2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[Simon Buttle]

We are worse in every area of the pitch.
All on the fat man

Exactly, you can moan about the board/Brands, we all know they are useless but at the end of the day Moshiri was'nt the one who told the players to stand 5 yards off all the City players throughout the game yesterday nor was he the one who told the team to go so compact through the middle that it left huge gaps out wide.

 

[Martin Alvito]

Yet plenty do. I remember Southampton getting in Pochettino was considered a suicidal gamble by many (Hassenhutl not really proven either).

Pochettino was a top flight manager in La Liga that had pulled Espanyol out of the relegation zone in his first season while scalping Guardiola's Barca, then kept the club up for three seasons. Hardly unproven.

I agree that Vieira is a dice roll. Not sure how well that one is working out. Brighton hired Potter on the back of stabilizing a sinking ship and a cup run. The new guy at Wolves came from Benfica.

You're correct that relegation-threatened clubs are having to reach a bit more, and a bit more often, as the usual suspects are retiring. That said, Dean Smith got snapped up right away. When the option exists, those clubs rarely hesitate. I would be surprised if Nuno will have difficulty finding a job he fancies.

 

[Billy Dean]

Sack him and then move heaven and earth to appoint Jose…….Baxter

 

[ranxerox]

Time and resources. That's what Benitez has to get in order to be judged.

True, but only highlights why he was a poor choice. He simply won't get the time because he is a poor fit for the club on account of his past baggage. It might be illogical to hold his past against him but following a team is an emotional exercise.

His sacking is inevitable (most managers end up getting the sack, relatively few retire on the job or leave for a better opportunity) and will be ugly. He started his tenure already closer to the sack than most because many supporters simply wanted nothing to do with him for very real emotional reasons.

Plus when everything else (aside from the new stadium) about the club seems dire people will naturally focus on making the easiest quick change which is sacking the manager.

It was a massive mistake to appoint him, sacking is inevitable, rip the band aid off now and move on.

 

[Zatara]

Who are we selling?

We sold Kean. Outside of Kean, who's a sellable asset, that we could actually afford to lose?

Iwobi? Davies? Gomes? Holgate?

Face it, the only plays with any resale value, closing the season were Pickford, Godfrey, Mina, Richarlison, Doucoure and Calvert-Lewin. It's all well and good but what are we getting? £10m Gomes? £5m Davies, Holgate? £2m Kenny?

We're paper thin, but the players we want to ditch, we can't actually get shut of.

This post is up and down.

But you name 4 players with fees who we could have sold.

There would be teams that would want our players, to think otherwise is nonsensical.

We just need to lower the amount in fees to move them on.

 

[barneygumble]

This post is up and down.

But you name 4 players with fees who we could have sold.

There would be teams that would want our players, to think otherwise is nonsensical.

We just need to lower the amount in fees to move them on.

My idea is that we don’t have a wide range of sellable assets. Look at players like Schneiderlin, £20m loss.

I listed 4-5 players and I’m not sure they’re commanding a fee which will be much use to us.

Do you twist and start offloading some of the huge valued players like Richarlison?

 

[ToffeeTim]

My idea is that we don’t have a wide range of sellable assets. Look at players like Schneiderlin, £20m loss.

I listed 4-5 players and I’m not sure they’re commanding a fee which will be much use to us.

Do you twist and start offloading some of the huge valued players like Richarlison?

We may have no choice. I can't see DCL or Richarlison wanting to be here next season. I expect one of them to be sold, and I can't blame them because we haven't been good enough.

 

[Dixieslaces]

There are some absolute beauts listed there....some of them make be feel happy to have Benitez ?

Indeed there are, !

 

[gazzaa2]

Pochettino was a top flight manager in La Liga that had pulled Espanyol out of the relegation zone in his first season while scalping Guardiola's Barca, then kept the club up for three seasons. Hardly unproven.

I agree that Vieira is a dice roll. Not sure how well that one is working out. Brighton hired Potter on the back of stabilizing a sinking ship and a cup run. The new guy at Wolves came from Benfica.

You're correct that relegation-threatened clubs are having to reach a bit more, and a bit more often, as the usual suspects are retiring. That said, Dean Smith got snapped up right away. When the option exists, those clubs rarely hesitate. I would be surprised if Nuno will have difficulty finding a job he fancies.

A Premier League club appointing a bottom half La Liga manager who's never worked over here is always going to be a gamble though. Espanyol was his first job. In his last full season there they finished 14th (and finished 13th the season he left towards the end).

Poaching the manager of the 14th best team in Spain (at a decent sized club in his 4th season in charge) would hardly go down well here.

 

[zukai12_]

For what it's worth i think we should sack the next guy immediatly too


The manager hunts are the only fun we get any more

 

[gazzaa2]

But the issue is none of those managers have won a bean of note and Poch aside have done well in spurts - Potter finished 16th last season and has won 1 in his last 7 - why is that good enough for us when the last 5 or so manager's havent been? Because he's got a reputation for "silky" "progressive" *insert other sexy catchphrase label* football?

Viera - done a "great" job but is only 1 point above us in the table?

Hassanhuttl who has his positives hasn't done much at Saints despite being there a while now - he would have been chased outta Goodison after the first 9 nil loss never mind the second.

You break down these managers and none of em would do anything here so why get so angry over the current fella is what I dont understand.

I was just pointing out a lot of clubs make these gambles. Gambles are just that though, some will work some don't.

Plenty of clubs have gone down after making strange managerial gambles.

 

[Efcjake]

The manager getting blame for a poor run of results 4 months into a job and the owner and DoF getting away scot-free.

Plotters will plot, I suppose.

But, still 11th in the table after a terrible run of results.

They're all getting it Dave.

That said you have written "for a poor run of results" of course he is getting the blame for the results, he's the bleeding manager.

 

[Dixieslaces]

So we have a guy who loves the North West, Very successful Prem Player, Not so great in the Management (Thus Far) but Prem League management experience(Mosh nudge nudge!), and very, very recently out of work!!!

im not naming him, its OGSvious!!!!

****************gets coat and rushes hurriedly out of Benitez thread!

 

[Tubey]

Who are we selling?

We sold Kean. Outside of Kean, who's a sellable asset, that we could actually afford to lose?

Iwobi? Davies? Gomes? Holgate?

Face it, the only plays with any resale value, closing the season were Pickford, Godfrey, Mina, Richarlison, Doucoure and Calvert-Lewin. It's all well and good but what are we getting? £10m Gomes? £5m Davies, Holgate? £2m Kenny?

We're paper thin, but the players we want to ditch, we can't actually get shut of.

And the mad thing is that all of those bolded players are missing or have been missing.

Pretty much any and every decent player we have injured/suspended.

But yeah, let's change the manager, I'm sure someone else would be able to do much better.

 

[barneygumble]

And the mad thing is that all of those bolded players are missing or have been missing.

Pretty much any and every decent player we have injured/suspended.

But yeah, let's change the manager, I'm sure someone else would be able to do much better.

Don't forget Begovic played against Villa too