Rafael Benitez

[ExiledGeordie]

He still has a problem with some who plainly don't want to be there too.....

[Stifler]

We've got a superb manager, the best we're ever likely to get. He's trying to turn around a loser club from top to bottom. He'll fix it, have faith in that.

Things obviously need to change, and I'm sure they will, he'll be ruthless in his quest to get it right, the bloke will do anything within his power to ensure he doesn't have egg on his face, make no mistake about it.

That might be true, it's Rafa's tactics for me that are ultimately costing us.

 

I agree totally. 180 minutes of shitness. Zero points against teams that finished 19th and 20th last season. Spent tens of millions.....roll on Wednesday and the team that finished 17th.

Last season we beat Spurs who finished 3rd, drew with Man City who finished 4th, drew with Liverpool away despite going 2-0 down, and he did that with a squad who performed so poorly before he came in that they were ultimately relegated.

 

If you don't think he has the ability to turn things around then more fool you.

[huss9]

We've got a superb manager, the best we're ever likely to get. He's trying to turn around a loser club from top to bottom. He'll fix it, have faith in that.

Things obviously need to change, and I'm sure they will, he'll be ruthless in his quest to get it right, the bloke will do anything within his power to ensure he doesn't have egg on his face, make no mistake about it.

That might be true, it's Rafa's tactics for me that are ultimately costing us.

 

I agree totally. 180 minutes of shitness. Zero points against teams that finished 19th and 20th last season. Spent tens of millions.....roll on Wednesday and the team that finished 17th.

 

in a nutshell. crap opposition with a team costing millions and not a single point or goal from open play.

[Guest neesy111]

We've got a superb manager, the best we're ever likely to get. He's trying to turn around a loser club from top to bottom. He'll fix it, have faith in that.

Things obviously need to change, and I'm sure they will, he'll be ruthless in his quest to get it right, the bloke will do anything within his power to ensure he doesn't have egg on his face, make no mistake about it.

That might be true, it's Rafa's tactics for me that are ultimately costing us.

 

I agree totally. 180 minutes of shitness. Zero points against teams that finished 19th and 20th last season. Spent tens of millions.....roll on Wednesday and the team that finished 17th.

Last season we beat Spurs who finished 3rd, drew with Man City who finished 4th, drew with Liverpool away despite going 2-0 down, and he did that with a squad who performed so poorly before he came in that they were ultimately relegated.

 

If you don't think he has the ability to turn things around then more fool you.

Steve McLaren did the first 1 and got sacked.  It's subjective.

 

[Dave]

We scored from open play today.

[Guest neesy111]

We scored from open play today.

Ha ha.

[Klaus]

Does Gayles goal not count as open play? 

 

fuck off

[Ronaldo]

Neesy needs to stop drinking and posting, like.

You have been just as bad today.

 

In what sense? I've just said what every sensible poster on here has said. Faith in Rafa but a lot needs to change if we're gonna finish top 2. Even the likes of you should be able to figure that out.

[louistoon]

we can blame tactics all we want I think what we've learnt so far is that without Colo, Sissoko, Wiji and Townsend we have a very average team. I think even Rafa may have been a little suprised with some of them but combine an average team with a large amount of expectation and teams that will see us as one of the teams to beat and we're in quite a dodgy situation. We haven't bought enough quality in. Gayle is decent but he's never scored more than 10 goals in a league season. Without quality in other areas we need a target man up front and without mitrovic we don't have that.

 

The team needs time to gel and performances will improve, but we've been trying to build a squad ignoring the fact that our starting XI are not good enough to win this league. We need a goalscorer and a winger and our defense needs to improve. We can blame Anita, Colback, Dummett etc... all we want they are not the problem, the problem is that there are no players in our squad who look like they will stand out in this division.

[joeyt]

Aarons was poor today and probably rightly taken off but it doesn't help him when Anita offers nowt on the other wing.

 

When Ritchie came on they put 3 or 4 players on him and Janmaat which often left Dummett on his own down the left. Really think we need to start with Aarons and Ritchie on either side so defenders can't just crowd one winger because they know Anita will do nothing

[huss9]

Aarons was poor today and probably rightly taken off but it doesn't help him when Anita offers nowt on the other wing.

