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Stilly

By Stilly
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Das

Das

Posted
Posted
In saying that Sir Alex never receives punishment for his outbursts, he hardly got his facts in order. Complaining about someone attacking officials and going on about the Respect campaign which the exploits of one of his players helped bring about and then launching a personal attack on a fellow manager in the same interview wasn't the most cleverly constructed argument either.

Sir Alex refused to comment in his interview this afternoon and concentrated on this weekend's match instead. That's how you do it.

You Man U fans really are complete and utter cunts aren't you? You prove it week in, week out. I hope Fergie chokes on his bacon butty tomorrow morning, the fat, alcoholic, horrible old cunt.

Thanks! :unsure:

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DC

DC

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You Man U fans really are complete and utter cunts aren't you? You prove it week in, week out. I hope Fergie chokes on his bacon butty tomorrow morning, the fat, alcoholic, horrible old cunt.

Thanks! :unsure:

Rafa? Is that you?

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rjpageuk

rjpageuk

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The fact that Benitez had got the things he wanted to say on a piece of paper show it was planned.

Thats hardly comparable to what Keegan did. I am rather confused as to why Benitez thought this was the best way to handle things but maybe he is hoping it means there is pressure on refs in the big Man U games like the one coming up this weekend.

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kimble

kimble

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The fact that Benitez had got the things he wanted to say on a piece of paper show it was planned.

Thats hardly comparable to what Keegan did. I am rather confused as to why Benitez thought this was the best way to handle things but maybe he is hoping it means there is pressure on refs in the big Man U games like the one coming up this weekend.

I think you have hit the nail on the head. This is not about mind games. This is about Rafa waiting until the mid point of the season to roll out some facts, to the largest audience possible, that will make the referees slightly paranoid about showing Man Utd too much favourtism.

His time on the sickbed would have given him time to pull a load of stats together. Anyone that knows the slightest bit about football will know that Rafa is not the Keegan 'passion' manager. He is an analyst of the game, down to the smallest detail.

I hope it works. One outburst from Fergie could see him on the bench for a couple of matches which could result in dropped points.

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dogsout

dogsout

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Posted
Alex Ferguson? Rafa Benitez knows what he is doing...

I’ve read and heard a few commentators refer to Rafa Benitez’ comments about Mr. Ferguson yesterday as the Liverpool manager’s ‘Keegan moment.’ Nothing could be further from the truth.

Back in the 1995/96 season, Keegan's side looked set to finally land the title after opening up a 12-point gap at the top of the table, and the Newcastle coach famously lost control of his emotions.

Rafa Benitez is a coach who is methodical in his approach to the game, and yesterday was no different. He walked in to that press conference fully prepared for what he was about to say. He produced a sheet of paper from which he read a series of longstanding complaints about Ferguson and, in particular, his attitude to referees and gripes about the fixture list; he was calm and assured in his delivery.

Some have said that Benitez should not have let Ferguson get under his skin, yet this was not a man flailing wildly at his adversary, but a man in control who had prepared the terrain upon which he was about to do battle: so typically Rafa.

So why did he do it?

Well, Mr. Ferguson had openly criticised the Liverpool players in midweek. With Liverpool seven points in front of third-placed United, who have two games in hand, Ferguson stated that Liverpool’s inexperience will cost them. “There's no doubt in the second half of the season they will get nervous,” said the United manager.

Sir Alex was inferring that he and his players were more experienced and mentally tougher than the Liverpool players. From Rafa’s point of view, no manager has the right to insult his player’s capabilities and he was right to come out and defend them. For the sake of the dressing room, it was important that he is seen to be standing up for his team.

Remember, this was not an instant reaction to Ferguson’s comments. Benitez had bided his time and spoken with his dressing room. He had ensured that his players were totally unfazed by what the United boss had said about them, fully assessed the situation – as he always does – and concluded that to have not reacted would have been seen as a loss of authority.

And because of that, what Benitez cannot afford to do is be seen to agree with Ferguson – as Wenger did recently over the football calendar – because the United boss will be seen as leading the agenda, as the man in control who can say what he wants - when he wants; with his contemporaries following his lead. Rather than agreeing with Ferguson, Benitez the United coach sound like a whinger: Rafa said “Then he (Ferguson) was talking about the fixtures. Two years ago we were playing a lot of early kick-offs away on Saturdays when United were playing on Sundays. And we didn't say anything.

"Now he is complaining about everything, that everybody is against United. But the second half of the season will see them playing at home against all the teams at the top of the table, it is a fantastic advantage.

"But at Christmas, United played on the 29th and the rest of the teams played on the 28th. We were away against Newcastle two days after playing Bolton. They were playing about 40 hours later, they were not complaining then.”

And when it came down to United’s treatment of referees, Benitez was letting it be known that not only do other managers share his opinions, but that this is a matter he has been prepared to tackle head on with the FA ; as he did at the meeting in Manchester which he referred to yesterday. Benitez said “You can see every single week how they put (referees) under pressure, we know this. We have seen it before. We have seen players sent off at Old Trafford and we do not see our opponents sent off. It is part of the game. But to complain and to always have an advantage is not fair.”

"We had a meeting in Manchester with managers and FA about the Respect campaign. And I was very clear, forget the campaign because Mr Ferguson was killing the referees, killing Mr Atkinson, killing Mr Hackett.”

