Author Topic: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?  (Read 153003 times)

Offline Something Else

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1040 on: March 3, 2009, 12:17:20 am »
I heard some very worrying things tonight from someone who knows a few of the players.

Rafa has more enemies within the club than friends and that seems to go for a fair few of the players, cant vouch for how accurate it is, as it came from a young lad, and we all know how they can exaggerate, but his position does not seem that comfortable from what im hearing.

Would be interesting if Gedo and anyone else who has dealings with players could vouch for it or knock it away as a few trying to cause more trouble than there is?

Offline Jagdip

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1041 on: March 3, 2009, 12:49:27 am »
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/7919729.stm

love him to bits :) but how you get the headline 'torres injuries cost us' from this press conference I'm quite frankly staggered.

Seeing as the media can make such fabricated nonsense, Torres skating on ice being the latest that made me burst into laughter, I'm not surprised! Fucking hate the media. Can't remember the last time I read a newspaper.


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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1042 on: March 3, 2009, 12:50:32 am »
yeah staggered probably was a little OTT
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Offline Jagdip

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1043 on: March 3, 2009, 12:50:54 am »
I heard some very worrying things tonight from someone who knows a few of the players.

Rafa has more enemies within the club than friends and that seems to go for a fair few of the players, cant vouch for how accurate it is, as it came from a young lad, and we all know how they can exaggerate, but his position does not seem that comfortable from what im hearing.

Would be interesting if Gedo and anyone else who has dealings with players could vouch for it or knock it away as a few trying to cause more trouble than there is?

I hope its a young lad making nothing out of something. I don't see it being a troubling factor. I'm sure there are players in Utd who hate Ferguson.

Offline shanklyboy

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1044 on: March 3, 2009, 03:43:52 am »
My post that you quoted was a response to redprodigal as to one of the reasons why Mourinho wouldn't be coming here, so I'm not sure why you are asking me the question mate.
For what it's worth though I'll have a go at answering you; though you are asking many questions and putting almost as many opinions forward.


And what, in your opinion, is the real reason Benítez is playing hardball over his contract situation presently?

Its a serious question.

Does he want out, for whatever reason, and keeps issuing new demands to force the owners into a decision (cos like it or not, as I certainly dont, we are having the owners for the forseeable)?
Or is there really some serious sticking point regarding control of the Academy?  Cant see that myself.
Or is he really being denied control of his transfer dealings.. money aside..  cant see that either if Im honest.
Or is it that he wants to be certain of the ownership going forward?

Well this last one is interesting.

How can he expect to know about the ownership, when the owners don't know either? There is no imminent buyout, and how would Benítez expect the current owners to say what can happen?

So why is this of importance to him?  Because none of the other potential sticking points in the contract negotiations appear to be a real issue.  The tenure/money are sorted. He has been granted Academy control. There might be some fineprint about his control of any transfer budget, but in principle Hicks has rubberstamped this, and with Parry gone... theres no real impediment.

You ask what my opinion is to the 'real' reason' Benitez hasn't signed, implying that there is an ulterior motive for him. Which you go on to state more emphatically later in your post.
I doubt if my thoughts on the matter will alter your viewpoint as it seems clear that you have already given it some thought and come to your own conclusions, so my opinion isn't going to change that.

We can all assume many things,try to read between the lines and attempt to see what is or isn't actually there. Some have to be taken on face value.
The contract apparently hasn't been signed for the same reason it wasn't signed in the first place. It isn't what Benitez has asked for, despite assurances that each time it will be.
Each time it is redrafted it doesn't clarify the areas Benitez had previously requested clarification and transparency about.
Those areas are:

A certain amount of autonomy in transfer dealings.
Influence over Academy affairs.

These are the areas he was promised he would have more say in back when he was offered the position.
This is the first opportunity to change and address what has been an unworkable position for Benitez given the needs of Liverpool F.C. Once bitten twice shy so to speak.



So, I ask again, what is Rafa's problem?

It has to be his future if the ownership changes sometime, or, he doesn't want to sign.  Now, it may be that previously interested buyers of the Club are not supportive of Benítez, but these buyers are gone, and no other sugar daddy is imminent.  If a takeover was forthcoming, and if these were not wanting to retain him, I could see the reason for Rafa wanting his future clarified before signing up...  but he knows as well as everyone else, that in the current climate...   there is no takeover. Hicks will be his master for the future few years.

So, I say again, I have a feeling that Rafa is engineering his exit this summer without appearing to let the fans down or to desert the sinking ship.  Thats my take on this saga. It certainly hasn't done the Club or the team any favours in recent weeks, and that cannot be argued.  I think the politician in him has over-ruled the football coach on this occasion, and once again we will be the losers.

New ownership is irrelevant to the contract.The contract will only provide assurances to Benitez in terms of the amount of compensation he would receive if new owners decided to sack him during it's term. No contract can prevent that from happening.The contract can't contain assurances it won't be changed by new owners, simply because it can't be.
 
The contract issue was brought into the public arena by the media, not Rafa Benitez. Unless the conspiracy theorists want to speculate that he deliberately primed a certain journalist to broach the subject randomly and out of context in one of his weekly press conferences.
It was leaked that negotiations had begun on the contract which Benitez initially fended off questions about in October 2008.Cast your mind back to when this all came out and how every press conference was quickly being dominated by contract questions.There is  a ready made, ongoing story there for the press, as they continue to attach anything Benitez related to the ownership debacle and his relationship with them. What better story than if he will be given/want a new contract. It was always going to be media driven.

This goes back to the beginning of November when Benitez made these comment:

"For me, it has to be done this month. I don't want to be talking about this at every press conference,"

"I want it out of the way so we can concentrate on just the football. The owners have come forward and said they are happy with the job we are doing, so we have to sort it quickly because it's important for the stability and the players that are thinking about signing new contracts.

"Stability is important to every club. To me the length of the contract is important, I would like to be here for a long time because the club and the team is progressing.

"We have a new stadium on the way and I think we have a team capable of winning trophies in the future, so I want to be part of the future of the club. I feel we are on the verge of something good here."

As this was now firmly in the public domain with no sign of the 3rd or 4th draft being satisfactory, Benitez put the ball firmly in the owners court by issuing his public statement about the content.
This forced the owners hand prior to the Chelsea game.....nearly 3 months of press speculation, re drafting and renegotiation later!

