“We don’t need to give away stupid plastic flags to our fans to wave, our supporters are always there with their hearts and that is all we need. Its the passion of the fans that helps us to win matches, not flags. Chelsea fans lack passion.”
I’m sure at the time these words raised his legend status amongst his own fans, with Liverpool supporters despising the moden day Chelsea, as the two clubs repeatedly came to blows in the Champions League.
Liverpool sang of their 18 league titles, 5 European Cups and claim that Chelsea had no history. But Liverpool hadn’t won the league since 1990, whilst Chelsea have won it three times in the past ten years, and arrived at Anfield with banners proclaiming they were “making history”, rather than just living in the past like Liverpool.
Since then, Chelsea have a European Cup of their own to brag about, after winning in Munich despite being the 6th best team in England, 25 points behind City and United. This isn’t something Liverpool fans can take issue with though, considering they were 5th and 37 points behind the league winners in 2005 when they last won the Champions League.
However, being crowned the Champions of Europe wasn’t enough to save Roberto Di Matteo from the customary sacking when a few months later Chelsea fell 4 points behind in the title race. Di Matteo was out and Benitez was in with his words about Chelsea, which are still proudly displayed on the walls of Melwood, coming back to haunt him.
The fans have made it clear since day one, despite the protests from sections of the media (Tony Evans, The Times: He’s fresh, full of ideas and wants to win. CFC fans won’t be sorry if they get Rafa. The rest of us will.), that they don’t want Benitez and he’s not good enough for the club. Some people have dismissed Benitez’s previous comments, saying he shouldn’t be judged for something he said whilst managing another club, but I think it’s important to consider the fact that managers very rarely, if ever, criticise rival fans. When you think of the rivalry and hatred United have had between Liverpool, City, Chelsea and Arsenal over the years, no manager of theirs has ever slagged off our fans, and we’ve sung about Wenger being a paedo and about hanging Dalglish from a tree. Managers don’t have a pop at the fans so the fact that Benitez did is a reflection of the bad feeling between them.
However, it wasn’t just these words that left Chelsea fans wanting nothing to do with Benitez, but his track record too. He bottled it in the 2009 title race and was sacked the following season, paid off with £4m from the club, after finishing 7th. Benitez spent an incredible amount of money at Liverpool but by the time he left, their finishing spot in the table was three places lower than Gerard Houllier managed the season before Benitez took over in 2004.
He then went to Inter Milan and inherited Jose Mourinho’s Treble winning team. By December, the club had fallen to 6th in the league. Six months after being appointed he was sacked and received a £5m pay out.
Benitez is hailed by the scouse loving media as some kind of genius because he won the European Cup in 2005 with Houllier’s team after sacrificing their league campaign to get there. The years that followed saw him spend a lot of money and mount just one title challenge, before he pressed the self-destruct button during the Stoke City press conference and allowed United to claim that 18th title. When the Benitez apologists are reminded of this, they point to his period in charge of Valencia when he won two La Liga titles. I don’t think anyone should underestimate what an achievement this was, but it was a decade ago, and he’s done very little to justify any status of “genius” since then.
Football management appears to be the only profession where the quality of your work at your prior job means little to future employers though. Despite failing at both Liverpool and Inter Milan, Benitez was rewarded with the Chelsea job and has managed to guide them from 4 points off the top to 19 points behind. They lost in the final of the Club World Cup to Corinthians, the 6th best side in Brazil. Then they were beaten by Swansea in the League Cup semi-final, their best chance of silverware this season with a final against 4th Division side Bradford waiting for them.
And all of this is why we were pleased that Benitez got the job. Chelsea were our title rivals when Abramovich appointed him, with us just 3 points ahead of them and a goal difference superior by 1. You have to go back almost ten years to find the last really great thing Benitez did, despite being in charge of big clubs with good squads since then, so, like many other fans, I was delighted when he got the job. The fact he’s got a screw lose only added to the appeal. Even better was the fact that it was emphasised he was just an “interim” manager, meaning the players had little motivation to impress him.
