Benitez has a duty to put England first

[fred milne]

It's just McClaren that is trying bring the expectation of the nation on Gerrard playing at all costs with desperate emotional blackmail. Awful man

I agree with that. Pathetic behaviour on the part of McClaren.

Edited September 4, 2007 by fred milne

[Rimbeux]

Rafa has 5 players competing for 2 positions. If Gerrard were to insist on playing in meaningless friendlies for England then I don't think Rafa would have any choice but to start him on the bench in at least one of the adjacent Liverpool games.

 

 

Then he'll have to address Alonso and Masch on the same terms when they trot off to play. Indeed Masch will deffo miss Pompey because he's got to go to Australia in a week

[fred milne]

Then he'll have to address Alonso and Masch on the same terms when they trot off to play.

Of course. It applies to all of them.

[D.Boon]

The other centre mids confidence must be sky high with this farce.

 

Its only Israel FFS

[Rimbeux]

The other centre mids confidence must be sky high with this farce.

 

Its only Israel FFS

 

 

£35m of Man United midfield isn't enough for him to beat Israel? It's desperate stuff

[Ed-Zeppelin]

What pisses me off most about all of this is that I don't think Rafa has said anything ou of order or particularly anti-England in all this!

 

Correct me if I missed something but he just imtimated that we looked at Gerrard's injury and took the decision that he wasn't up to it and won't be risked and hopes England do the same for the sake of the player!

 

What's wrong with that?!

 

What all this really shows is judst how average, and overly reliant on a select few, this England team really is and exactly why we don't win things, hopeless manager aside!

 

I've lost any sense of interest in England these days beyond hoping our players come back fit from games, the same as other internationals. The whole 'England' circus just f***s me right off!

[Billy Dane]

I don't think he'll try and make a point in that way. I think he's been up front, honest and factual with everyone about the situation and how he sees it, I think Gerrard has too to Benitez and the medics, it's just McClaren th at is trying bring the expectation of the nation on Gerrard playing at all costs with desperate emotional blackmail. Awful man

 

Think it's as much to do with the great English media. If SCS doesn't play him they will crucify him for "giving in" to Rafa regardless of the result, and if he plays him and they don't win he's completely f*****.

 

Oh for the days when the English journos didn't rate Gerrard.

[Rimbeux]

Think it's as much to do with the great English media. If SCS doesn't play him they will crucify him for "giving in" to Rafa regardless of the result, and if he plays him and they don't win he's completely f*****.

 

Oh for the days when the English journos didn't rate Gerrard.

 

It's him. From the moment he announced the squad it's been 'Gerrard has assured McClaren he will be fit for both games'. Then he's come out and said all week, 'The player wants to play both games', then today's nonsense 'I want him to play, the team does, the country does'. Nothing about the facts or the reality of the situation as Rafa talks of, even so far as to draw diagrams of the scans for the press. It's just feeding emotional blackmail on the player through a willing press to go against what might be correct advice. If he hadn't come out with all this s*** I might follow you, but rather than deal with Liverpool's concerns manager to manager, he's made it out to be a dispute of him and Gerrard v Benitez, which is unprofessional and desperate.

[Benzo-13]

It's him. From the moment he announced the squad it's been 'Gerrard has assured McClaren he will be fit for both games'. Then he's come out and said all week, 'The player wants to play both games', then today's nonsense 'I want him to play, the team does, the country does'. Nothing about the facts or the reality of the situation as Rafa talks of, even so far as to draw diagrams of the scans for the press. It's just feeding emotional blackmail on the player through a willing press to go against what might be correct advice. If he hadn't come out with all this s*** I might follow you, but rather than deal with Liverpool's concerns manager to manager, he's made it out to be a dispute of him and Gerrard v Benitez, which is unprofessional and desperate.

 

See it's double standards again, I just don't get why Gerrard is being feted all of a sudden...

 

Surely it's only Israel/Russia and the Mancs midfield can handle that or even Reo-Coker..

 

If Gerrard/Lampard are injured why isn't there a clamour to get the "great" Paul Scholes outta retirement??

[Rimbeux]

See it's double standards again, I just don't get why Gerrard is being feted all of a sudden...

 

Surely it's only Israel/Russia and the Mancs midfield can handle that or even Reo-Coker..

 

If Gerrard/Lampard are injured why isn't there a clamour to get the "great" Paul Scholes outta retirement??

