Rafa Benitez, one of the finest managers in modern Premier League history

Despite a torrid end to a career in England that saw Liverpool rise to the top of European football, Rafa Benitez is a man that commands great respect in the football world. Known for his in-depth analysis and knowledge of the game he is a master tactician and a true gentleman in the world of football.

Before reading any further cast whatever opinion you have of him out of your mind and approach this for what it is, a realisation of what Benitez has brought the game and admirable way he conducts himself in doing so. Regardless if you are a Liverpool FC fan, a Valencia fan, or a fan from a rival club, and intelligent fan can see that Benitez deserves the credit he has been given.

As a Liverpool FC fan I clearly have a biased opinion and Rafa will go down in the club's history for the 5th European title he brought back to Anfield, and on a more personal level the tears he shed during a Hillsborough memorial ceremony. With the truth of Hillsborough finally revealed maybe rival fans can see that being Liverpool manager is more than just football, a statement perfectly exemplified by Benitez. He is a true great for the club and many were unhappy with the way that the love affair between Benitez and LFC came to an end, mainly due to the ownership at the time being what can only be described as arguably the worst in the club's glorious history. Despite leaving LFC, Rafa stayed in Merseyside with his family and his love for, not just LFC but, the English game is without question. He is a family man who has an enormous amount of pride in his work. I, for one, firmly believe that given the backing from the ownership Benitez would have continued his remarkable career with LFC. This article, however, is not just to discuss Liverpool, it is to take a look into Rafa's life and philosophy to try and make fans who may have prejudged him realise that he is one of the most genuine and intelligent men in the game.

I expect many do not know his story - beginning as a young lad who excelled in football, basketball, tennis as well as being a superb chess and 'stratego' player. He began his path in football at Real Madrid, joining their ranks at 13 years of age whilst continuing his education. Progressing through the Madrid youth teams he excelled academically and in football seeing him gain a degree in Physical Education and also being called up to the Spanish University National team. Unfortunately for Rafa a terrible knee injury set his football career back and he was promptly loaned out of Madrid. After spending a few years on loan from Real Madrid, years blighted by recurring knee problems, Rafa retired early at the age of 26. He quickly became the Technical Director for Madrid and then went on to become u19 manager, winning 2 league titles and a cup in 3 years. Following his first success at youth management level, then Madrid manager Vicente Del Bosque offered Benitez the assistant manager role. After excelling in previous roles it was clear to see that Benitez had what it takes to be a great manager and a job offer followed. Going solo Benitez went to Extremadura, getting them promoted to La Liga. He then went to Tenerife, again getting them promoted to La Liga. Despite a few setbacks, these credentials meant that Benitez got offered his first major managing role for Spanish giants Valencia.

Rafa jumped at the chance to manage such a major team and success was around the corner. Under Benitez, Valencia began playing a style of football that saw them rise above the rest to win their first league title in 31 years. For those of you who don't remember this was at a time when the Spanish league was considered the best in the world, containing the 'Galacticos' of Madrid, the great Barcelona, 'superdepor' Deportivo (a major force back then), the rich Sevilla and Atletico Madrid. Rafa continued to win trophies for Valencia before being offered a new challenge at the historically rich Liverpool. Benitez was awarded the Golden Club Crest for the work he did for Valencia by the club President in 2011. Following his time in Spain, he became the first ever Spanish manager for LFC. Going on to take Liverpool to the top of Europe's elite and to their highest ever Premier League finish was just part of the story that saw Benitez gain love at Anfield.

Married with children, Benitez has dedicated his life to football and his family. His emotions have caused people to love him, yet have also at times cost him dearly. Perhaps his most notable outburst of emotion was to his chairman at the time when he had just won the Club World Championship with Inter Milan. Immediately after winning the final Benitez was visible unhappy and publicly voiced his disapproval of lack of funds and the way the club was being run to, essentially, his boss. Needless to say, Benitez left Inter by mutual consent shortly afterward. Other outbursts include his rant about Sir Alex Ferguson and the power that he had over referees and other aspects of the game.

