Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)

[xLiaaamx]

Sissoko, Thauvin, Wijnaldum, Cisse and Janmaat would all start for us. That's half a team. So yes, McClaren had a better squad and did a much worse job.

 

Benitez would have had us nice and safe, had he had a full season with those players.

 

He was absolutely finished man. Worse than Gayle and Joselu.

[UncleBingo]

I’m of the opinion that some of Rafa’s tactics and methods have not helped us at all at home and that could be our downfall RE relegation. I also dislike our football, it’s poor in the main and I find some of his subs baffling. I for one would like us to just go for it a bit more at home. Swansea at home for example, had we played the same way we did in the first half we would have won comfortably instead of drawing. I’m all for how we play away from home by the way. We cannot keep using the players as not being good enough as an excuse or our lack of spending, they are all mitigating factors, but I’m sure even Rafa himself more than anyone will not be happy with our total points yield as things stand and we could be doing better. Silly mistakes and missed chances haven’t helped but when we are on top and get a goal like away to Palace we seem to revert into a shell of fear and try and see out the game defensively and it costs us a lot. Rafa the man though, he’s untouchable and easily the best thing about our club and he is far too good for us. Sadly what Ashley did by not backing him in the summer basically clipped our wings following the jubilation or winning the Championship. He effectively killed odour season to the point where it would be all about staying up. Sadly I don’t think we will.

 

How would we have won if we had kept missing chances like the first half?

 

Such a simplistic thing to say if we'd played the same way in the second half etc......unless you're Man City it's not quite as simple as that. Swansea changed their players and formation after getting totally outplayed in the first half, we were unable to change it around mainly due to a lack of quality on the bench.....as it happens, they are not a bad side with some good players, as they've since proven.

 

At the end of the day, our defence is solid enough and the stats suggest we create enough chances to win games, but simply don't have the quality to convert them into goals.......a decent striker and we would have been nowhere near a relegation spot. That's 100% down to Ashley.

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

Our results against the bottom half teams have been good. Maybe not in individual games but across the season so far. What is more problematic is our record against the top half teams. Almost like the gap in quality between playing squads becomes more pronounced.

[Altamullan]

Sissoko, Thauvin, Wijnaldum, Cisse and Janmaat would all start for us. That's half a team. So yes, McClaren had a better squad and did a much worse job.

 

Benitez would have had us nice and safe, had he had a full season with those players.

Have you forgotten how bad Thauvin looked? There’s no way no would be starting, on that season’s form. Cisse  looked shite as well. I’d rather have Gayle. I’d rather have Joselu than Rivière. I would take Wijnaldum and Janmaat, but wouldn’t be rushing to drop anyone for Sissoko.

[Stottie]

Unless there is a change in ownership he won't be here next season anyway, so not to worry.

 

This in a nutshell.

 

Rafa's football is a bit dour, but on the odd occasion it breaks down and we have Benteke bearing down on our goal after the world's simplest throughball three minutes into a game, I understand why we set up the way we do. Give us the keeper and striker that Rafa wanted and I think we'd have had similar results to Burnley.

[TheHoob]

Are people forgetting the absolute shitehawks we had managing those players? We were hardly seeing them at their peaks, Benitez would be able to get far more out of most of them.

[steve_69]

Unless there is a change in ownership he won't be here next season anyway, so not to worry.

 

This in a nutshell.

 

Rafa's football is a bit dour, but on the odd occasion it breaks down and we have Benteke bearing down on our goal after the world's simplest throughball three minutes into a game, I understand why we set up the way we do. Give us the keeper and striker that Rafa wanted and I think we'd have had similar results to Burnley.

 

Even the though football is a bit dour, we still create plenty of chances. If we had the striker that Rafa had wanted, we wouldn't be grinding out 1-0 results like Burnley. We'd be scoring 2-3 goals per game against most of the bottom half.  We should've put 3 past Burnley a couple of weeks ago but Joselu saw to it that we didn't.

[1964]

Where did 'mid-table premiership players' come from?  They're your words.  I'm not arguing about the point made and I personally don't agree with it, I just think going down the line of personally abusing someone for asking a question is not on.  People just won't post anything and we will be RAWK which is not healthy

 

Personal abuse? I did a laughing smiley. Quite the snowflake aren't you?

 

For the record, I THINK Rafa has done an amazing job, because in my OPINION we have a championship squad and in my OPINION he has been totally screwed over by his bosses.

 

Of course you can question Rafa but I'm well within my rights to laugh at people who do so, for a variety of reasons.

