Benitez has played a political chess game with Hicks and Gillett in the corridors of power at Anfield, and he has become part of the fabric at the club with his people in virtually every position of power regarding the football side of the club.
He has called upon the owners to lavish him with money, or he will leave. He has told them not to sell Fernando Torres or Steven Gerrard, or he will leave. He has also called upon them to meet their many promises, or he will leave. Rafael knows the club lies on the edge of a financial precipice and has made demands that he knows sound impossible given the level of debt.
During his six years at the club he has spent some £210 million on 49 players, whilst bringing in some £125 million for 80 players.
With the news that Rafael is now saying he needs at least six new players to challenge for fourth, it would seem that Rafael has spent quite poorly over his time in charge. To say he needs six players for a decent team after six years in charge is nothing short of Benitez admitting wasting Liverpool's money.
The biggest rise, however, has come in the wages bracket at the club, where Benitez has almost doubled the club's wage bill since taking over.
2004- £66m
2005- £65m
2006- £68m
2007- £75m
2008- £79m
2009- £101m
Total- £454
For the second year running KPMG have given a brutal audit on all that is wrong with Liverpool FC, citing "material uncertainty" yet again.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...-of-administration-after-massive-rise-in-debt
Walk on THAT.