With Brendan Rodgers now at the helm at LFC, I personally was desperate to see Rafa given another shot at managing the club. With owners who could offer him stability rather than the turbulence he received before I feel that he could have thrived. Despite some poor signings such as Robbie Keane and Aquilani he also brought world class players to the club: Reina, Alonso, Torres, Mascherano, Johnson to name a few. One of the best performances I have seen LFC play is when the mighty Real Madrid, captained by the World's Best Player Fabio Cannavaro at the time, got hammered 4-0 with Torres and co giving them the run-around. Benitez' philosophy and style of football was admirable and his tactical genius got the better of many world-class managers - Ferguson, Mourinho and Wenger.

Even now Liverpool are reaping the benefits of Benitez' work. Not many people give him credit for the youth setup at Liverpool - as many simply do not know. The likes of Kelly, Spearing, Sterling, Suso, Morgan, Coady, Wisdom, Shelvey, Pacheco and so on have gone on to make first team appearances and some are now firm fixtures in the senior squad. Before Benitez, Liverpool's reserve and youth setup was nowhere near the standard it now is.

After coming in 3rd place in the Nextgen series Champions League (youth CL) it is evident that LFC youth teams have a lot of talent and a lot of this is due to the work that Benitez put in to change the structure of the club top-to-bottom.

As an intelligent fan I can put aside my hatred and say that manager's such as Wenger, Mourinho and Ferguson are world class and I have a lot of respect for them. They have experienced the highs and lows of football, much like Benitez. Rafa deserves enormous credit and gratitude for all that he has done for football, be it for Valencia, Liverpool, Inter Milan or the charity work he does through the Montse-Benitez Foundation.

What professionals have to say about him:

Gerrard - "Rafa is obsessed with football 24 hours a day, seven days a week", "he is a great man and a great friend"

Hamann - "in my mind he is pure managerial genius"

Bellamy - "I have learnt more from Rafa Benitez than any other coach I have worked with"

Records that speak more than what I can say:

2005-06

Liverpool became the first British club to 'keep' the European Champions League trophy after winning it for the 5th time in Istanbul 2005.

Liverpool then became the 3rd team and 1st British side to win the Super Cup 3 times

Gerrard became the first Liverpool player in history to score in 5 successive European matches

Liverpool set a new club record of 11 consecutive clean sheets (Oct-Dec 2005)

Liverpool win 10 league games in a row for the 1st time in 15 years

2006-07

Benitez became the first manager to lift a trophy in each of his first 2 seasons after the FA Cup win in 2006

Liverpool went unbeaten in 30 successive home games

Pepe Reina kept more clean sheets in his first 50 league games (28) than any other keeper in Liverpool's history

Liverpool reached their second champions league final in 3 seasons

2007-08

Liverpool beat Besiktas 8-0 to record the highest ever Champions League win

Benitez won 81 of his first 150 league games in charge, only Kenny Dalglish (87) won more as an LFC manager

Torres scored 24 league goals - the most by any LFC player in their debut season

Pepe Reina won Golden Glove award for the 3rd successive season

Liverpool scored 119 goals - more than any team in England

2008-09

Liverpool inflicted Real Madrid's biggest ever Champions League defeat at Anfield

Benitez' 100th league win as manager in his 181st game. The 3rd quickest ever by a LFC manager and 50 games quicker than Alex Ferguson

Liverpool got the highest number of points by any team which failed to win the league (38 game seasons)

2009-10

Liverpool unbeaten in 31 home league games

Torres broke club record by scoring his 50th league goals in his first 72 games

Reina set a new record of 79 clean sheets in his first 150 games

For Valencia:

La Liga (2) - 01-02 and 03-04

Uefa Cup - 03-04

Valencia's highest ever win ratio: 53.50%

Most trophies by any coach in Valencia's history

For Inter:

Club World Championship (1)

Italian Super Cup (1)

Controversy, bad starts, Hillsborough and all things football

First and foremost I think it is fitting to pay tribute to the 96 who lost their lives at Hillsborough. Following the emergence of the disgusting truth that has reached the public over the last week fans of football have united in their support for the families that lost their loved ones. Serious questions must be answered by the Police and in the near future I am sure justice will and must be had.

