Is Kay a worried Man Utd Fan? Sacking Benitez would set Liverpool back years.

Paul Reeves, Frejus, France, Provence

Do you honestly think Liverpool will get rid of Benitez? Who can they replace him with of the same calibre at THIS moment in time? Its just the press looking for something to write (and fanning the flames) about now that Jol and Mourinho have gone.

Paul, Wirral, Merseyside

I am tired of hearing about all this money the Americans have spent. They have spent diddly. The money we have spent so far came on the back of being finalists for the Champions League £15M and also the additional revenue stream from Sky. What happened to the Setanta TV channel revenue and the money comitted to buy Heinze?

Who made the promise not to "hock" the club with their purchase of the shares and then are touting the club to every finance house in America to reimburse their initial outlay?

It would appear that the American credit crunch is affecting their ability to secure funding and I believe this is the real reason why the purse strings are being tightened.

However, with the level of debt they want to put on the Liverpool balance sheet, we are going to need millions to pay the interest charges!!!

If the yanks can get a better manager than Benitez, let them do it. McClaren can always take us to the Championship.

Neil Keogan, Liverpool,

Support Rafa - the man won us a Champion League, FA Cup & Super Cup all in a short 3 years. And, dont forget we were in last year's final! Also, we havent even lose a game in the EPL this season. The person to be sacked is Rick Parry - he isnt doing his work getting us the players for the future!

KL Wong, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Tom and George. Rafa is the man. His record with LFC and prior to that at Valencia tells you all you need to know. Nobody, not even two American billionaire are bigger than LFC. The bottom line is Rafa has upgraded the squad beyond belief (I'll take a stab in the dark and presume the names Erik Meijer, Sean Dundee, Jean Michel Ferri, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou mean nothing to you) and the football is really becoming exciting to watch. Not only this but our youth system is just ready to bear fruit. If you don't like the fact the club's figurehead has his own ideas, is passionate about the club and city and is not a kow-towing yes man (I believe you already have one of those by the name of Rick Parry), may I respectfully suggest you sell to someone who does give a rats arse and bugger off back to the States. The good of Liverpool Football Club comes above anything else. PERIOD!!!

jay, LONDON (U.K), london

Xavier you wouldnt happen to be a Utd fan would you? Stick to your crispy duck mate.

Paul, liverpool, england

Just WHO will e replace him with IF he does go. Mourinho ca't manage a team until NEXT summer. Maybe a management team consisting of Jurgen Klinsmann as the manager with Paul Ince as his assistant. With Sammy Lee as the fitness coach & Bruce Grobbelar as the keeping coach?. Other candidates would & SHOULD be Eriksson?, O'Neil, Hughes, Bilic or Rijkaard who's in the same position himself at Barcelona.

Ross, Cannock, England

Rafa - you are about to be rotated

Scott, London,

I feel like calling Ladbrokes, such is the conviction with which Mr Kay trumpets Benitez's departure. Only a matter of time is far too ambiguous, I'm sure England will win a major tournament, that will only be a matter of time also. Let's face it, in todays football climate, nobody's job is safe. The notable exceptions to this rule are of course Wenger and Ferguson.
Anyone who rails against their occupational superiors risks running the gauntlet. The Americans themselves confessed to not knowing a lot about the beautiful game, but they know big business and, unfortunately, that is what most football clubs are becoming.
You would be hard pressed to find a Board willing to sanction transfers in November for a January window, if I remember rightly, Mourinho was refused transfer funds in January; Gillett & Hicks have not refused funds, they've refused to discuss it until their meeting mid-December. If that meeting breaks down, it's 'only a matter of time' before Benitez loses his job.

L Laryea, Shepperton,

This is all Benitez engineering his exit. He's fed up with the English climate, the scouse accent and parsimonious Americans. Viva Espana where football has a smile on its face and Barcelona and Madrid spend spend spend and have attendances Liverpool can only dream of (for a lot of the season in shirt sleaves to boot).

Xavier Getonwithit, Hong Kong,

There is a long held perception among the British that the majority of Americans are a bit stupid.

These two surely can't be THAT stupid.

1964 champions, Witham, UK

It was interesting to read what Hugo wrote about "it dosen't matter what Benitez wants to do", on the contrary I think what Benitez wants is the most important thing in the club otherwise why pay him, what I presume is a very handsome salary, to do what the owners tell him to do. If that is the case then can I please have the job as I will do exactly what they want and wear whatever clothes they would like me to wear.
Benitez is right, Liverpool, through the dithering of people like Parry, have lost out on signing players in the past, hence Benitez's outburst after the Euro final. The club appears to be heading in the right direction and, had Benitez not blundered in the Marseilles and Besiktas games, we wouldn't even be having this debate as Champions League money, or rather possible loss of it, is at the root of all this.
Hicks & Gillette are here for the money, hence no new players & possibly no new stadium if that money disappears.

