Homepage Article Rafael Benitez Appointed Everton Manager

[Paul Rideout]

The bloody manager has only been here 10 minutes, and Townsend 5. Not remotely enough time for anyone to work 'tirelessly' over anything. People work tirelessly for years, raising money for a hospice. Conceivably, a coach could work tirelessly in extra sessions etc over a couple of seasons with a youth team player to get them to develop into what they have the potential for. Doing something for a few training sessions doesn't remotely qualify for tireless.

Off to spen the next 5 minutes tirelessly scratching my backside.

like it or not, they're both unpopular choices and so will not be given time.

The board either knew this or they're bordering on being out of touch with reality.

I don't know any blue that was/is happy with the manager, and as a result a sequence of below par results & underwhelming signings (that Portuguese lad would have been the type of signing to get fans on board) is going to see fans (the ones in the ground, the only real gauge of fan sentiment) turn on the board pronto.

 

[MACCA75]

Teachers pet will be starting every week won’t he.

 

[Bkk Andy]

It's mot about hiding behind anything though, it is about evaluating performance. There are 2 ways you can do this, league position and overall win/draw/loss record (which is points).

On either metric we were a top half team. In fact no team coming 10th has ever got more points. Our normal finishing position would have been 7th. So while the squad certainly has problems it is really not a bottom 6 squad.

If you're anything like me, you will have lived through an era where we had bottom 6 squads. Most of the 90's and indeed for periods under early Moyes. We simply didn't have international players who represented England, France, Italy, Brazil Columbia etc.

The squad is a bit unbalanced and still lacking in mobility, but it's not an appalling squad.

I can completely get the anger towards Ancelotti (though I don't share it) but it just doesn't make sense to me that he is seen as having done a bad job, then the guy with the same squad is made out to be a miracle worker if he gets less wins and loses more games than him. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

We'll never agree on the points POV but I definitely agree that the squad is not a bottom 6 squad. There is a lot of garbage in the league but I would expect the top to get stronger - look at their transfer business - whilst this year's bottom 3 can't possibly perform worse than last year's.

I thought that Ancelotti did a poor job. 10th is poor when you look at the money spent. I think Benitez will do similar and I'll think that's poor too even if he is being hindered by a lack of backing in the transfer market. Whatever Zac says the 3 players brought in would not have been Benitez's dream signings. More a cheap attempt at rebalancing a squad to add some pace/crossing ability.

I was there in the 90's which were made even more miserable coming so soon after the 80's glory years. This squad is miles ahead of those. Time has dulled the memories though as I almost miss the excitement of last day survival. Horrible on the nerves but the buzz of surviving was way better than the boring midtable nothingness we're seeing today.

 

[orly]

Teachers pet will be starting every week won’t he.

Townsend is the new Phil Neville.

 

[catcherintherye]

We'll never agree on the points POV but I definitely agree that the squad is not a bottom 6 squad. There is a lot of garbage in the league but I would expect the top to get stronger - look at their transfer business - whilst this year's bottom 3 can't possibly perform worse than last year's.

I thought that Ancelotti did a poor job. 10th is poor when you look at the money spent. I think Benitez will do similar and I'll think that's poor too even if he is being hindered by a lack of backing in the transfer market. Whatever Zac says the 3 players brought in would not have been Benitez's dream signings. More a cheap attempt at rebalancing a squad to add some pace/crossing ability.

I was there in the 90's which were made even more miserable coming so soon after the 80's glory years. This squad is miles ahead of those. Time has dulled the memories though as I almost miss the excitement of last day survival. Horrible on the nerves but the buzz of surviving was way better than the boring midtable nothingness we're seeing today.

Yes a really thoughtful response, and on a forum it's good to have people coming at it from different angles, so I'd probably agree we won't agree on all things.

I agree with a lot of your summary, though I do think the bottom 3 will really struggle again mate. The jump from championship upwards seems to be getting more difficult. Maybe fans in will help those teams a bit more, but I am not entirely sure.

As for the top end, United, Chelsea and City are certainly stronger. I'm not as convinced on Liverpool as some are. Their pre-season results seem a bit shaky, and their squad players are not so good as we saw last season. I'm not sure they've massively improved this season in signings, but they probably have more than enough to get the top 4. Outside of that, I do think it's quite open. I'm not sure West Ham, Spurs, Arsenal etc have really got much stronger. Leicester seem to have lost Fofana while Villa have lost Grealish (though bought in some really good players). I still think that's our group, and we want to come a bit higher up that mini league.

