The Benitez Thread

[Melanicus 5,208]

RAFA BENITEZ is in line to land the Chelsea manager’s job permanently.

The news will shock fans who have slated the ex-Liverpool boss since he took charge last month.

But sources inside Stamford Bridge’s corridors of power say the Spaniard is on course to become ‘Rafa the Gaffer’ full-time after some superb results.

Owner Roman Abramovich has been impressed with Blues’ six wins in their last seven games, in which they hit 26 goals and reached the Capital One Cup semi-finals.

Benitez, 52, has even helped £50million flop Fernando Torres rediscover his golden touch withseven goals in seven games.

Events outside SW6 have also strengthened the position of Benitez, originally only brought in until the end of the season.

Chelsea’s top target Pep Guardiola is being linkedwith a return to Barcelona after his year-long sabbatical.

Current boss Tito Vilanova has cancer and there are fears about his long-term future.

Jose Mourinho is also unlikely to return to Chelsea and is set to go to Manchester United, Manchester City or Paris St-Germain when he quits Real Madrid this summer.

Via : The SunRAFA BENITEZ is in line to land the Chelsea manager’s job permanently.

The news will shock fans who have slated the ex-Liverpool boss since he took charge last month.

But sources inside Stamford Bridge’s corridors of power say the Spaniard is on course to become ‘Rafa the Gaffer’ full-time after some superb results.

Owner Roman Abramovich has been impressed with Blues’ six wins in their last seven games, in which they hit 26 goals and reached the Capital One Cup semi-finals.

Benitez, 52, has even helped £50million flop Fernando Torres rediscover his golden touch withseven goals in seven games.

Events outside SW6 have also strengthened the position of Benitez, originally only brought in until the end of the season.

Chelsea’s top target Pep Guardiola is being linkedwith a return to Barcelona after his year-long sabbatical.

Current boss Tito Vilanova has cancer and there are fears about his long-term future.

Jose Mourinho is also unlikely to return to Chelsea and is set to go to Manchester United, Manchester City or Paris St-Germain when he quits Real Madrid this summer.

Via : The Sun

[Hamilton 2,120]

So looks like were stuck with him then..

As long as the results are good i don't mind really.

Mourinho to Man U would look very weird imo..

[The only place to be 11,313]

plus my quote was for people like @only place to be who think they are the only true supporters and every1 else is "plastic".

You were posting on here that you hope Leeds beat us, whilst I was standing at Elland Road in a pouring rain supporting the team.

[didierforever 7,349]

You were posting on here that you hope Leeds beat us, whilst I was standing at Elland Road in a pouring rain supporting the team.

so? buy me a ticket to london(or leeds) and i ll join u. but that is not gonna change my way of thinking. u wanted us to win one match while i want us safe in the long race, i.e, no RAFA. i dont want MY chelsea to go down the same road as liverpool or inter milan. so if i have to sacrifice one match to get rafa out , i will. because i know he is not gonna be successful in the long run.

[bushman 2,043]

How does one know whether Rafa is going to be successful or not ?

On 21st of December the end of the world was predicted.

Meanwhile, we are still here & so is Rafa doing a fine job so far.

[The only place to be 11,313]

so? buy me a ticket to london(or leeds) and i ll join u. but that is not gonna change my way of thinking. u wanted us to win one match while i want us safe in the long race, i.e, no RAFA. i dont want MY chelsea to go down the same road as liverpool or inter milan. so if i have to sacrifice one match to get rafa out , i will. because i know he is not gonna be successful in the long run.

It wasn't one match. It was FUCKING LEEDS.

That match actually means something to Chelsea fans. The 1970 replay VHS was pretty much the only thing I could watch growing up that showed us winning titles. Jesus, it was either that or the Makita Cup. This is one of those things that fans like you could never understand.

And as for Rafa, no-one knows what will happen in the long-run.

[didierforever 7,349]

It wasn't one match. It was FUCKING LEEDS.

That match actually means something to Chelsea fans. The 1970 replay VHS was pretty much the only thing I could watch growing up that showed us winning titles. Jesus, it was either that or the Makita Cup. This is one of those things that fans like you could never understand.

And as for Rafa, no-one knows what will happen in the long-run.

leeds does not mean anything to me. the only time i have seen chelsea play leeds was in the 2003-04 season. i was born in 1991 and i hate or love what i see and feel not what people tell me to hate or love. i dont know how old u r and if u actually saw the 1970 leeds match but i am sorry if i cant produce the same hate towards leeds as u or some other veterans here. what i know is that i hate rafa and that guy hated us and that rivalry was more than just a professional rivalry. i cant imagine him doing and thinking the best for us.

as for the bold part please dont use that kind of thing again because it hurts. i dont know u and u dont know me so dont judge on a couple of comments. may be i cant understand what the leeds match represents but what i know is every time i watch a chelsea match it gives me jitters because i have that passion for this club, when we lose a pl match it spoils my whole week and when we win i simply dont care about anything else in my life and that is something that fans like u can never understand (and even if u do,it hurts a lot when some1 claims otherwise does it not?).