 

 

He's a desperate man, out of his depth, and has convinced himself that football, at least in his case, is about 'big players' doing big things for him to carry the day, it's a wonder he feels the need to attend himself. He should be smart enough to realise that the last three campaigns have fallen on unfit players being pushed into the fray to do big things. But we've got previous for doing it and failing at it all the way back to Keegan/Brooking and Robson twice.

 

Been listening to the radio tonight, and there was a telling juxta of McClaren talking about injury as part of sport, then Woodward talking about how he made his own luck with injuries before going to the 2003 WC with a fully fit squad, by being proactive in preventing injuries, and never training with or playing injured or unfit players (never works long term he says) even if it meant tough decisions.

[Jarg Armani]

where's the woolnough article? he's an oaf of a writer.

[Will]

Surely it's only Israel/Russia

Not that I really give a flying one about England, but that is arrant tripe

[Redwire]

where's the woolnough article? he's an oaf of a writer.

 

IT'S pretty obvious that Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez couldn’t care less whether or not England qualify for the European Championship finals.

 

Benitez would certainly be happy if Steven Gerrard did not play against Israel or Russia at Wembley.

 

England does not mean much to Rafa. He is wrong, of course, and dare anyone tell me he is right not to care? I will tell you why he should.

 

Firstly, Gerrard is desperate to represent his country against Israel on Saturday in the most important match since the World Cup quarter-final against Portugal.

 

And secondly, that England reaching the finals and doing well would have a tremendous uplift for the game.

 

Maybe Mr. Benitez is not worried about that either.

 

These are worrying times for the England team as too many people are eroding exactly what representing your country means.

 

David Bentley was too tired to play for the Under 21s, Benitez is warning Steve McClaren to be careful with Gerrard and other chairmen and managers are pushing international football way down the list of priorities.

 

Gerrard, I am sure, is an exception. He remains passionate and committed to his country, despite the reluctance of his manager.

 

Unlike other players under pressure from their clubs, he is strong enough to be his own man.

 

Gerrard will report for duty today with the rest of England’s walking wounded with a fractured toe he suffered last month.

 

It cannot be too bad because a few days after picking up the injury he played for Liverpool, only to then pull out of England’s friendly against Germany.

 

This time if Gerrard wants to play for England and feels right, he will.

 

It is about time someone made a stand in this growing club against country row.

 

I am not sure exactly what Rafa means when he tells England to be careful. The rule is set in stone. Players meet up, those with a problem are examined and either declared fit or sent home.

 

Let us get this clear. Gerrard is fit. Would he have played for Liverpool on Saturday had Man United been the opposition and not Derby? Of course he would and then there would have been none of this nonsense over his availability.

 

Benitez is just protecting what he has, a good start in the Premier League and a squad of players who give the club their best chance for years of winning the title. And to hell with England.

 

When you have a Spanish manager and a club owned by Americans, I suppose this is always going to be a problem.

Not just at Liverpool but other clubs too.

 

There has always been a club against country conflict although this is different. Here is a manager indicating that a key player should miss a vital qualifying match.

 

Coach Steve McClaren has to be strong and send out the right message once and for all.

 

That this is down to him and the player and the decision has ­nothing to do with Liverpool.

 

The moment Gerrard walks through the door of England’s HQ he is McClaren’s responsibility and property. Nothing else is an issue.

 

Gerrard plays on Saturday and never before has his country needed him more.

 

This is a massive ­double header for England. They have to win both games.

 

The build-up has started badly and Benitez is to blame. He has sent out completely the wrong message, that England does not matter.

 

It does. More than he realises. Correction.

 

More than he wants to realise.

 

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/1...d-matters-Rafa/

[Boca]

And when the drunkard up the road was pulling players out of England games left, right and centre, there wasn't a word out of the press

[Cunny]

Benitez is just protecting what he has, a good start in the Premier League and a squad of players who give the club their best chance for years of winning the title. And to hell with England.

 

yes Brian, that's his f***ing job you bison headed galoot!

[liverbird04]

It's him. From the moment he announced the squad it's been 'Gerrard has assured McClaren he will be fit for both games'. Then he's come out and said all week, 'The player wants to play both games', then today's nonsense 'I want him to play, the team does, the country does'. Nothing about the facts or the reality of the situation as Rafa talks of, even so far as to draw diagrams of the scans for the press. It's just feeding emotional blackmail on the player through a willing press to go against what might be correct advice. If he hadn't come out with all this s*** I might follow you, but rather than deal with Liverpool's concerns manager to manager, he's made it out to be a dispute of him and Gerrard v Benitez, which is unprofessional and desperate.

