16 Jun 2021 19:55:41
Wanted to ask Ed001 what he thinks about the possible appointment of Benitez. A big mistake or a decent appointment? Pro's and con's etc?

{Ed001's Note - if it wasn't for his background, I would say it would be a decent next step, someone to steady the ship and get it back on an even keel and build a good platform. He is a very good tactician, but some players will not listen to him because he didn't play at a high level, which was the main problem at Madrid. Then the board decided he was too defensive because he wanted to play Casemiro in front of the defence and use the exact same system Zidane used to take them to 3 Champs Leagues in a row. And I do mean exact, but Zidane is Zidane and was immune to criticism so he could do and the players would just get on board.

The worry is that he can tend to get involved in petty politicking and lose focus on what matters plus he is very trusting of his scouts, but you have Brands in charge of that area so it shouldn't be an issue. So long as he sticks to coaching and tactics he will be as good as the players at his disposal allow him to be, but he is always going to be a red to some and that is the one thing I don't see him overcoming without trophies.

I just have a feeling it is going to all end in tears and it is a sad thought as Rafa is a lovely man who deserves to be given time to build and is probably exactly what you need right now, apart from being who he is.}

1.) 17 Jun 2021
17 Jun 2021 03:57:56
Thank you very much for the detailed response Ed

I too think it will end badly, mainly because our fans are fed up of chopping and changing, if he would’ve joined back when Allardyce came in for example, I think more fans would’ve been on board. Plus he has to follow Ancelotti who some of our fans still love and think we can’t do any better than. We’d only be 2 losses in a row away from a crisis, not to mention the media will love to play up his Liverpool past constantly which could maybe distract him from his job as manager at Everton?

Obviously the appointment isn’t as set in stone as it looked like last night, but if it does happen, I’d really like it to work because, as a man, I’ve only ever heard good things about him.

You can tell he likes to feel loved by fans, had it with Liverpool, Napoli and Newcastle. I know he won the Europa League with Chelsea but their fans still hated him, but I think, if we could get over the first few months of anger from most fans, if he won us a trophy, or at least got the team fighting again, actually putting effort in for the fans. He will never be as loved as he was at Liverpool, but I do feel our fans could warm to him if he gets the team fighting and/ or won us something.

{Ed001's Note - in so many ways he is a perfect fit. I mean you will never find another manager so willing to involve himself in the community work, and Montse (his wife) does so much for the city. But I just fear his past is always going to be held against him.}