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Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)

Greg

by Greg
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nufcnick

nufcnick

Posted
Posted (edited)
11 minutes ago, SUPERTOON said:

So what’s different in January?

The spending from the summer of 2019 drops of their FFP, it’s worked out on a rolling 3 year period and in the summer of 2019 they spent almost £120m.

if there’s anyone to take lessons from on how not to spend money it’s Everton 

 

 

Edited by nufcnick

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Yorkie

Yorkie

Posted
Posted

Haven't followed Everton much this season but I seriously doubt Rafa has become a bad manager over the last two and a bit years. He did a really good job here, winning the Championship (a feat that is forever underrated in football) before comfortably keeping us in the league two years on the bounce; this despite being obstructed by the transfer policy itself and the glacial approach to signings the players he was actually allowed to recruit. 

 

The big thing with Rafa for us is that he so rarely (if literally ever) let us down in the biggest moments. Whenever it came to those really crucial games, we invariably pulled it out of the bag. Massive games where defeats would have had us either scuppering promotion or leaving us on the brink of relegation - they just never happened. We always found a way eventually during those three years and he was the key reason for that. 

 

I just can't understand how he's lost that ability to play the long game which he did so brilliantly with us. If Everton keep him, I can see them finishing strongly and then having a run at the European places next season, if he's given freedom to build the squad in his image. But equally, I wouldn't be surprised if it's simply just a bad fit and therefore they - somewhat justifiably - pull the trigger and move on. 

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Danh1

Danh1

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Posted
7 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

Haven't followed Everton much this season but I seriously doubt Rafa has become a bad manager over the last two and a bit years. He did a really good job here, winning the Championship (a feat that is forever underrated in football) before comfortably keeping us in the league two years on the bounce; this despite being obstructed by the transfer policy itself and the glacial approach to signings the players he was actually allowed to recruit. 

 

The big thing with Rafa for us is that he so rarely (if literally ever) let us down in the biggest moments. Whenever it came to those really crucial games, we invariably pulled it out of the bag. Massive games where defeats would have had us either scuppering promotion or leaving us on the brink of relegation - they just never happened. We always found a way eventually during those three years and he was the key reason for that. 

 

I just can't understand how he's lost that ability to play the long game which he did so brilliantly with us. If Everton keep him, I can see them finishing strongly and then having a run at the European places next season, if he's given freedom to build the squad in his image. But equally, I wouldn't be surprised if it's simply just a bad fit and therefore they - somewhat justifiably - pull the trigger and move on. 


Bang on and great point about the big moments. I remember the week in the Championship where we had Brighton, Huddersfield and Reading away in the space of 8 days and we won the first two and drew the other.

 

Then the big games in the PL, we were never ‘out’ of too many matches due to the way we were set up. 

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Yorkie

Yorkie

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, Danh1 said:


Bang on and great point about the big moments. I remember the week in the Championship where we had Brighton, Huddersfield and Reading away in the space of 8 days and we won the first two and drew the other.

 

Then the big games in the PL, we were never ‘out’ of too many matches due to the way we were set up. 

 

Yeah, there were a few in the Championship, like. At 3-1 down at home to Norwich in that epic one, we'd just come from a home defeat against Wolves and a poxy draw at Villa. Lose there and we were in danger of getting dragged into the fat end of the play-offs, but obviously we turned out around. Derby at home, too; don't pick up a win there and all of a sudden its a run of draws and defeats against Sheff Wed, Blackburn, QPR, Derby, with no signings in January either. But they did it. Then, as you say, those few big ones near the end (Preston at home to secure promotion as well). Just constantly delivered in those big moments. 

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Yorkie

Yorkie

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, The Butcher said:

We had the best and most expensive squad in Championship history, If memory serves. 

 

Hardly that impressive. 

 

:lol: sure. Winning leagues is just a piece of piss if you've got a bit of cash, you can't lose. That's why dozens of other incredibly well-backed teams that have dropped down a division have all flown back at the first attempt. Of course, one team having money also means all other competitors at the top end are all automatically shit. 

 

Pretty sure the most expensively-assembled side that year was Villa anyway, and they spent most (all?) of that season in the bottom half. 

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Thumbheed

Thumbheed

Posted
Posted (edited)

I honestly wonder sometimes if I watched the same team that others when it comes to Rafa. 

 

Genuinly surprised at how those 3 years are portrayed by some as though we've ever been any better in any other year under Ashley. 

 

The most exciting thing Rafa brought to the team was his defensive organisation, I've never seen a better drilled defence in my lifetime as a Newcastle fan and that was refreshing as fuck to see. 

 

I just think if you appreciate football, then you appreciate that side of the game just as much as the goals, dribbles and assists and Rafa was a master with that element of the game. 

 

By the time he'd left I seem to remember talk of top half/Europe being a possibility with the way we ended his last season. 

 

I dunno how anyone saw Rafa's period with us as anything but positive.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Thumbheed

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Wilson

Wilson

Posted
Posted

At the time, plenty of people whinged about us being too negative and playing shit football. 

 

Didn't seem to matter that we were clearly punching above our weight thanks to the way he set us up.

 

To this day I still know people who think we were bad under him which again, I just don't get. 

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Ronaldo

Ronaldo

Posted
Posted
46 minutes ago, The Butcher said:

We had the best and most expensive squad in Championship history, If memory serves. 

