The club needs unity and stability. You do not, and never will, get either of those things with Benitez.Falling out with players is, I think, exactly what the board were looking for in adding RB. A manager who will rock the boat and oversee a big change at the club. How many years have fans said there are bad eggs in the dressing room? How many different managers have these players folded for? Maybe they reached the conclusion that uniting these players is not possible and they need to sell some of the big personalities undermining managers (assuming Digne is one).
Young players are more receptive to instruction. RB has brought in three young players in Gray, Patterson and Mykolenko who will form the core of a new group in the dressing room. As well as adding experienced players he knows and trusts in Rondon and Townsend.
Wish him well but not really sad to see him go. We got a good deal. I'd expect Coleman, Mina, Richarlison, Allan, Gylfi, Iwobi, Holgate and any other dissenting voices to follow him soon.
I don't mind selling a 28yo to get a 22yo in and most of another full-back too. It's how it's happened, the manner it's happened. We may have been scouting Mykolenko but I doubt the intention was ever to get him in midway through the season as first choice. And we've basically done that because this manager can't help falling out with players, whether that's on him or the players simply not liking how he works.
And the Digne incident isn't Digne being lazy. He was doing just what fans are doing - calling Benitez out for his dreadful tactics. And look, Benitez was in his right to call Digne out for defending badly.
But Benitez would have much more leeway to do all this self-sabotage of the squad if his method was bringing results. But it's not. We're 15th, the footy is as bad as I've seen us play, and we've won two games since October.
Coleman isn't a dissenting voice so I've got no clue where you've got that from. GS isn't part of the squad for reasons we're all aware of and will leave in the summer anyway.
Benitez needs to go.