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Listed below are comments made by redagast between Thursday, 26th February 2009 and Thursday, 26th November 2009.

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Benitez under spotlight after Champions League exit 01:16am on 26 Nov 2009 What's this then ? A Phil McNulty blog about Liverpool ? Well I never....

The blogs are at least very entertaining Phil, and I do enjoy the responses they receive. So anyway, I guess the train wreck of a season Liverpool are having does deserve much discussion, so I will add my two cents.

Much of Liverpool's current problems are Rafa Benitez's fault. He has been at Anfield for 5 and a bit seasons now and has not won the Premiership. He has taken them close only once really, which was last season. There was a lot to be optimistic about for Liverpool supporters, but it has proved a false dawn once again.

Benitez has a fairly impressive CV compared with football managers the world over. He has won the Champions League, the UEFA Cup, 2 La Liga titles, the FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and a Community Shield.

In over 5 seasons Benitez has not assembled a quality squad to match that of Liverpool's three "top 4" rivals. This is exposed when Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are injured. There is not much else to fear about Liverpool without them two players who would easily walk into any other side in the world.

There is no group of young players coming through that are worthy of mention, except possibly Ngog. And there is no exciting talent sitting on the bench waiting for their chance. What you see is pretty much what you get.

I believe the problems really began when he offered up Xabi Alonso as make weight in his badly managed attempt to sign Gareth Barry. He wouldn't pay the 18 million punds for him saying it was too much, yet spent 20 million on an injured Aquilani, and 17 million for Glen Johnson.

Portsmouth must have been laughing all the way to the bank. And they probably met Tottenham on their way to that bank after the debacle that was the Robbie Keane transfer/transfer.

Signing him for 19 million, then selling him back to spurs for 12 million, loosing a cool 7 million dollars in the process for just 6 months work.

Signing Glen Johnson for 17 million ? Is he really worth 2 million more than say Andriy Arshavin? Or 1 million more than Thierry Henry?
I know they play different positions but used them as markers just to illustrate a point.

Benitez wastes valuable money too often and gets stroppy when things are not going well, claiming that his hands are tied through lack of backing in the transfer market. Absolute rubbish. He has spent big and seen little in return performance wise.

In his tenure Benitez has either lost or sold the following players - some that he bought in the first place.

Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia, John Arne-Riise, Harry Kewell, Craig Bellamy, Peter Crouch, Djibril Cisse, Jerzy Dudek, Vladimir Smicer, Deitmar Hamaan, Bolo Zenden, Momo Sissoko, Jermaine Pennant.

Most of these players he brought to Anfield in the first place.

So why buy these players in for truck loads of money and then discard them only for them to do well elsewhere which most of them have.

In some cases the sales have been pressured upon him, or the player wanted to leave, but why is that? Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson have not generally lost many players they wanted to keep. The other big 4 teams have new players they have brought in that are either as good or better than their predecessors or at the very least are a sound investment for the future.

Benitez has done none of this. He has bought in players, all boyhood Liverpool fans if you listen to them, and then mis-used them, over or under played them, and failed to stick to a clear plan to build a squad capable of not just challenging for the premiership but actually winning it.

Chelsea have splashed the cash on big players, but the they have kept a pretty consistent look about them all the way back to the tinker man Claudio's time.

Man Utd have kept the nucleus of their squad for over a decade, and added new exciting players, plus some expensive duds, but they have Premiership and other trophies in abundance to point to which negates the dud signings.

Even Arsenal with no trophies in 5 seasons, have plenty to look forward to with the exciting young squad built by Arsene Wenger. It shows that while the trophies have not been forth coming, there is a clear plan that is being followed.

However, Benitez has steered Liverpool into a dead-end. The "team" is pretty much mid-table quality without Steven Gerrard & Fernando Torres which is highlighted by where they currently sit in the table while those two have been hampered by injury this season.

You could take any two players out of Chelsea, Man Utd & Arsenal, even the best two, and they would still have a squad that could compete for and win the premiership title.

Benitez has had the money, the players and the time to win the Premier League and he has not achieved it. Last season was maybe as close as Liverpool can get to winning the Premiership with Benitez holding the reins.
Phil McNulty Q&A 01:37am on 12 Nov 2009 Lets talk more about Arsenal.

Liverpool WILL NOT win the Premier League title now. That is a 99.99% certainty. No team has ever won the Premier League when they have been in 7th place in Novemeber. And that will not change this season.

Phil and Alan were well within their rights to tip Liverpool to win the league this season on the back of an outstanding finish to last season but I can't help but think that the prediction did have a touch of one eyedness to it.

