Rafa at PSG...please...this must be a bad joke

There are rumors that the former Liverpool and Inter Milan skipper, Rafa Benitez might be in line to manage PSG. Um....okay....haahaaaa...funny. But seriously. I realize that he has won a Champions League and has a certain cache; however, he remains a terrible manager. One who spends like drunken sailor and then says he has no money. I realize he is very good at knock out style management, but what PSG need is manager that will build from within, make some shrewd signings and manage for the long championship season.  I would rather have a manager in the mold of Wenger: sign a number of up and coming youth players, make a few veteran signings and get into the Champions League to fill the coffers. Unlike Wenger, however, I would like some silverware along the way. Rafa is none of these...on the contrary he is of the manager that views high transfer sums as a solution to a poorly performing squad and cannot seem to manage for the duration of the season.

I hope that sane minds prevail in Paris and that we go after a lesser "name" of a manager but one that is more likely to bring success to PSG.

Rafa out at Inter?

Looks like the Spaniard has once again found a way to shoot his way out of a job, granted with Liverpool it took him a few seasons to accomplish the feat. Rumor have it that former Milan manager and player Leonardo will be tapped to replace Rafa at Inter. Ah Rafa, what are you thinking?

Not sure what he could expect next in terms of a job, he left Liverpool in shambles and clearly left in a blaze of ignominy. Now he throws down the gauntlet at Inter and it appears that ownership might just call him out on his threats. The one once seen as a rising managerial star - from his days at Valencia. Has since appeared to be a manager that has lost his way, cannot manage for the long haul, complains more than Arsene Wenger and lives off 15 minutes of Champions League insanity. Again it is not as if Inter's cupboard is bare - Eto'o, Sneijder, Milito, Cesar, Lucio to name a few - too bad the man trying to manage this bunch is having so many difficulties. So as he did with Liverpool, he will blame the fact he has no money to go out and buy players and that is why he is no succeeding.

I think Rafa will head back to Spain. He will manage one of the second tier sides since Real and Barcelona have managers in place. I think that Rafa might be better suited for a Valencia or a Villarreal - solid clubs with resources, talent, fan base and strong ownership, but in the shadows of Real and Barca so not such a bright light nor a need for titles to be considered successful. Rafa never should have taken this role, following in the footsteps of The Special one, the season after a treble would have been a hard act to follow for any manager, but for one of Rafa's temperament a losing cause.  I should feel bad for Rafa but  I don't...he will be compensated and will land another job somewhere. At least this time he might not have as much time to ruin another club!

Rafa wants more money...sound familiar?

Ah how funny...so Rafa left Liverpool for Italy, too bad his tried and true whining has not stayed in England. Where have we heard this before? So the Spaniard feels as if he needs more money in order to acquire the necessary talent to compete, of course, because his side has no talent. This is basically the same side that won the treble last season, including a Champions League title. The only big name gone is Balotelli, otherwise much of the same roster. Could Inter use some new blood? Sure any side needs to be consistently adding fresh talent, but the fact Rafa is putting out ultimatums is getting old. Rather than whine, start putting together some success Rafa.

Rafa cannot let go...comical

The war of words continues as Rafa Benitez slings more incomprehensible jabs about the man that took over for him at Liverpool - Roy Hodgson. Granted the new Liverpool gaffer has found himself under a certain degree of pressure as the storied club only recently fought itself out of the relegation zone. Hodgson clearly inherited a club laden with failed signings from the Benitez era. Of course Rafa babbles about how he only spent a net 10m pounds and left with 17 internationals on the rosters...but how many new trophies did he add to the Liverpool trophy case with (take away the Champions League miracle)?

