Blame Rafa - Gillett's View Unbelievable, in my view.....YANKS OUT BLAME RAFA Gillett cuts loose on Liverpool manager over team's slump http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/blame-rafa-1904915.html George Gillett has claimed that Rafael Benitez is to blame for Liverpool's failings on the pitch rather than the owners. According to the American, Liverpool are in "extraordinarily" good financial shape compared with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United because he and partner Tom Hicks have invested more money than any of their competitors in recent years. "In the last 18 months, we have invested £128m on top of what has come in. That means it should be getting better," Gillett said. "Now if it's not getting better, it's not Gillett and Hicks; it's the manager; it's the scouting. You have to make sure you balance out your analysis. There was plenty of money, so if you have any complaints, take a look at the ins and outs." Gillett, who made the comments in an ad hoc interview with a representative of the fans' union, Spirit of Shankly, at Liverpool's Kirkby academy, further claimed that "the £30m from the sale of Xabi Alonso went straight back in" to Benitez's coffers, as well as "£22-23m as part of our budgets". The co-owner's statement that Benitez is to blame belies the fragile peace between boardroom and dressing-room at Anfield. Benitez has been noticeably coy on the subject of the club's owners this season after two years of almost constant conflict, but relations remain strained, particularly on the subject of transfer budgets. Benitez's problems don't end there as resentment is still lingering in certain quarters over his criticism of 'senior players' in the wake of Liverpool's defeat by Aston Villa back in August. Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher have both spoken to him on the matter and, while no rift exists between manager and players, Benitez has been advised to re-engage with his team's heartbeat, the home-grown pair of Huyton's Gerrard and Bootle's Carragher, if Liverpool are to prevent another season disappearing down the boulevard of broken dreams. Defeat by Chelsea -- their third in the Premier League -- fuelled the belief that they are ill-equipped to mount a second successive title challenge. Having lost to Fiorentina in the Champions League, Liverpool have also put themselves under unexpected pressure in Europe and their fate in a competition in which they have flourished under Benitez could be determined by back-to-back clashes with Lyon. Their first meeting with the French club is sandwiched between Premier League fixtures away to Sunderland next Saturday week and the visit of Manchester United to Anfield on Sunday, October 25. Benitez has called on his players "to keep improving'' following that damaging defeat at Chelsea, yet some Anfield insiders are wondering if it is the manager who can "keep improving'' his relations with the dressing room. Some of his critics argue that this footballing obsessive seems to show no interest in his players as human beings. After all, this is the manager who stayed on for the 2005 Club World Championship in Tokyo despite learning that his father had passed away back in Spain. In Benitez's eyes, he was merely being professional, being devoted to his team's pursuit of trophies.
That's just great, one of the owners of our club saying that about our manager wan*er How must we look to any potential buyers/investors
Grrrr grinds my gears reading this sort of tripe! Get these lying w*nk*rs out of our club! This should only add fuel to the campaign to get these out! Forza Benitez!
F*ck sake! It beggars belief!! What must be going through his head? How did he think that saying that would come back to him in a good way! There's so much wrong with everything he said... where to begin. "In the last 18 months, we have invested £128m on top of what has come in. That means it should be getting better," I'm not up on my stats but the vast majority of our transfers are funded from selling players. Ok, with Torres and Masch we spent big but where is £128m coming from?? We spent big this summer too but Alonsos sale covered that. I'd guess our total expenditure was that. Is he just leaving out money gained from sales? it's not Gillett and Hicks; it's the manager How can he say that? That manager has brought a lot of success to Liverpool in spite of those clowns. "the £30m from the sale of Xabi Alonso went straight back in" to Benitez's coffers, as well as "£22-23m as part of our budgets" LOL How much were Aquaman and Johnson combined? £37m? Where's the rest of that £22-23m? The whole thing is a disaster. While Ferguson is happily distracting everyone from a poor result, here's Dumbo shining a big neon sign over us causing more upset in the club.
The whole thing is a disaster. While Ferguson is happily distracting everyone from a poor result, here's Dumbo shining a big neon sign over us causing more upset in the club. Exactly right
The press have taken gillets comments from TLW website. it must be when one of the SOS guys met gillete in the academy on the 26th sept. Im not positive... but some of the more informed members on here,can correct me if im wrong.
This was up on the SOS website couple of weeks back.. Gillette met with a member and said this to him.. its pure morning scandal again .. more shite for people to read after our 2 defeats.
Liverpool co-owner George Gillett has defended the investment levels of the current regime and suggested fans should look to manager Rafael Benitez, rather than the club's owners, if the Reds are failing to progress. Last weekend's 2-0 loss at Chelsea was the Reds' third defeat of the campaign - more than they suffered in the whole of last season - while they also lost against Fiorentina in the Champions League last week. But Gillett has defended the record of himself and co-owner Tom Hicks in reports in the Times and the Daily Telegraph today and believes the pair have done more than their rivals to improve the financial footing of their club. 'We have invested more money than our competitors, in keeping with the history of the club,' Gillett is quoted as telling a representative of the fans' group Spirit of Shankly prior to Liverpool's 6-1 win over Hull last week. 'In the last 18 months, we have invested £128m on top of what has come in. That means it should be getting better. 'Now if it's not getting better, it's not Gillett and Hicks, it's the manager, it's the scouting. You have to make sure you balance out your analysis. 'There was plenty of money, so if you have any complaints, take a look at the ins and outs.' Gillett also added that the £30million fee recouped from Xabi Alonso's move to Real Madrid 'went straight back' into the club's transfer budget, which was already set at '£22-23m as part of our budgets'. Gillett added: 'The club is in extraordinarily good financial condition. Far better than Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal. 'We have invested massively, we have put more money in than anyone other than Manchester City, with the craziness they have got.'
I reckon he's quoting gross spend. The usual bull. So we made 40 million in the summer and spent 40 million. Therefore we spent 40 million. Which was much more than Chelsea and United I think thats what he's claiming
I dont know how Rafa can keep taking this cr^p from them, he could walk easily into Real Madrid if he wanted, and that would leave us totally fcuk£d., Lets hope it didn't bother Rafa,.
Not really what we need after losing 2 games on the trot but never really suprised when I log on here in the mornings and see stuff like this
in fairness it was said the morning of the hull game,not after the last 2 defeats.the papers have just decided to run with it now.here's the direct quote,it was an answer to a question about the alonso money. MC} "Looking at this years transfers yes. What happened to the £30m from the Xabi Alonso sale"? GG} "We put that back in, we didn’t take it out, we didn’t do like Man U did. They took all the money they got from player sales and they owed so much money they had to use it to pay down the debt. We didn’t do that. In keeping with the history of the club we have invested more money than our competitors, which should mean it should be getting better. If its not getting better it’s not because of Gillett and Hicks, it’s the manager it the scouting and so forth. So make sure you guys balance out your analysis. i didn't know that trucker posted the interview in the sos thread the other day,it seems to have slipped under the radar.here it is if anyone wants to have a look.. http://www.irishkop.com/forums/showpost.php?p=239102&postcount=440 one thing is for sure,he's not too happy about us sos guys.his cage must've been well and truly rattled when he came over that weekend. good enough for him,we like to keep him and uncle tom on their toes..