Yet again goal-line technology was called into action after Everton had goals disallowed in their game against Newcastle last night. Time and time again this has happened and yet the powers that be still seem reluctant to execute a plan that sees technology clear these matters up.

At the top of the table things look as expected, however dropped points for the big teams show that the quality of the league is higher than ever and looks set to be full of surprises - Arsenal misfire in their opening games, shortly followed by smashing Southampton. Southampton play superbly against Man City and United and then truly terrible against Arsenal. Chelsea look unstoppable and then play poorly in a goalless draw against QPR and so on.

Tottenham haven't had the best of starts but fans will be somewhat calmed by their result against a weak Reading team, however, Tottenham have escaped extra pressure due to another of the big teams starting poorly, Liverpool. Despite high hopes for the season Liverpool have 2 points from 4 games, a start that will have fans question whether new manager BR has what it takes to lead them back into European contention. Whilst some may blame a tough start in the fixture list it is clear that it will take more than 4 games to adapt to the philosophy that Rodger's Swansea team played superbly last season. Unlucky dropped points against the Champions Man City followed an awful performance against Arsenal, again asking the question "can Liverpool be a consistent force?" There is still a long way to go in the season and much of Liverpool's play has given fans optimism despite their results. Creating chances is not a problem, being clinical is. As football pundits say, it would be worse if they were not creating the chances at all! Man United visit Anfield next, a clash that has been and will continue to be the biggest clash in English football, despite Liverpool's lack of domestic success in the Premier League. The rivalry between these two massive clubs spans numerous years, bitter struggles, fiesty affairs and a certain racist incident that left both sets of fans furious about the other party involved.

Man United look very good I have to admit, resting RVP and without Rooney they showed their depth as they still scored 4 goals against Wigan. The major difference between the likes of Liverpool/Tottenham and Man United/City is knowing how to win Premier League games. While that sounds ridiculously obvious think about how many games Liverpool and Tottenham players have actually won? United players have been doing this for years (Scholes, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Giggs, Rooney, RvP, Nani, Carrick - all experienced Prem players. Tottenham - Dembele, Walker, Vertonghen, Sandro - all relatively new to the Prem. Liverpool - Shelvey, Allen, Suarez, Enrique, Kelly, Sterling - all pretty new. Whilst I am not in any way saying any of these players are not very good, as I believe some I have mentioned are excellent, I am merely making the point of the vast experience and years of winning the likes of United have under their belt. When they play badly they find a way, something Liverpool, for example, have not been able to do in the last 2/3 seasons.

After the opening games I believe that it will be between: Norwich, QPR, Aston Villa, Southampton and Wigan to go down and the top six will be United, City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham.

Is the 100m Sprint overrated??

The men's 100m Sprint is the pinnacle of the games. People pay hundreds of pounds to watch the likes of Bolt, Blake and Gay battle it out to become the worlds fastest man. A title that carries such weight in the world of athletics. A mere 10 seconds and the race is over, 9.63 seconds if your Usain Bolt. The crowd go wild, Bolt pulls his normal pose and enjoys the camera's. Is it deserved?

Today the Brownlee brothers showed what the Olympics really is all about. Athletes sweating blood and tears for their country and personal achievement. While Usain Bolt has just taken Gold he was more bothered about working the crowd than feeling the strain of a race. While there is undeniable talent in Bolt's speed, I believe to deserve a medal you should have to hurt for it. Bolt barely looked tired after his event. When the Brownlee boys crossed the line they could barely stand, let alone run again!

Sprint arrogance is preceeded by sportsmanship, determination and a will to succeed in the triathlon. There is no bad bantering between the athletes and a lot more respect in other events. While the 100m sprint may be the more glamourous, I am a believer that the gulf in 'celebrity status' is undeserved. While I do enjoy the sprint I have been far more enthralled by the likes of the cycling road race, triathlon, velodrome drama, Mo Farah taking gold and Jess Ennis. 

