Comments on Liverpool-Kop: BLIND FAITH: A rebuttal of ThisIsAnfield.com's "Wh...

your an idiot too.

2009-11-20T20:18:35.000Z

your an idiot too.

....? Has Jamie Kanwar been silenced? Im honoure...

2009-10-24T14:33:44.000+01:00

....? Has Jamie Kanwar been silenced?

Im honoured

I support Manchester United. That said, I underst...

2009-10-22T06:50:11.000+01:00

I support Manchester United.

That said, I understand that blind faith affects many clubs. While I feel a slight sympathy for you Jamie, I have to be honest and admit that I hope the blind faith among some Liverpool fans continue for a long, long time.

shows me what you know,what an arse

2009-10-21T19:27:23.000+01:00

shows me what you know,what an arse

Did you not hear most Arsenal supporters last seas...

2009-10-21T17:45:06.000+01:00

Did you not hear most Arsenal supporters last season saying "Wenger has to go if he doesn't open up the puse strings"? My word, they were almost queueing up to bury him. Oddly enough, they're relatively quiet this year, so far...

Fans don't have to come up with alternatives, owners do. Fans highlight what's wrong and express their feelings. Back to you, then. What are the alternatives?

Real fans care which is why they're critical. To a...

2009-10-21T17:35:54.000+01:00

Real fans care which is why they're critical. To accept something for the sake of it is drone-like and moronic. This is the problem with most football fans, they accept mediocrity, repetitive mistakes and downright incompetence regardless and think that anyone who disagrees is wrong as they have only read what they want to read, call opposing fans childish and brainless when they display schadenfreude at their club's plight while when the tables are turned do the exact same with the justification that it was done to them.
Real fans criticise witrh dignity and look long-term, not just knee-jerk and they have seen that Liverpool's problem has been there for a while with little or no reaction to this problem as results were good(to a point) and criticise accordingly. They are interested in the well-being of the club, not just bragging rights.

To get to the point, Benitez HAS spent as much money as Man U, Chelsea, Man City, etc. but it's the return on this investment which has been lacking. Compare what other clubs have bought and what these players have done and you get to see a more rounded picture of success and /or failure. Liverpool have gone backwards as they are more like Villa and to a lesser extent Spurs and Man City:if 2-3 good players are out, they flounder.

Benitez has had 5 years to address this situation. He hasn't.
Ferguson had time to address the problems of ManU at the time, he has since done so. If ManU make a bad signing, it doesn't really affect them as the squad is still relatively strong, Chelsea the same. Liverpool?...

This is what Jaimie and the other real fans are criticising. Inability to see this is disappointing.

This from a ManU fan.

I will only get behind Rafa to push him from the b...

2009-10-21T17:15:56.000+01:00

I will only get behind Rafa to push him from the back out of End-field.
After losing Gerard and Torres, the team suddenly can't play because its only made up of 2 good players?
This after Rafa brought in 67 new players during his term!? !
Listen to me guys, cut off Rafa and bring back Kenny Dalglish. U will see the immediate difference

I have a very busy job in real life. Sometimes I ...

2009-10-21T16:58:36.000+01:00

I have a very busy job in real life. Sometimes I have to prioritise. I will respond when I have time to properly consider your points. That's the good thing about threads like this - they can returned to; they're not time-sensitive.

Great response Jamie....

2009-10-21T16:52:00.000+01:00

Great response Jamie....

Net spend is irrelevant is it? By that logic, if ...

2009-10-21T13:41:48.000+01:00

Net spend is irrelevant is it?

By that logic, if you have a £20m star player, it makes no difference whether you buy another £20m footballer to play alongside him or are forced to sell him in order to buy another player of equal value.

If you sincerely believe what you're saying, you might want to book an appointment with a psychiatrist.

It's also funny how, if spending doesn't equal success, that Chelsea never won anything before Abramovic and his millions arrived. It's also a strange coincidence that Man Utd are more successful than, for example, Torquay United. Must just be poor management at Torquay United eh? :-D

What a laughably bad, bitter "article". Sissoko l...

2009-10-21T13:27:10.000+01:00

What a laughably bad, bitter "article".

