2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[zukai12_]

Looking back, the summer of Marco Silva’s second season was a turning point and opportunity missed. Second half of the season we’d started to see the shape of a team forming. Zouma and Keane were forming a good partnership at centre back, Gueye and Gomes looked good together, Richie on the left had good figures for goals, Siggi behind the striker was scoring and Calvert Lewis was starting to emerge.

That summer if we’d made Zouma permanent, not sold Gueye and added a right winger who contributed similar numbers to what Richie and Siggi were doing behind DCL I think that team was showing signs of going in the right direction.

Instead, we didn’t/couldn’t make Zouma permanent, sold Gueye and replaces him with Gbamin and instead of adding a right winger that would contribute we added Iwobi who really wanted to play on the left. Team went backwards and has been going backwards since.

We’ve absolutely had the money to be pushing top four, West Ham are doing it having spent a fraction. We’ve lost good players who were key parts of the team we should have been building on and replaced with poorer players. Add a toxic personality like Rafael into the mix and well, we all know how it turns out.

i think that summer was the real killer too , i don't think we could have held on to Gueye in any case but replacing him with Gbamin was never a smart move

as you say, if we had got a good right winger that year instead of sodding Iwobi .. who nows

the next summer was clearly one last desperate roll of the dice by getting Allan, Doucs and James and it didn't work

 

[BigDuncTributeBand]

I can only imagine Benitez is trying to screw every penny he can out of the club and that is why he hasn’t been sacked at this stage. Hopefully as part of the review of the club which we are told is going on they look at how much has been wasted on paying managers off and how much transfer money has been squandered by different managers trying to build a team in their image only to be sacked shortly thereafter.
I suggest the club appoint a three man panel, none of whom can be current board members with the exception of Sharpie, to select the new man. In fact I would let the tea lady pick the new man before I would let the board or Moshiri pick him.
A name they should be considering is Gareth Southgate. Seems to know how to get the best out of players and how to build a team, the question is would he come to a club were the owner seems to have more say in who plays than the manager.

Not Southgate, the man’s as dull as the football he wants to play.

 

[Toffeelover]

No news as yet, darn. Hope he does not sneak back in because some board members are soft.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Looking back, the summer of Marco Silva’s second season was a turning point and opportunity missed. Second half of the season we’d started to see the shape of a team forming. Zouma and Keane were forming a good partnership at centre back, Gueye and Gomes looked good together, Richie on the left had good figures for goals, Siggi behind the striker was scoring and Calvert Lewis was starting to emerge.

That summer if we’d made Zouma permanent, not sold Gueye and added a right winger who contributed similar numbers to what Richie and Siggi were doing behind DCL I think that team was showing signs of going in the right direction.

Instead, we didn’t/couldn’t make Zouma permanent, sold Gueye and replaces him with Gbamin and instead of adding a right winger that would contribute we added Iwobi who really wanted to play on the left. Team went backwards and has been going backwards since.

We’ve absolutely had the money to be pushing top four, West Ham are doing it having spent a fraction. We’ve lost good players who were key parts of the team we should have been building on and replaced with poorer players. Add a toxic personality like Rafael into the mix and well, we all know how it turns out.

When Martinez was sacked
We had Lukaku
Barkley
Stones
Coleman
Bains

And 200 million to spend
We bought Pickford, Sigi, Klassen, Keane, Rooney and can’t remember who else

 

[adi dassler]

Yes which is why if we fall into the bottom 3 Benitez is in danger.

Until that day comes he's as safe as houses this season.

You keep believing in fairytales I'll stay in the real world where Moshiri isn't sacking Benitez anytime soon.

Still confident fella? ?

 

[MrGrumpy]

We would have been nearer of course - but I don’t see how we were going to out compete Chelsea, City, Liverpool or United. They attract better players and managers.

We missed the boat when the money went crazy in the Prem. it isn’t coming back I’m afraid.

Had we bought the right players we would of possibly made top 4 instead we are now close to bottom 4

 

[BigDuncTributeBand]

When Martinez was sacked
We had Lukaku
Barkley
Stones
Coleman
Bains

And 200 million to spend
We bought Pickford, Sigi, Klassen, Keane, Rooney and can’t remember who else

Oh yeah, that summer was ground zero for the shambles to follow.

 

[BullensRoad]

Is anyone able to explain what changed in the team after the good run at the start of the season?

 

[Bigduke1234]

I hope he doesn't retire, because as bad as I'd feel for the fans of his next club, I'd like to see if he really is just this clueless or if agent Rafael was actually real. It's honestly hard to think he could've done more damage to the club if that was his intention all along. Shameful that this has been allowed to go on for so long.

Well, I hope he doesn’t retire so we can foist rondon on to the next blinkered misguided fools

 

[ToffeeTim]

Is anyone able to explain what changed in the team after the good run at the start of the season?

Benitez had more time to implement his methods and they made the team worse.

 

[MACCA75]

Is anyone able to explain what changed in the team after the good run at the start of the season?

I don’t think we were great tbh. But the more the players adopted his methods, the worse we got.

 

[Dykovski200]

No news as yet, darn. Hope he does not sneak back in because some board members are soft.

Could you imagine Goodison next Saturday against Villa if he’s still in the job. It might be burnt to the ground.

 

[bluesb1970]

Had we bought the right players we would of possibly made top 4 instead we are now close to bottom 4

If yer auntie was yer uncle!

 

[Harryflashman]

Is anyone able to explain what changed in the team after the good run at the start of the season?

I’ll tell you , it wasn’t a good run . We got out of jail a couple of times , Brighton away aside we’ve not played well for a whole match all season . We’ve played well in really short bursts, the difference early in the season was other teams weren’t out of sight and we took our chances during those bursts . We’re incredibly lucky not to be where Burnley are .

 

[stevie blott]

I'm not sure he'll go, Moshiri has to say he was wrong in the first place....I cant see him doing that, especially after throwing Brands out, he was clearly showing the fans that he was putting all the blame on him.
If he stays, I don't think I'll watch the next game. It will be venomous, seeing Gerrard smirking at the fans, it won't end well this.