GWistooshort

Liverpool FC braced for more departures - Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano set to follow Rafael Benitez Jun 4 2010 by Dominic King, Liverpool Echo LIVERPOOL are facing a monumental battle to convince star trio Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano not to follow Rafa Benitez out of Anfield. The Reds’ search for a new manager began in earnest today as the dust started to settle on Benitez’s dramatic departure after almost six years in charge of the club. Managing Director Christian Purslow and Academy Ambassador Kenny Dalglish will lead the search for the new candidate and they will be looking for a man with vast experience who possesses outstanding coaching acumen to replace Benitez, who is understood to be “devastated” that his reign is now over after weeks of speculation. While he dares not make a mistake in appointing Benitez’s successor, Purslow is faced with just as big a challenge in attempting to show Gerrard, Torres and Mascherano that they should stick around on Merseyside and give the new man another season. Torres, for starters, has refused to commit his future to the club and both Manchester City and Chelsea are waiting in the wings to snap up the Spaniard if – as is looking likely – he feels Liverpool are not going to be in a position soon to challenge for top honours. The Reds’ leading scorer has made it clear that he will not be making a decision until after the World Cup finals – he sat out Spain’s 1-0 win over South Korea in Innsbruck last night after not sufficiently recovering from knee surgery last month – and Liverpool’s hierarchy will face an anxious wait to see if he ends up delivering bad news. Liverpool have consistently stressed that they have no intention to cash in on Torres but their hand could be forced if the 26-year-old, who moved to Anfield in the summer of 2007 in a club record breaking £20.2m deal, does not feel they can make sufficient progress. Gerrard, similarly, has informed those closest to him that he does not want to be distracted by speculation during the World Cup finals but has indicated in recent weeks that he knows he will have a tough decision to make once the tournament is over. Nothing would give Gerrard greater satisfaction than to play a massive role in Liverpool’s revival and to help them challenge for honours once again but, equally, nothing would dismay him more if the club’s top brass ended up delivering a succession of empty promises. Real Madrid, whose efforts to sign Gerrard were cranked up a notch on Wednesday following a three-page editorial about him in the respected sports newspaper Marca, are waiting in the wings to pounce if Liverpool fail to come good. Mascherano has stalled on signing the new contract that was offered him in March and, as a player who is closely allied to Benitez, it is now likely that he will depart after Argentina’s World Cup campaign has ended; his situation is complicated by the fact his wife and daughters are hankering for a return to a Spanish speaking environment. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/06/04/liverpool-fc-braced-for-more-departures-fernando-torres-steven-gerrard-and-javier-mascherano-set-to-follow-rafael-benitez-100252-26584598/