I predicted at the start of the season that I tought Arsenal would win the league, because I thought the fact that they were being written off by all and sundry would work for them this time unlike last season.
I predicted that though, with a fair touch of hope laced with a sprinkling of doubt.

But after the torrent of abuse and barbs thrown the way of Arsene Wenger and his boys after the Champions League semi final second leg roll over last season, I was somewhat confident that they would use that as an inspiration as long as they managed to get rid of Adebayor, which fortunately they did.

Remember when Arsenal did the double in the 2001/2002 season ? They then went on the next season and shot themselves in both feet, with defeats by Bolton and Blackburn handing the title on a platter to Man Utd. And how they were derided and criticised(probably justified)for it.

Well the season after, they did what no team had done before and are unlikely to do again anytime soon. And that was win the Premier League without a single defeat in 38 matches !!! I can't even do that on my FIFA game.

And they did a similar thing to 2002/03 the season before last(07/08), where at the Birmingham game, with the Eduardo broken leg, the Clichy brain explosion and the Gallas sit down (which I could understand at the time) derailed those title hopes.

And while Arsenal didn't challenge for the title last season, mainly because of Adebayor's lack of effort and the disharmony and dividing influence he helped cause, they still showed glimpses of quality like the 2-1 defeat of Man Utd at the Emirates which was one of the best matches in Premier League history.

But now with Adebayor gone, and the little Russian Andriy Arshavin fit and firing, and the marvelous addition of a certain Thomas Vermaelen, Arsenal can really be counted as a title threat.

The matches between Arsenal and Chelsea will likely decide the Premier League champions in my opinion, as Chelsea again have that look of a steam roller which they had in the days of the self annointed special one.

Those two matches will decide whether it is Pace and Power that prevails, or Pace and Skill. I'm sure everyone can work out which team has those qualities, and I'll give you a tip, neither of them are Liverpool.
Arsenal will not miss Adebayor 12:30pm on 16 Jul 2009 Spot on Phil, I am worried that the deal will fall through. Not worried if he leaves, in fact I really hope he does leave and would be delighted if we can get 25million pounds, 30million last summer would have been better but I would would even take 20mil.

The main thing that I don't like about Adebayor has nothing to do with his actual ability, it has everything to do with his attitude. His body language in a lot of games suggests that he thinks he it white hot awesome because he scored 30 goals two seasons ago and scored some good goals here and there. But the think that irked me was the AC Milan-Beyonce comment.

We Arsenal fans have had a gutful of listening to our best players being putting themselves in the shop window for Barcelona,Real Madrid & AC Milan. We had it with Vieira, will he or won't he leave for Madrid or Milan, Henry was linked with Chelsea in a 50million offer, and then the usual will he go to Barca. Then of course the constant Fabregas saga, which seems to be laying the ground work for the inevitable. And then we have Arshavin arrive and then make comment that he would like to play for Barcelona.

When will we get some players that would rather play for Arsenal than for the big Euro 3 ? Robin Van Persie's comments are a breath of fresh air. The guy has respect for what the club and manager has done for his career, and wants to repay that faith shown in him over the long term.

Players should remember that they can't all play for Barcelona, Madrid or Milan. There are a lot of good and great players there already. Yes the weather might be better, but if you stay for the long term at a club, put in 110% effort every game, and outright reject any notion of leaving while under contract, then that player will be loved and remembered by the fans.

I can tell you now, when I am talking about great Arsenal players down the years, Emmanual Adebayor will not even enter my mind, and if he does, it will be with a shake of the head and exasperated sigh.
Liverpool on road to glory 07:23am on 11 May 2009 Hi Phil,

I have to agree with post 3 and 48. Too much column space devoted to Liverpool regarding the Premier League when they have 3/8 of no chance of winning the Premiership now. If they had any hope, United extinguished it by routinely brushing aside Man City.

I understand that Liverpool have played some great football THIS season and the signs are good for the team over the medium term, but United WILL win the Premiership THIS season. It would take a meltdown of epic proportions for them to not, and I'm afraid that it seems as though you are clinging to hope with your last fingernail, when you may as well let go. Yes I will be beetroot faced if I end up being wrong, but history strongly suggests that I won't be.

And just because Liverpool are having a better season this time around, they will still end up with the same amount of trophies THIS year as say, West Brom.

The history books will show Man Utd as champions of 2008/09, and who really reads or cares about who was runner up in any season.

If Man Utd, Chelsea or Arsenal start next season with a bang, which is quite possible, then THIS season will only really provide Liverpool with the experience of knowing that they need more points than anyone else to win the league and to not draw so many games.

And if Liverpool happen to draw a promoted side away first up, or another of the "big four", who is to say that they won't slip up and start slow and miss another chance at winning the premiership.