Ferguson had not got under his skin; Rafa was sending a message to the most important people of all – his players in the dressing room - that he is there to stand up for them and will put himself in the firing line if need be; which leads on to the final reason why he did it.

He has deflected the attention from his players and turned it upon himself. The focus now is not on the Liverpool dressing room and Ferguson’s opinion of it; it is now all about what Rafa Benitez thinks of Alex Ferguson.

Kenny Dalglish urged Liverpool “to forget about these mind games and concentrate solely on what's going on around their own club.” But, in stepping in to the firing line, Benitez had ensured that if Liverpool slip up at Stoke in the wake of Ferguson’s comments, it will be all about Benitez and less about his players. And if they win? Well then Rafa got it spot on, and the message to Ferguson is unequivocal: 'say what you like about us, we know what we’re doing.'

I have also read that this was most out of character for Rafa Benitez. Not so.

Because, aside from this being so ‘very Rafa’ to have delivered his comments armed with his meticulously researched arguments laid out in bullet points on an A4 sheet of paper, the Liverpool coach has done this before.

Following a successful title winning season at Valencia, his players felt the full force of his wrath in a disappointing second season at the club. And when Valencia lifted the La Liga title the following year, Benítez confronted Jesus Garcia Pitarch, the club's director of sport, over control of new signings and the club's failure to reinforce the squad with the players he wanted – and Benitez told the world, in no uncertain terms, what he thought of the men in suits at the Mestalla.

In England too, Benitez has previous form. Remember when he stood up to Mourinho? After their first group match ended in another goalless draw in September 2005, the Liverpool manager said the following month: "To me, Arsenal played much better football two or three years ago. They won matches and were exciting to watch. Barcelona and Milan too. They create excitement so how can you say Chelsea are the best in the world?" He did not shy away from telling Mourinho that his success was down to Abramovich’s millions either.

The point is, unlike Keegan before him, Rafa Benitez is not some novice manager confronted with a situation like this for the first time in his career. When Ferguson tries to attack someone for their inexperience, he would do well to remember that there is a world outside the Premier League and I would wager that two Spanish league titles and a Champions League trophy have taught Benitez a thing or two about coping with pressure.

Ferguson has found himself a new adversary: he knows he is in a fight for the title race now, and I fully expect the United coach to react; while Benitez, who has seen off the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona in the past, will put his piece of paper back in his pocket, and smile whenever the word ‘Fergie’ gets a mention over the next few weeks.

I wonder which one of them is really under the skin of the other...

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Kelthink

Kelthink

Posted
Posted

And some more, Graham Poll backs Benitez:

Poll backing for Rafa

Former referee agrees with Benitez

Benitez: Backed by Poll

Former Premier League referee Graham Poll agrees that Sir Alex Ferguson receives lenient treatment from the Football Association.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez launched an astonishing attack on his Manchester United counterpart on Friday.

Benitez claimed Ferguson does not get punished sufficiently for his sometimes outspoken criticism of match officials.

Poll enjoyed a good relationship with Ferguson during his time as a referee but believes the Scot does get preferential treatment from FA disciplinary chiefs.

"Rafa Benitez has articulated what referees have been thinking for years - that Sir Alex Ferguson can say what he wants about them and the FA will allow him to get away with it," Poll told the Daily Mail.

"The authorities could point to Ferguson's two-match ban imposed earlier this season as proof that he is not out of reach of their disciplinary department, but that was for marching onto the field after the 4-3 win over Hull and for comments made directly to the referee, Mike Dean, who in reporting the misconduct forced the FA's hand."

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_4773786,00.html

Good stuff! I know people will say 'oh it's easy for him to say it now, he's a pussy for not saying it when he was a ref' but the guy pretty much retired due to death threats. That'll be why other refs don't say anything too controversial, because some fuckwit will take too much offense and go too far.

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rafaqat

rafaqat

Posted
Posted
The fact that Benitez had got the things he wanted to say on a piece of paper show it was planned.

Thats hardly comparable to what Keegan did. I am rather confused as to why Benitez thought this was the best way to handle things but maybe he is hoping it means there is pressure on refs in the big Man U games like the one coming up this weekend.

Yeah pretty much this. He's shown in the past that he can ignore Ferguson. But putting this out will mean EVERY fucker will now be watching to see what the refs do at Man U games for at least a couple of matches. Co-incidence that it was done before the match with Chelsea? I think not.

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DeNeo

DeNeo

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Posted
The Liverpool team in full: Reina, Carragher, Aurelio, Hyypia, Skrtel, Mascherano, Lucas, Benayoun, Riera, Gerrard, Kuyt. Subs: Cavalieri, Keane, Torres, Dossena, Babel, Plessis, El Zhar.

Bit...odd. Pretty strong bench though.

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dizogg

dizogg

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Posted

Heres the plan: Encourage them to come onto us and play like a proper home team, then counter-attack them with the still high quality players we have on the pitch. If we had Torres and Keane up front it might scare them too much into parking the bussage.

Edit: In fact, this was our squad for the 0-0 with them earlier in the season:

Pepe Reina

Jamie Carragher

Martin Skrtel

Alvaro Arbeloa

Andrea Dossena

Steven Gerrard

Xabi Alonso

Albert Riera

Robbie Keane

Dirk Kuyt

Fernando Torres

So you know. Maybe this line-up doesn't look so stupid now. We should have beat them anyway Gerrard had a perfectly valid free kick goal disallowed right at the start. And we absolutly battered them from start to finish. Anyway, we'll see!

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