Rafael Benitez vs Sam Allardyce: What Round Are We On Now?

Sam Allardyce knows how to bring entertainment to football. Not on the pitch (unless you like your footy peppered with moves from a UFC bout) but from the pervasively fixated pantomime act he insists on continuing with Rafael Benitez.

Just in case followers of football hadn't noticed the subtle indications given by Allardyce over the past five years, the Blackburn manager thought he would make his feelings perfectly clear on Benitez once and for all: "I just don't like him."

Liverpool - Wigan: Some Good, But Mostly Bad - Especially if Benitez Leaves

Nobody should defend the lackluster performance served up by a Liverpool team bereft of (*delete as applicable)
Passion/Inspiration/Consistency/Professionalism/Quality/ Leadership/Goals/All of the Above

However, despite some players seemingly forgetting the character that helped them get close to the league title for the first time in 20 years, there was still some- albeit a few - signs of the attacking unit that scored more than any other last year.

LFC Fans Speaking on Behalf of the Deceased, Mystic Meg Mind Reading Abilities and Using Stan Collymore's Expertise as a Font of Knowledge

Something that always makes me wonder is why fans vehemently against Benitez always believe they know exactly how someone is thinking just by watching them on TV.

Not only do they second guess the emotions of a player or manager they have never met, but they seem well within reason to pronounce the opinion of someone who passed away some years ago.

"Shanks would be turning in his grave if he knew what Benitez was doing to this club"

Rafael Benitez is Building Liverpool Football Club Not Destroying it

The clock is ticking for many Liverpool supporters as they must surely feel time is running out to win the Premier League.

Listening to some fans as they foam at the mouth, you would wager your house that we only have two or three years left before English football ceases to exist.

Steve Bruce, Rafael Benitez, Kenwyne Jones, and The Media Shit Stirring

It would seem the constantly "disrespectful" Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, is up to his cunning tricks again.

According to Sunderland manager—and ex-Manchester United legend—Steve Bruce, Benitez is playing games at the expense of Kenwyne Jones.

Ryan Babel Twitter Attack on Benitez: Poor Hoax or Hopeful Provocation?

Rafael Benitez is under attack from pretty much every angle at the moment. The fans, the media, the uninformed, the easily led, and those who just love to jump on the bandwagon.

Ryan Babel has possibly added his own name to the rapidly increasing list of Benitez baiters.

The Interview: Paul Tomkins Talks About LFC, Being Compared to Joseph Goebbels, and His New Fiction Novel

At a time when the media representation of Liverpool Football Club is at its lowest and most vile, and all around supporters seem to be losing their way.

It's reassuring to know that at least some people out there are still able to judge the situation with honesty, common sense, integrity and a welcome dash of humor.

That is why Paul Tomkins is currently one of the most critically acclaimed, and closely followed Liverpool writers around today.

In Response To...Matthew Fearon Writing for The Times Online

This is an article in response to the piece written by Matthew Fearon for The Times Online.

In this misleading piece of journalism, Matthew believes Rafael Benitez has wasted £14m on Djibril Cisse; that he spent £41m on eight players in his first transfer window, who are no longer on the team; and that Chelsea are the only club currently in the Premier League who can outspend Liverpool.

Matthew also kindly suggests that the Liverpool manager should turn to some more imaginative excuses, because The Times sports correspondant feels with this piece he has vindicated the bemoans of Benitez, and quashed this apparent myth created by the Spaniard that Chelsea, Manchester United, and Manchester City can outspend Liverpool, if they choose to.

My Hatred for Hypocrisy, Lazy Debaters, and The Media

Rant: A rant is a monologue that does not present a well-researched and calm argument; rather, it is typically an attack on an idea, a person, or an institution that very often lacks proven claims.

Outburst: A sudden, violent expression of emotion.

Tirade: A long angry or violent speech usually about one theme.

Rage: Violent, uncontrolled anger.

Outburst, rant, tirade, rage—just a few leading suggestions used by major media outlets on TV and in the papers today.

However, watching the press conference involving Rafa's statement about Alex Ferguson and the FA, you can see there was no outburst or rant or tirade—just some facts that pretty much everyone all ready knew, presented without rage.

Andy Gray, Rafael Benitez, and the Zonal Marking Myth

After a disappointing result at home to Chelsea in the Champions League, it is no surprise to see the Liverpool forum boards filled with complaints about the zonal set-piece system that Benitez—and many other highly regaurded managers—has championed since he joined the club in 2004.

Last night (08/04/09) the Liverpool players conceded two goals from two corners against a dominant Chelsea team—which has given The Reds a very difficult trip to Stamford Bridge if they hope to proceed in the competition—and unsurprisingly the papers and sports-news channels are now filled with the recycled zonal marking debate.