[Archived] Rafa Benitez

[yoda]

Yeah, so? He was up against Mourinho and Ferguson, who are both better managers (all time greats) and who both spent more money too.

La Liga twice, Champions League win plus one runner up, FA Cup, Spanish League and Premier League runners up.

That's a mighty impressive haul for Valencia and Liverpool.

So he can only win if he spends more money than his rivals

not much good for us then

[Majiball]

Getting Rafa to a club like ours is one hell of a coup, regardless of whether he won the league here or not.

Rafa has surely got to be second only to Dalglish status wise in the game when considering rovers managers.

[Kelbo]

So he can only win if he spends more money than his rivals

not much good for us then

But isnt that the case with all Prem winning clubs, Us in 1995, Man U, Chelsea etc

Perhaps Arsenal but they are struggling to keep up, its a hell of a league to win and you can sign good players who wont gel with the team, those same players can go elsewhere and be real gems.

Even Kenny had to admit defeat with Roy Wegerle and Richard Witchge?? cant spell his name yet they were great players at other clubs.

[ABBEY]

...."apart from the Premier League"!!

So doing a baryywhite venkyism here.....if ste b's double took over and got us fa cup wins and champions league trophies ,you wouldnt rate him then ,if he didnt win the league .

[47er]

So doing a baryywhite venkyism here.....if ste b's double took over and got us fa cup wins and champions league trophies ,you wouldnt rate him then ,if he didnt win the league .

Everybody knows that's the trophy Liverpool fans wanted and its Liverpool that was being discussed.

If he won any trophy for us I'd rate him, but since he can only manage by frequent and vastly expensive forays into the transfer market and since there's no evidence Venky's would ever fund the club to that extent its a waste of time even considering it.

If we somehow manage to stay up and we somehow sign up Rafa and our owners don't then pour millions into a bottomless well, it'll be a disaster. If you don't agree that's fine with me.

He is an infinitely better manager than Kean though but so is "ste b's double" in all probability.

[ABBEY]

Everybody knows that's the trophy Liverpool fans wanted and its Liverpool that was being discussed.

If he won any trophy for us I'd rate him, but since he can only manage by frequent and vastly expensive forays into the transfer market and since there's no evidence Venky's would ever fund the club to that extent its a waste of time even considering it.

If we somehow manage to stay up and we somehow sign up Rafa and our owners don't then pour millions into a bottomless well, it'll be a disaster. If you don't agree that's fine with me.

He is an infinitely better manager than Kean though but so is "ste b's double" in all probability.

so the scousers wernt happy with the champions league? so if he won a trophy for us you would rate him but not when hes won what hes already won?

[Brfcrule1]

How anyone can be against the appointment of Rafa is beyond me world class won everything worth winning in Spain and infinitely better manager than Kean would be like xmas & birthdays all rolled into one & would never need to worry about the the perilous position we find ourselves in.

[deryck guyler's spoon]

Kean clearly isn't up to the job so if, by some miracle, we stay up how about Martin Jol? I'd much prefer him to Benitez and I think he's still available having parted company with Ajax?

[booth]

I disagree, to attract a manager with Rafas CV would be a much greater achievement in the current climate, than when Kenny came.

That's an extraordinary statement. You do realize that Jack Walker convincing Kenny to come to Blackburn Rovers all those years ago was one of the biggest shocks, and coups in football. It's amazing how many people forget how low down the pecking order we were back then, compared to now. We weren't even on the map as far as the media was concerned.

Remember, the guy left Liverpool, still a superpower back then, after much success, took a few months off then came to manage Rovers.

It'd be like if Ferguson had left Utd in 1998/99, took a few months off, then went and managed Burnley. It's unheard of. Even in the current climate you can't compare Kenny Dalglish taking over as manager of Rovers with Rafa taking the job. Mourinho maybe, but not Benitez.

[tony gale's mic]

So he can only win if he spends more money than his rivals

not much good for us then

I'm pretty sure at Valencia he spent less than his rivals when he won La Liga twice. And at Liverpool he spent considerably less than most of the other leading teams when he won the Champions League and got to the final another time.

[Mattyblue]

Kenny was the coup of the century, however For the modern BRFC Rafa would be a proper statement.

Never going to happen though...

[philipl]

Rafa is only marginally less Rovers' next boss than Sven Goran Ericsson was.

