This post is a direct rebuttal to the spurious blind-faith and misrepresentation of the facts displayed in the 'Why Rafa Could Quit' article, posted on ThisIsAnfield yesterday.
Since the article was published, I've had people:
1. Emailing me telling me to read it and respond/slagging me off for not posting stuff along the same lines.
2. Posting comments on this site telling me I'm 'not a real fan' and that the article represents 'what a real fans should be thinking'
3. Slagging me off in the TIA discussion thread.
As a fan who represents a different POV, I feel compelled to address certain points from the article, which I believe is a complete misrepresentation of the reality of the situation.
The author is, of course, entitled to his view, and the article is well-written, compelling and persuasive. However, the article suggests that anyone who does not blindly believe the arguments being put forward is not a real fan.
There is always more than one view though, and I submit that blind faith - or glossing over the reality in a misguided display of apparent support - is far more damaging that actually telling the truth.
Excerpts from the article are in bold:
After a lifetime living and working in Spain, after guiding Valencia to the most successful period in their history with a first title in 31 years followed up by a La Liga and UEFA Cup double, you choose to leave your home country behind to come to England and manage Liverpool.
Chose to leave? More like walked out on Valencia because he couldn't get his own way. Sound familiar? At the time, Benitez stated:
"I want to see it as positive that the club has tried to keep me on, but after the events of this season which have undermined my morale I have decided to reconsider my future at the club".
Events this season that have 'undermined his morale'? i.e he didn't get his own way. Benitez is stubborn and autocratic; if he doesn't get *everything he wants* without question, he is not happy. Liverpool has found this out many times.
Valencia president Jaime Orti had this to say about Benitez's departure:
"Valencia not only did everything possible to ensure Raga Benitez stayed on for the remaining year of his contract but also tried to get him to extend his deal with the club."
When Benitez (almost inevitably) walks out on Liverpool, I doubt the author of the article will be saying he 'chose' to go to a new club. It will more likely be 'Rafa was forced out by the owners/not backed financially' or some other untrue cliché.
You make that decision despite other, more lucrative offers lying on the table back in June 2004 – from Spurs, Inter Milan and Besiktas.
How does the author know that the offers were more lucrative? Did he have access to the employment contracts each club offered Benitez?
For five years you live and work in a foreign country, putting your heart and soul into the manager’s job.
Poor Rafa. Let’s all get our violins out because a highly-paid manager has to endure five years at the helm of the most successful British football club of all time. He SHOULD be putting his heart and soul into the job; that is the MINIMUM requirement expected of a Liverpool manager.
At a football club where resources don’t match the expectations.
Benitez has had over 230m to spend since he arrived, and that is not including the undisclosed fees paid for dozens of youngsters; the money for signing-on fees and salaries; money for re-signing existing players; money wasted on players warming the bench.
The notion that Benitez has not had the ‘resources’ is completely inaccurate:
20m on Torres
20m on Keane
20m on Aquilani
18.6m on Mascherano
17m on Johnson
16m on Dossena and Riera
11m on Babel
10.5m on Alonso
And that’s just a small selection.
You master a new language, work up to 22-hour days, change players’ diets and training methods and even enjoy an infamous drink in Germany with Liverpool fans.
What is your point? It’s Benitez’s job to master the language. That’s what he is paid for, is it not? I suppose we should give him effusive credit for driving across Liverpool to Anfield every day too?!
Benitez CHOSE to join Liverpool; no one twisted his arm. And working 22 hours a day?! Even if that was true (which I don’t believe it is), no one forced him to work those hours. Perhaps if Benitez worked smarter instead of longer, Liverpool might have benefited.
You left one job where directors refused to sign players you wanted and interfered with transfer dealings…and walked into another one with similar problems.
You conveniently gloss over the fact that Benitez has had problems with the Boards/Directors at many of the clubs he’s managed. He was dismissed abruptly by both Osasuna and Real Valladolid; he had well documented problems with the Valencia board, and now he’s had major problems with the Liverpool Board. It takes two to tango, and Benitez is not blameless in these situations.
You were told you couldn’t sign Simao, Gareth Barry, Michael Dawson, David Villa, David Silva, Kenwyne Jones, Ryan Shawcross and countless others.
