Rafael Benitez

[Matt]

21 minutes ago, badaids said:

But who comes in for him and will do better with no money and the terrible squad? Just have to hope the injured come back soon and Rafa can get a result in the next 6 games. To sack him would be madness at this stage. My pre season prediction for us this season was relegation, given the terrible players and attitudes, and I still think if he manages that he’ll have done alright.

I agree and I've got the same questions. But 2 points from 18 now? That's not just down to injuries, something fundamentally wrong. 

[Romey 1878]

Absolutely no intention of making a game of that today and it's exactly what I expected from us.

[badaids]

29 minutes ago, Matt said:

I agree and I've got the same questions. But 2 points from 18 now? That's not just down to injuries, something fundamentally wrong. 

Its but just reverting to the mean. Overall so far we are actually higher in the league than I thought we would be. Rafa will turn it round. It’ll still be a rotten season, but we’ll survive.

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

It was a frustrating afternoon because at no point were we ever in that game today but it would be absolutely ludicrous to even contemplate sacking the manager right now

I think it’s very difficult to judge where we are at as a side at the moment, we had a promising start without really playing anyone but then the entire spine has been ripped out of an already shite squad, we all know there is no depth

We are in this mess because we have a complete mish mash of a squad due to poor recruitment and constantly chopping and changing managers, none of which is Benitez’s fault

FFP has us by the bollocks so we just have to ride the storm with what we have got so quite aside from the obvious question of who the fuck would want the job anyway what is the point in making another managerial change when we will still be stuck with the same shower of shite on the pitch?

[Romey 1878]

6 minutes ago, duncanmckenzieismagic said:

It was a frustrating afternoon because at no point were we ever in that game today but it would be absolutely ludicrous to even contemplate sacking the manager right now

I think it’s very difficult to judge where we are at as a side at the moment, we had a promising start without really playing anyone but then the entire spine has been ripped out of an already shite squad, we all know there is no depth

We are in this mess because we have a complete mish mash of a squad due to poor recruitment and constantly chopping and changing managers, none of which is Benitez’s fault

FFP has us by the bollocks so we just have to ride the storm with what we have got so quite aside from the obvious question of who the fuck would want the job anyway what is the point in making another managerial change when we will still be stuck with the same shower of shite on the pitch?

As much as I don't want him here, and will be glad when he's gone, we can't contemplate a change of manager again. We need some continuity. I just hope it doesn't get worse or I really do fear for us.

[Gwlad]

2 hours ago, badaids said:

But who comes in for him and will do better with no money and the terrible squad? Just have to hope the injured come back soon and Rafa can get a result in the next 6 games. To sack him would be madness at this stage. My pre season prediction for us this season was relegation, given the terrible players and attitudes, and I still think if he manages that he’ll have done alright.

He inherited a squad overloaded with bit-part players, FFP restrictions and injuries have played a massive part in not being able to work out a preferred starting eleven. No way should he go and I put my trust in him saying he expects the second half of the season to be better.

Apologies to Dunc, I didn't read your post before saying almost the same thing!

[BedfordBlue]

Hated watching that game but not really sure what Rafa is supposed to do with the players we have missing and got even worse with the Gray injury and Richy now suspended 

[Cornish Steve]

As far as I'm concerned, the Benitez era is over already, and the sooner the owners realize that the better. Who in their right minds would believe that players or managers who've retired to China have what it takes to succeed in today's Prem? It's naivete in the extreme. I challenge anyone to explain to me team tactics in any of the last three games.

Here's the schedule for the rest of this year. Where do we pick up points?

Brentford away
Liverpool home
Arsenal home
Crystal Palace away
Chelsea away
Leicester home
Burnley away

I can't see us securing more than 6 points, and there's a real possibility we could see no points at all.

Here's the latest form table. Apologies for the negativity, but all the signs are that hiring Benitez was a huge mistake.

 

[dunlopp9987]

9 minutes ago, Cornish Steve said:

As far as I'm concerned, the Benitez era is over already, and the sooner the owners realize that the better. Who in their right minds would believe that players or managers who've retired to China have what it takes to succeed in today's Prem? It's naivete in the extreme. I challenge anyone to explain to me team tactics in any of the last three games.

