The Benitez Thread

[Jase 43,479]

Have to say, it's feels as if a burden has been lifted off completely after listening to what Benitez said yesterday.

Anyway, do agree with Benitez when he said the fans should be supporting the team more, and not chanting and booing him all the time. However, Benitez's self-denials, constant yapping about facts, facts & facts, poor squad management and not getting results didn't help. Benitez flogged certain players to death(i.e Mata) and then rested players(i.e Hazard) for whatever reason when there is no need to. He made some bewildering team selections, substitutions & change things very late in games when it should have been done so earlier. Not forgetting Benitez's failure to react to problems on the pitch and change things around when needed. Always wait till we're losing! It should also be noted that not all the problems we have now is Benitez's fault as the board and players are to be blamed as well. But it is ludicrous of Benitez yesterday to basically suggest nothing is his fault right now and is the fault of everyone else!

[The only place to be 11,313]

To the 2000 last night.....If this turns out to be the tipping point for FSW I will be eternally grateful

to the 2000 who voiced their opinion last night, its a hell of a long way to go on a school night, and I salute you.

Rafa last night what a fool. By saying the club made a massive mistake making him interim manager not only alienates himself even more from the fans and the club but his lawyers, and agent when he signed the Interim Contract

PS WHS and Liquidator and someone else one here who i forget are teenagers/young and are regular attenders, know the history and forked out hard earned cash over land and sea

And I addressed that. Anyone under the age of about 30 hasn't had to support this club through thick and thin because there's been very little thin. Do you disagree with that?

The fans who have booed him since day one can't be so thick that they didn't realise that the only way he was going to get sacked before the summer was if the results were so bad there was no other choice. I'm not going to say they wanted us to be in the position we are or that they wanted the team to do badly, but the chants against Rafa don't help the team IN MY OPINION. If you think they do then that's your choice.

But choosing to sing them is based on your attitude to adversity. We were put in a shit position when he was hired and every single supporter at home and away had a choice on how to react to that.

[MHL 47 378]

They've not been too old to sing in the past. You making generalisations when you don't really have any clue what you're talking about isn't all that helpful.

The amazing thing to me is how completely fucking stupid the main chant against Rafa is.

We don't care about Rafa,

He don't care about us,

All we care about is Chelsea FC.

Now ignoring the fact that it's got a piss-poor tune, it makes no fucking sense to sing it. The lyrics (such that they are) imply that he may well be coach, but we don't care. All we care about is this club. But singing it and creating a shit atmosphere actively works against the club doesn't it? For those who sing it - do you feel like it drives the club forward? Does it give you the goosebumps that singing Ten Men Went To Mow or Over Land and Sea gives you?

And that's the same feeling I had. I didn't want him one second longer than he had to be here, but I wasn't going to boo him before he took charge of his first second of a game because that wasn't in the team's best interests in my opinion. But people turned up with their signs. They actually printed these things out to create a protest environment rather than focusing on supporting the team.

He may well be reaping what he sowed, but so are some of our fans. They wanted him gone, and there was only one way that was going to happen. I'm sure they'll now disavow any part in it.

And the opposition fans who say they're too cowardly to call for Roman's head because of his money.....it's harder and harder everyday to disprove that.

Each to their own I suppose, I don't ever boo the players (by god we've had some poor ones) or a manager, this one now is a different matter, by now I mean after last night, last night wasn't a 'cry for help' or a'cry to arms' it was a calculated and pre-meditated speech designed to take blame away from him.

Do I blame him for coming here, no I don't, I think he would have been better advised to have shown a some public contriteness about his previously made comments, that may have calmed an inflammatory situation down a bit. His persona didn't allow him to do that. Look, he's made his bed and now he'll have to lie in it, the more I think about it the more I believe he's got something else lined up.

The oppo fans giving out stick for us not calling out Roman is simply the politics of envy, do you think Man City fans will criticise Mansoor. Anyway, not bothered about what they think really.

[MHL 47 378]

What doesn't he has a problem with.. the fans, the players and now the term 'interim?'

Himself

[The only place to be 11,313]

Have to say, it's feels as if a burden has been lifted off completely after listening to what Benitez said yesterday.

