Benitez finally announced as Ancelotti's successor at Everton

Does it really matter who the manager is? I couldn't care less as long as the results are good. How those results are gained doesn't interest me either, it's the results that matter most.

All this dissent towards Benitez has a negative effect on the club when they need all the help they can get.

Brands must get to work on recruiting some players that can hit the ground running so he has the best possible chance of success. We don't need another change this season.

"I am delighted to be joining Everton. I believe this is a club that is going places. I'm determined to play a big part in helping this great club achieve its ambitions."

Fair enough for me. I'll give him a chance. I wish him every success at our "great club".

That being said, if he builds on what Ancelotti was building and helps us to compete at the higher end then nobody will quite frankly care.

I'm going to ignore the ridicule, the old comments, the fact he had those knuckleheads cheering at a euro win, and his previously dull football.

He's getting a fresh slate. However, I expect steady progress, as I would any manager, plus a good style of play. Anything less and I'll give him shit, just like the previous clown managers we had!

It's new players we have to concentrate on now. And not Newcastle level players!

If he produces boring, safe football. Keeps us mid table all season and all the transfers are baffling, then I'll complain. Until then he will get a chance from me at least.

Done. Here we go as they say.

Good luck. I hope you're successful.

But if you're not, I'm sure I'm not alone is saying you'll hear about it.

Loudly.

I mean you have to admit it's pretty incredible that out of aaaaaaaaaaall the professional managers and coaches in world football, only one has publicly, angrily and deliberately insulted Everton Football Club and yet Everton Football Club (seem to) have decided this is the only man for the job (and if that wasn't strange enough, these insults were thrown while he was manager of Everton's oldest and most bitter rivals).

Guessing there's comedy to be had imagining whoever made this decision making others..

"Well after much consideration, we think we've made the right choice to run the children's nursery, so let me introduce Herod...King Herod."

Etc blah.

Personally, I'm hoping he can improve things. So many false dawns over the years for me means whoever the appointment I would have found it hard to get too excited. Ancelloti was a massive appointment and look how that ended.

Lets get a few decent new faces in, have some sort of preseason with the Euros and then hit the ground running in August.

I'm happy with the appointment overall but will wait and see how things go before judging. At least its done now so we can move on to who we're signing and selling.

Brave decision and I hope people can at least be adult about it. End of the day it's football not life. Whether Everton win, lose or draw is going to have no impact on putting food on the table or paying your mortgage!

Gone by the new year and Replaced by the Wonderful Stevie G 🤬

THAT is HILARIOUS Eugene.

TYVM for brightening my rather shitty day.

If not winning the league or a trophy is a failure, then every manager at Everton since Joe Royle won the FA Cup in 1994 has been a failure, yet some supporters still mentioned a couple of the past failures for the manager's position today.

We needed someone to get this club back on track on the football side of things. From whom the club talked to (and none of us can be 100% sure who they talked to), Benitez is their choice.

We may not like what is supposed to be his favorite style of play, but style and tactics have changed over the years, and a professional manager, the same as a professional footballer, should be able to adapt.

Let us forget his previous clubs and hope that he can turn Everton FC around, with sometimes reluctant support.

Who has Brands been lining up for the last year and how soon will we see them?

Tough first game away to Utd however but then 6 games against non top 6 sides on the bounce. No easy games in the league but a decent opportunity to get some early points on the board and build momentum.

If we're top 6 come derby time and we win I'm not sure too many will be shouting loudly for him to go. Big ask but he's chosen to take it on so we'll see what happens.

Interesting appointment nonetheless and he's certainly not afraid of a tough task which is a good sign imo.

Chop chop

I'm frankly done with this club and it's two bit mentality.

Moshiri is a utter clown.

Rafa believes we are a club that is going places. Bramley Dock springs to mind...so he's not wrong.

Am indifferent to this appointment but obviously will back the manager, team and club.

If he does, I for one will be delighted as that'll mean he's actually won something for us and pissed off the RS.

In the short term I'll support him 100%, and but by
Christ I fear the worst for the club if he turns out to be garbage and we remain mid table mediocrity. Suppose much turns on Brands and summer targets.

Read Dennis Richardson's post 18.

Then reflect.

Take your blinkers off.

If your done with this club, goodbye.

http://j.mp/1uunTSY

Years of achieving three parts of nothing is wearing thin.

This club needs to re-develop a winning culture from top to bottom. I hope Benitez will be a part of that.

New season, new manager... almost certainly some new players, time to get behind the team and him.

It's happened. I still support Everton.

Nothing much has changed. To repeat my post season analysis. We need better players. Regardless of manager, get better players. Do it on the pitch and many won't care who the manager is.

He needed to kill the toxic “small club” jibe but feebly blustered about history

Was he my preference? Absolutely not. Will I back him? To the hilt and back while he manages my team. I support Everton. Simple as.

Holiday time is over for the lazy bastards in the squad now. Don't press? Don't play. Don't run? Don't play. He's not the type to allow players to manage themselves like Carlo. He's a control freak and that's what some of these useless overpaid shithouses need.

Can't see him tolerating Rodriguez playing 1 game in 3 or him shitting himself and hiding after a bad tackle. Can't see him tolerating Richarlison's strops. The unfit, mediocre, stay in 2nd gear Everton is over. If the players don't like it or wanna go, don't let the door hit them on the arse on the way out. I'm sick of this Everton squad and have been since Martinez's second season. I'm not fond or attached to a single one of them bar Godfrey and Doucoure. Some aren't good enough and some just aren't Everton.

I can't wait to see Rafa's Everton. Will it be pretty? Possible not and everything will start with the foundations and a clean sheet.

I've watched every style of footy since Moyes left and none of them have won us a single thing. The only style I'm arsed about now is a winning style.

Welcome, Rafa. Over to you, mate. Win us something and you'll be a god on both sides of the city of Liverpool.

COYB.

Joking aside - it's your club, Man. I'm pretty pissed over it, but Everton is here for ever. Ride it out.

Good luck Rafa.

"How could he?" Kinda thing.

Also, who cares anyway. It doesn't mean shit.

YES YOU WILL. YOU WILL. You know you will. You're annoyed, we get it. Go and get a beer out the fridge and give your heads a wobble.

Tomorrow is a new day and you'll still be an Evertonian wether you like it or not.

Good luck Rafa and COYB!

100% behind him.

He's Everton manager and I love Everton.

Come on you Fat Waiter, never mind silver service, serve us up some silverware.

There is one huge problem though.

I have heard he has a dog called "Red." Now Red must be feeling a little vulnerable just now. What are the options:

1. Red goes to the pound immediately.
2. Red gets taught to answer to another name (Big Dunc's pigeon training should be useful here - I suggest hitting Red with a "small club" until he responds appropriately).
3. Red gets a suitable re-name (e.g. Fred?)
4. Red gets put down.

Those are my initial suggestions. I am sure some on here will be able to do better.

He's the manager. Just like the previous ones, give him the tools (the players) he needs to do the job.

Who knows. Despite his history across the park, maybe he has something to prove to them. Regardless, that's the past and whether he was my choice or not, he is the manager of Everton Football Club now.

Call me old fashioned, I harboured a dream that we may gradually build to compete against the trend, having Lukaku and things going well. Water under the bridge, forever.

The 90 mins on the pitch is as ever - of the rest of it, there's much to dislike.

Nice one.

Rafa Bluenitez

John. There's been a lot that have followed since Moses was around!!

Some hard thinking for me over next 24 hours.

I'm hopeful he doesn't give players like Iwobi and Delph another chance to show what they can do because over 40,000 of us know what these chancers can do and we will achieve nothing with the likes of them around.

Remind me, Peter, what exactly was Ancelotti building towards besides a house built on sand?

Do your best and do your magic, then we will be ok-

Do your best, Rafa, and give us football to enjoy.

OH RAFAs OUR GAFA !!! to the tune used for that not so world class Belgium Kevin Mirallas and adopted by the City fans for the truly world class Kevin De Bruyne.

Now I will get my coat !

Some great lines on here so far - The Herod one gets my vote as best so far, with an honourable mention for the Dogs surname rhyming with fight.

PS: BKs quote was a ringing endorsement - not.

Apparently his wage isn't like Carlo's and is heavily incentivised so he can't be beaten with the stick that he's just here for a huge wage.

He's not the manager I wanted but I really hope he isn't booed when we return to Goodison. We need to get behind the team.

It's not so much the "small club" slur (which is bad enough), but the man's style of football... dull, slow and bland to the extreme. He's another reactive gaffer, like-for-like subs on 70 minutes, dull as fuck footy which will have the faithful fuming in the stands and just bore the neutrals ridged. It'll be like Cashflow Carlo never left!.

I imagine we've already got "last shown on MotD" down to a tee already, a truly soul-destroying appointment... how low can we possibly go from here?

2021… read 1951, folks!

He came over well in his presentation & said the right things i.e. Winning.

If Rafa is Moshiri's choice then so be it. If we finish in the top six then Moshiri will be proved right.

Now lets get rid of the dead wood & sign some exciting young talent.

Rubbish. Highly impressive interview and clearly impressed Moshiri with his knowledge and vision.

Benitez wants to be here a lot more than any of our previous managers since Moyes!

So here's to Benn #71, Jim #76, Kevin #77, Dave #100, Pat #107 and Andrew #109 for your cogent comments.

John #92, my people were the ones who followed the original Moses, and wound up on the only real estate in the Middle East with no oil under it. Everton has likewise been a dry hole for years now. So let's hope this leadership takes us in a better direction.

If we haven't got at least 8 points then he can fuck off back to Caldy.

