On the Ball (new Football Focus)

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

Arsenal 1 v Fulham 0 ( Do West Ham a favour )

Chelsea 2 v Wigan 0 ( Do West Ham a favour )

Everton 1 v West Brom 0

Middlesbrough 0 v Liverpool 3

Man Utd 0 v Spurs 1

Hull 0 Blackburn 0

West Ham 1 Man City 0 ( Oer are we 7th already )

Bolton 1 Newcastle 1

Aston Villa 3 Stoke 0

Could be a nice w/e

[red devil]

Wake up Mick!..

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> Frank Sinclair?

[Mick Mac]

frank sinclair

sorry wrong thread. Was doing kids breakfast at same time. Cant do multi tasking, am a man after all.

[Keef]

Hmmm, oh dear. My mate who supports Liverpool moved to boro recently and went to the match, so it's obviously all his fault!

[matthew123]

The Glazers have offered to put up half the money for Rafa's new contract - as a goodwill gesture to Tom and George

[Sandperson]

I'm telling you he's your weak link. Why did Gerrard come off? Is he injured again or just felt not to be fit enough for a full game yet? (This is not biff, a genuine question.)

[matthew123]

What do people make of this quote from one of the Liverpool players!?

?The manager told me he wants to give me a new contract, but because of his own contract he wanted to sort that out first and see what?s happening."

[Mikecg]

Mick Mac wrote,

I'm with SP - he follows the best team in England, who have consistently delivered the most entertaining attacking football year on year - who would want to support anyone else.

When some of my friends defected to ManU, I said you are not a true fan your just glory hunters.

No one team are playing that great in the prem at the moment, and ManU have been scraping results but at the end of the day that's what counts I suppose. ManU are a good team undeniably I just hate that c*nt Ferguson.

[Keef]

Matthew, if that quote is true, it proves what a lot of people are saying, the manager is his own top priority.

[red devil]

Judging by what I heard while watching the Real game on TV, the 'pool fans are still right behind Rafa, which surpises me.

Success in the Champs League has masked his inefficencies in the PL. It's looking likely that this season 'pool will finish points wise further behind Utd than last seaon (11 points), but will this be forgotten again if 'pool get close to or even win the Champs League?..

[Mikecg]

After the disaster appointment of Scolari at Chelski, I thought that Liverpool were going to give ManU a run for their money, but they have been a bit inconsistent, as ever they have handed it to them on a plate. Unless ManU suffer injuries looks like they are going to win it again sadly, Vidic and VanderSar has been remarkable lately.

[matthew123]

>> Judging by what I heard while watching the Real game on TV, the 'pool fans are still right behind Rafa

Yes, the Rafa Benitez song was aired quite strongly at the Bernabeu.. but interestingly it's been barely heard during recent months at Anfield. At Anfield, I think it is a good barometer of Kop sentiment the gusto at which the Manager's name is sang/chanted during games. Houllier got equally good vocals during his time, then suddenly it came to a crashing halt during the final months.

Liverpool fans look at their Big 4 record this season, the stellar results against Europe's top teams and wonder why are Liverpool haemorrhaging points against PL minnows... The majority point at the cautious football. That unbreakable philosophy is what, I think, will cost Rafa his job this summer.

[Annasfield]

Sometimes you're as a bad as a journo Matthew - why not paste the whole story, it reads slightly differently instead of going for the sensationalistic headline.

Dirk Kuyt has put a new twist on the contract storm that has engulfed Liverpool.

The Dutch striker claimed boss Rafa Benitez told him NOT to sign a new deal until his own future as manager had been secured.

Benitez has won the power struggle that threatened to tear Liverpool apart following the announcement that Rick Parry will stand down as chief executive at the end of the season.

The Kop boss has repeatedly been scathing about Parry's failure to seal new agreements for a group of players whose contacts expire at the end of next season including Kuyt, Daniel Agger, Alvaro Arbeloa and Emiliano Insua.

Kuyt's claim that Benitez told him to wait until the managerial situation at Anfield has been settled before entering into talks contradicts the Spaniard's public statements that Parry is to blame for the delays.

Kuyt said: "Rafa told me he wanted to give me a new contract, but because of his own contract he wanted to sort that out first and then we'll see what's happening.

"I've just been trying to focus on the games and not worry too much.

"Because I'm happy at Liverpool and I enjoy it I want to stay. I don't know if my future is linked to the manager, because that depends on what the club wants.

"If the club want to give me a new contract, I'm more than happy to talk about it.

"I've never been thinking about whether the manager would go or not. It's other people who are talking about this."

Benitez declined to comment last night.

Benitez has regularly cited the lack of momentum in resolving the contracts for players and backroom staff as a major source of a frustration.

Parry has become a casualty of the boardroom power struggle between co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett that has paralysed the club for the past 12 months.

The Americans become estranged following the revelation that Jurgen Klinsmann had been approached as a possible replacement for Benitez.