The fans would like to blame all of this on Benitez, and whilst his insistence on playing Fernando Torres, as well as making bizarre substitutions, and messing with the excellent Mata-Oscar-Hazard combination with his usual “resting” of players when they are desperately required to play, have done him no favours, the players have to take some responsibility. They have been poor, just as they usually are when they decide they’ve had enough of the latest manager. Benitez is their 8th manager in less than six years and reports this week suggested that in Monday’s training session the Spaniard blamed the players for getting managers sacked in the past.
The imminent dismissal of Benitez is likely to be blamed on the fans by the media though, not the players, after they were unwilling to give him a go. United fans faced criticism too when the anti-Glazer protests gained real momentum during the 2009-2010 season, although the severity of being heavily in debt is clearly worse than having an unpopular manager in charge, but we were told to shut up and put too.
“There’s maybe too much made of it by the supporters,” said Ben Foster, our former goalie, at the end of that season. “They are obviously passionate about Manchester United, but sometimes they need to focus on supporting the club a bit more than getting carried away with the technicalities of who’s in charge. However, it’s a bit of a distraction when the fans are chanting at every game.”
Imagine the scenario: Manchester United win the European Cup with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer/Eric Cantona/Ruud van Nistelrooy etc. as our manager. A few months later they are sacked and replaced with a manager we despise, through association with a former club and because they have claimed that our fans lack passion. Let’s not pretend that from day dot we wouldn’t be protesting about that (although our fans would have a bit more about them when it came to chants, and wouldn’t change the words to an established song to ensure it no longer rhymed, as they have done with “we don’t care about Rafa, and Rafa don’t care about us, all we care about, is Chelsea FC”).
The difference is, of course, that the fault here lies with Roman Abramovich for employing a man he knew the fans hated. We would quite happily protest against the Glazers for appointing someone we didn’t want because they have done nothing for us, whereas Chelsea fans owe most of their best football memories and experiences to Abramovich.
So obsessed was he with finding a way to make that £50m donkey play well, he brought in a manager who he hoped would be able to make Fernando Torres look half decent again. That was more important to him than the feelings of the fans. However, Chelsea are now the only club in London to have won the European Cup and have won the Premier League, two things that never would have happened without Abramovich. “We want our Chelsea back” the fans have chanted, but that’s not strictly true. Pre-Abramovich Chelsea was on the road to bankruptcy and hadn’t won the league for 50 years. Do they want to hand in the league titles and European Cup too, in exchange for their Chelsea? Of course not. They want the Chelsea that won trophies, paid for by Abramovich, with a manager they don’t hate. They want to have their cake and eat it too, although there are now some sections of the crowd that have begun to turn against Abramovich. If the Russian continues to sack a manager or two every season, ensures that Chelsea are a permanent fixture in the Europa League and silverware isn’t forthcoming, maybe that minority will grow, and maybe Abramovich will fuck off. But let’s not get too carried away…
After months of banners and chanting, it appears as though Benitez has finally cracked, something United fans are all too familiar with. After his rant in 2009, with Liverpool top of the league, they went on to claim 10 points from the next available 21 and we went on to win that record equalling 18th title. His press conference and interviews last night were a shambles, with Benitez hitting out at the fans and the board. He was angry that the club had insisted on giving him the title “interim” and said the fans were wasting their time singing about him.
Is it a waste of time to protest against something you disagree with? Should fans have a say in the running of their football club? Reds have had these debates amongst themselves regularly, particularly during 09-10, with some saying the fans inside the ground should only support the team, whilst others insisted that matchdays were the best times for their voice to be heard. Did chanting “we want Glazer out” have a negative impact on our performances? Are Chelsea playing badly because their fans are singing about Benitez being a fat, Spanish waiter? It’s hard to believe, but it’s also hard to prove one way or another, without being a footballer in their shoes.
Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay, who rarely attends the training ground, was at Cobham this morning, presumably to talk to Benitez. The club have insisted it is “business as usual” but you can only wonder how long Benitez will last now.