Bolt's arrogance and self confidence is at times admirable but there are far greater athletes who handle themselves in a truly great way.... Michael Phelps when he lost to Chad Le Clos, now there is a true champion! 

Alistair Brownlee's post race actions say it all really:

The crazy performances involving Badminton match fixing

Seasoned professional, highly skilled in their sport, must have been watching their colleagues with despair in the last of the Badminton group games. Women's doubles in the sport normally offers up an experience that is both fast-paced and intense. However South Korea, China and Indonesia set about putting up a display that could only be described as astounding, and not the good kind! In a bid to manipulate the draw for the knockout stages four sets of doubles teams made it obvious to the watching nation they they did not want to win, oblivious of the fact that in doing so in a way that was so patently clear they ultimately cost themselves a place in the knockouts all together. With performances of sheer stupidity, going as far as deliberately serving into the net and hitting standard shots out, they have cost their places in the further round of London 2012 Women's Doubles Badminton. How Indonesia and South Korea can try and appeal is beyond me and beyond the expectant crowd who had gathered to watch some of the finest women's badminton players in the world. The longest rally in the first game between China's Yu Yang/Wang Xiaoli and South Korea's Jung Kyung-eun/Kim Ha-na actually managed the impressive feat of only 4 shots. The aim of the game was to avoid winning in a bid to miss playing the Chinese number 1 seeds. While they thought it was a tactical move the Badminton World Federation had the last laugh and gave them the boot from the competition!

Destination Board Games and Rachel Lowe MBE

The award winning Destination Board Games are now on Facebook, "Like" the page at http://www.facebook.com/Destinationboardgame. Destination is the popular board game that has 23 editions, including current special editions Destination London 2012 and Destination London 2012 Sports, official licensed products of the 2012 Olympics.

Best-seller Destination Hogwarts is due for re-release later this year!!

Rachel Lowe MBE, an entrepreneur from Portsmouth, came up with the Destination board game idea while working as a taxi driver in order to fund her way through University. In 2004 she appeared on Dragon's Den with her idea but unfortunately left empty handed. Later that year the game went on to become Hamley's best-seller and continued to outsell rival Monopoly.

Rachel's story is one that is both inspiring and intriguing. She successfully shows how a business idea can be made and how to succeed despite knock backs (Dragons Den). Rachel lost her company RTL in 2009 when Warner Bro's delayed the release of Harry Potter, The Half Blood Prince, and she had to push back the release of the game due to this. However, Rachel recouped the Destination game after pitching to 'Twitter Dragon' Simon Dolan who invested in her and their new company She Who Dares UK Ltd, who now have Destination back in the market and their new product sees Rachel delve into the fashion industry with She Who Dares, a brand designed to empower and celebrate women, coming soon.

www.destinationboardgames.co.uk
https://twitter.com/__Destination
https://twitter.com/SWDfashion
http://rachellowe.co.uk/

My Euro 2012 Predictions

Group A
Overview: The easiest of the groups but possibly the hardest to predict. I'm going for Poland as group winners and Russia as runners-up.

Poland:
Star Man: Robert Lewandowski - Has been in lethal form for Dortmund this season, helping them win the German League and scoring 22 league goals. Poland will need him to get on the goal trail in order for the co-host nation to progress.
One to Watch: Wojciech Szczesny - The Arsenal keeper has had a great season and many will be looking at him to continue his progression in his first major tournament.

Greece:
Star Man: Georgios Samaras - Can be hit and miss but can be a match winner. He has had a good season with Celtic and will need to be at his very best if Greece are to have a chance.
One to Watch: Sotiris Ninis - At the age of 22 Ninis is a bright prospect for Greece and has just been signed by Italian team Parma. A creative attacking player who can play anywhere across the midfield.

Czech Republic:
Star Man: Tomas Rosicky - Finished the season in great form for Arsenal and will be looking to lead his team forward as captain. Can score and create and will probably need to do both if he wants to take his team forward.
One to Watch: Michal Kadlec - Confident attacking full back who has been a consistent performer for Leverkusen in recent years. He can score and has 8 international goals in 34 caps from left-back.

