Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)

[The Prophet]

Keane has been a total car crash this season.

[St. Maximin]

1 hour ago, Tomato Deuce said:

What difference would it have made had we won the league with 115 points instead of 94?

 

And like I said, we *were* comfortably promoted. We finished 9 points above the playoffs zone.

Ultimately not a lot. We did what we had to and should be thankful to Rafa for a great job overall.

 

I'm more just acknowledging the downsides to his time here having analysed things a bit deeper than just points tallies, which is what we've all been calling for from pundits and the like during the Bruce era. Sure it seems harsh being critical, but I feel it's proportionate. He wasn't a miracle worker and his tactics definitely had their limitations too. Should be very grateful overall having said that.

[The Prophet]

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fc-everton/alletransfers/verein/29

 

[St. Maximin]

40 minutes ago, Conjo said:

 

Do you think the two could be connected somehow?

 

My main takeaway from the championship season was that he was setting us up to play a certain way so the players were better prepared for the return to the premier league. So often you see exciting teams tear up the championship, but then struggle to replicate the same style in the premier league. They are not able to completely change their style of play to a more defensive/structured/organised style of play and get relegated again immediately afterwards.

Yes I agree. However, I still think they had their limitations in the PL. I still remembered our record against the best teams being poor, but we did beat Man City fwiw. At the same time we failed to register a shot on target against Fulham when bottom so think Rafa had to take ownership of that too. 

[Guest HTT II]

10 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/fc-everton/alletransfers/verein/29

 

Bloody hell they have spunked a lot of money in a lot of shit players.

[Guest neesy111]

9 minutes ago, St. Maximin said:

Yes I agree. However, I still think they had their limitations in the PL. I still remembered our record against the best teams being poor, but we did beat Man City fwiw. At the same time we failed to register a shot on target against Fulham when bottom so think Rafa had to take ownership of that too. 

 

We beat Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd in the season we came back up.

 

[Guest HTT II]

They have the nucleus of a good team, but a poor squad, sound familiar? 

[gjohnson]

Sometimes a manager just clicks with a club. 

 

Rafa did with us, and managed to sew a silk purse out of a pigs ear. It's on Charnley and Ashley that he isn't still here. There was a clear footballing plan, and it was working very well.

 

A spell in China to boost his account when everyone barring pretty much us thought he was past it can't be blamed.

 

The Everton move was always going to be a disaster waiting to happen. No money to get the players he wanted, and an aggressive fanbase wanting him sacked before even starting. 

 

It looks to me like his appetite for football has gone...even when we were on horrific runs the plan and style was obvious and improved every match. Difference is that Everton were never going to tolerate a bad run even with signs of improvement just because of who he is.

[Wullie]

I still can't get over the amount of money they spent on Iwobi.

[Dokko]

1 minute ago, gjohnson said:

Sometimes a manager just clicks with a club. 

 

Rafa did with us, and managed to sew a silk purse out of a pigs ear. It's on Charnley and Ashley that he isn't still here. There was a clear footballing plan, and it was working very well.

 

A spell in China to boost his account when everyone barring pretty much us thought he was past it can't be blamed.

 

The Everton move was always going to be a disaster waiting to happen. No money to get the players he wanted, and an aggressive fanbase wanting him sacked before even starting. 

 

It looks to me like his appetite for football has gone...even when we were on horrific runs the plan and style was obvious and improved every match. Difference is that Everton were never going to tolerate a bad run even with signs of improvement just because of who he is.

He should have went in to international football. Said it at the time it's better suited to where he is in his career. 

[St. Maximin]

6 minutes ago, neesy111 said:

 

We beat Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd in the season we came back up.

 

So we did. Not sure why I chose to forget those...

[Guest neesy111]

Just now, St. Maximin said:

So we did. Not sure why I chose to forget those...

We did struggle more the next season vs the big teams.

 

2 very different seasons.

[Conjo]

36 minutes ago, Mikky said:

Their squad is terrible - Digne, Richarlison and DCL are the only genuine quality players they have - Godfrey/Keane are decent, Doucoure possibly - but that’s it 

 

all that investment and they have barely anything to show for it 

 

I had to look at Transfermarkt to see where their money has gone the last few seasons. 20/21 season is fine. Their three main purchases Allan, Doucoure & Godfrey for ~€25m each seems to be good buys, so far at least. However, the three seasons before that there are a few standouts for me:

 

€27,5m - Moise Keane

€25m - Jean Phillipe Gbamin - who the fuck is this?!?  Never heard of him before, haven't seen him play (according to transfermarkt he's featured in 2 pl matches in 19/20, 1 match last season and 2 matches this season)

€25m - Andre Gomes - decent buy, but seemingly struggling to get back to former level after injury

€30,5 - Alex Iwobi - terrible player

€9,5m - Fabien Delph - not the biggest fee, but assume he is on big wages

€49,5 (!!!) - Gylfi Sigurdsson 

€22,5m  - Theo Walcott

€27,5m - Davy Klaassen

€22,5m - Cenk Tosun

 

That's €239,5m wasted the in '17, '18 & '19 combined.