Here's the schedule for the rest of this year. Where do we pick up points?

Brentford away
Liverpool home
Arsenal home
Crystal Palace away
Chelsea away
Leicester home
Burnley away

I can't see us securing more than 6 points, and there's a real possibility we could see no points at all.

Here's the latest form table. Apologies for the negativity, but all the signs are that hiring Benitez was a huge mistake.

 

But the equivalent of this would be someone showing the table after the first 5 games and saying "See? Rafa should have a free pass and stay for however long he wants."

You can't take a snapshot of a season and use it as evidence of the season as a whole. Yes we are playing drab, defensive football right now with no real intentions going forward. But were we playing that way at the beginning of the season when we had a full squad? Absolutely not.

Have to say again, I will continue to stand behind Rafa, if only because I'm sick and fucking tired of the coaching carousel at the club. 

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

35 minutes ago, Cornish Steve said:

As far as I'm concerned, the Benitez era is over already, and the sooner the owners realize that the better. Who in their right minds would believe that players or managers who've retired to China have what it takes to succeed in today's Prem? It's naivete in the extreme. I challenge anyone to explain to me team tactics in any of the last three games.

Here's the schedule for the rest of this year. Where do we pick up points?

Brentford away
Liverpool home
Arsenal home
Crystal Palace away
Chelsea away
Leicester home
Burnley away

I can't see us securing more than 6 points, and there's a real possibility we could see no points at all.

Here's the latest form table. Apologies for the negativity, but all the signs are that hiring Benitez was a huge mistake.

 

So who are you going to bring in and how are they going to do any better without signing any players?

I can just imagine the sales pitch to our next potential manager. Listen Mr X we are on our 7th manager in 8 years , the last fella inherited one of the worst squads in the Premiership and had 50p to spend then after an unbelievable injury crisis we gave him the boot after 12 games, we might just give you 75p and even stretch to 15 games, when can you start? 

[dunlopp9987]

13 minutes ago, duncanmckenzieismagic said:

So who are you going to bring in and how are they going to do any better without signing any players?

I can just imagine the sales pitch to our next potential manager. Listen Mr X we are on our 7th manager in 8 years , the last fella inherited one of the worst squads in the Premiership and had 50p to spend then after an unbelievable injury crisis we gave him the boot after 12 games, we might just give you 75p and even stretch to 15 games, when can you start? 

[c1982]

2 hours ago, duncanmckenzieismagic said:

We are in this mess because we have a complete mish mash of a squad due to poor recruitment and constantly chopping and changing managers, none of which is Benitez’s fault

FFP has us by the bollocks so we just have to ride the storm with what we have got so quite aside from the obvious question of who the fuck would want the job anyway what is the point in making another managerial change when we will still be stuck with the same shower of shite on the pitch?

Recruitment has been poor, and I’m not making excuses, but we’re so ‘unlucky’ with injuries. Maybe Benitez is onto something here with Donachie leaving but it’s going to take time.

In my opinion, below is our strongest line-up:

Pickford

Coleman (how?!?!)

Digne

Mina

Godfrey

Allan

Doucoure

Sigurdsson/ Gomes

Gray

Richarlison

Calvert-Lewin 

When have we even got close to this line-up? Mina/Godfrey have only once played as a pair (Leeds away last season) - most would agree that they’re our best CB partnership. Any club with our kind of injuries struggles - when Mina and Doucoure play, we win more games. When our main goal threat and target/out-ball, DCL, plays we have more dominace and possession.

[Cornish Steve]

51 minutes ago, duncanmckenzieismagic said:

So who are you going to bring in and how are they going to do any better without signing any players?

I can just imagine the sales pitch to our next potential manager. Listen Mr X we are on our 7th manager in 8 years , the last fella inherited one of the worst squads in the Premiership and had 50p to spend then after an unbelievable injury crisis we gave him the boot after 12 games, we might just give you 75p and even stretch to 15 games, when can you start? 

Norwich picked up Dean Smith, and Watford recruited Claudio Ranieri. Both would be an improvement on Rafael Benitez, and both have already had an impact on their respective clubs. If we start looking now, we won't have to panic when we're in the bottom third by the end of the year.