 

Seen that interview and cringed, a grown man saying 'stevie G'.....dear god. I am just wondering how far he will take this over the next week, I actually can't quite believe he would start gerrard against both Russia and Israel ...surely even he isn't that stupid?? surely though?

[Cunny]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle2388756.ece

 

Head coach ready to face wrath of Benítez with Gerrard gamble

 

Martin Samuel, Chief Football Correspondent

 

Steve McClaren is prepared to defy the wishes of Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, and play Steven Gerrard with a painkilling injection against Israel on Saturday.

 

McClaren, the England head coach, is hoping that Gerrard’s recovery from a broken toe will allow him to take the field without a jab and will consult with doctors and the player before making any decision, but he left no doubt yesterday that as a last resort, he will allow Gerrard to be injected rather than miss such a crucial match.

 

It leaves the FA on the brink of the biggest club-versus-country fallout since Sven-Göran Eriksson, the former England head coach, infuriated Sir Alex Ferguson by playing Wayne Rooney, the Manchester United striker, at the World Cup finals in 2006. Benítez has said that he does not expect England to take a risk with Gerrard and does not want him to play with a painkilling injection.

 

Yet McClaren, whose qualifying campaign for the 2008 European Championship could turn on the result of Saturday’s match, was in equally defiant mood at the team HQ in Hertfordshire yesterday. Giving the clearest indication yet that he will overrule BenÍtez, provided he is backed by medical opinion, he said: “We will take whatever action is necessary to get Stevie on that field.

 

“I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do to make sure we get the best players available to help us win this game. I think I have the authority to make that decision. I have to do it. It is my job.”

 

McClaren is lifted spiritually by the fact that Gerrard has stated his intention to play in the game and boosted morally by the fact that Benítez was happy for Gerrard to receive a painkilling injection to play for Liverpool in what he perceived to be an important Barclays Premier League match with Chelsea last month. Benítez claims it took the best part of a week for Gerrard to be able to train again after that and he has not played for Liverpool since. If so, playing against Israel would rule Gerrard out of the match with Russia a week today but McClaren, understandably, is not thinking that far ahead. He knows that unless England get the right result on Saturday, the outcome against Russia could be an irrelevance.

 

Gerrard did not train fully yesterday and may be unable to do little but running until the end of the week. With Frank Lampard definitely out of Saturday’s game, however, his significance to McClaren’s midfield is enormous and the head coach left little doubt yesterday that this responsibility has been acknowledged.

 

“We are coming into big games and we need big players,” McClaren added. “We need players who want to play. I have spoken to Stevie, he has a great determination to be out there and if he can be, he will. We discussed players and their responsibility.

 

“Sometimes what they want has to be factored into all the advice that is given from medical people and managers. We will be guided a lot by Stevie, how he feels and what he wants. I’m very, very confident that he will be with us. The whole country wants him to be fit and able and that is why we will leave the assessment of his situation as late as possible. By the end of the week, we’ll have a better idea.”

 

McClaren is updating Benítez on a daily basis and would ideally like any decision to be made with his blessing. If he has to, though, he is prepared for a similar confrontation to the one that took place between Eriksson and Ferguson over Rooney. The England head coach is also aware that he has Uefa and Fifa rules on his side. Providing the player is in agreement and the management does not go against medical advice, the final call on whether Gerrard plays or not will be his, whatever the objections of BenÍtez.

 

“We will take Liverpool into consideration, speak to Rafa and the medical team and not do anything without their knowledge,” McClaren said. “I told Rafa earlier in the week that we would keep in touch every day to say how Stevie is progressing. We won’t take unnecessary risks. I will take advice from our medical team, who are just as well qualified, because we want to work together so that we all make the decision and we all know what the dangers are. We will do nothing that will put the player at real risk.

 

“As far as painkilling injections are concerned, you look and in some cases, if there’s no great hazard, then fine. I think John Terry and Frank Lampard had broken toes in preseason and were taking injections. Stevie played with an injection against Chelsea a few weeks ago. I’ve known it at club level where we’ve done that, where it’s just too painful to play without the injection, but there is no risk of further injury if you have it.”

 

Asked if he would go directly against Benítez’s wishes if necessary, McClaren replied: “If we have to, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. We’d like to do it with them, though.”

