Topic: Purslow

[Hannibal]

Rafa took responsibility for his mistakes and got the sack.  So why is Purslow still here?  Appointing Roy, backing player power instead of the manager plus all the underhanded shite he did from Al 555's post, shouldn't he take responsibility for his actions?

[TravisBickle]

 Purslow is a prick of monumental proportions.

 He always was and always will be. Off you go, lad.

[Promised to never post on RAWK again]

Name the mistakes he made 'throughout his reign'.

Rafa did make mistakes during his reign (most notably, that awful transfer window in the summer of 2008), but Cecil was the last person on the face of the Earth to correct those mistakes ... Purslow's footballing knowledge is evidently very limited, and he is put in a position to make the most important decisions at the club ... The outcome was inevitably a disaster ...

[Keens]

Rafa has admitted to mistakes, Purslow Not!

[Dr Cornwallis]

Thanks Harry, much appreciated.

Also saw this regarding the initial appointment of Kenny in Jul 2009.

Liverpool’s managing director Christian Purslow said: “In our very first meeting, Rafa and I agreed we wanted to try and bring Kenny back to the club to help Rafa really drive forward our academy, which is at the heart of our plans for the future. We are delighted he has agreed to join us and I am sure he will be successful in his new role back at the club.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/5735641/Kenny-Dalglish-back-at-Liverpool-with-Rafael-Benitezs-blessing.html

Has anyone ever seen a quote from Benitez to say how happy he was with Kenny coming on board?

Another piece prior to his appointment.  Yet again, not a single quote from Rafa.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2009/04/18/rafa-benitez-wants-kenny-dalglish-back-at-liverpool-fc-100252-23414355/


So, Purslow gets Dalglish in to placate Gerrard and Carragher.
Liverpool season wobbles, injuries everywhere.
Pressure on Rafa, Dalglish linked.
Meanwhile, Purslow is already tapping on Hodgson's shoulder.
Dalglish sees this and gets worried.
Purslow asks Kenny to let them know what he thinks of their shortlist.
Kenny's jaw drops, and he feels compelled to put himself forward.
Alarmed by his passion, Purslow talks Kenny down and then plans a backroom role where he can't cause trouble.
Purslow appoints Hodgson before season ends.
Purslow tells Kenny that Rafa was threatened by his presence, this is why he quit.

Anyone buying into my timeline?

[Visigoth33]

I can understand Rafa's grief with Purslow but at the end of the day,Rafa gave him & the 2 leeches a chance to act after last season's performance.if Rafa had won the league during his time here, the fans would have Purslow on a plate if Rafa wanted it. Purslow deluded himself by the sudden wave of power given to him by the 2 clowns and got involved too much with the footballing side of things.At the end of the day,both of them should just move on and stop pointing fingers at each other.

[Obviously]

Purslow should leave, and it doesn't really matter what part he played in selling the club. He's been here since the club went from 2nd to 7th, and now we're 19th. We should start fresh with a new managing director and manager, and we should appoint people that actually has a clue about football.

Paul Tomkins tweeted this:

"A lot of people in the know say Purslow was behind loaning out Insua & Aquilani. Ideas above his station? Stick to non-football stuff?"

If this is true there is no doubt he has to go. I think Purslows a snake, and we need to get rid asap.

[Carlito Roberto]

Rafa paving the way for his return in the hope the new owners take heed and get rid of Purslow?

[koptician]

has this been posted? Obviously if everything was changed without Rafa's consent Purslow basically pulled the rug from underneath him:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/9107108.stm

[Breitner]

Name the mistakes he made 'throughout his reign'.
Not having a pop mate, just asking you to name me 5 mistakes he made.

If you were being objective enough you should be able to remember plenty. I'm sure most will argue otherwise but for me personally his almost stubborn like trust in certain players and tactics, handling of Alonso and revolving door transfer policy were all hugely negative parts of his reign. But again, no manager or CEO is perfect, so to blame one or the other for all our ills just doesn't tell the whole story.

[koptician]

If you were being objective enough you should be able to remember plenty. I'm sure most will argue otherwise but for me personally his almost stubborn like trust in certain players and tactics, handling of Alonso and revolving door transfer policy were all big negative parts of his reign. But again, no manager or CEO is perfect, so to blame one or the other for all our ills just doesn't tell the whole story.