Sissoko left because Rafa 'created unfair competition in central midfield' did he? :-D

What is unfair about tough competition for places? It's the basis of building a better side. The competition was no more unfair on Sissoko than it was on any of the other midfielders; either at Liverpool or any other club on the planet.

Mascherano doesn't want to leave because he's been "alienated" - you tell me how Rafa has been anything other than massively supportive of him. He wants/wanted to leave because he's had his head turned by Barcelona - simple as.

But don't let the facts get in the way of a shit-for-brains rant eh? This is the irrational, infantile sort of crap I expect to hear on the 606 phone-in, not a fan blog.

Don't think there's any more proof needed that the...

2009-10-21T11:09:17.000+01:00

Don't think there's any more proof needed that the Internet can be a dangerous thing than the utter shite that Kanwar peddles. Even after a depressing run of results culminating in last nights abject performance against Lyon, it still amazes me how someone can spout so much bile about a club they claim to care for or support. Blind faith seems to be countered here by an abject hatred of Benitez. Damo hits the nail on the head in that spending the money you have wisely is the key, especially when your mistakes can't be mitigated by having the financial clout to correct them. Benitez may have plenty of faults (to listen to the author you'd think he'd spent the last 20 years married to Rafa) but to be a success in football you need to be single minded and obsessive. Perhaps if the players and manager adopt the kind of seige mentality that used to engulf and consume Ferguson then we can get out of this mess and start putting a decent run together...because that's all we need. This bad run of form won't last forever but we might need to be realistic and accept that the season may not deliver what everyone expected.

Steve Pike - great rebuttal to JK's article - whic...

2009-10-21T10:15:11.000+01:00

Steve Pike - great rebuttal to JK's article - which I think is poor. Frankly JK, I believe you are not a true supporter. I'll tell you why: you would rather be right than Liverpool be successful.

And another thing: you said elsewhere that net spend is irrelevant that spending wisely is what's important. You would certainly argue that Arsene Wenger has spent wisely, and his net spend in recent years is close to zero. The question is what have Arsenal won in recent years?
Chelsea and ManU spend - they win trophies.

I would appreciate a repsonse to this.
Thanks

I think your article is bollocks. You're solution ...

2009-10-21T09:21:29.000+01:00

I think your article is bollocks. You're solution to Rafa's five-year-plan taking longer than five years is a new manager who will want another five years and start from scratch, bring in hios own players etc. With no money. Or maybe the money he gets from selling Torres (and possibly Gerrard).

Marco van Basten got Holland to the last 16 in the WC so he's a great manager? That's ridiculous. I could get Holland to the last 16.

You are anti-Benitez. You are self-important. You are clueless.
You would rather Rafa failed so you can say I told you so. And in two or three seasons you'll be saying the same about the next manager.

Those on the This is Anfield site are not blind followers. They just aren't knee-jerkers like yourself and the your blind followers.
Everyone is worried, but clubs without patience don't succeed.

That was the best article I've read about the whol...

2009-10-20T23:53:04.000+01:00

That was the best article I've read about the whole situation

I can't understand how you can be criticised as a fan for wanting whats best for the club after all thats all that matters

No bile - truth. And you can't handle it, obviousl...

2009-10-20T21:40:43.000+01:00

No bile - truth. And you can't handle it, obviously. For the record I have never publicly slagged you off - bending the truth again there. But if you can't offer a right to reply and you're going to run your site like a dictatorship, maybe i'll do just that.

Steve Thank you for taking the time post such a d...

2009-10-20T21:32:48.000+01:00

Steve

Thank you for taking the time post such a detailed response to my points. I appreciate your ability to debate in the right way. I disagree with many of your points (like you with mine), and will respond in full tomorrow.

For now though, I'd just like to address the 'mouthpiece for the owners' comment. That is just nonsense, and anyone who reads this site regularly will know that. I have posted many critical articles about Hicks and Gillett; the idea that anyone who is not on the 'Hicks and Gillett are evil and must be destroyed!' bandwagon is actually in league with them (!) is pretty ridiculous.

Anyway, thanks again and I will respond tomorrow.

JK

FINAL PART Yes, it was a poor year, and Ben...

