Benitez really did a number on their fans didn't he it never fails to amaze me, one of the few things Jamie redknapp got right at the time, Benitez did manipulate their fans and he did it brilliantly to be fair to him.
For an utterly abject manager you have to give him credit where its due i don't think ive ever known a set of fans become so blinded, manipulated borderline fixated to such an extent as the scousers have become with Benitez, even finishing 7th after flushing a quarter of a billion down the crapper on pure shite all it took (and still takes) is a few words about how the 'crowd were fantastic' and 'its all the owners fault' etc etc and they roll over and declare their undying love for him, its laughable really, reading RAWK youd be forgiven for thinking Benitez cured cancer, never seen anything like it really havnt.
Ill always remember the RAWK ******** after Benitezs pre match presser against Lyon in europe last year, after something like 7 defeats out of 8 with a squad that finished 2nd the year before and on the brink of champions league elimination in the group stage (that eventually did happen) he muttered the words to their 'anthem' (when you walk through a storm you hold your head up high he said) and feck a duck the scousers lapped it up! "hes one of us" "absolutely love the guy" etc etc poured out of Rawk, this a man who was ripping the piss out of them with results on the pitch yet still all it took was a few choice words in a pre match presser and all was forgiven

.....and didnt he know it, he knew he could do no wrong as long as he had the fans sucking his dick.
To this day i maintain that was behind his rant against fergie, he knew the scouse fans would lap it up and to this day they do, he knew no matter what the results on the pitch as long as he was perceived as 'one of them' off it he had his feet well and truly under the table, and any perceived 'attack' on Sir alex a known and hated enemy to Liverpool would be lavished for years, even if as it did it blew up hilariously in his face.
crap manager, laughable individual but fair fecks to the fat spanish cock he really does have those idiots wrapped round his little finger.