Every great, successful manager is stubborn, rightly or wrongly, it seems a trait of greatness. Do you not think if he had proper funds he wouldn't be doing this so-called revolving door policy?  He'd get proper quality and stick to it. The Alonso thing is so overdone...say if Alonso wasn't "agitated" by Rafa, and continued his mediocre run and we never end up having the 2nd place season, then you'd be saying why is Rafa still sticking with Alonso etc etc.  He tried to shake his cobwebs off and it worked for a season.  Damned if you do and damned if you don't

[Dr Cornwallis]

Rafa did make mistakes during his reign (most notably, that awful transfer window in the summer of 2008)

27 DF  Philipp Degen  Borussia Dortmund Free[3] 03-07-2008
2 DF  Andrea Dossena  Udinese Ł7 million 04-07-2008
1 GK  Diego Cavalieri  Palmeiras Ł3 million 11-07-2008
24 FW  David N'Gog  Paris Saint-Germain Ł1.5 million 24-07-2008
7 FW  Robbie Keane  Tottenham Hotspur Ł19.3 million[4][5] 28-07-2008
TBA FW  Vítor Flora  Botafogo Free 01-09-2008
42 GK  Péter Gulácsi  MTK undisclosed 01-09-2008
11 MF  Albert Riera  Espanyol Ł8 million[6] 01-09-2008

In some ways, yes it looks awful.  But on paper it shouldn't have turned out that way.  You can't class such things as 'mistakes', Degen was a free but very obviously is going to retire early.
Dossena was a good buy, but just never settled into England, nevermind settling into Liverpool.  Players can say one thing in the interview, but the reality of grey November days is the real litmus test, and he didn't like it and he put weight on too easy, but our training wasn't long enough for him to keep in shape.
Mistake?  Not really is it?  Every player is a gamble, we gambled on an Italian international making it in his country, it SHOULD work on paper.
Cavalieri was solid enough.
Keane, ok, I'll put that one down as a mistake but I'm reluctant to because there are reams of rumours as to who bought him and why he was sold.  But you can have that one.
Flora and Gulasci, youth.
NGog, great buy.
Riera, outstanding buy, loved him.  But he went wrong, started believing his own hype when he got his Spain caps.  Can't blame Rafa for that.


In terms of sales...

 GK  Scott Carson  West Bromwich Albion Ł3.25 million[7] 18-07-2008
15 FW  Peter Crouch  Portsmouth Ł11 million[8] 11-07-2008
3 MF  Steve Finnan  Espanyol Undisclosed 01-09-2008
– MF  Danny Guthrie  Newcastle United Ł2.25 million 11-07-2008
7 FW  Robbie Keane  Tottenham Hotspur Ł12 million[9] 02-02-2009
7 MF  Harry Kewell  Galatasaray Free[10] 05-07-2008
6 DF  John Arne Riise  Roma Ł4 million[11] 01-07-2008
– FW  Anthony Le Tallec  Le Mans[12] Ł1.1 million 02-07-2008

Carson, meh, what's he doing now? 
Crouch, word is that he wasn't happy playing second fiddle to Torres and was offered a bit more money to play second fiddle to Defoe at Spurs.  Crouch was also a lippy so and so, he liked a back-page when things didn't suit him.  Rafa said he wouldn't be sold for less than Ł15m.  The board sold him for Ł11m. 
Finnan.  Pass.  In hindsight it would have been good to keep him, but not sure what the final reason for his leaving was, probably not offered a new contract but then again who knows how much we were being squeezed to cut wages?
Guthrie?  Again, you don't know if he wanted to leave or not, but the lad was competing for a place with Alonso, Masch, Lucas and Spearing.
Keane?  Pass.
Kewell?  Had to go in the end, just as Aurelio had to go last season, you cannot build a team with players who spend so much time injured, it's a nonsense.
Riise?  It felt like the right time for a change, things just didn't seem to be working down the left side and Riise had come in for much criticism in the previous season.
Le Tallec?  Hmmm.

[HarryLabrador]

Anyone buying into my timeline?

[hoonin]

He didn't blame purslow for everything though did he , he basically said he was a major contributing factor. He has also admitted before that "We made many mistakes"

I know mate.

Thing is, it's the same mono brain cell dullards on here arguing the same old shite because they just cant stop. Utterly f’ing tedious to be truthful.

I don’t have the same opinions as Breitner on a few things, but enjoy his posts because a) it doesn’t come off the back of spewing endless dribble over and over again; b) he talks sense and keeps it short and to the point.

[Ginamos]

Purslow tells Kenny that Rafa was threatened by his presence, this is why he quit.

