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No of course not.
Because anyone who has ever watched football knew that he was the wrong appointment and that there are extremely few examples of a manager being successful at a club and then moving to their rivals and being equally successful.
The real delusion was our fans who thought it was the right appointment. Absolutely bonkers when you look back on it.
The person to blame though, was Moshiri as owner, for making such a ridiculous appointment. He's the person to blame for the club's decline as a whole.
I get that you don't like Lampard - fair enough, but I really don't see what more he could have done last season. I will be pretty upset if people turn on him quickly this year when he has not been supported. Benitez didn't actually lose a key player either, so there's another difference to last year.
Glad you've come to this realisation that it doesn't matter who is the manager - you was calling for Benitez to be sacked within months after spending £1.7m - the club are in the doldrums because of the owner/boardroom.
BlueStevie35
Player Valuation: £70m
I was calling for him not to be appointed period tbf, that’s when the protests should have been stronger
ParkhallToffee
Player Valuation: £750k
Last season we had 10 points after 4 games. That turned out to be massive in us staying up. We ain't getting that kind of start this year with this team.
As it stands we are in big trouble as I fear we will carry on where we left off.
Two weeks to fix this or this is the season our luck runs out.
As it stands we are in big trouble as I fear we will carry on where we left off.
Two weeks to fix this or this is the season our luck runs out.
Moshiri hasn't done any due diligence on the heirachy when he invested.
If he would he would have seen the utter incompetence of kenwright and his cronies.
They have all been responsible for our decline and Moshiri has just handed over the money without any opposition of how it has been wasted.
We are a shambles of a club and the worrying thing is nothing has changed at board room level!!!!!
But we still have DBB!!!!
Championship and Premiership have different rules anyway I think
I mean, the board being crap and Benitez being the wrong appointment can both be true
It doesn't have to be an either/or
You could argue that Benitez's crapness exacerbated an already dicey situation
He also sold Hamez and Digne and didn't win a game for half a season, but ey oh did the best he could.
He's definitely not the problem but he's also not likely to be the solution. It took one of the greatest managers in history to get us midtable with a stronger squad than this one.
So, "the players and those who recruited the players are the problem, not the manager"
But whether this applied to Benitez, you say "no of course not"
Says it all.
As I said, this team is relegation fodder. Just like it was under Benitez, and like it would be under any Lampard replacement.
The issue is, as you say - the players and those who recruited them, Benitez had the same problem as Lampard.
You don't "get" it, because that's not true.
You don't have to be for, or against - you can take a 'I don't know/let's see...' approach.
Far too early.
For me, Frank Lampard is another Marco Silva. I've got no clue whether he's a good manager, or not. Time will tell.
Exactly that.
But let's be consistent and fair with criticism.
Benitez wasn't exempt from criticism because of the players he had.
Lampard shouldn't be either.
ElGato
Player Valuation: £10m
On the upside: only pre-season, playing a half decent Minnesota side who are half way into their year and I understand to be in the running to win the MLS. Also it's hot and stuff. Knee-Jerk United FC
On the downside: we should be winning those anyway, that midfield is frighteningly bad, and Michael Keane is still a first choice centre half. Signings needed to lift morale and quality on the park or we will be in trouble. CB, DM/No.8 and goalscoring winger/second striker desperately needed
Those calling for us to sell our best players to fund reinforcements: have a day off.
Those pointing the finger at Lampard: hold that thought until we're three games in to the new season with 0 points and GD of -8.
On the downside: we should be winning those anyway, that midfield is frighteningly bad, and Michael Keane is still a first choice centre half. Signings needed to lift morale and quality on the park or we will be in trouble. CB, DM/No.8 and goalscoring winger/second striker desperately needed
Those calling for us to sell our best players to fund reinforcements: have a day off.
Those pointing the finger at Lampard: hold that thought until we're three games in to the new season with 0 points and GD of -8.
We made an appointment that in my mind had zero chance of working out. He was the wrong fit for the club, and what happened was entirely predictable.
The players are the problem. But when you appoint a divisive manager who is not going to be here long term, and has no chance of being a success, then the manager becomes the main problem.
I guess the point I'm trying to make, but maybe not that coherently, is that by appointing Benitez, the manager became the biggest issue at the club. But under pretty much any other appointment we could have made (maybe not the Aston Villa manager!), the playing is squad is clearly the number 1 issue.
But all decisions come back to the owner and board. They are responsible for the position we find ourselves, and while they remain in place, they are responsible for finding solutions.
rochdaleblue
Player Valuation: £50m
We only just avoided relegation and have sold our best player. People will say but it’s only pre-season but the alarm bells are ringing with our results and performances. An experienced manager would struggle in those circumstances let alone Lampard whose learning in the job. My only hope is that we can use the loan market well, but as it stands we are totally unprepared for the start of the season and ultimately a relegation battle.
And that's the whole point I'm making.
He was red to a bull, and that deflected a lot from the reality.
A lot of fans think it was Benitez that took us to the brink last season and that we'll be safe this season because Lampard is in now, has a full pre-season and isn't firefighting and not Benitez.
The reality (well, maybe not reality, it's my opinion) is, the squad Lampard has is the same (well, a lot worse now Richarlison has gone) than what Benitez had and it's relegation fodder.
That's the biggest problem, but it doesn't negate the manager entirely.
Lampard has to continue to be pragmatic. He started off idealistic, 'enjoy the ball' - it would have sent us down, thankfully it become 'get a result by any means...', and my concern is he'll try and stamp his own style - a style we don't have the players to play.
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