Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)

[UncleBingo]

52 minutes ago, ToonArmy1892 said:

The "Bruce has done just as well as Rafa" argument falls down when you compare the net spend of the two.

 

 

 

 

 

Or when you compare what either manager inherited.

[Guest]

Aye. If Benitez had spent £100m in 2 seasons after finishing mid-table twice after promotion, and just matched the exact same as he had the 2 seasons before with no improvement whatsoever, he’d rightly be getting criticism.

[TRon]

2 hours ago, Dokko said:

He's 12 posts young. A little restraint in the RTG style accusing, too much? 

 

It's not exactly nonsense either on the points about Rafas transfers. The man himself said he'd be happy with a 50% success rate and some of the players he let leave are miles ahead of the ones we have here so is always going to spark that debate now and then.

 

Overall I disagree with him, think Rafa went way over his own 50% success rate though letting players go like Tony, Armstrong and Mbabu still stings and I disagreed with them at the time as 8t was far too early to call time on all of them (I'm saying the same about woodman now)

 

How many managers actually have a great transfer record anyway? It seems like nit-picking when you consider managers these days don't have much control over signings anyway.

 

I just found it sad reading that interview by Atsu when he described the detail Rafa went into on training sessions and developing players, and comparing it to what we've got now with Mighty Steve Bruce. 

[ToonArmy1892]

49 minutes ago, St. Maximin said:

I mean I haven’t been here long and I’m not going to defend this new guy’s behaviour, but I do feel like you have to following certain narratives on here, whether it’s about Rafa, Bruce or other things like politics, or you’re in line for a hammering. 

 

 

 

Deffo, it's a good forum overall but if you aren't extreme left you better put your tin hat on.

 

Fwiw i'm more left leaning, but not extreme.

 

 

[Rocker]

It's the best forum by far. 

Have you frequented other forums? I wouldn't last 5 minutes. 

 

I've just had a little gander around and thank Christ we have this place. I'll never take it for granted again.

 

 

 

[The Prophet]

3 minutes ago, ToonArmy1892 said:

Deffo, it's a good forum overall but if you aren't extreme left you better put your tin hat on.

 

Fwiw i'm more left leaning, but not extreme.

 

 

Extreme left

 

Can't say I've clocked many communists/anarchists on here like.

 

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by The Prophet

[joeyt]

Having the vaccine = Extreme left

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

Everybody is always advocating for violent revolution and seizure of all land/property. 

[Rich]

16 hours ago, Collingwood Street said:

I don’t prefer either of them. 
Two games that immediately spring to mind, both at home. Bottom of the table Fulham, one up front. Man City, Shelvey passed the ball to their keeper from the kick off. 
No need to “bite”, not after an argument, just putting my point forward. 
I go on a bus with the same 50odd folk home and away, and pretty much everyone is of the same opinion as me?

 

Absolute whopper in knocking about with other absolute whoppers shocker. My huckle detector is off the charts here.

[ToonArmy1892]

9 minutes ago, joeyt said:

Having the vaccine = Extreme left

Top of the class.

[Pons Alias]

My theory is that extreme left or right-wingers are all on Twitter TELLING people how it is.

 

Soft Left/Centrists like to rationalise and discuss things more, and are more likely gravitate to forums like this.

[Mattoon]

30 minutes ago, ManDoon said:

I think the hit rate for managers is always pretty low unless you’re like Pep or whoever happens to be managing PSG. But even they have misses. If you factor in that we are bargain basement shopping it gets even worse. I can’t think of a manager pound for pound getting better centre back value than rafa did for us. 

 

This is it, its easily disguised at a regularly ran club, but when you've got such fine margins and you're never looking at squad building you're always buying first team players the second you make a wrong call it's obvious and can have damaging repercussions.

[Mike]

Gonna be some shit when he pops his glasses in his pocket vs us.

[Ben]

1 minute ago, Mike said:

Gonna be some shit when he pops his glasses in his pocket vs us.

