Rafael Benitez

[Cornish Steve]

1 minute ago, dunlopp9987 said:

Sure, but one thing I'll always remember is that he seemed to stop giving a fuck at some point last season, which is what we always slag off the players for. Believe me I was on cloud nine when we won at Anfield, but I'm also very aware that had there been a normal full house that night, it would have been a different story.

I think Carlo benefited greatly from the lack of fans.

If we win the derby on Wednesday, I'd be on cloud ninety-nine.

[dunlopp9987]

9 minutes ago, Cornish Steve said:

If we win the derby on Wednesday, I'd be on cloud ninety-nine.

It would really be the most shocking result I've experienced as an Everton supporter. Going in with the lowest possible bar of expectations, which as a Minnesota sports fan, is our way of life.

[Romey 1878]

Stop with the fucking sob story act for him. He knew the situation before he arrived, it’s not like it was kept from him and he didn’t know what sort of thing he was walking into. He came here with his eyes wide fucking open.

He obviously felt he was up to the task and convinced Moshiri the clown he was up to it as well. If it turns out he’s not then that really is on him and overestimating his own ability.

Everyone is to blame for where we currently find ourselves and he is definitely included in that.

[StevO]

He shouldn’t have been here in the first place. I thought he would get very little grace if things went bad, where if anything he seems to have got more. I’m not saying I want him sacked, id rather things just got better so we can get some consistency. But really, I’m not even bothered. I don’t care if the Everton manager gets sacked or not. That bothers me. That bothers me a lot. 
 

The mess the club finds itself in is just as frustrating. For most of my adult life we were a club with no money, just about on the edge of things. With the idea if we had money we could compete. We also needed a stadium, or at least major redevelopment of Goodison. We’ve now had money for ages and a stadium is being built, but we’re worse off. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we should have brought Moyes back a few years ago. The job he’s done with West Ham shows what can be done with a strong manager and a few years of consistency. 
 

I’ve no idea who should be our next manager, but fuck it, might give us a bit of excitement speculating about it. 

[Btay]

I don’t think it matters who’s manager when we have the likes of Rondon, Keane, Coleman & Iwobi starting games. You can get away with 1 or 2 for rotation/injury cover but when all of them start successive games our form reflects their ability.
 

None of them get in a top 10 side in my opinion. 

[Wiggytop]

1 hour ago, Btay said:

I don’t think it matters who’s manager when we have the likes of Rondon, Keane, Coleman & Iwobi starting games. You can get away with 1 or 2 for rotation/injury cover but when all of them start successive games our form reflects their ability.
 

None of them get in a top 10 side in my opinion. 

And the biggest issue is that they are not keeping players out of the starting 11 that should be there instead, our squad if sooooo thin on quality, never mind numbers, and for me a lot of that is down to very very bad player acquisition.

[StevO]

2 hours ago, Btay said:

I don’t think it matters who’s manager when we have the likes of Rondon, Keane, Coleman & Iwobi starting games. You can get away with 1 or 2 for rotation/injury cover but when all of them start successive games our form reflects their ability.
 

None of them get in a top 10 side in my opinion. 

No issue with Keane and Coleman myself, but Iwobi and Rondon would struggle to get in most Premier League teams. I can’t think of a striker in the Premier League who I wouldn’t take over Rondon. 

[Bill]

Don't understand the hatred coming out for Coleman, think he's been one of our better players lately.

[Btay]

40 minutes ago, StevO said:

No issue with Keane and Coleman myself, but Iwobi and Rondon would struggle to get in most Premier League teams. I can’t think of a striker in the Premier League who I wouldn’t take over Rondon. 

Watch Keane close enough and you’ll see the issues. The odd good long ball but most his headers he wins he just lofts to an opposition player and puts us under pressure, zero aggression and a consistent contributor of mediocrity.

35 minutes ago, Bill said:

Don't understand the hatred coming out for Coleman, think he's been one of our better players lately.

Colemans crossing is horrible, worse than Hibbo or Neville. The amount of times he just wedges a ball from the touch line for the striker because he panics. Love the bloke for what he has done but he is no way a top 10 full back in this league. We won’t realise it until we replace him properly.

[Romey 1878]

5 minutes ago, Btay said:

Watch Keane close enough and you’ll see the issues. The odd good long ball but most his headers he wins he just lofts to an opposition player and puts us under pressure, zero aggression and a consistent contributor of mediocrity.

Winning headers... I wish Godfrey could do that.

[Btay]

1 minute ago, Romey 1878 said:

Winning headers... I wish Godfrey could do that.