So either you believe Benitez an honest and genuine man or is playing games with us all and is angling for a summer move. Or you take it on face value that there are areas he is justifiably concerned about in order to do the job he was promised he had before he signed his current contract back in 2004, are genuine.
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Offline Liverbird 2010

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1045 on: March 3, 2009, 05:58:52 am »
I have thought since last summer that he planned to quit this summer. I can't see why he'd actively pursue both Keane and Barry if he had long term plans. He was willing to spend significant sums on both players in a final attempt to land the league. He didn't care that their re-sale value would be low in a couple of years as he didn't see himself being around to have to deal with this.

I think he knows the americans aren't going anywhere and he's had enough of it. He planned to give it one last throw of the dice to cement his place in our history forever.

Sadly, it's not worked out..... He has to quit for his own personal career. If he stays he knows that his reputation will only decline rather than improve because of the meddling of the Deadly Duo and the calamitous state of the club. My money is that he never signs a new contract and he goes in the summer.

The way i see things aswell, I will be very, very suprised if he is still here next season.
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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1046 on: March 3, 2009, 08:15:39 am »
I heard some very worrying things tonight from someone who knows a few of the players.

Rafa has more enemies within the club than friends and that seems to go for a fair few of the players, cant vouch for how accurate it is, as it came from a young lad, and we all know how they can exaggerate, but his position does not seem that comfortable from what im hearing.

Would be interesting if Gedo and anyone else who has dealings with players could vouch for it or knock it away as a few trying to cause more trouble than there is?

It's hardly surprising that Parry leaves and a few days later the jungle drums are trotting out this kind of tune. We all know the situation at the Academy, and we all know that certain players don't always dance to his tune. Nothing new really.

Gedo's already pointed out that 'arses are twitching' amongst the Academy staff. Change leads to fear, which leads to the kind of stuff you're hearing.

I'd be more worried if everyone was supposedly getting along famously at this stage.

royhendo

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1047 on: March 3, 2009, 08:18:22 am »
My post that you quoted was a response to redprodigal as to one of the reasons why Mourinho wouldn't be coming here, so I'm not sure why you are asking me the question mate.
For what it's worth though I'll have a go at answering you; though you are asking many questions and putting almost as many opinions forward.


You ask what my opinion is to the 'real' reason' Benítez hasn't signed, implying that there is an ulterior motive for him. Which you go on to state more emphatically later in your post.
I doubt if my thoughts on the matter will alter your viewpoint as it seems clear that you have already given it some thought and come to your own conclusions, so my opinion isn't going to change that.

We can all assume many things,try to read between the lines and attempt to see what is or isn't actually there. Some have to be taken on face value.
The contract apparently hasn't been signed for the same reason it wasn't signed in the first place. It isn't what Benítez has asked for, despite assurances that each time it will be.
Each time it is redrafted it doesn't clarify the areas Benítez had previously requested clarification and transparency about.
Those areas are:

A certain amount of autonomy in transfer dealings.
Influence over Academy affairs.

These are the areas he was promised he would have more say in back when he was offered the position.
This is the first opportunity to change and address what has been an unworkable position for Benítez given the needs of Liverpool F.C. Once bitten twice shy so to speak.


New ownership is irrelevant to the contract.The contract will only provide assurances to Benítez in terms of the amount of compensation he would receive if new owners decided to sack him during it's term. No contract can prevent that from happening.The contract can't contain assurances it won't be changed by new owners, simply because it can't be.
 
The contract issue was brought into the public arena by the media, not Rafa Benítez. Unless the conspiracy theorists want to speculate that he deliberately primed a certain journalist to broach the subject randomly and out of context in one of his weekly press conferences.
It was leaked that negotiations had begun on the contract which Benítez initially fended off questions about in October 2008.Cast your mind back to when this all came out and how every press conference was quickly being dominated by contract questions.There is  a ready made, ongoing story there for the press, as they continue to attach anything Benítez related to the ownership debacle and his relationship with them. What better story than if he will be given/want a new contract. It was always going to be media driven.

This goes back to the beginning of November when Benítez made these comment:

"For me, it has to be done this month. I don't want to be talking about this at every press conference,"

"I want it out of the way so we can concentrate on just the football. The owners have come forward and said they are happy with the job we are doing, so we have to sort it quickly because it's important for the stability and the players that are thinking about signing new contracts.

"Stability is important to every club. To me the length of the contract is important, I would like to be here for a long time because the club and the team is progressing.

"We have a new stadium on the way and I think we have a team capable of winning trophies in the future, so I want to be part of the future of the club. I feel we are on the verge of something good here."

As this was now firmly in the public domain with no sign of the 3rd or 4th draft being satisfactory, Benítez put the ball firmly in the owners court by issuing his public statement about the content.
This forced the owners hand prior to the Chelsea game.....nearly 3 months of press speculation, re drafting and renegotiation later!

So either you believe Benítez an honest and genuine man or is playing games with us all and is angling for a summer move. Or you take it on face value that there are areas he is justifiably concerned about in order to do the job he was promised he had before he signed his current contract back in 2004, are genuine.

Spot on, and again required reading for everyone in my view.

Offline The G in Gerrard

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1048 on: March 3, 2009, 08:27:10 am »
Think he's had enough of the politics at the club, the lack of transfer funds, the OTT criticism he has encountered and he will walk away with his head held high IMO. Can't blame to be honest and then our troubles will really begin.....

(I hope I'm proved wrong though)

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1049 on: March 3, 2009, 08:31:52 am »
Quote
It was leaked that negotiations had begun on the contract which Benítez initially fended off questions about in October 2008.Cast your mind back to when this all came out and how every press conference was quickly being dominated by contract questions.There is  a ready made, ongoing story there for the press, as they continue to attach anything Benítez related to the ownership debacle and his relationship with them. What better story than if he will be given/want a new contract. It was always going to be media driven.

As a journalist I agree completely with your analysis, and this highlights, for me, another area in which we desperately need to improve - communications. We are reactive and don't spot storms gathering in advance. Am I right in thinking communications, ultimately, fell under Parry's remit? He looks more and more like someone with too much to cope with, and too many areas in which he was not adept. But this may be why we are hearing rumours of Barwick taking over communications, although, given the Scolari balls-up, I have no faith that he is savvy in that area, either.

