The Benitez Thread

[Laylabelle 9,536]

We need to get the feeling of 'every game a cup final' the players seemed to have under Jose.You do get the feeling they walk into games like its all ready won.Like Wigan last season..no one seemed bothered or like they needed to make an effort..and we drew...and again this season.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

"insanely easy" ? I have not checked the schedule, but I'd argue there's not a lot of easy games, especially for a side who have been really off form like we were.

In a sense you're right-there are no easy games in the Premier League and so on, but the truth is that some games are easier than others so easy is a relative term. Facing QPR is easier than facing ManU and facing Nordjsalland is easier than facing Juventus. It doesn't mean that you can treat any game as a joke.. After the Man City Game, we played/play (brackets=current league standings) Fulham(13), West Ham (10), Nordsjaelland (maybe worst side in the CL, missing their best players), Sunderland (18), 2 teams we should beat in Japan, Southampton (15), Leeds (Championship side), Villa (16), Norwich (11), Everton (5), QPR (20), Southampton-FA Cup (15). That's a 13 game stretch where we face one very tough game (Everton away). That is insanely easy relative to a normal schedule and just hi-lights the difficult stretch we had early in the year and we will have again come February and again April. In comparison, the last 13 games RDM managed us, we faced Juventus away, Shakhtar twice, Arsenal and Spurs away, WBA away, Swansea away, and ManU twice.

[Sheva. 5,373]

In a sense you're right-there are no easy games in the Premier League and so on, but the truth is that some games are easier than others so easy is a relative term. Facing QPR is easier than facing ManU and facing Nordjsalland is easier than facing Juventus. It doesn't mean that you can treat any game as a joke.. After the Man City Game, we played/play (brackets=current league standings) Fulham(13), West Ham (10), Nordsjaelland (maybe worst side in the CL, missing their best players), Sunderland (18), 2 teams we should beat in Japan, Southampton (15), Leeds (Championship side), Villa (16), Norwich (11), Everton (5), QPR (20), Southampton-FA Cup (15). That's a 13 game stretch where we face one very tough game (Everton away). That is insanely easy relative to a normal schedule and just hi-lights the difficult stretch we had early in the year and we will have again come February and again April. In comparison, the last 13 games RDM managed us, we faced Juventus away, Shakhtar twice, Arsenal and Spurs away, WBA away, Swansea away, and ManU twice.

What I notice is we have 6 or 7 away games in that stretch. We can both agree that an away game is always more difficult? And we will have to work hard to win.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

What I notice is we have 6 or 7 away games in that stretch. We can both agree that an away game is always more difficult? And we will have to work hard to win.

Away games are more difficult and you have to put the effort in to win every single match, but the schedule is very easy. It's just a really imbalanced schedule for us this year.

[Laylabelle 9,536]

And games against teams in the bottom 3 always hard as well...as shown with us this season!Espically when it gets towards the end of the season and there are several teams fighting the drop.

[Rmpr 8,977]

Not way up in Heaven and not way down to Earth...

1. Benitez did a good job vs ManCity, adjusting our defense and obtaining our firt clean sheet in quite some time. It seemed as he was able to give clear oders on each player`s role.

2. He kept the system for Fulham and it did not work out, since it was not the same objetive as ManCity game. It was an OK performance and it was too early to judge.

3. West Ham game was perfect in the first half, we were looking like the begining of the season, everyone was happy. Then, he didnt do anything in the dressing room and the team had a huge blackout. Benitez couldnt ajust the team and made bad changes. Horrible result and Rafa takes a big part of the blame.

4. Nords and Sunderland, Rafa prepared ourselves pretty well and we are looking good. I know it wasnt much of a test, but we were looking bad even against shit teams. Our team is way better balanced and the players doesnt seem lost (clear reflect of good training sessions). He still needs to learn how to adapt to possible situations and adversity and to make great substitutions.

Like i said, Benitez has his good sides and his down sides. He deserves some complements and some criticism!

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Don't really mind the boos to be honest. If you paid for a ticket, you have a right to show if you're unhappy.

[diskoviolente 425]

Fair play to the man. It is obviously ambigious ambitions to take over the job. He will restore his image, that´s for sure. It is a win/win situation for him. That is clear, but to actually go through with it and keeping his head down takes something I´d say. He knew he´ll be loathed here and still got on with it. To be fair, he already improved our gameplay a lot, the West Ham comidy aside. I think it is time to accept it that he is our man for now. He made all these silly comments back then but he didn´t know that he´d take over at the Bridge one day. So of course it´s easy to stick it onto him, but that was also the intense Chelsea Liverpool "shit on a stick" phase in which the game seemed to be won in the Presser and not on the pitch so much. So he would stick it to Chelsea as we did to them, namely José. I hope we will win that damn trophy, that the team comes back more galavanised, getting on with it an keep the pressure in the league.