The Independent Friday, 4 June 2010 Liverpool fear exodus of key players after Benitez walks By Chris Brereton and Ian Herbert Gerrard, Torres, Mascherano and Reina all expected to depart after manager agrees £6m severance deal. Hughes among the leading candidates to take job The departure of Rafael Benitez as Liverpool manager yesterday raised fears that that an exodus would follow, led by Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and Pepe Reina, according to sources inside the club. The end of Benitez's six-year tenure, which was confirmed at around 3.45pm, has been greeted with dismay by the Liverpool squad and a well-placed source has confirmed that he is unlikely to be the only person leaving Merseyside this summer. Although the Liverpool dressing room was anything but satisfied with last season's seventh-place finish in the Premier League, talk of dressing-room unrest is relatively wide of the mark. Benitez may have maintained a professional rather than paternal relationship with his players, but he was widely liked by his squad. The loss of any of the four names mentioned above would be little short of catastrophic for Liverpool, whose chronic lack of strength in depth was a leading cause of last season's failings and Benitez's subsequent downfall. Although Reina has only recently signed a six-year contract, he is thought to be furious at the developments, while Mascherano and Torres are equally concerned, not just about Benitez's exit but also by the lack of funds available to strengthen the squad. It is the combination of those two issues that is thought to lie behind the belief that they could be on their way. However, of all those potentially heading towards the door, it is Gerrard who would represent the most significant loss and the one that would hurt Liverpool's supporters the most. In his 12 years as a first-team player at Anfield, Gerrard has acquired an almost talismanic status, but even he is apparently beginning to wonder if this is the end. The Spanish newspaper Marca – Real Madrid's direct line into their domestic media – has been reporting for several days that the club's new manager, Jose Mourinho, wants to attract the Liverpool captain with a bid worth £30m, and the removal of Benitez makes that more likely. The Spaniard was unhappy last summer with Real's conduct in their ultimately successful approach for midfielder Xabi Alonso and he was highly reluctant ever to deal again with the club that he had once, ironically enough, played for and coached. His demise, therefore, eliminates one potential hurdle that Mourinho would have to overcome, although any jostling for Gerrard's signature is likely to be delayed until after the World Cup. After a morning of fevered speculation as to when an official announcement would be made, Benitez's mid-afternoon departure was confirmed with a statement on the club website. A deal worth £6m has been hammered out between Benitez and the Liverpool board, led by the managing director, Christian Purslow, and although a deal by "mutual consent" is the agreed party line, the passion behind Benitez's farewell highlighted his reluctance to leave the club he guided to the Champions League title in 2005 and the FA Cup a season later. "It is very sad for me to announce that I will no longer be manager of Liverpool FC," he said. "I would like to thank all of the staff and players for their efforts. I'll always keep in my heart the good times I've had here, the strong and loyal support of the fans in the tough times and the love from Liverpool. "I have no words to thank you enough for all these years and I am very proud to say that I was your manager. Thank you so much once more and always remember: You'll never walk alone." Liverpool's chairman, Martin Broughton, paid tribute to a man who, rightly or wrongly, was still adored by large sections of the club's fan base. "Rafa will for ever be part of Liverpool folklore after bringing home the Champions League following the epic final in Istanbul," he said. "But after a disappointing season, both parties felt a fresh start would be best for all concerned." The race is now on to find a long-term replacement, a task that Purslow and Kenny Dalglish, the club's former manager and current ambassador, will oversee. Mark Hughes, the former Manchester City manager, is thought to be intrigued by the role, and his representatives have begun sounding out Liverpool to see whether that feeling is reciprocated. The sacked Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini would turn his back on a lucrative contract with Fenerbahce to take over. The Chilean coach, who was replaced by Mourinho earlier this week, speaks perfect English and sources close to him have indicated he would be tempted despite the Istanbul offer. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/liverpool-fear-exodus-of-key-players-after-benitez-walks-1990870.html