 

When Ritchie came on they could put 3 or 4 players on him and Janmaat which often left Dummett on his own down the left. Really think we need to start with Aarons and Ritchie on either side so defenders can't just crowd one winger because they know Anita will do nothing

 

that was crazy second half. they started playing with 4 left backs often leaving dummett 20 yards from any opposition player.

[GavMcEl]

Didn't see the game today cus I was working ? And I'm not gonna watch that monstrosity of a highlight show on channel 5 because it's absolute balls....2 defeats in 2 games is  dreadful... What I will say is I gave every faith in Rafa ! He is a genius and I can tell you now we will go up and go up as champions ! The 2nd game of the season last year I said that we where going down on here and got laughed at ! So trust my judgement we will be grand ! And any one even doubting Rafa needs to sort their fucking life's out

 

[huss9]

still trust rafa but feel he needs to go back to the drawing board and think again about tactics and recruitment. both been lacking. remember its fulham and huddersfield we lost to - relegation strugglers from last year.

[Mattoon]

He'll get it right, just hope it's sooner rather than later, before daylight starts appearing between us and the top. Definitely needs to get some premiership quality in the team. As much as I hate the bloke for what he's been doing I think Sissoko, if he stays, can make a huge difference in this league. Mitro can't come back quick enough either.

[nemtizz]

If you don't have faith in him you're obviously a massive sausage, however you have a right to be concerned. Not one positive to draw from these 2 games. Thankfully a long way to go.

[huss9]

If you don't have faith in him you're obviously a massive sausage, however you have a right to be concerned. Not one positive to draw from these 2 games. Thankfully a long way to go.

 

think the only positives to be drawn from these games are the negatives - he's realised colback is shit, and hopefully that we need quality reinforcements at LB CM and CF.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

It was pretty positive how he changed the team today TBH, although it didn't work out.

[UncleBingo]

Too many clouded by who Rafa is rather than what he is serving up. What he has achieved in the past has no bearing what he isn't achieving today. He's recruited poorly by still not addressing the areas of the team that still need attention - LB, Winger, Centre Fwd and judging by today we need a creative midfielder too. Finally he's setting the team up far too negatively..... If this was Pardew he would be ran out of town, yet it's okay for Rafa to do it.

 

Are you being serious with the Benitez/Pardew comparison son?

[Chris Banaloona]

Too many clouded by who Rafa is rather than what he is serving up. What he has achieved in the past has no bearing what he isn't achieving today. He's recruited poorly by still not addressing the areas of the team that still need attention - LB, Winger, Centre Fwd and judging by today we need a creative midfielder too. Finally he's setting the team up far too negatively..... If this was Pardew he would be ran out of town, yet it's okay for Rafa to do it.

 

Are you being serious with the Benitez/Pardew comparison son?

 

Yes I am. In fact the turgid stuff served up in the 1st 2 games has been a lot more negative than Pardew. At least Pardew didn't play Anita RW for a full game. For that alone Rafa should fuck off back to Liverpool.

[Dave]

Too obvious mate.

[Stifler]

Too many clouded by who Rafa is rather than what he is serving up. What he has achieved in the past has no bearing what he isn't achieving today. He's recruited poorly by still not addressing the areas of the team that still need attention - LB, Winger, Centre Fwd and judging by today we need a creative midfielder too. Finally he's setting the team up far too negatively..... If this was Pardew he would be ran out of town, yet it's okay for Rafa to do it.

 

Are you being serious with the Benitez/Pardew comparison son?

 

Yes I am. In fact the turgid stuff served up in the 1st 2 games has been a lot more negative than Pardew. At least Pardew didn't play Anita RW for a full game. For that alone Rafa should fuck off back to Liverpool.

There is an institute people like you can go to you know.

[Gallowgate Toon]

Trying to be completely objective about it: we've had a team that've gone from expecting to lose every week to now being expected to win each week and also playing a style that we've failed miserably at over the last decade. Add lots of new players into the mix and there will be a transition. I'd argue preseason was too easy and might've exacerbated an attitude some had that we would walk the league. Rafa should probably be looking to implement things a little bit slower than he has, in all honesty, but it's going to take some time either way.

