Mourinho 'keen on Benitez's job'

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

So why are we so far off the pace then?

Because our manager doesn't value or respect the league as he should.

Bollocks thread BTW.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

By the way I think it's time to circle the wagons. Rafa needs our support from wherever it may be. His job is on the line. I don't agree with some of his tactics or his purchases but now is not the time for it. The press are in the process of hounding him out and if there is one thing I hate more than any other it's the press. So I think its time to draw a line under any anti Rafa stuff.

If the press hound him out - and they won't - then what does that say about us as a club?

In reality Rafa will be given the rest of the season. The bottom line is that he'll be judged on results. If he gets us to finish 3rd or 4th and wins a cup then he'll be here next season, if he doesn't, he won't.

And to be honest you can't argue with that.

[Neil Young]

By the way I think it's time to circle the wagons. Rafa needs our support from wherever it may be. His job is on the line. I don't agree with some of his tactics or his purchases but now is not the time for it. The press are in the process of hounding him out and if there is one thing I hate more than any other it's the press. So I think its time to draw a line under any anti Rafa stuff.

Well said.

[paulcooper4]

By the way I think it's time to circle the wagons. Rafa needs our support from wherever it may be. His job is on the line. I don't agree with some of his tactics or his purchases but now is not the time for it. The press are in the process of hounding him out and if there is one thing I hate more than any other it's the press. So I think its time to draw a line under any anti Rafa stuff.

[Neil Young]

If the press hound him out - and they won't - then what does that say about us as a club?

In reality Rafa will be given the rest of the season. The bottom line is that he'll be judged on results. If he gets us to finish 3rd or 4th and wins a cup then he'll be here next season, if he doesn't, he won't.

And to be honest you can't argue with that.

I would argue with that as I think those demands are too high given progress elsewhere. I agree 3rd or 4th is pretty much unarguable - as for winning a cup as well, obviously that would be good but it's not essential for me.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

I would argue with that as I think those demands are too high given progress elsewhere. I agree 3rd or 4th is pretty much unarguable - as for winning a cup as well, obviously that would be good but it's not essential for me.

Not saying it's essential either from the perspective of the majority of fans - most wanted the league, that's gone, so have already moved on - but I'm talking about the owners here. They'll surely expect us to be in the mix come May for something, and if we're not, considering the team is supposed to be better than last years - 3rd place, European Cup final - then I think his position will rightly be under review.

Now I want him to stay, but instead of asking for more money, and for new players, Rafa's got to look at himself, and analyze his own failings - especially tactical - for this seasons failure in the league. Because he's surely had a good enough team to be closer than we are.

The recent (paraphrasing here): "I can't explain our recent slump" quotes have me greatly concerned.

[AFII]

By the way I think it's time to circle the wagons. Rafa needs our support from wherever it may be. His job is on the line. I don't agree with some of his tactics or his purchases but now is not the time for it. The press are in the process of hounding him out and if there is one thing I hate more than any other it's the press. So I think its time to draw a line under any anti Rafa stuff.

We really don't know who is feeding the press with the info. It could be the pro Rafa camp and it could be the pro G&H camp.

If Rafa thinks that he need our support to have any chance to stay then the latest speculation in the media is just about perfect. He will get even more support from the fans and make it very difficult for G&H to sack him.

Right now almost every fan is behind Rafa and want G&H out and replaced by DIC. That is what the media speculation in all this mess have led to.

Good for Rafa and DIC, bad for G&H.

[Neil Young]

Not saying it's essential either from the perspective of the majority of fans - most wanted the league, that's gone, so have already moved on - but I'm talking about the owners here. They'll surely expect us to be in the mix come May for something, and if we're not, considering the team is supposed to be better than last years - 3rd place, European Cup final - then I think his position will rightly be under review.

Now I want him to stay, but instead of asking for more money, and for new players, Rafa's got to look at himself, and analyze his own failings - especially tactical - for this seasons failure in the league. Because he's surely had a good enough team to be closer than we are.

