He had a big rant today in the press not to unlike our resident Steely Hill. Nothing short of phenomenal:


Thoughts? [/quote]

After the F.A Cup game with Portsmouth I thought Fergie would get the book thrown at him! any other manager would have! With that in mind I agree with the FAT Spanish waiter.

Good try Rafa!

This attack is just designed to focus the media attention on the referee and officials' performance in the highly important match on sunday - Man Utd v Chelsea.

Although there is a lot of fact in what Benitez says, it's not entirely true. He's saying he's never complained about fixtures in the past, but that doesn't ring true at all - several times in the past he's whinged about the away fixtures after CL games.

Also, several managers have also criticised referees in the past and haven't faced the FA - our own 'Arry for a start. He launched a verbal volley at Mike Tanner after our game away to West brom, but surprisingly (and thankfully!) the FA didn't act, despite 'Arry saying that Tanner is just not good enough to be a referee.

Anyway, I think we'll see more "mind games" from now to the end of the season. But it's on the pitch where it counts. This crap is just to give the media something to talk about.

Good try Rafa indeed.

I've always thought that mind games are pointless. There are a lot of things in football that are overhyped and mind games ranks up there with them.

I think they can work when things are really heated and really tense. Human emotions will always be vulnerable and mentalities can be changed, especially when ones are so passionate.

But I don't think it really effects matters at that level. Fergie is immune to that sort of stuff, as if he even cares. He's loaded and knows he's got a pedigree to live off either way.

It's perhaps a little embarrassing for Rafa, but all the Managers come across like that from time to time.

After watching a video of the press conference it was highly subdued and nothing Alf Garnett-ish.

The part in the transcript isn't even the whole thing. At 3:50 in the video he tells Scolari to use zonal marking because all the Man Utd players will be around the ref!

And the part about letting MR Ferguson arrange the fixtures ...

Video here:
http://www.Liverpool.co.uk/2009/01/video-Liverpool-fc-boss-rafa-b-1.html

hahahahaha.

I found it quite amuisng. Rafa can be quite funny at times.

It's nice to see someone attack back at Ferguson like that.

Of course it is largely to try and put pressure on the referee with the upcoming match between United and Chelsea - it being delivered in his Friday press conference two days prior is evidence enough for that - as well as the many crucial Old Trafford games in the latter half of the season. It's got everyone talking and no-one will be unaware of it. The focus on Sunday's match will be something special because of it (assuming we can at least win against Stoke (otherwise everything sort of unravels in a pathetic disaster)). It's a clever trick, of which Mourinho was so often an advocate of; taking the focus away from the players and unto the self. The last thing anyone is thinking about now is Stoke versus Liverpool, all the attention is with Benitez and Ferguson/United vs. Chelsea.

The more i hear people speaking about it, i think it was excellently prepared, timed and executed. And by the majority has been met with a lot of positivity (bar United fans). Some United fans have tried to liken it with Keegan's "rant", but compared to that, Rafa's speech doesn't even merit the title "rant" - it was composed, said without any impulsiveness or domineering emotion, and thoroughly thought through. Keegan's was reckless.

I know Ferguson has a lot of experience in the game but in my opinion he'll have been taken aback by the unexpected events of today.

Well, i don't know about him, but it's really got me riled up for this Premier League! Even if we don't win, it's going to be mightily fun trying.

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For once the man talks sense and i must give him credit for confronting it this way.
Sky will have a field day now they have someone who has bitten the bait as Wenger i nelligently pretty much ignored getting into it.
It's one of Fergie's biggest assets as a British manager ,because he knows exactly what buttons to push and where ,it's an advantage he has over his foreign counterparts and has helped him succeed when he was getting tooled By Wenger and Mourinho technically.

I found this highly amusing, and have to give credit to Rafa. It was very witty in places, and he delivered it perfectly. I like the guy.

I don't think he's actually trying mind games here. It's not his style. I think he's just having a rant! as embarrassing as it seems the fact that Ferguson suggested the F.A had fixed the fixtures against him is equally embarrassing!

I say fair play to Rafa.

Some truth in what he says, but still it's typical mind-games. Plus he's rewriting history a little, Rafa couldn't stop complaining about those early kick-offs on Saturdays after CL fixtures a couple of years ago.

In a way it's good to see Benitez step up and show he's willing and able to play these games - a sign of confidence. But I still think it's all pretty meaningless.

I thought Rafa sounded very nervous, but his English has never been that good anyway. Still, it took balls to come out there and tell it straight, so I credit him for that.

To me, it lacked a Mourinho quality delivery, and because of his nervousness the press may be divided on the effect it will have.

Personally, I don't think players are affected by these mind games - it's gone beyond that now. For me, the ultimate idea of these war of words is to influence the referee's decision making in big games.

All eyes on Old Trafford...

Rafa's English isn't the best though, and reading out directly from a sheet to the public can be nerve-racking. So that's probably why he soudned nervous.

Obviously Mourinho's delivery would be better. He's an attention seeking media whore. He's practiced in the art of chatting in press conferences.

How blindfolded, one sided and researchless comments Rafa made!

Either he is very stupid or he is pretending to be very very smart thinking that world listening to this comments are dumbfolded, every comment that he made and as I read down the interview I feel sorry his empty brain.

The season is not yet over, you should have preserved some your comments till end Rafa but only sane person can think so and you not the one.

Rafa should go and get his brain checked!

I think he's put it in such a way that even if we don't win the league, it's not exactly something you can go back and wave in his face. It isn't a Keegan-esque "I'll love it if we beat them", he's just publicising some little facts everyone already thinks, but which most are afraid to say.

He should have included other things too like the fact Martin Atkinson hasn't refereed for a United game since the FA Cup incident, and other ref's similar.

He could also have quoted Grahame Poll saying the feeling within referee's is that Mr Ferguson has an influence within the FA, and that people are afraid to give decisions because of that (he made the example of some referee not giving a decision against Ferguson because he was hoping to referee the League Cup final, and if Ferguson had slammed him publicly afterwards it would've hindered his chances).

Or he could of recalled after the Mascherano sending off last season, his own ex-player Roy Keane calling him a hypocrite (not directly, but that was the blatant insinuation).

And would you believe it, Graham Poll has now come out and backed Benitez:

The plot thickens ...