2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[Martin Alvito]

A Premier League club appointing a bottom half La Liga manager who's never worked over here is always going to be a gamble though. Espanyol was his first job. In his last full season there they finished 14th (and finished 13th the season he left towards the end).

Poaching the manager of the 14th best team in Spain (at a decent sized club in his 4th season in charge) would hardly go down well here.

The job he did has to be judged in context, though. Their star was on his last legs due to injuries, and they were in full rebuild mode. It's far less of a gamble than giving guys like Arteta and Lampard their first jobs, or plucking OGS out of Norway after he was relegated in his only Prem job.

I agree that we would likely not be thrilled with a Pochettino appointment back then, but then we have the revenue to not have to fish in the pond Southampton was fishing in as a club looking for a new manager bounce to stave off relegation. We, of course, would turn around and hire a relegated manager that had just lifted the FA Cup to replace Moyes.

 

[nevsonlymate]

Are you saying Ev should go for Potter?

no, it was just the fact that someone said he thought potter was only on 1m a year wages so we could have gone for him, i just pointed out about the possible issue with compensation that was reported as some think RB was employed due to the lack of compensation required

 

[Efcjake]

I've still seen nothing from him that convinces me he ever stood a chance of turning around the fan opinion.

We have been crap under him. You can find as many mitigating factors and excuses as you like, but the bottomline is we are crap and sinking down the table like a stone.

Liverpool, Chelsea, Leicester, and Arsenal all coming up soon and we already have his biggest fans in here telling us we can't expect a win from Brentford. Where does that leave us?

It's been absolutely shocking and the fact that some of you will sit by and watch him take us closer to the relegation zone each week is frightening.

 

[Martin Alvito]

And the mad thing is that all of those bolded players are missing or have been missing.

Pretty much any and every decent player we have injured/suspended.

But yeah, let's change the manager, I'm sure someone else would be able to do much better.

Yes, 100% this. Take away West Ham's five best outfield players, and they're hanging around down with us if not worse. Even the top three clubs would feel it, though not to that degree.

 

[Zatara]

And the mad thing is that all of those bolded players are missing or have been missing.

Pretty much any and every decent player we have injured/suspended.

But yeah, let's change the manager, I'm sure someone else would be able to do much better.

Have you watched the City game yet?

Players all (aside from Gordon/Godfrey) standing 3yards off the City lads and not attempting to tackle or even press.

Looked like they had downed tools and im struggling to think of a game in the last 30+ years with so little effort.

looked like they didnt want to break a nail.

My idea is that we don’t have a wide range of sellable assets. Look at players like Schneiderlin, £20m loss.

I listed 4-5 players and I’m not sure they’re commanding a fee which will be much use to us.

Do you twist and start offloading some of the huge valued players like Richarlison?

If we managed to get the £32mil (i think) you said for Gomes, Holgate, Davies and Kenny...then we spread that over a contract length of 5 years its £160mil.

Obviously we would need to generate more funds to keep paying it off each year BUT as the Italians do, we could use the £32mil to pay loan fees with guaranteed deals in 2 seasons time (when we would be free of FFP).

Just like Milan did with Kessie and Juve have done with Kean.

£32mil used correctly can go a long long way.

We may have no choice. I can't see DCL or Richarlison wanting to be here next season. I expect one of them to be sold, and I can't blame them because we haven't been good enough.

If you were a forward player in this setup theres no way you would want to play let alone stay.

Id be asking my agent to get me out of this kick + rush team which has no structure and a past it manager.

Iwobi yesterday was unbelievable. Like he was playing for the other team.

 

[Marius57]

no, it was just the fact that someone said he thought potter was only on 1m a year wages so we could have gone for him, i just pointed out about the possible issue with compensation that was reported as some think RB was employed due to the lack of compensation required

That was literally what was said though. That we couldn't afford anyone else. Saying we couldn't afford anyone else due to ffp is just not true when we are paying him 7m a year as well as a signing fee.

I then gave the example of gaultier. Granted he may not have come to us, but as a manager who just beat psg to the title, his combined cost to buy out and his first year salary is less than benitez is costing when benitez was unemployed.

We don't need premier league experience. Moyes didn't have any and he has been better than all the managers that followed who did.

 

[jamieni]

Have you watched the City game yet?

Players all (aside from Gordon/Godfrey) standing 3yards off the City lads and not attempting to tackle or even press.

Looked like they had downed tools and im struggling to think of a game in the last 30+ years with so little effort.

looked like they didnt want to break a nail.



