toffeeblue9
Player Valuation: £35m
Putting aside the fact that I utterly detest the man and some of the legitimate concerns we might have on the footballing side of things, there are two things I keep coming back to which are massively worrying as far as Benitez goes
1) Moshiri and the board are, by now, well aware of the depth of feeling on the matter yet they are pressing ahead with it regardless (as far as we can tell). This says to me that they simply don't care about the feelings of the fanbase. You're almost never going to get a consensus when you appoint a new manager (this thread is proof enough of that), but when the depth of feeling about this potential appointment is as negative as it is and they move forward regardless, the disconnect between the ownership and the fans would appear to be the biggest it has been in an awfully long time.
2) There have been more and more suggestions that Benitez represents a safe pair of hands and some modicum of stability and this is important in our run up to BMD - all well and good and a reasonable enough point to exclude the bigger gambles like Ferguson, Potter etc. What this neglects to take into consideration is that Benitez will have no leeway whatsoever from a large section of the fanbase. You'll have some people who simply won't even go while he's there (granted, I expect that number to be quite small) but you'll have a significant number in the fanbase who will turn on him at the first opportunity. Crowds are likely to be allowed back from the beginning of the season and this won't help Moshiri and co on this front because if we have a bad run, Benitez will likely not be afforded the "he needs time" line that most new bosses get. If he supposedly offers stability, a poor run of form simply won't be tolerated and the place will turn toxic. Like the end of the Martinez era but on the juice. That isn't stability. It is the complete opposite. It will be like the regime is teetering on the edge the whole time it's in place.
1) Moshiri and the board are, by now, well aware of the depth of feeling on the matter yet they are pressing ahead with it regardless (as far as we can tell). This says to me that they simply don't care about the feelings of the fanbase. You're almost never going to get a consensus when you appoint a new manager (this thread is proof enough of that), but when the depth of feeling about this potential appointment is as negative as it is and they move forward regardless, the disconnect between the ownership and the fans would appear to be the biggest it has been in an awfully long time.
2) There have been more and more suggestions that Benitez represents a safe pair of hands and some modicum of stability and this is important in our run up to BMD - all well and good and a reasonable enough point to exclude the bigger gambles like Ferguson, Potter etc. What this neglects to take into consideration is that Benitez will have no leeway whatsoever from a large section of the fanbase. You'll have some people who simply won't even go while he's there (granted, I expect that number to be quite small) but you'll have a significant number in the fanbase who will turn on him at the first opportunity. Crowds are likely to be allowed back from the beginning of the season and this won't help Moshiri and co on this front because if we have a bad run, Benitez will likely not be afforded the "he needs time" line that most new bosses get. If he supposedly offers stability, a poor run of form simply won't be tolerated and the place will turn toxic. Like the end of the Martinez era but on the juice. That isn't stability. It is the complete opposite. It will be like the regime is teetering on the edge the whole time it's in place.