I must admit, it took a few seconds for me to take in his picture with the blue scarf wrapped around his neck…

Hey ho, away we go! Come on, Rafa, give it your very best shot and good luck.

I used to say a lot of bad things about him, but the past is the past. I fully support him!

As far as I am concerned, it is a clean slate and I desperately hope he gets off to a great start because I for one am sick of the way things have been going with this club. If he can assemble a team that wins matches regularly and puts us in for a shout for Europe every year and wins us a cup or two, it will be a good foundation for big Dunc to take over at the new stadium.

I don't see it as a short-term thing, why would it be if he wins things? I just hope he is successful and starts to really appreciate the club and the supporters.

Comment posted under Rafa's interview: "Newcastle fan here, and while I can understand a lot of your fans concerns and reservations about him, he'll go far with a club like yours whose owner backs him. Top top bloke, and while you can't expect exciting football, he WILL get you results. Best of luck (apart from when you's play us of course!)"

If he does fail, then the entire Board must go with him.

Back in those days, life was easier: no internet, no social media, no cameras everywhere… and the Echo and Daily Post told the truth.

But the photo of Rafa looks wrong!

Anyway, welcome and good luck.

I remember the good old days of the 80s. I want those days again and I hope he can bring them to us. Please support him. Get behind the team. We cannot have a divide between us.

Prove me wrong, Benitez.

*slaps own face

Two seasons in:

Mr. Benitez has done a great job, first season got us to a Final (lost to City) and into Europa League via 5th place.

Second season we win the Europa League plus finish close 2nd in Prem to City.

Season three, Klopp leaves RS, burnout, offered Germany job, whatever.

RS offer Mr. Benitez his old job.

Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel!

I just hope he surprises us all with a great 3 years and more. COYB

I hope he does well for all our sakes, and he has my backing. With some acquired pace this summer, he'll need to drill some consistency into the under-achievers. This I think he can do.

Still having big problems seeing him with our scarf on though. It just doesn't look right - like seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger in drag or Iwobi in an Everton shirt.

As for Brands not being in the photos, the Club's line is that he is quarantining after traveling abroad on business. Let's hope it was completing talks on some decent signings in time for August.

I welcome him and hope that he does well, especially if he can show Ancelotti up for the mercenary snake that he undoubtedly is.

It could be an inspired appointment and the board may well support him with new assets, I sincerely hope so and I wish him the very best.

So, welcome, Rafa, and good luck, looking forward to you sorting us out and Brands bringing in some new talent.

Who will be a free agent in five hours.

Just sayin'.

No one was really hoping for the Brighton feller or Nuno thingy, but had we got either of them, they'd have been given a lot more time than the permanently blushing Spaniard will get.

Time from who?

Us.

The supporters, particularly STH.

I saw my first game in 1966 and though no expert in..um..'crowdology' (?) I'm familiar enough with Everton crowds and their moods to know the following..

First game Benitez will be introduced and most will applaud...but not in the (much warmer) way they'd have applauded LITERALLY anyone else.

It'll be more 'see, I applauded him, I'm not a seething ball of rage like some are suggesting' (nb: but it'll be the kind of applause one might get from someone trying to disguise the fact they're a seething ball of rage).

After that things can only really go one of two ways, 1) Benitiez' side wins first 10 games on the bounce and the derby and he has to be sent to the stand for chinning Klopp - result, hero (ish)

Or 2) He wins 3, draws 2, loses 5 - result, muttermuttermutter.

The chances of 2) are very high, the chances of 1) practically nil and if we get the latter, it's guaranteed that before 10 games are played, the first loud (probably sweary) rumbings will have been heard.

I'd like to think there might be some way that the next 6 months could be free of seething rage, supporter division, vitriol, snarling, message-planes overhead, tennis balls and all that shizzle but I'm a realist and I just can't see it (there were heads practically exploding next to me towards the end of Martinez reign and he didn't slag Everton).

As I say, I think it was, above all, a dumb move and one that definitely let the club's supporters know (certainly those gullible to think otherwise) that the club really doesn't give a flying shite what they/we/you think.

Vamos los Toffieros!

Right-back, right-midfielder, right-winger and we get 4th.

Welcome, Rafa – you're not beneath us.

That last paragraph is the punchline and if we don't honestly get a discussion about how we got here we are the joke.

We're all guilty of failing to differentiate between supporting a team and hired help, and footballers, managers, coaches etc fall into the latter.

He said what he said in a fit a pique when he was hired by someone else, and now I expect him to work like a b****** to make us successful, as he's getting top dollar to achieve it.

Whether he is in fact the best available to do the job is another matter. But in the club's view...

My question is this:

How in the hell did he actually even secure an interview?

Like, what was the mindset? What has he done in the last 8 or so years to warrant consideration?

The cold hard fact is we've hired a red that's insulted us, who hasn't done shit as a manager in a near decade. And we're hoping this guy can turn our fortunes?

What evidence is there to garner such hope?

And again, why was this man even considered for the job???

It's all down to money and success so why are some of us getting pissed.

I cannot see that Rafa can possibly be any worse than the well-paid dross we have had over the last decade.

God knows what they shelved out on Marco Silva, Martinez, Koeman and Ancelotti but, if Rafa can do something more than they did then, it won't be half bad.

No matter who they got there would be no guarantees even many of the players they have had have been miserable failures.

I suppose we have to be optimistic at the start of every new season so let's see how this pans out before we all get frustrated too much.

Just a thought but wouldn't it be nice to see the look on RS fans' faces if Rafa gets a victory at Anfield.

He then looks at you and says, "You're small. Do something about it!"

Fourteen years later, your lawn, for whatever reason, looks kind of gash. Despite all the landscapers online or in the phone book, what do you do?

Ask the neighbor to clean up your lawn.

Remember the old milk advertisements? Did you have those in England and points beyond?

Got Pride?

Club comes first. Pronto!

The main thing is that he is a proven winner, no doubt. Stranger things can happen like a world class German striker missing when through on goal and Pickford becoming the player every Evertonian will be screaming don't sell when the massive clubs come sniffing.

Anyway, new payroll month tomorrow so let's see some transfer action happen.

C'mon, Rafa!

This "Club comes first" argument I see levied at every turn is silly.

There's not a single person on TW, or any Everton fan on earth, who hopes for the Club to do poorly just because they made an absolutely terrible and shitty managerial appointment.

Of course the Club comes first. What's the point of being a fan?

That doesn't mean you back the guy who shit in your front yard though! And if you had half a brain, you'd never consider him for the job!

Personally, I wouldn't have either of them, but it won't stop me going to the match and cheering on the team.

From an objective standpoint, I'm fascinated to see how this plays out. There's certainly a chance we get off to a poor start and the whole situation turns toxic... more likely, we'll just hover around 8th, play boring football, and more-or-less tread water.

But who knows? There's something to be said for going into a season with muted enthusiasm and expectations... by far the most disgruntled and pessimistic fanbase going into last season was West Ham's. You just never know.

Where the heck do I say I consider him in my thoughts of candidates?

All I say is that I, in the end, gives a shit who manage our club. If it is someones grandma, Benitez or Potter.. as long as we get results in right direction. All I care about is that the club progress.

I hope he's successful. I want Everton to be successful.

But I will never back this guy. He's there, for a time, and I will outlast this fucker. I'll be here long, long after he's gone, and I'll never, ever be able to justify how the fuck this guy became manager of Everton Football Club.

The anger bubbles up.

I would point out, however, that the Manager In window at Goodison wasn't exactly chockablock with eager applicants. I don't remember seeing any photos of long lines or resume-stuffed mailboxes.

And I would posit that, however dumb you think this hire might be (and you're clear on that), the one thing dumber they could have done would be to schlep into the transfer window with no manager and no prospects.

As to the club not really caring what we think, I have a sneaking suspicion that most of us had come to that conclusion quite a long time ago.

And hey, at least we can congratulate Mr. Moshiri on a more concise and less chaotic managerial hiring process than Spurs'. A faint victory, to be sure, but we'll take what we can get at this point. Mazel tov, Farhad.

By "you" I was referring to anyone. More correctly should have phrased:

That doesn't mean ONE backS the guy who shit in your front yard though! And if ONE had half a brain, you'd never consider him for the job!

That was an all-encompassing thought, not a personal directed statement towards you! Sorry for the confusion.

Having said that, should be a good enough appointment to keep us up comfortably.

"You're small" equals shitting on your lawn?

If you intend to be here "long, long after he's gone" you'd better control your blood pressure before you blow a gasket.

Then is everything all right ;) But, I do still don't care of who manage. I just hope we don't need to appoint another one in near furture. We need something longterm with progress now.

Hmmm...

Anyone seen them in a room together?

I feel his anger. Totally justified

He also seemed to suggest that he has already got a list of player he wants, again pointing to a diminishing of Brands in the pyramid of power at the club as far as Rafa is concerned.

His comments about Ferguson also pointed to a diminished role for Big Dunc - he simply referred to him as someone who understood the club and fans, and who could learn from Rafa and his team.

He's cold blooded alright - not a bad thing necessarily - but his initial comments were about being able to stay in the city with his family, and that was clearly a huge influence on his desire for the job. Other than that, it was all workaday stuff about how he always gave his club everything, whoever that club was.

So - absolutely no sentimentality, pure pragmatism about getting a job back in the PL near to his family home, and he sounds like he has complete power with very little to worry him from Brands and Ferguson, who keep their jobs but with limited influence.

Hey, I might be reading it wrong, and if I'm reading it right then it's not necessarily a bad thing, but I'd be interested to know if anyone else saw the interview the way I did.