The recent (paraphrasing here): "I can't explain our recent slump" quotes have me greatly concerned.

Ah, I see what you mean.

I wouldn't be too uneasy if I were you. I mean, it's possible Rafa says one thing but believes another. He's not in a position where admitting his own failings in public is going to help him much I think but that doesn't mean he's completely oblivious to mistakes he's made.

I actually think he's fairly pragmatic in some ways - maybe too much so in that his pragmatism means he tends to chop and change things perhaps too much rather than thinking, this is how we play, let them worry about us. He has certainly been pragmatic about players who aren't cutting it - they don't hang about like they did under his predecessor.

[Tinkerbitch]

And it's his ego that makes me suspicious about what motivates him to want to be our manager. Personally I think he represents all that is wrong with the modern game, and the way he conducts himself is the complete antithesis of the Liverpool Way.

Agree 100% with you Dhavlos. It's all about him, not the team or the future, which is why he can't sustain success for more than 2-3 years. There is nothing new in this article, just a re-hash of speculation.

[Kopite_Colin]

By the way I think it's time to circle the wagons. Rafa needs our support from wherever it may be. His job is on the line. I don't agree with some of his tactics or his purchases but now is not the time for it. The press are in the process of hounding him out and if there is one thing I hate more than any other it's the press. So I think its time to draw a line under any anti Rafa stuff.

Al that's a superb post. I'm one of the bigger Rafa-scpetics on here, but even I agree with that.



RAFA, RAFAEL, RAFA, RAFAEL, RAFA, RAFAEL....RAFAEL BENITEZ!

[alunevans]

We really don't know who is feeding the press with the info. It could be the pro Rafa camp and it could be the pro G&H camp.

If Rafa thinks that he need our support to have any chance to stay then the latest speculation in the media is just about perfect. He will get even more support from the fans and make it very difficult for G&H to sack him.

Right now almost every fan is behind Rafa and want G&H out and replaced by DIC. That is what the media speculation in all this mess have led to.

Good for Rafa and DIC, bad for G&H.

They guys from the press themselves on Sunday Supplement were making it pretty clear that it was Rafa's camp feeding them info.

[Sir Bob]

I think Rafa will be gone by next summer irrespective of what we do on the field.

the Yanks clearly have problems with him. I just think the yanks won't have an employee speaking about them publically the way Rafa did. On top of that they won't see him as indispensible as his record in the league is moderate.

I want him to stay but i'm not hopeful.

On purely footballing grounds mourinho is the obvious man to replace him. I think he's every bit s good a manager as Rafa. Yes he had loads of dosh at Chelsea but his record at Porto was sensational. winning the UEFA & CL in succesive seasons with a Portuguese club is a truely brilliant achievement.

As a man Mourinho often entertained and irratated me. Some of his comments were well OTT but many would be great if he's our manager.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

They guys from the press themselves on Sunday Supplement were making it pretty clear that it was Rafa's camp feeding them info.

They would say that wouldn't they?

[AFII]

They guys from the press themselves on Sunday Supplement were making it pretty clear that it was Rafa's camp feeding them info.

Probably means that Rafa knows that he will be sacked if G&H stays. I can't see any other reason to why Rafa's camp would feed the press.

I think I can remember that DIC said that they would only return if the supporters are behind them. That time is almost here.

[Dhav]

Agree 100% with you Dhavlos. It's all about him, not the team or the future, which is why he can't sustain success for more than 2-3 years. There is nothing new in this article, just a re-hash of speculation.

To be a football manager you need to be selfless, altruistic. Am not convinced he'll be able to put the club first, and the club's needs ahead of his own.

They guys from the press themselves on Sunday Supplement were making it pretty clear that it was Rafa's camp feeding them info.

Interesting. If true I wonder why Rafa is fuelling the speculation, is his job really under threat and he's trying to rally support from the fans, or perhaps it's an exit strategy?