Rafa Watch

[Chris]

They've played a player who should be banned apparently in the cup tonight. This will be interesting!

[Chazza]

Duncan Castles is a massive Mourinho loving cunt.

[Muddled]

Those exploits, though, have not exempted Ronaldo from Benitez's attempt to “re-educate” Madrid's squad. Never more than a lower-division defender during his own playing career, Benitez is said to have sought to school individuals as technically gifted as Ronaldo and Luka Modric beyond tactical matters, even instructing them as to how they should play a ball. The coach's defensive approach is also unpopular with some players, who believe it is poorly matched to Madrid's squad and places them under unnecessary additional pressure from the notoriously demanding home crowd.

LINK: Full Article

That remark about being a 'lower-division defender' really helps hammer home his point.

[BigChief]

You have a point to a degree, but he did pick a fight with those horse owners that didn't exactly go down well.

And fcked off Stam when he as an absolute beast. Stam left and opened the way for Wenger's babies to become 'invincibles' unchallenged for a while. That was remedied with Ferdinand but imagine how much more Demento could have won if he was more careful.

[Daniel 7]

Fergie picked his battles though, for example as soon as Roy Keane out lived his usefulness he was out the door, Ince similar. He put up with Ronaldos preening bull**** too cos he was too good not to.

You have a point to a degree, but he did pick a fight with those horse owners that didn't exactly go down well.

[Bender]

Rafa Benitez called a meeting of senior players, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, on Tuesday night for talks to clear the air and lay down the targets for the rest of the season at Real Madrid after Saturday’s 4-0 defeat by Barcelona.

Benitez, who was backed by club president Florentino Perez on Monday, spoke to a group of those key players who have made the journey to the Ukraine, where Real Madrid take on Shakhtar Donestk, with Ronaldo, Bale, James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema all present at the meeting.

It is understood the manager explained the tactical needs of the team going forward and encouraged the players to speak their mind and contribute.

It is said that meeting went well, with players expressing their own views with Ronaldo in particular professional and helpful in his contributions, saying that he was aiming to run more for the team but also urging his team-mates to do so as well.
link

[The_weatherman]

I think he does need an assistant with him who balances his personality. All of the managers mentioned as examples of managers who upset people also seemed to be great judges of those they needed around them as a buffer. Rafa seems to have been less successful at that since his mid-period with us.

I hope he gets a chance to turn it around at Real. The line up against Barca was very un-Rafa. Something odd going on there IMO.

There is someone meddling with the selection, like you say, I found that line up very odd for Rafa, rather unbalanced. I read somewhere the supporters were also angry at Perez, among other things for meddling with the team.

[McDermotX]

Had to go read the scumbag's piece for myself. It's not even an undercurrent of nastiness.not to mention factually all over the shop..... Can't even get the wife's name right.
Piece of ****.

http://m.independent.ie/sport/soccer/other-soccer/comment-rafa-benitez-is-the-king-of-modernday-spoofers-34227649.html

[Shaggy]

Haha. That cunt got telt.

And his wife's not called Maria either.

[McDermotX]

Dunno where to start with the amount of wrongness here

Mediawatch understands that not everyone rates Rafa Benitez quite as highly as Liverpool supporters, but we still took a sharp intake of breath when we read the headline on Kevin Palmer’s article on the Irish Independent website: ‘Rafa Benitez is the king of modern-day spoofers’.

Don’t think that Palmer has been stitched up by the headline writers either. If anything they undersold it.

‘This arrogant and self-absorbed tactician who has just been given a lukewarm vote of confidence…’ the piece begins. Sheesh.

‘Not for the first time in his career, this portly emperor has been disrobed in front of the watching world and as has been in case in previous years, we don’t like what we see underneath,’ Palmer continues. ‘Aside from his union with wife Maria, every Benitez marriage has been doomed to end in failure.’

Palmer goes on to explain how Liverpool won the Champions League final in spite of Benitez. He doesn’t choose to cover how he got them to the final in the first place. Twice.