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1050 on: March 3, 2009, 09:18:42 am »

Steady as she goes people.

For the first time I feel that this forum is not serving us in this ownership saga.

 The situation around ownership and rafas contract, the on pitch loss of first place and the spiralling anxiety of not playing well for much of the season, the feeding frenzy of the press feeding the forum with a new shocker every day/week, the club seems in a state of ever heightening crisis. Looming over it all, and deeply more significant imo is the immanent collapse of the global financial system which will likely re-make the short term shape of all our lives, and most certainly will re-shape the whole financial landscape of football clubs in a way that is highly unpredictable..........  we seem to be chasing our own tails, full of unknown fears... and as the latest angle comes in, we go chasing chasing, ...and where that has been fruitful and even fun over the last couple of years, right now I keep thinking that the mods should come in and close all the threads to stop this spiral of anxiety. Not that they should, it is rather that I am wishing for a parent to come in and make it alright, cos this is getting painful, .......

The worst for me is this recent stuff about Rafa being on his way, which, though I may be wrong, feels like we've been set up to believe by press reports, a press who routinely know less than we do here. It has also made me realise that the way that I have 'coped' with the ownership debacle is in the knowledge that Rafa was still in charge of the team, and that he would continue to provide a constant. With that being discussed as possibly about to end, my security blanket is being stolen, and if I can extend this outwards, the clubs primary security will be gone. There, .......I just got lost in the fear of it into making it seem like the club will die or worse if Rafa leaves; and though I feel it to be true, in reality, we all know that it is quite untrue.

I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm equally sure that no-one else here does either, and, for those who wish to hear, breathe. Liverpool football club will remain regardless....long after we are all dead. It may be that the premiership will die as the leading global league because the financial ways of the world may change, but we'll still be a major force in england 'cos of our support, even though we are divided and fearful in inevitable reflection of the divided ownership.

The joy of supporting a club is that we can lose ourselves for a little while every week in the unconsciousness and unknowing of the tribal thinking that is a given as a fan. ( we are right and everyone else is wrong and will die ) but in this time, this tribal thinking limits us more than serves us, for it makes us all like leafs in the wind, blown which way and that. This is cool when we are watching football and supporting the team, but bringing that state of mind to bear on all these other painful issues leaves us powerless before our nameless fears, as this rumour piles on that rumour. I write this mainly as an act for myself to step back from this tornado, hoping for the perspective of distance, but mainly cos I can't think in all this fear.

 I apologise if this feels patronising ... as I said earlier, a part of me is looking for someone to stop the pain. I don't know how else to express this. Time for bed.

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1051 on: March 3, 2009, 09:24:33 am »
I quit..All this talk of will he wont he is seriously damaging my health, I think I'm gonna leave this thread well alone for a bit.
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Offline WaltonRed

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1052 on: March 3, 2009, 09:33:15 am »
I dont think Rafa wants to go and I dont think that he is seeking a way-out by stalling over the contract.

What I do think is that Rafa sees this moment as a unique, once-only chance to get the kind of contract he has always wanted (and had been led to believe would be the case the first time round).

Rafa knows that Hicks is desperate for him to stay on, as his (Rafa's) presence at the club adds millions to our value.  As I stated in a previous post, financiers arent interested in trophies won as much as cash generated, and the current cash cow in world football is the Champions League.  And no one can deny that Rafa's record in the Champions League is quite exceptional.  he has earned the club millions through Champions League football.

And, remember, taht RBS will value Rafa's presence as highly as any potential investor.  Which means that if Hicks wants to extend the loan in the summer, its vitally important to him that Rafa is still manager (and preferably on a long contract) as that is means it more likley that Liverpool will continue to over-perform in Europe and be able to service the loan.

Simply put, without Rafa's European expertise over the last 3 to 4 years, Liverpool would be in far mroe serious trouble than we are now.

Rafa knows this and is using the time between now and refinancing to say "OK, if you want me as manager when you come to refinance (or sell) then give me what I want (and what Ferguson, Wenger have)."

I think he does want to stay but he realises that if he is going to say it can only be without the frustrations he has encountered in the past and now is the best chance to be rid of them.

IMHO this is what accounts for the delay: his concern is that if he was given a nice, juicy contract now in order to help a refinancing deal and then he found that promises were subsequently reneged on as they were not explicit in the contract.  Hence his detrmination that verbal promises are realised as actual contractual stipulations.

Us losing in the league has not the slightest impact on anything.  No one expects us to win the League and frankly the banks dont really care.  Our match against Standard Liege was the most important of the season as far asthe banks are concnered (and who is to say they are wrong?)

Offline RedJam70

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1053 on: March 3, 2009, 09:43:53 am »
Good post Manifest.

For me if rafa goes, then that's it. Like you say, the club won't die, we won't stop supporting but I think I and probably a lot of others will resign themselves to the fact that from then on we'll be a spent force and mediocrity will rule until we get new owners in. It all seems a bit melodramatic but I can't help thinking it and I think that's why there is so much anxiety around at the moment and probably why there has been all season. It's like we're in the last chance saloon. The last chance to win the league before man utd catch us, the last chance for Rafa to make his job secure, last chance for the owners to sell up, last chance to get our house in order before the loan comes due, in fact last chance make something, anything out of the season before we're well and truly fucked.

It's all utter rubbish though, whatever happens LFC will always be here but every missed opportunity, every setback seems all the bigger and more insurmountable because of it. But then the triumphs and good times seem all the sweeter for it, which of course leads to even more depression when it seems we haven't capitalised on them. And everywhere people are looking and looking for something that either gives them hope or proves they were right to have lost it.

Come the beginning of next season, we'll have a better idea of where we are in terms of the owners and Rafa, and this feeling won't be so dominant and hopefully we'll be able to just get on with things without all this anxiety. We'll all be back at the altar of hope but I think our expectations will be tempered somewhat by the circumstances of the club.

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1054 on: March 3, 2009, 10:24:48 am »
I dont think Rafa wants to go and I dont think that he is seeking a way-out by stalling over the contract.

What I do think is that Rafa sees this moment as a unique, once-only chance to get the kind of contract he has always wanted (and had been led to believe would be the case the first time round).