We are due to play Chelsea in the Cup in ten days time and it would hardly be a surprise if it was their first game with a new manager. But who is left? They’ve been through more than their fair share of top managers and as Pep Guardiola showed by agreeing a contract with Bayern Munich, the draw to be Chelsea manager isn’t what it used to be. Of course there’s the good salary and the promise of money to spend in the transfer market, but how many highly rated managers are prepared to risk their reputation for that when there are other clubs that would offer them the same things without the likelihood of being sacked. Carlo Ancelotti lost his job just a year after winning the league and FA Cup double, whilst Di Matteo’s European and FA Cup double just bought him a couple of months in charge.
If Chelsea are to have a different manager for our Cup game, it won’t be the first time we’ve been able to provide a “welcome” for their new boss. Back in 2007, we were their opponents for Avram Grant’s first game in charge and their fans arrived with Jose Mourinho banners and songs. They never accepted him either, maybe not quite on the same level as their feelings for Benitez, but they managed to take the title race down to the last day and the European Cup to a sudden death penalty shoot-out. Their current position is miles away from anything on that level.
Back then, we had no idea what the future of Abramovich would bring, and how many managers would come and go. I remember talking to my dad at the end of the 2005 season and contemplating the road ahead for United. The Glazers had just come, we lost to Arsenal in that awful FA Cup final, and we finished 3rd, 18 points behind Chelsea. They were a machine back then and with the money spent I couldn’t see how they wouldn’t dominate football for the next decade or more. Benitez is just the latest chapter in the book that helps explain United’s success, with Abramovich repeatedly making the wrong decisions to ensure our job is easier.
It appears as though Benitez will keep his job for now but you can only imagine what kind of reception he will receive at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. They can see that he’s cracking up again and will likely put on more pressure than ever. Before his rant yesterday, it was revealed that fans will be allowed to bring their banners to the game and you would assume plenty of them will take up that offer.
Sooner or later, Benitez will be gone, and the Chelsea supporters will be able to pat themselves on the back for contributing to his demise. That’s what makes this situation so entertaining. The same fans who Benitez claimed lacked passion are the same ones now passionately dedicated to getting rid of him. I just hope we get to see him one last time on March 10th before he’s given the boot.
All together now… he’s crackin up, he’s crackin up, he’s crackin, Rafa’s crackin up!
Man Utd News 24/7
Listen ya big fat spanish waiter
Listen to your intrim fans ……….your not wanted.
and after this hopefully we wont see your dour sour miserable face grace the premiership again.
nice post scott
Chelsea fan here – now – customary disclosure – I hate Utd – more so I hate the plastic armchair fans from the South of England – and of course there are many of the glory hunting cunts.
But this article is SPOT ON
Agreed with every word. Well said
Great piece. I was interested to read your article to see how other fans see it. It is refreshing to see the words backing up what we true Chelsea fans feel & you being able to empathise through your feelings for the Glazers. Thank you.
Thanks – a well considered article and much comfort to the disenfranchised amongst us.
Epic. Just what we always hoped for from Rafa and Chelsea. What a classless club.
There is a campaign to promote their physio to interim manager. Brings proper meaning to fit.
Actually hope Chelsea don’t get a new manager by the 10th as there is always a new manager surge. But the fact is, the players are the source of the problems. Can’t be chuffed to show up unless it’s v us. That didn’t happen under Mourinho. Mourinho leaving has been the best thing Roman ever did for us and long may it continue.
We will be best served if Rafa is in charge and Terry is still captain. If that happens, we can relax. But only a little. Anything can happen in a cup game.
He doesn’t look in-trim to me, the fat little cunt
Quality post, hit the nail right on the head there, with Roman’s money we should have dominated English football for years like Utd did in the 90s, instead come May one league title won in 7 yrs, compare that to Utd & you can see where the problem lies, its keep sacking managers that isnt helping, Roman hasnt spent £ms to make us a cup side.
Saying that i’ve seen us relegated twice its not all about winning titles ect but it’d be nice to at least challenge a bit more with the money we’ve spent.