Does need to get better in the air but at least he is proper into his man when they get the ball to feet. Just seems all our centre backs have 1/2 good individual qualities but are shit at just about everything else.

[Formby]

5 hours ago, Btay said:

I don’t think it matters who’s manager when we have the likes of Rondon, Keane, Coleman & Iwobi starting games. You can get away with 1 or 2 for rotation/injury cover but when all of them start successive games our form reflects their ability.
 

None of them get in a top 10 side in my opinion. 

You can add Digne to that list. He has been crap for ages. The fact we have such useless full backs affects us all over the pitch. The fact we still have nothing to replace them is just staggering. 

[Btay]

8 minutes ago, Formby said:

You can add Digne to that list. He has been crap for ages. The fact we have such useless full backs affects us all over the pitch. The fact we still have nothing to replace them is just staggering. 

Digne hasn’t found the same level from the first season with us - which was excellent. Perhaps a victim of how good/consistent Baines was and how inconsistent that left winger spot has been for us.

I think we have much bigger issues before we address him.

[Bailey]

7 hours ago, Btay said:

I don’t think it matters who’s manager when we have the likes of Rondon, Keane, Coleman & Iwobi starting games. You can get away with 1 or 2 for rotation/injury cover but when all of them start successive games our form reflects their ability.
 

None of them get in a top 10 side in my opinion. 

You say this but it is that typical thing where those players get into a good side and all of a sudden they are good players again. A good manager makes players like that effective. Look at West Ham, Noble isn't that good, Antonio isn't really a great footballer and spent a long time being very average. How many of those Brighton players are that good? Dunk, Duffy, Lallana? I don't think either of those defenders are better than Keane.

Coleman is obviously at the end of his career and needs replacing but even Iwobi was one of our better players at the start of the season. Rondon was brought in specifically by this manager to do a job.

I think this is a symptom of modern day football. A squad that aren't together, a manager being replaced every season or so, fragile confidence in the squad and the way of playing and when things start going wrong, they spiral. It feels like a lot of those early games of ours could have gone either way. When we won them, we brought that little bit extra confidence and morale into the next game. When we lost it went the other way and it has kept going that way.

 

[Shukes]

7 hours ago, Bill said:

Don't understand the hatred coming out for Coleman, think he's been one of our better players lately.

Someone mentioned his dwindling form, and I feel most followed.

He has been one of our better performers this season. 

[dunlopp9987]

54 minutes ago, Shukes said:

Someone mentioned his dwindling form, and I feel most followed.

He has been one of our better performers this season. 

Agreed, and also, that isn't saying much

[Palfy]

9 hours ago, Bill said:

Don't understand the hatred coming out for Coleman, think he's been one of our better players lately.

I haven’t really seen any hatred towards Coleman just constructive criticism hatred is slightly overboard unless of course you can highlight those posts then I will concede. Do I think he’s past his best yes, do I think we should be looking to replace him if we want to progress yes, but I would also add not just him, I don’t think there are many PL teams he would get into and probably only gets into ours because he has no competition. But I don’t hate him completely the opposite he’s been brilliant for us a loyal selfless servant who I hope when he hangs his boots up the club find a role for him to carry on. 

[Btay]

7 hours ago, Bailey said:

You say this but it is that typical thing where those players get into a good side and all of a sudden they are good players again. A good manager makes players like that effective. Look at West Ham, Noble isn't that good, Antonio isn't really a great footballer and spent a long time being very average. How many of those Brighton players are that good? Dunk, Duffy, Lallana? I don't think either of those defenders are better than Keane.

Coleman is obviously at the end of his career and needs replacing but even Iwobi was one of our better players at the start of the season. Rondon was brought in specifically by this manager to do a job.

I think this is a symptom of modern day football. A squad that aren't together, a manager being replaced every season or so, fragile confidence in the squad and the way of playing and when things start going wrong, they spiral. It feels like a lot of those early games of ours could have gone either way. When we won them, we brought that little bit extra confidence and morale into the next game. When we lost it went the other way and it has kept going that way.

 

Mark Noble - has played 2 games in the premier league so I’m not sure what your point is? 

Id have Antonio here in heart beat - works his ass off and has a decent finish on him. I don’t think he his better that DCL though. Don’t forget he got moved around from full back/wing and hasn’t been a striker for his whole career. 