Mediawatch enjoyed the following conversation Palmer subsequently had on Twitter with one user:

– Palmer: ‘So this article has caused a bit of a stir then. A view on Rafael Benitez that his supporters will not agree with’
– User: Has anybody agreed with it, Kevin?
– Palmer: ‘Liverpool fans love him in general, I appreciate that. No problem with an alternative view I don’t think’
– User: ‘Those pesky Liverpool fans and their intolerance for bull**** eh?’
– Palmer: ‘Not at all. Liverpool fans are entitled to like Benitez. I just don’t think he’s done a whole lot since 2005. Do you?’
– User: ‘Other than winning the FA Cup, winning the Europa League, taking Liverpool to the Champions League final again, Finishing runner-up in the Premier League, winning the Club World Cup, winning the Italian cup, plus winning away in the San Siro (three times), Nou camp, Bernabeu (Ed: Plus Old Trafford (twice) and Stamford Bridge (three times))? you’re right. Not a lot.’

Well, quite. The conversation did at least end amicably. Nice to see the hatchet (job) being buried

[ntto]

I think he does need an assistant with him who balances his personality. All of the managers mentioned as examples of managers who upset people also seemed to be great judges of those they needed around them as a buffer. Rafa seems to have been less successful at that since his mid-period with us.

I hope he gets a chance to turn it around at Real. The line up against Barca was very un-Rafa. Something odd going on there IMO.

totally agree - he was brilliant with Pako as there was a good foil there. Like Brian Kidd at UTD

[dww]

I think he does need an assistant with him who balances his personality. All of the managers mentioned as examples of managers who upset people also seemed to be great judges of those they needed around them as a buffer. Rafa seems to have been less successful at that since his mid-period with us.

I hope he gets a chance to turn it around at Real. The line up against Barca was very un-Rafa. Something odd going on there IMO.

[peekay]

Rafa Benitez wife Montse to sell £17,000 of designer dresses to raise money for children's charity

Items will be auctioned for OLLY which is linked to Families Fighting for Justice

Former Liverpool FC manager Rafa Benitez’s wife is selling a £17,000 haul of her own designer clothes to help children whose relatives have been killed.

Montse Benitez has donated top-of-the-range dresses and other evening wear to raise funds for Merseyside charity Our Lost Love Years (OLLY).

Montse, who still lives in Wirral even though her husband Rafa lives abroad managing Real Madrid is donating glittering cocktail dresses from major fashion designers including Dolce Gabbana, Alexandra McQueen and Vivienne Westwood.


Montse is a keen supporter of OLLY, connected to Liverpool pressure group Families Fighting For Justice.

The charity says all dresses are a petite size 8, for anyone keen to buy one for a special occasion.

Also to go under the hammer is a football shirt, signed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafa.

Montse’s gesture comes after she paid for 33 disadvantaged children to go to Disneyland in Paris, travelling to the French capital on executive coaches.

She was nicknamed the ‘Angel of Kindness’ after that £11,500 donation.

Now, Montse’s latest generosity is expected to raise between £10,000-£15,000 and will be sold at auction between November 27-29 in the charity’s Anson Street office in the city centre.

Jean Taylor, whose daughter Chantel was killed by Stephen Wynne, 28, who refused to reveal where he’d hidden her remains, said: “Montse has gone above and beyond.

“This should raise tens of thousands of pounds for disadvantaged kids.

“Her love for the people of Liverpool is clear.

“She’s been so generous and we’ll always hold her dear to our hearts.”

Along with helping youngsters whose family members have been killed, OLLY also lends a hand to children from underprivileged areas of the city.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/rafa-benitez-wife-montse-sell-10466876

Have a huge amount of respect of what he and Montse try to do for the local community. I am stunned, absolutely stunned, as to why a man who does so much charity is the subject of so much derision from the news media.

[Bender]

Love Rafa but he needs to think of his approach. Not sure where he will go after Madrid though.

Your House mofo

[redmike65]

Liverpool were seriously interested in Ronaldo but bought someone else, Anthony Le Tallac I think!