The Times June 4, 2010 Final curtain always on the cards with Rafael Benítez doing it his way Tony Barrett Liverpool fans burnt American flags and called for the head of Christian Purslow, the managing director, as shock over Rafael Benítez’s departure turned to anger at the way the club are being run. About 500 supporters descended on Anfield last night after confirmation that Benítez’s six-year tenure as Liverpool manager had come to an end. The main targets for their outrage were Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, the co-owners, but Purslow was also the subject of fervent chanting as the divisions that have riven Liverpool in recent years spilt out on to the streets surrounding their ground. Conflict has been one of the key features of the Benítez era, the Spaniard having fallen out with a string of club executives, each of whom, he believed, had let him down by breaking promises or by being guilty of tardiness in the transfer market. The cordial joint statement that ended one set of hostilities by bringing Benítez’s time at the helm to a close was significant for so many reasons, not least of which was the fact that it was the first time Benítez and the club’s hierarchy had sung from the same hymn sheet in some considerable time. It was dated June 3, 2010, but the beginning of the end came on August 24 last year and had Benítez not pulled back from the brink, he would have quit on January 20 this year. What happened yesterday was merely the inevitable conclusion to a season that took manager, players, supporters and the entire club through one of the most turbulent campaigns in their history. The importance of the events that took place on that evening should not be understated. Liverpool were beaten 3-1 at home by Aston Villa and their obvious shortcomings as a team were laid bare. That defeat in itself was damaging to Benítez because it indicated that he would not be presiding over a second successive title challenge. Words, though, rather than actions had the biggest impact. In his post-match press conference, Benítez attempted to protect Lucas Leiva, who had scored an own goal and is so often a lightning rod for criticism, but the Spaniard’s defence of one player was to land him in hot water with several others. “It is up to the senior players to take responsibility,” Benítez said in a very public admonishment that brought about a sudden deterioration in his relationship with a section of the dressing room. Five months later, Benítez had seen his team knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage, embarrassed in the FA Cup by Reading and left well off the pace in the Barclays Premier League. His lowest ebb came when Tottenham Hotspur visited Anfield in January, his morale having plummeted to such an extent that there were fears within the club that he could quit on the day of a game. Had it not been a match day, he might have walked out there and then, but the realisation of the disarray that such an abrupt decision would have caused helped to bring him back from the brink. A show of support from the fans leading up to kick-off ensured that thoughts of ending his association with the club he took to Champions League glory in 2005 cooled. If anything, though, the antipathy between Benítez and the boardroom heated up from then on, as illustrated by a pre-match conversation between a senior Liverpool official and his opposite number from a rival club. “Do you know why Rafa is playing two holding midfielders?” the Liverpool figure asked. “No,” came the reply. “Because he hasn’t got three,” came the answer. While Benítez questioned those above him, they in turn had doubts about him, with concerns expressed privately about his man-management and motivational skills, and his record in the transfer market. Gillett had a favourite phrase for Benítez, describing him as a “serial transactionalist”, in reference to the high turnover of players at Anfield. It was against this backdrop of infighting that Liverpool’s season unravelled as spectacularly as it did. However, only a fool would believe that the removal of Benítez will cure all Liverpool’s ills: their problems — debt and lack of direction — are far too entrenched for that to happen. The most important job facing Purslow and his colleagues now is to convince some of Liverpool’s biggest names that a revolution is afoot that will raise the club’s ambitions and improve their fortunes at a stroke — but with no buyer lined up, that will be no easy task. Fernando Torres is known to be so disenchanted with Liverpool’s decline in fortunes that rival clubs have long since been alerted. It is unlikely that a game of managerial musical chairs will be enough to convince the striker that an upturn is imminent and Steven Gerrard will also be looking for reasons to remain at his boyhood club despite the interest of Real Madrid. The jungle drums that beat incessantly on Merseyside had suggested that Torres and Gerrard would leave if Benítez remained but the departure of the manager does not guarantee their loyalty. Only the urgent fulfilment of the promises that have been made to them will do that. In one respect, Benítez has already beaten them to the punch by heading for the escape hatch first. His destination remains unknown but, given his status as a Champions League-winning manager and his standing in European football, he will not be out of work for long, with Inter Milan leading the race for his signature. “Benítez has a certain affinity with Inter fans,” Gabriele Oriali, a director with the Italian champions, has said. “He is very appealing to us. He has already given us great joy, namely the 2005 Champions League win against Milan. Who does not remember Istanbul?” The Liverpool fans certainly do, which explains why a section of them took to the streets in protest last night. Benítez may have gone but the recriminations look set to continue. Men in the frame Kenny Dalglish A Liverpool legend on the field and in the dugout. Won the Double in his first season as player-manager, with two more league titles and an FA Cup to follow, then won another league title with Blackburn Rovers. Less successful with Newcastle United and Celtic, he returned to an ambassadorial role at Anfield last year. Roy Hodgson Took Fulham to the Europa League final this season with a team assembled on a limited budget, which will appeal to the Anfield owners. Vastly experienced and well connected in the European arena, he has managed big clubs such as Inter Milan as well as international sides. Mark Hughes Learnt his trade as manager with Wales and Blackburn, where he built a combative team who were difficult to beat. Struggled to live up to expectations with Manchester City and his past as a Manchester United player may count against him, but is known to have met Liverpool representatives when they played Benfica in Lisbon. Plus, he is available and has a point to prove. Martin O’Neill The Aston Villa manager ticks many boxes — with ambition, passion and big-club experience — and after managing Celtic, he would feel the pressure of life at Anfield less than most. On the other hand, he has spent big money without delivering trophies at Villa Park and the ownership situation at Liverpool would not appeal to him. Guus Hiddink The Dutchman made an excellent impression when he took temporary charge of Chelsea in the second half of last season and has Holland and Real Madrid on his CV. However, he failed in his attempt to take Russia to the World Cup finals. In any case, he has taken up a position as the Turkey coach and would be reluctant to break his agreement with their FA. - Words by Nick Szczepanik http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article7143794.ece

Tony Evans in the Times say Kenny should be manager http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article7143782.ece Alan Nixon in the Mirror claims Kenny is keen on Harry Redknapp!!! http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Liverpool-Exclusive-Reds-consider-shock-move-for-Tottenham-boss-Harry-Redknapp-to-replace-Rafa-Benitez-article447329.html