Rafa knows that Hicks is desperate for him to stay on, as his (Rafa's) presence at the club adds millions to our value.  As I stated in a previous post, financiers arent interested in trophies won as much as cash generated, and the current cash cow in world football is the Champions League.  And no one can deny that Rafa's record in the Champions League is quite exceptional.  he has earned the club millions through Champions League football.

And, remember, taht RBS will value Rafa's presence as highly as any potential investor.  Which means that if Hicks wants to extend the loan in the summer, its vitally important to him that Rafa is still manager (and preferably on a long contract) as that is means it more likley that Liverpool will continue to over-perform in Europe and be able to service the loan.

Simply put, without Rafa's European expertise over the last 3 to 4 years, Liverpool would be in far mroe serious trouble than we are now.

Rafa knows this and is using the time between now and refinancing to say "OK, if you want me as manager when you come to refinance (or sell) then give me what I want (and what Ferguson, Wenger have)."

I think he does want to stay but he realises that if he is going to say it can only be without the frustrations he has encountered in the past and now is the best chance to be rid of them.

IMHO this is what accounts for the delay: his concern is that if he was given a nice, juicy contract now in order to help a refinancing deal and then he found that promises were subsequently reneged on as they were not explicit in the contract.  Hence his detrmination that verbal promises are realised as actual contractual stipulations.

Us losing in the league has not the slightest impact on anything.  No one expects us to win the League and frankly the banks dont really care.  Our match against Standard Liege was the most important of the season as far asthe banks are concnered (and who is to say they are wrong?)

Again, I reckon this is spot on dude.

Offline MolbysBigBelly

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1055 on: March 3, 2009, 10:42:58 am »
As a journalist I agree completely with your analysis, and this highlights, for me, another area in which we desperately need to improve - communications. We are reactive and don't spot storms gathering in advance. Am I right in thinking communications, ultimately, fell under Parry's remit? He looks more and more like someone with too much to cope with, and too many areas in which he was not adept. But this may be why we are hearing rumours of Barwick taking over communications, although, given the Scolari balls-up, I have no faith that he is savvy in that area, either.

Absolutely everything would have fallen under Parry's remit.  That was the problem and was spoken about by Shankleyboy.

Many people are littering these threads with crap and consequently, the good stuff is getting lost in the quagmire.  For those who have an attention span of more than 30 seconds, I'll quote Shankleyboy:

Quote
Quote from: shanklyboy on January 17, 2009, 02:06:19 AM
I've tried to stay out of this thread as much as I can as I didn't want to have to keep responding to some of the drivel that seems to creeping into every other post since Rafa's press conference last week. It's not that easy when you see things repeated  30 seconds after SSN have said it and another myth is perpetuated ad infinitum and ad nauseum.
So I'm going to give an honest opinion based on fact. People can take it or leave it but those that know will understand. Those that want to just use any platform of perceived negativity to have a crack at Benitez will continue to do so because its been festering in their heads for too long to change. Those that only have an opinion dependant on what they see in the media will only change their opinion when they are told what it is by the same.

I've worked with Rick Parry and as you say Alan there is far more to this man than just being an accountant. His commitment to Liverpool F.C is undoubted and his workload would make most of us buckle after a week.
The job he inherited from Peter Robinson was one of if not THE biggest challenge to anyones abilities in recent football history.
The lack of foresight from his illustrious predecessors over many years has probably got more to do with our current plight than people care to see. Simply because it's easier to blame the 'clown' than anyone else. There is no smoke without fire though and therein lies part of the story.
Behind the scenes, he has worked tirelessly to haul our club back to where we once were. Both in terms of financial muscle and administrative excellence.
His ability to do this has been questioned many times within the club and some of the methods employed have actually left us further behind and not even close to be drawing level with our competitors.
Part of the blame for this has been the remnants of Liverpools administrative past. How things had to be done 'The Liverpool Way', while still dragging the club into the modern day. Liverpool as a footballing business model would be the team equivalent of the 2nd Division when Parry arrived while our main competitors were swanning around The Champions League, such was the ground we had to make up.

The problem with Parry is that his role and responsibilities have changed dramatically at the same time as we tried and failed to play catch up. So no sooner did we look as though we were getting there,then he was loaded with further responsibilities. This created difficulties, compounded by the changes in the managerial structure of the club and the rapid responses needed in the modern game. He was in effect doing 3 jobs.
One he was qualified for as an accountant. One he had experience of, effectively, as a senior administrator with the Premier League  and one he was never going to manage effectively alongside the other two. That was as C.E.O of Liverpool F.C.

How a club like Liverpool F.C could be the only one who didn't employ a marketting executive until Ayres was appointed is testament to the reliance of keeping things done a certain way so as not to rock the boat. They didn't learn by past mistakes. See the farcical 'joint manager' roles of Evans & Houllier as further evidence of that type of reasoning.

The job was too big for Parry but nobody within the club was prepared to change the situation. Instead more responsibility and therefore more power was given to Parry.

Once Benitez arrived at the club, things started to change almost immediately.
Benitez realised that from a footballing aspect the club was not geared up to the needs of the modern game and certainly not to the needs of Liverpool F.C. Some of the things Benitez was informed were in place when he was offered the managers position were clouded in half truths. Many of those things were paramount to Benitez in his decision to come to the club. They represented many of the things he saw as being vital for the club's long and short term future.

Benitez came to the club believing there was a platform for him to put his ideas in place and take the club to where they told him they wanted to be. The reality of what he found was so far removed from the initial promises. Initially this was put down to clashes of personality, which in some cases it was. However Benitez found himself running down blind alleys at almost every turn.He was continually meeting Parry down there. The main stumbling blocks being cash, the buying and selling of players and the youth structure. All things that a footballing man needed to run smoothly and effectively. Benitez was renowned for being one of the widely respected youth coaches during his time in Spain and this was a major part of his CV. Yet he was told to keep his nose out at Liverpool. The fragmentation of the senior and junior set ups at the club was beyond his comprehension. As was the fact that he, as manager was being prevented from having any effective input in to it's running or effectiveness.
Benitez decided to restructure those areas he was 'allowed' to and that started some major problems.
He effectively bypassed the youth system and brought his own players in, to train with the senior squad. Once Steve Heighway left,many of the successful youth team were promoted to the reserves and therefore came under his overall control.

