They just asked Bettega about Ferrara and he basically dodged the question...

Some reports are saying he has been in Turin at a restaurant (lol, that old one), others that we can't agree a deal. His agent is just denying everything, not much to go on, and the win, and more importantly the performance, over Napoli means Ciro gets another shot.

Juve chiefs must decide fast... they cannot just do like this... what are they waiting for? some more losses perhaps??? if they believe in Ferrara, let him do his job regardless of how the outcome at the end of the season...

Moreover, Hiddink is not there to wait for another 5 losses to replace Ferrara... or it would be much more expensive to get him then...

Hiddink is one of my favorite managers. It would be a masterful move to sign him. I would pay anything for a guy who could consistently take mediocrity and turn it into something formidable.

Bettega says now that they 'never questioned' Ferrara's abilities I guess those three emergency board meetings were to discuss what colour the new HQ carpets were going to be.

The Hiddink story has gone quiet for a bit, at least until the next game Juve lose If we lose to Chievo it will all become frantic again, I'm pretty sure that there will be a coach who has been lined up, especially with Bettega coming back to the club.

The Daily Mail are reporting that Bettega is a friend of Benitez's. Just marvellous. Is it our aim to never win the scudetto again. Benitez FFS. Well at least we wouldn't ship a ridiculous amount of goals. I'm sure rumours will come and go.

Rafa in Turin? Surely not, that sounds too far out to be true.

Hiddink is dead in the water, he wants crazy money because it's such a crap opportunity right now.

In short, Juve can't even find a replacement for Ferrara, no-one will come to us. How we have fallen from grace, the current management needs to resign (except Bettega) and let competent people take over.

Pasquale Marino is needed in as soon as possible.

The Benitez rumours are everywhere. He won't be coming now if at all, so it makes little difference.

If we do go with him in the summer he has to bring Mascherano and Torres or not bother at all

Can't afford Hiddink, can't afford Benitez. Zoff, Trap, Lippi, Vialli and Conte have all turned us down. We even contacted Sergio Brio about the post, an ex-played who has coached one small team in Belgium.

What we are left with is Zaccheroni the joker, Gentile or Van Basten, maybe a lower team coach who has impressed like Giampaolo. We are officially the laughing stock of Italy, our board need to leave right now because their amateurism does not befit a team like Siena, let alone Juventus. The embarrassment needs to stop.

Mirko Omiccioli?

Just on Sky Italia they said Benitez is the objective (won't get him), and the fall back is Zaccheroni This has to be sabotage, someone wake me up from this nightmare.

He's probably 3rd or 4th choice.

As I said elsewhere, Ferrara was effectively 'sacked' before the Coppa game against Napoli, but Juve can't get a suitable replacement in. Laughable.

In other news, an Italian pharmaceutical company called Meleam said they have a proposal in place to buy the club, they say they would remove the current board, change the coach to Giampaolo and completely restructure the medical staff and trainers. So far it has only appeared in Tuttoshit newspaper but they are about to have a shareholders meeting so it might be real and they could test the waters with John Elkann, Carlo Sant'Albano and co. TBH I've had enough of people who don't know football trying to get involved, unless they are going to put hard cash into it then forget it because it is just another change and gamble.

Gentile...

Zaccheroni as the short term, Benitez as the long term, with Gentile as a fallback, he is in Turin today.

Fuck Zac to be honest. Benitez hardly denied it last night: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/t...ool/8482152.stm

Not that clown rafa ffs

Sven has been mentioned too

TBH Benitez would be a far better option than the other guys linked strongly, aside from Hiddink. I don't like the guy though.

ADRIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!

Benitez would be a great achievement for this board of fools.

Gentile is speaking to them right now, apparently Blanc doesn't want him though.

Looks like Gentile for now then (after tonights game), and then Benitez or Lippi in the summer.

Yeah we have a new coach but the rumours about who the coach in the summer will be continue, this can't help the team in my opinion:


Juve 'agree terms with Rafa to take over'

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/footbal...er-1884427.html

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Very good sources as well, not the crap we have been sourcing from recently.

Apparently he wants a say on transfers as well, should be interesting to see where this fits in with Bettega coming in, Secco there, Lippi probably arriving on the board as well!

