Agree with every word of your post, Imps. This stood out. Rafa would be my go-to manager every time. How much, Newcastle?
Very easy to vote for that when you don't have to finance his leaving or identify and employ his replacement. The club may have a list of possible replacements, but are they available? All this poll shows is that fans are pissed off.
He has not shown the form of an International Keeper for two seasons now, I have sympathy for him and I wish that I could shoot the morons that jeer him, but as a professional he can't be so sensitive that it affects his performance so badly and the team can't afford it either.
But Benitez is another defensive manager. Houllier took the attacking Liverpool and turned them into a defensive unit and Benitez just continued it. I will be honest. I do want pretty football. Even if a defensive option would secure more points. Adkins and Poccetino played exciting attacking football. Koeman played hoofball, Puel and MP2 play very defensive minded football. I preferred the first 2 despite the 3rd gaining higher placings and the 4th taking us to a cup final! I bought into all the sales pitch so I want to see it. With the old Saints I cheered WGS on despite the football not being that pretty because at the time what else could we expect? No-one was trying to sell us as on the verge of breaking the ceiling with a reputation for the prettiest of pretty football back then. If WGS was manager now with the whole "branding" the club has sold everyone he would be getting the same moans as Puel and MP2.
If these Chinese owners were serious they would get Ancelotti and give him a bazillion pounds to spend.
Hasn't helped us that they've had to finance the purchase of the club from their piggy banks rather than their Chinese holdings.
I`m usually a glass half full kind of guy, but MP2`s departure is a matter of when. I think we have a very good squad, but he can`t (and never has) got a tune out of them. We should be stronger than last year with Lemina and Hoedt, and with Gabi, Austin and VVD all fit. But we are worse, and I don`t see where the spark or motivation is going to come from to change things. Would the board trust him to get involved in signings in the transfer window ? - I doubt it - so lets get the next manager lined up. Our three wins this season have not been clear cut - a last minute pen against 10-man WHU, a solitary goal at Palace who had the better of the chances, and a worldy that separated us from a dire WBA - without them we`d be in deep do-do, and none of those was down to nouse from MP2.
I'll just add a little anecdote to this, I used to stand at the Milton Road near the corner next to the tunnel entrance in the 70s. It was the season after we won the cup and we were struggling in mid table in the old Second Division and the locals were getting restless. The "whipping boy" of the day was Jim McCalliog and he used to get dog's abuse walking off the pitch from a few twats around me. One game he must've decided he'd had enough and flashed a "**** off" V sign at them! (the equivalent of flipping the finger now). The moron's attitude changed towards him and the abuse became more jokey and more like banter, he obviously earned their respect. Maybe Fraser should show the same attitude.
Cracking post Imps Particularly agree with the last bit how it's the club is responsible for raising expectations. Not so much an issue for fans like me who never bought into the nonsense about regularly competing in Europe and qualifying for CL etc. But plenty of fans did buy into it, and that is part of the reason that expectations are so high now among sections of the fanbase.
...Maybe not go as far as that, but he should man up a bit and not be such a pussy! PS...he is bound to miss his intended target!...,