[chaddyrovers]

if the owners stand by what they said on the Granada reports this week that they want us to be finish roughly about 8th then we need a proven PL manager. then Rafa Benitez would fit the bill because of the success he had at Valencia and Liverpool.

He is very tactical good and knows how to get the best out of the players! He is very experience in the PL and Europe.

He still wouldn't be my first choice but would be a good choice.

[dring1]

if the owners stand by what they said on the Granada reports this week that they want us to be finish roughly about 8th then we need a proven PL manager. then Rafa Benitez would fit the bill because of the success he had at Valencia and Liverpool.

He is very tactical good and knows how to get the best out of the players! He is very experience in the PL and Europe.

He still wouldn't be my first choice but would be a good choice.

[dring1]

Was quoting chassis post but posted blank. Having thought about it I don't think there is a better option than rafa at the moment. If the owners intend to push us on if we stay up after he has been with us for a few years and leaves we can attract other big name managers. This is the ambition I want from the owners, small steps and not going after super star names straight away who could sulk. The owners will have to back him if he is going to be our manager next season.

[BangkokRover]

He is very tactical good and knows how to get the best out of the players! He is very experience in the PL and Europe.

Not sure where you figure out he was tactically very good. I am sure the Liverpool fans were being driving crazy by him changing the squad all the time.

I also remember Gerrard having to rescue them several time against inferior European opposition

Of course he is better than the current Klown but is he really the man to take us forward I am not sure.

[chaddyrovers]

Of course he is better than the current Klown but is he really the man to take us forward I am not sure.

That's my point. I have said that He would NOT be my first choice or even in my top 3 but He is miles better then Kean tho.

[Tom]

Rafa is only marginally less Rovers' next boss than Sven Goran Ericsson was.

Whilst I agree with this I think we all know there is one huge IF (relegation) in the way and at present I would be inclined to think that due to the league we will be playing in that Rafa wont be here.

[patrickvalery]

I've scrolled back a few pages and can't find any link to Benitez being considered. Is this just hearsay?

The bloke has got a decent record for sure. But something tells me this wouldn't be a good match.

[Stuart]

In the Steve Kean thread there wa 2 people saying Rafa was taking over and Rafa has mentioned on the BBC she has spoken to our new owners.

This is the only "link" as far as I can see, Patrick.

The only info I'm aware of is that Rafa still has a base in the North West and hopes to return to the PL at some point. Very tenuous indeed.

2+2=5 and the reason why I'm so flippant about the whole thing. Complete non-story.

If someone can find some actual comments or even press speculation then there might be an actual debate to be had.

A real link would be a huge positive for a number of reasons but until then it's just one of several pointless and unhelpful threads at the minute as we swing from depression to fantasy and back to depression again.

How about a thread to discuss specifically HOW we can exploit our next 5 opponents' weaknesses to get the points we need? We could send it to Kean...

[chaddyrovers]

This is the only link I've seen and it was from December. Benitez left Inter Milan that week

http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/851071-rafa-benitez-agent-to-hold-blackburn-talks

[BangkokRover]

Rafa mentioned it in a BBC interview that i heard on the radio. I will try to find a link and post it.

[OJRovers]

I can't find the latest, but isn't Rafa something like 1/3 on to be our next manager? Surely if the rumours were just made up the bookies would offer better odds to entice people to bet?

I would like Rafa as manager because he would bring in a full backroom team to support the squad, which is something we're lacking with Steve Kean, plus he's as big a name as we could hope for.

The problem is yet again he would divide the support, with Big Sam there were people wanting him out before he even started. It would be good to get a manger in that has the unanomous backing of all the fans. Below Mourihno i'm not sure who that could be.

[Giant]

Interesting...although surely a step backwards for Chelski?

Benitez to Chelski?

[Stuart]

The only men who could unite the fans would be Dalgleish, Hughes or Mourinho. And some would probably grumble that Kenny is past it. Can't see Hughes coming back although he'd be my choice (come back and finish the job he started - with a bit of cash to spend).

If Venkys wanted entertaining football though, it's a shame they didn't go for Keegan. Might have been the in the same position but it would have been a hell of a ride.

Therefore, we'll be looking for a compromise. So although he won't be coming, I'd settle for Rafa.

Oh, and Mourinho isn't coming either.