Roy Hodgson and Martin O'Neill emerge as early contenders for Liverpool job By Rory Smith Kenny Dalglish will lead Liverpool's search for an established, experienced manager to succeed Rafael Benítez. The Spaniard's six-year reign at Anfield came to an end by mutual consent on Thursday, but the club may face an exodus of its key players regardless of the man the Scot identifies as his latest heir. After a morning of meetings between Liverpool's board, led by chairman Martin Broughton, and the Spaniard's lawyers, a statement on the club's website on Thursday afternoon confirmed Benítez's departure. It is believed he has agreed a severance package worth around £6 million to draw a close to his spell on Merseyside, during which he won both the Champions League and the FA Cup. Dalglish, the club's former manager who returned to Anfield in an ambassadorial role last year, will assist managing director Christian Purslow in assessing potential candidates to take over from Benítez, who is expected to move to Inter Milan in the coming weeks. Sources at Liverpool have confirmed that the club will not rush any decision, with no announcement expected before next month at the earliest. Purslow and Dalglish will look to secure a manager with an established reputation, experience in Europe and who offers a semblance of stability. The club will not look to appoint an interim manager for the summer, while whoever is appointed will be on a long-term, rather than a temporary basis. Both Roy Hodgson, the Fulham manager, and Aston Villa's Martin O'Neill are the leading domestic contenders, while Mark Hughes, the former Manchester United, Chelsea and Everton striker, is believed to enjoy some support at senior levels in the Anfield boardroom. The leading continental candidates, the likes of Guus Hiddink, Frank Rijkaard and the former Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini, are likely to be put off by the ongoing uncertainty behind the scenes at Anfield. Sven-Goran Eriksson is known to be keen on the job, though the bookmakers' favourite remains Dalglish himself. Liverpool distanced themselves from that possibility, and the Scot's involvement in the search would seem to preclude his appointment. Whoever Dalglish and Purslow settle on is likely to be handed around £15 million in a bid to rebuild Liverpool's squad, which finished a disappointing seventh in the Premier League last season, though any compensation the club may have to pay would diminish that fund. There are also no guarantees that the core of Benítez's squad will remain at Anfield by the time any appointment is made. Several key players are believed to have expressed their concern at the continuing uncertainty at the club, despite suggestions from senior sources at Liverpool that Benítez's removal may encourage the likes of Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano to stay. The Spanish international striker is known to be concerned by Liverpool's financial plight, while Mascherano is yet to sign a £100,000-a-week contract agreed several weeks ago. Both may take Benítez's departure as evidence that the club are in no position to offer the stability required to win trophies. Goalkeeper Pepe Reina said: "It's obviously a sad day. I was really close to Rafa, it's especially bad news for me. It is surprising, they have been talking about it for a long time now. We have to keep growing and build a proper squad. It's sad, he was a manager who trusted me." Steven Gerrard's future, too, remains clouded. The England international will not make any decision until after the World Cup but he is unlikely to remain should the club not be able to appoint a top-class replacement for the Spaniard. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/7801936/Roy-Hodgson-and-Martin-ONeill-emerge-as-early-contenders-for-Liverpool-job.html

More "Rafa lost the dressing room" articles from Maddock http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Liverpool-boss-Rafa-Benitez-pays-the-price-for-squad-upheaval-after-being-sacked-for-asking-to-overhaul-his-playing-staff-for-the-fourth-time-in-six-years-article447517.html http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/When-the-axe-finally-fell-on-Rafa-Benitez-yesterday-it-was-merely-the-prelude-to-one-of-the-most-important-summers-in-Liverpool-s-history-article447557.html

Yaya Toure's agent says a deal has been agreed for him to join an English club after the World Cup http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6189984,00.html If true could mean Barca will be back in for Masch

Another article from the Daily Mail without the snide headline this time http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1283801/Liverpool-fans-hold-Anfield-protest-owners-Hicks-Gillett-Benitez-axed.html

SOS don't believe the club's explanation "Fans are still being lied to about the club's attempts to profit from Hillsborough in the selling of Justice shirts at the club shop with the Club consistently changing tack to cover each other's backs." http://www.spiritofshankly.com/news/Tom,-George,-and-the-Two-Bankers-_-Go-Now%21.html

Article in the Daily Mail, with snide headline, but article itself is largely ok http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1283829/Liverpool-fans-denial-American-flags-burned-Reds-support-axed-Rafa-Benitez.html

Rafael Benitez's departure: how it will affect Liverpool's key players With Rafael Benitez confirming his departure from Anfield on Thursday, we look at how the Spaniard's exit will affect some of Liverpool's key players. By Rory Smith Fernando Torres The Spanish international striker is known to be concerned by the club’s financial plight and may see the upheaval of Benitez's departure as the final straw. Steven Gerrard The subject of concerted interest from Real Madrid, but would stay if he was given assurances over investment in Liverpool’s squad. Javier Mascherano Has stalled on signing a new contract and the chaos will hardly convince him Liverpool can fulfil his ambitions. Yossi Benayoun Benitez’s departure offers some hope he may remain at Anfield but the Israeli is still infinitely more likely to leave amid interest from Chelsea. Pepe Reina The Spanish international goalkeeper has insisted he will stand by Liverpool regardless of the manager’s identity and that will not change. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/7801233/Rafael-Benitezs-departure-how-it-will-affect-Liverpools-key-players.html

