RuffRob

Pickford has really turned things around since that Van Dyke tackle - with great consistency and some top performances for both club and country. He was public enemy No.1 for weeks after that tackle, so all credit to the lad. Really deserves the plaudits he is getting considering the kicking he was getting in the press and by most of the pundits. Topped of our MotM charts and four clean sheet at an International tournament - no doubt he is a top keeper when he is on it.

Being a Welshman, not overly bothered - the less he plays, less chance of injury at the end of a long season. Might also make him hungrier when he comes back now he has had a taste of being on the fringes of the England set up. Best playing week in week out for us than on the bench at another club. Shame for the lad on a own personal note though.

Even before Benitez has been announced it sounds very much like he will be off. I really don't see him as a Benitez type player. Do you think we would get much of a fee for James when he goes? I have read £10M in places - realistic? Reading up his contracted salary is around £140k a week (but wage cut to £90K due to COVID and in line with rest of squad COVID % wage cut - apparently). James's wages would cover at least two very decent young prospects, a la Matheus Nunes I also wonder how much compensation we might be looking to get for Ancelotti's runner to Madrid - £10M? that would seem fair to me - payback the wages we essentially wasted last year on him!!!. I imagine Benitez wages would be at least half of what we had been paying Ancelotti. The saving on managers wages would cover two more players. I am beginning to think we may have actually dodged a bullet in Ancelloti going, and perhaps James along with him. This substantial amount of money might actually go to better use this coming season.

I don't think any club would openly discuss the process they are going through in appointing a manager and can only really come out and say anything formal once ink is on the contracts. It would be nice to be kept in the loop, but never going to happen - anywhere. Spurs appear to be worse than us!! They sacked their manager by choice and months in advance of us loosing ours.

Now do you know - has he had a go at a 'big' club yet?. All any manager can do is make the best of the resources he has available to him. Potter is doing that - and at the same time getting plaudits for playing football that is easy on the eye. To me you would be taking no more of a risk with Potter (a popular choice up and coming manager who plays nice football, but lack some experience) as you are doing with Benitez (a very unpopular choice with the fans a bit more of an older fashion manager, who has a bit reputation of being awkward and causing disharmony at clubs, doesn't play the nicest of football, but has experience and is relatively effective results wise). Every manager comes with there very own positives and negatives. Benitez is probably a sensible approach. I don't believe the journalists who say Brands has no choice in the matter of who becomes the next manager (lazy journalism if you ask me) - if you read a little about Benitez and his underlying philosophies, his approach to the development of youth and giving youth a chance aligns very well with the footballing philosophy Brands is trying to envelope at the club. Why would Brands not embrace a manager who has a very similar philosophy to what his is trying to achieve at the club. Brands doesn't have blue blood running though his vains - so I don't see why he would have a issue with a 'Benitez'. If there was a problem at an executive board level - it is most likely going to come from Kenwright et al who are true blues and would struggle a lot more with swallowing a Benitez size pill - a bit like some of us. I think Benitez will be far more in line with what Brands is tasked with achieving with the club than Mr Carlo 'I'm surprised how good Godfrey is' Ancelotti. maybe sensible rather than a more gung ho approach is what we need for the next 2-3years. I want to see quality 'Godfrey' like signings become the norm and if Benitez is behind that, then I might be pleasantly surprised.

I am now pretty much becoming resigned to the fact that Benitez is most likely going to become Everton manager. So like pretty much all on here - if he does become manager I will be 100% behind him and wish him all the best and look for the positives. So I have had a bit of a scour around to see what we might be getting, and came across an interesting articles from a couple of years ago that maybe Benitez really will come and want to buy in to what Everton football club ourselves are aiming for. If Benitez truly has his roots now firmly in Merseyside, if he can do enough to get past the first 12 months and get the fans onside, then maybe something positive could happen with him. Maybe his philosophy is more aligned with Brands than we give the club credit for. His enthusiasm for youth development would suggest a much better fit with Brands than Ancelotti was. If he did come I would like nothing better than Moshiri (and anybody else behind the appointment) being right and me (and the rest of us) being wrong and the club move forward under our next manager. https://www.themag.co.uk/2019/11/rafa-benitez-sets-out-blueprint-for-growing-a-club-it-could-should-have-been-newcastle-united/ https://www.si.com/soccer/2018/03/14/youth-movement-first-team-manager-rafa-benitez-plans-newcastle-united-academy-overhaul https://footballwhispers.com/blog/benitez-right-substance-over-style/ we might not play the most attractive football next season - but it might be effective and the club might move in the right direction. We played shit football last season, didn't win the games we where supposed too and still gave Ancelotti our backing. Maybe it will turn out to be an inspired uninspiring appointment!

problem is that in appointing a new manager you would hope to have a decent proportion of the fans at least being optimistic about the year to come. It seem some sick turn of fate that when we had Ancelotti in charge pretty much every fan was behind his appointment - but bar a few game at the beginning the fan couldn't get behind him and his team due to lockdown. And if Bentitez comes in it seems a big proportion of the fans are less than excited about getting back in the ground to get behind him and the team. We are just one unlucky team - Worldie manager and player comes to the club - Fans can't get in to watch them - Money bags owner comes in and wants to spend - FFP means we can't do a Chelsea or Man City, - Get planning permission for a new stadium after god knows how long - now biggest ever shortage of building materials and labour means cost likely to near double.

