Rafa Tastes Own Medicine As Real Madrid Eye Gerrard
Seems like Rafa Benitez is getting a taste of his own medicine this week as Real Madrid’s football director Benito Floro announced that he wanted to sign Steven Gerrard to spearhead his overhaul of the Madrid playing staff in the summer.
Gerrard’s “will he, won’t he” contract saga last summer became one of the most talked about and ultimately boring topics of football discussion as wars of words erupted between Gerrard’s camp and Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry and then were smoothed over as Gerrard signed a new deal with the then newly crowned European champions.
Whether the bright lights of Madrid and a spell in midfield alongside his England international teammate David Beckham would appeal as much to Gerrard this summer as the thought of it has tempted him in years gone by is anyone’s guess but after relinquishing their European crown and having to settle for an improved but still uncompetitive third position in the Premiership, Liverpool mightn’t have quite enough pulling power to keep him.
The best players want to test themselves on the biggest stages and there can’t be any Anfield Red who would deny that Real Madrid are still a bigger club than Liverpool. Steven Gerrard may have the toughest decision of his career on his mind as he heads to Germany and the World Cup in the summer and that will be bad news for both Rafael Benitez and Sven Goran Eriksson.
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30 opinions for Rafa Tastes Own Medicine As Real Madrid Eye Gerrard
Yorkie
Apr 20, 2006 at 8:22 pm
… “his own medicine?” It would be just a little helpful if you explained why you think that.
Perhaps you’re referring to the Cisse/Defoe spat a few weeks ago? If so, you’ve missed the point completely. After a couple of weeks of having his team destabilised by the player’s agent’s public discussions with Tottenham, Benitez hit back in kind with an accurate assessment of Defoe’s situation.
You can tell from the Spurs reaction that it hit home. And the fact that all the Cisse chat ended abruptly shows he judged it perfectly.
What he didn’t do was go public with an announcement of interest in another club’s player. Real’s expression of interest in Gerrard is a deliberate attempt to drive a wedge between player and club. Basically, its tapping up. Its against the spirit, and probably the letter, of the rules governing player recruitment. Nothing like the Benitez/Defoe issue.
Matt
Apr 20, 2006 at 8:23 pm
What a terrible article. The spanish press aren’t even interested in this one. Guillem Ballague says it’s all hot air and the president is simply making statements because he’s on his way out. He says the only people taking any interest in the comments are the english media. Anyway after last season’s circus can you honestly see Gerrard doing that again?!?!?!?!
Mike
Apr 20, 2006 at 9:11 pm
Point 1
People forget that Rafa benitez was 100% right what he said about Levy, his comments were aimed at Daniel Levy who did mention wanting Cisse in an Express article which Benitez was referring to.
Benitez said Levy had no memory and was unprofessional as he knows what has been said to agents, I wonder why Levy didn’t answer back or why a official complaint was made, funny they didn’t complain about Arneseen when he was tapped up either, face it Spurs are not clean players.
Point 2- As poined out Real’s football director is leaving and as Ballague says no one even listens to him not even AS or Marca take his word apart from the English press. So you keep this as a dream.
Point 3 - Gerrard’s new contract contained no verbal or written clauses in his contract, so Liverpool could let his 4 year contract run down and he couldnt do anything even if he wanted to leave.
david derrivale
Apr 20, 2006 at 9:29 pm
What a dreadful article the headline comment is not addressed and seems to have been authored by a bitter Evertonian or Jermaine Defoe’s angry agent….
Dave
Apr 20, 2006 at 9:40 pm
Aside from the points listed by the other comments about this article I believe your knowledge of Real Madrids position might be a little dated, Real are currently sitting in an uncompetitive third place in La liga 13 points off Barcelona and were knocked out of the Champions League at the same stage as Liverpool, So I don´t see why any Red especially Gerrard would see them as a better prospect than Liverpool who might I add won the European Cup last year, what did Real win?
michael
Apr 20, 2006 at 9:45 pm
Rafa Tastes Own Medicine As Real Madrid Eye Gerrard
can you explain the above????
Rich
Apr 20, 2006 at 10:13 pm
Terrible article. I hope the author comes out and explains what he means when he says Benitez is getting a ‘taste of his own medicine’
It’s a real shame that pieces like this find their way onto Newsnow which usually is informative. 0/10 for the article, I won’t rate the website, I’ll just presume it’s as bad as this story
Liverpudlian
Apr 20, 2006 at 11:25 pm
Who ever wrote this is a real loser. I don’t understand what he was trying to mean by “Rafa getting a taste of his own medicine..” and I cant believe I wasted my time reading this. What ever the agenda of this writer is, he certainly seems sore about Liverpool and thats about it? Real Madrid STILL a bigger club than Liverpool? A team thats not won ANYTHING in the past 3 or 4 seasons? Give me a break. You can take your cheap shot but which ever sad club you’re from (could either be Chelshit, Manure or the Bluenoses), just let me remind you… though a “small club” Liverpool is, they are the most succesful club in Britain AND among the top 3 most succesful clubs in Europe..
go get your facts right next time..!
