2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[tommytowne]

I’ve said the same thing a few times now but while I don’t think we’ll actually go down the possibility really shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. The next week or so is massive in that regard, if we win on Sunday then yeah it starts to look remote but if we were to get nothing from the next 3 then you’d have to have your head in the sand to not think we could go down. Any team getting 1 win in 12 at any point is in danger of going down.

Given our injury list, up and coming fixtures, coupled with the general malaise around the club at the moment, I wouldn't bet against us becoming engulfed in the bottom six as we enter the new year.

 

[tommytowne]

We won't go down and those even mentioning are also the same few who want rid of Benitez immediately. We're on a poor run of form without our best players, when they're back we'll start competing properly again (if you took DCL and his goals out of the team last year we'd be performing no differently) but I suspect another mid table finish at the end of the season.

Based only on blind faith, I agree we won't get relegated.
It's going to be an interesting ride though.

 

[roy vernon]

Based only on blind faith, I agree we won't get relegated.
It's going to be an interesting ride though.

I don't think we'll get relegated either, however, I don't believe that we can't get relegated.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

Has to win this if Doucoure is fit.

We can't win games if Doucoure doesn't play so now that he is we should finally win again right?

Expect if he plays and we get beat "Yeah but, no but, yeah but...he's only just come back from injury, he needs to get up to speed, he's having to do the work of 3 players" etc, etc.

 

[BlueToff]

Given our injury list, up and coming fixtures, coupled with the general malaise around the club at the moment, I wouldn't bet against us becoming engulfed in the bottom six as we enter the new year.

Looks very likely we'll have Doucoure back for Sunday.

Gray should be fine for the derby, Richarlison and Holgate back. Perhaps even Dom on the bench but I think it'll be too far unfortunately. Mina is an unknown.

Gomes also back in training so isn't too far off.

Ultimately Benitez has put a lot of pressure on himself to get results once the injured players are back, as he seems to think we were brilliant before they got injured.

 

[BlueToff]

Andrei Kanchleakis, the man of the people, giving it to the mess of our boardroom and calling out this mess of a manager

What's he said?

 

[BlueToff]

We've missed a trick not getting him in on the same deal they've done.

Would have been ideal. Would have meant Brands being binned though - as he'd be even more redundant than he is now by the sounds - and we'd just given him a nice new deal. So was probably never gonna happen.

 

[StuBarlow]

What's he said?

“I have to be honest, I felt at the outset that his appointment was a bad decision, because of his history working with Liverpool.

"To me it almost feels like the decision-makers at that club don’t understand the fans, of which many were angry with the appointment."

 

[Nymzee]

Would have been ideal. Would have meant Brands being binned though - as he'd be even more redundant than he is now by the sounds - and we'd just given him a nice new deal. So was probably never gonna happen.

Well that's why I suspect we never went for him in the Summer either even though we should have.

 

[tommytowne]

I don't think we'll get relegated either, however, I don't believe that we can't get relegated.

Deftly put sir.
Speaks volumes.

 

[Khalekan]

Given our injury list, up and coming fixtures, coupled with the general malaise around the club at the moment, I wouldn't bet against us becoming engulfed in the bottom six as we enter the new year.

For the reasons you stated, I think it is almost certain

 

[Ray Purchase]

Going to be tasty on here, if we lose on Sunday, and then to the RS.

 

[Egil Olsen]

Would have been ideal. Would have meant Brands being binned though - as he'd be even more redundant than he is now by the sounds - and we'd just given him a nice new deal. So was probably never gonna happen.

A couple of losses, and the fans had whined about his 4-4-2 formation, and that he does not care about ball possession, and uses zonal marking on set pieces.

 

[tommytowne]

For the reasons you stated, I think it is almost certain

I know we say it each upcoming match but three points on Sunday would mean so much for the team and fans.
Failure to secure a point will be awful. With the whispers of possible returns of key players, I've got a feeling we could halt the slide and steady ourselves for Armagedden Wednesday

 

[chippy1722]

Going to be tasty on here, if we lose on Sunday, and then to the RS.

To be fair even if we won on Sunday and the derby, there would still be a lot of people calling for his head. I think the majority of fans made their decision before a ball was kicked this season.
I think he’s at the point of no return, with a lot of fans.
The board won’t do anything for a good while, not until the fans start making a noise at the games.