2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[Barnfred 55]

A cult could also be something where an individual is hated unconditionally and without question.
Would you fit into that definition ?

Would you?

Don't come in here that often but it didn't take many pages to realise that those with the most vociferous support for our manager are exactly the same people who are trying to demonise James.

If there is any cultism going on in here It's the Benitez fan club.

 

[Dixieslaces]

The two factors that make last seasons end result sketchy is our crazy purple patch at the seasons start which was just that in isolation & no fans in the crowd which threw weird results all over the place like Villa beating Liverpool 7-2.

The closest season to compare to is the one before last as we had played about 30 games with crowds in which gives you a good indication of where this squad is which was 12th.

I think we'll finish higher than 12th and more likely to be around 9th-10th but having spent the lowest in the league in the summer whilst other clubs were throwing money around you shouldn't be shocked if we finished lower.

You flip flop more than Corbyn mate lol!

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

Nonsense.
Why not show the table for the rest of the season and use that as a template to judge the manager.

He will not be sacked based on what happened last season , he will be judged on how his team performs this season with allowances being made for him not being able to spend money.
I think his position in incredibly secure.
What top class manager will come to a club with no transfer budget ?, we would be back to appointing Eddie Howe or worse.

Apart from all of that it appears that he has impressed a lot of people since he started working at the club... even on GOT.

Let's hope he does well mate as Moshiri won't tolerate any failure from him.

He has all of the players that Moshiri saw challenging last year, its on Benitez now ?

 

[ForeverBlue92]

Anyone who thinks Benitez is getting sacked whilst BMD is being built is crackers.

Its all hands on deck and anything outside of the bottom 6 or so places will see him safe in the boards eyes.

I think he'll be managing our first game at BMD in all honesty there is little appetite to keep hiring and firing managers its cost us too much in terms of compensation + having to fund the new manager with his own players every 18 months.

 

[Charlie Sweet]

I mean there is definitely a difference between 10th and 17 th , ultimately there is a difference between all the places otherwise we wouldn’t bother with league tables would we ?

if we finished out of Europe in eighth , out of Europe in 10th or in 17 th then the reaction to all 3 is from most people understandably very different. You might view them all as very similar but I probably wouldn’t .

We're Everton ffs.

Talking like that smacks of a Brighton or a Burnley. I won't sink to it.

I accept at the moment that us fighting seriously for the title and the top 4 is beyond us. But I won't accept or give an ounce of dignity to an argument that anything less than being in and around the European places is worth it. If we're below that then it's just another stain on our history so is void to me.

 

[Charlie Sweet]

I didn't, you're confusing me with somebody else.

You're right. My apologies. It was @Toff33Blues99 I think.

 

[degsy]

Benitez has all of the tools at his disposal to have us at least in this position come Christmas.

View attachment 138457
If he fails to at least match this Moshiri will be getting the axe ready. One thing we have seen with Moshiri is that he has no qualms about sacking underperforming managers. Over to you Benitez.

Dream on - Untd might be there, but last season's early form lightening won't strike twice...probably, maybe, allegedly etc.

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

Dream on - Untd might be there, but last season's early form lightening won't strike twice...probably, maybe, allegedly etc.

Moshiri has spent circa 500,000,000 to get this team together. Ancelotti was delivering on the whole for large parts but ultimately failed, in part to the misfortune of Rodriguez's calf injury. Benitez has to improve on last year's overall performance. He is showing early promise and hopefully, he'll be lucky with injuries but the buck will stop with him.

 

[Harryflashman]

We're Everton ffs.

Talking like that smacks of a Brighton or a Burnley. I won't sink to it.

I accept at the moment that us fighting seriously for the title and the top 4 is beyond us. But I won't accept or give an ounce of dignity to an argument that anything less than being in and around the European places is worth it. If we're below that then it's just another stain on our history so is void to me.

No I agree absolutely, we should be chasing European places and anything less than that is a a disappointment whatever caveats people place on the season . I was just saying that I’d be devastated with a finish outside the top ten , I could perhaps stomach just outside Europe if I can see improvement on last year , which the way we ended doesn’t feel difficult .

 

[MikeH72]

Would you?

Don't come in here that often but it didn't take many pages to realise that those with the most vociferous support for our manager are exactly the same people who are trying to demonise James.

If there is any cultism going on in here It's the Benitez fan club.

I mean it absolutely works the other way round too. As someone who genuinely doesn’t fall on either side of this bizarre war, I can see that there’s clearly a vociferous and at times aggressive James/Ancelotti cult on here. Last season anyone criticising any decision Ancelotti made was rounded on by a group of people who thought he was a literal god sent down from the heavens to bless us Everton peasants with his presence. To deny that such a group of posters exists is actually, ironically, cultish.

 

[summerisle]

You flip flop more than Johnson mate lol!

*fixed.

 

[Charlie Sweet]

Moshiri has spent circa 500,000,000 to get this team together. Ancelotti was delivering on the whole for large parts but ultimately failed, in part to the misfortune of Rodriguez's calf injury. Benitez has to improve on last year's overall performance. He is showing early promise and hopefully, he'll be lucky with injuries but the buck will stop with him.

I think that's very rose tinted glasses for Ancelotti.

Start of last season we had some good spells going forward but couldn't defend. Then once the season got on my God those home games against the poorer sides in the league was the lowest of the low.

I grew up going to the game in the 90s and we were generally rubbish but even then was infinitely better watching than Carlo's team for big chunks of last season.

 

[Dixieslaces]

*fixed.

true!

 

[blueblue]

Would you?

Don't come in here that often but it didn't take many pages to realise that those with the most vociferous support for our manager are exactly the same people who are trying to demonise James.

If there is any cultism going on in here It's the Benitez fan club.

I don't hate James , I never have.
I think I recognise the reality of the situation.
I will be perfectly happy if the manager includes James in his plans for the remainder of the season, but I just don't see that happening.
James is costing the club a lot of money that it can ill afford, for that reason and because he won't(probably) be used by the manager then I would think it best for him to have moved on.

If that stance puts me into a cult of some kind then so be it.

 

[MikeH72]

I think that's very rose tinted glasses for Ancelotti.

Start of last season we had some good spells going forward but couldn't defend. Then once the season got on my God those home games against the poorer sides in the league was the lowest of the low.

I grew up going to the game in the 90s and we were generally rubbish but even then was infinitely better watching than Carlo's team for big chunks of last season.

Genuinely the most miserable it’s ever made me watching us last season. I actually couldn’t be arsed watching our games in the end. I agree that watching our team of dogs in the 90s/early 00’s scrap their way to 40 points was more gratifying than watching that rabble phone it in last season, and I include Ancelotti in that.