You would think that one lesson learnt, might be that Rafa Benitez keeps his mouth shut until the premiership trophy is in both of Steven Gerrards hands held above his head. That was the turning point in my opinion.

So in saying all that, I think it would be the right time for you to be analysing Hull, Newcastle, Boro & West Brom's scramble for 17th spot in the Premiership as opposed to a race that is all but run.

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy your blogs but if you could try and focus more evenly on other teams and issues just a little more, it would not be so easy to see which team curries your fancy.
No point crying 3:37pm on 08 May 2009 here here queenslandmagpie #91 good to hear I'm not alone in my views.
You really should investimigate this Gav, you could be a real hit with the Roar, or any other A-League team, although since I sounded you out, and the scottish connection and all, Brisbane Roar would be the go. We are due a premiership soon, of that I am sure. You might just finish the the jigsaw for all you know.
No point crying 01:56am on 08 May 2009 Good luck Gav, I do enjoy reading your blogs. I hope the BBC give you a permanent gig as it is good to read your balanced and considered blogs.

The views from a professional footballer from the lower leagues show another side of football that is often forgotten and not talked about very often.

I am an Aussie and live in Australia, and as such have no exposure to the lower leagues in any country but here, and it is interesting reading a perspective from you about the life of a player fighting for his career where players from all over the world travel to in the hope of even making it to the level you have.

Sorry to hear that Notts County didn't renew your contract.

If the Beebs don't keep you on, you could always come to Australia and play in the A-League, i.e. the Brisbane Roar. We have a 50,000 seat stadium, although we only get crowds of 15-20,000 though, but still probably better than at Meadow Lane.

We have great golden sandy beaches, awesome weather, play once a week, 27 fixtures + 4 team finals series + a Grand Final day, some ex top flight players like Robbie Fowler, Craig Moore, Danny Tiatto, Kevin Muscat etand more.

It would be a great finish to your career and you might even win something. There is also a Scottish connection at the Roar with Craig Moore and Charlie Miller, so you should have a serious look at that, It might be the time to soak up the sun and still enjoy playing football in a "top flight" competition.

There is also the Asian Champions League to qualify for and in turn the World Club Championship, so a 30 year old moving on from Notts County in dreary old Nottingham could do a lot worse than Sun, Surf & Football.

Hope to see you soon maybe.
Man Utd pile on agony for Wenger 10:32am on 06 May 2009 To #51 - I would say any club that AF starts being respectful towards should be worried - it means he doesn't see them as a threat any more."

#77 - I agree with that point. Part of the reason why he felt comfortable selling Silvestre to Wenger. He still has an awful amount of respect for him though, as do most United fans.

------- MY RETORT -------

I have to disagree, maybe Sir Alex does not see them as a threat at the moment or even anymore, but I don't believe that it is the reason he shows respect towards Arsenal and Arsene Wenger.

I believe Sir Alex would rather be competing against Arsene and his Arsenal side than the other two teams up there as I am sure he now realises that he relished the challenge Arsenal used to pose.

Over time Sir Alex and Arsene have had verbal spars, but the mutual respect now has nothing to do with Sir Alex seeing Arsenal or Arsene as weak.

On the contrary, I think he admires Arsene's resolve, and Arsenal as a club for staying loyal to him through thick and very thin just as happened to himself back in the 1980's.

It's not about Arsenal not being a threat anymore, it is about one decent man with integrity, respecting another one of his peers that has earned his respect over time.

To Phil, sorry, I conceed I may have misunderstood your meaning about verbal blows, however I'm not sure Arsene was listening and thinking I wish I could say that about my team. To me he looked sick to his stomach and pale to the face as he just saw the true gulf in class that has now developed between his side and Manchester Utd.

But good blog though, I somewhat agree with you regarding Manuel Almunia, but I would suggest that the reason he wants to play for England is that in the back of his mind he doubts his ability to ever play for Spain. And that self-doubt is a telling admission of his inferiority to truly world class goal-keepers.

Also, I congratulate Manchester United on their success, they fully deserve it, and I hope that the awesome rivalry that was built up between Man Utd and Arsenal can return soon.

The rivalry between Man Utd and Liverpool or Man Utd and Chelsea just doesn't have that same dripping-with-ferocity edge to it that used to be there with Arsenal and Man Utd matches, which made them the two most anticipated games of the season. In my opinion.
Man Utd pile on agony for Wenger 08:14am on 06 May 2009 The two games really did illustrate the difference in quality between Manchester United and Arsenal. But I think you have it wrong in saying "Verbal blows were being layered on top of the footballing beating that had just been handed out to Arsenal."