Tim
Apr 21, 2006 at 3:15 am
Alan, oh Alan,
What a bitter little man. Evertonian? Manc?
Real Madrid bigger then Liverpool? How so? By titles? If so Liverpool are about the top 5 clubs as well. By most recent success? hahha?
The best players want to test themselves on the biggest stage? What La liga is bigger then the premiership? Champions league? Err who is still current Champions of Europe for another month?
He will not leave, if he leaves its not now and certainly not to a circus that is Real Madrid.
Go back to your hole, Alan.
Jim
Apr 21, 2006 at 6:37 am
Interesting article, but still don’t understand tast-of-his-own-medicine.
If it is the Defoe situation, Rafa doesn’t want defoe and turned spurs down when they tried to off-load him.
The only reason I can assume Stevie would go to Madrid is because of the weather, otherwise I cannot see the point.
Alan
Apr 21, 2006 at 7:22 am
I was talking about the Cisse/Defoe incident a few weeks ago which we got through a bit of discussion on at the time on thefootie.com. Seems like I neglected to link to the original post I made at the time though. Whoops, schoolboy error.
Are you Liverpool fans being serious when you say Real Madrid aren’t a bigger club than Liverpool? I mean come on, I see things through the white and blue tinted Spurs spectacles at all times but I know when to admit that another club is bigger than we are (not that often mind you) but I do the odd time.
I never said Liverpool were a small club so please read what I’ve written before making pieces of it up. I merely said that Madrid are a bigger club and that they would be a very desirable option to Gerrard now that the shine of winning last year’s European Cup has worn off and Madrid are ready for a revolution.
Form is temporary, class is permanent and despite sitting third in La Liga and not winning anything for three years, Real Madrid are still the heaviest of heavy hitters in European football.
G Koogan
Apr 21, 2006 at 9:15 am
Laughable nonsensical article.
Real Mardrid are a shambles.
You don’t understand what’s going on with them do you? They have motives for mentioning ‘big name players’, you need to do find out what they are before writing an article about it. It’s a non story, surely you know that?
You really should do a bit of research first. And as someone else pointed out - what is with the ‘tastes own medicine’ - you don’t explain what you mean. Maybe you don’t know what the phrase means?
Dreadfully poor article, with no research, so it makes very little sense.
Alan
Apr 21, 2006 at 10:03 am
Madrid get mentioned in connection with “big name players” because they are about to start one of the biggest rebuilding campaigns in European football and will be buying “big name players”. Motive enough surely?
If you’re such a Madrid insider and know their motives then post them, don’t patronise me and say it’s under researched. Madrid say they want Gerrard, I believe Gerrard should go to them. Hardly a ten year research post needed for that is there?
If you’d read the comments or clicked the link on the “tastes own medicine” bit in the article you’d have seen what I meant as a lot of commenters caught on to by themselves. He publically tapped up Defoe and now has another club doing it to him over Gerrard hence “getting a taste of his own medicine”. Hardly cryptic on a Da Vinci Code scale now was it?
Disagree with the opinion if you will but don’t be coming on here and patronising me because you feel your club has been sleighted. Tell me why you think I’m wrong with reasons and I’ll listen. Fire off insults with no argument to back them up and I’ll ignore the comments in future because you’re adding nothing but childish petulance to the discussion.
Deal?
G Koogan
Apr 21, 2006 at 10:11 am
So again, what’s this article got to do with the Cisse / Defoe incident? There is no similarity.
You still don’t explain the reasons Madrid listed these players. But cos I’m nice, I’ll give you a hint, so you can research it - it’s posturing to do with presidency and votes. It’s nothing to do with actually making an approach or signing these players.
As for Levy, Defoe, Cisse etc - Rafa responded to comments Levy made in an article, thats all. So this ‘taste of his own medicine’ business, still makes no sense.
Neither party came out of it too well, but take a good look at Levy first and formost before getting all pious about Rafa.
G Koogan
Apr 21, 2006 at 10:15 am
Liverpool did not tap up Defoe. If they had, they would have been reported - and as it’d be Liverpool’s 2nd offence of ‘tapping up’ they would have been in a whole world of trouble.
So, I’m sure you’ll agree, if they actually had tapped him up - Spurs would have reported them. As they would have made a heck of a lot of money from it, and Liverpool could well have been docked points.
The fact they didn’t report it - is for one reason, and one reason alone. It never happened.
Alan
Apr 21, 2006 at 10:25 am
Benitez made inappropriate comments in a public press conference about the availability of a player contracted to another club. This is an illegal approach whichever way you look at it.
