An Epic Swindle by Brian Reade

[Lecter]

Christ, for someone who's meant to be quite intelligent, you've dropped a right bollock here.

Time and time again, i said i thought Mourinho would come UNDER DIFFERENT OWNERS - because i felt we were about to be sold.

I can write it on a piece of paper and send it to you, if that'd make it easier to understand?

I'm not quite sure that is how I remember it - but my memory isnt that great as I'm getting almost as old as Neil

I seem to remember you initially starting off saying Mourinho would be a real possibility (irrespective of any other factors) but as the discussion went on over time you changed your view and added the caveat that he would only come if we got new owners

This is something I've noticed quite a lot with your posts, you start off with a stance and will argue that vehemently but as time goes on and if your arguments prove unfounded you evolve your viewpoint to suit the current facts and then use your current stance as being your definitive stance since day one

Finally as for your suggestion of writing it down for me, that would be beneficial particularly as with two young children I have experience of reading things written in crayon

[Craig_H]

You're right about one thing - your memory is indeed letting you down And it's quite funny seeing someone openly admitting to not remembering too well, and then trying to describe what he thinks happened, in some detail and with clear conviction

You'd be any courtroom's dream witness

[Lecter]

You're right about one thing - your memory is indeed letting you down And it's quite funny seeing someone openly admitting to not remembering too well, and then trying to describe what he thinks happened, in some detail and with clear conviction

You'd be any courtroom's dream witness

I'd rather be a courtroom witness than a court jester

[Craig_H]

The christmas crackers have been opened early this year!

[Fernandinho]

This thread sucks.

[RichC]

can we keep this friendly and on topic please

cheers

[Kronenburg1892]

What a train wreck of a thread.

Of course G&H cared what their franchise customers thought of them, otherwise we wouldn't have had all the media bollocks going on, especially the Val Doonican Texas Christmas specials being pumped through agenda driven Sky.

When we look back at all this, (and this book is an important part of setting the record straight), not getting into the Champions League last year, will have been one of the most important factors in why we have our club back. (not as heavily weighted in the book as it should have been imo)

I doubt Rafa had any future left at the end of that season with LFC anyway. Even if he had stayed, we were playing so poorly and with bugger all to bolster the team with in the summer, I doubt we would have fared 'much' better than Roy under those circumstances, and I would have thought all our hate for Hodgson, would now be directed on Benitez.

Simply, Rafa fought tooth and nail to create a competitive football team, within the meens at his disposal. Some of this effort was through loyalty to a city that had embrased him and his family, but also through stubborn asperations of robotic/aspergers perfection and his career.

[Arn]

I'm not sure what all this H&G hiring PR companies to sully Rafa's reputaion has to do with anything. FRom the discussions on here, reading and listening to good pundits and watching the games, loads of us disagreed with the brainless media stuff about zonal marking and rotation, thought Rafa was a top guy and thought he has the best interests of the club at heart. But we were playing **** in a manner that lead me to believe that Rafa wouldn't ever turn it around. And if Rafa was so unwell after leaving us, why shoud I believe that new onwers would have all of a sudden sorted out Rafa's health problems?

Sky(Gray and Keys) admitted that they used false info to make us and Rafa look as bad as possible. Their own words.

[Craig_H]

Sky(Gray and Keys) admitted that they used false info to make us and Rafa look as bad as possible. Their own words.

You got a link to this?

[dom9]

So predictable.

[Craig_H]

Just sounds like it'd make interesting reading, that's all.

[Shaggy]

Well...I remember it as this. When a Sky employee broke ranks, anonymously, to slate Keys & Gray at the time they were slain , he claimed Keys & Gray were often provided with 'good stats' regarding things like our defending set pieces (re zonal marking, obv) but they always said they weren't interested yet devoured any stat that painted Rafa in a bad light.

To be fair you only had to watch to realise that.