Jamie, but now we HAVE appointed him, don't you want him to succeed? And if you do, don't you then back him? I can't see what "not backing him" would actually mean.

I want Rafa to succeed because I want Everton to succeed. But, in my opinion, that doesn't mean by backing Everton I back Rafa. Yes, the two are intertwined, but they are wholly separate entities. It's perfectly logical to want the collective to succeed while not appreciating every element that makes up the collective.

Brent, the thing for me is there's really no footballing reason to have hired this fella. And, what's more, is it's embarrassing!

We're all trying to slap some lipstick on the pig, justifying us swallowing our pride at hiring a douchebag who publicly insulted us and doesn't even come close to playing the type of football most of us crave, never mind having managed the eternal foe. But here we are, forced, to "support" this underwhelming, insulting managerial appointment.

My biggest beef is that this embarrassment makes us a joke, and we exhibited an alarming lack of pride in my opinion. Alarming.

People can have a different opinion. But quite honestly, I always thought Everton a proper, "old fashioned" club to be proud of.

We just tucked our tail between our legs and hired, again, the guy that shit in our lawn.

REALLY???

This may be the relationship for you, no effort no reward and certainly no feedback required.

Crowley wears Arl Yakubu shrts and I wear quality Garments. If you see us in the same room together. You'll soon tell us apart

If Darren and I were ever in a room together, we'd both awake in a stupor.

The drinks would flow like the Nile. Or the Mersey.

Regarding his reception from the fans, well, he made his own bed there. I imagine the fans will enjoy shouting at him angrily than applauding him. On that basis, you'd imagine we're in for an interesting but slightly disastrous few months. I can't help but think of that Damned United book about Brian Clough's time at Leeds.

Maybe we're actually on the same page, mate! I'm just not vitriolic about it.

He's bald
He's fat
Will always be a Rat ....

I'll support Everton no matter what, so I'll give him a chance… like all the other failed managers we've hired. I wish him good luck and hope he is successful with us. He will need every ounce of his peak ability, and then some, for this job, along with some clever transfer business before the season starts.

Well, I am not certain. However, I am now certain that Mosh is mental.

We once signed a player called Ernie Hunt (I think from Wolves). He was a midfielder but we decided to play him as the main striker. He wasn't the worst player ever to don a blue shirt, but then again neither was he Ronaldinho.

On the day it happened, a mischievous headline writer came up with, "Everton sign Hunt." At the time the Dark Side had a certain Roger of the same surname.

One of my RS cousins lost it completely and came screaming into the house that, "Shankly was mad."

Subsequently Blues' Fans would sing (rather unmemorably, although I remember), "Ernie is better than Roger, and so say all of us, and so say etc. etc."

Not my most interesting ever tale, but it's that sort of day.

I pray that Rafa is the one who can really get me back interested to the point that I can join in and watch them again,,,.

Please, please, Rafa, I want to support Everton the way that I used to - with fun and with some sort of confidence in winning games properly

Oops, dang, you're right Ian, there was absolutely no point in trying to strike first ahead of Colin on that one. He is the Iwobi Cobra.

He kept talking about the fans of the city, couldn't bring himself to leave out his beloved Kopites from the conversation. Eventually he put the two words together Everton + fans, it must have choked him, he looked like he'd just gargled turps when he said it.

Sound as if he means business and seems to have wanted the job, with a big emphasis on competing. Going to set standard from the start and try to improve player performance, like Ancelotti. Already talking about his own backroom team input.

Please leave the site - as it's for Everton supporters.

We get it. He's an ex Liverpool manager.

But, he's now Everton manager. Distasteful to many. Also, got it.

It's like you're leaving a suicide note saying "I really am going to do this" - but desperately wanting everyone to beg you not to.

An analogy, and a TW one at that, to help clarify.

Colin Glassar "rats it up the pipe" when Iwobi is mentioned. He simply hates Iwobi, doesn't want him in Blue, and would cheer wildly at his departure. But he supports Everton through the Valley of Death and wants the best for them.

Now the cut-and-paste trick:

Jamie Crowley "rats it up the pipe" when Rafa is mentioned. He simply hates Rafa, doesn't want him in Blue, and would cheer wildly at his departure. But he supports Everton through the Valley of Death and wants the best for them.

Definitely a rat up the right pipe though!! The blue pipe!

Not me... I'm going to enjoy the SPLAT on the pavement.

Is that sick enough for this thread?

Iwobi Out!!!

And now if anyone calls you a rat, you must take it as a compliment.

So it looks like the Chairman is against the move as seems is the DOF, and this move has already alienated at least half the fanbase, so a club completely disunited, how can there possibly be a successful outcome.

I know you don't hate Iwobe on a personal level, same as I can't hate Rafa personally - I've never met him!

Cheers.

- The Rat

Are there a couple of resignations up the spout somewhere?

Back then the rivalry on Merseyside was passionate with good humor and no bitterness.

If it takes a ex Liverpool manager to put us back at the top then it can only be good for the city and both sets of fans..

St Peter: "He has a point, ever since that idiot of a Pope said purgatory didn't exist, we don't pose a threat anymore!"

God: " No purgatory?, what could I do? I had to show people I still hold the power, it's why This Everton project came to be it's purgatory on Earth! Perfect!"

St Peter: "Yes, but you still need to get one up on the Devil, you need some irony, some pain, not for eternity, just small cuts, you know the sort of thing"

God: "Good point, hmm.. wait, we need to twist the knife a little, make the devil squirm, use one of his own against him! Yes, that's it! "

St Peter: "I though the boys pen one would make an eternal impact down there, but your right, it's no longer good enough to be just patronising. It really needs to be a bit more painful for the devils spawn, and what better way than to use the devils own to head up purgatory for us! But what about all those souls already in purgatory, what do you call them, Evertonians ? "

God: "Perfect. There is a Spanish guy who fits the bill, one of the devils contracts.. Let's make purgatory mean something again!"

St. Peter:"Yes our very own place on Earth! A smack in the eye to the devil, living proof that purgatory exists and at last it will have a home for all to see in the devils back yard, to put all those lost souls in the dock awaiting redemption! "

God: "Yes but the irony too! We can just make them all Evertonians! We can give purgatory a home too! What's that place called, Bramley Moore Dock, excellent..that Spanish guy, what's his name, he will make those Evertonians suffer, and twist the knife in the devils back. Yes..Make it so!"

That made me laugh out loud. And also - very true!

We have become a joke of a football club with no identity going from one thing to the next. I don't really understand what he has achieved of any note in the past ten years. Listening to his interview were he used the term "i" 30 times but couldn't force himself to get the word Everton out was telling.

As for him being some kind of tactical genius, I remember being at one match when Big Sam's Everton literally couldn't string more than 3 passes together (I was in my seat counting as the passing broke down over and over again) this was the infamous "I don't pass the ball" comment. I remember thinking during that match how truly clueless Mr Benitez was.

In truth he had players like Gerrard, Hypia, Alonso and Garica and he still managed to finish 5th behind Everton. Later he had world class players like Torres but anyone who remembers his other trophy win (the Fa Cup) against West Ham will remember that Liverpool stole it as they got outplayed.

My friend is an Inter Milan fan and in Milan they refer to him as the "pig" as he managed to singlehandedly dismantle the only team in Italian football history to win the treble within a few months.

I'm truly sickened mixed with genuine sadness. I've suffered a lot supporting this football club over the years, I went to school in Liverpool during the 90's and I've witnessed embarrassing results like losing 4-0 at home to Bolton or 3-0 at home to Tranmere but I tell you that even during those days I felt a connection to the identity of the club. I really think that lost now.

But the penny dropped..eventually.

MPGA!

Make Purgatory Great Again! Someone start embroidering some caps!

Bril.

If we improve the home form, score more goals and look competitive for the Europa League spots I think most will start accepting Rafa. He could really use a bit of support in the transfer market though, with ideally 4 very good circa £30m to £40m players recruited.

Anything short of that and we'll still see a lot of the players who got Silva sacked.

Very disappointed in the appointment but it's not Rafa's fault that the club knocked on his door. It's time for Brands and Moshiri now to deliver something that allows Benitez to be something other than our next in a line of scapegoat managers. Let's see how the squad shapes up now.

Instead, we're following the Koeman, Allardyce, and Ancelotti route of getting a non-coaching manager in. I welcomed Carlo despite my reservations. I hoped he would hire the recently sacked (as Swansea manager) Paul Clement to be his main coach once more. Instead, he followed Koeman and kept it in the family. His son and Duncan repeatedly showed that, working under his instruction at least, they were incapable of setting the side up, and coaching the players to beat the low block.

Now Rafa is a better coach, but he's a tactical coach only. He relies on specialist coaches. The most famous of them was pako ayestaran, with whom he won his only league titles and the champions league at Liverpool. They fell out and pako became (unsuccessfully) a manager.

Rafa was an amazing tactician. No argument about that. He was one of the pioneers of 4231 and perfected it better than anyone. I always go to the Liverpool Champions League midfield to explain the roles, particularly mascherano and Alonso in the double pivot. But this was 15 years ago. Guardiola and co overcame those tactics. Maybe Rafa did evolve, but he only became more defensive and more counter attacking.

Apparently he doesn't have a style or system. Why does his teams still line up predominantly in a 4231 then? By far and away his most used system. His style is, as always, counter attacking. People made similar claims about Carlo having no set style, but he quickly reverted to a defensive setup and played on the counter. Benitez is exactly the same. Tactically, like Carlo, he's still good, but he's a long way from the tactician he was in 2005.