Where is the evidence that Benitez was ‘told’ he couldn’t sign any of the above players? Benitez had LOTS of money to spend; he has just spent a lot of it unwisely. As an example: Benitez didn’t need to spend 55m+ on Babel, Dossena, Riera, Keane, Morientes and Lucas; HE chose those players. That money could’ve been spent on better players, but it was usually the case that by the time he had bought the dross, there wasn’t enough money left to buy the likes of Simao (thank god).
And the author uses players like Simao, Kenwyne Jones, Michael Dawson, and Ryan Shawcross (!) to make his argument?! Would these players have taken Liverpool to the next level? I see no evidence to suggest that at all.
You had a club co-owner open talks with Jurgen Klinsmann about succeeding you as manager – and found out about it through the newspapers.
Relations between Benitez and the owners were at an all time low during that period, a situation that was mainly created by Benitez himself, with his public criticism the owners and petulant press conference. Real Madrid started picking through the bones, and given Benitez’s affiliation for them AND his clear unhappiness, it was not beyond the realm of possibility that he could walk.
In such a situation, a prudent owners looks for a possible successor, does he not? What if Benitez just upped and left? Liverpool would’ve been left in the lurch. It is clearly good policy to have a potential replacement in mind, and Benitez forced the owners’ hands with his behavior. At the time, Hicks stated:
"We attempted to negotiate an option as an insurance policy... if Rafa left for Real Madrid or other clubs rumoured”.
This is a perfectly reasonable explanation, and if it had come from Kenny Dalglish (if he was the owner), Liverpool fans would’ve accepted it. Instead, it came from Hicks and Gillett, which meant that fan objectivity went straight out the window.
The fact that the news was revealed by the press is, admittedly, regrettable, but it is just another excuse for the fans to have a go at the owners. The real question is how exactly was the news leaked? In all probability, it was by Benitez himself, in his ongoing attempt to get the fans on his side against the owners. (I have no proof for this, it is merely my opinion).
You signed Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres, Pepe Reina, Javier Mascherano, Luis Garcia, Yossi Benayoun, Dirk Kuyt, Glen Johnson, Emiliano Inusa, Momo Sissoko, Alvaro Arbeloa, Daniel Agger and Peter Crouch – then people kept saying you have a terrible record in the transfer market.
Selective history here. Yes, Benitez signed those players but what happened to them? Alonso left because he was alienated by Benitez; Mascherano wants to leave for the same reason; Sissoko had to leave because Benitez created unfair competition in central midfield; Crouch left because he was mistreated and regularly dumped on the bench DESPITE having a superb creative ratio from starts; Until recently, Benayoun was another player who was regularly messed about by Benitez; Arbeloa left after two seasons; Agger is always injured.
And let’s not forget Benitez signed the following players: Josemi, Kromkamp, Degen, Babel, Morientes, Pennant, Bellamy, Keane, Dossena, Lucas, Zenden, Nunez, Gonzalez, Palletta, Voronin, Carson, Pellegrino and Leto, all of whom were a waste of money, whether you judge that on transfer fees, signing-on fees or salaries. There have been far more failures in the transfer market than unqualified successes.
In your first season, despite a poor squad, you won the Champions League in one of the most thrilling matches in football history. Key to the run to the final was your ability to squeeze out quality performances from limited players, most notably Igor Biscan.
The so-called ‘poor squad’ the author speaks of included the likes of Gerrard, Carragher, Hyypia, Henchoz, Finnan, Riise, Hamann, Dudek, Baros and Kewell, all of whom are/were good players, and all of whome played their part in that CL triumph. The squad was NOT poor – that is a myth.
You also reached the League Cup final in that first season, losing to Chelsea 3-2 after extra time, and finished fifth in the league.
Fifth in the league: 58 points - 37 points off the top. Even Graeme Souness never managed a points total that low. The 2004-5 league season was a disgrace, and had nothing to do with Houllier’s allegedly ‘poor’ squad. Benitez prioritized the CL and made all the mistakes he’s STILL making today with regards to team selection, formation and general stubbornness.
That FA Cup success in Cardiff made you the only manager in the history of Liverpool Football Club to win major trophies in both of the first two seasons at the club.