He still didn't have any real input into the youth set up which was being overseen and run by Rick Parry. Parry's reluctance to sanction or back the overhaul of the youth system has been a major problem for Benitez. A none footballing man effectively preventing a football man from doing what he was brought in to do in the first place.
It is well known within the club that Benitez wants to develop our own players. He is extremely passionate about it, yet feels this won't happen quickly enough under the present structure.Even though that long term the club will benefit both financially and in terms of having a local heart to the club. Something that he spoke of only today.

On top of all of this is the farcical situation regarding protracted transfers we are all aware of. This all came to a head, just before the Gerrard fiasco made the headlines. Parry's reticence to get the Gerrard's contract sorted out was seen within the club and by Rafa in particular as an indication of how much power Parry thought he had. This was a further indication of his lack of footballing mentality. He was actually prompted to get this sorted from within the club but still dragged his heels.This caused major problems internally and is the catalyst for many of today's difficulties. The almost catastrophic outcome was seen as a watershed. It wasn't!

On top of that Benitez had the unfortunate misfortune of having to go through Parry for every transfer.
I'm not going into who they were, but certain players at home and abroad had approached Liverpool F.C and had agreed to come after speaking with Benitez only for the deal to fall through after Parry became involved. Some were high profile, some were not. The biggest deals having been well documented. Some equally as big which have not been.were already agreed with players without massive wage demands or contract terms only to fall away yet again. This caused severe professional embarrassment for Benitez and restricted the progress of the team.

Once the takeover came about and the club was restructured once again, Benitez was once again made promises regarding transfers.Certain operating procedures were put into place by Hicks  & Gillette to try and smooth things along. Without going into too much detail about what they were here, they failed when the H & G relationship started to wobble. The operating procedures fell by the wayside, which Benitez wasn't happy about as they appeared to be working. Once H & G lost the day to day 'hands on ' contact with club matters,apart from Ayres 'input', things reverted to type and Parry just went about things The Parry Way.

As I said initially, Parry works tirelessly for the club. However he is not the man for the job. Certainly not working with Benitez, or any other forward thinking manager, who knows the buck stops with him under the current structure.
As the public face of Liverpool Football Club, you couldn't meet a more insipid, grey, uninspiring man. He is the archetypal accountant, who's lack of personality and charisma is exactly what you would imagine it to be by his public image.


Quote
Quote from: shanklyboy on January 17, 2009, 08:28:27 PM
If I'm not mistaken, this is the 3rd draught of  Benitez’s contract. The obvious sticking point being the clarification of his responsibilities.
The contracts have been altered each time, but have obviously failed to meet with Rafa’s expectations. These contracts have been drawn up under the instructions laid down by H & G, but it's not clear if Parry has had any say in the structuring of responsibilities. I'd be very surprised if he did officially, but unofficially is a different matter.
However it wouldn't be a surprise if the final draughts had been presented to him at the same time as Benitez‘s advisers.

H & G know full well what Benitez is after, as does Rick Parry. Dragging this out and not ascending  to his demands through 3 draught contracts is being seen two ways. Firstly that  H & G have already decided what course of action to take but are adopting a softly softly approach to it all in order to buy themselves some time until they can sit down with all concerned at the end of January and iron things out in person. . This would have the added bonus of keeping a lid on a potential powder keg.

Secondly  that they have no clear idea of how this will be resolved and again, need to gauge the depth of feeling in person. This is the more worrying for obvious reasons. The role Rick Parry has was defined by H & G initially and the concern is that they should be able to take away what they gave in the first place. The reality is somewhat more complicated. Parry is a professional man of high standing in the game. Any changes to his remit are going to be met with reticence . Losing  credibility and having his power reduced would be seen as a direct criticism and not be accepted lightly.

However, Benitez is in that exact position now. His position as manager is under constant scrutiny and he feels unable to work to his full capacity and fulfill the demands placed upon him under the current work practices. This is seen as a slight on his professional ability.

All Benitez demands are to do with ensuring the success of Liverpool F.C and are in no way seen as  him trying to wrestle power for powers sake. Parry would argue the same case, but with less credibility as football matters are still seen within the club as taking precedence.

Parry and Benitez have tried to work together. They know  that a great many of the problems have been caused by H & G. However both know that allies are needed, given the ’voting structure’ being used at the club.
There is still a certain degree of mistrust about however.This plagued the early years of H & G reign and was compounded when it became apparent to Moores and Parry that debt was going to be levied on the club. The first cut is the deepest as they say.   

Either way there has to be compromise for this to be resolved. Whether that compromise is to be voluntary or enforced is unknown.

HTH.  8)
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Offline HarryLabrador

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1056 on: March 3, 2009, 10:59:54 am »
Good post Manifest.

For me if rafa goes, then that's it. Like you say, the club won't die, we won't stop supporting but I think I and probably a lot of others will resign themselves to the fact that from then on we'll be a spent force and mediocrity will rule until we get new owners in. It all seems a bit melodramatic but I can't help thinking it and I think that's why there is so much anxiety around at the moment and probably why there has been all season. It's like we're in the last chance saloon. The last chance to win the league before man utd catch us, the last chance for Rafa to make his job secure, last chance for the owners to sell up, last chance to get our house in order before the loan comes due, in fact last chance make something, anything out of the season before we're well and truly fucked.

It's all utter rubbish though, whatever happens LFC will always be here but every missed opportunity, every setback seems all the bigger and more insurmountable because of it. But then the triumphs and good times seem all the sweeter for it, which of course leads to even more depression when it seems we haven't capitalised on them. And everywhere people are looking and looking for something that either gives them hope or proves they were right to have lost it.

Come the beginning of next season, we'll have a better idea of where we are in terms of the owners and Rafa, and this feeling won't be so dominant and hopefully we'll be able to just get on with things without all this anxiety. We'll all be back at the altar of hope but I think our expectations will be tempered somewhat by the circumstances of the club.


