Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Right subs, wrong starting line-up. Still love him, we need a first XI on the pitch to have any chance

 

I think only Joselu was questionable, but how many changes can you expect in three days?

[Bimpy474]

Amazes me how fucking fast a lot of our fans will turn on someone

 

Sure it's probably the same with other teams' fans but I don't care about other teams. We've got a shit squad, the season was always gonna be a struggle. Nobody is immune to criticism but I do wonder wtf some of our fans expect from this group of players

 

Not having a go at you but i fucking hate that sort of sentence. Pointing out a flaw or a poor decision as all managers will do is not turning on him ffs. Sorry bit of rant like.

 

But there can a middle ground where you love and know how good Rafa is, but still be able to be frustrated with him now and again.

I get that, but a few people on here over the last few days and even at half time today people seem to be taking pride in the fact that Rafa was doing poorly, and they seem to come from people who are either new or only appear to show up when we are losing or on a bad run. Surprised we have seen Chris Baba yet.

 

Ones who take pride in that are mad, i think the word is frustrating with Rafa. You compare that to hate with Pardew, Clueless with Steve McClaren and lasagne with Carver. I'll take frustrating as i know it''ll be OK in the end (if he's backed by the new owners).

[Ikon]

Atsu's absence probably has affected us more than we thought as well. His crossing isn't always the best but you've gotta say he's pretty good in general play. Rarely loses it despite being in quite tight situations at times.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I think we also forgot how hard this season was going to be because we started pretty well. At the end of the day Rafa is the only reason we still have a functioning football club at all, so he's basically a god.

[Guest firetotheworks]

Amazes me how fucking fast a lot of our fans will turn on someone

 

Sure it's probably the same with other teams' fans but I don't care about other teams. We've got a shit squad, the season was always gonna be a struggle. Nobody is immune to criticism but I do wonder wtf some of our fans expect from this group of players

 

Not having a go at you but i fucking hate that sort of sentence. Pointing out a flaw or a poor decision as all managers will do is not turning on him ffs. Sorry bit of rant like.

 

But there can a middle ground where you love and know how good Rafa is, but still be able to be frustrated with him now and again.

It's absolutely ridiculous how pretentious people get over criticism.

 

There's also ridiculous shit on top of it that people come out with e.g. 'If Pardew did that' horseshit. I'd hazard a guess that that's Chicane's on about and not just blanket criticism.

[Bimpy474]

I think we've massively overlooked the players we had missing overall TBH.

 

Aye, especially our Captain as others have pointed out.

 

I cannot believe how only a year or so ago, I would have been happy if we sold him he was dump at times last season

 

He has been fantastic since we came up, just shows you how some players can be suited to certain leagues etc. Wouldn't sell him for all the jaffa cakes in the world.

[Guest neesy111]

When's Lascelles due back?

He's not back for Chelsea that's what I know.

[Bimpy474]

Amazes me how fucking fast a lot of our fans will turn on someone

 

Sure it's probably the same with other teams' fans but I don't care about other teams. We've got a shit squad, the season was always gonna be a struggle. Nobody is immune to criticism but I do wonder wtf some of our fans expect from this group of players

 

Not having a go at you but i fucking hate that sort of sentence. Pointing out a flaw or a poor decision as all managers will do is not turning on him ffs. Sorry bit of rant like.

 

But there can a middle ground where you love and know how good Rafa is, but still be able to be frustrated with him now and again.

It's absolutely ridiculous how pretentious people get over criticism.

 

There's also ridiculous shit on top of it that people come out with e.g. 'If Pardew did that' horseshit. I'd hazard a guess that that's Chicane's on about and not just blanket criticism.

 

I suppose people say that because that's so fresh in the memory, devils advocate like.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I think we've massively overlooked the players we had missing overall TBH.

 

Aye, especially our Captain as others have pointed out.

 

I cannot believe how only a year or so ago, I would have been happy if we sold him he was dump at times last season

 

He has been fantastic since we came up, just shows you how some players can be suited to certain leagues etc. Wouldn't sell him for all the jaffa cakes in the world.

 

Arguably better suited to the PL, he just has to step forward and head it away. No onus on him to play with it too much.

[Bimpy474]

I think we've massively overlooked the players we had missing overall TBH.

 

Aye, especially our Captain as others have pointed out.

 

I cannot believe how only a year or so ago, I would have been happy if we sold him he was dump at times last season

 

He has been fantastic since we came up, just shows you how some players can be suited to certain leagues etc. Wouldn't sell him for all the jaffa cakes in the world.

 

Arguably better suited to the PL, he just has to step forward and head it away. No onus on him to play with it too much.