Russia:
Star Man: Alan Dzagoev - At 21 years old Dzagoev is the main man for Russia. He is extremely creative and has an eye for goal. A strong tournament could well put him in line for a big summer move.
One to Watch: Andrei Arshavin - Despite losing his place and form in the Arsenal team this season he is certainly one of the more talented players in the Russian team and has a good track record in recent major tournaments.

Group B
Overview: Incredibly tough group where one of the big nations will not make it through. I think Germany will win the group with Netherlands finishing second. Commiserations Portugal.

Germany:
Star Man: Mesut Ozil - An extremely intelligent player who constantly finds space in between the lines. Integral to feeding the likes of Mario Gomez up front and can also grab a goal. His vision and accuracy in delivery makes him the man to stop and he is in fantastic form having just lifted the La Liga trophy with Real Madrid.
One to Watch: Toni Kroos - He's a midfielder who helped Bayern to the Champions League final and looks set to have a huge career in front of him. He already has 26 caps at the age of 22 and this could be his chance to blossom into an international star.

Portugal:
Star Man: Cristiano Ronaldo - Officially the second best player in the world. On his day he can tear anyone apart and Portugal can never be written off for this reason. Contributes goals and assists and is a complete player. Hasn't quite produced his best form at international level but there is still time.
One to Watch: Raul Meireles - Has just won the Champions League with Chelsea. An efficient and intelligent player with 8 international goals to his name. Goes about his business in a less flashy way to the likes of Ronaldo and Nani but an important part of Portugal's system.

Netherlands:
Star Man: Robin Van Persie - He struck 30 league goals for Arsenal this season and has been in unplayable form recently. If he performs, with service from the likes of Robben, Netherlands will be a force.
One to Watch: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - With 29 league goals to his name this season he will certainly be looking to stamp his authority on the world stage. A great finisher and certainly a danger to any defense.

Denmark:
Star Man: Daniel Agger - Experienced and a great defender. Beset by injury problems but when fit a leader for Denmark. Has had a good season for Liverpool but a few too many injuries. As captain and penalty taker Denmark will look to him for inspiration, although being in the hardest group their chances don't look good.
One to Watch: Christian Eriksen - At the age of 20 many people are already touting him as one of the hottest prospects around. He was expected to make a big impact at the 2010 WC but failed, now 2 years on he has matured and grown as a player and a big performance could get him a big money move from Ajax. He is an attacking player who many have likened him to Mesut Ozil.

Group C
Overview: Holders Spain to coast as winners and Croatia to pip an Italian team beset by troubles to second.

Spain:
Star Man: Andres Iniesta - A player of footballing genius and an integral part of Barcelona's formidable team. He is extremely creative and also has an eye for goal. His movement and passing ability are one of the reasons why Spain are a dominant force currently and one of the favourites to win the tournament.
One to Watch: Jordi Alba - Has had a great season with Valencia and has received transfer attention from all the elite clubs. Can play anywhere down the left and has good attributes going forward and defending. At 23 years old he looks to have a big future in front of him.

Italy:
Star Man: Andrea Pirlo - Blessed with a fantastic touch and passing range the experienced midfielder will be looking to orchestrate Italy's team in order to progress out of their group.
One to Watch: Claudio Marchisio - A creative spark for Italy and Juventus. He has had a great season this year, lifting Juventus back to the top of Serie A.

Croatia:
Star Man: Luka Modric - An elegant player who provides the moves that could see Croatia qualify. In a group against the holders, Spain, Modric will need to perform to keep his team in the hunt for progression.
One to Watch: Ivan Rakitic - Has had a great season for Sevilla in Spain and has amassed 41 caps at the age of 24. He is a creative midfielder with great passing and shooting ability, scoring 8 international goals so far. While the focus may well be on Modric, the likes of Rakitic may be able to thrive under less pressure.