2009-10-20T21:25:45.000+01:00

FINAL PART

Yes, it was a poor year, and Benitez is 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.
Your proof..... TOM HICKS (trying to dig himself out of a hole) "We attempted to negotiate an option as an insurance policy... if Rafa left for Real Madrid or other clubs rumoured”. (BIG FAT LIE). As you used this example earlier in your article as justification for their actions, I cant really understand how you could forget so quickly? 
Rafa bought it on himself? I put it you that it was the owners who created the situation and they wanted Rafa to carry the can. The Klinnsman incident was only part of the story, Tom & George were openly at war, they back tracked on the transfer budget available to Rafa, the stadium plans were put on the back burner, it all was going wrong Upstairs and it manifested itself on the playing field – A BIT LIKE NOW REALLY

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 you’d be happy if Benitez stayed for 10 more years and retained the same win ration but never won another trophy?!
I have already talked about the reasons why I don t think it is fair to compare the two, but your comment about Rafa not winning anything for 10 years was a bit childish
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.
The theory behind your argument as a whole means that Wenger should have been sacked 2 seasons ago. We all know that would be ridiculous because he is a class act and you are right to point out he has earned the the right to be given time. But I cant understand why you feel Rafa hasn't? Since Rafa has been at Liverpool Wenger has not won a trophy – Rafa has won everything other than the league – but as discussed earlier this is down to the owners who haven't backed him in the transfer market

In conclusion Jamie, I get the feeling that you are the unofficial (or secretly the official) mouth piece for our owners. Your article is like a press release on behalf of Tom Hicks, trying to stick the knife in and shift the blame, and it actually makes uncomfortable reading. I can't understand how you can see it so differently from the rest of us?

We wont win the league until we get proper owners that have the resources to take us to the next level. [...]

Part 5

2009-10-20T21:24:47.000+01:00
Part 5

Fifth in the league - what an achievement. 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.
Houllier's squad was poor (see above). I love the way you declare.... “Benitez prioritized the CL and made all the mistakes he’s STILL making today with regards to team selection, formation and general stubbornness” AND THEN WENT ON TO WIN IT.... AGAINST THE ODDS, WITH AN AVERAGE SQUAD. 

And your point is what, exactly? 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
I don't think that is fair comparison. Football has changed, its no longer about the boot room philosophy, its about who can spend the most money on transfers and wages. SIR Bob Paisley (in my opinion) is Liverpool's greatest ever manager, but he inherited a team of champions, 4 or 5 of the clubs greatest ever players. Rafa inherited Steven Gerrard. Sir Bob didn't have to worry about the likes of Man City, Chelsea and United having unlimited transfer budgets. The best players in England always used want to play for Liverpool because of our heritage, and for the most part they still will do, as long we pay £120K per week, otherwise they will go and play for Man City.

That final was winnable and should’ve been won. As usual, Benitez’s illogical decisions and downright pig-headed stubbornness conspired to defeat Liverpool.
We played Milan off the park, we were by far the better team and should have won. In my opinion this is because Rafa played the correct system, although I take on board your comment about Zenden who had a poor game. To be fair Jamie it was a deflected free kick against the run of play that conspired to beat us that night, not Rafa's tactics It was also the 2nd CL final he had let us to in 3 years? I can't understand why you think he's done such a terrible job??

PART 4
I love the selective history here...

2009-10-20T21:23:29.000+01:00

PART 4

I love the selective history here. Yes, he signed those players but Alonso left because he was alienated by Benitez; Mascherano wants to leave for the same reason; Sissoko had to leave because Benitez lost faith in him and created unfair competition in central midfield; Crouch left because he was mistreated and regularly dumped on the bench DESPITE having a superb creative ration from starts; Benayoun is another player who has been messed about by Benitez; Arbeloa left after one season; Agger is always injured.
Utter nonsense – Mascherano wanted to leave because it was Barcelona who wanted to buy him. BUT he agreed to stay as it was Rafa who saved him from his nightmare at West Ham and has publicly acknowledged his debt of gratitude to Rafa for this. Sissoko started well, but faded badly after his eye injury, and wasn't good enough to get in the side ahead of Mascherano, and was sold for a profit. Crouch was never going to get in ahead of Torres, and wanted to start every game so he left -Rafa didn't want to sell him in the first place and is now on the Tottenham bench instead of the Liverpool bench. Benayoun has publicly stated that he wont be leaving Liverpool. Arbeloa joined Madrid – he's Spanish that's fair enough, and would have walked for free. Agger is a quality defender, the fact he's injured has nothing to do with Rafa – he's a coach not a Doctor.