Note to Rafa, success at clubs such as Liverpool are measured in the silverware added to the trophy case...not the amount of internationals you have on your roster. What Rafa fails to realize, or admit, is that his tenure at Liverpool was flawed and in reality a failure. During his time he watched hated rival Manchester United equal the Reds in terms of overall league titles, yes he did win a Champions League trophy, but that was due to 15 minutes of insanity versus Milan. He did get a second place finish...but that and $4.00 gets you a latte at Starbucks. Rafa does have a tough task at Inter - following in the footsteps of the Special One and the Inter treble of last season - he has Inter within 4 points of the leader Lazio. Inter is also sits atop Group A in the Champions League and if they win at White Hart Lane, will qualify for the knock out stage. Of course nothing matters unless Inter makes a deep run in the knock out stage.

Meanwhile I am sure Rafa will continue to throw stones at Hodgson, Gillett and Hicks - somehow making everyone but him the reason why he did not succeed at Liverpool. We heard this the past two seasons when he was managing the Reds so why should anything change from the Spaniard???

Rafa on his way out...finally?

Just over a week left until we start the World Cup adventure in South Africa, but the world and business of football does not stop. The latest, not a surprise, is that Rafa might be on his way out at Liverpool...finally. If the rumors are to be believed, the powers that be in Anfield are looking to offer Rafa a 3m pound pay out to leave the club "immediately." With an opening at Inter Milan, possible move to Juventus or maybe something at Manchester City, there seems to be some green fields for Rafa to go and mess up another club team with his brilliant player purchasing. This might also be a signal that the genius owners - Hicks and Gillett - are looking to clean house before selling to a new owner that might want to put in their own manager. It could also mean that the two owners want to get Rafa out of town so that they no longer have to listen to his belly aching about money and do not have to spend any more capital to watch their team not qualify for the Champions League. This move might also make it easier for the two owners to sell of Torres and Gerrard to help the books - and make the club look more fiscally viable, potentially easier to sell - and to get them more of a profit than they could currently hope for.

The soap opera in Anfield continues...and only makes me chuckle.

Premier league race over?

Chelsea secure the full 3 points with a relative easy win at Anfield over Liverpool while Manchester United kept pace with a 1-0 victory over Sunderland. With one game left Chelsea hold a slim 1 point lead over the Red Devils with one game to go, both matches should be sitters: Chelsea host Wigan and Manchester United host Stoke. Both sides are safe from the drop zone so will not be playing for the Premiership lives. Baring a major upset, Chelsea should be winning the Premiership crown  next week in London.

The one side story, with the loss, Liverpool is assured that they will not have Champions League football next season. And with that miss out on the cash associated with the competition. This will be telling this off season since Liverpool has amassed some huge debts and is struggling to ensure they can service this debt. With Rafa already turning his eyes to Italy and the Old Lady this might mark the beginning of a dark time for Liverpool. They are further away from a Premiership title then when Rafa took over the club. However I am sure the Spaniard will have some spin on his way out of Anfield that he was never given the budget or the resources to succeed.

That's just Rafa being Rafa

Sigh, poor Rafa, he is the poor man of England without sufficient funds at Liverpool. Someone please get me a tissue so I can wipe my tears away. Clearly the Spaniard is setting up his exit this summer whether he leaves on his own or gets canned. Maybe Rafa needs to do some self reflecting before he starts whining about his "lack of funds." Granted

Hicks and Gillett have done a mockery of owning this side, gambling on being able to secure a new stadium, leveraging the club to repay their debts and overall underestimating the blind loyalty of the fan base. Unlike owning the Texas Rangers or the Dallas Stars, owning a club like Liverpool carries a very steep history that is ingrained in the fan base -  a fan base that is much more sensitive to every action you take and is less forgiving if it perceives your actions to be focused on lining your own pockets with cash rather than winning silverware.

But Rafa, once again, cannot hide behind these two bumbling owners for he is also to blame. Ryan Babel for 11m pounds? Robbie Keane? Aquilani? Kuyt? Not having sufficient strikers last season. Relying entirely on Gerrard and Torres for all your scoring. The list goes on. As I have stated before, were it not for 15 crazy minutes in the Champions League finals, Rafa would have been shown the door years ago. I will not shed a tear that Liverpool has wasted away seasons under the Spanish "genius" but the Reds' fans deserve a gaffer that can give them a better chance rather than spending his time whining about no funds and any other excuse he can muster to cover his poor performances.