If we managed to get the £32mil (i think) you said for Gomes, Holgate, Davies and Kenny...then we spread that over a contract length of 5 years its £160mil.

Obviously we would need to generate more funds to keep paying it off each year BUT as the Italians do, we could use the £32mil to pay loan fees with guaranteed deals in 2 seasons time (when we would be free of FFP).

Just like Milan did with Kessie and Juve have done with Kean.

£32mil used correctly can go a long long way.



If you were a forward player in this setup theres no way you would want to play let alone stay.

Id be asking my agent to get me out of this kick + rush team which has no structure and a past it manager.

Iwobi yesterday was unbelievable. Like he was playing for the other team.

I think at least one of our “big names” will be pushing to get out this summer.

 

[Joey66]

His 12th league game Brentford away lose that, & I feel he get sacked ....

 

[BlueToff]

The difference is I'll do so when he actually deserves it. Whereas loads on here wanted him out before a ball was kicked, so they can't be taken seriously.

1 win in 9 though Tubey and we've played 2 decent teams and one very good one. The footy is God awful, like a fair chunk of last year, but without the results that went with it (at least until the end when it completely tailed off)

 

[Simon Buttle]

That was literally what was said though. That we couldn't afford anyone else. Saying we couldn't afford anyone else due to ffp is just not true when we are paying him 7m a year as well as a signing fee.

I then gave the example of gaultier. Granted he may not have come to us, but as a manager who just beat psg to the title, his combined cost to buy out and his first year salary is less than benitez is costing when benitez was unemployed.

We don't need premier leaguee experienc. Moyes didn't have any and he has been better than all the managers that followed who did.

The whole 'premier league experience' thing stinks of Kenwright imo. The best managers in the league in recent years have tended to be guys from abroad who had none, come into their clubs with a fresh approach and it has worked. The only one that you could argue has'nt gone like that would be Ralph at Southampton, but that is (imo) due to him being school of Red Bull which is a very specific way of playing and Saints just don't have the players for it.

 

[magicjuan]

I think at least one of our “big names” will be pushing to get out this summer.

We're at that point, again, where most of us admit we wouldn't blame them for wanting to better themselves. Richarlison, DCL, maybe Pickford, could all do better, and then I'm hard pushed to find anyone who could step up a level by moving. We've got an expensive squad full of players none of our peers would want.

 

[davek]

True, but only highlights why he was a poor choice. He simply won't get the time because he is a poor fit for the club on account of his past baggage. It might be illogical to hold his past against him but following a team is an emotional exercise.

His sacking is inevitable (most managers end up getting the sack, relatively few retire on the job or leave for a better opportunity) and will be ugly. He started his tenure already closer to the sack than most because many supporters simply wanted nothing to do with him for very real emotional reasons.

Plus when everything else (aside from the new stadium) about the club seems dire people will naturally focus on making the easiest quick change which is sacking the manager.

It was a massive mistake to appoint him, sacking is inevitable, rip the band aid off now and move on.

I think you underestimate the rationality of the bulk of our supporters. If you think most Everton supporters seeing their club decimated with injuries will be demanding en masse the resignation of a man they've had as manager for months, and who hasn't been backed with cash, then you're reading the tea leaves all wrong.

It's happened to you because you over-emphasiize the Liverpool connections of Benitez.

 

[magicjuan]

1 win in 9 though Tubey and we've played 2 decent teams and one very good one. The footy is God awful, like a fair chunk of last year, but without the results that went with it (at least until the end when it completely tailed off)

He was never going to make it, given the finacial constraints the least he needed was for the supporters to be united behind him, they never were and he couldn't play his usual tactic of slating the owners to get fans onside.
His appointment was never going to succeed, a few points dragged it out is all.

 

[magicjuan]

I think you underestimate the rationality of the bulk of our supporters. If you think most Everton supporters seeing their club decimated with injuries will be demanding en masse the resignation of a man they've had as manager for months, and who hasn't been backed with cash, then you're reading the tea leaves all wrong.

It's happened to you because you over-emphasiize the Liverpool connections of Benitez.

Nah, way more complex than that. Yet again the board pulled a fast one.

 

[nsno-chris]

He was finished in the top flight years ago

He just hit the jackpot that our crackpot owner was sold a pipe dream

Man’s a charlatan, has been since day one. A man who blames everyone else, antiquated football based on stuff that worked years ago

He took us to city and had his team put in a display that looked like we should admire City and let them win. It was utterly embarrassing

Anyone who makes excuses for that display is not an Evertonian