Apparently Claudio Prandelli is sending out positive signals of being the coach for next season (please be true). There is also a supposed new structure to be in place by October of next year:


President: Marcello Lippi
CEO: Jean-Claude Blanc
General Manager: Antonio Giraudo
Vice-general Manager: Roberto Bettega
Sporting Director: Alessio Secco & Pantaleo Corvino
Head Coach: Claudio Prandelli

That would be something of a dream team

especially if that would result in the club winning il Calcio

Winning a game would be a nice start for now

Antonio Conte mentioned. Pull the other one.

Prandelli says yes to Juve

Tuttosport understands that Fiorentina boss Cesare Prandelli has agreed to take the Juventus job this summer.

It's no secret that the Bianconeri are looking for a big name to replace Alberto Zaccheroni at the end of the season.

The likes of Guus Hiddink, Rafa Benitez and Fabio Capello have all been mentioned, but the favourite is said to be Prandelli.

Tuttosport claims that Juventus made contact with Prandelli over a month ago, simply calling the 52-year-old to ask whether he will be available or not.

Prandelli is also said to have rekindled his relationship with Roberto Bettega, Juventus's vice-general manager, with whom he hadn't spoken for years because of an 'old misunderstanding'.

However, what makes Prandelli's change of scene all the more likely is the fact he has apparently already spoken with Juventus's lawyer Michele Briamonte about the prospect of a three-year contract with the Turin giants.

Nothing has yet been signed, but Prandelli has hardly discouraged Juventus's overtures.

The Bianconeri have allegedly unveiled their plans for the future, which are said to comprise of a €50m transfer budget.

Prandelli still has a year to run on his existing deal with Fiorentina, and Juventus will now have to intervene to smooth over his move north.

Football Italia

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It's Crapposport so probably made up. I've been an advocate of Prandelli for a long time, but Fiorentina's recent form has me worried They aren't being outplayed by anyone but winning games is important, Juve need a winner badly, we've seen enough shit.

Massimiliano Allegri or Claudio Prandelli.

Get Roby Donadoni in!

The Benitez talk carries on, figures mentioned everywhere.

I think it would be the perfect signing

Are you saying that because you want him out of the PL?

I thought Prandelli would be the perfect signing for Juve.

I have a feeling Benitez would suit Juventus more than Liverpool, and likewise Italy than England, but I would worry about signings and his stupid stubbornness.

There is also talk about him being given power over transfers, more of an 'English managers' role. That could be a positive (no Secco) as long as he didn't go mad.

Nevermind the coach----where is the juve/inter game thread???

I came here to show my support for Juve!

In the Inter forum

On this forum games go into the forum of the home team if they have one

English press full of the Benitez story today. Juve have given him until the end of May, open cheque book and all this nonsense.

The biggest load of crap was them mentioning that because John Elkann took over as FIAT boss yesterday he was behind it, funny for a guy who refused to talk about Juventus yesterday.

Juve prepare final details for Rafa

Juventus are said to be so close to hiring Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez that only a few details separate them from making an agreement.

La Gazzetta dello Sport understands that Jean-Claude Blanc and an assistant director of Exor, the holding company that owns Juventus, held a conference call with Benitez's agent Manuel Garcia Quillon after Liverpool's 3-0 victory over West Ham United on Monday night.

Quillon apparently told them that Benitez would make his decision clear by the end of the week after the first leg of Liverpool's Europa League semi-final against Atletico Madrid.

Juventus' board hope to ratify the decision to hire a new Coach and plans to rebuild the team by May 10, so Benitez has until then to accept.

Moves within Exor are perhaps being made to favour Benitez's arrival in Turin.

John Elkann, the grandson of Juventus' legendary patron Gianni Agnelli, became the President of Fiat yesterday and said that he would have a less hands-on role at the club.

That decision perhaps paves the way for Andrea Agnelli to return to the club in a formal capacity, something the fans would like to see, as he was intimately linked with Juventus' success under Marcello Lippi.

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Seems just like politicking right now.

I sincerely hope this goes through

If Jose Leaves a,d Benitez arrives at Juve, it signals a swing towards Juve

However he has to start with winning title No.30 for Juventus then get Juventus in the European Heavyweight Plate again

I'm still not convinced about certain areas with Benitez, league success, transfers, hopefully the latter will be mediated by the sporting directors.

