Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock, who was in charge of relegated Sheffield United last season, has launched a scathing attack on Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez.
Like, who cares?
Warnock is still livid that Liverpool fielded a severely weakened team at Fulham last May, and lost 1-0 to the Cottagers in a result that ultimately kept what was then Lawrie Sanchez's team up by a single point, while Warnock's Blades were controversially relegated.
Really?
Warnock still claims that it was Benitez's team selection that played a huge part in Sheffield United's demotion.
And all the other games they drew or lost didn't?
His attack on the Spaniard comes with Liverpool due to play their Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea on Tuesday. Warnock fully expects Benitez to leave his star players out when the Reds again tackle Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Stating the bleedin' obvious.
And he insists that if that happens, it will be a show of contempt for the clubs battling to survive in the top-flight.
"My advice to Reading, Bolton and the rest would be, if you're expecting any favours, don't hold your breath," said the Palace boss. "They will have to do it themselves.
Since when does any team do favours for other teams?
"The fact of the matter is that if Liverpool were already out of the Champions League and needed to win to get fourth spot, they would play their strongest side.
Again stating the bleedin' obvious. Of course we would. What else would he do?
"Instead, I fully expect them to play a weakened team at Fulham.
I think this has already been stated.
"It's part of a big club's mentality. They look after themselves and they don't bother about anyone else. The whole story that Sheffield United were going down and me having a pop at them afterwards was just treated like fish and chip paper by them. Liverpool didn't care because they weren't the ones getting hurt by it all.
And your point is? Who else should we look after but ourselves.
"I'm still very bitter about it and personally I hope Liverpool never win another trophy under Benitez. I like them as a club but I would be very pleased to see them win nothing."
I didn't realise you were still bitter.
Quoted in the Daily Mail, Warnock recalled how he reacted when he saw Liverpool's line-up at Craven Cottage last season.
"I felt sick, physically sick, when I found out the team Liverpool were playing," said Warnock.
"We had a late kick-off at Villa Park that day and when we saw who Benitez had picked, we were struggling to even think who they were.
"We hadn't even heard of them and a lot of them haven't played for the club since.
"It was scandalous, really. You don't feel it's fair but it just confirmed that these guys don't give two hoots about clubs like Sheffield United or people like Neil Warnock.
Why should we give any hoots let alone two for any other team or manager. Do you?
"You can talk about rules being put in place to stop it happening but that's not going to happen.
No you can't. We have a squad and we can play any squad player in any game we like. How can you have a rule which would dictate that someone other than the manager should select the team/
"The Premier League don't care about smaller clubs like Sheffield United, as they proved with the whole Carlos Tevez affair last season.
Your confusing the inconsistency and incompetence of the premier league with bias.
"Big clubs look after themselves and the people who run the Premier League will always look after themselves. Nothing will ever change.
Who should any club look after but themselves?
"The sad thing is I felt we had done enough last season; we had 38 points, which would have been enough in a normal season.
"For us to get that number of points was an achievement and yet it's gone down in history as a relegation on my CV, not an achievement.
Relegation is an achievement, not a good achievement but still an achievement. I would like a number of managers to make such an achievement, starting with the one at Old Trafford.
"Nobody got hurt apart from me and Sheffield United. Rafa Benitez certainly didn't."
Didn't you take points off the other teams that got relegated? You obviously didn't do them any favours.
So bitter. It'll go with him to his grave. We could have a whip round to have carved on his headstone 'I could have been a half decent manager if Liverpool hadn't let me down'.
« Last Edit: Apr 18, 2008 09:49:48 pm by Oldred »
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