Kenny: Time to get behind the manager
Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish last night called for everyone to get behind manager Rafael Benitez in the midst of the club’s troubles.
Liverpool’s owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have undermined Rafael Benitez since they went back on their word regarding transfers last year, and in lining up a replacement for him, then admitting it, ensured he would have a much tougher task than he should have. They’ve told lies, they’ve spun the truth and they’ve shown that, as the song goes, Liverpool Football Club is in the wrong hands.
Speaking at an awards ceremony in Liverpool Kenny said: “The troubles at the club that have been well documented in the media have certainly not done the manager or the players any favours. It is time for everyone to get right behind the manager because there is only one person who should be in charge at the football club and that is the manager.”
Rafa’s had his critics since before the new owners came along, and with a few exceptions those critics are the types who enjoy the sound of their own voice on phone-ins, and the reaction they get from other supporters on message boards or at work. But every time a point is dropped a scapegoat is needed, and in the absence of John Arne Riise it seems Rafa is getting the blame more and more.
The season started with the owners trying to give the impression that their summer investment was much higher than in any of the previous seasons before they came in, yet it didn’t even match the Champions League prize money after sales had been taken into consideration. Still they used their false fee for Fernando Torres (quoting at least £6m more than they’d paid) to put the message out that Rafa should now be challenging for the league. Yet there was no reason why Rafa should be challenging any more than in the past three seasons – they’d not put the money in to help him get the squad on a par with current Champions Manchester United. A challenge was something fans could just hope for, not expect. [Read more →]
