomation was also utter nonsense.
In todays global economy,the reality is that Premiere league clubs are commercial play things of far-flung billionaires-egotistical Russian oil-garchs,shady Asian politicians,brash American entrepeneurs and hard headed Irish consortiums.
Benitez and Mourinho have very differnet personalities.
But what joins them at the hip is their need for control.
And the fact that he ahs not been given complete freedom,that he has not been entrusted with an open cheque book,that he might actually have to be accountable for a summer spending spree which has yeilded little in the way of progress,was too much for Rafa.
When Gillet and Hicks,not unreasonably,made it clear that they were not going to coughup €60m (as they did in the summer) each time Benitez clicked his fingers,the manager responded like a six year old who is refused access to the sweet counter.
But the owners held firm and Benitez realised they had called his bluff.
Thus he backtracked like a beaten army,retreating from his earlier bluster and the dangerous game he played when he said he might be interested in managing England.
Now Rafa tells us he wasn't challenging the owners,that it was not about his ego,that he only wants what's best for Liverpool,that he has enormous respect for his bosses and that there was a misunderstanding caused by his poor English.
Translated,that means he is running scared,relaising that he could very soon be the next Mourinho.
To an outsider it may seem curious that Benitez is so lionised on Merseyside. Yes,his CL record-one victory and one final in 3 seasons-verges on the astonishing,but elsewhere his reign is riddled with question marks.
Since his arrival,Liverpool have been no more then a distant also-ran inthe Premiereship race,a team of A-list credentials and B-list perfomances.
Although they are unbeaten this season (and recent impressive displays against Newcastle,Porto and Besiktas have restored momentum)they have often been unconvincing in the league.
They have won only 2 of their 6 home games (Arsenal are 7 from 8 at the Emirates,Manchester United are 6 from 7 at Old Trafford) and their lack of imagination and flair in the games against Birmingham and Blackburn was shocking.
Worse,in the game against Arsenal their clueless,route-one tactics were in stark contrast to the gorgeous patterns spun by Arsene Wenger's artists.
If Liverpool's style is functional rather than fanciful,then Benitez's stubborn obsession with rotation must be seen as a significant contributor to their lack of fluency and the stop-start manner in which they chug along.
'Resting ' the electrifying Fernando Torres for the Birmingham match (0-0 was the inevitable conclusion) was just one occasion on which his refusal to play his best players backfired.
And what of his illogical suspicion of Peter Crouch,a consistent match winner who terrorises defenders yet is shunned like a Biblical leper.
All that would be plenty to leave Benitez vunerable and his reputation bruised,without even mentioning that the CL meltdown is a terrifying possibility.
His pubic may adore him,but failure in Marseille (Liverpool almost certainly need to win to avoid a multi million Euro knockout punch) may cause the American owners to revisit their manager's extraordinarily ill-advised outburst.
And only then might Benitez come to understand that,while winning popularity contests may impress Ant and Dec,it is likely to leave ruthless businessmen and balance sheet slaves like Gillet and Hicks utterly unmoved.
Rafa is playing a very dangerous game.
For as long as he continues to point the gun at his head while threatening to squeeze the trigger,he can not hold out much hope for a happy ending.
****!!!! :whatever:
It hardly requires a spirit level to measure the voilent tilt of public opinion towards Rafa Benitez in the ugly civil war that has wrecked Anfields equilibrium.
That the gradient over support across Merseyside is sloped steeply in his favour might flatter his ego,but Benitez has only to recall the fate of Jose Mourinho to understand that,in the big business world of the EPL,popularity is no match for power.
Worse,the boardroom can often view a manager who is revered on the terraces with more suspicion then a coach who is in capable of devising a credibale game plan.
To para-phrase a former White house incumbent: "It's all about the ego,stupid!"
That is why Benitez-despite the impressive quartet of results on which he surfs into today's meeting with Bolton-remains in very deep trouble.
There is a school of thought that says Mourinho's acrimonious departure from Stamford bridge had little to do woth a slip in performance or conservative tactics,but was because he, and not Roman Abramovich,was the man at whose feet the fans swooned.
More than a 3rd premiereship title,more than CL league glory,more than fantasy football,Abramovich craved affection.
And every time the smitten Chelsea support sang "stand up for the special one",the Russian looked on witht the wounded countenance of a cuckolded husband.
