Rafael Benitez

[Cornish Steve]

58 minutes ago, Palfy said:

In those games you mentioned the starting 11 consisted of DCL who scored 6 and has been missing for a big chunk of the last 9, and Richarlison who’s missed a few, so you wouldn’t say we’ve missed their goals and work rate. You are trying to fabricate a like for like from last season that just doesn’t exist. I think with DCL and not Rondon up front and Richarlison on instead of Iwobi we would be in a better position than we are now, obviously I can’t prove that it’s only conjecture on my part. 

On the other hand, DC-L wasn't available to start in the win at Anfield. Oddly, we beat top teams last season and lost to the lesser clubs.

[Cornish Steve]

1 hour ago, Palfy said:

In those games you mentioned the starting 11 consisted of DCL who scored 6 and has been missing for a big chunk of the last 9, and Richarlison who’s missed a few, so you wouldn’t say we’ve missed their goals and work rate. You are trying to fabricate a like for like from last season that just doesn’t exist. I think with DCL and not Rondon up front and Richarlison on instead of Iwobi we would be in a better position than we are now, obviously I can’t prove that it’s only conjecture on my part. 

Am I correct in noting that you posted this message at around 4am BST? I'm totally incoherent between midnight and 6am!

[Palfy]

1 hour ago, Cornish Steve said:

Am I correct in noting that you posted this message at around 4am BST? I'm totally incoherent between midnight and 6am!

You are correct mate, I’m like a vampire I do my best and worse work after midnight. Happy Halloween  

[c1982]

17 hours ago, Sibdane said:

The good start just papered over the cracks for a little bit. We have a shit squad, and that's where we are. 

This pretty much… without Mina our defence doesn’t function. Without Doucoure we get overrun too easily in midfield. Without both, we’re fucked!!! We can just about cope without any other player/players but we’ll lose pretty much every game without Mina and Doucoure - I’m dreading Wolves on Monday as it looks like Mina isn’t back yet - Rafa needs to change the system - even before the last 12minutes vs Watford, we were exposed over and over again and it wasn’t addressed.

[Matt]

3 hours ago, Cornish Steve said:

Am I correct in noting that you posted this message at around 4am BST? I'm totally incoherent between midnight and 6am!

Thats Palfys default setting to be fair, Steve.

[Btay]

17 hours ago, Cornish Steve said:

It's pretty much the same squad as won last season at Anfield. Do we expect the same result this season?

Our first 11 on their day can beat any team in the league. Depth is our problem. I think Rafa has  set up similar to Ancelloti but more effective on the break - so yes but it’s circumstantial for injuries ect

[Matt]

25 minutes ago, Btay said:

Our first 11 on their day can beat any team in the league. Depth is our problem. I think Rafa has  set up similar to Ancelloti but more effective on the break - so yes but it’s circumstantial for injuries ect

Genuinely found myself nodding I agreement because I read Delph instead of Depth...

[Palfy]

1 hour ago, Matt said:

Thats Palfys default setting to be fair, Steve.

Be careful Matt I bite

[Matt]

19 minutes ago, Palfy said:

Be careful Matt I bite

[Zoo 2.0]

Benitez out... 

Calling for a manager to go so soon is a bit silly, but there's only one way this is going to end. Fans were split before a ball was kicked and it's only going to get worse the more we lose and the more we roll over against the likes of West Ham and Wolves. The atmosphere at the Watford game was fucking dreadful, and I can't be arsed with a good month or two (at best) of it because we keep playing shit and losing games.

It was a mad appointment, and it's going to end very badly, there's a part of me that genuinely wants to just call it a day now and look elsewhere (although as others have said the blame lies firmly with the players too, who are underperforming for yet another coach).

[Cornish Steve]

The cynic in me notes that Benitez, Newcastle, and their agents will be a whole lot richer if Benitez gives Everton every reason to fire him.

[Gwlad]

No the shitty little owners will be knocking on his door and paying us compensayshun. Small change in their sleazy pockets.

[Gwlad]

Nuno anybody?

[StevO]

As much as I don’t like the guy, and his zonal marking, I don’t lay the blame with him. 
The squad isn’t strong enough, we’ve got a good first 11 and nothing else. 
 

But, if we keep losing games it’s going to get horrible pretty fast. 

[Btay]

5 minutes ago, StevO said:

As much as I don’t like the guy, and his zonal marking, I don’t lay the blame with him. 
The squad isn’t strong enough, we’ve got a good first 11 and nothing else. 
 

But, if we keep losing games it’s going to get horrible pretty fast. 

There’s a fair portion of blame with some of his decisions. Watford at 2-1 we could have shut up shop but we didn’t.

Wolves - 4411 was wrong. Iwobi may have scored but our front 2 weren’t in the game because we had no midfield. Allan the only one trying to press which they played around easily. That first half is on him as much as the players today.

[MC11]

Tactics in first half completely wrong. Yes he rectified it in the second half but that first half was scary. I have no hesitation in saying (other than away derbies) that was the worst 45 mins I’ve ever seen Everton play in my 33 years.
 

Unless we get DCL, Doucoure, Digne & Mina back sharpish I can see us being dragged into lower half obscurity. 

[c1982]

17 minutes ago, StevO said:

As much as I don’t like the guy, and his zonal marking, I don’t lay the blame with him. 
The squad isn’t strong enough, we’ve got a good first 11 and nothing else. 
 

But, if we keep losing games it’s going to get horrible pretty fast. 

