The Benitez Thread

[Ryan Fong 2,776]

On personal level I don't like him because of those comments towards Chelsea fans he made, on professional level I support him thoroughly simply because he IS our manager now, and I do trust his words that he was only thinking what is the best to help the team (Liverpool) to win against a major rival.

Think about it, if he was our manager and made the same comments towards Liverpool fans, I know I would be very happy.

[OneMoSalah 8,776]

Press conference filled me with a bit more confidence. I said I'd support him but the fact is hes set himself a basic goal. He wants to win trophies. He wants the focus to be on the team, not him managing the team due to a lot of fans not wanting him. If he wins trophies and wins a lot of games, will a lot of fans still hate him? No will they fuck. As long as the teams winning games and picks up a trophy or two this year we'll all be happy. Guaranteed.

[The only place to be 11,313]

If we ignore the fact that he's Rafa Benitez and he said rude things about us when managing a rival club, he is a Champions League and La Liga winning manager who has something to prove to people who have written him off.

On paper, that doesn't seem like the worst person in the world to have in charge.

It's becoming strange because he is Chelsea manager so I do feel defensive over him. I love this club too much not to be enthusiastic about what me might turn out like on Sunday.

I know I'll get stick for this, but I'm more hopeful for the game against Man City on Sunday than I was a few days ago. It might just be because he's new and shiny and a little unknown, but I think we might get a result.

[The Mak 4,459]

YEAH! WE ADDED SO MANY PEOPLE TO HELP TORRES! HOW ABOUT WE MOVE OUR GROUND TO MADRID AS WELL! I MEAN TORRES PLAYED THERE WHEN HE WAS 6! COME ON! YAAAAY!

rofl, awesome isn't it?! We can also change our name to 'Torres FC'. I mean, we're doing everything else to accommodate him and I'm pretty sure Roman is already pushing for it, so why not?!

You people expected any different?, he's not going to come on press conference and say 'well you know i hate this club'. No words today cannot change my mind about this man, and i think it's stupid how people are so easily fooled. Untill he actually proves his actions have meaning then we can come round as for now he deserves nothing.

This. This is how I feel. I, too, am not convinced by the fat man's yap, yap. Wait till a couple of games to see what he's really about.

[Hutcho 8,443]

Yeah..and I don't understand how a manager can "grow on you" after 1 press conference...Let's see how the team performs during the next few weeks first..

Well tbh, he doesn't hate our club, he was the manager of liverpool, so obviously sided with them, he is not anymore. I still don't particularly like the man but it doesn't mean i have to hate everything he says or does... He is our manager, no amounts of complaints or twitter bombardments will ever change that so it is time to get behind the team and hope we can start performing well.

[The only place to be 11,313]

And he's also done nothing to deserve our support.

He's agreed to become the Chelsea manager.

Call me old-fashioned but that used to be enough to deserve my support.

[klopfzeichen 78]

To the people who say they're coming round to him. What had you expected him to be like exactly?

Is there any way else to come to him except by round? Boom!

[Jase 43,479]

Because they kept asking him the same questions, lmao.

Could have answered the questions better to begin with rather than dodging in, going around the bush and repeating the nonsense he talks about.

Exactly like RDM did. Would you rather he falls in the reporters' traps like AVB did?

RDM was better. Straight to the point and no messing about. Some of the things Benitez said was just nonsense.

[Blue Armour 4,278]

Well tbh, he doesn't hate our club, he was the manager of liverpool, so obviously sided with them, he is not anymore. I still don't particularly like the man but it doesn't mean i have to hate everything he says or does... He is our manager, no amounts of complaints or twitter bombardments will ever change that so it is time to get behind the team and hope we can start performing well.

I don't hate him...See, things are different at our club now....We've had so many managers come in and go in the past few months, that there's no sense of real attachment towards any of them (except for maybe RDM who's ex-Chelsea).

I just see them as professionals doing their job, and I'll rate them based on how well they do it. Rafa's no different.

[Rambo 1,729]

Let's see how the team will respond on Sunday. I'm expecting a nasty reception by the fans but I wouldn't give a shit if i was him, just get the results.

[Sheva. 5,373]

Could have answered the questions better to begin with rather than dodging in, going around the bush and repeating the nonsense he talks about.