Bob Paisley came 2nd in his first season (75-75) and won the League and Uefa Cup in his second full season. Thus, he is in the same boat as Benitez: two seasons, two major trophies. The difference with Paisley is it didn’t stop there and go downhill; things got better and better.
A year later you guided Liverpool to another Champions League final, again knocking out Chelsea on the way. This time it wasn’t to be, but you could be forgiven for thinking people may recognise that it is no mean feat to get that far – and no disgrace to lose to AC Milan.
That final was winnable and should’ve been won. As usual, Benitez’s illogical decisions and downright pig-headed stubbornness conspired to defeat Liverpool.
Peter Crouch should’ve started; everyone knows that, and given the fact Crouch was our TOP CL SCORER that season, the decision to leave him on the bench was not only unfair, it was management negligence. Benitez instead thought it would be a better idea to play Bolo Zenden, as opposed to utilizing the assets of the team in the most beneficial way.
But 2007-8 was a poor year for you. You only reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and finished fourth in the league. Your job was offered to Klinsmann though, so maybe you could be forgiven for taking your eye off the ball.
Yes, it was a poor year, and Benitez was responsible for the poor league position. The Klinnsman incident had nothing to do with it. Furthermore, Benitez brought that situation on himself, as I argued above.
Finally, there is no proof that the job was ‘offered’ to Klinnsman; the owners met with him and discussed the option. If there is evidence that the job was offered to him, please provide it.
And so to last season. Quarter-finals of the Champions League, runners-up in the league with 86 points. The only team in English top-flight history to lose so few games and not be crowned champions. The best points total since 1988, but also the highest of any side in a 20-team league not to win the championship.
And despite all of this, Liverpool STILL failed to win the league?! Last season was the best chance in 20 years for Liverpool to do it. Man United started badly; Chelsea had a new managers, then yet another managerial change mid-season; Arsenal was in transition and not really a serious title threat.
Liverpool raced into a 7 point lead…and then lost it due to a variety of factors, including 11 draws in the league; Benitez’s usual defensive tactics; failure to change games quicker; over-reliance on/favouritism for, underperforming players; needless public spats that created intense media scrutiny and derailed the team’s focus.
Liverpool peaked under Benitez last season, and despite the title being handed to the club on a plate, Benitez’s managerial weaknesses conspired to defeat Liverpool yet again.
And let’s not forget, you’ve won 57 per cent of your games in charge of Liverpool, the same as Bob Paisley.
The difference is Paisley won 19 trophies in 9 years, including 6 league titles and 3 European Cups. His win ratio actually yielded RESULTS. A good win ratio is irrelevant if the league is never won. I guess the author would be happy if Benitez stayed for 10 more years and retained the same win ration but never won another trophy?
You might think your excellent record buys you some time in the job at Anfield and some patience from the fans, just like it does for Arsene Wenger, trophyless with Arsenal since 2005.
The difference here is that Wenger has EARNED the right to have trophyless seasons. He has won the premiership THREE TIMES. His team plays exciting football, similar to the way Liverpool used to play. The comparison is ridiculous; if Benitez had won three titles then I (and others) would be behind him all the way.
Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, Fabio Capello…all top managers that trigger-happy fans have been mentioning as they debate Rafa’s replacement. But why would any of them come to Anfield? No money to spend, owners that hate each other, sky-high expectations and a demand for immediate results…
Don’t overstate the issue or anything. Given the fact Liverpool is one of the most prestigious managerial jobs in football, I think it is safe to assume that managers would be queuing up for the job. Last season proved that the players currently in the squad could be moulded into a title winning side.
And it is inaccurate to state there will be no money to spend; when has that EVER been the case at Liverpool?! In the last two seasons alone, Benitez has spent 70m+ - that is very far from having no money to spend. And where is this alleged demand for ‘immediate results’?! This is Benitez’s 6th year in charge; fans are entitled to look for evidence of consistent improvement in the league.
Any new manager would be given the same time to achieve as Benitez. Again, this has always been the case at Liverpool, and there is no evidence to suggest that anything will change in the future.
Rafa has done a good job at times for Liverpool, but to canonise him as some kind of untouchable Saint/victim who has been crucified by the owners is simply laughable.
For the record: I do NOT want Benitez sacked; I do not want him to resign. He should be given this season and then, unless the title is won this season, I believe managerial change is essential next summer.
