What should Rafa do next?

Funny.    Rafa is doing the right thing. Focussing on the games.

I can only presume Rafa (or his lawyers) contacted the manager's association first - and if this is so - this is the beginning of a (planned and controlled) end to Rafa's golden era at the club (as long as the Yanks refinance and stay - which looks very, very possible today).

This really looks like the downfall of our club. If rafa goes i am worried about Gerrard amongst the others already names, leaving.

Funny.    Rafa is doing the right thing. Focussing on the games.

..and the welfare of his family - wouldn't you? ...particularly if you had to work with the likes of Judas-Parry or Sherrif-Hicks?

I can only presume Rafa (or his lawyers) contacted the manager's association first - and if this is so - this is the beginning of a (planned and controlled) end to Rafa's golden era at the club (as long as the Yanks refinance and stay - which looks very, very possible today).

See the Americans bask off being worshipped as the owners; the ones that dole out the cash (?). So Rick Parry seems to be having a very cordial relationship with them (probably based on 'salad tossing'), but Rafa has no time to play 'suck up' and therefore they might see his as a tad bit confrontational, and NOW, also way too popular for their liking. The owners of the company wont like the employee to command more respect from the public than they do. So I also see an Exit with wounds; Exit for Rafa Benitez if the Americans still remain in power after this season; and Wounds for the LFC, because it will set the club back a couple of years.

The big question is this? Rafa Benitez has achieved a cult status with the fans and maybe the footballers; Will that be his Achilles heels? Has he become too popular for the owners and any prospective owners of the club? You saw how the fan were booing the americans at the Villa game.

As a person Rafa seems a lovely guy.  But he's stubborn and that's something he needs to address.

Results is what he needs to do next - at worst Champions League run and 4th in the league.  FA CUP Final.

Anything less than that - and he's history!

Ok, this is going a little off-topic but it could reflect to how Benitez will act in the near future.


Benitez – who often clashed with the Valencia’s bosses over finance and team control – opted to quit immediately.

He said: “This is possibly one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make in my sporting life. I am not going to continue.

“I value the efforts of the club to renew my contract, but the physical and psychological effects last season had on me have made me consider my future. We are going to analyse the future in the next few days to make the best possible decision.

“I want to thank everyone, the players and the employees of the club, the media and especially the fans for their support.”

He was then overcome with emotion and left the room in tears, unable to read the final lines of his statement.

It was later revealed the words he could not say were: “I have two daughters, one is a Valencia fan, and Valencia will always be in my thoughts and in my heart.”

But Valencia were genuinely stunned by the decision, having expected that their contract offer plus money to spend in the transfer market would persuade Benitez to stay on.

Valencia’s director general Manuel Llorente stressed: “We have done all we can for a long time for him to be happy and continue. It has not been a question about money or contract length.”



Well right now Benitez is going through a very emotional stage, I don't think he's had this much pressure on himself before as a coach. If he'd leave Valencia who was in his heart, then I'm not too convinced that he'll take this sh*t from our backroom staff much longer.

The way Benitez is getting treated right now is shamefull, even Alex Ferguson got up to the media and had his say about the appalling treatment Rafa has been receiving. I just hope all problems can be solved sooner rather than later!

I think the owners have left him high and dry.  They have made his position untenable.  The players no longer believe he will be there in the summer and therefore he has been weakened.

resign and take most of the crap that he brought to the club with him.

I think the owners have left him high and dry.  They have made his position untenable.  The players no longer believe he will be there in the summer and therefore he has been weakened.

So very true JD and to make matters worse the players with a few exceptions  appear to have lost belief in themselves.