It was too much to bear that money-in his case truckload after turuckload of freshly-minted roubles-could not buy him love,that no matter how hespent he could not usurp Mourinho as the cblinding flash of light at the centre of Stamford bridge's universe.
So,in a jealous rage (and ignoring the anguished pleas from the blkeachers) he eliminated his rival.
Judging by his dramatic backtrack over the las 72 hours,it appears Benitez has realised-maybe just in the nick of time-that no empire can have more then one Caesar.
Well,actaully ,Liverpool has two. The American Siamese twins of their boardroom,George Gillet and Tom Hicks.
Whether Benitez likes or loathes it,whether the Kop approve,the fact is that these men own Liverpool,they control Liverpool and they can do as they see fit with Liverpool.
There was an admirable-if astonishingly naive-banner at Anfield on Wednesday which claimed the Americans were merely caretakers and that Liverpool belonged to that fans.
It was an innocent message of defiance from another time,when ownershipof a football club did indeed rest in the commuinity.Whenthe workers emerged from the colliery on a Saturday to go and cheer their neighbours who wore the club colours.
It's core power to the people proclomation was also utter nonsense.
In todays global economy,the reality is that Premiere league clubs are commercial play things of far-flung billionaires-egotistical Russian oil-garchs,shady Asian politicians,brash American entrepeneurs and hard headed Irish consortiums.
Benitez and Mourinho have very differnet personalities.
But what joins them at the hip is their need for control.
And the fact that he ahs not been given complete freedom,that he has not been entrusted with an open cheque book,that he might actually have to be accountable for a summer spending spree which has yeilded little in the way of progress,was too much for Rafa.
When Gillet and Hicks,not unreasonably,made it clear that they were not going to coughup €60m (as they did in the summer) each time Benitez clicked his fingers,the manager responded like a six year old who is refused access to the sweet counter.
But the owners held firm and Benitez realised they had called his bluff.
Thus he backtracked like a beaten army,retreating from his earlier bluster and the dangerous game he played when he said he might be interested in managing England.
Now Rafa tells us he wasn't challenging the owners,that it was not about his ego,that he only wants what's best for Liverpool,that he has enormous respect for his bosses and that there was a misunderstanding caused by his poor English.
Translated,that means he is running scared,relaising that he could very soon be the next Mourinho.
To an outsider it may seem curious that Benitez is so lionised on Merseyside. Yes,his CL record-one victory and one final in 3 seasons-verges on the astonishing,but elsewhere his reign is riddled with question marks.
Since his arrival,Liverpool have been no more then a distant also-ran inthe Premiereship race,a team of A-list credentials and B-list perfomances.
Although they are unbeaten this season (and recent impressive displays against Newcastle,Porto and Besiktas have restored momentum)they have often been unconvincing in the league.
They have won only 2 of their 6 home games (Arsenal are 7 from 8 at the Emirates,Manchester United are 6 from 7 at Old Trafford) and their lack of imagination and flair in the games against Birmingham and Blackburn was shocking.
Worse,in the game against Arsenal their clueless,route-one tactics were in stark contrast to the gorgeous patterns spun by Arsene Wenger's artists.
If Liverpool's style is functional rather than fanciful,then Benitez's stubborn obsession with rotation must be seen as a significant contributor to their lack of fluency and the stop-start manner in which they chug along.
'Resting ' the electrifying Fernando Torres for the Birmingham match (0-0 was the inevitable conclusion) was just one occasion on which his refusal to play his best players backfired.
And what of his illogical suspicion of Peter Crouch,a consistent match winner who terrorises defenders yet is shunned like a Biblical leper.
All that would be plenty to leave Benitez vunerable and his reputation bruised,without even mentioning that the CL meltdown is a terrifying possibility.
His pubic may adore him,but failure in Marseille (Liverpool almost certainly need to win to avoid a multi million Euro knockout punch) may cause the American owners to revisit their manager's extraordinarily ill-advised outburst.
And only then might Benitez come to understand that,while winning popularity contests may impress Ant and Dec,it is likely to leave ruthless businessmen and balance sheet slaves like Gillet and Hicks utterly unmoved.
Rafa is playing a very dangerous game.
For as long as he continues to point the gun at his head while threatening to squeeze the trigger,he can not hold out much hope for a happy ending.
****!!!! :whatever:
Hence the spelling mistakes.
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