Annual Next Everton Manager Thread - Rafa Benitez Hired

[Whiskey]

Announce Benitez now while everyone's buzzing. Could announce Steven Gerrard and I wouldn't be arsed after that England result.

[MUFC]

On 28/06/2021 at 10:51, RandoEFC said:

Absolutely, unequivocally scum behaviour.

But this is what the board have inflicted upon all parties by pursuing an unpopular and divisive appointment like this one. All anger should be directed at Farhad Moshiri and the rest of the board, not at other fans, not at Benitez himself and certainly not at his home or his family.

Everton and our fanbase are better than this. But the disastrous running of the club over the past decade is finally starting to see things turn ugly. That's not an excuse for the perpetrators but starting to see behaviour like this from an angry and disillusioned fanbase is the only ending point for the course of action the owner has decided to take here.

Scummy behavior, at least see if Ramos signs first.

[Lucas]

Official. Thank fuck for that.

Between Spurs, Palace and Everton, all the managerial speculation has been well drawn out to the point it's become tedious. 

At least that's one nipped in the bud, two to go.

[RandoEFC+]

Not much to add that hasn't already been said. Who knows, it might work, for now it's time to get behind the team. I'll be amazed if it does work though, and if/when things start to turn, the anger should be aimed firmly at the ownership, nowhere else.

[Stan]

Still weird seeing him actually in as boss there with the Everton scarf draped round his neck. 

He was iconic as the Liverpool manager in that mid 00s era. Very odd as a neutral to see him managing Everton now. My main memory of him is obviously the 2005 CL win and just generally seeing him on the touchline managing Liverpool. Never would have thought he'd actually become Everton's boss purely because of the Liverpool history. 

[Cicero]

Merseyside derbies will be interesting but this signing will be just like Ancelotti's. 

Just 'meh'. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

I’ve seen some Evertonians say they’re just waiting for the first bad result to kick off against Rafa.

I think this can only pan out well for Everton if there’s as little toxicity as possible. But I think realistically, that’s just not going to happen. We’re basically saying “this would work out if football was less tribal.”

If he gets off to a good start, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does well. But I’m not sure how likely a good start is.

It’s bizarre seeing him with an Everton scarf

[Whiskey]

Cant be arsed doing an essay, but my thoughts in a nutshell;

- Not my preferred choice, but at the top half of a bad bunch. Wouldn't be surprised if he's gone inside 18 months though.

- The banner outside his home made me want to get right behind him, so whereas I'm not jumping for joy wish him the very best. 

- Not excited about the new season, think the club is in a mess to put it bluntly but will still be there at Goodison Park for the opening day, being there through the shite makes the good (if it ever comes) all the more sweeter.

[Spike]

10 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I’ve seen some Evertonians say they’re just waiting for the first bad result to kick off against Rafa.

I think this can only pan out well for Everton if there’s as little toxicity as possible. But I think realistically, that’s just not going to happen. We’re basically saying “this would work out if football was less tribal.”

If he gets off to a good start, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does well. But I’m not sure how likely a good start is.

It’s bizarre seeing him with an Everton scarf

I think the more 'toxic' (as you put it) Everton fans need to get over it. He is a great coach, and I think a neat fit for Everton. I get the local rivalry and all that but I don't get why this appointment in particular has ruffled so many feathers, a lot of managers coach rival clubs or other teams; it's always felt different for the coaches but maybe that's just my thinking.

I think the weird one would be coaching Barcelona as he is a Madrid kid.

[Spike]

Just now, Whiskey said:

Cant be arsed doing an essay, but my thoughts in a nutshell;

- Not my preferred choice, but at the top half of a bad bunch. Wouldn't be surprised if he's gone inside 18 months though.

- The banner outside his home made me want to get right behind him, so whereas I'm not jumping for joy wish him the very best. 

- Not excited about the new season, think the club is in a mess to put it bluntly but will still be there at Goodison Park for the opening day, being there through the shite makes the good (if it ever comes) all the more sweeter.

He'll sort your boys right out, if he can do it in Newcastle, he'll be dreaming with some of the quality he has at Everton. Get rid of some of the passengers in the squad and you'll be right as rain.

[Stan]

16 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I’ve seen some Evertonians say they’re just waiting for the first bad result to kick off against Rafa.

I think this can only pan out well for Everton if there’s as little toxicity as possible. But I think realistically, that’s just not going to happen. We’re basically saying “this would work out if football was less tribal.”

If he gets off to a good start, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does well. But I’m not sure how likely a good start is.

It’s bizarre seeing him with an Everton scarf

Benitez will never win over some Everton fans if some are thinking like this. It appears a very fractious appointment by the board. 

That first bad result might not even be Rafa's fault but them still turning on him regardless is very fickle and misguided really. 