Jesus Christ this is tiresome, just to be absolutely clear again, I wasn't referring to you giving me abuse, I was referring to comments earlier on that someone was a 'wassock' for suggesting that the players haven't improved. All I was saying was that posters should be allowed an opinion when presented in a reasonable way without being abused. 

[Altamullan]

Are people forgetting the absolute shitehawks we had managing those players? We were hardly seeing them at their peaks, Benitez would be able to get far more out of most of them.

I was absolutely certain that Rafa would have got more out of the 2015-16 group, over the course of a season. Still think he would have done. But again, tbf, he didn’t manage to get much of a tune out of them over the last ten games.

 

(10 points from 9 critical pre-relegation games, 13 from 10 games; on average would have been enough to stay up)

[TRon]

I’m of the opinion that some of Rafa’s tactics and methods have not helped us at all at home and that could be our downfall RE relegation. I also dislike our football, it’s poor in the main and I find some of his subs baffling. I for one would like us to just go for it a bit more at home. Swansea at home for example, had we played the same way we did in the first half we would have won comfortably instead of drawing. I’m all for how we play away from home by the way. We cannot keep using the players as not being good enough as an excuse or our lack of spending, they are all mitigating factors, but I’m sure even Rafa himself more than anyone will not be happy with our total points yield as things stand and we could be doing better. Silly mistakes and missed chances haven’t helped but when we are on top and get a goal like away to Palace we seem to revert into a shell of fear and try and see out the game defensively and it costs us a lot. Rafa the man though, he’s untouchable and easily the best thing about our club and he is far too good for us. Sadly what Ashley did by not backing him in the summer basically clipped our wings following the jubilation or winning the Championship. He effectively killed odour season to the point where it would be all about staying up. Sadly I don’t think we will.

 

How would we have won if we had kept missing chances like the first half?

 

Such a simplistic thing to say if we'd played the same way in the second half etc......unless you're Man City it's not quite as simple as that. Swansea changed their players and formation after getting totally outplayed in the first half, we were unable to change it around mainly due to a lack of quality on the bench.....as it happens, they are not a bad side with some good players, as they've since proven.

 

At the end of the day, our defence is solid enough and the stats suggest we create enough chances to win games, but simply don't have the quality to convert them into goals.......a decent striker and we would have been nowhere near a relegation spot. That's 100% down to Ashley.

 

It will be interesting to see if Slimani makes any difference to the results as I'm convinced with a decent striker we'd be well clear of the relegation places.

[TheHoob]

I was absolutely certain that Rafa would have got more out of the 2015-16 group, over the course of a season. Still think he would have done. But again, tbf, he didn’t manage to get much of a tune out of them over the last ten games.

 

Benitez points per game that season: 1.3

McClaren: 0.86

[Altamullan]

Yep, better. SMc had 24 points by 7th Feb 2016, from 25 games.  The same ‘not good enough’ 6 wins we’ve currently got today, from 26 games.

[HaydnNUFC]

Yep, better. SMc had 24 points by 7th Feb 2016, from 25 games.  The same ‘not good enough’ 6 wins we’ve currently got today, from 26 games.

He had 24 points and remained on 24 points until his sacking on March 11th. With a much better squad.

[DJ_NUFC]

Yep, better. SMc had 24 points by 7th Feb 2016, from 25 games.  The same ‘not good enough’ 6 wins we’ve currently got today, from 26 games.

He had 24 points and remained on 24 points until his sacking on March 11th. With a much better squad.

 

He also got... how much money to spend?

[HaydnNUFC]

Yep, better. SMc had 24 points by 7th Feb 2016, from 25 games.  The same ‘not good enough’ 6 wins we’ve currently got today, from 26 games.

He had 24 points and remained on 24 points until his sacking on March 11th. With a much better squad.

 

He also got... how much money to spend?

£50m in the summer, £30m in the January window. We ended up one of the highest net spenders in Europe that season.

 

After reading up about it, 2015/16 is a bit similar to 1988/89.

[Altamullan]

Yep, better. SMc had 24 points by 7th Feb 2016, from 25 games.  The same ‘not good enough’ 6 wins we’ve currently got today, from 26 games.

He had 24 points and remained on 24 points until his sacking on March 11th. With a much better squad.

Well that’s why he was sacked, obviously. Not before time, the writing was on the wall relegation wise. I’m interested in this much better squad. I’d only slot two if the pre January window squad into our current starting 11. How many would you play?