[Cornish Steve]

3 minutes ago, c1982 said:

Recruitment has been poor, and I’m not making excuses, but we’re so ‘unlucky’ with injuries. Maybe Benitez is onto something here with Donachie leaving but it’s going to take time.

In my opinion, below is our strongest line-up:

Pickford

Coleman (how?!?!)

Digne

Mina

Godfrey

Allan

Doucoure

Sigurdsson/ Gomes

Gray

Richarlison

Calvert-Lewin 

When have we even got close to this line-up? Mina/Godfrey have only once played as a pair (Leeds away last season) - most would agree that they’re our best CB partnership. Any club with our kind of injuries struggles - when Mina and Doucoure play, we win more games. When our main goal threat and target/out-ball, DCL, plays we have more dominace and possession.

Sigurdsson will never play again.

[Cornish Steve]

The odds are shortening.

[Bailey]

5 hours ago, Romey 1878 said:

Absolutely no intention of making a game of that today and it's exactly what I expected from us.

This. 

Our plan today was damage limitation. Even when Gray was on the pitch, there was no idea as to how we would cause City problems. 

[Wall Writer]

I have to say that in my opinion there's a huge problem with the playing staff. The attitude, the lack of belief, lack of commitment, lack of desire, lack of quality have been evident for years now, and is our constant recurring problem. Everton are dire to watch, a horrible team to support right now, and I don't see that changing any time soon - and another change of manager will certainly not help things. We might see a sudden peak in form as a result of someone new coming in - but we'd be back to playing the same old shite after a couple of months. So what's the point? 

I do believe that Rafa is the kind of manager that, given time and resources, could build a really decent competitive team. But that ain't gonna happen over night, because we have to get shut of so much shite. I don't have any hope that we will be in any way competitive for the next 2-3 years at least, whoever is in charge. You have to think who would have the desire and ability to able to turn this club around, to invest several years in the project and be in it for the long haul. I think Rafa fits that bill, whatever people may wanna say about his previous associations.

We don't need your Mourinho's, or your Ancelotti's or even someone like Simeone. We need a manager who is able to rebuild from the ground up. Moreover, I don't think you can lay all the blame on the manager when the players themselves keep reverting to the same uncommitted, desireless, rank, weak performances. The manager can only do so much, it's the players that have to respond and put in the performance, and too often we just don't see that. 

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

1 hour ago, Cornish Steve said:

Norwich picked up Dean Smith, and Watford recruited Claudio Ranieri. Both would be an improvement on Rafael Benitez, and both have already had an impact on their respective clubs. If we start looking now, we won't have to panic when we're in the bottom third by the end of the year.

Oh behave yourself, Dean Smith who spent £95M in the summer yet Villa are still below us in the table and so got the boot?

[MC11]

Sadly I don’t see this being long term.

It really seems like we’re in a period where we aren’t likely to be moving forward any time soon. Benitez is here to drive the ship through a period of mediocrity whilst the owners/board decide how/if they can build a successful team from scratch! 
 

Right now the club has no identity. No leaders on the pitch and certainly no Everton players of old who’d run through brick walls for eachother. We’re in a bad bad way. Of course injuries to our better players aren’t helping and I’m sure when fit we can finish Between 10th & 14th. But that’s not good enough is it? 

[Btay]

5 hours ago, Romey 1878 said:

As much as I don't want him here, and will be glad when he's gone, we can't contemplate a change of manager again. We need some continuity. I just hope it doesn't get worse or I really do fear for us.

Just rinse and repeat. The only consistent factor in our absolute shithousery is this group of players not being held accountable for their lack of effort.

Time to be utterly ruthless and cut the shit from the team and replace the old legs.

I have no doubt as soon as Caro was aware he had no money this season it invest in this squad he was out.

Benetiz hasn’t been perfect by any stretch but if we continue to chop and change we will not benefit. We need to get an actual plan for recruitment and stop fucking about.

[Palfy]

My wish for Christmas is someone buy’s Moshiri out and sacks the fraud that is Brand’s, and we all live happily ever after. Dreams can come true if you wish hard enough yo ho ho. 