Steve Nicol anyone?

Poor Rafa...Liverpool slips further away from the top 4

I am remiss in commenting on my friend Rafa and his band of merry men and their stunning game this week. A 1-0 loss to Wigan drops the Reds further down the table and farther away from Champions League football next season. Then again I am sure the Spaniard wouldn't care since he will most likely be in Torino managing the "Old Lady." Of course now Rafa is lashing out at his players, maybe it is because they have tuned him out and his litany of excuses. I have no love lost for the man, I think he is a very overrated manager, great for knock out competitions but cannot manage a club for the long haul, makes terrible decisions in the transfer market and overall does not seem to get how to run a club. I do have a chuckle that he is doing this with a storied franchise such as Liverpool but I am also shocked he has been allowed to do so for so long.

With Liverpool further away from Champions League football and money, I wonder if we will see a small fire sale this summer since the ownership is also under financial pressure...that would be interesting. Maybe Mascherano and Torres can find their ways to the Emirates!

Liverpool continues to struggle...is Rafa close to the exit?

Rafa's boys once again disappoint by dropping 2 points to Wolves with a 0-0 draw (those are the Wolves that find themselves just above the drop zone). Granted the draw moves Liverpool closer to the top 4 -

Position	Team	P	GD	PTS
1	Man Utd	23	34	50
2	Arsenal	22	34	48
3	Chelsea	21	34	48
4	Tottenham	23	20	41
5	Liverpool	23	14	38
6	Man City	21	12	38
7	Aston Villa	21	11	36
8	Birmingham	21	2	33
9	Fulham	22	0	27
10	Everton	21	-4	26
11	Stoke	21	-7	25
12	Blackburn	22	-16	24
13	Sunderland	21	-8	23
14	Wigan	20	-21	22
15	Bolton	21	-13	21
16	West Ham	22	-9	20
17	Wolves	22	-21	20
18	Burnley	22	-22	20
19	Hull	22	-26	19
20	Portsmouth	21	-14	15

However look at the games played - the 3 closest teams chasing Liverpool have 2 games in hand versus the Reds. Dropping points to the 17th place team is not what makes a champion either. Clearly Liverpool continues to tread water. I still do not think getting rid of Rafa right now makes sense, this can only be seen as a lost season for the Reds. So let Rafa manage to the end of the season then allow the new gaffer a full off season to prepare for the next campaign. Then again Rafa might escape to northern Italy if the rumors are to be believed. Which I think would be a poor choice for Juventus, granted they had their manager when Deschamps was there and got them back into Serie A, too bad they could not agree on how to keep him at his former club.

The manager merry go around continues.

The heat rises on Rafa...no surprise there.

So Rafa and his band of merry-men from Liverpool slide further away from the top of the league table, now 14 points behind league leaders Chelsea and 4 points out of a top 4 spot, after a 1-1 draw against powerhouse Stoke City. Add to the situation the midweek loss to Championship side Reading in the FA Cup and Liverpool having to play in the Europa League having crashed out of the Champions League. Of course Rafa had a classic post game interview blaming everything but himself for the situation Liverpool finds itself in...

The rumors are swirling that the Hicks and Gillett are seriously thinking about sacking their gaffer, not that the two owners do much chatting these days. Now with others such as Souness calling for the Spaniard to stand down on his own, can the ax be far away? I have never made any secret about my dislike for Rafa, I think that he is overrated as a domestic league manager - knock out tournaments are another story. I also think his time at Anfield needs to draw to a close. Liverpool has not won a domestic title in what seems like a lifetime (20 years to be exact)!! That is unacceptable for a side such as the Reds. However I do no think he should be sacked immediately. First, the transfer window has been very quiet and I am not sure a new manager will have the time or money to greatly change the side. Second a new manager will not be able to change the fundamental problem with Liverpool - over reliance on Gerrard and Torres. Third, Liverpool might be able to make a run for the Champions League spot next year...which in a strange way would be perfect for Rafa - he can manage in a knock out tournament manner - not worrying about player development nor multiple cups - Liverpool is out of the FA Cup, Carling Cup and Champions League. Finally, why not wait until the summer and even after the World Cup where you think there will be a deluge of managers on the market. Allow the new gaffer a full transfer period to reshape his club.

