Rafa and players to blame - Gillett

[The Birdman]

I worry for the time when Rafa isn't here, and h&g are.

That is a frightening thought

[Slinky Skills]

The thing is though that I don't see why Gillet felt the need to make these comments. It's pretty unhelpful and self serving. I really wish he would see that there is some value for him personally in just keeping quiet and treating some of the accusations levelled against him and Hicks in a dignified manner and allow the way the team and business perform to speak for them.

Coming out like this just makes him look less classy and more of an egotist and helps no one at the club. It certainly doesn't really help his credibility with any supporters.

It is a fair point what happens on the football side is and should be the responsibility of Rafa and the players. However complaining after a few games is playing into the moronic tabloid obsession with short term results. It was clear that we didn't have the cash in the current market to go out and get a ready made replacement for Alonso without some sort of injury or other concern to reduce the price. Equally it is clearly true that only Real and Bareclona did have the funds to go for those sort of targets. So there is truth in what Gillet says but he is still a **** for saying it in the public domain.

It just goes to show what a sorry state of affairs we've become now. He must have been really hacked off to come out and blame Rafa but I agree that he should have just said nothing.

Things are getting very aggitated within the club and him coming out with this is not going to help Rafa, Rafa's obviously going to be pi**ed off now too, there is just so much negativity round the place it's awful. Even on forums it's bad. Just reading the posts there are clear divides in people's opinions on how the club is being run. Some people aren't happy with Rafa, others aren't happy with the owners.

The media are constantly on the club's back. There is rarely anything positive anymore with LFC. I just hope that we can start winning and get a good positive mood back within the club, the players and the fans.

I'm just not enjoying being an LFC fan at the moment.

[Lecter]

Wonder if, when GG had an impromptu chat with this SOS fella, he knew that his alleged comments would be splashed all over the net within minutes, or did he assume that he was just chatting on an "off-the-record" basis?

Or as usual did he just think he could blag his way out of the questions

Dont get me wrong the performances on the pitch are Rafa's / the players fault but some of the "****" Gillett was purported to have come out with is frankly beyond what even my 4 years old daughter would believe

[Scratch]

Or as usual did he just think he could blag his way out of the questions

Dont get me wrong the performances on the pitch are Rafa's / the players fault but some of the "****" Gillett was purported to have come out with is frankly beyond what even my 4 years old daughter would believe

Oh, i don't doubt that some of his supposed answers are a bit...vague...but i just wonder if the SOS fella made it clear that this was an official interview, or whether it was just a discussion with a fan...obviously the interviewer didn't record the conversation or make notes, so i'm assuming that GG just assumed that he was unaware that his "quotes" would be mainstream media.

SOS have done more damage than good with these revelations, and i'm pretty certain it will filter down to the team and manager as well, it can't not affect them.

[Havors]

as much as the yanks have gone ass about tit with things, the financial side is on an up turn. the problems on the pitch at the moment are down to bad management and poor players. its that simple.

Rafa needs a wake up call as do a few of the players.

[Lecter]

Oh, i don't doubt that some of his supposed answers are a bit...vague...but i just wonder if the SOS fella made it clear that this was an official interview, or whether it was just a discussion with a fan...obviously the interviewer didn't record the conversation or make notes, so i'm assuming that GG just assumed that he was unaware that his "quotes" would be mainstream media.

SOS have done more damage than good with these revelations, and i'm pretty certain it will filter down to the team and manager as well, it can't not affect them.

Whether Gillett thought his quotes would end up the the mainstream media or not its a damning endictment of him (if the transcript is true)

Its once again an example of the PR bull**** our owners like to espouse and the sad thing is that the only people that believe that sort of nonsense works is Gillett and Hicks

It was obvious any comments said were going to be picked apart so why bother saying such daft things

Anyone with half an ounce of brain between their ears can see through it

I actually dont worry too much about the press reports imo they have made something of nothing (ie taken the comments out of context).

The owners arent directly responsible for on the pitch performances

However to claim they have put £120 million of their own cash in to fund player purchases over the last 18 months is completely crap

Gillett and Hicks have not put any of their own cash for player purchases.

[Lecter]

the problems on the pitch at the moment are down to bad management and poor players. its that simple.

Rafa needs a wake up call as do a few of the players.

