2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[davek]

He's done nothing in the last 5-6 years to suggest he should have been anywhere near the job. He's stuck in the 2000s.

He knows more about football than the feller calling him "poor", that's for sure.

 

[Aberblue]

He's won more than all but one of our managers.

This underlines how 'kin rabid (and clownish) the attack on Benitez is.

Ancelotti had won a lot too. That didn't turn out well.

 

[kenada_blue]

I've not said they had a crisis, its interesting how we have 6 injuries and its a "crisis" though. Its all perception really. I don't think we have a crisis either by the way.

I can't recall them having key strikers and midfielders out. They had a CB issue while still having Henderson, Mane, Salah, Firmino, TTA, Robertson, etc score the joint 3rd highest amount of goals, finish 3rd, and have the 4th best defence in the league.

Shocked they coped to be fair.

 

[davek]

Ancelotti had won a lot too. That didn't turn out well.

But no one, including me, is suggesting he's a poor manager.

*sigh*

 

[d34noj]

He's won more than all but one of our managers.

This underlines how 'kin rabid (and clownish) the attack on Benitez is.

Just for the record, could you tell me which manager it is he's won less than?

 

[Colonel Getafe]

I think we'll have a much better idea of where things are heading at the end of January. It sounds like Benitez knows what he wants in terms of signings, so it'll be interesting to see who arrives and who departs.

You're assuming we don't go into January on about 15-18 points and Moshiri hasn't pressed the panic button like he has before, otherwise it wont be Rafael's signings coming in (if there are any at all).

 

[davek]

I can't recall them having key strikers and midfielders out. They had a CB issue while still having Henderson, Mane, Salah, Firmino, TTA, Robertson, etc score the joint 3rd highest amount of goals, finish 3rd, and have the 4th best defence in the league.

Shocked they coped to be fair.

Klopp said they had an injuriy crisis so it must be true.

 

[davek]

Just for the record, could you tell me which manager it is he's won less than?

The Italian scumbag.

 

[d34noj]

The Italian scumbag.

Mate I can't argue with that.

 

[BlueToff]

He knows more about football than the feller calling him "poor", that's for sure.

I'd hope he does, David. I'm not being paid £7m a year or whatever he's on. I'm not a professional football manager. But you know, that applies to literally everybody on here, doesn't it.

He may know more about football than me, but I could tell you playing Andros Townsend as a second striker isn't the way forward. I could tell you that playing a two-man midfield in the Premier League, without someone of Doucoure's energy, when the team can't keep the ball for more than about 5 passes, isn't a good idea.

 

[PhilM]

Unless we are in genuine threat of relegation he shouldn't be going anywhere. The season is largely a write off, sacking a Manager mid season will mean us lumped with Dunc or Unsworth who are in no way, shape or form safer hands and the money used to sack the fella will see us having no budget in January or worst case scenario breaking FFP and getting a fine/points deduction.

I'll be massively shocked if Benitez isn't Everton manager come this time next season and I imagine whilst BMD is being built / finances are improved the remit is to simply stay in the PL - fans wont like that but it is the reality of the situation and you can't take that out on manager.

I agree to an extent in the point of where we finish, but it isn't a season where we simply do not progress in other terms - footballing and off the pitch.

Apart from the start of the season, has the football improved? Do we look like we're moving towards a better philosophy or modelling the club along a plan?

I'm not advocating sacking Benitez, but rather pondering whether we're seeing the root work that'll bear fruit later in the season, next year and beyond.

In layman's terms, I want to believe that this rubbish will be worth it in the long run. Right now, I don't think I can honestly answer yes although nor can I say no.

If we don't improvements this season like I mentioned, we can't blame everyone else as it's his responsibility to steady the ship and point it in the right direction.

 

[kenada_blue]

Not in isolation, any team can have a bad night, but when it is in a run of poor performances and bad results it clearly is relevant.

If you want to make it relevant then that QPR result wasn't on the back of a run of poor performances. We beat Norwich at home and drew with United following QPR.

We lost to Villa before QPR which when you put the stat spin on it, from the opening day of the season until the QPR game we won 4 out of 7. Drew 1. Lost 2. That's not poor form by any stretch.

The cracks appear by West Ham (even though we played very well and were probably a Calvert Lewin being fit from getting a result) but mainly the Watford game.

So taking or leaving a cup game that we lost on penalties says nothing about how poor we've been since you're talking another 3 games later.

 

[Tubey]

I can't recall them having key strikers and midfielders out. They had a CB issue while still having Henderson, Mane, Salah, Firmino, TTA, Robertson, etc score the joint 3rd highest amount of goals, finish 3rd, and have the 4th best defence in the league.

Shocked they coped to be fair.

There's such a thing as relative quality. The upper echelons of the league have vast squads packed with quality, where even if they have seven or eight injuries they'll cope "ok". Chelsea have barely noticed Lukaku being missing for example.

Everton, to put it mildly, don't. We have the joint worst injury list in the league and that's been the case for some time now. The other clubs - Brentford and Watford - have eight injuries too, but half the players on the list you've never heard of.

Add to that Voldemort missing and Gbamin and Tosun being 'fit' only by the loosest meaning of the term, we are - by far and away - the most afflicted club in the league. Indeed pretty much our entire bench, in any normal scenario, would be with the reserves until a sale was arranged or until they actually developed into first team footballers.

This can't be just brushed aside as an 'excuse'. Every team will have injuries throughout the course of a season, but they've hit us like a truck now and results have suffered accordingly.

Yet you have people ignoring it nearly totally, because they're desperate to have a pop at the manager at all costs - even normally reasonable sensible people on here seeing logic blinded by pure hatred of one man based on a club he managed once upon a time.

And despite all that we're still as we stand right now bloody 11th, not 20th! It's ridiculous. This was an honest-to-God Premier League substitution we had to make the other day and people have the audacity to blame Benitez for our ills.

Christ.

 

[Brownie]

You're assuming we don't go into January on about 15-18 points and Moshiri hasn't pressed the panic button like he has before, otherwise it wont be Rafael's signings coming in (if there are any at all).

Yeah. Deffo possible.

 

[Richard Alex]

He's done nothing in the last 5-6 years to suggest he should have been anywhere near the job. He's stuck in the 2000s. We

He's done nothing in the last 5-6 years to suggest he should have been anywhere near the job. He's stuck in the 2000s.

What has Bid Sam, Marco and Ronald done to warrant the Everton job in their careers though mate!
This Everton Job is as hard as it comes
I think Benetez is more qualified experience wise to be fair