I am sure the names of Hiddink and Blanc will be tossed around, but what about "The Special One?" Hmmmm, Mourinho has never made any secret about his desire to return to England. Rumors are swirling that he would return to replace SAF at Manchester United. But why would Mourinho seek that challenge? To replace a legend...short of going undefeated for a season or winning the Champions League without giving up goal, what can the Special One do at Manchester United that SAF has not already done. However, if he goes to Liverpool...he can be the manager that finally gets the Reds a Premiership title. He can be the one that finally brings Liverpool back to the level the fans so desire. I think it is a perfect fit. Mourinho's ego is large enough to want such a challenge. He would get a chance to face off against Wenger, SAF and the rest. He would get a chance to take on his old employer at Chelsea. Finally he would get a chance to cement his legacy if he can find a way to steer Liverpool back to the top of the Premiership mountain.

Benitez on the ropes?

Ah poor Liverpool...Rafa seems to be teetering on the edge. No surprise to this blogger. The Spaniard has constantly "underperformed" at the helm of Liverpool. As one of the "Big 4" one would expect more from the Reds. The other members of this elite group have won a Premiership title...Liverpool has not won a league title since 1990, in the mean time hated rival Manchester United has caught up with the Reds at 18 domestic titles (Manchester United has 11 premier titles compared to Liverpool's 0). Couple this with Liverpool crashing out of the Champions League after being seen as an easy favorite to get through their group...oops. Once again I would call Rafa's ability into question. He has built a team that relies on 2 players - Torres and Gerrard. He has spent money like a drunken sailor and has very little to show for it - example - purchase Robbie Keane only to resell him 5 months later at a loss. He went out and spent big on players like Babel ... but where to play him? His side needs strikers yet he lets Voronin out on loan. I have never questioned his ability to manage in a knock out competition, he is a master mind when it comes to prepare his side for a 1 or 2 game match. When it comes to the other aspects of managing a football team, he is lacking.

Liverpool now sits 13 points behind Chelsea out of the Champions League and in general reeling. I would not be surprised if Rafa were not let go by Christmas. Allow another manager to take over the club and leverage the winter transfer window to try and redeem something from this season and prepare for 2010. Rafa will have no one to blame but himself. The Champions League title won in Istanbul gave Rafa an increased runway, which he has wasted. He has not demonstrated a shrewd eye on the transfer market, he has not been able to demonstrate a good sense of how to manage during the long slog of a domestic championship and overall has been given the keys to a high performing car and ruined the gear box, damaged the brake pads and turned it into a lemon.

I have never been a fan of the Spaniard...partial because I felt Houllier was not given a fair shot after having a medical emergency stall his ability to manage his team. He was able to turn around the Red, bring them silverware and apparently was moving the squad in a good direction. Rafa came in on a white horse with a lot of hype...and to me has failed to impress...albeit for a crazy 15 minutes in Turkey...

Poor Rafa...hheeheeeheee

I did not watch the entire match but I cannot help myself to chuckle at Rafa and Liverpool. Starting, arguably, their most challenging week Rafa and his men fell 1-0 to a beach ball...see below:



This drops Liverpool to 7 points behind league leaders Manchester United, who they have to face this upcoming weekend. Dropping points to Sunderland is not a way to challenge for silverware Rafa. Once again I call into question the Spaniards ability to manage a team for an entire season. There is no doubt he is a solid game to game manager in a knock out competition, but when it comes to managing for a league title, I question his talents especially on player movements. Granted Torres and Gerrard were out yesterday, but every team needs to deal with adversity of losing players. But I am not sure that even if they were on the pitch yesterday if they would have been able to defend against Bent who absolutely torched the Liverpool defense, and could have had a brace or hat trick had he been a little bit more clinical in his final touch.