It's the first I've ever seen that allegation made.

Source, or is this ITK stuff.

[Dr Cornwallis]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8012611.stm

"I am really pleased to have Kenny as a part of the staff," said Benitez. "We were looking for someone who has a knowledge and a passion for the club and Kenny is the perfect choice.   If you're looking for somebody to go around the world on behalf of the club then I don't know anybody better than Kenny.  When you talk to him about players and football systems it's clear he has a lot of experience. That's good for the club and also for the young players coming through.  We are changing things at the academy, we are bringing in new ideas and new people but we're keeping the spirit and the heart of the club.  Kenny has played for the club, he's managed the club, he's done everything. He's a fantastic signing."

Why does it look like it's turning to a Kenny vs Rafa, I really don't like where this is going.  Are some people trying to divert attention away from Cecil and Roy ? (btw, not accusing anyone and in particular the poster I'm quoting)

Good find, thanks.
Now, why was the guy we send around the world scouting for kids being asked to preside over the managerial selection after Rafa's sacking?
I wasn't have a pop at Kenny, he's 100% committed to this club, but I'm super-paranoid about the way Purslow has manipulated him while he's been here.
As for Rafa's quotes, what else could he say?  That he doesn't want Kenny on board helping out?  Of course he does, but on HIS terms and not those directed to him by Purslow.

[Dr Cornwallis]

It's the first I've ever seen that allegation made.

Source, or is this ITK stuff.

No, it's bollocks made up by me.  I'm just looking at what was said and trying to marry them up with what happened.
Why would Kenny, Rafas mate, come out and say it would be 'good for the club' for Rafa to leave?
It doesn't make much sense.

[Liverbird 2010]

Wheres this shit from that Purslow wanted Roy in January FOL.

Get them both out now before they kill this club forever 

[Diomedieocre]

So, Purslow gets Dalglish in to placate Gerrard and Carragher.
Liverpool season wobbles, injuries everywhere.
Pressure on Rafa, Dalglish linked.
Meanwhile, Purslow is already tapping on Hodgson's shoulder.
Dalglish sees this and gets worried.
Purslow asks Kenny to let them know what he thinks of their shortlist.
Kenny's jaw drops, and he feels compelled to put himself forward.
Alarmed by his passion, Purslow talks Kenny down and then plans a backroom role where he can't cause trouble.
Purslow appoints Hodgson before season ends.
Purslow tells Kenny that Rafa was threatened by his presence, this is why he quit.

Anyone buying into my timeline?

I`ll give 20p for 50%.

[Myshkin]

No, it's bollocks made up by me.  I'm just looking at what was said and trying to marry them up with what happened.
Why would Kenny, Rafas mate, come out and say it would be 'good for the club' for Rafa to leave?
It doesn't make much sense.

Maybe Kenny thought something had to give, and thought Benitez leaving was easier/better. I'm not sure if he thought it would all come to this though.

[Asheroo]

He is clearly a knee jerk fan and believes the shit he reads in the press about us. We need somebody who ignores this crap and rises above it .

[pistolpete]

No, it's bollocks made up by me.  I'm just looking at what was said and trying to marry them up with what happened.
Why would Kenny, Rafas mate, come out and say it would be 'good for the club' for Rafa to leave?
It doesn't make much sense.

Maybe Kenny knows it would be better for Rafa to be posted overseas for a short time whilst the club is sold/carra's legs expire....just no-one really expected for it happen this quickly.

[Obviously]

Good find, thanks.
Now, why was the guy we send around the world scouting for kids being asked to preside over the managerial selection after Rafa's sacking?
I wasn't have a pop at Kenny, he's 100% committed to this club, but I'm super-paranoid about the way Purslow has manipulated him while he's been here.
As for Rafa's quotes, what else could he say?  That he doesn't want Kenny on board helping out?  Of course he does, but on HIS terms and not those directed to him by Purslow.

I think both Purslow and Hodgson needs to go to be honest. They are both whats left of a failed regime, and we need a fresh start. None of them has anything positive to contribute with to this football club. They are both bigging themselves up, making themselves better and more important than they really are, but most impotantly they are both out of their depth.

Purslow is a financial guy without a clue on how to run a football club. He was brought in to get investment, and now the club is sold so there is no need for him. He's interfering in aspects of the club where he shouldn't be, like sacking and hiring managers.

Hodgson is a decent manager, but he hasn't got a clue on how to build a top team. It's easy to see that he's out of his depth here. Hodgson was only hired because of Purslows incompetence, and should never have been hired in the first place.