Inter Milan yesterday released a statement, saying: ‘We are not behind the story involving Benitez and Liverpool, but we are following it with interest. ‘If he becomes free of his obligations to Liverpool and would like to come to Inter, then we would add him to our list of candidates. He would be considered, but he is not the only one.’ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1283845/King-Kenny-Dalglish-brought-lure-Roy-Hodgson-Martin-ONeill-Liverpool.html

Articles on the protest in the Liverpool Daily Post http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/06/04/liverpool-fc-fans-protest-against-tom-hicks-and-george-gillett-hours-after-rafa-benitez-s-departure-100252-26584385/ http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/06/04/fans-march-streets-outside-anfield-stadium-in-protest-against-liverpool-fc-bosses-92534-26584695/

Article on protest in the Daily Telegraph Liverpool fans turn ire on managing director in demonstration at Rafael Benitez's exit By Rory Smith Liverpool supporters turned their ire on the club’s managing director Christian Purslow on Thursday night as more than 500 demonstrated at Anfield, calling for his dismissal and burning American flags, a direct message to his employers Tom Hicks and George Gillett. The spontaneous demonstration, organised through internet forums, Facebook and Twitter in the aftermath of reports on Wednesday that manager Rafael Benitez was close to leaving the club “by mutual consent,” began outside the Kop at 6pm. Organisers insisted the aim of the protest was not to safeguard Benitez’s job, but to indicate to Hicks and Gillett, who have laden Liverpool with £351 million of debt, that no decision of theirs as the club’s owners will be welcomed. Paul Rice, of the supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly, said: “This is another example of how this club has become the biggest farce in town. In a sense, Benitez is just collateral damage. When you look at Liverpool in a general manner, who will want to take the club on?” The roles of both Purslow and chairman Martin Broughton in the dismissal of Benitez has concerned Liverpool fans. Both men were ostensibly brought in to secure investment in the club, but Purslow remains in situ almost a year on, while Broughton’s initial remit was a non-executive one, and he has made it clear he is not involved in the day-to-day running of the club, yet it was his name which appeared on the statement which confirmed the Spaniard’s departure. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/7801898/Liverpool-fans-turn-ire-on-managing-director-in-demonstration-at-Rafael-Benitezs-exit.html

Pepe's said he's not leaving despite Rafa going http://www.ynwa.tv/forum/index.php?showtopic=148190&view=findpost&p=2638324

More from Pepe "It's obviously a sad day," said Reina after Spain's pre-World Cup warm-up match against South Korea. "He was a very important person for the club for six years. Liverpool grew with him and Rafa also grew thanks to Liverpool. "I hope that this crisis passes. That a person so important for the club as Rafa has left is news that you never would have expected and that you never would have believed. "The only thing left for me is to thank him for his confidence during all this time. I wish him the best of luck." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8719210.stm

McAteer says sacking Rafa is the wrong decision http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8720672.stm

& Rafa's parting gesture to the owners

Comment From Platty Do you think the owners have a replacement for Mr. Benitez already chosen? Tony Barrett Hello Platty, my understanding is that no replacement has been lined up.

Comment From Gautham G You seriously think Torres would move to another english club let alone Chelsea after professing his love for the club and fans a zillion times? Tony Barrett You can't under-estimate how frustrated and unhappy Torres is at the moment. He keeps hearing talk of investment and it never arrives. Comment From Chris Do you speak to Torres yourself ? Is your information first hand or just inferred from the situation ? Tony Barrett Hello Chris, yes I do speak to Torres myself.

BBC have updated the story on their website They've added "Lawyers are now meeting to thrash out a multi-million pound severance deal for Benitez, who could leave imminently" & "it is understood the club would be happy for assistant-manager Sammy Lee to take charge until after the World Cup" http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8719210.stm

Comment From Rafa Benitez I'm being sacked????? Tony Barrett No Rafa, you're being mutual consented!

Comment From max Any chance of a fairwell press conference for Rafa? Tony Barrett I think Benitez will go quietly so I don't foresee a press conference taking place, which would obviously be a shame.

Tony Barrett All the soundings I keep hearing suggest that RBS are becoming increasingly frustrated at how the sales process is going.