Rafael Benitez

[ExiledGeordie]

the colback/hayden combination should never be tried again.

if it needs to be played then need pace elswhere in the team so atsu and/or yedlin need to play.

 

Exacerbated by having Dummett and Gouffran to their left.

 

I'm disappointed that Lazarr hasn't featured yet. I thought he was really going to add something (he still might)

[Dokko]

He's making this look hard. Should be running away with the league but instead we're in danger of gifting it to Brighton.

 

Last night was appalling, he should be ashamed of having his name against that show.

[MyPalAl]

I am delighted to have Rafa as manager, our best since Sir Bobby (I know that isn't too much of a statement). But.......

 

I understand the way that he has the team set up, to control games and to see them through when we are winning, but, boy we are shite to watch. I have only enjoyed one performance this season, and that was v Birmingham. Not one other game have I left the ground thinking 'fucking hell, what a good game of football!', not one! Yes, we have played canny, but I was fortunate enough to be a season ticket holder in the Keegan days, when we were in the second tier, and we were fantastic. Now, we are predictable and boring, and that only comes from the manager. I hate the way the ball is played forever across the back four time and time again with no urgency to get the ball forward, I hate the way he doesn't have a plan B (see last night), and I hate the way he won't try a different formation, particularly at home, unless we are getting beat. I thought Sheff Wed were by far the better team last night, and if we have ambition to win the league, that shouldn't be happening.

 

The daft thing is, I wouldn't want any other manager, so I will have to put up with it. Yes, he his changing the whole club, and this is the transition period, and long term he may take us places, but his style of football leaves a lot to be desired in my eyes.

 

But he certainly isn't King Kevin, or Sir Bobby. I have been spoiled I suppose. I doubt anyone will look back to when Rafa took over in the way I/we do to when KK took over.

 

 

[Kanj]

^its his first full season in charge, man.

[ujpest doza]

Needs a Plan B mind.

 

 

[Kanj]

Needs to get more aggressive at home, sign some players as soon as the window opens, win the next 4 without shelvey, and beat Brighton away.

[huss9]

at the moment i'd rather draw and have a replay with birmingham than win first time. really need shelvey back asap.

[Heron]

1) Football has changed since the KK days, you could even argue it has since the days of SBR too

2) It's his first full season in charge of this club, not just the squad of players

and

3) We won fuck all under the last two heroes so, so what if it's boring football. If we win something I couldn't give a fuck.

[loki679]

If the football's a bit boring then at least we're playing shit football and winning rather than playing shit football and getting pissed on every week like the last four years.

 

Give the bloke a bit of time, the obvious first priority was always to get us solid defensively.  The more expansive stuff can come in time.

[Pilko]

The only worry I have about Rafa whatsoever is that he's completely inflexible. You have to admire his belief in the system and his tactics, but with that you need a certain degree of some kind of Plan B, wildcard, gamble, whatever you want to call it.

 

Someone else on this board said it yesterday; we look absolutely fucked once we go behind. Absolutely no idea how to build pressure or force the issue; we play as if we're the team who's 1-0 up as opposed to down.

[cp40]

The only worry I have about Rafa whatsoever is that he's completely inflexible. You have to admire his belief in the system and his tactics, but with that you need a certain degree of some kind of Plan B, wildcard, gamble, whatever you want to call it.

 

Someone else on this board said it yesterday; we look absolutely fucked once we go behind. Absolutely no idea how to build pressure or force the issue; we play as if we're the team who's 1-0 up as opposed to down.

 

 

yr not wrong, but he stated about a month ago? he will want 2 or 3 systems in the squads locker- but that he wont work on , or introduce the other systems until we have his fist one working right- cant recall the exact words he used like.

[Guest neesy111]

The only worry I have about Rafa whatsoever is that he's completely inflexible. You have to admire his belief in the system and his tactics, but with that you need a certain degree of some kind of Plan B, wildcard, gamble, whatever you want to call it.

