JohnnyH

What? An agent is very very much in every way a businessman. He agrees contracts with media agencies and clothes/drinks/etc suppliers so as to get the very best fee for his client. He will be a person expert in the art of getting the most money possible and expert in negotiating this. I can't see why we should have any issue with the owners wanting our very best negotiater in there representing us. Also, how do we know Rafa has proved he is capable? He has pulled transfers that he says have got too expensive, but who's to say a person with better negotiating skills may not have got the required price? I'm not doubting Rafa, but there is no proof to suggest that Rafa is our best posible negotiater. I can't see a problem with us wanting to get the best deal possible. It may transpire that someone G&H send in to do the negotiating with Rafa doesn't achieve anything more then Rafa, but we should try.

I agree entirely.

Yep, you're right, except for this instance. Stevie wasn't airing any dirty laundry in public until he had actaully asked for the transfer. The press can speculate all they want and most of our anger comes from what journos tell us. But in this case it is from what Rafa tells us. G&H have pretty much kept quiet bar one press release. I don't want Rafa in the press telling us whats wrong. I'm with Rushie on this one.

Ok, ignore the dollars/pounds thing. I only referred to it in the premise of Rafa telling them he'd agreed a fee of £17m and them thinking that if they could have agreed £16.5m it would mean $1m less in their currency. The main point is that they may feel they could have agreed a lower fee. I totally agree with you on them been absentee landlords and creating a lot of the issue themselves.

Yes we would risk loosing him if we dallied. That's not what I'm talking about. What I'm saying is that G&H are no doubt peed off that they weren't part of the initial meeting that Rafa held to agree a price. They are businesmen agreeing deals, etc, on a regular bases. They no doubt feel that they could get a better deal then Rafa when dealing with other businessmen such as the people at MSI and had they been part of Rafa's meeting they may have got Masch at a cheaper rate. I don't think the owners are asking too much to be the ones dealing with firms like MSI. Actually I would feel it is important that they are part of such a meeting. As I say, even a £500,000 discount is worth $1m to the yanks. Molby. Try harder kid.

And I much preferred all that then it been done out in the public.

But it is business. When you get down to agreeing the fee you are not dealing with the player. You are dealing with the lawyers, and accountants and Chief Executives. It's buying a commodity then.

Huh? How can we operate a scenerio whereby the Owners of the club are involved in the negotiating of the fee and salary with the players representitive? Are you seriousely asking this question? You might want to attribute your first line to yourself lad.

The only people saying it is really bad is journos and the panicking fans (of which I'm one). G&H have said feck all and apart from the infamous conference and tracky day, Rafa is not saying much.

Give the abuse a rest. So you see no issue with the owners wanting to have a dealing in the negotiations for spending their money. You don't think G&H may feel that they could negotiate better with a businessman then Rafa?

We sing his name long and proud at every game. He knows he has the backing of the fans.

Yes I know. I'm just pointing out that he has had backing. I agree that he has been let down by the way the Maericans are acting. However, I feel that by airing the dirty laundry he has caused trouble for himself and looked extremely unprofessional.

Which is correct. But I'm sure G&H would have liked t have been part of the meeting. Even if a price is agreed, there is always time to negotiate and if it is the case that Rafa went off and agreed the £17m himself, then I'm not surprised G&H may feel that they would haev wanted to have been part of these final meetings to try and get a lower fee.

But then what has he actually achieved by speaking out? Other then to possibly hasten his departure? It's not like he's not been given anything to spend under teh new Owners. He's bought Torres and Babbel - 2 fantastic players.

What?? So we should just blindly jump in and offer massive money in a split second to try and get a player? You don't think there is time to negotiate? You think all deals are done in a heartbeat?

Aye!

Ok. What I am trying to say is that I am not surprised that G&H were a little pieved that Rafa had agreed the price. These are billionaire businessmen with infinately more experience then Rafa of brokering deals and they will no doubt have fancied there chances of getting him cheaper then £17m, especially when the player so clearly wants to stay.

Agree totally. Rafa has not handled this particularly well. Any comments otherwise are only been said through hero worship. If another manager had acted like Rafa (the press conferance, the tracky at the Newcastle game) we would be saying how childish and stupid he was. However, while the owners have been professional in their statement that they will be speaking to Rafa soon and nothing else, they are also showing an astonishing lack of accepatance for how things are done in European football. I'm 100% behind Rafa, but he could have acted a lot more professionally.

I was talking about their money men, but you keep posting little glib remarks as this small thread certainly needs more waste-of-time posts in it like yours.

The press have done there job it seems. Everyone is panicking, and now one of our owners is a "prick" for sacking an underperforming manager. Kind of like we did with Souness, Evans and Houllier. I see nothing wrong with what Hicks has done here.

Looing forward to seeing the support behind Benitez tonight and pray to every Gods there is that this can be fixed. If, what has been reported is true, and this all stems from Rafa agreeing the fee for Mascherano, then I am not surprised that the new Owners got a bit earked and want to manage the actual agreeing of a price for a player. I'm sure the owners think that if their money-men had even been able to get Masch for a fee of £16.5m, it would mean a $1m saving for the Yanks. I see no problem with Benitez been the one who sources the player, speaks to him about joining the club and convinces him to sign; and then the money men meet to agree fee and salary. I am not at all surprised that the owners got a bit pissed off that Benitez had agreed the fee. (AGAIN- If that is the case of what happened)

Apparantly he was very guarded and would just talk about the Porto game and not anything else. Nothing said about this issue at all.

So nothing about the press conferance or G&Hs comments worried you?

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Sorry lad, but you're talking s***e. To link this to the Sun issue is f***ing laughable and yet another cause of people diluting the cause. Akin to the News of the World effort at a ban. This piece of script is very clearly saying that hooliganism led to fences and fences killed those at Hillsborough. There apology is fine. What do you want them to say? “We’re sorry for saying that Hillsborough was caused by hooligans” when they clearly didn’t say that? You want them to lie to so we don’t get upset by a lie? I have no affinity to the BBC and I don't watch Eastenders but some of the reaction on here is crazy. Linking this to the Sun??/ For f***s sake!