The so-called ‘poor squad’ you speak of included the likes of Gerrard, Carragher, Hyypia, Henchoz, Finnan, Riise, Hamann, Dudek, Baros and Kewell, all of whom played their part in that CL triumph. The squad was NOT poor – that is a myth.
It was an average squad that couldn't finish higher than 4th in the Premier League. Love the way you conveniently forget to mention Biscan, Traoré, Le Tallac, ,Diao, Cisse, Mellor, Whitbread, Partridge. Love the way that all of a sudden Baros and Kewell are world beaters – no doubt had Rafa signed these 2, you would have used it against him!! Love the way you won't acknowledge that it was Rafa who turned Carragher from a utility squad player into a world class centre back. Oh and we did win the Champions league didn't we – when Rafa was the manager..... and your point is?

Fifth in the league - what an achievement. 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.
Houllier's squad was poor (see above). I love the way you declare.... [...]

PART 3 You conveniently gloss over the fact...

2009-10-20T21:21:48.000+01:00

PART 3

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.
Yes he has got problems with the Liverpool board, but so have I, and so has every Liverpool fan. On this occasion though it takes three to tango. The fact he was dismissed abruptly by both Osasuna and Real Valladolid is clearly a massive error on their part, and as discussed earlier the supporters of Valencia have never forgiven their board, just like we wont forgive ours if the same thing happens again.

Nonsense. 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).
The reason he signed half of these players Jamie is because he was unable to sign his first choice targets. Keane was not his signing anyway, it was Rick Parry (Rafa wanted Barry). Babel hasn't delivered, yet – but Arsene Wenger wanted him as well as I remember, does that mean Wenger doesn't know what he's doing either? I actually like Riera – but he wanted Silva. Dossena I will give you – but he was first choice Italian full back, and in my opinion Lucas (who was captain of the Brazil under 20's, now a full international) is a good player who gets way too much stick because he's not Alonso

"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. 
Jamie, its up to you what you believe... but I, along with the vast majority of Liverpool supporters know that these two clowns lie through their teeth when it suites them. It is a prime example of Rafa has had to put with. It is the measure of the man that he has not walked already. They are not, and never will be Kenny Dalglish, a man who has LFC heritage in his blood, is arguably the greatest player in our history and who loves the club for all the right reasons – they are greedy, all they can see is $ signs, but don't have access to the resources needed to take the club to the next level. We are a FRANCHISE to them, not a proud football club, WHY ARENT YOU GETTING THIS JAMIE? Comparing our owners with Sir Kenny is just RIDCULOUS. Its like comparing Mother Teresa with Poll Pot. There is not one valid point about your entire paragraph, and that sentence was the icing on the cake.

PART 2 The myth that Benitez has not...

2009-10-20T21:20:04.000+01:00

PART 2

The myth that Benitez has not had the ‘resources’ is completely inaccurate:
It is not a myth Jamie its a FACT. You have not included money recouped on players he sold either, which will reduce that figure considerably....



We sold Alonso for £30M, We sold Arbeloa for £3M, We sold Leto for £1.3

We bought Aquilani for £20M, We bought Johnson for £16M (but as Portsmouth owed us £6M on the Crouch deal, in real terms we had to pay £10M )

Money recouped from player transfers and wages IS SUPPOSED to go back into the transfer kitty, in addition to the existing budget – not form the entire budget?!! (YET ANOTHER LIE BY THE OWNERS I MIGHT ADD). We wont mention the money we got back for Robbie Keane (A player Rick Parry decided to buy off his own back, not Rafa) but we can assume that money went back into the pot – the RBS loan repayment pot that is. 

SO how much did our owners invest into new players this season then? I don't hold a degree in applied mathematics, but then again it doesn't take Einstein to work out that this transfer window our owners forked out a staggering net spend of .................£0.00. So instead of investing in the team – at a time when were soooooo close to winning the league all that actually happened is we paid off £60M on interest (not on actually reducing the debt – just the interest) for the bank loans that our owners promised they would never take out against the club. How you haven't figured this out for yourself is beyond me Jamie. It is clear that Rafa has not had the resources at his disposal.

