So Rafa Benitez likes to talk about ‘facts’ (yes we heard you the first time mate) and he used his press conference today to launch what was a pathetic attack on Sir Alex Ferguson, well here is my take on this silly move.
Benitez believes that Alex Ferguson is the only manager who is never punished for stepping out of line, right but in November the United boss was reprimanded by the FA, given a two-game touchline ban and fined £10,000. If that is nothing then I would hate to see what is something.
The puzzling point is that Benitez points this out but then contradicts himself by saying Ferguson is the only manager who is never punished. Maybe Rafa was on the San Miguel when he was writing his little ‘fact’ sheet.
Nobody can argue the point that Ferguson does step out of line with his comments from time to time but he is always pulled up on it by the FA when it is thought to bring the game into disrepute, look at the amount of times he has been fined if you don‘t believe it.
However, every manager is entitled to their opinion and many do comment on the referee’s performance after games so I don’t know why Benitez has picked out Ferguson.
The Liverpool manager is complaining that Ferguson does not get punished by the FA for his comments, but surely saying this is questioning the FA himself isn’t he? Maybe they should have a word with the Spaniard for his ‘facts’.
Another ’fact’ is that Benitez says that Manchester United played “42 or 44” hours later than his team when United faced Middlesbrough on December 29 after Liverpool had beaten Newcastle the day before.
So Benitez said he wanted to speak only about ‘facts’ and not get involved in mind-games, but the so-called ‘cool’ Spaniard must not be good at maths or his calculator is faulty because Liverpool kicked off at 12noon and then United played at 8pm the following day, correct me if I am wrong Rafa but that is 32 hours, you wanted to be factual get it right then.
It is rich of Benitez to criticise another manager for complaining about fixtures, he must have a short memory because if we look back to last season and a quote from the Spaniard himself:
“I would like to ask the Premier League why is it that Liverpool always play the most fixtures away from home in an early kick-off, following an international break?" he said. "We had more than the top clubs last season and we have four already to prepare for this season.“ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2319584/Rafael-Benitez-turns-on-the-Premier-League.html
Sorry Rafa, you seemed like you fancied doing the fixtures yourself last year. But I see this season your doing ok and your boss’ are not on your back because your top of the league, so no need to complain then is there. No you will wait until the pressure goes up a notch and you will try and blame something else so you have a back-up if you fail yet again to bring silverware back to Anfield.
Overall I think Benitez’s planned attack, he was asked about the comment from Ferguson about getting nervous with no mention of fixtures or refereeing decisions just in case you haven’t seen it, is a sign that Ferguson has riled him.
Benitez says he doesn’t want to get into mind games so early, well in this press conference he threw himself in the deep end.
He has jumped into dangerous waters and while I don’t think Ferguson’s bite is as bad as a shark anymore, the Scot’s experience of handling mind-games in title run-ins will mean he can smell fear from a long way.
If Benitez wanted to stay out of it and focus on his team’s next game, then don’t say anything about it, simple isn’t it?
Obviously not for the Liverpool boss, who is clearly feeling the pressure early on which isn’t a good sign for his team’s title prospects. Now that is a real fact Rafa.
I wonder if your opinion would be different if you were a Liverpool fan.
ReplyDeleteThe fact you feel a need to write a whole blog on this proves that we have you worried! I'm just glad we are involved in all this banter and mind games this year instead of watching from the sidelines like Wenger is this year!
ReplyDeleteHowever, Benitez was spot on with what he said, Ferguson has been getting away with murder for years. The reason Rafa pointed out that Mr Ferguson had been punished earlier in the season was to highlight the fact that not a couple of months later he arguably had more of a go at another ref, was charged and low and behold nothing happened! The FA and Premier League are shit scared of Ferguson and their reprimand of him previously must have been met with a "don’t do this again to me" attitude because it didn’t happen again for a worse offence!
Rafa ain’t perfect and your right, he has at some points done the same thing as Ferguson but the difference is when Ferguson does it it's called "mind games" but if anyone else does it they are moaning. All Rafa was doing was attempting to pull Ferguson down to the same level playing field as all other managers.