The next thing that made Benitez world class was his analysis. He was a pioneer of video analysis. No one watched tape like Rafa. Few still do. The thing is, nearly every club has a team of analysts doing just that. You don't need the manager to do it, he can just get the highlights.

Rafa was world class, but football caught up and overtook him. He's yesterday's man for me. He's not won a trophy since he was 55, and he's 61 now. He's not won a league title in a very long time, and the champions league success was 16 years ago. All he's got in the last 10 years is a cup with Napoli and a Europe league with the reigning European champions.

His real recent record is a losing season in China. Dreadful season on any metric. Then the last two seasons at Newcastle where he got exactly the same points 45 and 44 as Bruce managed in the two seasons after him. So in each of the least three seasons, Rafa has lost more games than he's won. He also oversaw, with mitigating circumstances, the relegation of Newcastle. Where's that winning mentality then?

My main issue, is as it was for Koeman, Ancelotti and allardyce. Simply, we need a coach. We need someone to work with the players. None of this, the players know what to do in the attacking third, because they clearly don't. No concentrating on defence, because it's our attacking movement that's causing a real problem. If we were more effective in attack, then it would be less panic and less tension and less errors at the back.

Enough with these chequebook managers, leaving disjointed squads. We need a head coach with an attitude like Maurizio Sarri, who called the transfer market “the refuge of the weak”. He also said to just give him the players and he will coach. Sure, we've gaps in the squad, but if the coaching philosophy, setup and tactics remained similar even when the manager left, then it's easier to spend more wisely and build a squad that meshes together. Instead we have a disjointed squad, with many players who make each other's flaws worse, instead of covering them up and playing to each other's strengths.

So back to Carlo, and back to backing him and hoping that he brings in Paul Clements. One can take a similar approach with Rafa. He needs proper coaches. He had one that was very highly rated by the name of Ian Cathro. He left Newcastle and became the Hearts manager. He was a failure and a laughing stock - look up “laptop manager”. But there is no one who denies his coaching ability. Last year or so, he's been working for his mate Nuno Espírito Santo (they did their badges together). He left Wolves with Nuno. If Rafa means business, then he needs Cathro on board. If Rafa is really going to do an Ancelotti and leaves it to his son (seeing him on the official video worries me!) and Duncan, then you are a fool if you expect better than last seasons performance, even with better players. This squad needs coaching. If Rafa brings in Cathro and the usual suspects, then maybe it might work. I doubt it, but you have to have some positivity, even if you are managed by yesterday's man who is a hero to the kop.

You're not frying in hell.

Hope springs, even with Rafa leading the charge.

“Come on, you know how this works. You fail and then you try something else. And you fail again and again, and you fail a thousand times, and you keep trying because maybe the 1,001st idea might work. Now, I'm gonna and try to find our 1,001st idea.” – Michael, The Good Place 4×02

“In football, trying to run out the clock and hoping for the best never works. It's called “prevent defense.” You don't take any chances and just try and hold on to your lead. But prevent defense just PREVENTS you from winning! It's always better to try something.” – Jason Mendoza, The Good Place 4×07

“We do nothing. We hope that our early successes make up for the embarrassing mess we've become. Like Facebook. Or America.” – Eleanor Shellstrop, The Good Place 4×07

I'm guessing St Anthony's senior girls for the street wisdom, but will edge me bets on Mary help of Christians

Like Steve Ferns, I have a bad feeling about this one, though he puts it a lot more eloquently and eruditely than I can.

Marcel Brands has been abroad on business and is self isolsting

Every successful manager needs a good coach and Duncan while being passionate and a good motivator is not a great coach.

Even HK who was arguably our greatest manager wasn't that successful until he brought Colin Harvey alongside him.

Even though I have no time for Benitez I really want this to work for the sake of the club.

David, I did wonder about the Spanish inquisition link, but that's just another tool..

You were sent straight down the middle.

but at least you've got options. You'll have been introduced to Limbo as well as purgatory.- I`m still trying to figure out the difference

Post more often girl

Going back to an earlier point, by keeping the philosophy the same, that it's the way the team is set up and plays, sacking the head coach and appointing another would be a lot cheaper as the next guy wouldn't need to spend another boat load of cash. We keep going from one extreme to another: Martinez to Koeman to Allardyce to Silva to Ancelotti. There was no similarities there. Squad overhauls were required. If we shifted from Silva to Fonseca, for example, then Fonseca might have got a lot better results with exactly the same players, perhaps just replacing zouma and gueye (who was never really replaced by Gbamin).

Its been a while!

And yes, l agree completely. We need a coach. So now it depends on who he brings onboard. I thought the players effort was there last season but... well, the shape? If you can call it that.

I would actually say that the current squad suit the 4231 system so much more than 433. Trouble there is we have too many samey centre mids.

Hope we get Nunes in and have a busy week coming in the transfer market.

And Nuno confirmed at Spurs!

Remember Mikel was a defensive midfielder. Only he didn't have the physique for PL football in that role without acclimatisation. So Moyes played him wide from the second season and he found a role, coming inside from the wing.

Nunes is a lot bigger than Arteta. But he's a bit of a wimp. He's also a slow starter and always struggles and takes his time to find his feet.

When he does, you'll see a player who can carry the ball quickly through the middle and turn defence into attack. He'll never be a tackler, much as he does alright at it in Portugal. His passing can be quite sidewards. He's got one assist. His shooting is not great. But it's that speed snd dribbling forwards from deep that's set him apart. So I can really see him being shunted wide.

I like your fight talk

Need to instill that into this team asap, as well some much needed tactic intelligence when it comes to defending and offensive set pieces.

Let's get behind the team, which needs some investment.

People stating they have supported club 30,40,50+ and will leave. Good. We don't need childish fickle fans.

Onwards and upwards

NSNO

Barry #244, hilarious. I thought I was the only one who watched that series. Nicely chosen quotes. And I particularly appreciated it because Christine's well-received scenario went completely over my head (being unfamiliar with one of the characters and all of the terminology!).

John Sr. #230, I've been hoping we would hear from you.

They operate with a bigger drawer unfortunately. We would never have got Salah for 35 million had we been the only team with that money.

He'd just wait for a champions league side, its much harder for us.

In a plus note its good to see Darren Hind can now have more mutual discussions on here now. Hes took some negative replies lately but he's on par with most posters on this one.

Time will tell with our new manager as all our previous managers have found out. Let's stop the negativity. Remember we want Everton fc to succeed. Remember every family has disagreements but we all come together for a common cause. It's not an overnight plan but small blocks to build success.

Welcome Rafa to a special club. Do us proud and we will one day call you one of us!

Rafa will be on the training videos. He's, apparently, a very good tactical coach. He'll lead those drills and work on that

My concern, on a coaching level, is that we keep Duncan and Kelly, and deny Rafa his usual coaches. Bear in mind, he's shed the best of them since his Real Madrid days. If Rafa really is pulling out all the stops, and is giving it everything, then he persuades Ian Cathro to come here instead of going to Spurs with Nuno.

Lessons learnt from last season, we shall see.

I'd like to see whom he's bringing in as the specialist coaches, and if he has any impact on the U23s.p and the player development system.

Hope eternal.

Interesting you forget that he bought Xabi Alonso from Real Sociedad

Interesting you forget that he chose Liverpool over Madrid first time around, why. Because of Benitez

Let's not all that get in the way of good yarn hey.

Reading all these comments, are really school boy bully, dummy out stuff.

Let's stop looking under rocks, it just means your belly lays on the ground..

Certainly seems like a better, cheaper, younger investment than Rabiot, another player in the same position with whom we've been repeatedly connected -- and whom I do not want us to buy.

As for Iwobi, he doesn't play defensive midfield. If it works, it's because Nunes is alongside Doucoure and Allan in a 3, is racing onto loose balls and getting us up the pitch before the opposition can recover. He's great at getting it wide to feet if we have a player as sharp on the right as Richarlison can be on the left.

edit- Ditto Dave. so many trigger words 'big lad but bit of a wimp', 'not much of a passer' and 'shipped out to the wing'.

Never realized there were so many thin skinned snowflake Evertonians?

A manager, who managed 'them', insults us, and instead of showing some backbone and pride, and speaking out against the appointment, we get a shrug of the shoulders and the, "Oh well, he's here now, guess I'll just get behind him."

Sheep. BAAAAAAAA. Fall in line now nice little fans, nothing to see here, disregard the past and all its insults, all together now.

Snowflakes indeed!

"Shot through the heart, and Rafael is to blame, he gives Everton a bad name"

Got this from Donegal Blue over on Grand Old Team.

Didn't know Tom Bell was from Scottie. Obviously lots of famous people, my family from Scottie St Anthony's and Sylvesters. Dad's relatives at the Tonk and Throstles.

A few times since it was first suggested Benitez might end up as Everton manager, those backing the decision and/or trying to 'sell' him, mentioned (as well as talking about his football credentials) that he was 'decent' and a 'family man'.

Since I'm neither married and I don't have any children (I know of), I resent the implication that I might be considered slightly more decent if I was married and I'd spawned a few ankle-biters.

Well I'll mention a name and say no more on the subject.

Fritzl.

I hope our non-football knowing owner loves traveling because he's voluntered to be taken for another ride.

If Rafa can make our squad half as cunning as himself, things may not turn out as bad as I fear.

I expect nothing else other than death, taxes and falling out.

Brands, what is the point of having him?

I didn't like Rafa's “small club” comment but, in hindsight, he was right. We took knives to gunfights to all the top teams away from home.

I ain't walking away. I'll back him and support him. If we play poorly and he continually makes mistakes then I'll berate him on TW. Same as any of our managers.