I disagree about the Madrid vote whoring as well. Although it’s well known that both Real Madrid and Barcelona presidential candidates make big claims over who they are going to sign once elected, in many cases they do actually go after and then sign these players as the cases of Ronaldo, Figo and Beckham have proven in the past.
Ged
Apr 21, 2006 at 11:19 am
Jesus, I thought we’d cleared this up about Rafa tapping up Defoe.
Get your facts right you small minded pathetic fool
Is not the fact that Spurs are linked with other clubs’ players like Sunderland’s Alnwick testimony that Spurs make their interest known (also known as tapping up). What Benitez was doing was making is lack of interest known by claiming that Defoe was offered by Spurs - can’t you see that - are you that thick?
So why make a connection with madrid wanting a player who Liverpool wont let go with Spurs wanting to flog a player that Liverpool dont want
Christ, why dont Spurs just put Defoe on ebay?
As for you, you are far too blinkered to offer any rational argument and this is just plain drivel, as evidenced by the amount of people thinking you’re a tit
idiot
norma
Apr 21, 2006 at 12:05 pm
Both the club and Stevie G have said he is not leaving end of.
Alan
Apr 21, 2006 at 12:46 pm
Ged
Are you shocked that Liverpool fans who disagree with I said think I’m a tit?
Take off your own blinkers mate and you’ll see you and the rest who’ve got upset on here are the opposite side of the coin to what I’m saying. Both the same, just different.
Ged
Apr 21, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Yeah but me “and the rest who’ve got upset on here” dont post the tripe you do.
Me “and the rest who’ve got upset on here” probably think that the Benitez / Defoe thing is more down to journalists and lots of crap, we see through that, but you seem to take what you want and disregard anything that doesn’t fit your blinkered view of things
Me “and the rest who’ve got upset on here” are probably just pissed off that you’re having a pop at Benitez based on unfounded accusations.
I aint got the blinkers on - I accept that Liverpool, like the rest, do a bit of tapping up - nowhere near as obvious in their disregard for the rules than Chelsea or Madrid but it goes on. But to read your crap you’d think you have the moral highground here, what’s more you totally ignore the point that by Benitez telling the world that some two-faced exec is trying to flog such and such a player means that a) he isn’t interested otherwise he’d keep quiet and let the transfer happen and b) he is probably thinking of enrolling on the TPS to stop Levy ringing him up in the evening and saying, ‘are you the home owner, we have an agent in your area and were wondering if we could offer you a striker’.
If you can tell me how Benitez thinks that by telling the world that Spurs keep trying to flog their striker and then Spurs angily claiming they haven’t would entice Spurs to sell Defoe to Liverpool then I would be really interested in what you have to say, in the meantime you will just probably get lots of pool fans calling you a tit
I think you may have attention deficiency disorder so you post crap in order to get a response. More fool me for biting.
I still think you’re an idiot
Ged
Apr 21, 2006 at 2:28 pm
Oh and another thing:
“Both the same, just different”
I can’t believe I’m arguing with someone who wrote that
Tell me, what colour is the sky on your planet?
GOD
Apr 21, 2006 at 4:52 pm
He said there can’t be an Anfield Red that would deny Real are better than Liverpool. Well even you can see you’ve got that wrong Alan - like everything else. You should forget writing and try something less confrontational like municipal gardening perhaps. Cheers
Rich
Apr 21, 2006 at 11:54 pm
Alan, “I merely said that Madrid are a bigger club and that they would be a very desirable option to Gerrard”
Going by your reasoning, would you say it was also fair to expect Defoe to be thinking the same about liverpool?
I digress. Please help ease the confusion and put some hard evidence on the table where Liverpool and Rafa Benitez have tapped up (or tried to)jermaine Defoe. It’s not your comments about Madrid being bigger than Liverpool that has angered people, it’s the blatent missuse of throw away comments such as the headline above, which has found it’s way onto Newsnow. Rafael Benitez comes across as an honest hard working chap, I’ve not seen any evidence to suggest otherwise and i’ll be suprised if you can find some. One more thing, The tabloid trash will write anything to make tomorrows news seem more interesting than todays news to the average halfwit that chooses to pay, Liverpool fans don’t buy into Media shenanagans, As a Spurs fan, I’d be suprised if you do
Alan
Apr 22, 2006 at 8:45 am
“God” - I said Real Madrid are BIGGER than Liverpool, not BETTER. If you’re going to quote me then use the words I used please.
Rich - I don’t get sucked in by the tabloid rubbish either, my problem with Benitez is that he used a press conference to publically state that Spurs wanted to offload Defoe. This was neither the time nor the place to make these comments, true or not, and in unsettling another club’s player he put himself in a position to be viewed as making an illegal approach to Defoe. Whether it was tit for tat with Cisse’s agents for trying to hawk him to Spurs is irrelevant. An honest, hard working man like Benitez shouldn’t have to resort to such tactics. Liverpool managers (Souness aside) usually act with a high degree of dignity and I felt and still feel that Rafa let himself down by using a Chelsea style tactic in public.