I think the Alonso sale is hitting us badly

The old adage you dont know what you have until its gone is extremely applicable in this case

The funny thing is if you trawled the various forums over the last 2 years the criticisms against Rafa have been that he is too negative and too cautious

This year we are FAR more open than we have EVER been

We have 2 fullbacks constantly bombing on and we dont have the positional expertise of Alonso who had that ability to be in the right place at the right time

Despite Johnson being a big success story (attacking wise) I think his signing coupled with Alonso's departure might mean we lose more games than we drew last year

[MrMichael]

Whether Gillett thought his quotes would end up the the mainstream media or not its a damning endictment of him (if the transcript is true)

Its once again an example of the PR bull**** our owners like to espouse and the sad thing is that the only people that believe that sort of nonsense works is Gillett and Hicks

It was obvious any comments said were going to be picked apart so why bother saying such daft things

Anyone with half an ounce of brain between their ears can see through it

I actually dont worry too much about the press reports imo they have made something of nothing (ie taken the comments out of context).

The owners arent directly responsible for on the pitch performances

However to claim they have put £120 million of their own cash in to fund player purchases over the last 18 months is completely crap

Gillett and Hicks have not put any of their own cash for player purchases.

Much though I have my doubts as to the exact veracity of the quotes from that "interview", for him to have said anything even remotely like that is obviously nonsense.

As are his (and Purslows) repeated claims Rafa had the money from Alonso PLUS ~£20-£30m to spend last summer, when its quite obvious any and all monies have gone into paying that £60m off their loans.

Whether that makes them the root of all evil is a different question, but I've yet to see one interview with either of them since their takeover where anything substantial they've said has actually been proven to be true.

[Craig_H]

I dont get why the twit couldnt just come out and openly admit that they needed to provide £60m for the banks, and stop making up **** and taking us all for idiots.

[cream]

Can't wait for Tom Hicks to come out and have a dig at GG

[Nicey]

Well done SOS ! they must be pleased with there important selves

[Vermilion]

http://www.clickliverpool.com/sport/liverpool-fc/126444-revealed-liverpools-transfer-dealings.html

Anger and confusion over Liverpool FC spending statisticsby Richard Buxton. Published Tue 06 Oct 2009 17:35, Last updated: 2009-10-07

Liverpool FC co-owner George Gillett has been accused of short-changing fans over the amount of money that has been invested in the Anfield squad.

The American multi-millionaire declared that he and his partner Tom Hicks had pumped £132m into the club's coffers to finance spending on players.

But an examination of the club's transfer dealings casts doubt on the claims that the pair have backed manager Rafael Benitez in the transfer market.

In a reported meeting with a Reds supporter in Liverpool on 26th September, Gillett denied that lack of funding was a factor in the club's poor start to the current campaign.

He said: "In the last 18 months, we have invested £128m on top of what has come in.

"Rafa had more than was in the budget and the money from the sales. Hicks and I didn't take any money out or use it to pay down debt."

Liverpool are set to pay a total of #78m to bring in nine new faces to bolster the squad.

But it has been revealed that since the start of 2008 a total of £84.5million has been spent by Rafa Benitez on new signings.

But during the SAME spell transfer deals - selling players to other clubs - has netted £86.2million for the Anfield coffers. *

In March this year, Benitez was promised £40m per season to spend on transfers as well as whatever else he recouped.

The calculation has angered James McKenna of the supporters' union "Spirit of Shankly"

McKenna said: "It shows what the supporters have known all along.

"The claim about £128m was said to give a positive spin but the supporters know that this isn't the case.

"It shows that Tom Hicks and George Gillett have once again failed to do what they promised at the beginning and back Rafael Benitez at Liverpool Football Club.

"Their refusal to repay the faith shown by the manager undermines his position and that of the club itself.

"We are in danger of going backwards due to Benitez not being allowed to do what he came to the club for."

Gillett is rumoured to be one step closer to selling his shares in the Anfield outfit after members of the Kuwaiti royal family watched club's 2-0 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

*Anfield records show transfer deals since March 2008.

Spending:-

Glen Johnson £17,000,000
Sotirios Kyrgiakos £2,000,000
Martin Skrtel £6,500,000
Alberto Aquilani £20,000,000
Albert Riera £8,000,000
Andrea Dossena £7,000,000
David N'Gog £1,500,000
Diego Cavalieri £3,500,000
Andrei Voronin £0
Philipp Degen £0
Robbie Keane £19,000,000

Total £84,500,000


Sales:-

John Arne Riise £4,000,000
Anthony Le Tallec £1,100,000
Scott Carson £3,250,000
Steve Finnan £2,000,000
Sebastian Leto £3,000,000
Jack Hobbs £500,000
Paul Anderson £250,000
Robbie Keane £19,000,000
Xabi Alonso £30,000,000
Peter Crouch £11,000,000
Momo Sissoko £8,600,000
Alvaro Arbeloa £3,500,000

Total: £86,200,000

[Shaggy]

Sales:-


Robbie Keane £19,000,000

[Vermilion]

Good too know we got back what we paid for him.