There is just too much venom already about this appointment. I though 10days ago that Benitez just can't end up as Everton manager given such negative feedback coming from the fans, and it would have just fizzle out, but 10 days later he seem now in a stronger position to take over the roll. I think most of us agree that on the balance of probability this appointment is going to end in tears, and the chance of it working out are fairly slim. So begs the question of why go down the Benitez route - it's just baffling to me. I think most of us just don't want to be in the very same position in 12months time.

the fact that both Spurs and Palace also seem to be equally inept of sorting out a new manager, it does give me some solace. Is everybody just being cagey and not wanting to give out big contracts without proper due diligence.

But a bit of tribalism, the 'us' and 'them' banter is all part of football and it's charm - so it's a bit disingenuous to call people silly or very childish for considering his past allegiances as part of the make up of why they don't want him as a manager. If he was a stand out candidate in the here and now - say like Brendan Rodger, then yes maybe we would be cutting of our noses a little to spit our faces, but a good proportion of people are not mad on his football or the bloke himself.

Benitiez just feels a bit like a poor mans Ancelotti - very similar similar age, but not quite the same CV and with added baggage due to his strong Liverpool connection. I would just rather see something 'fresher'. I will just have to get behind whoever is the manager, but think we will back in the market for another manager within the usual 18months or sooner!!

what would annoy me most about the appointment of Benitez is it would show that the people making THE KEY decisions just seem to be disjointed from the fans and character of the club. No quite sure there is a massive positive that would anywhere near outweigh the negatives of his appointment. Is he going to be bring 'great' players with him from his last few jobs? Him nor his football fill with me excitement. So why upset a significant number of the fan base. I just wouldn't understand the appointment, if it happened.

I have my fingers crossed the negative reaction get through to them. Maybe Jim White leak was to test the water. It might be worth a few quid on Nuno now at 6/1.

I am praying to, It would also hammer home that those running the club really don't seem to understand it. He would be the most divisive manager they could appoint. He has built up his pension fund in china, and is now ready to put on his slippers and enjoy his retirement on Merseyside with his family while Everton conveniently top up his pension pot.

unless he goes on to achieve what he did at Liverpool - then we are pretty much open to have the 'small club' comment rubbed in our faces by the Redshite, no matter how we improve under Benitez. Qualify for Europe - great achievement for a small club!!! Same manager, but we will celebrate much lesser achievements. Whatever improvements we did achieve under Benitez, the gloss will be taken off them because he will have achieved more with Liverpool. Even in any minor successes under Benitez I will still be an echo of being a 'small club'.

but the problem with supporting a football team is it is from the heart and not the head. So as good as some fits may be - they just don't feel right. Given what Benitez achieved with Liverpool, what would you consider him being successful at a 'small club'. Fans will be on his case and just as likely be on the boards case for the appointment - I just can't see it working and another failed appointment within the year.

@Romey 1878 got it spot on its not his management ability, its simply his Liverpool connection and the success he enjoyed there that just makes it the wrong appointment, we live in their shadow enough as it is. We don't need to go there and his appointment would simply be divisive -

For fucks sake. Fans are just not going to get behind him. We truly are more than 10years behind our red neighbours. We will be looking for a new manager within the year if he is appointed.

Quality young players is what I want seen coming to the club, so if this was Nuno's first signing I would be very happy, and a good indication of the direction we might be going. Sounds like a Tom Davies up grade. https://totalfootballanalysis.com/article/youngsters-turned-sporting-cp-around-tactical-analysis-tactics

this all sounds a bit strange regarding Nuno - media say CP now not interested due to increased demands after speaking to Everton. That would suggest Everton offered him something and he either turned it down, or has also sounded out CP while he mulls over our offer. All sounds a bit fishy, as this sort of tactic would in the end see him at neither club - or at least it shouldn't. Wouldn't think he was that sort after to be able to play clubs against each other, and still have them wanting to sign him.

for all his faults the last manager to actually do a decent job with us and not was David Moyes - I would say a Graham Potter appointment would be similar type of appointment, is British, has done very well with a lower team and is well respected by his peers. He has rightfully earned a move to a mid table club, with his style of play and forward thinking. Have just seen £11M a year wasted on jonnie big potato Ancelotti them maybe the brightest young think in British management is the way to go again, maybe it better suits our clubs DNA.

Well we can't complain to much if it's Potter - he has the most TT votes (or was he most people's 5th choice!!). It doesn't sound like Brands was overly enthused in the Nuno interview - I am guess we could have had him if we wanted him, but have chosen no to). Last time around how late in the day did Ancelotti's name jump to the top of the bookies list.

But what is scary is that Eddie Howe is so high on that this list and even though we all have 5 votes each, not a single one of us give him the benefit of the doubt with one of our votes. He would not be a popular appointment.

It does make you wonder what the fucks going on - missing out on this type of player (who you would think would come here if he's gone to Villa) surely the best player in the Championship must be on somebodies radar at the club. I can understand that we would struggle against a big 6 club to catch his eye, but Villa for fuck sake. We are already paying 'squad' players more!!!

Fooking hell - Mr Eddie 'No Votes' Howe is currently the favourite with the bookies.