The Benitez Thread

[iceboy 992]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2326404/Chelsea-manager-Rafael-Benitez-set-250k-bonus-The-Blues-finish-third.html

[Changingman_2000 876]

Where will he end up?, Everton? Citeh?, who knows........................who cares??

[Blue Traveler 256]

Bravo, priorities.

Fact is, Frank is 35 this June. He himself has said that even-though he feels like he is 25, he knows that he is not the same on the pitch. Both of them struggled with injuries, especially Terry, who has been out injured majority of the time or regaining fitness giving pens away. Besides, like it or not, under your beloved Rafael Benitez he broke the scoring record while being our top EPL goalmachine.

The last sentence is trolling or what? Can't get the joke.

Yeah i know what he said after UEFA Cup final AND he clearly meant that he can not score goal like he used to because of different position he's playing under FSW not because of lack fitness blah blah. No player gonna say that i'm old i'm not going to score as same as before so plz take it easy on me!

About the fitness you mentiond, there are so many time both JT and Lampard were fit and ready to go, closest to mind is the semi final against Man City which both of them were fit & fine but FSW left them out which cost us another title!

About Lampard being on his top UNDER RAFA is one those words i can not except. Lampard breaking the record is purely down to his brilliance and individual skill and self determination not FSW genius methods and plans etc!

[Strike 6,983]

And not to mention, there is an obvious double standard going on. When we win games, especially the big ones, people praised the players for getting that 3 result but don't bother to give Benitez credit, not even a tiny bit. BUT yet, when we lose or fail to win games, most of these people blame everything and solely on Benitez when the players' performances on the pitch are the one that mess it up most of the time.

That is not entirely true. When Chelsea drew 2-2 at Old Trafford, there was more praise for Rafa than the team.

"Subs changed the game", "Rafa silences Man United" etc

[Jase 43,479]

That is not entirely true. When Chelsea drew 2-2 at Old Trafford, there was more praise for Rafa than the team.

"Subs changed the game", "Rafa silences Man United" etc

Again, I didn't say everyone praised the team and not give Benitez credit did I?

And in that scenario, there were quite a lot of people blaming him for not starting the strongest team like leaving Hazard on the bench for example. When he did change things around early, hardly anyone mention that and instead, they choose to focus on whatever negatives they can find.

[Strike 6,983]

Again, I didn't say everyone praised the team and not give Benitez credit did I?

And in that scenario, there were quite a lot of people blaming him for not starting the strongest team like leaving Hazard on the bench for example. When he did change things around early, hardly anyone mention that and instead, they choose to focus on whatever negatives they can find.

his tactical record at Chelsea wasn't good till that point. That United game was probably 1 game in 50 where his substitution was early and game-changing. Don't think he deserved much credit for getting it right one time. Overall, up until April-May, his work wasn't anything special.

There is no middle ground on Benitez. He polarises opinions like no one else. There are the sympathisers who feel he could have worked. There are the haters who feel he should never have been hired.

I belong to the latter. I don't like him but I grudgingly accept that he has got us top 4 (and a trophy) but that was the plan all along wasn't it? He struggled early on, then made up for it and got to the same destination.

[kellzfresh 7,226]

Benitez was given the task which AVB failed at, which is making the new players the core of our team. There was a time we couldn't win a game without lamps and terry playing, now azpi, mata, luiz, hazard are now vital players in our team. Make no mistake about it, It was a massive success to change the core of our team from the mourinho era and still play attractive football (we scored 145 goals this season) without terry and lampard complaining.

Its not fair to compare how we were 4 points behind manutd because they have been magnificent in the league this season only chelsea 04/05 were better than this manutd side in the league in recent times, their point total agrees with me.

We should compare with mancitty before benitez came and see there wasn't that much of a shift, considering we played 10-15 more games than any other team in the league, with the smallest squad in the top 5.

Under benitez we lost the CWC, Carling cup, and FA cup. Here's what really happened:

The CWC, torres missed an open goal yes benitez made a stupid sub of bringing on a rightback but if torres put that in, we won't be talking about this.

The carling cup, IVANOVIC single handedly sent us out don't even mention benitez in this.

The FA cup, we won manutd on the way to a far stronger mancity with an extra week rest and there is no shame in that.

So in total its only the CWC I can really blame him for and at that time, the BOO guys were at their full flow.