Real Arsenal fans would have to admit that Sir Alex has been quite respectful of Arsene Wenger and Arsenal of late and I for one admire his attitude towards the club now. There was some bad blood in years past but that seems to have given way to a new found respect and almost friendly demeanour on Sir Alex's part towards his old adversary.

There was no verbal blows being delivered by Sir Alex, just truisms that were about his own team, rather than insults or taunts toward Arsenal. In this business there is such a thing as a bad winner and he certainly was not that. I thought he was respectful and admirable in his post match comments.

Arsenal were completely out-played and out-classed for 180 minutes of football by Man Utd, and that hurts a great deal, but any long time Arsenal fan must have known that it was on the cards from the moment the draw was announced. Arsenal have a good record against Man Utd, but the deficencies of our side are there for all to see, and have been there for about 3 and a half seasons.

But realistically the point where Arsenal as a club failed in their quest to match Man Utd over the decade was when Arsenal shot themselves in the foot in 2002/2003 season. After the winning the double in 2001/02 the catastrophy and capitulation of 2002/03 was glossed over by the 2003/04 undefeated season which really only happened thanks to a certain Ruud van Nistelrooy penalty that struck the crossbar in the dying moments of that spiteful game at Old Trafford back in the days of Vieira and Keane.

True, Arsenal still did an absolutely amazing thing by going unbeaten that season, but the wheels were getting wobbly after 2002/03 which did untold damage to the Arsenal clubs confidence when things got tough.

The FA Cup Semi Final of 2003/04 was the beginning of the chasm opening up which was followed by the capitulation to Chelsea in the CL Semi at Highbury where Wayne Bridge drove a dagger into Arsenal hearts. And with the game which would have given Arsenal 50 unbeaten league matches, it ended up being a signal of the bad things to come.

Sure we have had some glimmers of hope, winning the 2005 FA Cup against Man Utd on penalties after being embarrasingly out played, the 1-0 wins at Old Trafford in the league, and one of the finest displays of entertaining football in history at the start of this season, but they are really just a few highlights in increasingly disappointing seasons where Arsenal just fall further and further behind.

It is well past the point where I believe we can actually win the big trophies with the current players, because when the chips are down, they do let us down, time and time again. And it has become a club problem as the players have changed but the lack of confidence remains. Arsene must take some responsibility for that, as he is the common denominator, and it must now surely be time that he addresses this problem and spends some cash to fix it. The purchase of Andriy Arshavin shows what sort of quality players are needed if this massive gap has any chance of closing.

I just hope that Arsene does know now.
Can Man Utd re-write history? 09:52am on 02 Mar 2009 Can United re-write history ?

It's too early to say just yet, but to indulge in fantasy, it is of course possible.

Arsenal went unbeaten in 2004/2005 and had you asked if they could go unbeaten 12-14 games from the end the answer would have been somewhat the same.

The difference is though, that Manchester United make us consider this type of question a lot more often then any other team in the Premier League.

In this particular season, Manchester United are a very good side, but their opponents title challenges, namely Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have been once again, thoroughly disappointing.

United appear to be in some sort of cruise control rather that of a side with a chasing pack behind them. They are rolling along with relative ease.

In every Premier League Season, Manchester United have either won the premiership, or they have sustained a serious title bid and only lost in the last couple of weeks or days of the season.

This is not true of any other team.

Would it not then become prudent to say that the difference between the big clubs is not the players or the money, because all the big clubs have or had one or both of those things at various times, but only United have had Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ferguson has engineered these success stories season after season, with a squad that now looks nothing like the sides of the mid 90's, with the exception of the timeless Ryan Giggs.

Liverpool's challenge this season has lasted till March, Chelsea's too, Arsenal's never got started really and these sort of runaway's have happened on numerous occasions in the last decade or so.

Even Arsene Wenger with an unbeaten season and a couple of doubles to his name must look north and wonder why it can't be him.
England's elite in pole position 12:11pm on 26 Feb 2009 Bias blog Phil !!!

Paragraphs dedicated to each team from England:

Liverpool: 9
Manchester United: 7.5
Chelsea: 4
General Comments: 3
Arsenal: 2.5

See, all you did was swoon over Liverpool.

Attempt to analyse Manchester United's chances against Mourinho, sorry Inter.

Give passing comment to Chelsea's chances against the old ladies of Italy in the second match

Group mentioned that England's 4 clubs have an even chance of progression.

Oh and Arsenal played Roma - Arsenal won I think.....

Nice of you to swoon over Liverpool.

Liverpool this, Benitez that, Ooh and what about Gerrard.

How about a more level approach Phil ?

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