Gerry, Liverpool,

It seems to me that a lot of people would dearly love to see Benitez leave Liverpool, willingly or otherwise. That is the only explanation for the outpouring of speculation that his time is up. Are you Hicks or Gillett - these are the only people who count in this decision.
Sorry Oliver, I don't believe Benitez will be sacked. Although I know you are praying he is - why?

Bethany, Johannesburg, South Africa

Hicks and Gillette have communicated via statements released through LFC and through the Liverpool Echo and no other outlet. All commentator comments have been drawn from these. Oliver Kay has no more idea what they are thinking and how close Rafa is to the door than anyone and it's quite ridiculous to pretend that he does. Understandable that it's the big story right now. Mourinho - gone. Mclaren - gone, so the focus shifts to Rafa. It was always going to anyway. Events of the last week have been manna from heaven for lazy hackery and this sort of thing is probably to be expected but all the same, 'a parting of the ways remains the most likely outcome ...his departure seems to be only a matter of time .. a defeat (against Porto) would push him even closer to the exit.' Rubbish. In the midst of all this it is being overlooked that if Liverpool win their game in hand they'll be 2nd, after a period of playing well below their capability. The team is settling and things look good.

Paul, Manchester,

If Benitez is sacked there is likely to be a significant backlash from the fans. Will this matter to the American owners? The prospect of not filling the new stadium will matter so I predict, for the moment, Benitez will remain in charge. However, if the fans ever begin to cool on him then recent events will precipitate him moving on faster than they would have had he kept his views to himself.
Sean from Newcastle - 2 Champion's League finals (1 won) and an FA Cup in 3 years is hardly 'trophyless'.

Scott, Liverpool, Merseyside

Hes won a few more trophies than Newcastle tho

tom, nottingham, uk

we need someone 2 bring the club on.rafa is to careful.give moroino his job before tis season over .

podge, dublin,

Frankly it doesn't matter what Benitez wants to do, he is an employee of Liverpool FC and as such he should respect the owners of the club and do as he's told like the rest of us have to. Football clubs are businesses, and they are run on carefully planned budgets like any other company. Hicks and Gillett didn't get to the lofty heights they have reached in business by throwing their money around willy nilly. If Benitez doesn't like it, he can find another job. The least he can do is air his views in a professional way and behind closed doors, rather than moaning in the media. Football players and managers would do well to occasionally remember their place in the grand scheme of things.

Hugo, London,

Trust Rafa more than the american owners. LFC is just a business to them but a career to Rafa. Without Rafa, we will get nothing this session. We are on the right road now.

Alex, Shanghai, China

Rory Collins makes a very good point regarding Oliver Kay's almost belligerent tone. Perhaps Rafa's departure would complete an extravagant Mourinho/Benitez bet by the author?

On a more serious note I've been watching my beloved Liverpool since 1972 and it would be a tragedy should this sorry episode cause Rafa to leave/be sacked as for the first time in too many years I, and lots of other Reds fans, believe that this squad is capable of winning the title especially if Benitez accepts that Crouch and Torres must start most games and that he doesn't select the woeful Voronin and OhNo Sissoko.

Marc, Liverpool, UK

I'm expecting a similar story tomorrow about G & H . Let the back tracking commence !

In Rafa we Trust !

Benzo, Nr Chelmsford,

the scenario of limited funds for new signings is all too familiar at anfield,this is the moores era all over again,Hicks and Gillete must surely realise that if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.Rafa wasn't asking for the world.

Duncan, Preston, Lancashire

Liverpool fans and Benitez are finding out the hard way what happens when you sell your clubs soul for a few baubles. Should they have taken the Dubai based investment? We will never know but it is obvious that Benitez is Mourinho without the charm or indeed the trophies.

Sean, Newcastle,

All this instability and the 'Blue Ship' as Dr Frank calls Man City sails serenely on with the wise old Viking at the helm.

Quite unthinkable at the end of last season that Maurinho and now perhaps Benitez would be no longer in charge of two of the more successful teams. If SAF joins the queue at the Post Office in January it would complete the most unforseen hat-trick of all time.

CTID

ANDY10, Port Erin, Isle of Man

This is the third or fourth article written by Mr Kay in the past few days, and in every one he seems adamant that Benitez' time is up, and a departure is imminent. Really Oliver?
A bit presumtious I would say. My own gut feeling is that the owners will see the folly of sacking a man who is loved by the majority of his players, fans and locals.
To sack him now, when we are actually challenging for the league in November for the first time in almost a decade, would be crazy and premature - almost as premture as Oliver's assumptions.

Rory Collins, Sydney,