2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[witchdoc187]

…absolutely, Matey, such an underestimated part of what both of them give to the team.

he likes a goal against Wolves too i think?

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

If we can get Mina back in soon and keep the other lads fit and not play Rondon there is no reason why we cannot go on a run. Benitez's decision-making would obviously be key to this too but as said previously, it is in his hands. The worry is his decision making to date seems suspect.

 

[The Hibbert Agenda]

Which I wasn't by the way. There's no doubt we've been more shambolic since Moshiri became involved. The original post I answered claimed we didn't capitulate under Moyes, which we did.

Sure, but all football teams have outliers.
We've smashed Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

 

[anton66]

I think we should sack the fat spanish waiter and bring in someone better who has just become available.

Hear me out

Steve Bruce

Nice bloke, good honest family man. Can organise a defence, real tactical expertise. Perfect for our club. Newcastle are going on to bigger and better things so their trash is our treasure.

Stay away from horses.

 

[Papa Shango]

Yeah he hadn’t had much grief up to now, the funny thing is though you don’t hear anyone chanting his name when we have won, especially after the comebacks against Southampton and Burnley, not a murmur. So I think he’s being tolerated to see what he can do, that’s going by speaking to lads at the game.

Saying that though, the abuse from all parts of the ground he got on Saturday was the worst I’ve seen happen so early into one of our managers tenure and for me that’s because he brings the baggage of being an ex RS manager.

We’ve got 6 difficult games coming up, if we struggle then I can see the atmosphere at Goodison getting very toxic towards Benitez and not just from a majority.

All that is just my opinion like.

Yep, that was always going to be the problem and why it was a bizarre appointment.

 

[BlueToff]

I know we came back against Southampton and Burnley and in great style, but our first half performances against those 2 teams were terrible, especially against Burnley.

We were awful for the first 60 mins and last 10 mins v Burnley. And very good for 20 mins of it.

 

[Marius57]

Oh, they suck too, but it's the managers job to get a tune out of them.

This is also the managers thread, so the discussion is about the manager not the players.

 

[Egil Olsen]

That's true. If it is a one off. We'll see over the next few games. If it happens on more than one occasion it is worrying, if it happens several times it is a pattern. At that point 59 points will seem a long way off, and I don't care what anybody says about points versus positions, if we finish on 49 points and finish 12th, for example, it will be very different from finishing 10th on 59 points as it will point towards a downward trajectory. Without wholesale changes at this club we will be in trouble sooner or later. Has a club ever spent so much money to get sustainably worse. Leeds spent a ton of money and got relegated but they at least got better for a while first.

I do not disagree that most of the sporting strategic decisions the club has made appear incompetent and ridiculous. We agree. I also have no intentions of defending Benitez. He must deliver results within what is expected, and preferably with a type of football that is worth watching.

But I also know that a manager needs far more time than what the status is now before you see an effect - either positive or negative. There is a difference between taking over Chelsea, making small adjustments with (world-class) top players, and taking over Everton, which mostly consists of an average bunch of football players and a club that has largely underperformed in recent years. So for now, I'm sitting still in the boat.

 

[maccavennie]

Barcodes are still sniffing after Rafael

I hope they sniff that hard they snort the lot of him up and away from us.

 

[maccavennie]

I know we came back against Southampton and Burnley and in great style, but our first half performances against those 2 teams were terrible, especially against Burnley.

An hour against Burnley was dreadful, 90 against West Ham was woeful and the less said about Watford the better.

Very similar to last season. Carrying a threat away from home but making hard work of it at Goodison

 

[little elfin]

 

[woodsyni]

View attachment 143868

What's Ranieri doing these days? Oh wait....

 

[Carloblues]

I hope they sniff that hard they snort the lot of him up and away from us.

Kinell mate would need nostrils like Kerry katona to sniff all of him up

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

State of this thread.

I think we should sack the fat spanish waiter and bring in someone better who has just become available.

Hear me out

Steve Bruce

Nice bloke, good honest family man. Can organise a defence, real tactical expertise. Perfect for our club. Newcastle are going on to bigger and better things so their trash is our treasure.

I like your thinking my friend. Any Newcastle squad players you reckon could be handy to bolster us? Either for Benitez, or hypothetically, Bruce the conqueror?

 

[FrenchDarrenBent]

Always though Unai Emery was very underrated and very unfairly treated. The man has won more trophies in the last few years than most clubs have (granted, not necessarily the major ones, but trophies are trophies and winning is winning). He had Arsenal to within a whisker of a UCL return at the first attempt before it went pete tong, and I cannot believe the abuse and mocking he got because his English wasn't perfect - mostly by people who probably couldn't speak a word of Spanish if their lives depended on it. Disgraceful treatment of a good man and a good manager. Can think of a lot worse appointments than him.

He doesn't speak English at all. It's an English league, so you have to master the language of the staff and squad How hard can it be?

Also, he left the club in a worse state than when he got the job.

Ask Arsenalfans about Emery. See how teary eyed they get when talking about his tenure. That, to me, is worth more than statistics. Compare that to Benitez's past...

I would be very surprised if they sacked him barring a relegation threat. Why? Moshiri can finally see some return on his investment: the return on Gray and Townsend is already assured. Even Doucouré's market value has risen...

We'll see. But if he goes, I hope our entire back line + Iwobi goes with him.