I probably differ from you, I think Ancelotti did pretty well with the points total, if not the position last season. I'll be surprised if we can manage more points, but I don't wholly discount it. A lot will depend on injuries, and how we utilise not travelling as much. I hope we can have decent defensive shape, and can get Richarlison/Kean somewhere back to their best.

 

[John from Bootle]

You make that a condition of supporting the team? You dont just support them anyway?!?!

Bizarre, init.

I quite like watching us win. It brightens my day.

 

[davek]

Bizarre, init.

I quite like watching us win. It brightens my day.

Apparently it's the last thing some want to happen.

*checks name of forum*

 

[zukai12_]

should have stuck with Silva

 

[stretford blue]

Yes a really thoughtful response, and on a forum it's good to have people coming at it from different angles, so I'd probably agree we won't agree on all things.

I agree with a lot of your summary, though I do think the bottom 3 will really struggle again mate. The jump from championship upwards seems to be getting more difficult. Maybe fans in will help those teams a bit more, but I am not entirely sure.

As for the top end, United, Chelsea and City are certainly stronger. I'm not as convinced on Liverpool as some are. Their pre-season results seem a bit shaky, and their squad players are not so good as we saw last season. I'm not sure they've massively improved this season in signings, but they probably have more than enough to get the top 4. Outside of that, I do think it's quite open. I'm not sure West Ham, Spurs, Arsenal etc have really got much stronger. Leicester seem to have lost Fofana while Villa have lost Grealish (though bought in some really good players). I still think that's our group, and we want to come a bit higher up that mini league.

I probably differ from you, I think Ancelotti did pretty well with the points total, if not the position last season. I'll be surprised if we can manage more points, but I don't wholly discount it. A lot will depend on injuries, and how we utilise not travelling as much. I hope we can have decent defensive shape, and can get Richarlison/Kean somewhere back to their best.

It's a strange one for me to read how bad ancelotti faired last season we finished just 8pts off Chelsea who finished fourth and 7 off Leicester the rest below them we were only a couple of home wins away from . Yes the home record was shocking but with fans in the ground I would expect us to be a lot better pts wise .
The expectation should be to at least match Carlo's points total if not better and see where we finish

 

[Lord Buckethead]

It's a strange one for me to read how bad ancelotti faired last season we finished just 8pts off Chelsea who finished fourth and 7 off Leicester the rest below them we were only a couple of home wins away from . Yes the home record was shocking but with fans in the ground I would expect us to be a lot better pts wise .
The expectation should be to at least match Carlo's points total if not better and see where we finish

Aye, it's all revisionist twaddle from the Kopite Kool-Aid Brigade

They are blowing more bubbles than West Ham.

 

[COYBL25]

Townsend is the new Phil Neville.

In the absence of Siggurdson, he needs to hone his pointing skills.

 

[Preki]

We'll never agree on the points POV but I definitely agree that the squad is not a bottom 6 squad. There is a lot of garbage in the league but I would expect the top to get stronger - look at their transfer business - whilst this year's bottom 3 can't possibly perform worse than last year's.

I thought that Ancelotti did a poor job. 10th is poor when you look at the money spent. I think Benitez will do similar and I'll think that's poor too even if he is being hindered by a lack of backing in the transfer market. Whatever Zac says the 3 players brought in would not have been Benitez's dream signings. More a cheap attempt at rebalancing a squad to add some pace/crossing ability.

I was there in the 90's which were made even more miserable coming so soon after the 80's glory years. This squad is miles ahead of those. Time has dulled the memories though as I almost miss the excitement of last day survival. Horrible on the nerves but the buzz of surviving was way better than the boring midtable nothingness we're seeing today.

The buzz of surviving adds some excitement but the appalling performances and grinding home defeats to the likes of QPR and Bolton were worse than the current mediocrity surely?

 

[Bluestar]

I can't speak for everyone else or the "forum", but I don't blame people too much if they feel that way after 25 years of nothingness and spurts of optimism immediately dashed. But I'm a big fan of many of our players: Digne, Godfrey, DCL, Richarlison, James, Gbamin and there's nothing wrong with Mina, Keane, Allan, Doucoure, etc.

I’m glad you do, I have an Sinking feeling you are in a minority.

When reds call us bitter blues they are increasingly correct. So many people seem to define their support through hate

 

[windymiller]

The Allan and James of last season and this are two completely different kettles of fish (one of the many benefits of buying established talent the wrong side of 30) And just cos Kean was on loan doesn't mean he wasn't missed on saturday, we were without a strikeforce.

So, Allan and James are clapped out and are completely different players to 3 months ago? That is your thesis? Townsend is over 30 now, is he also done in your eyes?

 

[Death]

Love you Benjamin. From the silent majority.