Looking forward to our cup game.
Rafa OUT!
Chelsea Lad, Cheers mate. You feeling Rafa will be out by the 10th? CFC club statement today sure looked like they were circling the wagons. Would be hard to imagine a 3rd manager coming in as that would make the owner a laughing stock. I don’t know the internals, but find it hard to imagine it.
What the fuck did Rafa have in his mind when he accepted this job? Did he not consider the words he threw to Chelsea fans? Did he really forget about those plastic flags comment? Or did he hope that none of Chelsea fans will remember his comment?
But anyway, lets beat them on FA Cup and take their only hope of catching silverware away.. it will be sweet!
Cuntilish club with rentboy players with clownish fans with interim managers= Chelsea!
Rafa will be gone before the season ends and JT will step into the breach.
I am very honest here but I can sense chelsea are in a bad position. Chelsea solely depend on Roman’s money. If he leaves (Which he will) then they will be back to in mid table. They badly need to finish in top 4 otherwise it will be trouble. Spurs have overtaken them and I can’t see them screwing this time. Arsenal will want to finish in top 4 as they like chelsea would want to miss on champions league. 3 london clubs and 2 spots vacant in top 4. One that misses will be losing so much.
Spurs will lose bale 100 % if they fail to finish in top 4.
Chelsea will be in trouble as they may not be able to fulfill the FFP rules if they don’t compete in champions league
Arsenal will be the most affected. They need champions league badly.
Interesting time ahead. Let us wrap the league as soon as possible and look at the london drama.
*would not want to miss
By the time The Rent Boys come to Old Trafford for the league game on 4th May, or whatever date/time Sky decide the match should be played, the league should already have been won.
It would be a perfect opportunity for Chelsea to show that they’ve got some class, and that they’re not just a club which started in 2005. As well as forming a guard of honour to welcome United onto the pitch as Champions, if Rafa’s still in charge, he should be made to wear a white shirt, black bow tie, black waistcoat and black trousers, with a tea towel folded carefully over his left arm, and with the words “FAT SPANISH WAITER” stitched on the back of his waistcoat. He then has to pour a refreshing iced drink for United’s players as they run out, and uncork a bottle of vintage red wine for Fergie.
Another belting article Scott lad, you are churing them out now. This man is a fucking clown, comedy gold. Now bring me 2 San Miguels and my paella you fat cunt.
Manc – Quality mate.
King Eric
How are you mate? Always nice to see you here. I said in early part of season when people were going mad about chelsea that they will crumble. It has happened and they have crumbled badly
Nice write up Scott but you forgot one thing when you gave Benitez credit for Valencia.
It was Hector Cupé that built the Valencia squad that the FSW had so much success with. All those names we associate with Valencia of the age were signed by Cupé.
In much the same way Mourinho inherited a very good side, runners up the previous 2 seasons, that was built by Ranieri. It was just decided that Cupé and Ranieri were not big enough characters to take their respective clubs that final last push and handle the pressure of a championship run in. It takes a level of confidence and arogance that only some possess.
It should also be noted that Mancinis and Mourinhos Inter Milan (also Benitez) was another team built by Hector Cupé.
Their are managers that can build teams, of which Brendan Rodgers is one, and then thare are those that can lead big names to play at the top level and win. Only two come to mind that can build a team then lead those players to glory, Wenger and our very own godfather.
Sure Mancini did it at Inter and then City but all he had to do was throw half a billion pounds at it. As Mourinho has at Real. Ferguson and Wenger are the only ones that have done it and made a transfer profit rather than a loss.
The FSW is just a glory seeking parasite not that too dissimilar to King Kenny that took a very good Liverpool team, win the league then run it into the ground and hence where they are now.
Chelsea Lad – Takes more than money pal to dominate football.
Ash – Good thanks my friend, how are you? The lad is now 14 months old and doing really well. Kips for 12 hours solid! Oh I knew they would falter mate, they usually do after their customary first 6 piss easy games. Chelsea teams of old were powerful, strong but DID have flair too. This current Chelsea side lacks the former . Yes it has flair but fuck all spine now or heart . Drogba has been a HUGE miss.