[SEMTEX]

No context is acceptable We could swap squads with Gateshead and it'd still be SMH Rafa onlee 6 wins same as Steve.

[Guest firetotheworks]

Why is this a conversation?

[HaydnNUFC]

Yep, better. SMc had 24 points by 7th Feb 2016, from 25 games.  The same ‘not good enough’ 6 wins we’ve currently got today, from 26 games.

He had 24 points and remained on 24 points until his sacking on March 11th. With a much better squad.

Well that’s why he was sacked, obviously. Not before time, because the writing was in the wall relegation wise. I’m interested in this much better squad. I’d only slot two if the pre January window squad into our current starting 11. How many would you play?

Why particularly pre January? The squad we had after that window was more than good enough for the Premier League, shown by our form in the run in under Rafa. The incompetence at PL level of Steve McClaren coupled with years of neglection of the playing squad sent us down 2 years ago.

[steve_69]

Yep, better. SMc had 24 points by 7th Feb 2016, from 25 games.  The same ‘not good enough’ 6 wins we’ve currently got today, from 26 games.

He had 24 points and remained on 24 points until his sacking on March 11th. With a much better squad.

Well that’s why he was sacked, obviously. Not before time, the writing was on the wall relegation wise. I’m interested in this much better squad. I’d only slot two if the pre January window squad into our current starting 11. How many would you play?

 

You can't compare like for like though because every team in the PL has strengthened since McLaren left, every team except us. McLaren got us to the same points total in the same number of games with a stronger team than we have now but in a weaker PL. Rafa has achieved it in a much stronger PL but with a weaker squad/team.

[triggs]

Yep, better. SMc had 24 points by 7th Feb 2016, from 25 games.  The same ‘not good enough’ 6 wins we’ve currently got today, from 26 games.

He had 24 points and remained on 24 points until his sacking on March 11th. With a much better squad.

Well that’s why he was sacked, obviously. Not before time, the writing was on the wall relegation wise. I’m interested in this much better squad. I’d only slot two if the pre January window squad into our current starting 11. How many would you play?

Thinking Sissoko wouldn't get into our side is completely mental

[Altamullan]

No context is acceptable We could swap squads with Gateshead and it'd still be SMH Rafa onlee 6 wins same as Steve.

The whole conversation is about context. Though perhaps the world beaters below (chosen purely on appearances) are really ‘much better’ than what we have. Don’t see it, myself.

2015-16 (most appearances)

                                            Elliot 22

Janmaat 35  Mbemba 35  Coloccini 27  Dummett 24

 

Sissoko 37  Anita 29    Colback 29    Wijnaldum 40

 

                  Perez 37  Mitrovic 36

 

Subs:

Darlow 10

Lascelles 21 Taylor 10

Tiote 22 Shelvey 13 Thauvin 16

De Jong 22

Cisse 21

[Altamullan]

Yep, better. SMc had 24 points by 7th Feb 2016, from 25 games.  The same ‘not good enough’ 6 wins we’ve currently got today, from 26 games.

He had 24 points and remained on 24 points until his sacking on March 11th. With a much better squad.

Well that’s why he was sacked, obviously. Not before time, the writing was on the wall relegation wise. I’m interested in this much better squad. I’d only slot two if the pre January window squad into our current starting 11. How many would you play?

Thinking Sissoko wouldn't get into our side is completely mental

Who would you drop for him, given how he played that season? Scored once I think? Looked like he was going through the motions most of the time. I’d rather play Ritchie, Murphy, Atsu, admittedly I am not a Sissoko fan, but I would rather have Aarons playing (then or now).

[Paully]

No context is acceptable We could swap squads with Gateshead and it'd still be SMH Rafa onlee 6 wins same as Steve.

The whole conversation is about context. Though perhaps the world beaters below (chosen purely on appearances) are really ‘much better’ than what we have. Don’t see it, myself.

2015-16 (most appearances)

                                            Elliot 22

Janmaat 35  Mbemba 35  Coloccini 27  Dummett 24

 

Sissoko 37  Anita 29    Colback 29    Wijnaldum 40

 

                  Perez 37  Mitrovic 36

 

Subs:

Darlow 10

Lascelles 21 Taylor 10

Tiote 22 Shelvey 13 Thauvin 16

De Jong 22

Cisse 21

 

That squad pisses over this one FFS - simple question - do you think Rafa would have gotten more out of those players than the grinning Dutch buffoon or not?

 

 

[Altamullan]

Yes, I do. That squad was shit though.