[c1982]

9 hours ago, Cornish Steve said:

Sigurdsson will never play again.

Correct - another huge investment who will walk away for free (best case we get compensation when the trial is concluded). What will get from our investment in Keane, Gbamin, Iwobi, Tosun, Gomes? So much wasted money for one reason or another - Benitez is not our biggest problem.

[Romey 1878]

The way I see it is that he is certainly a problem but he is far from being the problem, and it would be suicide to get rid of him now. 

On 22/11/2021 at 05:30, Palfy said:

My wish for Christmas is someone buy’s Moshiri out and sacks the fraud that is Brand’s, and we all live happily ever after. Dreams can come true if you wish hard enough yo ho ho. 

As Palfy alludes to above, I think the owner/boardroom is the problem at this club. In my opinion Moshiri only bought us to make money out of us a little bit further down the line. If you ask me, he'll get that stadium built and then he'll sell up as quick as possible to make a shit load of money. I don't think he's got an ounce of interest in anything else.

[DavisJD]

Wish we got Ange Postecoglou rather than this man.

At minimum, our team would have a go.

Unwatchable.

[Formby]

At the start of the season, with a nearly full-strength first XI, Benitez got a nice tune out of them and there were some promising signs. How anyone can say that, shorn of DCL, Doucoure and Mina (also Richarlison), we will somehow be the same is pure fantasy. Townsend and Gray benefitted early on because defenders were drawn to DCL, giving them space. They don't have that now. We don't have a right back or a left back who can do anything, our central defence without Mina is very poor and our midfield without Doucoure has zero creativity. So, what about effort? the naysayers cry. Why can't Benitez get the team, shorn of its spine, to be more up and at them? Well, they were against Tottenham - ish. But how many years has it been since we've had a proper up and at them team? These players are just not very good, sadly, and they're a bit disinterested, and they don't want to learn, and they don't want to put the effort in  - and the Benitez boo boys, like the parents of a classroom of kids who don't want to learn, blame the new teacher for the poor grades. A new manager is the last thing we need at the moment. Young dynamic full backs will most certainly help. A creative midfielder will help. Better luck with injuries will help. Recruitment needs to be sorted out and that's on the board.

[dunlopp9987]

2 hours ago, Formby said:

At the start of the season, with a nearly full-strength first XI, Benitez got a nice tune out of them and there were some promising signs. How anyone can say that, shorn of DCL, Doucoure and Mina (also Richarlison), we will somehow be the same is pure fantasy. Townsend and Gray benefitted early on because defenders were drawn to DCL, giving them space. They don't have that now. We don't have a right back or a left back who can do anything, our central defence without Mina is very poor and our midfield without Doucoure has zero creativity. So, what about effort? the naysayers cry. Why can't Benitez get the team, shorn of its spine, to be more up and at them? Well, they were against Tottenham - ish. But how many years has it been since we've had a proper up and at them team? These players are just not very good, sadly, and they're a bit disinterested, and they don't want to learn, and they don't want to put the effort in  - and the Benitez boo boys, like the parents of a classroom of kids who don't want to learn, blame the new teacher for the poor grades. A new manager is the last thing we need at the moment. Young dynamic full backs will most certainly help. A creative midfielder will help. Better luck with injuries will help. Recruitment needs to be sorted out and that's on the board.

[duncanmckenzieismagic]

https://www.footballfancast.com/everton-fc-news/everton-nuno-espirito-santo-rafa-benitez-premier-league-goodison-park

[MikeO]

25 minutes ago, duncanmckenzieismagic said:

https://www.footballfancast.com/everton-fc-news/everton-nuno-espirito-santo-rafa-benitez-premier-league-goodison-park

[dunlopp9987]

51 minutes ago, duncanmckenzieismagic said:

https://www.footballfancast.com/everton-fc-news/everton-nuno-espirito-santo-rafa-benitez-premier-league-goodison-park

Fuck right off

[Cornish Steve]

1 hour ago, duncanmckenzieismagic said:

https://www.footballfancast.com/everton-fc-news/everton-nuno-espirito-santo-rafa-benitez-premier-league-goodison-park

Please no.