I personally don't think he will do that well to begin with, just because the work needed to be done at Everton is more than just a quick fix. He needs to be given time to rebuild, almost. That time won't be afforded to him by the fans. Eventually I feel like the board will succumb to fan pressure and it won't be a happy ending. 

Granted this is only the thinking now. Rafa is quite a pragmatic and shrewd manager. He might make some decent signings to help his cause. But I thought that about Ancelotti bringing in someone like James Rodriguez and that didn't turn out well. So maybe it requires more than a couple of signings and I wonder how much money he'll be given this summer and maybe January. 

[Rick]

Are people forgetting the absolute wank players he had to manage at Newcastle and he got a tune out of them. Everton have some really good players, so I’m sure he will do better than a lot of people are expecting. 

[RandoEFC+]

Some of the contributions on this page and throughout the thread betray a real lack of understanding of a rivalry like the one between the two Merseyside clubs. That's not a criticism, in fact it explains why some people just don't "get" the reaction of some Evertonians. When you get a real historical rivalry like this, you will always see parts of the fanbase act irrationally. I don't have anything personal against Benitez, in fact it would make more sense for Liverpool fans to be cross at him right now than ours. I just can't look at the images of him as Everton manager and not feel really weird about it. It's going to take some time to get used to.

I don't agree with the fans who are chomping at the bit ready to stick the knife in but because of that irrational and tribal element of a rivalry like ours, even the most sensible factions in our fanbase will turn on him faster than any other manager that was available. That's not a conscious choice, again if you have a rivalry like this you'll understand it and if you support a team without a proper city rival you'll think it's mad. To counterbalance the lack of patience he's going to get he needs to be an awful lot better than the other candidates available. I'm not convinced he will be, and if his tactics and team selections resemble those of Ancelotti, the fans' fuse will get shorter still.

I really hope the first signings this year are actually exciting. If we start with signing his allies from Napoli or someone like Lascelles or Shelvey then the pitchforks will be waving around already.

[Whiskey]

Outside of Everton/Liverpool, Arsenal/Spurs and the two Manchester clubs there are no real rivalries, so supporters of the other clubs just aren't going to really "get it".

 

[Stan]

Not sure who the last 2 posts are aimed at but was only giving my opinion on how I perceive things. 

[Spike]

2 minutes ago, Stan said:

Not sure who the last 2 posts are aimed at but was only giving my opinion on how I perceive things. 

Yeah a bit weird, I thought. I even said I get the local rivalry (from my own experiences) but not why Benetiz in particular illicit such strong feelings.

[Dr. Gonzo]

12 minutes ago, Rick said:

Are people forgetting the absolute wank players he had to manage at Newcastle and he got a tune out of them. Everton have some really good players, so I’m sure he will do better than a lot of people are expecting. 

And that he went to China while China had just stopped foreign players coming in from some clubs, so his Dalian side were a bunch of Chinese players and the better teams in the league were teams with European and South Americans - and it's not that Chinese players are inherently worse than players foreign to their league, but it's players coming from countries where the football infrastructure is miles ahead of what's in China and are generally better than their domestic players.

Ask Newcastle fans if they'd rather have kept Rafa and let him spend the money that Bruce was given to spend, and I think it'd be almost unanimous they'd have all preferred that. If he sticks around for his full contract, he'll probably have built a solid foundation for the next manager to come in and take Everton round the next corner.

I think it's a more sensible appointment than a lot of the other names thrown around, tbh... I know that's not a common opinion, but for a club that's been in transition for so long a solid foundation needs to be built - and he's a good coach who's always wanted a project where he gets the backing to build a club up. The biggest issue is simply that he's a Liverpool legend and his brand of football is not the most exciting. But otherwise, he looks to be a good - albeit maybe unexciting - fit at a club that I think need a revamp.

But I don't think he'll get the time because the pressure will be on him with the first bad result... and honestly maybe before that even.

1 hour ago, Stan said:

Benitez will never win over some Everton fans if some are thinking like this. It appears a very fractious appointment by the board. 

That first bad result might not even be Rafa's fault but them still turning on him regardless is very fickle and misguided really. 

I personally don't think he will do that well to begin with, just because the work needed to be done at Everton is more than just a quick fix. He needs to be given time to rebuild, almost. That time won't be afforded to him by the fans. Eventually I feel like the board will succumb to fan pressure and it won't be a happy ending. 

Granted this is only the thinking now. Rafa is quite a pragmatic and shrewd manager. He might make some decent signings to help his cause. But I thought that about Ancelotti bringing in someone like James Rodriguez and that didn't turn out well. So maybe it requires more than a couple of signings and I wonder how much money he'll be given this summer and maybe January. 

I think even if he does well, there will always be a chunk of Everton fans that always hate him because of his past.

I'm sure if he enjoys some kind of success, he'll be "forgiven" by a lot of blueshites though.