I would be hopeful that we would see less kamikaze tactical setups and defending like Ascoli though.

with Benitez Juventus might get 2 league titles at best, but one would be enough for the mo, more EUropean success, then get an experienced up coming Italian and consolidate

Juventini would take a league title this second without question, we need to get our foot back on the ladder again. The main problem is that I can see Roma and Juventus being stronger next season, but Milan weaker. If Mourinho leaves, then it is a golden opportunity for Juventus. The opportunity was clearly there this season, we blew it big time, but no Mourinho would leave a big hole at Inter.

80 million pounds in the hands of Rafa Benitez... I don't even want to think about it.

Blog: Thanks but no thanks



Scott Fleming doesn’t believe Rafa Benitez is the right man to resurrect the fortunes of Juventus

As the most shambolic season in their history grinds to a close, it’s imperative that Juventus make the right choice of Coach to take over next term.

Unfortunately bad decisions have been the Bianconeri administration’s speciality post-Calciopoli. The current favourite is Rafa Benitez, and according to reports a deal is only a few details away from being sealed.

On the face of it it’s not the worst appointment. In 2002 Benitez took Valencia to their first La Liga title in 31 years, and followed it with a La Liga and UEFA Cup double two seasons later.

Then of course there’s the unforgettable 2005 Champions League Final against Milan, when he inspired a pretty poor Liverpool side containing the likes of Djimi Traore and Milan Baros to the most sensational of comebacks.

Nonetheless, were I a Juventino, I’d have deep reservations about crowning King Rafa as the club’s saviour.

First of all there’s his demeanour. He can be petty, immature and a world-class whiner. Just as Liverpool’s campaign has spiralled out of control this term, Benitez’s paranoid rants have done likewise. He seems to live in a bizarre world of denial.

Then again personality isn’t paramount when it comes to the management game. After all, few of us like Jose Mourinho, but we’d have him manage our club in a second. My doubts are based on more than peculiar Press conferences though.

Five years have passed since that famous night in Istanbul, and yet the 2006 FA Cup is the only addition Benitez has made to the LFC trophy cabinet during that time. That’s despite significant investment in the first team.

Benitez has made in excess of 40 signings since arriving on Merseyside and it’s his transfer record that is the greatest cause for concern. Jermaine Pennant, David N’Gog, Andriy Voronin, Andrea Dossena, Lucas, Robbie Keane – the list of flops the Spaniard has signed is endless. Seemingly unaware of his own incompetence in this regard, Benitez has caused internal disputes at Valencia and Liverpool by insisting he has complete control over transfers.

Just imagine if the same thing happened in Turin. Juve would be caught between a rock and a hard place, forced to choose between Benitez and Alessio Secco, two men proven to be about as useful as a chocolate teapot on the transfer market.

Juve could do worse than Benitez, and considering the Board’s record they just might. However, I maintain that his hiring would be a gamble, especially if Cesare Prandelli wants the job.

http://www.football-italia.net/blogs/sf62.html

Benitez has Juve agreement

La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Juventus have an agreement with Rafael Benitez but everything depends on his contract at Liverpool.

The pink paper has made a lot of the fact Benitez met with his agent Manuel Garcia Quillon at Liverpool's training camp in Madrid yesterday.

Juventus and Quillon have apparently ironed out a contract worth €4.5m a year.

They also managed to get Benitez to accept to reduce his staff from 12 to six personnel.

However, the conclusion of any deal depends on Liverpool's new President Martin Broughton who is currently trying to find a buyer for the club.

The Reds are said to be reluctant to lose Benitez, especially if it comes to him resigning and asking for a golden handshake on his four-year contract worth €16m.

La Gazzetta believes it will take time for the Spanish tactician to extricate himself from his Liverpool contract, but that hasn't stopped Juventus setting a deadline of May 10 to conclude proceedings.

If Benitez can't free himself, Juventus President Jean-Claude Blanc has devised a Plan B whereby Fiorentina boss Cesare Prandelli will be hired.

The Bianconeri have also moved to make Sampdoria's Beppe Marotta their new director of sport.

FI

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Benny and Beppe, all change again maybe....

According to La Repubblica, Blanc is actually going to England in the next few days to seal a deal for Benitez:

http://www.repubblica.it/sport/calcio/seri...erpool-3569537/

I've heard some crazy figures bandied about for transfers as well