The Football.....

[Risex4]

Im getting down the bookies tomorrow to see what odds I can get on him not lasting the season.

 

[StuAff]

I feel sick to the very bottom of my stomach.
Of all people that Russian twit could hire he got the fat spanish waiter.
Shame on you Chelsea, Shame on you.

I'm done with it...

C'mon the Lillywhites.. Go Go Go Bromley FC

If you want to stick with a team in blue there's one further south of the river. Assuming it doesn't get wound up next month....

 

[Aperitif]

I have the answer to Chelsea's problems; Ron Atkinson.

 

[StuAff]

Abramovitch's long term plan is one of having one quick fix (new manager, new players) after another. And spending money like there's no tomorrow in the process. Every time it doesn't work, he still can't take the hint. Whether Rafa's past results were accident or design is open to some debate (see previous postings)- certainly if he'd done better at Anfield (and they could have done better) LFC would be in a much stronger position now. Whether he can do anything with Chelsea, and even whether he'll be given the time do it, remains to be seen. I'd guess not.....

 

[StuAff]

Abramovich should be the manager since no-one can cope with his expectations... it would be interesting to see how they fared.

Yebbut, how would he sack himself?

 

[musa]

Yebbut, how would he sack himself?

talking to himself in the mirror accepting the job with signing the contract with his right hand and sacking himself with the left

 

[StuAff]

talking to himself in the mirror accepting the job with signing the contract with his right hand and sacking himself with the left

Yup, that would work. He could pay himself off the same way!

 

[Inertia]

Yeah, in a room with only a mirror he'd fall out with his reflection. I'm not a fanboy and I take your points but the good outweighed the bad by far for me. He won the league with Valencia twice and he took us to a strong second with relatively few resources - 2008-9 was perhaps the best Liverpool side for 20 years.

Heh well Im not arguing he wasnt a good manager and I liked him, he made some great buys but Id disagree that he had few resources, I think he was given plenty of backing by Liverpool. Hicks and Gillet where a nightmare but I think he used them to deflect blame, they DID give him a lot of money. He broke the British transfer record for Torres and bought a lot of players, some worked out, some didn't. I think Arsene Wenger would have liked similar money.

Listening to the Man City/Real game now and pining for Xabi - one of my favourite Liverpool players of all time - so I know what you mean. But Benitez did sign him when relatively unknown and did play him to the level Real were lucky to get him. Mascherano and Arbeloa also went onto 'bigger' things after thriving under Benitez. Reina, Torres, Agger, Kuyt and Skyrtel were other excellent signings. . There was not a better club in knock out competitions in England and Europe than Liverpool under Benitez. He and Mourinho were head and shoulders above anyone else in the country (bar Ferguson) for those years.

They were and he is a good manager, but Im not sure he has what it takes anymore, it will be interesting to find out and at least we will have some interesting press conferences ahead. Its going to be weird seeing hi in the blue of Chelsea and it will be sad to have him on the away bench.

He won the European Cup in his first season as a Liverpool manager. Chelsea don't deserve him and are lucky beyond belief to have him at all, no matter for how short a time. I hereby declare any Chelsea fan who henceforth refers to him as a 'fat Spanish waiter', to be outed for doing so when they are forced to accept they have been made to look stupid by his outstanding genius.

Indeed he did, with Houlliers team so it could be argued to the unscrupulous that when he built 'his' team he never managed to repeat his success. I think he always divided opinion, you say outstanding genius, I think that's stretch, a genius wouldn't have let things get like they did at the end. He gave us some great times though so I wouldn't change it if I could.

 

[Longshot]

he made some great buys

How many of the 76 players he bought would you classify as "great"?

 

[PaulB]

Heh well Im not arguing he wasnt a good manager and I liked him, he made some great buys but Id disagree that he had few resources, I think he was given plenty of backing by Liverpool. Hicks and Gillet where a nightmare but I think he used them to deflect blame, they DID give him a lot of money. He broke the British transfer record for Torres and bought a lot of players, some worked out, some didn't. I think Arsene Wenger would have liked similar money.



Indeed he did, with Houlliers team so it could be argued to the unscrupulous that when he built 'his' team he never managed to repeat his success. I think he always divided opinion, you say outstanding genius, I think that's stretch, a genius wouldn't have let things get like they did at the end. He gave us some great times though so I wouldn't change it if I could.

No, I still think he's an outstanding genius. How he won the European Cup with that team astounds me and why it went all wobbly later was chiefly due to the catastrophic ownership debacle. He was asked to walk a tightrope while they tied one leg behind his back. Yes, he did some stupid things and made some daft signings but on the whole, given what he had, he did more than could have been expected.

 

[green1]

Heh well Im not arguing he wasnt a good manager and I liked him, he made some great buys but Id disagree that he had few resources, I think he was given plenty of backing by Liverpool.

He spent some money. But his net spend was close to if not 0. He's wasted going to Chelsea, they don't deserve him.

 

[User482]

He won the European Cup in his first season as a Liverpool manager. Chelsea don't deserve him and are lucky beyond belief to have him at all, no matter for how short a time. I hereby declare any Chelsea fan who henceforth refers to him as a 'fat Spanish waiter', to be outed for doing so when they are forced to accept they have been made to look stupid by his outstanding genius.

Avram Grant got within a whisker of winning the European Cup and Premier League in his first and only season as Chelsea manager. I don't think many would declare him to be an outstanding genius.

 

[green1]

Avram Grant got within a whisker of winning the European Cup and Premier League in his first and only season as Chelsea manager. I don't think many would declare him to be an outstanding genius.

Avram Grant inherited a slightly better squad than the one Benitez inherited at Liverpool.

 

[User482]

Avram Grant inherited a slightly better squad than the one Benitez inherited at Liverpool.

I think that's true, but not the to extent that some might imagine - Liverpool finished 4th in the PL in Houllier's final season, which isn't exactly shabby.

 

[dellzeqq]

it will be interesting to see what happens to Luiz. He's got great talent, but I cannot for the life of me see him as a Premiership player.