2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[davek]

Yesterday was the day unfortunately. Like many others I've thought it was the right thing to do to give him time and let him try and fix us over a number of windows with a bit of money to spend.

But you have to take a step back at some point and look at what's happening in the here and now. There wasn't a Kopite or Geordie who didn't tell us in the summer that he'd 'get us organised.' I was so attracted to the idea of boring stability. Just make us a normal, boring football team instead of a screaming mental wreck, and then build from there under the stewardship of, whatever else you might say about him, an experienced, credible manager.

3-4 months in, look at the state of us, honestly. Yesterday was bad enough in isolation but on the heels of Brentford, shipping 5 at home to Watford, abject surrender at Wolves and Aston Villa, and ultimately just the raw data - 1 win in 10, 4 points from 30. Setting up to defend and counter when we can't defend, or counter. Falling out with players all over the shop and yesterday losing the few fans he had left onside. How can you possibly make a case for him to stay?

Think someone else said a few pages ago and I hadn't thought about it like this, but take aside who he is and his past and imagine he's some young hipster we'd appointed from the continent. There's absolutely no way this would be allowed to continue. The situation is disastrous and toxic in every imaginable way.

Unfortunately he probably won't get sacked because there's a total vacuum of leadership and direction throughout the club and he's the only one who seems to be saying he has a plan - however flawed - to salvage anything from it. Sacking him would be an admission from Moshiri that he hasn't got a clue and I don't think he has a) the humility, b) the financial wiggle room or c) the first clue what he'd do next.

We're a win away from the top half of the table; the feller was handed no money in the summer; we've had a catalogue of injuries.

As an accountant I'm sure Moshiri can see that if you hand someone a massive debit they aren't going to give you much credit.

And yet we still remain within a single match touch of midtable or even top half.

I thnk THAT is what Moshiri will see.

 

[Charro]

Come on dave you're better than that

He isn’t.

 

[MACCA75]

Bottom of the table from the last 12 games. That’s not ‘form’. That’s the way your season is shaping up.

No surprise who the posters are that are disputing this though.

 

[ToffeeTim]

We're a win away from the top half of the table; the feller was handed no money in the summer; we've had a catalogue of injuries.

As an accountant I'm sure Moshiri can see that if you hand someone a massive debit they aren't going to give you much credit.

And yet we still remain within a single match touch of midtable or even top half.

I thnk THAT is what Moshiri will see.

I don't think you've quite understood the whole double entry thing Dave

 

[davek]

0 points out of 3.

That's right. No need to panic then eh?

Especially as we're 3 points from the top half.

 

[nsno-chris]

I don't think you've quite understood the whole double entry thing Dave

Shock horror

Dave not knowing something

 

[Kev The Rat]

3 points from the last 6, and 2 points off midtable, and 3 points off top half of the table.

See what I did there? What you and others have done: chosen stats to prove a point.

No you’ve chosen a very narrow timespan which reduces effectiveness of analysis

 

[luuk_deventer]

3 points from the last 6, and 2 points off midtable, and 3 points off top half of the table.

See what I did there? What you and others have done: chosen stats to prove a point.

Three wins from Europe.

Three defeats from relegation.

Context.

 

[marmor]

Yesterday was the day unfortunately. Like many others I've thought it was the right thing to do to give him time and let him try and fix us over a number of windows with a bit of money to spend.

But you have to take a step back at some point and look at what's happening in the here and now. There wasn't a Kopite or Geordie who didn't tell us in the summer that he'd 'get us organised.' I was so attracted to the idea of boring stability. Just make us a normal, boring football team instead of a screaming mental wreck, and then build from there under the stewardship of, whatever else you might say about him, an experienced, credible manager.

3-4 months in, look at the state of us, honestly. Yesterday was bad enough in isolation but on the heels of Brentford, shipping 5 at home to Watford, abject surrender at Wolves and Aston Villa, and ultimately just the raw data - 1 win in 10, 4 points from 30. Setting up to defend and counter when we can't defend, or counter. Falling out with players all over the shop and yesterday losing the few fans he had left onside. How can you possibly make a case for him to stay?

Think someone else said a few pages ago and I hadn't thought about it like this, but take aside who he is and his past and imagine he's some young hipster we'd appointed from the continent. There's absolutely no way this would be allowed to continue. The situation is disastrous and toxic in every imaginable way.

Unfortunately he probably won't get sacked because there's a total vacuum of leadership and direction throughout the club and he's the only one who seems to be saying he has a plan - however flawed - to salvage anything from it. Sacking him would be an admission from Moshiri that he hasn't got a clue and I don't think he has a) the humility, b) the financial wiggle room or c) the first clue what he'd do next.

Exactly how I feel.
Weirdly, I do think fans haven’t been as hard on Benitez for your reasons of wanting a boring stable season compared to what’s happened previously.

Like you, I could see the logic in appointing him but reckoned some fans would never take to him and a division in the fanbase would always be there (there is always a division of some sorts in our fan base). Yesterdays performance however has changed that for the majority now and we seem pretty united in realising this isn’t working and he needs to go.
In 20 games now we have regressed from what was already a very very low starting point from what the fat Italian fella left here.
I know who I’d like to come in, but I’m sure we’d get rejected left right and centre from a whole list of managers due to our current poor overall state.

One dire situation we now find ourselves in. Depressing.

 

[Marius57]

That's right. No need to panic then eh?

Especially as we're 3 points from the top half.

Relegation form that. In a sample of 1 round of matches, that 3:1 loss would put us 3rd bottom because of how many we conceded.

Still waiting for your answer to my question. Would you be fine with us being relegated on the final day if it stopped Liverpool winning the league?

 

[Tilling]

Figured it would be of interest to share Benitez has turned around a similar situation before at Newcastle; they went 3 points out of 30 and winless in 10 at the start of the 18-19 season. They eventually finished 13th, which obviously isn't good enough, but still worth bringing up; one Salomon Rondon was their Player of the Year

 

[DanB90]

3 from 6.

We’ve only been in front for 4 minutes of the last 180 plus stoppages.

Nowhere near good enough really.

 

[Thomasc]

We're a win away from the top half of the table; the feller was handed no money in the summer; we've had a catalogue of injuries.

As an accountant I'm sure Moshiri can see that if you hand someone a massive debit they aren't going to give you much credit.

And yet we still remain within a single match touch of midtable or even top half.

I thnk THAT is what Moshiri will see.

I think he will see 5 points in 33 and a manager out of his depth and starting to upset everybody, like he has done everywhere else he’s been.

 

[Marius57]

Figured it would be of interest to share Benitez has turned around a similar situation before at Newcastle; they went 3 points out of 30 and winless in 10 at the start of the 18-19 season. They eventually finished 13th, which obviously isn't good enough, but still worth bringing up; one Salomon Rondon was their Player of the Year

We happy to be the same level as the geordies now? Fantastic.

 

[Bluemersey]

We're a win away from the top half of the table; the feller was handed no money in the summer; we've had a catalogue of injuries.

As an accountant I'm sure Moshiri can see that if you hand someone a massive debit they aren't going to give you much credit.

And yet we still remain within a single match touch of midtable or even top half.

I thnk THAT is what Moshiri will see.

I prefer to look at the form from the past 2 months and the end of season run in. Plus the fact the fans hate this manager and by the look of things so do a lot of the players. Horrible place to both play at and support. Players are a huge huge issue BTW.