2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[JLW]

Well, that long term rebuild should be the DOF anyway - not the manager.

My own view is our DOF/board should always be looking to replace Benitez. Treat him as we did Allardyce. Interim.

The contract they agreed with Ancelotti left us in the lurch.

The problem with Benitez is a lot of fans are desperate to pile on - things will turn ugly/nasty very quick and so, we could have an even smaller window than usual to replace him. He's never a long term answer and I think the board know that.

If anyone thinks that this Benitez era is going to be anything but him getting fired sooner or later then they’re deluded! He will get run out of this club it’s just when?
I’ve said before that The only way he survives and turns the fans around is to be constantly on an upward trajectory from day one.

 

[Marius57]

we're only ever two defeats away from disaster aren't we we've got a difficult run of games and since I'm expecting us to lose every one of them we'll probably win a few, eh? at the end of the day however much you might dislike this bloke, the problems go far, far deeper than just him.

Noones saying it doesn't. But this is a thread about him.

 

[LeeCarsley]

Benitez has signed 5 players.

He's never shown he has any real ability in the transfer market over his career...hes made some great signings and a huge amount of poor ones.

two of those signings are backup goalkeepers but I can agree on his transfer record being less than spectacular. Ideally we have a DoF who picks players as well but he's either being undermined or not doing his job.

 

[Zezti]

If anyone thinks that this Benitez era is going to be anything but him getting fired sooner or later then they’re deluded! He will get run out of this club it’s just when?
I’ve said before that The only way he survives and turns the fans around is to be constantly on an upward trajectory from day one.

I think that's a bit much. Sure there may be some fans who might be like that but most don't demand constant sunshine and rainbows. Defeats like the Watford one, however, fans are certainly within their rights to get angry.

 

[Encoder]

He gets them on the training pitch and drills them untill they stop doing these things?
Maybe he will do just that in time, and I'd love it if he did.

I hope so, but i just think there is a limit to what the manager can do when players make split second idiot decisions. I think especially against watford, most of them got caught up in the atmosphere and their heads went a bit.

 

[GrandOldTeam]

I wasn't going to say anything about Gbamin or Holgate..?

I would say tactics, but that's a bit vague and all-encompassing. So, to specify one particular thing that the manager should get the blame for is set piece defending. Set pieces come straight off the training ground, very little is down to the players, and we've been crap at defending them.
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5 conceded from set pieces in 9 games is pretty bad.
Compared to last season where we conceded 7 goals from set pieces, total.


None of us are high level football coaches so expecting us to give the solution is a bit much, don't you think?

Definitely a valid criticism of Benitez but my posts tonight on Benitez has been about Watford and how, his decision to bring on Richarlison and Iwobi for Gordon and Gray wasn't the reason we collapsed. Also to query what else he really could of done with that bench...

I've tried to scrap Watford from my memory mate but wasn't the total collapse - the 3rd, 4th and 5th goals - all from open play?

 

[Marius57]

Noone is saying benitez is solely to blame. There's loads of reasons. But this is the benitez thread. I don't understand why people are getting so upset about him being criticised in his own thread.

I'm not going to come in here and have a go about players as I'd be told off for being off topic.

 

[BigDuncis Blue]

Just my opinion mate, from the injuries Benitez has had to deal with, which manager/coach do you think could have done better?

Who knows. All I am saying, there will be someone out there who could get more out of these players. By the way, I am not saying that we should replace Benitez even though there are some worrying signs sneaking in, persisting with Rondon is one of them....although will change my mind very quickly if he scores tonight

 

[GrandOldTeam]

Noone is saying benitez is solely to blame.

Plenty have.

There's loads of reasons. But this is the benitez thread. I don't understand why people are getting so upset about him being criticised in his own thread.

I don't understand why people are getting upset about there being different opinions about Benitez in the Benitez thread.

I'm not going to come in here and have a go about players as I'd be told off for being off topic.

Eh?

 

[GrandOldTeam]

Who knows. All I am saying, there will be someone out there who could get more out of these players. By the way, I am not saying that we should replace Benitez even though there are some worrying signs sneaking in, persisting with Rondon is one of them....although will change my mind very quickly if he scores tonight

Hard to find.

Carlo Ancelotti got these players 10th.

 

[JLW]

I think that's a bit much. Sure there may be some fans who might be like that but most don't demand constant sunshine and rainbows. Defeats like the Watford one, however, fans are certainly within their rights to get angry.

I’m not saying he can’t lose or has to win every game but because of who he is makes it difficult for fans to connect to him. He won’t be cut any slack like other managers whether that’s fair or not he knows it, the owners know it and the chairman knows it.
Should we be getting rid of managers 10 games in? Absolutely not, but would anyone be arsed if he was fired? I would guess a very high percentage would have him gone tomorrow.

 

[Efcjake]

Lose this today and things are going to get very tough for him.

I can see this year shaping up to be as bad as the Koeman/Unsworth/Allardyce year we dare not speak of.

If Digne is added to our injury list again we are really going to struggle through this upcoming run into Christmas.

 

[Zatara]

two of those signings are backup goalkeepers but I can agree on his transfer record being less than spectacular. Ideally we have a DoF who picks players as well but he's either being undermined or not doing his job.

But he still signed the 5. At the end of the day, hes brought in players and if he had been watching our matches last season he could have been proactive and sold players to generate transfer funds.

Hard to find.

Carlo Ancelotti got these players 10th.

He laid the foundations of the team and said we would have been more attacking this season.

All we really needed to do was keep the defensive structure and improve through the signings of Townsend and Gray.

Id wager that Ancelotti would have moved players on last summer and strengthened in other areas as well...

 

[twoblue]

If anyone thinks that this Benitez era is going to be anything but him getting fired sooner or later then they’re deluded! He will get run out of this club it’s just when?
I’ve said before that The only way he survives and turns the fans around is to be constantly on an upward trajectory from day one.

Benitez is here to keep the club safe and fairly competitive until the stadium move.
Given the tools he has had to work with he is doing a decent job.

 

[JLW]

Benitez is here to keep the club safe and fairly competitive until the stadium move.
Given the tools he has had to work with he is doing a decent job.

Do you think the fans will put up with us conceding possession to almost every team for the next 3 years with an ex Liverpool manager in charge! Not a chance mate