The Benitez Thread

[gary gordon 1,777]

You clearly weren't a Chelsea supporter before 2003. Your opinion is worthless when you make comments like that.

Be glad to send you some VHS tapes recorded off australian tv since 98. And believe me, when i started supporting them, they where about as good as Fulham are now. if you don't think so your a moron.

[RamiCFC9 258]

He's all about the facts, eh?

People laugh at this but .. Actually everything that he said was right.FA is Fergie..Ever wondered how united is always there with pretty shit squad tbh ..How they can't even get out of one of the easiest groups ever but still lost the PL only by goal difference ..It's pretty obvious, look at this season, we were top of the league playing them at home with chance to make 4 point gap, what happened?Everybody knows, we got burried by ref and look how the things turned out, before that game we were on fire, now we are in shambles.One ref decision sometimes makes the difference between winning PL or not and we all know to which direction these decisions are going when Fergie and Utd are involved.

[RamiCFC9 258]

What Rafa said towards us, Chelsea fans was just business I believe, nothing personal.For example when I play football even just for fun, I always try to make other teams players ( even tho my best friends) play worse via psychological attacks.People need to stop acting like crybabies, especially 30+ years "grownups".

[The Skipper 20,593]

How do people think we'll perform in the league under Rafa? Hmm.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

How do people think we'll perform in the league under Rafa? Hmm.

Surprisingly well. Comfortable top 3 finish. However in the cups it's anyone's guess.

[Jase 43,479]

Apparently since we appointed Benitez, the club's official Twitter account have lost more than 12 500 followers!

[The Skipper 20,593]

Surprisingly well. Comfortable top 3 finish. However in the cups it's anyone's guess.

His performances with Liverpool suggests something rather contrary.

[Jase 43,479]

Benitez in his press interview said he was bringing in Zenden, a fitness coach and analyst. Nothing about a goalkeeper coach - typical media shit!

That's because he has already brought in the fitness coach and analyst. Nothing is decided on the goalkeeping coach yet but has been reported he wants to bring in his own one.

[Jase 43,479]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/blog/_/name/espnfcunited/id/1840?cc=4716

A well written article by Gabriele Marcotti. Made some very valid points about Benitez.

[Fulham Broadway 16,922]

http://soccernet.esp...id/1840?cc=4716

A well written article by Gabriele Marcotti. Made some very valid points about Benitez.

Like the bit where he says hes a fake.

I think it will be a bit like when Grant took over , and the players will play in spite of whos in charge.

Whats more important than Tubby, is leadership on the pitch at the moment. Thats why we're shipping points

[Beirut_Blues 306]

I dont want to admit it, but the more i think about it the more I believe he is the right manager for us.

Ya bro just saw part of his press conference on BBC website and he seems really positive and confident and I think we as fans can only have the same attitude.

As much as some of us are disappointed with his appointment we gotta acknowledge that what's done is done and he should have the whole club's support (owner-board-players-fans) to get the job done.

P.S. he's still Fat Rafa.

[The only place to be 11,313]

How can you replace all round midfielders with two attacking midfielders?

Because we're changing the way we play football going forward. We're not going to find carbon copies of the players we once had, but then again they might not fit the style of football we're looking to try and play in the future.

Right now, I'd say Lampard doesn't fit this team as well as the one 6 years ago because he's being asked to do different things, so we're having to look for different types of players.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Ramires will be a good player...but I don't think he'll be able to replace Essien. Essien at his peak was the complete midfielder, he could basically play anywhere in midfield.

As for Robbie not being the right guy...if you're under that much pressure as a manager, your first instinct will be to use the more experienced players rather than bring through youngsters from the academy/reserves.

If you want a successful youth system, you need to give your manager at least a 2-3 year period where you will back him 100% (unless of course your club starts seriously crumbling).

I absolutely agree, but the manager has to show the owner that he is the guy to be given that chance. AVB messed up horrendously, so he was let go and Robbie was never seen as the long-term guy. Roman really only sees one guy as being 'the man' and that's Guardiola. He will be given the chances that these other guys weren't.

[Severinb 309]

@IndexFootball: Since the appointment of Rafa Benitez, Chelsea have lost 12,548 followers on twitter and had 54,362 ppl 'unliking' them on Facebook!

[Leif 6,006]

Yay. We've just broken 14million 'likes' on Facebook.

[meetdoscar 335]

Benitez said that although he is prepared to sit down with the club and discuss possible new signings if necessary, he understands his role to be mostly getting the best out of the existing squad. The style of play will be his decision.

'Today I spoke to the players and everything was fine - the intensity was there and I spoke to them about ideas and I saw no problems.

'I know everybody will be talking about Fernando Torres and today I was talking with him like I was talking with the other players and his attitude was good.

'Everybody has been talking about he was not doing well and I was the same because I was watching games and his attitude was really poor, and today it was the same as all the others.

'The players have trained really well and I am sure that with this attitude, they will improve and I think that with the players and staff together, we can win important things for the club.'

Well if this doesn't win you over at least for mancity's game then your heart must be made of STONE. He even criticised torres calling his attitude REALLY POOR and is prepared to sit with the board and make necessary signings. This is something RDM lacked, BALLS (RDM never criticised torres)

[Thistle 77]

Benitez said that although he is prepared to sit down with the club and discuss possible new signings if necessary, he understands his role to be mostly getting the best out of the existing squad. The style of play will be his decision.

'Today I spoke to the players and everything was fine - the intensity was there and I spoke to them about ideas and I saw no problems.

'I know everybody will be talking about Fernando Torres and today I was talking with him like I was talking with the other players and his attitude was good.

'Everybody has been talking about he was not doing well and I was the same because I was watching games and his attitude was really poor, and today it was the same as all the others.

'The players have trained really well and I am sure that with this attitude, they will improve and I think that with the players and staff together, we can win important things for the club.'

Well if this doesn't win you over then your heart must be made of STONE. He even criticised torres calling his attitude REALLY POOR and is prepared to sit with the board and make necessary signings. This is something RDM lacked, BALLS (RDM never criticised torres)

First he said his attitude was good, next sentence it's really poor...

[The only place to be 11,313]

First he said his attitude was good, next sentence it's really poor...

He was talking about two different things. His attitude was good when he was talking with him today and yesterday, his attitude had been poor in the games.

Nice to see someone at the club being honest about Torres rather than pampering him and treating him with kid gloves.