This outburst was not "Keegan-esk" as some Mancs want to call it, it was planned and calculated, some might say if it had come out in a Scottish accent from a mouth below a whiskey induced red nose that it was "mind games" of the best sort. It has put pressure on us to make sure we get a result at Stoke today, but more than that it has put a focus on Man U and the referee for a huge game tomorrow! The ref cannot make a mistake such is the focus on your clubs behaviour. If he gives a bad decision against you then it will be claimed Rafa influenced what went on in a game his club were not involved in, if you get a crazy decision for you (which is always likely at OT) then it will just re-enforce Rafa's "facts". Win-win.
What proves that Rafa was right to do what he did was Sky Sports News’ response following the press conference. Did they ridicule the Spanish tactician? Did they go on and on about him losing the plot and the pressure having got to him? No. They instead put together a piece that step by step proved what Rafa was saying about Ferguson’s behaviour and what he has got away with in the past year. In short, they put together a piece that did not just serve to prove Rafa right, they put together a piece that represented what every knowledgeable football fan has thought for years but no-one has ever had the bottle to say. Ferguson and United have been bullying and setting their own agenda for years and no-one in the FA has ever had the balls to stand up to him and your club, now that someone has, you don’t like it and your worried. You are also focusing on Liverpool and Rafa not 24 hours before what is a massive six pointer on Sunday! Ferguson master of mind games? I think you have a new rival in more than one sense!
In response to Phil O'Neill's comments, I would like to thank you for reading my blog and commenting, the more the better. However, I would like to point out that this is a journalist's blog and not a fan's. I would like it to be read as such and not read from a personal point of view. This is a major sporting talking point at the moment and this is why I chose to blog on it and this blog will continue to give me an output for my sporting views as this is why I set it up. Once again thank you for commenting and I hope you keep reading this blog in the future.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid you failed in making this blog from a journalist point of view, pretty much the same way i failed in my response. Your view was very much from a Manchester perspective, the same way my answer was from a Liverpool one!
ReplyDeleteChris it is a great blog and your right it is a sporting hot point but to take the neutral view would be to again in Rafa's words "be fact" and do the following.
Rafa's rant was nothing but what everyone has thought and known for years. However, the validity of it was only going to be true if Liverpool went and won at Stoke. He put pressure on the result and then picked the wrong team! Meanwhile United went and beat a poor Chelsea side 3-0!
All the press tomorrow will be about how our side bottled it while you thrived and Benitez caused this. How he said what he said and then plays Dirk Kuyt up top on his own and then refuses to bring Keane on when he spent 20 mill on him to get the goals that would make a difference is beyond me. His decisions will mean we probably wont win the league, especially while he keeps this insane love of Lucas (who cannot really be Brazilian!)
I have said all season if you finish above United then you win the league and I stand by that, you are the team to beat even though you have a midfield of Park, Giggs and Fletcher that would struggle to get in even Bolton's side! You have the experience and will probably win it again, But.....
For you to say this blog is from a journalist sporting perspective is a lie, I don’t blame you your a great fan. However, this is not impartial on your part, the same way u can see the Liverpool fan come out in my response I can see the Manc in your blog. Everyone knows what Man U have got away with over the years and everyone knows that what Rafa said has been needed to be broadcast for many years, however Rafa did it, and this weekend it played into your hands and Fergie won the battle because of the results.
Just don’t tell me what you wrote was impartial, You wrote that from a Man U perspective the same way I responded from a Liverpool perspective but if you are a true football fan you will know that what Rafa said was spot on. I will point you to the fact that Mashcerano received a second yellow and was sent off last year for saying the words "what’s going on" to the ref. No swear words just that. Yet in the first half alone today i saw Rooney berate the ref and call him a "fu*kin cu*t" on five seperate occasions yet nothing happened! Yeah Mashcerano deserved to go, the way he was playing he always was gonna g,o he was mad! But I’m sorry Rooney does ten times worse every week and gets away with it!
I know we will never agree on this issue, that is the beauty of football, but I’m sorry Chris, if you thought that blog was a "journalist blog" and not a "personal point" you are very much wrong. You took what Rafa said from a Manc perspective, I took it from a Liverpool one end of story and if you read back what u wrote, you will not be able to disagree.