[c1982]

Our biggest problem is injuries - no doubt about it. Credit to Benitez he’s actually trying to do something about this. Fully fit all season, we’d probably be around 6th and pretty optimistic about tonight. The big difference between us and West Ham (mentioned above) is injuries - yes, they’ve had a couple but take Rice out AND Antonio and maybe a couple others for a series of games (like we’ve had to cope with) and their results will suffer. Moyes/Benitez- whoever it is would suffer with this injury list. Benitez hasn’t helped himself though by not trying something a bit different - maybe giving a couple of the younger lads a chance rather than Rondon mainly! Different systems maybe? Ironically, we’ll probably see a tactical change tonight - I think we’ll see Allan, Doucoure and Delph as a 3 (which would probably help us get a bit of control against most teams) and Gray, Richarlison and Townsend/Gordon as a 3 - we’ll still get battered though!

[Bill]

21 hours ago, Palfy said:

I haven’t really seen any hatred towards Coleman just constructive criticism. 

Yeah Hatred was a bit over the top. If anybody can tell me which defender has been playing better than Seamus for the last half a dozen games I'd like hear about them.

[RuffRob]

One think for sure it Rafa just can't take any blame for the current squad having spent less than £2M, and with a lower wage bill than when he started - which is proven as simply woefully inadequate.

Getting on Rafa's back for the current situation on the quality or lack of in the squad beggars belief to be honest. Talk about venting frustration in the wrong direction. 

Story going around today - that one of Brands or Benitez may be looking at the door. 

https://www.footballinsider247.com/sources-benitez-and-brands-in-line-for-everton-sack-after-major-development/

Unfortunately, just the discussion above about our 'backs' situation above does not look great on Brands CV and you add to that the signing of Alex Iwobi for the fee paid and Brands is not looking all that great in my book. I don't think since Brands has be brought in he has done better than any other director of football type out there, there are plenty of example of other team who have brought in young players who could now be sold at a great profit.  I don't Brands as done anything 'special'.

The only benefit of the doubt I can give Brands is that he has also had a major clear out job on his hands - and it has not been easy getting rid of some the players he has also been stuck with!!

We seem to be expecting Benitez to be making a silk purse out of a sows ear, and Brands has to shoulder at least some of the blame for there being a sows ear of a squad to work with.

If one of the two HAS to go to shake things up - then it has to be Brands for me. 

 

[Zoo 2.0]

On 01/11/2021 at 20:30, Zoo 2.0 said:

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).

Bump. 

[Bailey]

23 hours ago, Btay said:

Mark Noble - has played 2 games in the premier league so I’m not sure what your point is? 

Id have Antonio here in heart beat - works his ass off and has a decent finish on him. I don’t think he his better that DCL though. Don’t forget he got moved around from full back/wing and hasn’t been a striker for his whole career. 

It was an example (admittedly a poor one) but if you look through the top 10 then there are average players who play every week. Iwobi used to play in Europe before he came to us and he barely looks like a footballer now. 

These players aren't terrible footballers, they are in the Premier League for a reason and they cost a fair bit of money for a reason, but for whatever reason they dont seem to show it when they pull on the blue shirt.

[Aidan]

Well if he is definitely under pressure from the fans now.

[Zoo 2.0]

Shouldn't have been anywhere near the club in the first place and shouldn't be anywhere near the club now. 

Sadly, neither should the likes of Moshiri, DBB and Brands but they'll be clocking in tomorrow morning as normal.

[MikeO]

4 minutes ago, Zoo 2.0 said:

Shouldn't have been anywhere near the club in the first place and shouldn't be anywhere near the club now. 

Sadly, neither should the likes of Moshiri, DBB and Brands but they'll be clocking in tomorrow morning as normal.

Can understand your aversion to most of them but what has Denise done wrong? She's not responsible for anything that happens on the pitch and Everton, away from the pitch, are brilliant.

[memmaclub2]

I don’t feel any worse than I did after Brentford but 8 games with out a win gets any top half manager sacked. if they keep him now we deserve a relegation fight

[Btay]

Well we will sack another manager, hire another one and the circus continues.

There is literally fuck all Benetiz can do with this lot. Their captain bends one in front 18 yards on his weak foot, ours is completely inept at football and gives the ball away on halfway as the last man.

Absolutely dire.

[Zoo 2.0]

4 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Can understand your aversion to most of them but what has Denise done wrong? She's not responsible for anything that happens on the pitch and Everton, away from the pitch, are brilliant.

To be honest I didn't include her in my other posts about the board and I'll be honest I'll admit I'm probably wrong to include her above - it just pissed me off how when we went 4-1 down the camera cut to the four of them (Brands, Moshiri, DBB and Kenwright) and she's there with a grin.

Anyone associated with the club in a position like that should be absolutely embarrassed - perhaps not due to being at fault, but for being associated with such clampets.

[Cornish Steve]

The odds from some bookies now are 1/6.