[alex.]

Purslow is a prick of monumental proportions.

He always was and always will be. Off you go, lad.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Some were calling him a legend last week hahaha!

[Cid]

Name the mistakes he made 'throughout his reign'.
Not having a pop mate, just asking you to name me 5 mistakes he made.

Fucking hell, Rafa's legend just keeps on growing.  He made plenty of mistakes and if you can't think of 5 off the top of your head you haven't been paying attention.  Other people made mistakes too, Purslow being one of them, and the yanks being by far the most damaging, which I guess in the end falls on Parry and Moores.

Not a single man at this club can claim a shining record over the last few years but Purslow, Rafa, Ayres and Broughton are the ones responsible for finally shedding us of the 2 leaches and they deserve respect for that.  How come when you lot are on the Purslow hate bandwagon you always ignore the fact that it was a 5 man board who made the decision? You don't know how the vote went and you never will, so you make assumptions to fit how you want to see things.

If you ask me Purslow's biggest mistake was not the sacking of Rafa (which he is only partially responsible for in any case), it was the hiring of Hodgson when other candidates were out there, Kenny and Pellegrini being only two that we know wanted the job.

[manifest]

Sorry mate, while I agree that Rafa is clearly not blameless I don'y buy that last bit.  There is discontent in every dressing room, there is always a player who thinks we should be playing differently, he should be playing more, or even that he should be paid more than another player.  That's everyday life in football, the thing is any decent MD of a football club when faced with snitching players of that nature would tell them to get the fuck back to training and take it up with the manager if they had a problem.  It seems that Purslow through inexperience and perhaps even through being overawed as a fan suddenly faced by people he considers to be legends has started to listen to them and pander to their concerns.  As soon as he does that the club is fucked, regardless of who the manager is. 

If this is true, and the evidence seems damning then Purslow has to go and soon.

Yes, I think this is what happened. 

[filopastry]

I recall Tony Barrett saying that Kenny and Purslow were actually very close, back around the time that Rafa "left by mutual consent"

In any case the club needs to move on and put the divisions of the last few seasons in the past and there's no doubt that there will be a few casualties as that process goes on.

Purslow going is a no-brainer though, he doesn't actually have any of the background in football required to lead the club going forwards, his one managerial appointment has been an unmitigated disaster and "his" first transfer window wasn't the most sensible I've ever seen sensible I've ever seen for a club which had no money.

Best we get rid and move on before deciding on the next manager

[No666]

Is Rafa now saying he preferred working with Parry?

[filopastry]

Is Rafa now saying he preferred working with Parry?

I think he said that in the Irish Independent interview a few weeks ago

[Songs to Sing]

Why did purslow interfere with footballing matters? by his own admission his area of expertise is in finance, so why the fuck did he sack our best manager in over 2 decades? he was in no position to appoint a manager, which hodgsons shitness proves. fucking c*nt

[Jayo10]

Christ almighty, the Benitez worshipping on here is trully scary and worrying.

I am terrified that Henry will bow to fan pressure and reappoint Rafa in the next couple of years.

Istanbul was a memorable time in our history but we have got to get over the past and move on. Seriously.

Whatever happened to the most knowledgable fans in football? It seems any slight on Rafa is met with some abuse about media vendettas and figures of net spend per year which although they may be true, fail to disguise the fact that we have had some terrible dealings in the transfer market under Rafa.

And as bad a good old Hodgson does, it will only make Rafa's star grow higher. Move on already.

[Ryan M]

Just seen the comments on SSN, his tone of voice and characteristics are coming from the heart. When he complained of Alex Fergusons role with the Premier League and FA it seemed more balanced and under control. You can see Rafa is upset. The 'some players' quote has me wondering if the rumours of players forcing him out might be true, also the falling out of current players. Discussing '9 players', seems like the contract agreements were not being corresponded with.
Hopefully everyone can move on and let the new owners organise their structure. I'm gutted Rafa went but it's time to move on.

[m4ttc]

Again, what was Gerrard, Carra and Torres' role in Rafa leaving?  From listening to Carra alone he clearly thought it was time for a change and I would guess that the captain was the same.

If this was the case, I am sure they'd have been in Purslow's ear

[Breitner]

Just seen it myself, he looked quite angry and emotional. Maybe he feels he's got unfinished business here but I was always told never to go back in football as it's almost impossible to live up to the past.