Hmmm… let’s see here. Roberto DiMateo also had the title of interim manager and all he did was win two shitty cups, eh Rafa?
PS – That is an excellent, well thought out and delightful read. Top marks to this blog.
King eric: now bring me two san miguels and…
HAHAHA!
Manc Harvin Hahaha, If the league is sewn up by then, more likely StJohn OTerry will have to applaud on a reserve side.
If you are Over 18
You need to have a look at this, just posted by Rio!
Brilliant
Rio Ferdinand @rioferdy5
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I AM REALLY SICK OF BEING MODERATED!!!!! SORT IT SCOTT
Rio Ferdinand @rioferdy5
Go to: http://5mag.co/caption-competition/ … to join the comp…add a caption to this picture!!
THIS IS THE OTHER HALF OF THE LAST POST.
It’s been downhill for fatty eversince that famous facts rant.
I read somewhere that fsw has campaigning himself for Madrid’s job already, if its true Ronnie surely has to COME BACK then…
I do NOT want Rafa Benitez to leave the premier league!
OK, let me explain. He will NEVER manage Utd.
His management skills are questionable to say the least. He destroys good teams, Has a habit of buying players who are average at best and his tactics are boring to watch. The more title contenders that hire him, can only be a good thing!
Combine that with the fact his “meltdowns” are becoming the stuff on legend and he resembles a “Porky tapaz delivery boy” and you have some of the best entertainment money can buy.
He will leave Chelsea sooner rather than later, I cant see him lasting till May. The only thing I wish for Rafa is to continue to manage in the premier league at a club which is as big of a Joke as he is becoming.
I understand SKY are offering 10 – 1 on Rafa becoming the next Citech boss, aleast he will only have to worry about half a stadium calling for his head!
Rafa In!
Roman’s running out of managers let’s face it Chelsea is Roman’s toy all he really want’s is a yes man. I’d say that job is poison and no half decent self respecting manager would want it.Everyone is saying Maureen is going back I don’t see it unless Roman is going to give up control which seems unlikely to me
Good job with the Benitez stats, STR! I’m saving a copy.
David De GEa on winning his player of the month award fro mthe fans
“It’s very good to have the support of the fans, so I’m happy to win this award,” De Gea told ManUtd.com. “I can hear the supporters during the games so I know they’re singing about me. I’m very grateful for that.”
IN DAVID WE TRUST
Now talksport talking about getting rid of FSW and making Terry player/manager lol that could be funnier than FSW does he even have his badges
The Chelsea manager job is VERY attractive once you think about it. They pay you vast sums of money to sign, you work with the team for about 6 months, then when the players (who really run the club) revolt and stop playing, the boss pays you handsomely again to leave and go on vacation. Nice little payday.
Well ANY Chelsea manager is an “interim” Chelsea manager.
Off topic:
Guys have any of you seen this? This is seriously funny as hell
It’s Gary Neville when he appeared on A League of Their Own…
Check it out!
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpz94x_a-league-of-their-own-series-4-episode-6_sport#.US_CwaFhiSM
Abromovich might as well do what he really wants and manage the team himself, lets see what he can do.
I blame Torres.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T you are so mean to me…
He got it wrong, its their fans that are plastic, the flags are ok, bit of polyester in there.
The real Benitez quote:
“We don’t need to give away stupid plastic fans to our flags to wave, our supporters are always there with their tarts, stolen car parts and that is all we need. Its the passion of the fags that helps us to win matches, not slags. Chelsea chavs lack fashion.”
JT as player/manager till the end of the season once the fat boy goes…then any pick from zola/laudrup or roberto martinez for the so called ‘top job’..don’t think maureen will go back there he’s got either city/psg in his sights.
Roman wants a ‘yes’ man to do his bidding and a younger manager would be more inclined to do as they’re told…That said i think the role of manager at chelsea is now more of a ‘shop-window’ opportunity for someone as the management will be looking to fill the role again in a couple of months/years.