 

He's made it hard on himself with his selections but he's dealing with some key enigmatic players. Perez has been poor, Aarons doesn't seem settled, Gayle seems to be adjusting to a new role etc. Frankly, we need players in ASAP. A quality winger and striker are musts. We can carry an unproductive set of central midfielders but the flanks and other attacking central positions must be addressed. Ritchie is quality and is a good PL player, we need another winger of his ilk (preferably two) but with a more direct style.

 

I don't think it's really a formational issue, if Rafa can implement his style having a 10 is better than 2 strikers, IMO. He pretty much played Perez as a striker alongside Gayle last week and we still looked garbage and struggled to stretch a deep defence. There are selection and balance problems, certainly, but quality is the biggest of them all.

 

Big week for us. A win and 2 new players through the door can transform the situation. I can certainly see why he's making comments about players needing to relax, just need to get a win or two under the belt, even if they're scrappy, to get it going. What he said about 'unusual' movements was interesting, reminded me of the time a journo said he was perplexed as to why players were doing things completely against instruction when we played Leicester. Suggests panic within the players.

[Altamullan]

Cue Gene Vincent:

Chris Babalooba, he's clearly crazy

Chris Babalooba, I don't mean maybe.

[Dave]

Trying to be completely objective about it: we've had a team that've gone from expecting to lose every week to now being expected to win each week and also playing a style that we've failed miserably at over the last decade. Add lots of new players into the mix and there will be a transition. I'd argue preseason was too easy and might've exacerbated an attitude some had that we would walk the league. Rafa should probably be looking to implement things a little bit slower than he has, in all honesty, but it's going to take some time either way.

 

He's made it hard on himself with his selections but he's dealing with some key enigmatic players. Perez has been poor, Aarons doesn't seem settled, Gayle seems to be adjusting to a new role etc. Frankly, we need players in ASAP. A quality winger and striker are musts. We can carry an unproductive set of central midfielders but the flanks and other attacking central positions must be addressed. Ritchie is quality and is a good PL player, we need another winger of his ilk (preferably two) but with a more direct style.

 

I don't think it's really a formational issue, if Rafa can implement his style having a 10 is better than 2 strikers, IMO. He pretty much played Perez as a striker alongside Gayle last week and we still looked garbage and struggled to stretch a deep defence. There are selection and balance problems, certainly, but quality is the biggest of them all.

 

Big week for us. A win and 2 new players through the door can transform the situation. I can certainly see why he's making comments about players needing to relax, just need to get a win or two under the belt, even if they're scrappy, to get it going. What he said about 'unusual' movements was interesting, reminded me of the time a journo said he was perplexed as to why players were doing things completely against instruction when we played Leicester. Suggests panic within the players.

 

Good post.

[Guest ElCid]

Trying to be completely objective about it: we've had a team that've gone from expecting to lose every week to now being expected to win each week and also playing a style that we've failed miserably at over the last decade. Add lots of new players into the mix and there will be a transition. I'd argue preseason was too easy and might've exacerbated an attitude some had that we would walk the league. Rafa should probably be looking to implement things a little bit slower than he has, in all honesty, but it's going to take some time either way.

 

He's made it hard on himself with his selections but he's dealing with some key enigmatic players. Perez has been poor, Aarons doesn't seem settled, Gayle seems to be adjusting to a new role etc. Frankly, we need players in ASAP. A quality winger and striker are musts. We can carry an unproductive set of central midfielders but the flanks and other attacking central positions must be addressed. Ritchie is quality and is a good PL player, we need another winger of his ilk (preferably two) but with a more direct style.

 

I don't think it's really a formational issue, if Rafa can implement his style having a 10 is better than 2 strikers, IMO. He pretty much played Perez as a striker alongside Gayle last week and we still looked garbage and struggled to stretch a deep defence. There are selection and balance problems, certainly, but quality is the biggest of them all.

 

Big week for us. A win and 2 new players through the door can transform the situation. I can certainly see why he's making comments about players needing to relax, just need to get a win or two under the belt, even if they're scrappy, to get it going. What he said about 'unusual' movements was interesting, reminded me of the time a journo said he was perplexed as to why players were doing things completely against instruction when we played Leicester. Suggests panic within the players.

 

He needs to break down Charnley's door and tell him to sort it out with a winger, forward and left back and not to wait to the deadline. He also has got to stop these negative tactics which have seen us being beaten by two teams who nearly got relegated last season. And finally he has got to stop playing Anita and Dummett.