But I do wonder what the expectation is from Everton fans. If they're expecting to keep up with Leicester this season, I don't know if that's realistic. Leicester have been a club that have done a lot to keep pushing for sustainable success over a period of seasons after winning the league. So really, Everton are playing catch-up with clubs like Leicester who I think probably have a goal of making it to the CL this season.

3 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

in fact it would make more sense for Liverpool fans to be cross at him right now than ours. I just can't look at the images of him as Everton manager and not feel really weird about it. It's going to take some time to get used to.

Tbh, most Liverpool fans I know feel the same way as I do. We don't really "like" that he's the Everton manager - but we're not up in arms or offended by it. He's sort of been given an opportunity to work with a club that, at least sounds, like they're doing what he's always wanted to do at a club and not really been given the time to other than his time with us - which I think also ended a bit abruptly and he'd done enough to be forgiven by a bad season. The only issue is it's Everton.

But from a personal perspective, a lot of us can understand why he's happy to take this job even with his history as a Liverpool manager. 1.) From a footballing perspective, it's the chance to get properly backed over a period of a few seasons to build a club up - he's said in numerous interviews (and his blog when he was out of a job for a while) that's always been his ideal job as a manager; 2.) he loved living in Liverpool, 3.) his family stayed in England and I believe they're either in Merseyside or Cheshire - so it's a reunion with his wife and kid.

So a lot of us are more upset with the sort of negative reaction... while others think it's fucking hilarious... but he's always going to be a Liverpool legend for winning the CL, revamping the academy, and tbh he did change a lot about the mentality of the fanbase for the better. He was also really vocal against our shit owners and played a big part in the fan movement that stopped them from getting loans from banks, ultimately forcing them to hire Christian Purslow to oversee the sale of our club from those horrible cunts.

So in my personal perspective, I don't like him seeing him at a club and where he's not ever going to be appreciated the same way Valencia/us/Newcastle fans appreciated him. But I love the man and I think this is a good opportunity for him for all the reasons I listed above, so I'm not going to wish him any ill will just because he's now managing a club I hate.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Honestly, I think the most worrying thing about this from an Evertonian point of view is simply: Moshiri appears to not give a single fuck about what Everton fans think.

He knows that this appointment is risky - performances at home are more likely than ever to result in booing, any poor performances/results are going to come under heavier scrutiny than normal. And he'd have known this given the reaction to this news being floated and seeing all of those banners, especially that one threatening Rafa and his family.

So he's taking a gamble that it looking like a good fit on paper will be enough long term to make this appointment succeed despite all of that. And I'm not sure you want to see that from your club owner, especially when they've demonstrated such a scatterbrained approach to rebuilding the club over the last few years.

I fully understand being a fan of a club where the owners seem to be on a different page to the fanbase - it is annoying as fuck, tbh. But it's weird how Moshiri seems to not give a fuck about how fans feel about things on the pitch - whereas I think FSG are on the same page as the fans in that regard, it's the highly corporate and fan-unfriendly business practices we don't see eye to eye on. Dunno what's worse tbh.

[Whiskey]

The fact we have a DOF who apparently wasn't listened to worries me more than anything tbh.

[Reluctant Striker]

I once joked to a Manchester United fan that Rafa Benitez was looking for a job. I think it was soon after the David Moyes era had ended. He & several other random people within hearing range looked like I'd just suggested doing something rather odd with an elephants trunk.

To hear there are Everton fans who aren't enthralled by the appointment really doesn't surprise me.

Neither Alex McLeish or Steve Bruce were ever really taken to fully by some portion of Villa fans. Because both were at Birmingham City previously. McLeish was there after the limited financial support Martin O'Neill received at Villa had dried up. O'Neill had left because he knew where things were heading. Steve Bruce never received the financial investment Dean Smith has enjoyed.

I guess you just know that some moves, regardless of money, are going to come with baggage for some people.

[RandoEFC+]

I don't think it's a good appointment but to be honest, the fact that Moshiri didn't bottle it after the banners came out over the weekend is actually a slight cause for relief. You also have to respect Benitez for backing himself and taking the job anyway in the face of that reaction.

None of us know what conversations went on in the boardroom but I don't imagine this appointment was at the top of Marcel Brands' list. The club identified the problem after Steve Walsh of the Director of Football role not having defined responsibilities. They got a guy who had done the job before, even put him on the board and gave him the right job description. It's not a solution though if we're going to make two consecutive managerial appointments that at least potentially undermine him.

[Honey Honey]

I feel a bit of closure.

[Machado]

That 2005 infinite credit.

[Danny]

I thought considering the work Rafa has done in the city with the Hillsborough families especially that he'd get a bit more of a pass

[RandoEFC+]

46 minutes ago, Danny said:

I thought considering the work Rafa has done in the city with the Hillsborough families especially that he'd get a bit more of a pass

It has been quietly acknowledged in some quarters, and now that he's been appointed I've seen some of our prominent fan accounts on Twitter beginning the positive PR push using exactly this.