 

Someone else on this board said it yesterday; we look absolutely fucked once we go behind. Absolutely no idea how to build pressure or force the issue; we play as if we're the team who's 1-0 up as opposed to down.

 

Yeap, his strength in his 4231 system is also a weakness as he's unable/unwilling to change course during a match.

[Guest firetotheworks]

FWIW, I think a lot of your fears aren't based in reality. Rafa's plan B won him the Champions League, man. He changes things up during matches a lot, it not always working isn't the same as him not changing anything.

[Leazes_End_Mag]

Not neccesarily people on here, but its mental how some fans are petrified to criticise him 'because its Rafa' 

[ElDiablo]

As frustrating as losses like yesterday are, just imagine who we'd have in charge if Rafa had chosen to leave. That's one thing that makes it a lot easier to take. The club was toxic before he came in.

[huss9]

needs to embrace the pace. get yedlin and atsu in for the forest match.

[Guest firetotheworks]

I think it's more that the criticism is sometimes canny hysterical in the circumstances, or with the whole two up front thing, a waste of time even discussing. There's questioning things, then there's actively thinking that you know better than a manager of that pedigree.

 

My view is to let him get on with it and enjoy the ride. He won't always get things right but he clearly knows what he's doing. The fact that we all still disagree with each other on here all the time about line ups, players, tactics etc shows that there's no definitive way to get everything exactly right, but considering his way has got is where we are, I'm not daft enough to want to start actively being a deterrent, by thinking I know better and start getting all vociferous about it.

[Andy]

Not neccesarily people on here, but its mental how some fans are petrified to criticise him 'because its Rafa' 

 

To be fair, it's equally mental how bi-polar some fans are when it comes to evaluating him. We have a "good" squad for the championship but we're not exactly Real Madrid and we're not going to win every week, nor or we going to dominate games every week whether home or away, so when the wheels come off it's a bit stupid throwing a hissy fit over it. There's a lot of work to be done and I'm pretty sure Rafa knows that.

[Ronaldo]

It's a bit worrying how much work does need to be done if we do go up, like. I said this about a week ago so it's not in reaction to last night but we need at least a whole new defence. Really not easy to build that in the space of one summer.

[madras]

1) Football has changed since the KK days, you could even argue it has since the days of SBR too

2) It's his first full season in charge of this club, not just the squad of players

and

3) We won f*** all under the last two heroes so, so what if it's boring football. If we win something I couldn't give a f***.

IUt's still about getting the basics right, getting the best out of each player and using your squads strenghts. As important now as it was then and what those two were brilliant at in their time here.

 

And the we won fuck all comment is crass at best.

[Wallsendmag]

Needs to react quicker to what's going on. After 20 minutes it was clear for all to see it was going to be another Wolves/Blackburn type of performance and he waited far too long to change things around. Atsu and Mitrovic should have been on far earlier and Perez for Diame was a waste of a sub.

[Kanj]

It's a bit worrying how much work does need to be done if we do go up, like. I said this about a week ago so it's not in reaction to last night but we need at least a whole new defence. Really not easy to build that in the space of one summer.

 

Was always going to be difficult to build a defence (and team) that would be willing to play in the Championship that could straight away be slotted into the PL if we go up.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

Rafa is totally over analysing things in this division at home. He needs to remember that all sides in this division regard us as the dogs bollocks and so their regular week to week game which Rafa meticulously prepares the players about and for changes massively when they play us, in many ways to the opposite of how they would normally play. And we struggle with that, especially at home. We need to ditch the cautious over analysed, over drilled mechanical way we play at home because it's fucking boring and costing us dearly. Rafa's ways will be essential in the PL, but in this division it's like putting a diesel in a fucking Ferrari. You might get better MPG, but it's a fucking Ferrari man, fuck the MPG!

[Darth Crooks]

Don't really see what the fuss is about to be honest. Never good to lose at home but losing your talismanic player is always going to mean tricky implications. Hopefully with Jan ahead Rafa will be pushing to address that. Come on mike you twat.

[Ronaldo]

We've been equally as bad in games at home with Shelvey, though. It's not solely down to his absence.