Again, Rafa will live on the glory of 15 crazy minutes in Istanbul, without that improbable run he might have been looking for work a few years ago.

Poor Rafa....

After dropping two games from the first 3 fixtures, it appears the sharks are circling Rafa. I do have to chuckle a little...first at the fact the heat is actually on him after playing 3 games!! This is a very long season, granted dropping points early is never a good thing, but to call Liverpool out of contention before the end of August is ridiculous. Of course this could not happen to a better manager, as I have stated over and over again, were it not for the 15 minutes of craziness during the Champions League Finals against ACMilan...Rafa would have been sacked a long time ago. I do not question his ability to strategize and execute tactics during a game, for that he is one of the best, I do question his ability to manage a team over a season and understand who to buy and sell. Best example for me last season when he brought in Keane let Voronin go out on a loan...then sells Keane back to Spurs in the winter and realizes he is a few strikers short....hmmmmm smart. Maybe Rafa could have used the 11 goals Voronin tallied last season....

Liverpool lose more than PL title

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8084182.stm

Ouch, losing over 40m pounds....that cannot be good for business. So Rafa, who always complains of not having funds to acquire players must have had money, or were Hicks and Gillett just buying lots of fish and chips? What I love about this story is a team who has a manager who always cries poor yet the business side is hemorrhaging money. This might put Liverpool in a very difficult situation, will they have to sell some of their stars? Will the new stadium be put on indefinite hold? Then again I really have no sympathy for Liverpool, the owners leveraged themselves to purchase the club, what was basically an move to boost their massive egos. Neither man really had any sense of the business of footie, and let's face it, Hicks has questionable acumen when it comes to the business of sports (anyone see how the Texas Rangers are run?).

This massive business loss is just another example of clubs that are run by owners who only see the team as a play thing rather than a business (look at Chelsea's books...they constantly operate at financial losses). I would not be surprised if this time next year we are talking about Manchester City operating at huge losses as well....oh well. I guess if you have the money to burn, good for you.

I wonder if Rafa is already teeing up his whining machine - "I have no funds..."

New contract for Benitez, the Prem breaths a sigh of relief

So my favorite Spaniard gets his much wanted contract extension to manage Liverpool. I guess we do not have to worry about The Red challenging for the Premiership anytime soon. I would like to make the over under 8 months before you hear from Rafa about the fact he has no money to spend in the transfer window. Amazing what 15 crazy minutes in Istanbul will do for one's career.

Quick Champions League Predictions

Yes the next leg of Champions League footie is upon us, so some quick predictions:

• Bayern Munich v Sporting (agg 5-0) - Um not sure anyone has come back from a 5 goal deficit...so the easy prediction. Bayern through to the next round.
• Juventus v Chelsea (agg 0-1) - This is a tasty tie, heading back to Italy with the Old Lady needing to come out and find a way to over come that goal down. The intrigue for me is how Trezegol will have an impact on the game. However I think that Chelsea is starting to click, and Drogba is becoming the beast he once was. It is also clear that having Hiddink in the bench has some how calmed the egos on the Blues. Chelsea goes through after a 1-1 draw.
• Liverpool v Real Madrid (agg 1-0) - Oh now this is an interesting match up, my good friend Benitez is already whining about being "picked" on by the press, that he has a good track record in the Champions League...just disregard the futility in England. Liverpool has the huge away goal and are going to force Real to come to Anfield. Face the following.
  