[gjohnson]

Just now, Dokko said:

He should have went in to international football. Said it at the time it's better suited to where he is in his career. 

Have to disagree with this....couldn't think of a less suitable manager for international football.

 

His success is due to long term drilling of defensive and attacking patterns, which he simply wouldn't have time for in an International team.

[nufcjb]

3 hours ago, WillingtonMag said:

So glad he went to Everton and didn't end up back here like, hated watching us under him.

So glad he went to Everton and didn't end up back here like because would have hated to read comments like above even if we won matches if he was the manager.

[TRon]

10 minutes ago, gjohnson said:

Sometimes a manager just clicks with a club. 

 

Rafa did with us, and managed to sew a silk purse out of a pigs ear. It's on Charnley and Ashley that he isn't still here. There was a clear footballing plan, and it was working very well.

 

A spell in China to boost his account when everyone barring pretty much us thought he was past it can't be blamed.

 

The Everton move was always going to be a disaster waiting to happen. No money to get the players he wanted, and an aggressive fanbase wanting him sacked before even starting. 

 

It looks to me like his appetite for football has gone...even when we were on horrific runs the plan and style was obvious and improved every match. Difference is that Everton were never going to tolerate a bad run even with signs of improvement just because of who he is.

 

Don't think Rafa will ever lose his appetite for football, he's probably a bit gutted that he's ended up at another club with a lop-sided squad. Even though he didn't get backed by Ashley here, he was in a good place because we had had so many dud managers, for us to actually land a world class one was a dream for most fans. We were always going to give him our full backing regardless of results, it was just great to have a manager who wanted better things for the club again, not just here to pick up the wages like the other cunts before and after. 

[Dokko]

13 minutes ago, gjohnson said:

Have to disagree with this....couldn't think of a less suitable manager for international football.

 

His success is due to long term drilling of defensive and attacking patterns, which he simply wouldn't have time for in an International team.

I'm thinking smaller nation where he can run a project at all levels dragging them up a tier and become a hero. If he can't adapt his methods then like I've said for some time now, he's no longer top tier himself and realistically his ability as a 2nd tier coach should be questioned also. 

[Conjo]

3 minutes ago, TRon said:

 

Don't think Rafa will ever lose his appetite for football, he's probably a bit gutted that he's ended up at another club with a lop-sided squad. Even though he didn't get backed by Ashley here, he was in a good place because we had had so many dud managers, for us to actually land a world class one was a dream for most fans. We were always going to give him our full backing regardless of results, it was just great to have a manager who wanted better things for the club again, not just here to pick up the wages like the other cunts before and after. 

 

I would assume that Benitez, in order to accept the offer from Everton, was satisfied with the squad he inherited from previous managers since there wasn't much funds available to buy new players.

If he accepted the offer blindly without thoroughly assessing their squad & available funds - what does that say about his reasoning for rejecting us in favor of China?

 

For me, if Rafa isn't happy with the squad at Everton, he doesn't have anyone to blame but himself.

 

 

[Guest HTT II]

His next job will be so important to his career, because of he chooses the wrong job, it could be the end of a top level career for him. If only he was available when we finally got taken over…

 

 

Edited December 2, 2021 by HTT II

[gjohnson]

35 minutes ago, HTT II said:

His next job will be so important to his career, because of he chooses the wrong job, it could be the end of a top level career for him. If only he was available when we finally got taken over…

 

 

 

I'm sure we'd welcome him in  the Director of Football role where he can overlook the entire rebuild of the club as a project. Lets be fair, it's not going to be long before Everton sack him.

[Guest HTT II]

Just now, gjohnson said:

I'm sure we'd welcome him in  the Director of Football role where he can overlook the entire rebuild of the club as a project. Lets be fair, it's not going to be long before Everton sack him.

I’d love that. He’d be perfect and should Howe fuck up, we have an ideal replacement ready to come in, but I can’t see Rafa going for that kind of gig nor Howe being happy with a Rafa over him. He’d be ideal though. 

[TRon]

I don't think Rafa would be ideal at all as DoF. His ideas about football are pretty much opposite what Eddie espouses, he'd be recommending players based on his own criteria, not the current manager's. If he could leave the football side of it to Howe, and get on with the overall club structure, then great, but knowing Rafa, he's football through and through, I can't see him fancying a mostly administrative role. 

[wormy]

I'm sure I've already said it numerous times but I don't see how Rafa coming in to oversee Howe would ever end in anything other than tears all around.

[HaydnNUFC]

Why undermine Howe by bringing Rafa above him man. Up there with wanting Keegan back as manager, mental.

[Consortium of one]

I think Rafa fell in love with the idea of building a club when he was with us.  Hence, he went to China with the same thought.  That failed but not because of him.  The bottom has fallen out of the China football experiment.

 

If the stars would have aligned, the new owners with Rafa would have been ideal.  With a window to bring in some new players and time to drill them we would have been OK, IMO.  I still would have wanted a DoF though.

 

At this point, I think the Rafa ship has sailed though.  I don't want to see Howe undermined by the shadow of Benitez.  At this point I simply don't want him back.  It pains me to say it.