COYB

He did score a smashing goal once in the Park End. He was back to goal, to the right of the penalty as a recall, and he leaned forward so an approaching ball landed on the back of his neck. He then shot his head backwards and the ball went over everyone and into the goal to everyone's surprise, bar his own, apparently.

Like others, my attention now turns to the transfer market. We desperately need to do some decent deals, both in and out.

Steve F, like you, I'd rather have had a coach. I know you liked Silva and that didn't end so well - but on reflection I think he was a good coach hung out to dry by awful transfer activity (and back luck with Gbamin). Bit too inexperienced to cope when things got bad and at that point he had to go, but I expect he could slot in well at a more progressive / strategically focussed club.

This year is my half-century of being a Blue and I'll be one whoever the manager is. End of.

Can we now get into the silly transfer rumours properly please?

"Brands, what is the point of having him?"

Yes indeed!

And I will add where was he today at our saviours grand unveiling, only a very awkward looking Ms Dynamite from the top brass to welcome the one with the red halo.

No Brands? Surely it's his job to be at the gates waiting for Rafa, keen to talk shop with him about the future?

No Bill Kenwright? Remember when we signed Martinez, he was like a very proud father being handed his newly born son.

No Moshiri? If I'm not wrong he came to the unveiling of his previously chosen managers.

Me thinks cracks are starting to appear at EFC HQ?

The fat Spanish waiter, was always given unmerciful stick from Evertonians, and when he gave a bit back, it really upset us.

I hated him at one stage of my life, and it was because he came across as anything but decent, but he showed his true professional personality at Chelsea, when he just got on with his job, in really difficult circumstances, (it was all his own making again…I know) which showed he had loads of courage, and an unbelievable attitude, which even made me have a grudging respect for the man, for the way he just got on with that job.

Each to his own, but I'm more happy than sad, that we've got a horrible little fucker, who fights his corner and looks like he hates losing, in charge of Everton, even though I'm also worried for obvious reasons, and because it's also the biggest decision I've witnessed at Everton, in my lifetime, and the people wanting Rafa Benitez seem to be in a very small minority.

Yeah, let it sink in for a second or two. Good times.

(soccernet)

I'm also on board with the angry and disillusioned comments because this is clearly the most aggressively bad decision in the history of any Everton ownership.

It's bewilderingly shit.

I don't do this hysteria & self-flagellation. I'll judge him on what I see on the pitch.

You say Nunes plays in Gomes' position and describe him as He'll never be a tackler, much as he does alright at it in Portugal. His passing can be quite sidewards. He's got one assist. His shooting is not great. Are you sure he's not Gomes ? Sounds like him, apart from the Pace, haha.

I agree we need badly pace in the team, but hopefully with a few more key midfield attributes. I was lauding a few of Pogba's defence splitting passes the other night. Would love to see more of that type of passing and not the sideways and backwards stuff we've seen recently.

Christine, thanks for Purgatory story and particularly the explanation of All Souls preparation for purgatory, a great foundation for a life with the Blues.

Tony #295, I forgot Townsend existed. So did the scoresheet. Two goals in two years. Yeah, I think you can imagine the reaction if he's Rafa's first signing.

PT #317, if you don't do hysteria and flagellation, it must be a looooong winter up there. ;-))

If it wasn't so disgusting and tragic, it would be hilarious.

Even ESPN having a dig. Good times indeed.

The past is in the past, and it's something that can never be changed, especially by people who live in the past!

I can still vaguely remember Everton winning cups though, and that's still my biggest wish when I look to our future, as I remember that Liverpool reject,(sorry sheeds!) Kevin Sheedy scoring that beautiful goal in Rotterdam, and the memories of absolute joy come flooding back….SINGING JUST LIKE THE TEAM THATS GONNA WIN THE FUCKING LOT, WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED (you had to be there!)

I'm sorry, but that line really is hilarious. Dale, you made me laugh - heartily! Well played.

Extract from Moshiri's statement on the appointment of Benitez. It seemed apparent as this one gathered momentum, that they wanted more of the Ancelotti theme. The name in the game and the previous success. That's where they were going with this all along.

And Danny, 'within our structure' is the tell.

This is a business fix not a football solution.

He definitely knew what he was saying Kevin, because he's made a great career for himself often using those very same tactics that he couldn't overcome.

Tony, 288, Don't forget Gomes and Delph (and perhaps Holgate too). So his popularity might increase even further 😄.

Update: fourfourtwo just changed their article. I suspect they were getting some feedback. Like I said it treated Everton as a stop off on Rafa's journeys.

You may be okay with Rafa and want others to stop complaining but watch the coverage, this is not enhancing Everton's reputation in any way.

I agree good luck Marco Silva at Fulham.

Shame it didn't work out for him here as he was the kind of manager we needed.

Bad luck, injuries and not being able to sign Zouma and getting lumbered with Iwobi was his downfall.

I've just watched the interview with Benitez. I found it interesting and there were some intriguing takeaways.

He plays a lot to his knowledge and understanding of the city, the passion of the people and the scousers.

He talks a lot about being competitive and having a winning mentality. You want to play nice football but you have to compete first and work hard to win is how he describes it. Work hard first, then play well.

Emphasises he is a coach. He wants the tools (good players) but will also try to improve what he has. Reading between the lines, I picked up he is a details person, hence the tactician references above.

He refers to Everton's away versus home form last season and stressed the importance of the crowd getting behind the team. Not him necessarily; the team. He knows what he's walking into. That's stating the obvious. Of course he does. But arguably, he's been there before with a resentful Chelsea fan base.

It seems him and Brands have already been talking. Benitez seems to know who the players / targets are already and may well give opinion / advice as you would expect. I still don't know what this means for Brands, but I'm going to hang my hat on him having his board status elevated. Chairman?

I know he's clearly going to say the right things, but I did pick up on his professionalism. He has to be to take this job. If he was as emotional as me, he wouldn't as I couldn't sell programmes or pies at Anfield. To that end, I have little concern over his commitment to the job. Although that was a rather awkward glance at the badge on the scarf around his neck!!

It's not what I would have chosen, but it fits the owner's methodology. It's almost like a business continuity plan in the aftershock of Ancelotti departing.

At least me and the dogs can move onto transfer targets in the morning now this is done.

The question is whether fans will have much patience. It's good he's in before pre-season and I think the better appointment than Nuno at Spurs. I don't have great hopes for next season but will back the manager and hope he's a big success.

Although it was not the choice I (or many of us) would have hoped for, somehow, in a strange way, I have a gut feel that this might work for us.

Obviously the guy has balls, which is something we didn't witness with a few of the rapid-fired managers. He has plenty of experience, including in the Premier League. The board knows he is not a popular choice but decided still to proceed. So they must see something in him -- maybe determination to win?

Numero uno on the scale, of course, is Uncle Bill's 36-word statement. Unhappy when you read between the lines. Clearly not impressed is our Billy K. This has to be a good thing, doesn't it!

Let's hope the fan base suck it up and give Rafa and the team the support that's needed to make the club successful again.

People seem to remember him as an abject failure, but there was a lot to like about his first season. It just completely went off the rails the next year.

Mr Smithers, aka, Mr Brands has, at the moment - no comment, or in my opinion no point at all in being there.

We need a Coach is one cry, maybe we need better players for this coach too, also we might need better coaches for the players.

The Chinese(?) curse of... May you live in interesting times...is rampant at the Country Rd Casuals...(soon, hopefully, to become The Regents Rd Ramblers)

I don't see an extended honeymoon period or a long reign for the Squire of Caldy.

But no doubt many of the usual suspects and probably some new ones, will still be there. It's enough to make a cat laugh.

If there's another thing I know about Everton, he'll be shocked how quickly the fans turn on him after a couple of 1-0 losses and 0-0 draws. No matter how much good work he does with the squad.

I know I've endured way more years of anger, disappointment and frustration too.

Right now I'm experiencing shame for the very first time as a result of the appointment of this Kopite shithouse as manager, still with Ferguson and all the other Kenwright clan as so-called coaches in tow.

I'll say it again, the man's got balls and that is precisely what this club has lacked since 1995. Back him with all you have got Blues.

So I'll go to the game whenever I can, I don't think I could ever give up my season ticket.

There is nothing positive about this appointment.

It's the horrible red fans, well the majority, that makes my skin crawl, not the actual employees, or former, players, eg, Aldridge, Gerrard, Hughes, Thompson.

I know many a decent red, and Rafa has the bollocks to make this work. Either way, the kangaroo board continues to walk the tightrope, but didn't see Carlo jumping ship. Anyway, let's get a fucking grip and support the man.

I mean I hate Aldridge, Gerrard, Thompson, Hughes etc, and their nauseating fans.

The cold hard truth seems to be that nobody wanted the job more than Rafa, so I'd love to know who everyone else wanted, and who wanted the gig themselves.

Firstly, the very un-Kenwright welcome message. Sounds like his secretary was asked to put together something instead of his normal gushing theatrical statements. Also, Benitez's quote about him and Brands being both professionals and they'll get together soon to look at transfers/team rebuilding. It was slightly an odd comment when bringing up the potential working dynamic.

Rumours about Rafa not being Bill's or Brands's choice and Benítez's history of falling out with club hierarchy could pose issues in the future. It will be interesting to see these first couple of transfer windows if there's going to be any sort of power struggle on the direction of the club.

Managers and players come and go. Most of them, despite all the badge kissing nonsense, are mercenaries with little, or no, allegiance to the club. Even our most successful manager walked out on the club when the opportunity arose!

