More like this
Rafa Benitez clings on to his job at Liverpool
The Anfield manager is criticised by one of his chairmen, George Gillet
Rafa Benitez began this season as favourite to be the first manager to go in the Big Four sack race, and four defeats in eleven games in all competitions haven't changed the bookies' minds about his long-term prospects at Anfield. While the man himself was bullishly talking up the renewed competition of the Premier League after Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea, it emerged that one of the ownership team at the club was already apportioning blame for the Merseysiders' disastrous start to the season.
George Gillett, co-owner of the club alongside fellow American Tom Hicks (above right, with Gillett), has been quoted on an independent Liverpool fans' website, the Liverpool Way, saying that Benitez should carry the can for the club's poor start to the season. "We have invested more money than our competitors, in keeping with the history of the club," he said last week.
"In the last 18 months, we have invested £128m on top of what has come in. That means it should be getting better. Now if it's not getting better, it's not Gillett and Hicks; it's the manager; it's the scouting. You have to make sure you balance out your analysis. There was plenty of money, so if you have any complaints, take a look at the ins and outs."
Gillett goes on to say that he has "tried to keep to the Liverpool way, being silent in the background and providing funds for the manager. The status of the club, the general financial condition, the debt versus earnings is the only thing that matters," he tells 'Dougie Do'ins', a Liverpool fan who opposes the club's American owners.
"Our budgets are taken over the last six years of the club, we’re not planning on getting to Champions League finals or anything like that. The budgets are done conservatively. We have enough cash flow to pay the minimum interest we have, which is not very high, to give Rafa the capital he needs."
This implicit attack on Benitez, delivered through the auspices of such a fiercely independent fans' group, would suggest that the manager was beginning to lose the Anfield faithful. Previously the prickly Spaniard was always considered the lesser of two evils by the fans, who remembered the European Cup triumph of 2005 even while Benitez was offloading such Kop idols as Xabi Alonso.
But when supporters' forums which have been highly critical of the American owners are allowing Gillett to make ad hoc pronouncements on the manager's conduct, it suggests that the tide is turning. Gillett's further claim that Benitez had yet to spend the money from the Alonso transfer was surely designed to provoke the fans' ire yet more.
With the World Cup qualifying games giving Premier League bosses a little breathing space for the time being, it will be interesting to see how Benitez plans to respond to the accusations of his owners before Liverpool's next game against Sunderland in 11 days. ·
Comments are now closed on this article
Comments
My response to John Dyson of all the games I saw Torres play this year by his own standards he played well in two games only that is against West Ham where his all round performance was good and against Hull were he showed some of his class. But the rest of the games he has not performed to his own so called ability. You are talking about him scoring against the big clubs last year means nothing. This year he has performed well below par. Alonso left bacause he was not appreciated as a player by Benitez. Alonso had an average season in the 2007 / 2008 largely beacuse he was injured and he was recovering from such injury. Benitez could not stand by a player that performed brilliantly for the club barring the previous year. More so he wanted to sell a Central midfielder and replace him with a left sided midfielder. I am not talking about Crouch, I am talking about Arbeloa. He signs an injured player for 19 Million pounds, God knows when he will play a game for the club. Whats the big deal ablout Torres scoring a goal at old Traffordd even Dossena scored at Old Tafford. I do not wish to get into a slinging match, but you cannot deny that the so called big names at LFC are not performing consistently this year. I am a die hard LFC supporter and will always remain one no matter what, but what I am seeing at the moment is disturbing. However, we will never walk alone.
I have to respond to these inane ramblings of Mahomed, because of course pre seasoon FRIENDLIES are an exact measure of how you will peform in a full season...please stop saying he sold players who played well, if you are referring to Crouch and Alonso both wanted to leave, why people keep bringing that up is beyond me. But to then go on to scathe Torres who at the time of writing is the Premier League's leading goalscorer but to criticise him because a defender at another club has socred 5 goals!!! Completely unrelated, you have no validity to your arguement here. And then you criticise him for not producing in big games, ok to start, scoring the only goal to land Spain the European cup is fairly average I suppose, but if we're talking Liverpool, then he scored against man Utd last year at Old Trafford and was outstanding the whole game, he scored on his Anfield debut at home to Chelsea, he scored both goals at Anfield against Chelsea last year, has scored against Chelsea and Arsenal, Real Madrid in the Champions League... so none of them big games...I can go on an on. You call yourself a supporter but are doing the exact opposite
I said this some time ago and I am going to say it again, Rafa Benitez should be sacked now before it is too late. The writings was on the wall prior to the start of the season. One has to look at the pre-season friendlies and those knowledgable would now that Liverpool will not do well this season. If they finish in the top 4 this season then they have done extremely well. His wasted good money by buying a player that is injured, to bring back Veronin who has not performed as a striker, to persist with Lukas Levia, who cannot even defend effetively let alone give a decent assist that results in a goal or a goal scoring opportunity in all the games that he has played tells it all why they will not be successful this year.He sold players that performed well for Liverpool. Anyway, if you cannot win the league after beating Chelsea and Man Utd twice and drawing with Arsenal, then you can never win the league. He has lost the plot a long time ago. He persists with players that do not make meaningful contributions to the team. A lot is said about the goalscoring attributes of Fernando Torres but when a defender who has scored 5 goals for his club in his first year , then it makes Torres's ability as a goalscorer just mediocre. He has failed to produce in big games, and reminds me of the saying 'in the land of the blind the cock-eye is the king." I am a very disheartened Liverpool supporter.