 

Hardly that impressive. 


It wasn’t even the most expensive EFL squad that season. ?

 

Not to mention the fact we literally sold about £75m worth of players in pre-season that year.  

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Abacus

Abacus

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Yorkie said:

 

:lol: sure. Winning leagues is just a piece of piss if you've got a bit of cash, you can't lose. That's why dozens of other incredibly well-backed teams that have dropped down a division have all flown back at the first attempt. Of course, one team having money also means all other competitors at the top end are all automatically shit. 

 

Pretty sure the most expensively-assembled side that year was Villa anyway, and they spent most (all?) of that season in the bottom half. 

 

Minor quibble, my memory is that we sort of fluked that championship title since Brighton went on holiday for the last few games, having already been promoted themselves.

 

It certainly never felt as easy as the Hughton promotion. But in either case, it's no easy job to turn around a team in freefall.

 

I actually think Hughton's promotion was better, since there were so many stinking attitudes in the squad he inherited. But then again, maybe he had a better squad to start a rebuild with as well.

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Fantail Breeze

Fantail Breeze

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Abacus said:

 

Minor quibble, my memory is that we sort of fluked that championship title since Brighton went on holiday for the last few games, having already been promoted themselves.

 

It certainly never felt as easy as the Hughton promotion. But in either case, it's no easy job to turn around a team in freefall.

 

I actually think Hughton's promotion was better, since there were so many stinking attitudes in the squad he inherited. But then again, maybe he had a better squad to start a rebuild with as well.

 

We were a Mo Diame fluke away from being in massive trouble with automatic promotion.

 

Although, as others have said, under Rafa the big moments always seemed to go our way. Only can be down to luck a few times.

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Amir_9

Amir_9

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Wilson said:

 

Idiots basically.

 

I don't get it either.

 

I saw someone on Facebook earlier saying how stupid "the great Raffa" was for letting Mitro go

 

Honestly, some of our fans... Yes it was a good decision, because we got Rondon instead and he was ace for us that season. Mitro on the other hand is still not a proven prem striker, why on earth is he still at Fulham if he had that level about him. Honestly man, he finished 10th in our first season back with a Championship squad.

 

Rafa, could have built something here. As someone mentioned earlier, his choice of jobs after us have played a massive part of his current downfall. I still think, in fact I know he has something about him to manage at a respectable standard in this league, for goodness sake Carlo fucking Ancelotti couldn't take that dross anywhere.

 

 

Edited by Amir_9

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Rod

Rod

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Thumbheed said:

I honestly wonder sometimes if I watched the same team that others when it comes to Rafa. 

 

Genuinly surprised at how those 3 years are portrayed by some as though we've ever been any better in any other year under Ashley. 

 

The most exciting thing Rafa brought to the team was his defensive organisation, I've never seen a better drilled defence in my lifetime as a Newcastle fan and that was refreshing as fuck to see. 

 

I just think if you appreciate football, then you appreciate that side of the game just as much as the goals, dribbles and assists and Rafa was a master with that element of the game. 

 

By the time he'd left I seem to remember talk of top half/Europe being a possibility with the way we ended his last season. 

 

I dunno how anyone saw Rafa's period with us as anything but positive.

 

 

 

 

 

I love this post.  If you know anything at all about football then this should resonate with you.  Just read it again.

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Magpie

Magpie

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Thumbheed said:

I honestly wonder sometimes if I watched the same team that others when it comes to Rafa. 

 

Genuinly surprised at how those 3 years are portrayed by some as though we've ever been any better in any other year under Ashley. 

 

The most exciting thing Rafa brought to the team was his defensive organisation, I've never seen a better drilled defence in my lifetime as a Newcastle fan and that was refreshing as fuck to see. 

 

I just think if you appreciate football, then you appreciate that side of the game just as much as the goals, dribbles and assists and Rafa was a master with that element of the game. 

 

By the time he'd left I seem to remember talk of top half/Europe being a possibility with the way we ended his last season. 

 

I dunno how anyone saw Rafa's period with us as anything but positive.

 

 

 

 

 


Nailed on. Just have to look at how dreadfully inept the same set of defenders are now. Shambolic.

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St. Maximin

St. Maximin

Posted
Posted (edited)

I’d say for balance as much as the lazy and ignorant comparisons with Bruce to suggest they performed similarly annoy me, I also find the refusal to criticise him from many of our fans a bit puzzling. I’d often hear that he’s a “world class manager” that knows best but tbh I don’t see how he still counts as that based on the last 10 or so years. He was often deemed in the top 5 managers in the league on here recently and again I don’t see how that was warranted. 
 

No doubt here you could clearly show he did a great job here, but I’m not sure it’s much more remarkable than what a lot of less successful managers had done in the Championship and post-promotion. I do think you sometimes have to jump through hopes to argue how well he’d done at times talking about plans and organisation, when it can be easily acknowledged we were in relegation battles, had an even worse first 10 games than this year in 2018 and at times we did look toothless even at home to weaker opposition. It was interesting that back then we had a ‘Championship squad’ but then last year under Bruce the narrative switched to an underperforming squad despite many of the same players. Even a few weeks back when Everton lost embarrassingly to Watford, the comments here were focussing on how toxic the Everton fans were, but regardless he needs to take responsibility as those goals were shambolic. 

 

 

Edited by St. Maximin

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