What is your point? It’s Benitez’s job to master the language! That’s what he is paid for. I suppose we should give Benitez credit for driving from his house to Anfield every day too?!
?? A ridiculous point Jamie. The Fact that Rafa has learnt the language is to his credit, not something for you to use against him. How's your Spanish getting on anyway Jamie?

Oh Jamie... I can feel you passion mat...

2009-10-20T21:16:47.000+01:00

Oh Jamie... I can feel you passion mate, I just don't agree with the vast majority of what you have to say. Your comments are in bold....
I have had to separate this in to several separate parts because there's not enough room (max 5000 characters)....

Chose to leave? More like walked out on Valencia because he couldn't get his own way. Sound familiar?
Sound familiar? Actually no it doesn't. Rafa has not actually walked anywhere has he? Despite the best efforts of our clueless owners who have let him and everyone of us down with their lies, despite repeated interest from Real Madrid – his home town club, despite the numerous broken promises, despite being stabbed in the back time and time again. Lesser men would have walked years ago. What Rafa achieved at Valencia was a miracle, an unbelievable achievement, that proves that Rafa is a top top manager. But despite his incredible success at Valencia the board refused to back him, broke promises to him and took him for granted (that bit sounds familiar). So he leaves - and surprise surprise they have not come close to winning anything ever since. Jamie.... Why don't you ask the Valencia supporters what they think of Rafa? To them he is a god, they still fly fags with his image and sing his name – we are lucky to have him.

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.
This is not even a point. When has Rafa actually got ANYTHING he wanted? He wanted Gareth Barry – He got Robbie Keane. He wanted Simao – He got Pennant. He wanted David Villa, he had to keep Vorolyn. So what if he's stubborn and autocratic? (in your opinion, and I would be very surprised if you know him personally) It hasn't stopped him from making the best with what he's got to work with has it?

When Benitez walks out on Liverpool, I doubt you 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.
He wont walk. The owners have done all they can to push him out the door, they have not backed him financially, they have undermined him many times – This is not an untrue cliché, its a crystal clear fact that is blatantly obvious to everybody other than you and Stan Collymore.

How do you know the offers were more lucrative? Did you have access to the employment contracts each club offered Benitez?
Jamie... How do you know the offers were not more lucrative? Do you have access to the employment contracts each club offered Benitez? Thought not... Lets face it Jamie, Real Madrid would have offered Rafa more money – I don't have access to any contracts or anything like that, but it doesn't take a genius to suspect that they would have put more money on the table - because they always do.

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 [...]

Oh Jamie... I can feel you passion mat...

2009-10-20T21:14:43.000+01:00

Oh Jamie... I can feel you passion mate, I just don't agree with the vast majority of what you have to say. Your comments are in bold....
I have had to separate this in to several separate parts because there's not enough room (max 5000 characters)....

Chose to leave? More like walked out on Valencia because he couldn't get his own way. Sound familiar?
Sound familiar? Actually no it doesn't. Rafa has not actually walked anywhere has he? Despite the best efforts of our clueless owners who have let him and everyone of us down with their lies, despite repeated interest from Real Madrid – his home town club, despite the numerous broken promises, despite being stabbed in the back time and time again. Lesser men would have walked years ago. What Rafa achieved at Valencia was a miracle, an unbelievable achievement, that proves that Rafa is a top top manager. But despite his incredible success at Valencia the board refused to back him, broke promises to him and took him for granted (that bit sounds familiar). So he leaves - and surprise surprise they have not come close to winning anything ever since. Jamie.... Why don't you ask the Valencia supporters what they think of Rafa? To them he is a god, they still fly fags with his image and sing his name – we are lucky to have him.

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.
This is not even a point. When has Rafa actually got ANYTHING he wanted? He wanted Gareth Barry – He got Robbie Keane. He wanted Simao – He got Pennant. He wanted David Villa, he had to keep Vorolyn. So what if he's stubborn and autocratic? (in your opinion, and I would be very surprised if you know him personally) It hasn't stopped him from making the best with what he's got to work with has it?