I blame his lack of flexibility in the last 2 games but not overall. Every EFC fan knew what would happen with Allan and Gbamin as a 2. Most of us could see that bringing Iwobi on against Watford instead of a 3rd centre mid or centre back was plainly the wrong decision. He’s walked into a shit show and actually made some very good decisions but he’s not without fault.

[c1982]

5 minutes ago, MC11 said:

Unless we get DCL, Doucoure, Digne & Mina back sharpish I can see us being dragged into lower half obscurity. 

We won’t get many points between now and Christmas so that will soon become a reality.

[StevO]

28 minutes ago, Btay said:

There’s a fair portion of blame with some of his decisions. Watford at 2-1 we could have shut up shop but we didn’t.

Wolves - 4411 was wrong. Iwobi may have scored but our front 2 weren’t in the game because we had no midfield. Allan the only one trying to press which they played around easily. That first half is on him as much as the players today.

Watford I put down to the players on the pitch. But each to their own. 
 

Im not sure who else he could have picked today other than Iwobi for Gordon. Edit; and Rondon instead of Gbamin. Can’t believe I’m saying Rondon should start. We must be fucked!

[Romey 1878]

He's not lasting the season unless he changes.

[StevO]

15 minutes ago, c1982 said:

I blame his lack of flexibility in the last 2 games but not overall. Every EFC fan knew what would happen with Allan and Gbamin as a 2. Most of us could see that bringing Iwobi on against Watford instead of a 3rd centre mid or centre back was plainly the wrong decision. He’s walked into a shit show and actually made some very good decisions but he’s not without fault.

I don’t think he’s without fault, not for one minute. But I just don’t think he’s the biggest problem we’ve got. 
One thing we are crying out for more than anything is consistency, and another manager won’t help that. 
 

We lose the next few games and it will get uncomfortable, and I expect us to be back at square one. Still with a poor squad and still with no money to spend. 

[Gwlad]

Injuries and a squad that isn't up to where we aspire to be. Can't lay all that on the manager.

[BedfordBlue]

13 hours ago, StevO said:

I don’t think he’s without fault, not for one minute. But I just don’t think he’s the biggest problem we’ve got. 
One thing we are crying out for more than anything is consistency, and another manager won’t help that. 
 

We lose the next few games and it will get uncomfortable, and I expect us to be back at square one. Still with a poor squad and still with no money to spend. 

Have we ever left square one

[badaids]

Rafa hasn’t helped himself the last 3 or 4 games  (he does have fair credit in the bank imho for the first 6 or 7 games of the season) but it doesn’t matter who your manager is if the players are going to go into meltdown like they have against Watford and Wolves.

[Formby]

The vultures, the naysayers, the told-you-so's will be out for him, but I saw enough in the first few matches (to the Man Utd game) to believe that, with a fully-fit squad, he can do a good job. It's going to get quite rocky with the injuries we have; I just hope we can all ride out the storm (Mr Morrison).   

[Cornish Steve]

18 hours ago, StevO said:

I don’t think he’s without fault, not for one minute. But I just don’t think he’s the biggest problem we’ve got. 
One thing we are crying out for more than anything is consistency, and another manager won’t help that. 
 

We lose the next few games and it will get uncomfortable, and I expect us to be back at square one. Still with a poor squad and still with no money to spend. 

I'm not so reticent about it: To me, he's 80% of the problem. I've mentioned the issues before, but let me repeat them:

1) Inept game tactics (and an unwillingness to change them)
2) Inappropriate, late, and too few substitutions
3) Playing favorites - although I'm relieved Rondon did not start yesterday

These define much of his career, and the leopard will not change its spots.

Also, let's not fall for the readymade excuse: it's a poor squad. We're still stronger than many teams in the league and should not be so tactically inept.

[badaids]

I think this dip in form was probably inevitable.

Rafa has set out the team to play in a very particular way to suit the tools he had, and 2 or 3 players have (unexpectedly), shown they are key to us - we have surprised the opposition. Other teams have now seen that and worked to negate it, plus the injuries, and lack of squad depth means we can’t adapt, or even uphold that style of play now.
 

What bugs me is two things. The disintegrating players, and the lack of ability for some players to basically stick to the system and do as they are told. Rafa seems to like players that he can trust to follow instructions, he doesn’t have many of those.

[johnh]

For several games now we have played a first-half as though we only had 9 men on the pitch but then play the second-half like a top six team.  The fact that this has happened several times over the last couple of months means it is down to the manager.  He changes formation, tactics and players at half-time, which seems to work.  How does he get it so wrong for the first-half?

[Cornish Steve]

19 hours ago, Gwlad all over said:

Injuries and a squad that isn't up to where we aspire to be. Can't lay all that on the manager.

Who scored Wolves' first goal? How many times has he played for his team? How many goals has he previously scored in the PL? We're falling into the trap of blaming the squad. Why wasn't Gordon playing? Or Dobbin? Benitez has a ready-made excuse, and we're giving him a free pass. I don't agree with this.

[Zoo 2.0]

17 minutes ago, Cornish Steve said:

Who scored Wolves' first goal? How many times has he played for his team? How many goals has he previously scored in the PL? We're falling into the trap of blaming the squad. Why wasn't Gordon playing? Or Dobbin? Benitez has a ready-made excuse, and we're giving him a free pass. I don't agree with this.

Hwang Hee-chan; Scored 4 goals in 6 games.