I don't even think he'll put them on 

[Robster]

Just now, Mike said:

Gonna be some shit when he pops his glasses in his pocket vs us.

Can't wait. Bruce's face will be a picture.

[ToonArmy1892]

9 minutes ago, Mike said:

Gonna be some shit when he pops his glasses in his pocket vs us.

[Abacus]

Whilst there's literally no comparison between Benitez and the oaf, I'm not sure the spending comparison really works.

 

£100m yes, but how many of those players did Fatboy Fat actually choose? I know he claimed they were all his choices, but... Joelinton for one thing was clearly already on the way, so it seems he just told a big stupid lie about that to pretend he was in charge.

 

After all, he's 'head coach', not manager, though his ego can't seem to accept that.

 

In the same vein, I'm equally not giving him any credit for St Max or Wilson, so I'm not defending the walloper either.

 

Of course no manager gets it right every time on transfers, and Benitez wasn't immune from making the odd mistake obviously. I recognise he was hamstrung by the club, but even so I'd also be quite pleased to start with a clean slate and with somebody new, assuming Ashley does finally go.

 

I wish him all the best at Everton, as long as he doesn't raid our few decent players.

 

I wondered if he might go back for Perez, who was a big favourite of his but wasn't pulling up any trees for Leicester last season.

 

Better yet, perhaps Agent Benitez could do us a favour and blow £100m on Jonjo Shelley, Dwight Gayle and Andy Carroll.

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

1 hour ago, ToonArmy1892 said:

Deffo, it's a good forum overall but if you aren't extreme left you better put your tin hat on.

 

Fwiw i'm more left leaning, but not extreme.

 

 

 

 Fuuuuck me.

[B-more Mag]

Rafa and Marx for me, like.

[ATF]

People tend to get uptight about criticism of someone if there's a fair chance that that criticism will be snide or without honest intentions, as a lot of it has been with Rafa. If people had enough sense to see he did a very good job then there wouldn't be sensitivity over saying that this or that player didn't work, or saying that he made a judgement call on a player based on a lot of factors and maybe should have made a different one in hindsight. These things are barely even criticisms because they happen at all levels of football. It's because people want to pretend he did no better than Bruce or want to say he achieved the bare minimum (finishing 10th first season up with Joselu and Gayle as your striking options and Diame and Shelvey as your midfield is not and never has been the "bare minimum", and that's ignoring being promoted as champions in your first season after relegation which is always a very impressive achievement) that people get defensive. 

 

The £100m is a stain on Bruce not so much for the number but because the attacking players he has (Wilson, ASM, Willock alongside a settled Almiron), added to a squad who established themselves as a solid, organised, difficult to beat mid-table Premier League side, has yielded no improvement and in a number of ways a decline. 

 

I'm preaching to the choir mainly so whatever.

 

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by ATF

[nbthree3]

Two entire years have passed since he left us, two different clubs he's been manager of. In fact, in 2 days, it's Bruce's 2nd anniversary with us!

 

Caulkin said it perfectly, the best and worst thing he did was "give us hope" and talk about what could have been.

 

[Guest HTT II]

6 minutes ago, nbthree3 said:

Two entire years have passed since he left us, two different clubs he's been manager of. In fact, in 2 days, it's Bruce's 2nd anniversary with us!

 

Caulkin said it perfectly, the best and worst thing he did was "give us hope" and talk about what could have been.

 

But those Rafa years were the best I’ve ever experienced under Ashley. 

[nbthree3]

It really reunited the team even if it was just hiding the problems up above that never went away. That Liverpool game that convinced Staveley to pursue the club, on and off for the last 4 years, was one of the flag days! This is what we've lost out on, at least for now...

 

[duo]

Still gutting to see him at another Premier League club. C

[Happinesstan]

3 hours ago, HTT II said:

But those Rafa years were the best I’ve ever experienced under Ashley. 

It was definitely the most complete. Keegan was great but short-lived, Same with Hughton. Pardew had his moments but was long-life UHT. With Rafa it finally looked as though everything could be in place.