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

Mourinho to United, Guardiola to City, fuck that we have Benitez. I'm in dreamland...

[bushman 2,043]

I doubt Jose will go to MUni or Pep to Citeh.

It´s all rumors only.

As for Rafa at Chelsea, another rumor. If he helps the team & get some good results, plays an offensive style of football why not extend his contract ?

[Craigus 23]

didierforever has got to be trolling.

Surely?

[Thomas Williams 166]

Hey guys, I'm going to give you some "bloody yank" perspective. My passion in addition to real football is our American version (with the pads and helmets ).

University sports are huge here (bigger than national league sports where I live), and my local "football" team was awful for the better part of a century, despite being a large university with a large fanbase. One conference title in a dreadful conference in all those years.

Then we signed a new coach with a famous record for a large fee hoping to turn the program around. The first few years the team did no better and tons of fans complained of him and said he was a waste of money. But now closer to a decade record he has brought the team to success it has never known before and consistently ranks in top 10 in the country (would be like reading becoming a consistent top 10 in the premier league).z

Now I understand the sports are very different, and a football manager especially with Chelsea's resources can make or break a team very quickly compared to what an american football coach can. But my point (finally) is Oftentimes it takes a while for a coach to make his complete impact-positive or negative.

I'll praise or ridicule Benitez on a game to game basis, but I feel it's way too early to call him sh*t or call him our savior. I don't think we can fairly say yet. At the end of the season, when I see our silverware (or lack thereof) and premier ranking, then I'll decide.

[SinineUltra 1,170]

For now.. Benitez has been great.. hate or love him - he has made Chelsea better.. I hate to live in the past and bring back old quotes that he has said in the past to defend his club.. football is all business and it's sad if some people cant crack that through. If it was up to me.. Ancelotti would still be our manager

[bushman 2,043]

Since your passion is geared towards American football but you compared it to European football, perhaps something might be there to read.

To boycott, to hurl insults at Rafa just because he coached Liverpool & said some derogatory words towards Chelsea is very funny, to say the least, I feel.

Time will tell, whether he has done well or not. So far, all I see a man who inherited the club in turmoil, players were not doing too well, mostly tired team but now I see the team waking up, lately. Therefore, I am not prepared to judge him yet.

[nadavTKL 1,787]

Why you listen to "The Sun"? why?

[Thomas Williams 166]

but you compared it to European football, perhaps something might be there to read.

I mentioned in my post that the immense differences in the sports make them hard to compare (except in name) but I feel the idea that we need to give Benitez time before we give him the final verdict. I think you agree with me on that .

And about my passion being American football---I actually prefer the European version, and no sport gives me as much pleasure as watching the Blues (haven't missed game in years that I wasn't in class/work for [damn time zone differences]). But I am much more an expert on American football, and I make a few hundred dollars a year betting American football (much more predictable sport to me at least--Chelsea beats Aston Villas 8-0? Man-ure beats reading by 1? How you guys could profit off betting these games I have no idea).

[bushman 2,043]

I mentioned in my post that the immense differences in the sports make them hard to compare (except in name) but I feel the idea that we need to give Benitez time before we give him the final verdict. I think you agree with me on that .

And about my passion being American football---I actually prefer the European version, and no sport gives me as much pleasure as watching the Blues (haven't missed game in years that I wasn't in class/work for [damn time zone differences]). But I am much more an expert on American football, and I make a few hundred dollars a year betting American football (much more predictable sport to me at least--Chelsea beats Aston Villas 8-0? Man-ure beats reading by 1? How you guys could profit off betting these games I have no idea).

Since I used to watch NFL games, I certainly can compare to EPL games. Much more excitement, more points scored at NFL.

Sometimes, EPL games end up 0:0, then what´s there to get excited about ? Just like Di M´s park the bus games. One team attacks the other stands in front of their box, hoping for some miracle.

As for betting, I do not bet at all. I would not even know how.

[Jase 43,479]

http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/3020818/title/benitez-collects-best-performance-award

The 8-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday has been recognised by the League Managers Association (LMA) who named it Performance of the Week.

Rafael Benitez was presented with an engraved crystal football to mark the award at Cobham today (Friday).

The result, which matched Chelsea's best win in top-flight football, was chosen from all the games played over the past week throughout the divisions by a panel comprising LMA chairman Howard Wilkinson, Sir Alex Ferguson, Joe Royle, Dave Bassett and Barry Fry.

On collecting the award, Benitez said:

'It is great to win this and I say thank you to the players because they deserve to receive all the credit as it was a great performance.

'We are now in a good moment, we are scoring goals and the game against Aston Villa was amazing, then after we had a professional performance against Norwich.'

EH?! Didn't know there were such award!!

[bushman 2,043]

OK boys, Rafa is getting awards everywhere but most of you do not like him though.