Maybe even bobby manc to chelsea and benitez to city…now that will be something!!!
We are UNITED…class is timeless!
That was a nice deflection be the FSW on the day it was revealed Di Matteo’s picture was taken down (coincidentally, something similar happened with Mourinho’s picture at Inter when Benitez was there). It was also funny he mentioned the importance of qualifying for next year’s Ch.League. Who was in charge while Chelsea fell that far behind?
Anyway, he’s getting what he deserves.
Excellent article, although given how much the Fat Spanish Waiter is despised in Manchester, could I detect the merest hint of ‘my enemy’s enemy is my friend’?
great post. Lets hope we dick them in the cup with a dodgy last minute penalty and rafa completely fuckin loses it
A well balanced article, which is thoughtfully written.
I started watching Chelsea in 1965, and I have seen some great moments, and some astonishing football, over the years.
What worries me is that although money cannot buy success, you will not be successful without it. As football becomes a greater world game, so the commercially minded move into the sport in ever increasing numbers, (just look at “merchandising”, salaries and “star staus” of the players), and you will see what I mean. My Lord, when I first started going to matches, the only people who wore the teams’ shirts were the 22 players on the pitch! The companies that move in want a return on their investment, and this inevitabely means that there will be a very small group of clubs that dominate the game. The question is, “as fans is that something we want to see?” I for one would not mind RA leaving Chelsea, which one day will happen anyway, and taking his money with him. I know that this may lead to the club being re-formed, and could mean relegation to a lower league, but at the same time it just might give all of us hope that there is life after the men with the money become tired of OUR game.
To be honest I do think he is right that he has been left out to dry by Chelsea. Between Abramovich’s interference and the free reign Terry gets to act like he runs the club its hard enough for a manger anyway without giving Terry and the other senior players in his posse more justification to undermine him by giving him the interim title. Unless a manager is one that Terry can control (RDM seemed like one of those, look at the CL final where Terry on a number of occasions is the one giving the orders often at the same time as RDM was trying to do so) then the players will and do undermine him.
I’m not sure any manager could have done too much better unless the senior players who haven become a cancer are removed as is Abramovich
I don’t understand what Chelsea are doing. There appears to be no long-term or even short-term planning going on there, which is utterly negligent by the owners. They want quick fix solutions all the time, and it doesn’t work.
They paid £15m for Vilas Boas, who is a decent, young, ambitious manager, then sack him after 6 months. Give him a minimum of 2 years. Even Man City have stuck with Mancini despite not winning everything every year.
I do have a few worries about our replacing of SAF when it comes. Can we tolerate a few years of nothing as long as we have stability, or is stability the key and any trophies are bonuses? I don’t want managers appointed on a whim then sacked 6 months later.
Chelsea? No hard to figure the problem there.
Mourinho – Won titles, got sacked
Ancelotti – Won titles, got sacked
Di Matteo – Won titles, got sacked
Avb – Good track record, got sacked
Grant – A nobody, got the job
Benitez – A manager nobody wanted, got the job
Kinda shows where is the common link doesnt it?
Anyway, not our problem, long may Benitez continue at Chelsea
Hahaha.. Chelsea fans coming up here and dominating the comments section.. And saying “Spot On” for this article which is so critical of the Chelsea fans.. Haha EPIC!!
As strange as this may seem, it is perhaps being the replacement of SAF that would concern prospective managers as oppossed to going to CFC. Think about it; you have to live up to the reputation of your predecessor, as well as the persona, the drive, the ambition and the trophies. At the moment, if you fail at Chelsea everyone just shrugs their shoulders and says, “that’s what we expected”. I am not so sure that will be the same reaction at United.
Good read!
Man, if JT is appointed, he will and repeatedlly shag his boys girl friend and wags
Rafa is at a club run by a Russian mob supported by thick fans and plastic flags…..rafa Ynwa….
FletchTHEMAN – Everyone who posts more than one link in a post is moderated, to stop spam.