  
  
  If one thing Benitez has shown is an uncanny ability to manage for one game matches. I think he got exactly what he wanted from his trip to Madrid and will now build his line up to sit deep and absorb the Real attacks and look to counter via Torres (assuming El Nino passes his match day fitness test). I just do not see the Real player that will be able to solve the Reds. Liverpool head on with a boring 0-0 draw.
• Panathinaikos v Villarreal (agg 1-1) - The Greek side has a good chance, heading back home with a precious away goal. Their manager Ten Cate is well experienced in European football so knows how to manage his squad and with veterans like Gilberto I can see the Greek side coming out of this tie. Granted Villareal cannot be underestimated, with Rossi, Senna and Pires they have the necessary veterans to overturn the tie in a hostile environment. However, I think Panathinaikos is this years Fenebache - the Greek side goes through with a 2-1 victory (3-2 agg).

It does pain me to predict Liverpool goes through...oh well.

Rafa underwhelms once again

Ahhh leave it to Liverpool and more specifically Benitiz once again showing their true colors and drop a 3 points at relegation battling Middlesbrough. This comes one week after a draw against Manchester City. So over two weeks, the title "contenders" dropped 5 points against teams they should have secured the full 6 points if they were really going to contend for the Premiership title. What a surprise. Since Rafa came to Liverpool he has added and dropped players, constantly whined about needing more money and control of the team, and overall been underwhelming when it comes to challenging for the Premiership title. When Liverpool appeared to challenge for the league title and appeared to have finally solved the Manchester United - Arsenal - Chelsea puzzle, they just went back to showing their true colors. No surprise either, that earlier in the week at Real Madrid the Reds were able to head back with a 1-0 lead in their Champions league tie. This is typical Benitez, great manager for the short term no ability for long term challenges.

Here is what Liverpool should do, fire Rafa bring in some manager that understands how to work the transfer market and manage for a championship. A manager that does not buy Keane only to resell him back to his former club when your top striker goes down. Hmmm, maybe when Torres went down you would think it was a good opportunity to leverage Keane allow him to be your #1 striker. Oh wait Rafa wants him on the wing, oh no he is a deep striker, nope he is on the bench.....that is just one example of questionable transfer decisions by Benitez. Get rid of Cisse and decide that Kuyt is a Premiership striker. Sign Babel, but let him sit on the bench. The list goes on. Yes getting Torres was a solid move, but that is the exception with Benitez. I would argue that were it not for 15 crazy minutes in Athens, Rafa would have been elsewhere a long time ago. So, fire Benitez and bring him as a consultant for knock out competitions.

While I have little respect for Benitez as Liverpool manager, I think he would be a solid national team manager. Rafa is perfect for knock out stage competitions and short group stage events. Seriously, I think he would be a good replacement for Domenech. He would know how to manage Les Bleus, understand how to set up his team for each competitor and manage with knock out games in mind. And he could not be any worse when it comes to interpersonal skills!

Benitez and his wisdom

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/7875621.stm

So I was looking at the transfers and got to thinking, Robbie Keane is back at Tottenham after what can only be called a poor stint at Liverpool. I think this will be a good move for the Irish international, he was not a fit at Liverpool....then again lots of players Benitez purchases do not seem to fit. However, even if he was not a great fit he is a veteran who has a track record to score goals. Um, with the heavy dependence on Torres and now with Gerrard out for a few weeks, is Benitez not concerned about where the goals for the Reds will come from? According to the BBC story, between Torres and Gerrard, Liverpool has enjoyed 77 goals in the past 19 months. That is not something you replace with Babel, NGog, and Kuyt as your primary offensive options.

After moves such as this, I start to understand why the team does not want to completely hand over total player control to the Spaniard. I have always questioned his ability to manage a club over a season, he appears to be much more attune to managing for a knock out competition when he can strategize for one team. But when it comes to the long and grueling odyssey that is the Premiership his skills and ability to manage a roster leave much to be desired. Maybe letting Pennant and Voronin out on loan was not the wisest idea.

Thankfully I am not a Liverpool fan (yes I do have a Liverpool kit...care to guess the player?) and I am even less a fan of Benitez so overall I find this humorous. Unfortunately this means that Manchester United have another cake walk to another title, and that might make me even angrier than seeing the Spanish manager find success.