I'll judge Benitez on his record on the pitch. His past shows he doesn't take any shit from players (and executives). Maybe that's just what our bunch of under-achievers needs!

As a designated Ancelotti 'happy clapper', I think we will need a different title for those pro-Benitez supporters. Let's be honest, there is nothing happy about him as he is a real grind master. So we need something different.

Was wondering if 'Riff Rafas' might work?

Is that a misprint or is the ex-Barca free agent on his way to us? Negatives: He's one of them and it shits me that we had to stoop to that. There was no-one of similar standing without that history?

Positives: That lot will be more wound up than we are. I think. I know they'll take the piss, but they feel it I'm sure.

Reality: He's just another manager. Quite an experienced one. We've had loads. It might work, it might not. He'll say things ahead of the first derby and every Evertonian will say "Yes, he gets us" because he's a manager and knows how to deal with people.

And we'll have some amount of success or failure and do it all again at some as yet undetermined point in time.

Hopefully we get to watch some good football and enjoy some wins. It's all that matters really.

I see Benitez as a continuation of Ancelotti, defencive-minded, improving players, building from the back, bringing in players to bring up the tactical and technical level, and tactically astute. I am not surprised he was top of the selection list. The days of an up-and-coming manager are gone at Everton.

You right about coaching. There is no way that the individual coaching was good or consistent under Ancelotti. Attempts were made but players quickly drifted. This was especially so in attack.

The fact that Ancelotti did not achieve this is put down to effort and motivation. Benitez is Ancelotti with a big stick. This is the selection criteria that Moshiri and his mate used.

Benitez in his interview talks if 'us'. It is critical who 'us' is. Hopefully Benitez has not burned all his bridges with his better coaches. Unsworth and Fergusion were dressed for work at Finch Farm, so they are recognised as being Everton polish on proceedings.

I just hope that Benitez can come up with some of that Valencia sparkle, which seems so long ago. They were, imo, the most Everton-like side he managed.

I sense with some of our ex-players and Bill they would've preferred Moyes but, for me, you should never look back. Rafa is a winner and a top coach. Let him walk the walk, as he stated in his first interview.

To add to our insignificance, any future investors will have the caveat of not only keeping Kenwright as chairman but also to guarantee Big Dunc a job for life.

That's a really good point you make about the jump in styles being less from Carlo to Rafa.

The change from Martinez to Koeman was huge.

So this time it is less to rip up and start again. Unfortunately, l think a lot of us needed a more exciting style of play. We shall see…

Wait. Could this mean we have a strategy? Many might not like it, but if they wanted to follow suit and have minimal disruption, they have a plan in mind?

Depends how you look at it. Either the owner does, backed by Usmanov's blessing (or mafioasa style silent nods that equate to direction) and that is in conflict with Brands and / or Kenwright?

Or is it only Kenwright who is now isolated, with Brands continuing to go out and recruit the players? I can still see conflict ahead with Benitez and a DoF, despite his words. But then he's been brought in with the understanding. And if I recall, Brands's statement was much more personal and upbeat that Bill's, who, as someone said, seems to have gone for a cry in the park and asked his PA to chuck a few words together.

I'm clearly speculating & gossiping. I know nothing, as they say.

Anyway, players. Where are the players? Just give me a few rumours to speculate on! It would just be like the Everton rollercoaster to wheel out free agent Messi having dropped this one on a now divided fan base! We'd rejoice in the name only to come back down to earth with the realisation his wages have just eaten our transfer budget for the next 2 years!

Anyway, back to the real world. Show me the players.

Rafa seemed to deflect the question of him working with a Directir of Football. Moshiri is either brave or stupid.

As you say, show me the players. Then we can dream of a good solid season. That's if l can get some sleep.

I'm sure all on ToffeeWeb, and especially those who know Ray personally or have met him at the TW Get-Togethers, wish him a speedy recovery.

I know Ray very well and have played golf with him on several occasions, but he is as staunch an Evertonian, and Season Ticket Holder, as one could imagine and we usually talk on a weekly basis about what is, or isn't happening at our once magnificent club.

Please Bill, Moshiri would be lost without your input and your quick fixes to get an in-house CEO and coaches that 'get' Everton. Coyb.

"What caught my eyes in the article is that Blue Bill was very reserved with his comment. So I guess he didn't agree with the appointment but the decision was made by Moshiri or whoever behind him."

The other possibility is that our theatrical Bill is just as much behind the appointment as Moshiri but is playing to the audience – ie, he damn well knows this will go down badly with most if not all of the Everton fans, so he's playing to both galleries, perhaps. That whispered aside to a fellow actor that the audience is meant to hear but not the other actors.

Derek, as like many, I've no doubt exchanged views and comment with Ray over the years. Please pass on my sincere best. Glad he's out of hospital and recovers well soon.

Come on Everton, give Ray a tonic with those players we need. The manager is now the manager. Let's go and get those players.

I have woken feeling more optimistic about the appointment this morning, an air of resignation too, perhaps… but I have turned my attentions to getting behind Rafa and the appointment.

I just watched the full interview on YouTube – he speaks well, though I cringed when he was asked about Dunc's role: he struggled to hide (IMO) how that decision was thrust upon him. I love Dunc and would have been behind his appointment but surely this has to be the last time we can do this with an incoming manager.

That said, if Rafa doesn't work out and is sacked midway through a season, we are in a perfect position of handing the reigns to Dunc and let him see what he can do over a longer period, so from that perspective it makes sense. He will have his own ideas and has been diligently learning (we hope) from some very knowledgeable football mentors.

I desperately want Rafa to succeed and I want us Blues to get behind him; we need a toxic atmosphere at Goodison like a kick in the nuts! Three good signings and a solid pre-season behind us, Pickford returning as a national hero (providing he keeps this up), Calvert-Lewin hungry, Mina coming back off an excellent Copa America for Colombia, Godfrey looking to kick on… maybe we can start strongly?

Others have mentioned Rafa's strictness and low tolerance for poor effort – let's hope so, let's hope he puts a rocket up a few arses down there at Finch Farm. Let's go!

For me, we now need to concentrate on getting as much business done early as we can. A positive transfer window and with our opening run of fixtures, we've got a great opportunity to get off to another good start.

I think he knows that his days are numbered; we had the "He may have to step down due to deteriorating health" shit – that was how long ago? In fact, this Benitez appointment could be a blessing in disguise, where all the rats come scurrying out of their comfy hiding holes and cushy jobs.

I am not saying he is to be hailed as a Saviour, more of a caustic soda that will flush things out! Maybe that's been needed for a while now, though I think we could have achieved that without resorting to such drastic measures and especially with this largely unpopular appointment.

Best Wishes and a speedy recovery for Ray. At least he is getting the care he needs and will turn the corner.

If fans can't stomach Benitez, then they have every right to say so. If other fans wanna kiss his arse, that's up to them… but all fans are welcome.

I'll give him a chance… but I'm not happy about it.

It's quite ironic really, because he will get the same treatment he got at Newcastle from Ashley, pleading poverty and be forced to make do. Then he will lose interest in 12 to 18 months time, realise he's been had, and bugger off. The only difference is Everton's PR machine are more subtle at it.

I actually wish him all the luck going and if, by some football miracle, he pulls this off, the shite will be apoplectic!

Moshiri has pulled the pin on a grenade and thrown it in the middle of all this, walked off, praying it goes off at Anfield. A masterstroke if it comes off, but shit, where does it leave Everton if it doesn't?

Over the last few years, all we have endured is negativity and garbage. Is it going to be any different now with his style of play?

It's interesting that Unsworth and Ferguson are put forward to meet and greet the new manager at Finch Farm, introduced by the Chief Executive. Also interesting is no Brands and Ancelotti photo call alone with an Everton scarf and no inscribed Everton shirt.

Brands is in quarantine after being abroad on club business

Also, Tony @379 I don't think many manager are “interested” in the club they manage. 9/10 of them, at any club, are only interested in their own career and glory. Even Moyes was scorned as soon as he was out of the door.

I think he did okay saying he works hard and gives his all. I still think he's the wrong man, but I do believe what he says there.

A trophy or success with us would put the icing on the cake for him as a great manager. He needs to go out with a bang to be remembered as a top one, and we are likely the last stop. Fingers crossed he wants it bad.

Allan @378, your apoplectic comment made me chuckle. It also gave me a tongue in cheek thought.

"2024-25 and Rafael Benitez's Everton are crowned Premier League Champions in their first season at their stunning new Bramley Moore Dock Stadium. 40 years to the day after they last won a top flight title".

That would be so Everton. Benitez achieves something at Everton he never managed to do so with those who worshiped him for Istanbul. I promise, I'm not on the sauce yet!!!

This appointment sadly doesn't even have my good will or best wishes to accompany it. Benitez is almost as much of a football mercenary as Allardyce, and we saw how well that worked out.

Uninspired, lazy and somewhat insulting manager hire is my summation. Par for this course sadly.

And Ray old man, glad you're out of the hospital, and best wishes for a complete and swift recovery. And remember, you don't need a voice to type your witticisms here! Looking forward to seeing you back on your keyboard quick-like!

But this morning Dominic King has me pissed off already, some of the comments on this side make my blood boil already.

I realise I can't do it, I must take a step or two back. Maybe next week when pre-season starts I'll be back or with the first friendlies. We'll talk about the players and match and new kit etc. again. For now, I'm just too tired of this football club.

This will not end well. Benitez does not play attractive or attacking football. There is absolutely no way the majority of fans will be happy with what happens next year.

He either has to win a trophy, finish no lower than 6th or play very good football. Sadly I don't think any of those will happen.

If Liverpool offered me the job as manager, I would take it. I bet the money is decent.

