Football Focus

[SimonM]

Sky now claim the eminences grises who run Liverpool (into the ground??) want 'Onest 'Arry 'isself as manager...Blimey..

[????]

I dunno...fibnacially satble club in Europe with a host of committed young talent or, er, Liverpool

[Narnia]

Quids......have you got Mickitis?

[Annasfield]

Rafa to Inter then. Not good enough for LFC but seemingly good enough for the Italian League winners and Champions of Europe.

Best of luck fella, you will be sorely missed. I hope you clean up.

[pablogrande]

Good luck to him, disgusting treatment of an honest guy who got what it meant to be part of Liverpool. Anna do you think he could ever be back?

[Annasfield]

I really hope so. A few of us have discussed this and reckon it might happen one day. Would be great for him to come back and finish what he's started.

How anyone can think that removing Rafael Benitez and replacing him with Hodgson/O'Neill/Hughes is a postive step for the club.

Have heard that his wife and kids are staying in Liverpool as they love it so much.

[matthew123]

What is it about the PL... Jaun Ramos was another one who landed on his feet, thrown out of Spurs and then get's the Real Madrid job! Houllier kicked out of Anfield then picks up an easy ride with the triple defending Champions Lyon! Raneri booted out by Chelsea then taking over double Champions Valencia.

By all this sound logic I guess that makes Phil Brown favourite to be new Liverpool boss!!

On another note I do think Rafa will have learnt a great deal from his time in England. Taking over the double Champions sounds like a breeze but it is ageing team that will need to be reinforced. However I believe Rafa's philosophy of how to play winning football is perfectly suited for Italy.

[Sandperson]

Annasfield Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I really hope so. A few of us have discussed this

> and reckon it might happen one day. Would be great

> for him to come back and finish what he's started.

>

Would that be taking them down to the Championship? ;-)

[Sharon_H]

Apparently His wife and kids have recently taken British citizenship. I wish him well.

['bout now]

Why would they do that? They are European, part of the E.U.

[Sharon_H]

Don't know, just what I got told.

[Jah Lush]

Apparently his wife and kids love it here so much they are staying here so it makes sense getting British citizenship.

[pablogrande]

see he's signed for only 2 years at Inter

[Annasfield]

Just read this in the Echo.

THE ECHO can exclusively reveal that Rafa Benitez today donated ?96,000 to the Hillsborough Family Support Group as he gets set to leave Merseyside.

The former Liverpool FC boss, who was today confirmed as the new manager at Inter Milan, handed over the cheque to Margaret Aspinall, chairwoman of the HFSG, as the rest of the committee watched on this afternoon.

In a low key visit to the group's office, Benitez wished the group well and told them he hoped they would get the justice and the truth they are campaigning for.

Mrs Aspinall said: "It was just nice to know that he wanted to see us before he went."

I know football isn't just about sentiment, but if there was ever a man that was meant to be a manager at Liverpool then Rafa fills those shoes.

Gutted he has gone.

[matthew123]

Bit surprised with that as he made quite a big deal at Liverpool of when he only had 18 months left on his contract.

[ruffers]

Very generous out of the 6 million he screwed out of them.

[matthew123]

Forget the World Cup the Premiership fixtures for next season are announced this morning, 9 a.m.

I am hoping Liverpool start the season at Anfield for the first time since 2003 ...

[matthew123]

Reds start with a home fixture to Arsenal, then it's an away fixture at Man City to follow... so nice easy start!

Game 5 is a visit to Old Trafford, which I think it after CL group match 1 (and let me get in the excuses early that'll no doubt be 3 days after a far flung trip to Asia for Liverpool in Europa League on the Thursday night... thanks Rafa ;)

[kpc]

The trip starts at the Stadium of Light, unfortunately not the one in Lisbon, and ends at White Hart Lane. Would be nice to have either the first or last game at home, but both away....(the moaning begins).

[SimonM]

Start and finish with away games in Wales - Cardiff first

First home game of the season is QPR - Colin & Kenny return to Bramall Lane! So that's bound to be televised then! There'll probably be more needle to that game than the ones with Leeds.

[matthew123]

Everton are said to be interested in signing Ashley Young, Robbie Keane and Darren Bent. to coinside with the launch of the new pink shirt. A spokesman said they are exactly the type of players we are looking for. Young, Keane and Bent

[Mick Mac]

Tottenham Hotspur don't have a shirt sponsor for the coming season and there is a chance they will start the season without one, however, the News of the World yesterday reported they are working on a project to acquire different sponsors for each competition they play.

TV coverage for Spurs' league, cup and European games all go to different markets. If the club is to maximise shirt sponsorship income it will granularise the product offering into different packages. The same is true for Celtic.

Where Spurs lead, others will follow. Eventually.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

"granularise" - what's that then?

[matthew123]

Where Spurs go.. other mickey mouse Clubs will follow... bit like the old days when at some Clubs individual players would be sponsorered by local butcher, hairdresser etc.. Absolute bollox.

[Mick Mac]

Don't know - was a copy and paste from some Celtic website.