Rep of Ireland:
Star Man: Robbie Keane - With over 50 international goals he is certainly Ireland's most prominent goal threat and is also their captain. If he performs to his best then they have a chance and with his movement and leadership he can be a thorn in most sides.
One to Watch: James McClean - Has had an unbelievable season in the Premier League with Sunderland, mainly praised for his dribbling skills from left-midfield. Despite only having 2 senior caps Ireland may look to him for a bit of genius in their bid to progress.

Group D
Overview: I think England will surprise critics and win the group with France coming in second. The first game between England and France will ultimately decide who wins the group.

England:
Star Man: Steven Gerrard - Talismanic captain and part of a weakened England midfield that has been terrorized by injuries. It is imperative that Gerrard and Parker remain fit in the middle of the park. He can score, create and defend and on his day can be the complete player that can inspire England. With Rooney absent it will be up to Gerrard to be at his best to drive England forward like he has been doing for Liverpool for many years.
One to Watch: Andy Carroll/Danny Welbeck: With Wayne Rooney suspended for the first 2 games one of these two will have a chance to impress. England will need a scorer to help them qualify and with France up first it could be a great chance for one of these young strikers to make their mark.

France:
Star Man: Karim Benzema - He is one of the most prolific strikers in the world currently and France will no doubt be looking at him for goals. If a chance falls to him in the box he would expect himself to score and having earned himself a first 11 place in the Real Madrid side this season he will be full of confidence.
One to Watch: Yohan Cabaye - He has had a fine first season in English football, helping Newcastle finish 5th in the Premier League. While others can call themselves match winners, Cabaye has the ability to contribute at both ends of the pitch and dominate a midfield. With legends like Vieira before him, Cabaye will hope to cement the centre midfield spot as his own and continue his form on the international scene.

Sweden:
Star Man: Zlatan Ibrahimovic - A striker of undoubted talent who's attitude has occasionally held him back. He can be the difference for Sweden and is capable of great things if he puts his mind to it. His skill and manipulation of the football is certainly impressive and his improved goal scoring statistics in recent years had led to him becoming one of the worlds most dangerous strikers.
One to Watch: Rasmus Elm - He is a midfielder who has been linked with many European clubs this summer such as Liverpool and PSG. Has a creative spark and scores goals. He has been in fine form for AZ this season and at the age of 24 he may see this tournament to really kick start his career and get a big summer transfer.

Ukraine:
Star Man: Artem Milevskiy - A talented player who hasn't always played to his potential. A major tournament could be his chance to impress the home fans and lead his team forward from the front. He is a striker who can finish and is a clever player.
One to Watch: Andriy Shevchenko - One of the best strikers in the world back in his peak. Can this legend of the game leave the international stage with a bang and captain his side to qualification from the group? While he may have lost his pace, Shevchenko still has an eye for goal and is a messiah figure for the co-hosts.

Overall Winners: Germany
Runners-up: Spain

The Predictability of Tennis

Djokovic will hold all 4 Grand Slams should he win Roland Garros, although the King of Clay Rafa Nadal will certainly prove stern opposition. What has happened to tennis? It has become an increasingly hard sport to support someone as you know that don't really have a chance of winning, unless it is Federer, Nadal or Djokovic. Gone are the days when Juan Carlos Ferrero would win the French, Andy Roddick the US, Lleyton Hewitt the English and Marat Safin the Australian. And of course Henman would be sniffing around the semi-finals. Federer had just started his rise in the rankings, although back then he was an angry youth, far from his calm exterior he is now known for. It was a good time to be a fan. Now the sport is predictably dominated by the big three. The finals are made up of two of those three, bar the rare appearance from the likes of Del Potro or Murray, although they never go on to win it. The Goran Ivanisavic win at Wimbledon just wouldn't happen any more. Back in the glory days of tennis, some ten years ago, you could have genuine belief in the underdog. Now, it is more just a certainty that one of the big three will destroy them. While Nadal, Fed and Djok have certainly raised the standard of tennis and make great champions, it must be a daunting task to anyone outside the top three trying to win their first major tournament. When Marat Safin made his last Grand Slam final appearance at the US in 2009 he was ranked 58th in the world...