Riera - Benitez never talks to Liverpool Players

[red g]

I'm pretty sure we have very limited rights to fine him due to PL rules. Also we don't have the money to turn down the chance to sell him on if we get a good offer. If he isn't going to play we have to sell him anything else is cutting off our nose to spite our face.

Thats a shame we could have fined him £100million pounds, could have paid off loan monies

[Vermilion]

Thats a shame we could have fined him £100million pounds, could have paid off loan monies

hey, your onto something...lets fine them all for this season...and do something completely unexpected with the money..............build a stadium!!

[peekay]

I liked Riera. He's clearly a talented player. He's a regular for Spain and you don't get in that side if you're a mug. Real pity it's not worked out but he's only got himself to blame. Surely we could get £10m for him.

I dont think he is a regular for Spain mate. He got called up only because Silva has been injured a lot. Now with the rise of Mata, Silva being fit again, and Jesus Navas making himself available for the other wing and considering that Iniesta also plays on the left sometimes, I think his chances will be limited.

[Shaggy]

Well he has been a regular in recent times. Point still stands. And he's played well for them too, scored some good goals.

[Matt]

And we should be looking for more than £8m.

[lickedlollipop]

hey, if we sell uncle albert for maybe 9mil and babel for 11-12 (my dreams ) we could actually buy a very good winger

[Exiled_red]

And we should be looking for more than £8m.

But whether we'll get it or not is a different matter, a public fall out with the manager is likely to make a move away more likely and will play into potential buyers hands.

[The Birdman]

Hey just maybe if Rafa sells Riera for say 8-10 million he'll be promised the money to strengthen the squad in the summer then have it taken away from him and we'll end up signing Leto back on a free with a real fake passport this time

[Redspin]

That's not a problem, but it's clear Rafa has his favourites too and some players get picked regardless of form.

I wont go into the Lucas debate with you, because we both know where each other stands, but Kuyt has certainly been in the side plenty of times when his recent performances hadnt merited it.

In Riera's case, i wouldnt argue with his omission from the team, but if he's wanting to be told where he needs to improve, and is being given short shrift from Rafa, that's not really fair on him.

Likewise, if he's out of the side down to not performing well, that's fine but it's reasonable for him to expect to be given a recall at some point, when others are playing ****e - you cant stay out of favour forever and never be given another chance.

It's very simplistic to say Rafa has favourites - it's really just your opinion. He's far too professional to pick players because he likes them. Certain players who get criticised (by some) for regular inclusion are perhaps in that position because, unlike the likes of Riera and Babel, they never go hiding, they always give 100% and are therefore reliable. Lightweight, unreliable - not to mention injury-prone - players with attitude problems are left out of the team for a good reason.

And why should the likes of Riera expect to play if others are playing poorly? Better let them play through a rough patch than to bring in people who've let themselves down consistently when they have been picked. It seems that his attitude in training stinks and he clearly has an overblown opinion of his abilities so it's best for all concerned that he's dropped kick as far from Anfield as possible, as soon as possible

Oh, and didn't your pet hate Lucas play well last night?

[Mike]

Liverpool winger Albert Riera has attempted to play down his outspoken criticism of Reds boss Rafael Benitez.

"I have no interest in making Rafa my enemy," Riera told Cadena Ser, although he did repeat his claim that Benitez had "something personal" against him.

Riera, 27, had earlier said Liverpool were a "sinking ship" and was then told not to return to the club until Monday.

"The timing was not the best for the team and we will deal with this internally," said Benitez on Thursday.

Benitez was particularly angered by the fact the interview overshadowed his side's preparations for the crucial Europa League clash with Lille, which they went on to win 3-0.

Riera is desperate to be a part of Spain's World Cup squad in South Africa and is concerned that his lack of playing time is damaging his chances.

The Spanish international has made just one first team start since January, and was reportedly transfer listed and fined for his initial outburst against Benitez.

"Ultimately it is about playing, and if I am not, we have to talk about why not," said Riera.

"I do not want to make trouble with the manager, quite the opposite, but we have not had any talk about why it is.

"I played all of last year, and sometimes if I did not play so well in one game, I would still play the next week. But this season I have not played at all.