[Arthurs Bar]

Now it starts to come out. Finally their is some conclusion to what actually happened. We all had an idea but now Rafa has spoke. Purslow who a lot on here where singing the praises of last week in the sale of the club gets shown for exactly what he is, a back stabbing snake in the grass tw*t.  Rafa mentioned players that Purslow was speaking with (Gerrard and Carra) and he undermined the manager by giving them a voice, a powerful one at that and so Purslow went to work. His previous employers got wind of this and he contributed to get rid of Rafa because his bosses would approve. As soon as the fans turned on him he turned on the Yanks, whatever way the wind blows eh? Tw*t.

Now no manager is perfect because the Alonso situation and some bad buys didn't help us last year but we all knew their was something more to it. Anfield stank and it came from the top, then Purslow and now the players speaking to him. Get rid of all of them. I mean that, get rid of all those back stabbing tw*s and lets get the club back to what it was. I feel so distant from our club now because of all these peoples' actions, not our way.

[Jayo10]

Fucking hell, Rafa's legend just keeps on growing.  He made plenty of mistakes and if you can't think of 5 off the top of your head you haven't been paying attention.  Other people made mistakes too, Purslow being one of them, and the yanks being by far the most damaging, which I guess in the end falls on Parry and Moores.

Not a single man at this club can claim a shining record over the last few years but Purslow, Rafa, Ayres and Broughton are the ones responsible for finally shedding us of the 2 leaches and they deserve respect for that.  How come when you lot are on the Purslow hate bandwagon you always ignore the fact that it was a 5 man board who made the decision? You don't know how the vote went and you never will, so you make assumptions to fit how you want to see things.

If you ask me Purslow's biggest mistake was not the sacking of Rafa (which he is only partially responsible for in any case), it was the hiring of Hodgson when other candidates were out there, Kenny and Pellegrini being only two that we know wanted the job.

a very well articulated post.

The bile being thrown around about Purslow is crazy. How the hell does anyone know he was single handedly responsible for Rafa's sacking??? The jugdgement of some on here needs to be questioned anyways bearing in mind the rubbish posted about those who are now being thanked for their work in screwing over G+H.

It was pretty well known that Purslow and Kenny were pretty close around that time too. By using your own logic in thinking Purslow is solely responsible for disposing of Rafa, surely he must have looked to Kenny for advice on footballing matters? Does this mean Kenny should be subjected to the crap Purslow has endured? For all you know, Kenny could have deemed it the right move.

But no Purlsow pulled the plug on Rafa's reign all by himself.

F*ckin laughable on here

[Arthurs Bar]

a very well articulated post.

The bile being thrown around about Purslow is crazy. How the hell does anyone know he was single handedly responsible for Rafa's sacking??? The jugdgement of some on here needs to be questioned anyways bearing in mind the rubbish posted about those who are now being thanked for their work in screwing over G+H.

It was pretty well known that Purslow and Kenny were pretty close around that time too. By using your own logic in thinking Purslow is solely responsible for disposing of Rafa, surely he must have looked to Kenny for advice on footballing matters? Does this mean Kenny should be subjected to the crap Purslow has endured? For all you know, Kenny could have deemed it the right move.

But no Purlsow pulled the plug on Rafa's reign all by himself.

F*ckin laughable on here

Because he undermined the manager by speaking with the players (Gerrard and Carra...we all had knowledge of that and Rafa has confirmed it), giving them power that no players should ever have. Remember he was hired by the Yanks and the Yanks wanted Rafa gone. Purslow couldn't wait to get back to them and spill the beans. Not laughable on here anymore.

[Jayo10]

To be extremely blunt, Rafa has had problems with authority many times in his managerial career.

At Valencia, he wanted more control than he was given. bear in mind, he had alot of success when he was in essence just a coach working under a sporting director.

He had problem with Rick Parry, who has also been vilified on here. Now he airs his beef with Purslow when he is the f*ckin Inter manager. Theres a pattern there. And most fans take his side come hell or high water.

Of course he is always careful to mention "the wonderful Liverpool fans" as sort of a disclaimer, so the majority on here still pander to him.

[rafabenihill]

purslow is like the knight who slayed the dragon and rescued the princess..
now he's come to marry her but it turns out he's really darth vader who's back stabbed our han solo..
the million dollar question then is who is actually the milkman?

[paulrazor]

purslow is like the knight who slayed the dragon and rescued the princess..
now he's come to marry her but it turns out he's really darth vader who's back stabbed our han solo..
the million dollar question then is who is actually the milkman?

pat mustard