Sad as it makes me, I agree with you RJ, and what an excellent insight from Shanklyboy, who in my opinion has grasped the true nature of our continued dire situation. To lose Rafa now would be utter disaster for the club as it is not rocket science to second guess the calibre of manager who would replace him. CTR, for months you have explained to us how Rafa has been our hero amongst the warring factions in the club, so why would Rafa's belief in the fans and for this club change so suddenly? For my tuppence worth, Rafa we know is a political animal, and truthfully, any manager without this characteristic would not survive the current LFC. Rafa to all of us appears to support Hicks, but I think for him to survive, this is what he thinks he has to do, and I am sure their relationship is nowhere as friendly as they would have us believe. They need each other for the moment. Hicks has these choices:

1 - He attracts an investor and can then buy out Gillett. This in my opinion is his preferred option. But should this happen, Hicks will have no use for Rafa or any other top class manager. This situation is what Hicks knows best, how to run a club hobbling and limping in the middle of the table season after season. Texas Rangers is one such example, and of course, Corinthians.

2 - He attracts a new buyer (he will of course still try to hold on to a small percentage of shares, if he can). As has been said many times, to attract a buyer, he needs Rafa at the helm for obvious reasons.
« Last Edit: March 3, 2009, 11:02:16 am by HarryLabrador »
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Offline 4-2-3-1

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1057 on: March 3, 2009, 11:02:30 am »
I heard some very worrying things tonight from someone who knows a few of the players.

Rafa has more enemies within the club than friends and that seems to go for a fair few of the players, cant vouch for how accurate it is, as it came from a young lad, and we all know how they can exaggerate, but his position does not seem that comfortable from what im hearing.

Would be interesting if Gedo and anyone else who has dealings with players could vouch for it or knock it away as a few trying to cause more trouble than there is?

Wouldn't surprise me at all. I love him, but he does seem to know how to piss people off.

Offline HarryLabrador

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1058 on: March 3, 2009, 11:06:20 am »
Wouldn't surprise me at all. I love him, but he does seem to know how to piss people off.

How many players would feel that way if they are not in the first team, in any top club? I'd hazzard a guess quite a few. Some fans seem to be heading down the road to self destruct what we have in a good manager. This kind of negative posting by fans is downright petty and not acceptable - only in my opinion.
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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1059 on: March 3, 2009, 11:10:44 am »
How many players would feel that way if they are not in the first team, in any top club? I'd hazzard a guess quite a few. Some fans seem to be heading down the road to self destruct what we have in a good manager. This kind of negative posting by fans is downright petty and not acceptable - only in my opinion.

whole heartedly agree.

some people seemed to have taken their eyes off the ball, and have put the ownership fuck up to the backs of their minds, to slag off the manager.

we have bigger problems than changing our manager because we haven't won the league yet.

we've come along way under Rafa, and a long way to go with him - but we need to get rid of those upstairs before we can carry on going in the right way.

I find it petty, and embarrassing reading some peoples personal vendetta against a man who has put his job on the line to publically tell us that we have big, problems.
You try going against you chairman or MD, and tell me who wins.

Just plain daft, to me.
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Offline 4-2-3-1

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1060 on: March 3, 2009, 11:24:19 am »
How many players would feel that way if they are not in the first team, in any top club? I'd hazzard a guess quite a few. Some fans seem to be heading down the road to self destruct what we have in a good manager. This kind of negative posting by fans is downright petty and not acceptable - only in my opinion.

It's not negative posting. It's simply alluding to the fact Benítez isn't perfect. Of course, If you are not playing or get bombed out you won't be complimentary towards him but he does have a habit of alienating people. I also think that there are regularly tit bits that senior players are not happy at the quality of certain players who are brought in and/or in the team squad on a regular basis. I'm not doubting the good he has done, he is working with one hand tied behind his back financially and since the Americans took over it's been ever harder for him for all sorts of reasons.

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1061 on: March 3, 2009, 11:30:26 am »
How's this for theory? 

Someone at the academy is pissed of at Rafa - likely most of them and someone - a coach says something to a young lad knowing it'll get out and in a city like Liverpool where rumours fly and there usually IS smoke WITHOUT fire, we get a young lad talking about a falling out between the manager and captain.
« Last Edit: March 3, 2009, 11:32:59 am by MolbysBigBelly »
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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1062 on: March 3, 2009, 11:48:12 am »
Manifest, I empathise with the feelings expressed in your post. I guess sometimes we come on these threads for no other reason than looking for the comfort of other supporters who feel as we do.
As for Rafa, for the first two years of his tenure here, I do not remember his being an overtly political animal - this despite Parry, with his mixed messages and inability to negotiate properly, almost losing us Gerrard. I don't get the impression that Rafa enjoys political battles - rather that he is feels forced to play them. I think he really would prefer to focus on coaching his players - it is football that is his dynamo, his obsession, not internal power-play. I asked in the other thread whether the banks would be aware that Rafa is integral to our CL runs, and whether therefore the banks would regard his leaving as a diminishment in the value of the club, and have just seen that the question is already answered here. Maybe it's not the players who are sweating on the contract negotiations, but the owners? In which case, Rafa please don't be in any hurry to sign it.

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1063 on: March 3, 2009, 12:29:55 pm »
Hicks has these choices:

1 - He attracts an investor and can then buy out Gillett. This in my opinion is his preferred option. But should this happen, Hicks will have no use for Rafa or any other top class manager. This situation is what Hicks knows best, how to run a club hobbling and limping in the middle of the table season after season. Texas Rangers is one such example, and of course, Corinthians.

2 - He attracts a new buyer (he will of course still try to hold on to a small percentage of shares, if he can). As has been said many times, to attract a buyer, he needs Rafa at the helm for obvious reasons.

Option 1 doesnt fly. Mid table equals no CL money, and a stadium that wont be full after a while. I was still quite young at the time, but I do rememebr that in previous dark days (Souness's time as manager), there was planty of empty seats at Anfield, never mind a new stadium, which is the only way money will be made out of the club. Corporates are even less loyal then real fans, and wont be filling his corporate boxes if were languishing in mid table.

Hopefully Hicks realises this.
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Offline HarryLabrador

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1064 on: March 3, 2009, 12:37:05 pm »
Option 1 doesnt fly. Mid table equals no CL money, and a stadium that wont be full after a while. I was still quite young at the time, but I do rememebr that in previous dark days (Souness's time as manager), there was planty of empty seats at Anfield, never mind a new stadium, which is the only way money will be made out of the club. Corporates are even less loyal then real fans, and wont be filling his corporate boxes if were languishing in mid table.

Hopefully Hicks realises this.

