Mourinho 'keen on Benitez's job'

[Mumsafan]

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.

The Liverpool Way isn't winning us anything though is it? Sad, but true.

[Frank Leroux]

Lets see where we are in may. Then we can judge how rafa`s squad, rotation and tactics have fared over the FULL SEASON.

Then we can properly discuss what rafa may/may not need to change for next season.

We may win it yet and a lot of people will have some humble pie to eat. On the other hand we may finish 6th and then we can sit back and admire the great mans work in dismantling the squad and giving us a new one.

Either way, in my mind, we will win the league with Rafa, many of them. Its just a matter of when. This is a forward thinking manager, we are not standing still like we did in the past.

I will very happily eat that pie if we win number 19. I'll try to be the first on here celebrating Benitez.

The forum doesn't wait for season's to end, though. If one see's a problem now it's good to discuss it now. If you see something good, scream it from the roof tops straight away aswell

[Johnny]

Bender

Tart.

[Johnny]

Brendoom

[Dhav]

The Liverpool Way isn't winning us anything though is it? Sad, but true.

You're right, it isn't at present. But are the club's principles worth sacrificing to such an extent? Mourinho would be a big departure from what we've become accustomed to and would represent a massive u-turn. If Balague is to believed, he was no longer being considered as a replacement for Houllier after his touchline antics at Old Trafford. They were seen as very un-Liverpool like, and yet that's probably the most harmless of all his antics in his time in England.

Anyway, what I've been meandering about and am trying to say is, does Mourinho represent a strong enough guarantee of success that's it's worth sacrificing our principles for? And are our principles and reputation too high a price to pay for that success?

[Johnny]

You're right, it isn't at present. But are the club's principles worth sacrificing to such an extent? Mourinho would be a big departure from what we've become accustomed to and would represent a massive u-turn. If Balague is to believed, he was no longer being considered as a replacement for Houllier after his touchline antics at Old Trafford. They were seen as very un-Liverpool like, and yet that's probably the most harmless of all his antics in his time in England.

Anyway, what I've been meandering about and am trying to say is, does Mourinho represent a strong enough guarantee of success that's it's worth sacrificing our principles for? And are our principles and reputation too high a price to pay for that success?

Rafa was as sucessful as Jose until they both came to England and Jose spent 3 times as much as Rafa.Actually Rafa had a harder job in Spain.

[Snigger]

I think it behoves me to drop in here and generally support DJS and to some extent Sir Bob as it coincides with the number one fundamental problem I have with Benitez and why I don't think he will win us the title we strive for.

His success in Spain and Europe (undoubted and rightly lauded) I feel has very little bearing on whether he will succeed in England. As Sir Bob suggests above, the general standard of teams and play are higher in Spain than the PL, and as such tactical awareness becomes a greater factor. For Spain, I guess it's even a higher requisite for European Cup football. This is/was Benitez's training, this is what he has shown he knows well.

What Arsenal, Utd, Blackburn and Chelsea (first title) have shown through the duration of the PL is that 'tactics' play a tiny - if any - part in the English game. Skill, allied with high tempo will generally overcome 16 of the 20 Premier League teams. Circumspection is required for the bigger games, maybe even a tactical approach. Tactics don't have to come into play because, imo, possession is not a fundamental part of the English game. You can play high tempo as you know the ball you lose will soon enough be coming back to you. You steam-roller 'lesser' teams.

Benitez is, imo, still using his European/Spainish scalpel in a league which really only needs a mallet. Hence, he will make carefully thought out, considered, logical decisions for certain games which have, up to now, tripped him up in his quest to get us the domestic title.

I do think it is down to his mentality - which has been hugely successful for him and why would he change it?

Tactics do not play a tiny part any league, and tactics are not just about possession but about everything a player and a team do on the pitch from selection, to formation to how the manager wants them to play to everything the players do for 90 minutes - in fact without tactics you may as well not turn up for the match.

[Snigger]

You are joking Archie, Germany under Klinsman were dire, until the actual tournament when they got a run of luck - playing in front of home crowds. Even then they were'nt exactly Brazil.

No club management experience whatsover. Would be a disaster, I'm completely unconvince by him.

go Juergy - woooo

[Dhav]

Rafa was as sucessful as Jose until they both came to England and Jose spent 3 times as much as Rafa.Actually Rafa had a harder job in Spain.

Absolutely. You certainly can't compare Mourinho's title wins in portugal to Rafa's in Spain. Winning the title twice, with Valencia to boot who hadn't won it in 31 years, is much greater achievement. And then if you're talking about Mourinho's European success, well Rafa won the UEFA Cup and CL as well, withou diving and cheating his way to it, and he beat teams of note to do it (Juve, Chelsea, Milan), not Lyon, Deportivo and Monaco as Porto did in the last 3 rounds to do it. Then Mourinho wins the Premiership twice, after starting off with the second best team in England and spending £89m to improve it. Well with that kind of money, and that kind of base, he should have won it all 3 years. And he's failed in Europe too. I guess he's found it tougher beating Barca and Liverpool in the European Cup than Monaco and Deportivo.

Looking at Mourinho's record I'm not convinced it is necessarily indicative that he'll win us the league and this is what I've been arguing with Chilli over the last few days about.

[CAD]

If we do have to replace Rafa at some point I want a manager who gets us playing with some flair not Mourinho who would bore the ****e out of everyone the way he did at Chelsea and actually what Klinnsman did with a one paced laborious Germany side is the sort of transformation I'd be interested in.

Agree completely, A. IF Rafa is DMW then I would be interested in Klinsmann as well. Young and dynamic and not afraid to take chances.

[CAD]

A banned former member used to refer to Peter Crouch in disparaging terms as “L u r c h” or “L u r c h i o”. Still does in fact - elsewhere, mind. Anyway, a filter was put in place to stop him doing it. Perhaps it's time it was removed.

That's Ace!

[Johnny]

Agree completely, A. IF Rafa is DMW then I would be interested in Klinsmann as well. Young and dynamic and not afraid to take chances.

As you know I lived in Germany.


All the Germans I knew hated Klinsman.They thought he was a terrible manager.

[Dan]

lurch


EDIT: That's true

lurch lurch lurch lurch lurch

[CAD]

As you know I lived in Germany.


All the Germans I knew hated Klinsman.They thought he was a terrible manager.

The Germans hated him.

I feel even more confident now.

[Snigger]

As you know I lived in Germany.


All the Germans I knew hated Klinsman.They thought he was a terrible manager.

If the Germans hate Klinsmann then he has to be OK.