Since the article was published, I've had people:
1. Emailing me telling me to read it and respond/slagging me off for not posting stuff along the same lines.
2. Posting comments on this site telling me I'm 'not a real fan' and that the article represents 'what a real fans should be thinking'
3. Slagging me off in the TIA discussion thread.
As a fan who represents a different POV, I feel compelled to address certain points from the article, which I believe is a complete misrepresentation of the reality of the situation.
The author is, of course, entitled to his view, and the article is well-written, compelling and persuasive. However, the article suggests that anyone who does not blindly believe the arguments being put forward is not a real fan.
There is always more than one view though, and I submit that blind faith - or glossing over the reality in a misguided display of apparent support - is far more damaging that actually telling the truth.
Excerpts from the article are in bold:
After a lifetime living and working in Spain, after guiding Valencia to the most successful period in their history with a first title in 31 years followed up by a La Liga and UEFA Cup double, you choose to leave your home country behind to come to England and manage Liverpool.
Chose to leave? More like walked out on Valencia because he couldn't get his own way. Sound familiar? At the time, Benitez stated:
"I want to see it as positive that the club has tried to keep me on, but after the events of this season which have undermined my morale I have decided to reconsider my future at the club".
Events this season that have 'undermined his morale'? i.e he didn't get his own way. Benitez is stubborn and autocratic; if he doesn't get *everything he wants* without question, he is not happy. Liverpool has found this out many times.
Valencia president Jaime Orti had this to say about Benitez's departure:
"Valencia not only did everything possible to ensure Raga Benitez stayed on for the remaining year of his contract but also tried to get him to extend his deal with the club."
When Benitez (almost inevitably) walks out on Liverpool, I doubt the author of the article will be saying he 'chose' to go to a new club. It will more likely be 'Rafa was forced out by the owners/not backed financially' or some other untrue cliché.
You make that decision despite other, more lucrative offers lying on the table back in June 2004 – from Spurs, Inter Milan and Besiktas.
How does the author know that the offers were more lucrative? Did he have access to the employment contracts each club offered Benitez?
For five years you live and work in a foreign country, putting your heart and soul into the manager’s job.
Poor Rafa. Let’s all get our violins out because a highly-paid manager has to endure five years at the helm of the most successful British football club of all time. He SHOULD be putting his heart and soul into the job; that is the MINIMUM requirement expected of a Liverpool manager.
At a football club where resources don’t match the expectations.
Benitez has had over 230m to spend since he arrived, and that is not including the undisclosed fees paid for dozens of youngsters; the money for signing-on fees and salaries; money for re-signing existing players; money wasted on players warming the bench.
The notion that Benitez has not had the ‘resources’ is completely inaccurate:
20m on Torres
20m on Keane
20m on Aquilani
18.6m on Mascherano
17m on Johnson
16m on Dossena and Riera
11m on Babel
10.5m on Alonso
And that’s just a small selection.
You master a new language, work up to 22-hour days, change players’ diets and training methods and even enjoy an infamous drink in Germany with Liverpool fans.
What is your point? It’s Benitez’s job to master the language. That’s what he is paid for, is it not? I suppose we should give him effusive credit for driving across Liverpool to Anfield every day too?!
Benitez CHOSE to join Liverpool; no one twisted his arm. And working 22 hours a day?! Even if that was true (which I don’t believe it is), no one forced him to work those hours. Perhaps if Benitez worked smarter instead of longer, Liverpool might have benefited.
You left one job where directors refused to sign players you wanted and interfered with transfer dealings…and walked into another one with similar problems.
You conveniently gloss over the fact that Benitez has had problems with the Boards/Directors at many of the clubs he’s managed. He was dismissed abruptly by both Osasuna and Real Valladolid; he had well documented problems with the Valencia board, and now he’s had major problems with the Liverpool Board. It takes two to tango, and Benitez is not blameless in these situations.
You were told you couldn’t sign Simao, Gareth Barry, Michael Dawson, David Villa, David Silva, Kenwyne Jones, Ryan Shawcross and countless others.
