Plenty of baffoons have been the grateful recipients of the proceeds of brilliant players. Redknapp, Van Gaal, Steve McClaren. Let's not get stuck thinking Benitez is too good for us because Gerrard dragged him to success. Di Matteo might as well be here, in fact I rate him higher than Benitez.
And after McLaren you would have gone for? Which is still a better chance than the carthorse before him.
The sensible decision was to bring in someone in preparation for the championship, to play those who will be here next year and plan who will go and who they can bring in. Bruce, Moyes, anybody with experience of the lower leagues and who plays pragmatic football. But no. Let's get Benitez, tell him he can do whatever he likes and **** off afterwards, hoping he pulls a golden rabbit out the hat. I cannot believe anybody thought this was going to work. As expected, he's hastened the demise, and now we will have to get a new manager, and THEN we will draw up a list of who stays/goes. All those moaning away at me for quite rightly predicting Benetiz being a failure will be the same ones crying about us not getting the right players in before the championship season starts.
That works on the premise that a new manager needs ages to assess players which it doesn't. Drawing up a list of players staying/going is not going to take that long. If there is a chance of staying up then you try your all to take it. You don't give in until the Fat Lady sings. And at the minute she's doing her voice exercises but she's not yet singing. Hate to think what would have happened at Leicester last season with your approach. Also hate to think that our players have the same attitude as your professing as the Fat Lady might as well get on early. What message would the Club have been giving if they had said we aren't appointing the best manager available who wants to come here because we are preparing for the Championship. They would have been slaughtered and quite rightly so.
Come on though, do you seriously look at this squad and think we deserve anything other than relegation? With a fit squad it was touch and go, so considering the injuries, and the initial terrible mistake of Steve McClaren, it was over before the season kicked off, hence the increased predictions of relegation from our own fans. Leicester were already perfectly setup for a drop through the trapdoor (and had Pearson who again would be a great choice for us), we are not. Too many ****e players on big wages, and still too light in several areas for even championship level. There is a looming disaster here that people are too distracted by the shiny premier league bauble to see.
When I look at the squad then no I don't think we deserve relegation. If I look at how that squad has performed then you usually end up where you deserve. That doesn't mean I want the Fat Lady on stage singing her heart out. Yes there is a disaster looming but the Club have to do what they can to avoid it even if it appears unlikely to be able to do so. At this stage we aren't down. We keep fighting until we manage to stay up or we are mathematically down. For me it is as simple as that.
Line up - ------------Mitro----------- Perez----Wijnal---Townsend ------Sissoko--Shelvey------ Anita--Mbemab-Saylor-Janmaat -------------Darlow---------
Taylor should be taken out and shot for that defending. Sorry, it wasn't defending was it. We'd be better off with 10 men. Poor team selection again from Rafa. Guaranteed loss today.