Ho Lee Fook (can hear the chanting already)

Won Hung Lo ( just recovering from surgery)

Goh Wong Wei ( yet to save a penalty)

Mee Chin Yu ( the new Dunc)

Interesting times indeed.

Brands was in isolation after returning from Holland 'on business'

What should have happened is we offered a contract to Rafa. Unsworth and Dunc approach from either side to welcome him. Then BK jumps out "aarrrrrggghhj ya bastard fuck off, like your getting this job"

My money is on Bill writing those bedsheets. It will all come out once the bizzys clear the cctv

But I am worried. Since 2016 Benitez has a win rate of about 39%, and that includes a season in the Championship with an expensive Newcastle team.

The continuity of mediocrity seems assured. But maybe an ex-Liverpool legend turning us around would be very ‘Everton that' in a strange way.

Anyone who witnessed Mr Benitez's 'successful' period at Newcastle must be dreading the stories we'll all soon be reading about behind-the-scenes defensive obsession. It brings to my mind the lowest point in my Everton support – watching a bemused Huddersfield Town staring at us from 60 yards away as Allardyce's Everton set up with back four on the 18-yard line and midfield 4 yards in front of them.

We could have tried something positive – like Graham Potter. But not this. You always get surprised in football, but I'll be amazed if I end up feeling positive before he's gone.

A few years ago, my brother's lad was about 12 and he played Saturday and Sunday football around Huyton. His mam got approached by a guy who said to her he was a scout for Everton and he had to let her know that they were watching him. He told her not to let the kid know for a few weeks and they would be in touch.

Our kid is a red and so is his son. Anyway, his mam eventually tells him that Everton have had a scout watching him. He tells his mam to get stuffed, that he wouldn't play for Everton, but his mam grabbed hold of him and said “You will play for them if they're paying me good money!“

He's labouring on a site down Kensington today!

RB: "Mr Brands, here is a list of players I want."
MB: "I'll get right on that."

A week later…

RB: "How did you go with that list?"
MB: "Not well, two of them didn't want to come and the others were beyond the budget and FFP."
RB: "Not good enough, I'll speak to the Board about this!"
MB: "I've already run it past the Chairman and he agrees with me but we have got you this pair."
RB: "Get me on a flight to Monaco!"
MB: "Not sure that's a good idea with this pandemic but there is a Board meeting next month, would you like me to pass on your comments? But there is the problem of the window closing."

Since he left Liverpool, every club he has managed he has not done as well as the previous manager, even at Chelsea, where he won the Europa League, the previous manager won the Champions League.

Spurs at least spoke to Conte, who had just won the Italian league. Sadly, we didn't. Another proven winner we didn't interview.

Galtier, whose record at turning clubs around and also recently winning the French league… again not interviewed.

So can we stop pedalling the line that he is the best we could have got. He certainly doesn't provide unity amongst the fans – and seemingly not with some members of the board either.

I just hope that when Evertonians walk into the ground for the first home game of the season, they just rejoice in being back watching football. We can't have anybody going there and wishing him bad. We need a positive atmosphere. He has a three-year contract so, whether fans like it or not, they have to get behind him.

Southall: Positive Start Needed

No doubt Covid is all NWO to keep us in check.

Anyone suggesting not going the game anymore being childish is just an ignorant doormat. Maybe you are ok with the club treating you like nothing and being a mug but others are entitled to feel aggrieved.

Remember the stadium jargon just over a year ago? Fans voted for 61878, got rejected and told thanks for your input blah blah,, we want fans to be part of it blah blah.

The only thing fans wanted got spewed and maybe with genuine reason but on went Moshiri's band of muggers telling you all you played a big part haha.

Absolute full of shit this club and it will continue because they know how gullible the majority are.

People listening to Guilamme or whatever his name is(the blagger) now. What has this game come to when dicks like him and Jim White are actually famous.🙈

As a Spanish speaker, he provides what I believe to be the clearest explanation I've seen of the "small club" jibe that, to be honest, was an exact encapsulation of the very worst that Moyes did for us in terms of negative football.

Of course, it won't appease the rabid. But they probably refuse to accept it was Moyes who made us a small club, and he revelled in it. What was shocking to me is how many of the fanbase did exactly what is being requested now and got behind his "plucky little Everton' crap. The standing ovation the Goodison faithful gave him when he finally left us was for me sickening to the core.

So we now have another pragmatic and defensive exponent of dour football to thrill us every weekend? That indeed is a chilling prospect – far more concerning to me than his Liverpool heritage. The call being made by many is to "get behind the man", some even coming out with the garbage we heard all season long under the dreadful Ancelotti, that we can't judge him too quickly and must give him time.

Well, sorry, but Everton play the game on a match-by-match basis, one game at a time. That's how I've always looked at things and how I always will, Benitez himself has even provided us with the required metric:

"I will try to win every single game, and it doesn't matter who the opponents are, or the rivals. It is something you have to do, it is your nature, that you have to try to do your best."

That is the standard by which he should be judged, week on week. Yes, the apologists will be out in force, saying how impossible it is to do that. But if you're are going to be a winner at football, then it is exactly the mentality you need. And if he can produce that, mainly through defensive pragmatism, then I will be forced to temper my personal desire to see good football, to be entertained by the so-called beautiful game.

As Big Neville has said, we need a positive atmosphere and some positive vibes. He says he is going to fight for his club and there was a genuine intent in his delivery of that statement, so I'll give him a chance to prove he can bring improvement, stability and give us an upward trajectory. Top 6 and a cup is a good, fair target for him initially.

Best wishes to Ray Roche, get well soon, mate.

It just happened to be us he spoke them words of, he'd just dropped 2 points when Liverpool fans had banked a win against little Everton. He just happened to be out of work when he gave his pathetic explanation, and total imposters like that Spanish reporter have done all they can to untwist his words.

I think most people can judge for themselves when a dummy spitter starts to talk.

I really enjoyed walking out of Goodison on Moyes's last game while the mugs I speak of above snarled at me and our group during their passionate round of applause for another man full of shit and speaking for the good of himself.

"Fifteen years ago, he made the mistake of referring to the Toffees as "a small club", although it was a phrase that was somewhat lost in translation. He misused a Spanish expression that refers to a "small team" when they do not want the ball, defend in their own box and kick the ball away. It was not something meant in a disrespectful way towards the club, but about their style. But, quite understandably, it has stuck in the mind of fans."

Best wishes to Ray Roche.

Plucky Moyes came across as pragmatic, but then I remember the words his caption said were spoken at half time against Liverpool at Wembley in an FA Cup semi final. We knew Liverpool were going to throw the kitchen sink at us, whilst failing to add, so we decided to play on the back foot.

Evertonians have been brainwashed for years imo though. Kenwright never had the money to take us forward, but he had the secret of how to kid the masses and stay in charge, so I have to agree with Paul A, about people being gullible, but add that it's been going since Agent Johnson left our club, in the black.

Best wishes to Ray Roche, especially because I usually enjoy his posts.

'Very odd' - Alan Stubbs notices Bill Kenwright change as Rafa Benitez joins Everton

Rafa must be shitting it, he probably realises that careful manipulation of pronouns is a typical gangster move, most notably the notorious yardies. Careful, Rafa, Bill Kenwright is a theatrical impresario and he will fuck you up. You have been warned.

He was fuming, he's a very bad loser, so hopefully the little bastard hasn't mellowed now he's in charge of our club.

I never liked the thought of Kenwright running our club; but he did: we were stuck with him and, in my view, Moyes did a reasonable job in keeping us around the Top 8 for most of the time. Sometimes the football was exciting; but all too rarely.

The standing ovation, I can only speak for myself, was a gesture of partly, "You'd done okay, and what Kenwright had asked for" – but I was glad to see him go. I certainly wasn't going to boo him.

I booed him, however, when he came back as manager of Man Utd, after his comments about he'd let players from Everton go elsewhere for a better career. And I booed him for trying to get a couple of players of ours on the cheap. His comments like trying to get away from Old Trafford with our lives; and "knife to a gunfight" shite.

Also, Michael, I think we know that we play the game on a match-by-match basis and Benitez has said he "plays to win every one", and "to play your best every week." That's a lot diferent from me, at least, expecting him to win every one.

I think it depends on our players and resoources on the bench, compared to our team and resources on the bench.

But, if you're saying you expect to see him attempt to win every game with Kevin Keegan free-flowing attacking football, then I think we will likely be disappointed.

I think there have to be tactics and a strategy to suit the players we have available. If they go out trying to win every week, it depends how they go about it, and we can only judge that as you saw, game by game.

The better the players we get, the more chance we have to win a game, but it is also important not to lose a game, I would have thought.

Paul A Smith (407),

What are you on about, this "holier than Thou", "just support the club preachers" twaddle? There's enough of my mates and myself who are neutral about the appointment or who think he's the best we could get, for me to say that he's a manager with support. How much… we wait and see.

There's been enough posts on here to indicate they don't want him at the club, can't wait for him to fail, to indicate they don't like the appointment and are prepared to show it, either outside the ground or inside it.

If enough of those who don't want him at the club start booing from the start and carry it on match by match, it will undoubtedly have an effect on the players.

In my view, we have a part to play, for good or bad. You've accused Evertonians of being sanctimonious, holier than thou, and preachers for saying "just support the club." It's nothing to do with that.

My view is that I've seen managers come and go since Johnny Carey came... and went; some I've liked; some I thought weren't good enough… one I hated, but didn't boo him. I thought Carey was a better manager than Catterick, but Catterick did reasonably well, I just hated him, mainly for his treatment of Alex Young. Never booed him though.