The turning point of Benitez era is when he commented after the middlesborough game that he will leave at the end of the season. That made the boo boys stop and allowed our players (especially the new young ones who are not used to receiving boos from their fans) concentrate on the game plan and we started winning a lot more games. Had we stopped booing earlier I could have imagined our position in the league with fully focused players.

So I hope he gets a nice send off tomorow and mourinho comes in.

[iceboy 992]

I like his celebration.

[dumps 284]

I am honestly still amazed to see so much hatred for Rafa.

He did exactly what we wanted. got champions league. won the Europa league (a competition we were in before he joined us, it was out of his hands) and managed to give Frank the oppurtunity to get a contract extension.

I for one would agree with those saying it wasnt the best, i believe we may be a bit fortunate to be in the top 4, we just about did it BUT we did it. Rafa did it. He has made some tactical decisions we hated, BUT he also made some great tactical decisions (see games Vs united).

I was one of those who didn't mind us getting Rafa as an interim manager. i would have hated it if he was here as a manager for 2+ years, but he was hired as an interim, and hes done exactly what was asked of him, and now he makes room for Jose.

he deserves a warm send off tomorrow from us. and those that really hated him being here, just be happy its his last game, and be thankful for what he has done. He'll never be held high by us fans, but he has earnt a decent send off and some respect. he's had to put up with some real shit at his time here thanks to the majority of our fans.

just chill out. theres only one person who would have had a tougher time managing us... Adolf Hitler... and i for one dont think he would have had the knowledge of the game to get us in to the top 10 let alone the top 4 for christ sakes, sure press conferences would have been good, but i really dont think he'd have set up the team as well as Rafa.

Hitler OUT! wait, what?







On a side note thats got me thinking, how awesome would it have been to have some big world leaders managing football teams. Hussain, Hitler, Stalin, Bush, Churchill, Hirohito, Kim Jung-Un etc. I smell a comedy TV show being born.

and that reminds me of this:

[kellzfresh 7,226]

Benitez was given the task which AVB failed at, which is making the new players the core of our team. There was a time we couldn't win a game without lamps and terry playing, now azpi, mata, luiz, hazard are now vital players in our team. Make no mistake about it, It was a massive success to change the core of our team from the mourinho era and still play attractive football (we scored 145 goals this season) without terry and lampard complaining.

Its not fair to compare how we were 4 points behind manutd because they have been magnificent in the league this season only chelsea 04/05 were better than this manutd side in the league in recent times, their point total agrees with me.

We should compare with mancitty before benitez came and see there wasn't that much of a shift, considering we played 10-15 more games than any other team in the league, with the smallest squad in the top 5.

Under benitez we lost the CWC, Carling cup, and FA cup. Here's what really happened:

The CWC, torres missed an open goal yes benitez made a stupid sub of bringing on a rightback but if torres put that in, we won't be talking about this.

The carling cup, IVANOVIC single handedly sent us out don't even mention benitez in this.

The FA cup, we won manutd on the way to a far stronger mancity with an extra week rest and there is no shame in that.

So in total its only the CWC I can really blame him for and at that time, the BOO guys were at their full flow.

The turning point of Benitez era is when he commented after the middlesborough game that he will leave at the end of the season. That made the boo boys stop and allowed our players (especially the new young ones who are not used to receiving boos from their fans) concentrate on the game plan and we started winning a lot more games. Had we stopped booing earlier I could have imagined our position in the league with fully focused players.

So I hope he gets a nice send off tomorow and mourinho comes in.

[Laylabelle 9,304]

Didnt think he'd achieve anything espially after the first game where we were dire and lost to West Ham badly.Dodgy cup runs but in the in...Europa League and top 4..hopefully 3rd place finish which aint bad really...been a crazy time lol

[Jase 43,479]

his tactical record at Chelsea wasn't good till that point. That United game was probably 1 game in 50 where his substitution was early and game-changing. Don't think he deserved much credit for getting it right one time. Overall, up until April-May, his work wasn't anything special.

That is somewhat contradicting. When someone you know says make a mistake and then late correct it, don't you give at least credit them for recognizing the mistake and change it? Yes, Benitez may have been tactically dodgy during his time here but in that United game, he recognized his mistake early and then rectify it but yet hardly a credit given, regardless of whether he got it right one time or not. Credit where it's due.