Anyway, do agree with Benitez when he said the fans should be supporting the team more, and not chanting and booing him all the time. However, Benitez's self-denials, constant yapping about facts, facts & facts, poor squad management and not getting results didn't help. Benitez flogged certain players to death(i.e Mata) and then rested players(i.e Hazard) for whatever reason when there is no need to. He made some bewildering team selections, substitutions & change

things very late in games when it should have been done so earlier. Not forgetting Benitez's failure to react to problems on the pitch and change things around when needed. Always wait till we're losing! It should also be noted that not all the problems we have now is Benitez's fault as the board and players are to be blamed as well. But it is ludicrous of Benitez yesterday to basically suggest nothing is his fault right now and is the fault of everyone else!

Agree with most of this. The whole thing felt somewhat cathartic, but it all came out in an uncontrolled manner. He should have addressed these issues more honestly as they came up rather than in the rehearsed, stilted manner he has done. He just doesn't seem to do well with pressure.

He should have been more honest and blunt when he got the job, he should have been more honest when the chants started and he should've been more honest when criticising it if he felt that was the right thing to do. Doing it last night was just stupid, but it's all out in the open now so we can move forward in some way.

Each to their own I suppose, I don't ever boo the players (by god we've had some poor ones) or a manager, this one now is a different matter, by now I mean after last night, last night wasn't a 'cry for help' or a'cry to arms' it was a calculated and pre-meditated speech designed to take blame away from him.

Do I blame him for coming here, no I don't, I think he would have been better advised to have shown a some public contriteness about his previously made comments, that may have calmed an inflammatory situation down a bit. His persona didn't allow him to do that. Look, he's made his bed and now he'll have to lie in it, the more I think about it the more I believe he's got something else lined up.

The oppo fans giving out stick for us not calling out Roman is simply the politics of envy, do you think Man City fans will criticise Mansoor. Anyway, not bothered about what they think really.

I think he handled himself poorly and should've addressed this stuff earlier and in a more honest fashion.

But in regards the chanting, do the players differentiate between the negativity directed at the coach from stuff that might be aimed at them? Look at it from their point of view - they spend their working weeks with this guy and then for maybe 90 minutes a week their exposed to the crowd who may well be chanting abuse at their boss (interim he may be). Does that help their performance? Are we creating the best possible atmosphere to support the players or to force Rafa out of his position?

He spoke about people with an agenda and I know you've said the results would've helped him, but there were clearly people going to the games who were going to boo regardless. It's hard to argue with him on that point.

And City fans may not criticise Mansoor, but they haven't called for Mancini's head, or any of the staff in between him and the owner. They haven't been put in that position yet so I'm not saying they wouldn't, but at this club, on this very forum people have called for almost everyone at the club to be sacked except one man - the man we all understand made this decision, made the Torres decision, made the Ancelotti decision etc. (although some have said he should go).

It's a fair point to raise if you disagree with so many of the things going on at this club, but he gets very little stick.

[Stingray 9,441]

Is there a poll out yet on the exact hour he gets sacked today?

[Fulham Broadway 17,339]

Is there a poll out yet on the exact hour he gets sacked today?

Dont think it will happen today tbh. Could well happen at the weekend though. Fans will really go for it on Saturday

[English Freak 456]

To the 2000 last night.....If this turns out to be the tipping point for FSW I will be eternally grateful

to the 2000 who voiced their opinion last night, its a hell of a long way to go on a school night, and I salute you.

Rafa last night what a fool. By saying the club made a massive mistake making him interim manager not only alienates himself even more from the fans and the club but his lawyers, and agent when he signed the Interim Contract

PS WHS and Liquidator and someone else one here who i forget are teenagers/young and are regular attenders, know the history and forked out hard earned cash over land and sea

I dont get how sacking Rafa now would solve any of our problems.

His sacking just makes the Chelsea job even more unappealing/unattractive

And honestly, if we end up with someone like Pellegrini at the start of next season, I bet we screw up again...

[Melanicus 5,208]

http://www.hasrafabeensacked.com/

[Melanicus 5,208]

Knocking the fans: uncomfortable. Knocking the club: awkward. Knocking the Russian billionaire who called you 'interim': no return from that.

[BluesChick 1,260]

did he really admit he'd quit at the end of the season no matter what???

[gr123 167]

Can't argue with anything he said last night. If fans put half as much effort in cheering the team than they do with the stupid anti-Rafa songs then we wouldn't be in this position we are in now.