 

Aye but he just looks so good, so suited to it, well until he makes a mistake and he gets it on here 

[Klaus]

I think we've massively overlooked the players we had missing overall TBH.

 

Aye, especially our Captain as others have pointed out.

 

I cannot believe how only a year or so ago, I would have been happy if we sold him he was dump at times last season

 

He has been fantastic since we came up, just shows you how some players can be suited to certain leagues etc. Wouldn't sell him for all the jaffa cakes in the world.

 

Arguably better suited to the PL, he just has to step forward and head it away. No onus on him to play with it too much.

 

Aye but he just looks so good, so suited to it, well until he makes a mistake and he gets it on here 

 

He has became more aware of his own limitations and keeps things simple. No doubt Rafa has helped him with this.

[Bimpy474]

I think we've massively overlooked the players we had missing overall TBH.

 

Aye, especially our Captain as others have pointed out.

 

I cannot believe how only a year or so ago, I would have been happy if we sold him he was dump at times last season

 

He has been fantastic since we came up, just shows you how some players can be suited to certain leagues etc. Wouldn't sell him for all the jaffa cakes in the world.

 

Arguably better suited to the PL, he just has to step forward and head it away. No onus on him to play with it too much.

 

Aye but he just looks so good, so suited to it, well until he makes a mistake and he gets it on here 

 

He has became more aware of his own limitations and keeps things simple. No doubt Rafa has helped him with this.

 

Something i noticed this season, his pace has been to notch, now i suppose that's where the double hernia came in last season, a very good captain too, as Rafa knows all to well.

[TRon]

Lascelles been out looks massive like. We've went from a really steady side to a side that ships goals every time someone nonces a half decent ball into the box.

 

Regardless of how I view his subs or his insistence on playing what I believe to be an actual ghost up front I think we're probably sitting on ateast 3 more points over the past few games if he's fit.

 

Aye. Never thought Lascelles would be such a big miss, but he clearly has been. This team desperately needs leadership, especially at the back, and his dominance in the air and general shouting have been sorely missed.

[Stottie]

After fourteen games

 

Defenders: four goals scored 

Midfielders: four goals scored (if you include Perez' vs. Southampton because it was 4-2-3-1) 

Forwards: four goals scored  :'(

[Optimistic Nut]

We've been whinging for years that our goals haven't been spread around the team more ffs.

[Guest neesy111]

Midfield has to start stepping up more, Shelvey for a player with a sweet right foot has a very poor goals return.

[steve_69]

I have to admit, i've been part of the problem in the past - writing off managers before they've even started and going over board with criticism. I exclude Pardew from this because that prick deserved everything he got.

However, I've genuinely found myself disgusted by some of the comments directed at Rafa on this forum over the past couple of weeks.  Maybe it's my age 

 

Some people seem to be forgetting what this man has done for our club and how lucky we are to have him. This isn't some inexperienced manager who's had one or two good seasons elsewhere, this is one of the best managers in world football, who chose to stay with us despite being treated like shit by our arsehole owner.

 

Someone said yesterday that Rafa isn't infallible but to be honest, he pretty much is. He's been there, seen it, done it many times over and knows football better than any of us. If he says Joselu is a better option for his system than Mitro that's fine by me. It's frustrating because I want to see Mitro given a run but from some of the comments on here, anyone would think it's going to be a case of Mitro coming in and instantly scoring bags full of goals. Football doesn't work like that. Maybe Rafa appreciates the defensive work-rate of Joselu over Mitro and feels we'll ship more goals with Mitro in the team. Whatever it is, we just need to trust the man because more than any manager we've had in recent years, he knows what the fuck he's doing.

Thanks again to Ashley, we have a very weak squad - weak in terms of depth and ability.  Despite that we're two wins away from our half season target of 20 points and we've done it with injuries to 4 key first team players.  Give the man a fucking cigar!

[jackyboy]

Agree 100%

[HaydnNUFC]

I have to admit, i've been part of the problem in the past - writing off managers before they've even started and going over board with criticism. I exclude Pardew from this because that prick deserved everything he got.

However, I've genuinely found myself disgusted by some of the comments directed at Rafa on this forum over the past couple of weeks.  Maybe it's my age 

 

Some people seem to be forgetting what this man has done for our club and how lucky we are to have him. This isn't some inexperienced manager who's had one or two good seasons elsewhere, this is one of the best managers in world football, who chose to stay with us despite being treated like s*** by our arsehole owner.