Where is the evidence that Benitez was ‘told’ he couldn’t sign any of the above players? Benitez had LOTS of money to spend; he has just spent a lot of it unwisely. As an example: Benitez didn’t need to spend 55m+ on Babel, Dossena, Riera, Keane, Morientes and Lucas; HE chose those players. That money could’ve been spent on better players, but it was usually the case that by the time he had bought the dross, there wasn’t enough money left to buy the likes of Simao (thank god).
And the author uses players like Simao, Kenwyne Jones, Michael Dawson, and Ryan Shawcross (!) to make his argument?! Would these players have taken Liverpool to the next level? I see no evidence to suggest that at all.
You had a club co-owner open talks with Jurgen Klinsmann about succeeding you as manager – and found out about it through the newspapers.
Relations between Benitez and the owners were at an all time low during that period, a situation that was mainly created by Benitez himself, with his public criticism the owners and petulant press conference. Real Madrid started picking through the bones, and given Benitez’s affiliation for them AND his clear unhappiness, it was not beyond the realm of possibility that he could walk.
In such a situation, a prudent owners looks for a possible successor, does he not? What if Benitez just upped and left? Liverpool would’ve been left in the lurch. It is clearly good policy to have a potential replacement in mind, and Benitez forced the owners’ hands with his behavior. At the time, Hicks stated:
"We attempted to negotiate an option as an insurance policy... if Rafa left for Real Madrid or other clubs rumoured”.
This is a perfectly reasonable explanation, and if it had come from Kenny Dalglish (if he was the owner), Liverpool fans would’ve accepted it. Instead, it came from Hicks and Gillett, which meant that fan objectivity went straight out the window.
The fact that the news was revealed by the press is, admittedly, regrettable, but it is just another excuse for the fans to have a go at the owners. The real question is how exactly was the news leaked? In all probability, it was by Benitez himself, in his ongoing attempt to get the fans on his side against the owners. (I have no proof for this, it is merely my opinion).
You signed Xabi Alonso, Fernando Torres, Pepe Reina, Javier Mascherano, Luis Garcia, Yossi Benayoun, Dirk Kuyt, Glen Johnson, Emiliano Inusa, Momo Sissoko, Alvaro Arbeloa, Daniel Agger and Peter Crouch – then people kept saying you have a terrible record in the transfer market.
Selective history here. Yes, Benitez signed those players but what happened to them? Alonso left because he was alienated by Benitez; Mascherano wants to leave for the same reason; Sissoko had to leave because Benitez created unfair competition in central midfield; Crouch left because he was mistreated and regularly dumped on the bench DESPITE having a superb creative ratio from starts; Until recently, Benayoun was another player who was regularly messed about by Benitez; Arbeloa left after two seasons; Agger is always injured.
And let’s not forget Benitez signed the following players: Josemi, Kromkamp, Degen, Babel, Morientes, Pennant, Bellamy, Keane, Dossena, Lucas, Zenden, Nunez, Gonzalez, Palletta, Voronin, Carson, Pellegrino and Leto, all of whom were a waste of money, whether you judge that on transfer fees, signing-on fees or salaries. There have been far more failures in the transfer market than unqualified successes.
In your first season, despite a poor squad, you won the Champions League in one of the most thrilling matches in football history. Key to the run to the final was your ability to squeeze out quality performances from limited players, most notably Igor Biscan.
The so-called ‘poor squad’ the author speaks of included the likes of Gerrard, Carragher, Hyypia, Henchoz, Finnan, Riise, Hamann, Dudek, Baros and Kewell, all of whom are/were good players, and all of whome played their part in that CL triumph. The squad was NOT poor – that is a myth.
You also reached the League Cup final in that first season, losing to Chelsea 3-2 after extra time, and finished fifth in the league.
Fifth in the league: 58 points - 37 points off the top. Even Graeme Souness never managed a points total that low. The 2004-5 league season was a disgrace, and had nothing to do with Houllier’s allegedly ‘poor’ squad. Benitez prioritized the CL and made all the mistakes he’s STILL making today with regards to team selection, formation and general stubbornness.
That FA Cup success in Cardiff made you the only manager in the history of Liverpool Football Club to win major trophies in both of the first two seasons at the club.
Bob Paisley came 2nd in his first season (75-75) and won the League and Uefa Cup in his second full season. Thus, he is in the same boat as Benitez: two seasons, two major trophies. The difference with Paisley is it didn’t stop there and go downhill; things got better and better.