"When that starts happening, you have to assume it is something personal, rather than professional.

"I believe in these situations it is better to talk about it and try to fix it, or at least make sure everyone knows where they stand. I have no problem talking to people."

Riera made 40 appearances for Liverpool last season but has been restricted to 16 this term.

"I am delighted to play for Liverpool," said Riera, who joined the club from Espanyol in the summer of 2008, "If I was playing, I would love to stay, because it is a brilliant place to play football.

"But if I am not playing I have no chance of going to the World Cup, so I am trying to solve the problem so I at least have a small chance."

Russian clubs CSKA and Spartak Moscow are reportedly keen on Riera and could make an immediate move for the player after the Russian transfer window was extended to 8 April.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8575869.stm

[red g]

It's very simplistic to say Rafa has favourites - it's really just your opinion. He's far too professional to pick players because he likes them. Certain players who get criticised (by some) for regular inclusion are perhaps in that position because, unlike the likes of Riera and Babel, they never go hiding, they always give 100% and are therefore reliable. Lightweight, unreliable - not to mention injury-prone - players with attitude problems are left out of the team for a good reason.

And why should the likes of Riera expect to play if others are playing poorly? Better let them play through a rough patch than to bring in people who've let themselves down consistently when they have been picked. It seems that his attitude in training stinks and he clearly has an overblown opinion of his abilities so it's best for all concerned that he's dropped kick as far from Anfield as possible, as soon as possible

Oh, and didn't your pet hate Lucas play well last night?

i think Rafa does have favourites but his favourites are ones who put hard work and graft into a game. I dont see that as a major issue. Other managers will have favourites that our quite lazy but can produce magic moments its presonal preference.

[Shaggy]

Liverpool winger Albert Riera has attempted to play down his outspoken criticism of Reds boss Rafael Benitez.

"I have no interest in making Rafa my enemy," Riera told Cadena Ser, although he did repeat his claim that Benitez had "something personal" against him.

Riera, 27, had earlier said Liverpool were a "sinking ship" and was then told not to return to the club until Monday.

"The timing was not the best for the team and we will deal with this internally," said Benitez on Thursday.

Benitez was particularly angered by the fact the interview overshadowed his side's preparations for the crucial Europa League clash with Lille, which they went on to win 3-0.

Riera is desperate to be a part of Spain's World Cup squad in South Africa and is concerned that his lack of playing time is damaging his chances.

The Spanish international has made just one first team start since January, and was reportedly transfer listed and fined for his initial outburst against Benitez.

"Ultimately it is about playing, and if I am not, we have to talk about why not," said Riera.

"I do not want to make trouble with the manager, quite the opposite, but we have not had any talk about why it is.

"I played all of last year, and sometimes if I did not play so well in one game, I would still play the next week. But this season I have not played at all.

"When that starts happening, you have to assume it is something personal, rather than professional.

"I believe in these situations it is better to talk about it and try to fix it, or at least make sure everyone knows where they stand. I have no problem talking to people."

Riera made 40 appearances for Liverpool last season but has been restricted to 16 this term.

"I am delighted to play for Liverpool," said Riera, who joined the club from Espanyol in the summer of 2008, "If I was playing, I would love to stay, because it is a brilliant place to play football.

"But if I am not playing I have no chance of going to the World Cup, so I am trying to solve the problem so I at least have a small chance."

Russian clubs CSKA and Spartak Moscow are reportedly keen on Riera and could make an immediate move for the player after the Russian transfer window was extended to 8 April.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ol/8575869.stm

Annoying how this ****e is reported - he said all that within the original interview. Now they cherrypick bits of it and claim he's "playing it down"

[Exiled_red]

Annoying how this ****e is reported - he said all that within the original interview. Now they cherrypick bits of it and claim he's "playing it down"

It's a hard life being a journalist obviously

[Kenneth]

Annoying how this ****e is reported - he said all that within the original interview. Now they cherrypick bits of it and claim he's "playing it down"

Yep, they're lying ****s.

[Guest]

Yep, they're lying ****s.

Strange I was just thinking of having a dump.