Benitez's work might not have been special but he did what was necessary. He managed and rotated squad decently and ensure every player is fresh as possible especially with the limited squad depth we have. And though as said, tactically he is a bit dodgy, some of those approaches in certain games worked and helped us to get a result. And if you want to talk about the manager's work being special or not, then you would only have to look back at RDM last season. We might have won the FA Cup and Champions League under him but his work was hardly anything special as he only got us back to doing the basics after the AVB mess and yet he received so much credit for what he done then. Most people has claimed that it wasn't Benitez that got us what we have now but rather the players' will and determination and yet last season, many praised both RDM and the players, not just 1 side!

There is no middle ground on Benitez. He polarises opinions like no one else. There are the sympathisers who feel he could have worked. There are the haters who feel he should never have been hired.

I belong to the latter. I don't like him but I grudgingly accept that he has got us top 4 (and a trophy) but that was the plan all along wasn't it? He struggled early on, then made up for it and got to the same destination.

Disagree. The sympathizers are basically those from outside the club, mainly the media. None of us fans want Benitez here at all because we all hate him and it's a marriage made in hell with him coming here. However, from us fans itself, it is basically divided into two categories - haters that will just hate for the sake it and blame everything on Benitez even when it's not his fault and those still hate him but more willing to look at things objectively.

[Strike 6,983]

@,

"Credit where credit is due" - He did the right thing then and I remember thinking this could be the turning point when I was watching the game (2 days late) but I still don't think that 1 tactical change in a game should get much praise, especially when it was the exception rather than the rule at that time. Sure, it deserves a "fair play to Rafa. He got it right then" but nothing to change opinions about.

I will not go into the comparison with RDM, as it is a different issue altogether, but you have to see why the appreciation for him was overboard - It was the Champions League.

I will emphasise on the other points. Benitez has taken Chelsea into the Champions League. He proved a lot of people wrong with the late-season form Chelsea showed especially as some were calling for his head in February. But the good work at the end of the season merely corrects what went wrong earlier on.

[Yasser 63]

Thank You Rafa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuYRaQvMkEY

[yuvala 2,167]

There's not much to praise him for...

Even in the Europa League, we played like shit, in too many games. We probably didn't even deserve to win that game judjing by the way we played.

[Jase 43,479]

@,

"Credit where credit is due" - He did the right thing then and I remember thinking this could be the turning point when I was watching the game (2 days late) but I still don't think that 1 tactical change in a game should get much praise, especially when it was the exception rather than the rule at that time. Sure, it deserves a "fair play to Rafa. He got it right then" but nothing to change opinions about.

That will be a different story if it was Mourinho....

I will not go into the comparison with RDM, as it is a different issue altogether, but you have to see why the appreciation for him was overboard - It was the Champions League.

I will emphasise on the other points. Benitez has taken Chelsea into the Champions League he proved a lot of people wrong with the late-season form Chelsea showed because some were calling for his head in February. But the good work at the end of the season merely corrects what went wrong earlier on.

Yes, I know it was because RDM won the Champions League but if you look beyond that, his work was hardly anything special is it going back to your point earlier, no?

[Strike 6,983]

That will be a different story if it was Mourinho....

Yes, I know it was because RDM won the Champions League but if you look beyond that, his work was hardly anything special is it going back to your point earlier, no?

That way, there is a bias for Mourinho and di Matteo while Rafa has none of that sympathy. It is inevitable. Imagine, Mourinho comes in and starts winning a few games. People will be excited, heck people like Leif and xPetrCechx are already excited. But that is popular opinion for you. Not everyone gets treated the same way.

My point was solely about Rafa though. I am not comparing what kind of a reaction Rafa and di Matteo were getting. Just based on the work he's done, I don't think Chelsea fans should be singing songs about him this Sunday. Just accept he's got the key objective - Top 4, shake hands and move on

[Jase 43,479]

That way, there is a bias for Mourinho and di Matteo while Rafa has none of that sympathy. It is inevitable. Imagine, Mourinho comes in and starts winning a few games. People will be excited, heck people like Leif and xPetrCechx are already excited. But that is popular opinion for you. Not everyone gets treated the same way.

Basically what I said originally. Because of this bias and hatred towards, people are not judging things objectively.

My point was solely about Rafa though. I am not comparing what kind of a reaction Rafa and di Matteo were getting. Just based on the work he's done, I don't think Chelsea fans should be singing songs about him this Sunday. Just accept he's got the key objective - Top 4, shake hands and move on

Agree but my main point earlier on was basically about the double standards - When we win games, it's because of the players. When we lose games, all the blame is on Benitez.