 

Someone said yesterday that Rafa isn't infallible but to be honest, he pretty much is. He's been there, seen it, done it many times over and knows football better than any of us. If he says Joselu is a better option for his system than Mitro that's fine by me. It's frustrating because I want to see Mitro given a run but from some of the comments on here, anyone would think it's going to be a case of Mitro coming in and instantly scoring bags full of goals. Football doesn't work like that. Maybe Rafa appreciates the defensive work-rate of Joselu over Mitro and feels we'll ship more goals with Mitro in the team. Whatever it is, we just need to trust the man because more than any manager we've had in recent years, he knows what the f*** he's doing.

Thanks again to Ashley, we have a very weak squad - weak in terms of depth and ability.  Despite that we're two wins away from our half season target of 20 points and we've done it with injuries to 4 key first team players.  Give the man a f***ing cigar!

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Hey, some of us give managers loads of time

[NG32]

Hey, some of us give managers loads of time

 

:lol:

[TRon]

I have to admit, i've been part of the problem in the past - writing off managers before they've even started and going over board with criticism. I exclude Pardew from this because that prick deserved everything he got.

However, I've genuinely found myself disgusted by some of the comments directed at Rafa on this forum over the past couple of weeks.  Maybe it's my age 

 

Some people seem to be forgetting what this man has done for our club and how lucky we are to have him. This isn't some inexperienced manager who's had one or two good seasons elsewhere, this is one of the best managers in world football, who chose to stay with us despite being treated like shit by our arsehole owner.

 

Someone said yesterday that Rafa isn't infallible but to be honest, he pretty much is. He's been there, seen it, done it many times over and knows football better than any of us. If he says Joselu is a better option for his system than Mitro that's fine by me. It's frustrating because I want to see Mitro given a run but from some of the comments on here, anyone would think it's going to be a case of Mitro coming in and instantly scoring bags full of goals. Football doesn't work like that. Maybe Rafa appreciates the defensive work-rate of Joselu over Mitro and feels we'll ship more goals with Mitro in the team. Whatever it is, we just need to trust the man because more than any manager we've had in recent years, he knows what the fuck he's doing.

Thanks again to Ashley, we have a very weak squad - weak in terms of depth and ability.  Despite that we're two wins away from our half season target of 20 points and we've done it with injuries to 4 key first team players.  Give the man a fucking cigar!

 

Agree with this mostly. I don't always agree with Benitez' team selections, but I respect him totally as a manager and have to concede he knows a lot more about the game than me. He's a stubborn, very single minded coach when it comes to what he expects from his team, and that is why I admire him. He's not going to switch from formation to formation in a hurry, he'll do what he believes in, right or wrong. His record suggests he's usually right, given the resources.

[STM]

Good post Steve.

 

There are two other possible reasons why Joselu starts ahead of Mitro. The first is attitude, if Mitro doesn't behave the way Rafa wants, then he has to set an example of how to behave.

 

The other, is that perhaps Rafa doesn't want Mitro getting injured because he intends on selling him in January. There was rumours of a swap this week.

[Disco]

Atsu's absence probably has affected us more than we thought as well. His crossing isn't always the best but you've gotta say he's pretty good in general play. Rarely loses it despite being in quite tight situations at times.

 

Not having any lefties on the left has crippled us going forward. Lost count, before Aarons came on, of how many good crossing opportunities were passed up because the winger/full-back had no confidence to play it in.

[Collage]

I have to admit, i've been part of the problem in the past - writing off managers before they've even started and going over board with criticism. I exclude Pardew from this because that prick deserved everything he got.

However, I've genuinely found myself disgusted by some of the comments directed at Rafa on this forum over the past couple of weeks.  Maybe it's my age 

 

Some people seem to be forgetting what this man has done for our club and how lucky we are to have him. This isn't some inexperienced manager who's had one or two good seasons elsewhere, this is one of the best managers in world football, who chose to stay with us despite being treated like s*** by our arsehole owner.

 

Someone said yesterday that Rafa isn't infallible but to be honest, he pretty much is. He's been there, seen it, done it many times over and knows football better than any of us. If he says Joselu is a better option for his system than Mitro that's fine by me. It's frustrating because I want to see Mitro given a run but from some of the comments on here, anyone would think it's going to be a case of Mitro coming in and instantly scoring bags full of goals. Football doesn't work like that. Maybe Rafa appreciates the defensive work-rate of Joselu over Mitro and feels we'll ship more goals with Mitro in the team. Whatever it is, we just need to trust the man because more than any manager we've had in recent years, he knows what the f*** he's doing.

Thanks again to Ashley, we have a very weak squad - weak in terms of depth and ability.  Despite that we're two wins away from our half season target of 20 points and we've done it with injuries to 4 key first team players.  Give the man a f***ing cigar!

 

Good post.