Parry sided with Gillett, while Benitez became an ally of Hicks - culminating in an astonishing verbal attack by Hicks on the chief executive in Sunday Mirror Sport last April in which he demanded his removal.

Parry survived, but Benitez's refusal to sign a new contract despite winning concessions over transfer policy, player contracts and the academy made his position untenable.

Both Hicks and Gillett plan to fly to England this week in another bid to persuade Benitez to sign an extension that will keep him at Anfield for another four-and-a-half years.

But the Spaniard still has concerns about the long-term ownership of the club.

Gillett has been looking to sell his 50 per cent share, but has been hindered by the fact that Hicks holds the power to veto any sale. The Americans hope to persuade Benitez his fears are unfounded.

Reads to me like Rafa wants to offer Kuyt, Agger and many other players new contracts but at the moment he is unable to do so as he needs to get the owners to agree.

I back Rafa and would be gutted to see him go. Financially we are nowhere near United and that has a massive impact on things. Yes we've slipped up, but everyone has been poor this season.

Team for team we match United (as was proved at Anfield this season), however when injuries are brought in to the melting pot our squad isn't a patch on theirs.

United had a bad run early on in the season. Was anyone calling for Fergie's head then - please can you also remind what he won at his first 6 years at United? (SP this isn't a dig at you by the way, I'm just comparing). It pains me to say this, but Ferguson is clearly a good manager, however the time he's had at United has most definitely helped with his success.

If Rafa were to go, it would be a massive step backwards for us as he is gradually building around some of the excellent players we have in our squad. Too much of our dirty washing is being done in public and that, like it or not - is not how we used to do things (the Liverpool way and all). The owners need to sort it out and get rid of all this unrest. Then I believe the teams heads will be in the right place to win the league. Again.

[Annasfield]

matthew123 Wrote:

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> >> Judging by what I heard while watching the Real

> game on TV, the 'pool fans are still right behind

> Rafa

>

> Yes, the Rafa Benitez song was aired quite

> strongly at the Bernabeu.. but interestingly it's

> been barely heard during recent months at Anfield.

> At Anfield, I think it is a good barometer of Kop

> sentiment the gusto at which the Manager's name is

> sang/chanted during games. Houllier got equally

> good vocals during his time, then suddenly it came

> to a crashing halt during the final months.

>

> Liverpool fans look at their Big 4 record this

> season, the stellar results against Europe's top

> teams and wonder why are Liverpool haemorrhaging

> points against PL minnows... The majority point at

> the cautious football. That unbreakable philosophy

> is what, I think, will cost Rafa his job this

> summer.

I disagree with that. I've been to every game at Anfield this season with the exception of two and have heard the Rafa song on many occassions. The reason it was sang so much on Wednesday is because of all the shite that was in the press. I'd say 95% of our fans back the manager.

[matthew123]

It reads a lot worse in that Sunday Mirror story. It says to me that as a minimum Rafa has prioritised his own future ahead of Dirk Kuyt (and possibly other players). Surely it is in the best interests of Liverpool that if the Manager rates Kuyt, then the Manager gets him signed up without delay. Rafa's own contract cannot be used as a bottleneck. We cannot have people walking just because the Manager walks or is put in a taxi. No one is bigger than the Club.

Various people have been fanning the flames in the media over the last 5 years - and you're right it's not the 'Liverpool Way', but Rafa Benitez is far from innocent in all this carry-on. It's getting to the stage where it would make even Mourinho blush :-$

[Keef]

I like Rafa, but I'm not convinced he's suited to the PL. Sometimes it's so hard to understand his decisions not to make changes it games they're struggling in.

[Mikecg]

Penalties it is then! C'mon Spurs, Sort it out..............

[Mick Mac]

Major slip up by Villa today - Martin O Neill will have had a few words to say in the dressing room after that - 2 points given up.

[Mikecg]

SLAAAAGGGGGGGGSSSSSS!!!!!!!

[Mikecg]

OH! Well.

Lets face it Spurs couldn't score in a brothel let alone hit a cows ass with a banjo.

[matthew123]

Missed the first 30 minutes, but lots of good football especially from Spurs.

I guess on the positive side for Spurs they won't all be getting drunk tonight so should be fresh for 'Boro in midweek ;-)

[Mikecg]

Pens is always hard to swallow for the loosing team and they did play well, it was a pretty good match but I do think United dominated a lot of the game Spurs defended admirably tho.

[Ladygooner]

I was actually wanting Spurs to win! On the plus side Jah Lush's liver should get some respite tonight - unless of course he is drowing his sorrows

[ratty]

Not a bad game that. Hope mr lush is not too disappointed. Thought Lennon had a stormer as did the young red evans. Wembley is fooking ace to base!

[Sandperson]

matthew123 Wrote:

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> Missed the first 30 minutes, but lots of good

> football especially from Spurs.

>

Twas a good game. Thought Spurs gave us a good game and both sides deserved a goal in open play I think Lennon did look good. Matthew you missed the 30 mins when we were dominant.