When Benitez walks out on Liverpool, I doubt you 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.
He wont walk. The owners have done all they can to push him out the door, they have not backed him financially, they have undermined him many times – This is not an untrue cliché, its a crystal clear fact that is blatantly obvious to everybody other than you and Stan Collymore.

How do you know the offers were more lucrative? Did you have access to the employment contracts each club offered Benitez?
Jamie... How do you know the offers were not more lucrative? Do you have access to the employment contracts each club offered Benitez? Thought not... Lets face it Jamie, Real Madrid would have offered Rafa more money – I don't have access to any contracts or anything like that, but it doesn't take a genius to suspect that they would have put more money on the table - because they always do.

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 [...]

Oh Jamie... I can feel you passion mat...

2009-10-20T21:09:24.000+01:00

Oh Jamie... I can feel you passion mate, I just don't agree with the vast majority of what you have to say. Your comments are in bold....
I have had to separate this in to 4 separate parts because there's not enough room....

Chose to leave? More like walked out on Valencia because he couldn't get his own way. Sound familiar?
Sound familiar? Actually no it doesn't. Rafa has not actually walked anywhere has he? Despite the best efforts of our clueless owners who have let him and everyone of us down with their lies, despite repeated interest from Real Madrid – his home town club, despite the numerous broken promises, despite being stabbed in the back time and time again. Lesser men would have walked years ago. What Rafa achieved at Valencia was a miracle, an unbelievable achievement, that proves that Rafa is a top top manager. But despite his incredible success at Valencia the board refused to back him, broke promises to him and took him for granted (that bit sounds familiar). So he leaves - and surprise surprise they have not come close to winning anything ever since. Jamie.... Why don't you ask the Valencia supporters what they think of Rafa? To them he is a god, they still fly fags with his image and sing his name – we are lucky to have him.

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.
This is not even a point. When has Rafa actually got ANYTHING he wanted? He wanted Gareth Barry – He got Robbie Keane. He wanted Simao – He got Pennant. He wanted David Villa, he had to keep Vorolyn. So what if he's stubborn and autocratic? (in your opinion, and I would be very surprised if you know him personally) It hasn't stopped him from making the best with what he's got to work with has it?

When Benitez walks out on Liverpool, I doubt you 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.
He wont walk. The owners have done all they can to push him out the door, they have not backed him financially, they have undermined him many times – This is not an untrue cliché, its a crystal clear fact that is blatantly obvious to everybody other than you and Stan Collymore.

How do you know the offers were more lucrative? Did you have access to the employment contracts each club offered Benitez?
Jamie... How do you know the offers were not more lucrative? Do you have access to the employment contracts each club offered Benitez? Thought not... Lets face it Jamie, Real Madrid would have offered Rafa more money – I don't have access to any contracts or anything like that, but it doesn't take a genius to suspect that they would have put more money on the table - because they always do.

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
[...]

Comments on Liverpool-Kop: BLIND FAITH: A rebuttal of ThisIsAnfield.com's "Wh...

your an idiot too.

....? Has Jamie Kanwar been silenced? Im honoure...

I support Manchester United. That said, I underst...

shows me what you know,what an arse

Did you not hear most Arsenal supporters last seas...

Real fans care which is why they're critical. To a...

I will only get behind Rafa to push him from the b...

I have a very busy job in real life. Sometimes I ...

Great response Jamie....

Net spend is irrelevant is it? By that logic, if ...

What a laughably bad, bitter "article". Sissoko l...

Don't think there's any more proof needed that the...

Steve Pike - great rebuttal to JK's article - whic...

I think your article is bollocks. You're solution ...

That was the best article I've read about the whol...

No bile - truth. And you can't handle it, obviousl...

Steve Thank you for taking the time post such a d...

FINAL PART Yes, it was a poor year, and Ben...

PART 4 I love the selective history here...

PART 3 You conveniently gloss over the fact...

PART 2 The myth that Benitez has not...

Oh Jamie... I can feel you passion mat...

Oh Jamie... I can feel you passion mat...

Oh Jamie... I can feel you passion mat...

PART 4
I love the selective history here...