RDM was better. Straight to the point and no messing about. Some of the things Benitez said was just nonsense.

What question exactly should he have answered better? i thought he handled most of the questions well.

The media were basically trying to get him to say something wrong which he avoided.

[Muzchap 8,966]

Verdict : Professional, organised and focused.

If he can turn our team into that - I will be very happy!

He conducted himself well

Haters will always hate:

1) he didn't sack RDM

2) he defended Lpool against us, that's what a manager does!

3) Without the Lpool hatred, I quite like the guy

No offence to RDM but he always seemed like a rabbit in headlights - no killer instinct.

Rafa's looking at our squad like an escapee from Fat Camp outside a Greggs window !

Could be something good

[nullabletype 987]

Not sure whose press conference is worse, AVB or Rafa's. He just keeps on repeating the same answers, going around the bush and conveniently answered some while dodging others. A bloody awful press conference!

That's what happens when "journalists" turn up with about 3 unique questions slightly changed to masquerade as many different ones.

He was asked next to nothing of note. The same crap was put to him over and over. All he could do was drop sound bites, which is all any new coach is going to do.

This is why I find it funny that people are "coming round to him" after 20 mins of crap questions.

It's utterly irrational to dislike him before he came."He said things about Chelsea in the past", of course he did, he was a rival teams manager. Now already, people have changed their tunes, "I've come round him now, he's saying all the right things". Well, you know, of course he is. He isn't going to come in and say, "Hey, I have no ambition and I don't care about winning". Like I said, it's sound bites and buzz words. People who change their minds so easily, show themselves up, in my opinion, to be your typically fickle football fans.

I think we just give him a chance. There's nothing we can do about RDMs sacking, in fact, I think RDMs popularity has done wonders to cover up his management ineptitude. Rafa has quality and with any luck he can do the job. If he can, then that's good enough for me. And I can guarantee this, if he does become a success, it will be good enough for all the complainer too.

[Hutcho 8,443]

I don't hate him...See, things are different at our club now....We've had so many managers come in and go in the past few months, that there's no sense of real attachment towards any of them (except for maybe RDM who's ex-Chelsea).

I just see them as professionals doing their job, and I'll rate them based on how well they do it. Rafa's no different.

Of course, and that is the correct attitide, for many however they wouldn't care if he won us 3 trophies this year they would still forever hate him...

[Rmpr 8,977]

The coments here are too one sided. It is either extrememly good or bad.

He is still a cunt and has done nothing to deserve the fans respect yet. We dont need to chant insults to him (because he is our manager) but we dont need to cheer his name either.

He had a great conference though, he was smart not to fall into the many traps the media wanted and I like his pragmatism. He will focous on inside the ptich issues and make evaluations to the board. I enjoy the fact he knows he will leave at the end of the season and that he is only here to win game by game and acumulate as many trophies as possible. I was also pleased with his staff apointments, I really think they will improve the team.

LETS WAIT AND SEE...

[Hutcho 8,443]

On a lighter note...

[LayZ 201]

A rant about rants....

We have had too many diplomatic managers of late,it would be a refreshing change to see a Chelsea manager who would proffer a spontaneous rant of his own volition or succumb to the inducement of the media...I for one wouldn't entirely disapprove if the media is able to elicit such a response from RB,as I believe it would take some of the pressure off the team...great managers have always done that,Fergie,Wenger,Redknapp,Keegan,Mourinho have all indulged in it to shift the focus off the players in difficult times....I'll actually prefer a passionate fulmination over the sort of pragmatic discourses that our recent gaffers seemed to have been capable of...the next time someone like Clattenburg costs us a match,Rafa's unequivocal condemnations would probably earn him a touchline ban,but I would take that over an apologetic explanation any day of the week...we loved Jose for his adoption of innovative methods to flout UEFA's touchline ban,we appreciated AVB for vehemently defending David Luiz in the wake of Neville's playstation comment,I'm sure RB will win us over with his unbridled displays of passion for the club...

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Could have answered the questions better to begin with rather than dodging in, going around the bush and repeating the nonsense he talks about.

RDM was better. Straight to the point and no messing about. Some of the things Benitez said was just nonsense.

Lol you hear what you want to hear Jay. This is just your prior judgments speaking. I thought he had a nice uneventful press conference which is imo the best kind.