[gr123 167]

Can't argue with anything he said last night. If fans put half as much effort in cheering the team than they do with the stupid anti-Rafa songs then we wouldn't be in this position we are in now.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Can't argue with anything he said last night. If fans put half as much effort in cheering the team than they do with the stupid anti-Rafa songs then we wouldn't be in this position we are in now.

That's a little unfair. The players still have to do their stuff on the pitch and they haven't done that as much as they should. It's hard to say how much of that is down to the fans.

But I've been to matches where the support has lifted the team and we haven't done that in Rafa's time here. I don't know if we've made the team worse but I don't think we can say we've made it better.

[didierforever 7,349]

Can't argue with anything he said last night. If fans put half as much effort in cheering the team than they do with the stupid anti-Rafa songs then we wouldn't be in this position we are in now.

very true. i mean the only way teams win is we fans support them, right? it has got nothin to do with poor substitutions, awful team selections, horrendous motivational skills etc etc...

FSW is totally in the clear and should probably have a statue of himself erected out of SB for the wonderful, marvellous, out of the world work he has done in his time at chelsea.

[Special Juan 28,163]

Funny thing is the supporters where behind the team all night, sang loud but slated Rafa too.

Rafa wants to remember his comments about us from his Liverpool days, he surely wasn't expecting to come here and be loved, the blokes a cock.

[MHL 47 378]

That's a little unfair. The players still have to do their stuff on the pitch and they haven't done that as much as they should. It's hard to say how much of that is down to the fans.

But I've been to matches where the support has lifted the team and we haven't done that in Rafa's time here. I don't know if we've made the team worse but I don't think we can say we've made it better.

I've thought for a while that us fans sometimes over-rate our impacts on the team. I'm sure we have an effect but it's not as large as we'd like to believe. The greater effect will be how much the players believe in the manager, how he makes them feel as a group, what they know about him already, how he compares to others they've experienced.

The second worst decision was to appoint him in the first place, in some respect he has been the 'victim' (very, very loose use of that word) of that decision. Again you know my thoughts on some of those people who made that decision.

The worst decison was to appoint De Matteo into a permanent role in the first place, if the owner & board had any doubts whatsoever that he would be here for the long-term (by 'long-term' I mean 2-3 years, in our relative terms)they should have taken the unpopular decision then. All they've done by delaying it is cause additional problems by doing it mid-season.

[bushman 2,043]

That's a little unfair. The players still have to do their stuff on the pitch and they haven't done that as much as they should. It's hard to say how much of that is down to the fans.

But I've been to matches where the support has lifted the team and we haven't done that in Rafa's time here. I don't know if we've made the team worse but I don't think we can say we've made it better.

Would be able to do your job well if someone keeps yelling at you & telling you to hit the road ?

[The only place to be 11,313]

I've thought for a while that us fans sometimes over-rate our impacts on the team. I'm sure we have an effect but it's not as large as we'd like to believe. The greater effect will be how much the players believe in the manager, how he makes them feel as a group, what they know about him already, how he compares to others they've experienced.

The second worst decision was to appoint him in the first place, in some respect he has been the 'victim' (very, very loose use of that word) of that decision. Again you know my thoughts on some of those people who made that decision.

The worst decison was to appoint De Matteo into a permanent role in the first place, if the owner board had any doubts whatsoever that he would be here for the long-term (by 'long-term' I mean 2-3 years, in our relative terms)they should have taken the unpopular decision then. All they've done by delaying it is cause additional problems by doing it mid-season.

This was all the result of the 'Chase for Pep'. Hopefully we learn from our mistakes (something I've seen some signs of us doing).

The silver lining is that this is perhaps as bad as it can get (touch wood).

Would be able to do your job well if someone keeps yelling at you & telling you to hit the road ?

Have you met my wife?

[Fulham Broadway 17,339]

I dont get how sacking Rafa now would solve any of our problems.

His sacking just makes the Chelsea job even more unappealing/unattractive

And honestly, if we end up with someone like Pellegrini at the start of next season, I bet we screw up again...

Good point and we could end up with Avram till the end of the season, but we dont want FSW any longer -he can fuck off back to his house in Merseyside. Highlights how decisions at this club are a joke, and how the players play in spite of a manager mostly now anyway