A year later you guided Liverpool to another Champions League final, again knocking out Chelsea on the way. This time it wasn’t to be, but you could be forgiven for thinking people may recognise that it is no mean feat to get that far – and no disgrace to lose to AC Milan.
That final was winnable and should’ve been won. As usual, Benitez’s illogical decisions and downright pig-headed stubbornness conspired to defeat Liverpool.
Peter Crouch should’ve started; everyone knows that, and given the fact Crouch was our TOP CL SCORER that season, the decision to leave him on the bench was not only unfair, it was management negligence. Benitez instead thought it would be a better idea to play Bolo Zenden, as opposed to utilizing the assets of the team in the most beneficial way.
But 2007-8 was a poor year for you. You only reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and finished fourth in the league. Your job was offered to Klinsmann though, so maybe you could be forgiven for taking your eye off the ball.
Yes, it was a poor year, and Benitez was responsible for the poor league position. The Klinnsman incident had nothing to do with it. Furthermore, Benitez brought that situation on himself, as I argued above.
Finally, there is no proof that the job was ‘offered’ to Klinnsman; the owners met with him and discussed the option. If there is evidence that the job was offered to him, please provide it.
And so to last season. Quarter-finals of the Champions League, runners-up in the league with 86 points. The only team in English top-flight history to lose so few games and not be crowned champions. The best points total since 1988, but also the highest of any side in a 20-team league not to win the championship.
And despite all of this, Liverpool STILL failed to win the league?! Last season was the best chance in 20 years for Liverpool to do it. Man United started badly; Chelsea had a new managers, then yet another managerial change mid-season; Arsenal was in transition and not really a serious title threat.
Liverpool raced into a 7 point lead…and then lost it due to a variety of factors, including 11 draws in the league; Benitez’s usual defensive tactics; failure to change games quicker; over-reliance on/favouritism for, underperforming players; needless public spats that created intense media scrutiny and derailed the team’s focus.
Liverpool peaked under Benitez last season, and despite the title being handed to the club on a plate, Benitez’s managerial weaknesses conspired to defeat Liverpool yet again.
And let’s not forget, you’ve won 57 per cent of your games in charge of Liverpool, the same as Bob Paisley.
The difference is Paisley won 19 trophies in 9 years, including 6 league titles and 3 European Cups. His win ratio actually yielded RESULTS. A good win ratio is irrelevant if the league is never won. I guess the author would be happy if Benitez stayed for 10 more years and retained the same win ration but never won another trophy?
You might think your excellent record buys you some time in the job at Anfield and some patience from the fans, just like it does for Arsene Wenger, trophyless with Arsenal since 2005.
The difference here is that Wenger has EARNED the right to have trophyless seasons. He has won the premiership THREE TIMES. His team plays exciting football, similar to the way Liverpool used to play. The comparison is ridiculous; if Benitez had won three titles then I (and others) would be behind him all the way.
Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, Fabio Capello…all top managers that trigger-happy fans have been mentioning as they debate Rafa’s replacement. But why would any of them come to Anfield? No money to spend, owners that hate each other, sky-high expectations and a demand for immediate results…
Don’t overstate the issue or anything. Given the fact Liverpool is one of the most prestigious managerial jobs in football, I think it is safe to assume that managers would be queuing up for the job. Last season proved that the players currently in the squad could be moulded into a title winning side.
And it is inaccurate to state there will be no money to spend; when has that EVER been the case at Liverpool?! In the last two seasons alone, Benitez has spent 70m+ - that is very far from having no money to spend. And where is this alleged demand for ‘immediate results’?! This is Benitez’s 6th year in charge; fans are entitled to look for evidence of consistent improvement in the league.
Any new manager would be given the same time to achieve as Benitez. Again, this has always been the case at Liverpool, and there is no evidence to suggest that anything will change in the future.
Rafa has done a good job at times for Liverpool, but to canonise him as some kind of untouchable Saint/victim who has been crucified by the owners is simply laughable.
For the record: I do NOT want Benitez sacked; I do not want him to resign. He should be given this season and then, unless the title is won this season, I believe managerial change is essential next summer.
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