That is exactly his problem. Hicks does not and will never understand the way football works, but this is how he runs Texas Rangers where the stadium is barely half full but will eek out a reasonable return each season provided we are still in the PL, and he doesn't have to pay big wages. I am not saying, as you put it, that it wouldn't fly, just that it's the way he operates.
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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1065 on: March 3, 2009, 12:42:40 pm »
Anyone know how the Rangers' finances are looking at the moment? Attendance was down, I believe.

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1066 on: March 3, 2009, 12:51:22 pm »
We have to remember clubs in the US are run totally different. Wage caps, no relegation, little relaince on foreign supporters (who are probably more of the glory seeking type), no transfer fees, and probably others I dont know about.
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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1067 on: March 3, 2009, 12:59:01 pm »
Anyone know how the Rangers' finances are looking at the moment? Attendance was down, I believe.

I'm not sure if that really translates to the UK.  They could put up season ticket prices 15% and we will still have a fairly long season ticket waiting list.

No matter how badly we are doing we will be full pretty much every home weekend league game and all Champions League games.

TV money is holding up - in a recession its not an area where people traditionally cut back until most other cost-cutting avenues have been used up.

And even if we lost a couple of star players we would still be a very very good bet for Champions League football.  If Torres had not played all season we wouldnt be miles behind where we are now, and probably would still finish Top 4. 

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1068 on: March 3, 2009, 01:08:18 pm »
Anyone know how the Rangers' finances are looking at the moment? Attendance was down, I believe.

This I know about Texas Rangers. Their Capacity is 49,178 and for the last 5 years, here are the annual attendance figures:

                                               2004  -  31,818
 
                                               2005  -  31,480
 
                                               2006  -  29,490
 
                                               2007  -  29,795
 
                                               2008  -  24,320
 
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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1069 on: March 3, 2009, 01:23:31 pm »
Ahhh but they'll come back when the Rangers start winning.

 
Quote
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/baseball/rangers/stories/022609dnsporanglede.3ee0eda.html

Owner Tom Hicks happy with his Texas Rangers


12:34 AM CST on Thursday, February 26, 2009
By JEFF WILSON / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News


SURPRISE, Ariz. – Tom Hicks monitored his sports empire pitch to pitch Wednesday during his first appearance this year at spring training.

His Rangers opened the exhibition schedule with a few decent pitching performances during a 12-7 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

At the same time, the soccer team he owns, Liverpool FC, squeaked out a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on a pitch in Spain.

A perennial optimist about the Rangers, Hicks believes they have struck on a key to turning around the worst pitching staff in baseball last season. It starts with the new pitching coach brought in by team president Nolan Ryan.

"From the reports I'm hearing, I think our best off-season signing was Mike Maddux," Hicks said. "His approach and Nolan's approach to pitching is such an important psychological shift.

"You can't always fall behind the excuse that we're in a hitting-friendly ballpark. You just have to pitch."


The Rangers have had one winning season this decade. Does that drive you nuts?

I feel better about where the organization is overall today than I have since I've been owner – starting with Nolan and his leadership. I feel strongly that Nolan and [general manager] Jon Daniels offers a unique combination. You've got Jon's ability to think outside the box, and Nolan's got all the experience. I think we're in the right place. I give Jon a lot of credit for the resurgence of our minorleague system.

The Rangers' farm system is ranked No. 1 by Baseball America. How much patience do you have until the prospects start producing at the big league level?

Pitching is the biggest potential risk in baseball. I think what you saw this year was a lot of mediocre free agents we didn't want clogging up our spots. I think you'd like none of your kids to come too soon, but you know some of them are coming.

How disappointing was it when Ben Sheets failed his physical and a deal to bring him to the Rangers fell through?

He had a pedigree that there were concerns. That's why he was available. He loves our organization. He loves Nolan. He loves the city. Hopefully, when he's healthy he'll still love all those things.

Do the lines of communication remain open?

Sure, within the rules of baseball.

Ticket sales are down around baseball. What are the Rangers experiencing?

Everybody's feeling the economy. We're going to be off, but a lot of people are going to be off. We hope we get off to a great start and have our walk-up recover some of that. The movie companies are doing better than most people. It's a cheap escape. The Rangers aren't as inexpensive as going to the movies, but there are low-cost options for people to bring their families.


Do you think attendance will rise if the Rangers start to win?

Absolutely. When the organization starts winning, our fans are great. They come back. We've got to do our part first


Will President Bush be in attendance this season now that he lives in Dallas?

We've reinforced the owner's suite with Kevlar and made room for the Secret Service. He's got an open invitation.

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1070 on: March 3, 2009, 01:35:59 pm »
Attendance won't hold up if Liverpool slump to mediocrity - sure the die-hard and local fan will stick around, but the irony is, these are not the fans Hicks wants. There is a limit to how much he can squeeze out of you. You're not going to spend well in the shop. You are not going to take the tour. You are not visiting on an expensive Thomas Cook package. He brought in Ian Ayre precisely because he identified the under-selling of LFC to OOTs/far east etc as a way of extracting vastly increased revenue. This is precisely the fan (I won't use the word supporter) and the money that will fall away with a mid-position finish for a year or two.

(Thanks for the stuff, Harry and RedJam. I was kind of betting on you two coming up with the info.)

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1071 on: March 4, 2009, 12:02:22 am »
I dont think Rafa wants to go and I dont think that he is seeking a way-out by stalling over the contract.

What I do think is that Rafa sees this moment as a unique, once-only chance to get the kind of contract he has always wanted (and had been led to believe would be the case the first time round).

Rafa knows that Hicks is desperate for him to stay on, as his (Rafa's) presence at the club adds millions to our value.  As I stated in a previous post, financiers arent interested in trophies won as much as cash generated, and the current cash cow in world football is the Champions League.  And no one can deny that Rafa's record in the Champions League is quite exceptional.  he has earned the club millions through Champions League football.

And, remember, taht RBS will value Rafa's presence as highly as any potential investor.  Which means that if Hicks wants to extend the loan in the summer, its vitally important to him that Rafa is still manager (and preferably on a long contract) as that is means it more likley that Liverpool will continue to over-perform in Europe and be able to service the loan.

Simply put, without Rafa's European expertise over the last 3 to 4 years, Liverpool would be in far mroe serious trouble than we are now.

Rafa knows this and is using the time between now and refinancing to say "OK, if you want me as manager when you come to refinance (or sell) then give me what I want (and what Ferguson, Wenger have)."