[Ben_Itez]

I honestly feel a great number of fans let him down, big time. Those Reds who hate him, and there are some on here and one in particular, won't give a **** about letting him down but this guy fought tooth and nail for us.

ANY fan who 'wanted' Rafa gone must have thought 'hmmm, who will we replace him with?' so those fans who wanted him gone - of which there were many - did so because they thought that his replacement would be better. surely?

not many were openly clamouring for hodgson but those who were. well. how mightily ****ing wrong can you be?

pellegrini, mourinho, hiddink, dalglish, owen-****ing-coyle all have their merits. we have kenny. he's working out so lets be thankful as we're extremely lucky and he's brought something quite special back to our club.

On paper rafa beats all of those for me. he's perfect for liverpool - under supportive owners that is. I DREAD TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO OUR CLUB WITHOUT RAFA BENITEZ THROUGH 2007-2010. Of course we'll never know but he did some massive things. Not least calling out the owners for being the cunts they were and secondly, managing our squad astutely given **** all nett investment. bar the final season, every one under rafa was us punching above our weight. What a man. We as fans owe him a huge debt of gratitude for carrying the fight on our and our club's behalf whilst those around him failed.

Would I swap Kenny for Rafa? No. I love what Kenny has done and he's proved the doubters wrong (lets face it we ALL had doubts). But if Kenny were to leave tomorrow there's only one man I'd want to manage us and for those as pissed as me and need it spelling out, thats Rafa.

Thanks Rafa. Great job Kenny. Lets get this club back where we belong.

Good post.

Well...I remember it as this. When a Sky employee broke ranks, anonymously, to slate Keys & Gray at the time they were slain , he claimed Keys & Gray were often provided with 'good stats' regarding things like our defending set pieces (re zonal marking, obv) but they always said they weren't interested yet devoured any stat that painted Rafa in a bad light.

To be fair you only had to watch to realise that.

As mentioned it was pretty obvious to any clued up viewer.....

[Charly]

Its a moot point anyway, as I think Rafa had had enough my that point. I dont think there was any way he would have stayed.

And it wasnt a case of fans being in the wrong for wanting a new manager. Rafa had completely lost many of the players. The performances were awful. There is no coming back from that. Its sad that the players cant/wont give their all. Perhaos Benetiz had it a bit wrong tactically too. Look at the improvement under Dalglish, with effectively the same players.

As far as I am concerned, if Benitez could only finish 7th last year, it was not going to be a massive improvement this year, with the funds we had. I was not expecting much from Hodgeson, I expected top half. Nevermind. But was did suprise me is how good we have been under Dalglish tactically. He has always worked with a squad of the best players in the league, but he is showing he real qualities, taking players like Spearing, and getting performances, something that Rafa perhaps didnt do enough.

Benitez wanted out, and it was the first time the H&G could justify sacking him. The board wanted someone they could control to halp sell the club. Dont know if that would have made any difference to who we got in the end. Anyway, Inter Milan was a better prospect on paper anyway, and there were no guarentees for Rafa that he would have ended up with a better CXO than Purslow or Parry had he stayed.

Would I have Benitez back... Probably not. They say never go back, dont they..?

[badpiggy]

Sky(Gray and Keys) admitted that they used false info to make us and Rafa look as bad as possible. Their own words.

And who on here has any respect for Gray or Keys? ****in no-one. If it had been Gray and Keys that had broken the story about Gary Glitter being a paedo, most reasonable people would have invited him round to their next children's birthday party*.

You didn't believe their **** and I'd say most on here didn't either. You really should go back to some of the match threads last season and see the totally reasonable Rafa-supporting posters tearing their hair out in frustration at our ****, uninspired play. So many posters saying "I love Rafa but he has to go" etc...

If Rafa came to us now, he'd probably do brilliantly given the chance to buy his first choices etc (and assuming he'd work with Commolli) but personally I feel he was the right man in the right place at the wrong time.













*not really obviously