 

Owen Hargreaves, Gerrard’s intended partner in midfield, and Terry, the captain, also sat out training yesterday, but McClaren insisted this was merely a precaution.

[Cobs]

I don't get this

 

 

Gerrard is either fit to play or he's not.

 

If he isn't Rafa should pull him from the squad. If he is then TCS is well within his rights to play him.

[Guest Mohjo]

It's him. From the moment he announced the squad it's been 'Gerrard has assured McClaren he will be fit for both games'. Then he's come out and said all week, 'The player wants to play both games', then today's nonsense 'I want him to play, the team does, the country does'. Nothing about the facts or the reality of the situation as Rafa talks of, even so far as to draw diagrams of the scans for the press. It's just feeding emotional blackmail on the player through a willing press to go against what might be correct advice. If he hadn't come out with all this s*** I might follow you, but rather than deal with Liverpool's concerns manager to manager, he's made it out to be a dispute of him and Gerrard v Benitez, which is unprofessional and desperate.

 

100% correct. He's basically set us up to be the fall guy if Gerrard doesn't play. All these reports about how Gerrard wants to play, how he would be willing to play through the pain, how the entire country wants him to play etc. pretty much paints us as the bad guys in this entire fiasco. All these articles about how foreigners are ruining the league, foreign ownership is bad, Benitez doesn't care about England ... kinda convenient how all these articles popped up at the same time eh?

 

This is what Rafa said. “We have not taken any risks with Steven at Liverpool and I would not expect England to take any risks with him,” Benitez said.

 

“We do not want Steven to play for England with any painkilling injections. We did that against Chelsea and it took four to five days for him to recover to be able to train again.”

 

He didn't say that Gerrard shouldn't play for England, he just said that if Gerrard is unfit England shouldn't play him.

[mercury]

The fact that Rafa had played Gerrard with painkillers, albeit only one game, makes "England" feel justify to do the same vs Isarel. That is, after all, life and death for England and hence very little scope for Gerrard to refuse. To most players, playing for country is both a duty and a dream. European and World Cup are afterall two of if not the most prestigious honours in the football world. I can understand all these.

 

What galling is England has no one but themselves to blame for their desparate situation which pushes everyone, player and team alike to take such a risk! There is also absolutely no such so called duty of Rafa to England. Gerrard has, but not Liverpool or Rafa. That is plain rubbish. Indeed the whole England set up from management to coaching is rubbish. I and my friends used to cheer on England. We grew up with it afterall and love to see our own shine on teh international stage. Now there's nothing but detest.

Edited September 5, 2007 by mercury

[_00_deathscar]

The fact that Rafa had played Gerrard with painkillers, albeit only one game, makes "England" feel justify to do the same vs Isarel. That is, after all, life and death for England and hence very little scope for Gerrard to refuse. To most players, playing for country is both a duty and a dream. European and World Cup are afterall two of if not the most prestigious honours in the football world. I can understand all these.

 

But it's bloody Israel...not Brazil, Italy, Spain or whatever.

[mercury]

But it's bloody Israel...not Brazil, Italy, Spain or whatever.

 

aye and they are still desperate. This says much about the people at the helm. The bigger picture remains Gerrard is possibly needed to save England's a** - that is what I can understand, even if it means also saving MaClown and the FA.

Edited September 5, 2007 by mercury

[Stevie H]

I don't get this

Gerrard is either fit to play or he's not.

 

If he isn't Rafa should pull him from the squad. If he is then TCS is well within his rights to play him.

that's about right.

 

but if he isn't fit and rafa were to pull him from the squad then the press would be all f***ing over him.

[Cobs]

that's about right.

 

but if he isn't fit and rafa were to pull him from the squad then the press would be all f***ing over him.

and?

 

 

they all hate us anyway...

Edited September 5, 2007 by Cobs

[Gilps]

Benítez claims it took the best part of a week for Gerrard to be able to train again after that and he has not played for Liverpool since. If so, playing against Israel would rule Gerrard out of the match with Russia a week today but McClaren, understandably, is not thinking that far ahead. He knows that unless England get the right result on Saturday, the outcome against Russia could be an irrelevance.

 

And if England feck up the Russia game, then a win against Isreal is going to start looking pretty irrelevant. If Gerrard playing against Israel makes him less likely to play against Russia, it is surely in England's interests not to play him on Saturday. If he can only play the one game in a week, you'd think TCS would want him playing the tougher one.