I think he does want to stay but he realises that if he is going to say it can only be without the frustrations he has encountered in the past and now is the best chance to be rid of them.

IMHO this is what accounts for the delay: his concern is that if he was given a nice, juicy contract now in order to help a refinancing deal and then he found that promises were subsequently reneged on as they were not explicit in the contract.  Hence his detrmination that verbal promises are realised as actual contractual stipulations.

Us losing in the league has not the slightest impact on anything.  No one expects us to win the League and frankly the banks dont really care.  Our match against Standard Liege was the most important of the season as far asthe banks are concnered (and who is to say they are wrong?)

Excellent points there mate.
Hopefully plenty of people will read and digest what you have said and have a better level of understanding than has been shown in many media fuelled posts.
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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1072 on: March 4, 2009, 12:23:15 am »
I'm not sure if that really translates to the UK.  They could put up season ticket prices 15% and we will still have a fairly long season ticket waiting list.

No matter how badly we are doing we will be full pretty much every home weekend league game and all Champions League games.

TV money is holding up - in a recession its not an area where people traditionally cut back until most other cost-cutting avenues have been used up.

And even if we lost a couple of star players we would still be a very very good bet for Champions League football.  If Torres had not played all season we wouldnt be miles behind where we are now, and probably would still finish Top 4. 

Disagree on the attendance holding up after a couple of years of mid tableness, and more importantly if we lost a couple of star players that we would stay in the top 4.
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Offline redscotch

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1073 on: March 4, 2009, 12:49:59 am »
I dont think Rafa wants to go and I dont think that he is seeking a way-out by stalling over the contract.

What I do think is that Rafa sees this moment as a unique, once-only chance to get the kind of contract he has always wanted (and had been led to believe would be the case the first time round).

Rafa knows that Hicks is desperate for him to stay on, as his (Rafa's) presence at the club adds millions to our value.  As I stated in a previous post, financiers arent interested in trophies won as much as cash generated, and the current cash cow in world football is the Champions League.  And no one can deny that Rafa's record in the Champions League is quite exceptional.  he has earned the club millions through.......

Some good points here about Rafa, WR.
Won't quote the whole post.
You can't blame Rafa for trying it after the shit he's had to put up with off the pitch.

But if Rafa gets too clever, Tom Hicks and certainly Gillett, will bin him off without blinking.

They both know Rafa can deliver them a top four finish. They need that.
Hicks also publicly wants Rafa in charge to gain support with the fans whilst he and Gillett continue to cripple the club.

A lot of fans are now having major doubts, rightly or wrongly, over Rafa.

If it got him more popularity with the fans, Hicks would replace Rafa with Mourinho (for example) tomorrow.
IMHO. It wouldn't alter much for him.
He'd still have a manager that would get the club a top four finish and there'd still be investors interested with Mourinho (for example) as manager.

They're ruthless and poison for this club.

So Rafa has to play this very carefully.

Offline guyko21

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1074 on: March 4, 2009, 02:16:33 am »
A lot of fans are now having major doubts, rightly or wrongly, over Rafa.

If it got him more popularity with the fans, Hicks would replace Rafa with Mourinho (for example) tomorrow.
IMHO. It wouldn't alter much for him.
He'd still have a manager that would get the club a top four finish and there'd still be investors interested with Mourinho (for example) as manager.

They're ruthless and poison for this club.

So Rafa has to play this very carefully.
I doubt if Mourinho would touch this football club with a barge pole in its current state. 

As for doubting Rafa, sure he isn't perfect but nor is any manager.  Many of the qualities that make a great manager, are the very ones that some very ill-informed and ignorant fans are slating Rafa for. 

Personally I think Rafa could have done a bit better with us in the League.  By that I mean he's capable of having helped deliver more, especially this season.  However, a reality check makes it very clear that without his European expertize we would be financially in far worse shape than we already are.  Add to that, we simply haven't been able to compete with the mancs and Chelsea for many years. 

To those calling for his head ... be careful what you wish for.  Rafa has been working with one hand tied behind his back, and is still probably our best hope.  Besides, we are the envy of nearly all clubs when it comes to Europe. 

Offline No666

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1075 on: March 4, 2009, 08:51:32 am »
I agree guyko - I think our owners, their rift, their lack of cash, the underhand way they sounded out Klinsmann and then kept in touch with him to advise them on Rafa, would make any top manager think twice about coming here.

Offline rocco

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1076 on: March 4, 2009, 08:55:01 am »
I doubt if Mourinho would touch this football club with a barge pole in its current state. 


Imo he would jump at the chance ...

Offline WaltonRed

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1077 on: March 4, 2009, 09:05:04 am »
Imo he would jump at the chance ...

Why would he?

He would have to take a pay cut for a start.  He would be working at a massive financial disadvantage.  At Inter Milan he is managing the Champions and has as much money at his disposal as his rivals.  At Liverpool he will find that we are massively behind United financially, we havent won the League in years, we have dysfunctional owners, the club desperately needs a new stadium it will not get. . .

If he was sacked from Inter and hadnt had a job for a couple fo years, I could see it possibly.

But there is no way on earth he would leave the Italian Champions to take a job that is many times harder for a lot less money.

Offline west_london_red

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1078 on: March 4, 2009, 09:21:40 am »
Why would he?

He would have to take a pay cut for a start.  He would be working at a massive financial disadvantage.  At Inter Milan he is managing the Champions and has as much money at his disposal as his rivals.  At Liverpool he will find that we are massively behind United financially, we havent won the League in years, we have dysfunctional owners, the club desperately needs a new stadium it will not get. . .

If he was sacked from Inter and hadnt had a job for a couple fo years, I could see it possibly.

But there is no way on earth he would leave the Italian Champions to take a job that is many times harder for a lot less money.

Totally rational. unfortunatly it will have no affect on the RAWK-Mouriniho fan club who seem to think he will single handedly turn us in to league champions.
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Offline the jesus

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Re: Wheres Rafa''s new contract?
« Reply #1079 on: March 4, 2009, 04:17:09 pm »
Totally rational. unfortunatly it will have no affect on the RAWK-Mouriniho fan club who seem to think he will single handedly turn us in to league champions.

Don't forget the sexy Mourinio football, that Rafa is too boring don't you know.
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