[Joe Cool 388]

I think everybody is being much to harsh on Benitez (including myself at times). The guy has been in charge for about three weeks. He had about two/three days to sort out the team before our match against Man City, and then about a week for West Ham. That's not much time for anybody to start have their team playing brilliant, let alone Benitez. So why doesn't everybody just calm the fuck down about Rafa (including the idiots who were booing when we were up by three against Sunderland) and reserve their judgement for later?

[zolayes 14,489]

I think everybody is being much to harsh on Benitez (including myself at times). The guy has been in charge for about three weeks. He had about two/three days to sort out the team before our match against Man City, and then about a week for West Ham. That's not much time for anybody to start have their team playing brilliant, let alone Benitez. So why doesn't everybody just calm the fuck down about Rafa (including the idiots who were booing when we were up by three against Sunderland) and reserve their judgement for later?

did you travel up to Sunderland ???

[Joe Cool 388]

did you travel up to Sunderland ???

Nope, just from what I hear though. I could be mistaken, of course.

[zolayes 14,489]

our travelling fans earn their right to express their feelings more than any of us

[Joe Cool 388]

our travelling fans earn their right to express their feelings more than any of us

Doesn't make their actions any less daft.

[zolayes 14,489]

Doesn't make their actions any less daft.

go tell them that then

[Joe Cool 388]

go tell them that then

What the hell is your point? I'm just saying that it's been two fucking seconds since he's been appointed manager, so the best you can do at this point is get behind him.

[Tomo 21,751]

I remember when Gerard Houllier made his first return to Anfield with Aston Villa and paid homage to the Kop while touching the "this is Anfield" sign on the way out from the tunnel.

I think it's safe to say if Rafa does that on April 20th, then even most of his backers from Stamford Bridge will turn against him.

[diskoviolente 425]

I remember when Gerard Houllier made his first return to Anfield with Aston Villa and paid homage to the Kop while touching the "this is Anfield" sign on the way out from the tunnel.

I think it's safe to say if Rafa does that on April 20th, then even most of his backers from Stamford Bridge will turn against him.

what a clusterfuck of a situation for rafa

[henlin007 12]

Don't really mind the boos to be honest. If you paid for a ticket, you have a right to show if you're unhappy.

I don't think anyone's argued that it's a matter of what rights they have. It's a matter of how productive doing so is, as well as what class it has. Benitez was a scumbag to us at Liverpool, but he serves in a different context now. He works for what we all want, a winning club. Furthermore, even if that doesn't persuade you to stop the booing, its tangible effects should. It's unproductive for the club, makes us a laughing stock, and is negative to the team as a whole. The players are professional and good players, but that doesn't mean the hate of the manager should make home matches feel like away ones. Isn't the crowd a key aspect of the difference? No matter how well they play now, they would definitely perform better with more united vocal support. This applies double to away matches. They get abused and insulted by opposition fans; they don't need their manager suffering the same from those who are loyal enough to follow the team.

[zolayes 14,489]

What the hell is your point? I'm just saying that it's been two fucking seconds since he's been appointed manager, so the best you can do at this point is get behind him.

don't lose your cool joe

[LDN Blue 7,903]

I don't think anyone's argued that it's a matter of what rights they have. It's a matter of how productive doing so is, as well as what class it has. Benitez was a scumbag to us at Liverpool, but he serves in a different context now. He works for what we all want, a winning club. Furthermore, even if that doesn't persuade you to stop the booing, its tangible effects should. It's unproductive for the club, makes us a laughing stock, and is negative to the team as a whole. The players are professional and good players, but that doesn't mean the hate of the manager should make home matches feel like away ones. Isn't the crowd a key aspect of the difference? No matter how well they play now, they would definitely perform better with more united vocal support. This applies double to away matches. They get abused and insulted by opposition fans; they don't need their manager suffering the same from those who are loyal enough to follow the team.

But it's not even about Rafa. The booing goes beyond hiring FSW. The fact is, any manager who would've been brought in would've got the same reception. The boos and the Di Matteo chants on the 16th minute are a message to the board, it's a message that we're not happy about how the club are treating their employees and how they're subsequently treating the fans. Benitez has broad enough shoulders to bare the brunt of it, the players won't be bothered because the fans know it's not getting aimed at them. It's not about loyalty, if it was about that the fans wouldn't pay to see FSW.