If Alex Ferguson had said the same thing about Gerrard in a press conference you might see the angle I’m coming from, it’s purely because it was a Spurs player and we feel it was an unethical move, whether he wants Defoe or not. Not that Mr. Levy would ever do anything unethical in transfer dealings mind you…
GOD
Apr 22, 2006 at 4:03 pm
Oh “BIGGER” was it? Well you got plenty of reds disagreeing with that too, so the point remains.
Alan
Apr 22, 2006 at 4:09 pm
Sorry God, I still can’t actually find your point in either comment.
Can you make it a little more obvious please?
Liverpudlian
Apr 26, 2006 at 3:34 pm
I think you should find another job or past time than to write crap. As you can see, no one agreed to even the slightest tinge of what you wrote..accept it that you’re not made for this. Try gardening or something like that:)
Alan
Apr 26, 2006 at 6:00 pm
Nothing like a bit of repetition is there Liverpudlian? Signing on with different names to leave the same inane comments is neither big nor clever.
The reason most comments are against my post is because the only people who really care about it are Liverpool fans who are, unsurprisingly, in opposition to what I said. Why would an Everton fan or a Newcastle fan or a Manchester City fan bother commenting on a post purely about Liverpool?
If you can’t puzzle that one out for yourself then maybe a spell amongst the fuchsias (Google it, you’ll find it’s a shrub) would be your own best bet.
Liverpudlian
May 1, 2006 at 7:35 am
Well Mr. Alan @ Smartie Pants..
Before I start, just let me inform you I didn’t log into this article for sometime and now since I’m here, its my duty to counter what you said.
Firstly, don’t be a sore loser which can’t accept that what you wrote is crap, which clearly shows from the response from most people here, though they are Liverpool fans. To come say that I am signing on different names is as low as you can get. I signed on with this nick and thats it. Why not just accuse me of being THE ONE ONE to post comments, after all it would be more believable won’t it? People like you are a waste of time arguing in the first place, and I got to admit like many others, I was foolish enough to bother about a wanabe journalist which writes crap and cannot accept that what he wrote was utter bull.
“The reason most comments are against my post is because the only people who really care about it are Liverpool fans who are, unsurprisingly, in opposition to what I said.” You’re such a sad piece of shit, obviously Liverpool fans will write and comment on your sad article because it concerns them and their club manager. Furthermore, the only reason why Liverpool fans came here in the first place was not to actually come see and read your article specifically because you wrote it, its not like you’re some Dan Brown but because it was captured for reading by Newsnow.com on Liverpool. If other fans want to write and share their opinions, its up to them and I have nothing against them. After all, the Internet is meant for everyone to have access to and you can’t come and say only Liverpool fans are allowed to comment on this article, once again it shows how foolish you can be with your comments.
Last but not least, don’t try to act smart by putting a suave scientific word like “fuchsias” where 99% of the readers are not able to comprehend, and it does not make you seem smart by saying it, just makes you look more stupid than before.
Anyway this is the last time I reply to this article, not going to bother replying to it anymore. Have fun writing your crap.
P.S - fuchsias means plant but I see no relevance to that with what you were writing smarty pants..
Alan
May 1, 2006 at 6:20 pm
Liverpudlian - what? I’m glad people aren’t required to be 16 before posting on the internet otherwise we’d be spared your witty diatribe altogether.
Quick response because I’m getting as bored with this as you are - sore loser? How? I gave my opinion, some of you gave yours, no-one wins, no-one loses. I didn’t change your minds and you didn’t change mine. Game over.
“Wannabe journalist” - Hardly. I’m a blogger and a football fan. On this blog I’m entrusted to keep an eye on what’s happening in the football world and give my opinion on it. If you don’t like it then don’t read it. Newsnow.co.uk picks up these feeds but I can hardly be expected to kiss the collective asses of every club and player in the world just on the off chance that a news feed service puts the link to my post in front of their fans who are so rabid that they can’t accept any opinions which diverge from them.
“Dan Brown” - I wish I had his money. I certainly have little desire to be him on any other level. Stephen King maybe but not Dan Brown.
“suave scientific word like “fuchsias” ” - God help us all. I even told you that it was a shrub or was it the word shrub that you had to go look up. You and someone else mentioned I would be better off gardening than writing. Fuchsias are connected with gardening. I can count on the fingers of no hands the amount of times I’ve gained kudos at a “suave” cocktail party by dropping the scientific word “fuchsia” into the conversation.
If 99% of Liverpool fans haven’t heard of the word fuchsia then maybe it’s something to bring up with the New Labour Education Secretary rather than a football blog.
More gardening tips next week…
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