So, when you say that anyone who says support the team, support the manager and support the club, I'd say they're not preachers, they fear for the consequences of a toxic atmosphere which has been all too prevalent at Goodison Park recently.

Your rabid hatred cannot be assuaged.

End of.

I won't go with your game by game basis Michael, not in terms of judging the manager. But I agree in judging each game every week in terms of team performance. But they're individual games. A manager's success or failure should be judged over time unless it is going obviously wrong in a Mike Walker kind of way. Kendall would not have made it to 1984 and Moyes would never have done 11 years on that ticket.

We're not a small club Tony. We never have been and won't be. Not in my blue tinted eyes anyway. Admittedly we've behaved like one and and rested on our laurels, but we are not a small club. Moyes, the manager who in classic Moyes style, talked his current club out of a Champion's League position last season played a big part in that by dampening a generation's ambition. He told the supporters of the champions who had grown up on Alex Ferguson's dynasty that they aspire to be like their city neighbours. He didn't like expectation and that rubbed off on the players and the fans.

Anyway, if I take anything from yesterday's interview, as uncomfortable as I was with the appointment, he's talking about competing and being competitive. That's a good start for me.

You really need to get fit to take on the bandit Derek Knox in August. Heard he already has his name inscribed on the trophy!

See you again in the Excelsior soon and we will laugh about this. Take care.

Those that describe fans as being 'gullible' seem to forget that, in truth, the 'gullible' are merely powerless. "Sack the board", some will cry – well, there's little chance of that happening – unless the owners want to carry out a "night of the long knives" event for their own reasons. "Get out of our club" shouts for the owner are also never going to have any effect, until and unless the said owner wants to sell up to a new owner, who will probably behave in the same way as the previous one.

If fans had the power to change things, they would. Some rightly opposed the move to Kirkby and they were successful in doing so, although it could be argued that, if Everton FC had have had the finances in place, the authorities may have given planning permission, and then we would in all likelihood now be playing in Kirkby.

The audience of any event can choose to give bad reviews or good reviews on whichever event they have attended; they can also choose to attend or not attend the next event if they feel that the previous event was substandard. No matter how the audience views the fayre on offer, they have no power to dictate who funds the event, who directs it, who manages it, or who takes part in it.

Like it or not, that is also the limit of a football fan's power, despite being so emotionally attached to the club that they support.

Fans blaming each other for the position that the club finds itself in is futile and will prove to be counter-productive to what we all want Everton to be, namely, successful. I don't like the term 'toxic', because it invokes an image of an angry out-of-control mob, which is not what concerned and unhappy Evertonians should be described as.

Any suggested call to arms will likely fall on deaf ears, not because supporters don't care or are easily pleased… but mainly because they are wise enough to realise that they have limited power to force any changes that will truly affect the situation.

He managed our arch enemy and called us a “small club”. Never mind the second language excuse, that shit stays with you and quite rightly so. He shouldn't come near the club, should he?

But…

…He's also an experienced manager, possibly the most experienced and successful available. He also loves the city and is somehow prepared to manage us despite the understandably vocal objections from a significant portion of Evertonians and the fact that he will get zero honeymoon period. Maybe this swings things in his favour?

Part of me feels sick to the stomach every time I see that GoCompare-esque photo of him wearing an Everton scarf but there is a bit of me that wonders whether this is a genius appointment. Maybe he'll give us three years of gradual improvement before passing the reins to a less divisive manager that can continue the upward trend.

We'll soon find out I guess. Let's hope it's not a fucking train wreck like most things Everton related. That in itself would be a bonus.

I didn't want Allardyce, didn't like him being there and was glad when he was gone. But I wanted Everton to win, just like we all do and will continue to do so.

I was unfortunate enough to be at the Emirates in the match we went about 4 - 0 down after something like 25 minutes that season. My mate who knows an Arsenal youth coach got us tickets right behind the dugout. As in the very first row behind the bench.

If the scoreline and performance wasn't enough, I lost it when I watched Jonjoe Kenny patiently looking up for options in a typical right back position between our box and the centre circle. Allardyce screamed at him to get it forward.

Kenny obliged and aimlessly hit it forward resulting in an inevitable goal kick for Arsenal as it harmlessly rolled out of play.

He got a proper telling off from the manager for carrying out said instruction and was asked "what the fuck was that"?

I couldn't contain myself, and being so close, informed Sam that it was what he just got told to do. Okay, it was a bit more colourful than that. I think he was surprised to hear an Evertonian so close to him as I got a glance, but then his thick skin shrugged it off.

Benitez is here now. He's the manager. I'll judge him on how his, and our team performs.

Your Go Compare quote genuinely made me laugh out loud Tony Shelby!!!

Mrs B - Look you. I'm fed up of you managing all over the world. Get a job nearby. I'm sure Tranmere would have you.

Mr B - Is that you Mr Moshiri? Can I be your manager ?

Mr M - just a minute - (to Usmanov ). Its RB he wants to be our manager. What shall I tell him ?

Mr U. Tell him the jobs his.

Mr M - What about the fans. F*ck the Fans. I want to be in the ESL when it finally gets going.

Mr M - what about BK ?

Mr U - who ?

I mean how many years has this fella had to give this story? Since he wanted the Waiter to get the job hes managed to work out what the Waiter really meant. Its fucking laughable.

How anyone takes this fella serious I will never know. Imagine wanting to click that link when you've known for years what he meant.

There was nothing more certain that scores of aggrieved fans would be turning on themselves and looking for reasons to accept him now its done.

For 15 years its been set in stone what the Waiter meant, now hes manager we might have been wrong. Haha laughable shite.

Sorry for not being sycophantic to your words.

Do you think the likes of Phil Jagielka or Kevin Campbell have an anti-EFC agenda?

It is just a simple truth. He is not a popular choice and many will not be happy unless it becomes clear that he was the best choice at this point.

As long as I see through shite, I don't feel like a doormat. I am willing to back any manager but also willing to stand by fans.

I would stand by all my mates if they don't want to go again but I can't change anything alone.

I don't say anything like a shithouse online that I wouldn't say to anybody's face either. I thought football fans understand the reactions and frustrations of others.

A settled team is paramount for team development which seems to be something most managers are unaware of.

But, if Benitez does well, it will be a good decision and it should annoy the Red Shite far more than us.

But I think everyone is letting each other give rationale opinion as well as emotionally vent without getting too personal.

I don't think anyone should ever post what they're not prepared to say to someone's face. You're in keyboard warrior space then, or shithouse territory to use the Liverpool vernacular as Paul A Smith puts it.

Okay, in the written word, more so than in the spoken, context can get lost and some of us aren't as good as writing as others. It works the other way around in those who can speak better than they write. I always try to see what point others are trying to get across.

Emotional times. Let's give each other time out and space!!

Next time you speak to Ray, please pass on my best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

Top bloke, both on here and in person!

As if Sam Allardyce and Sammy Lee wasn't a big enough stain on the once-proud history of this club, we now have a dinosaur of a manager being appointed on the command of the latent owner with the muppets and puppets who are chairman and board conspicuous in their silence.

Let's not be distracted by the red herring that Rafa once managed Liverpool FC and that he "insulted" little Everton; the bottom line is that his style of football is outdated and reactionary. He is not a progressive hands-on coach and is another boring manager who favours a cautious, defensive-minded approach to games. His appointment stinks of panic and desperation and I personally can't see any positives coming from it.

However, what the owner has done is totally arrogant or ignorant, whichever is worse. He has put a man in charge who simply has to start well because, if he doesn't then, Goodison will be toxic and Benitez is wrongly gonna take the brunt of the vitriol when it should be aimed at Moshiri. I hope it is aimed at him because he can't just do what he wants and ignore us as Kenwright did for years. (Hopefully Bill is feeling the pain too now.)

I think we're all hurting, some like myself cannot yet accept it but he's here now and I will be happy if there are no calls for Benitez's head early on because it should mean we're getting results and we avoid any bad scenes.

As usual, I am more than happy to give Benitez time and wish him every success. I just wish he and his media mates would not be excusing what he said about us, the bullshit “lost in translation” is pathetic! He knows and we know what he said and in what context.

Wish I had his balls! Time will tell.

This is going to be the bitterest end to any managerial reign in the history of association football. When he swans off to the Wirral in 18 months with £X millions in his pockets after being sacked for playing shite football, while blaming everyone but himself.

As people have said on this thread, the grand delusional cojones on this guy are quite a sight to behold. It's not just another job, sport and games are not simply a business. The emotional aspect of this cannot be under-played.

He is starting off ‘in the red' so to speak, his style of play can only ever push us 'into the black', ie, a state of mind-numbing depression. And he'll never push through 'into the blue'.

This appointment has failed before it even begins. It sets a new record for the incompetent owner. My only hope is, his hiring policy cannot reach a lower point than this… but I'm open to being wrong.

I do not understand this idea of providing stability for the Club while they build the stadium; the only thing that will produce is tedium. Isn't providing stability just an excuse for finishing 11th in the Premier League?

Oh, well, let's wait and see, got to get behind the team now, and give this manager a fair crack to impress us.

He turned down two more years in China at £10M a year. I don't give a shite about his LFC connections…. it's a Sheedy thing. I'm excited!

Now some time later he's moving in with her and says that what he really meant was that she was so good looking that they would have wanted to not that they did, but if you let bygones be bygones he'll have a pint with you.

I think we all know what the answer to that would be without any help from his mates.

And then Rafa signed.

Once again, Thank You ToffeeWebbers

Moshiri (and Uncle Alisher) both want big names to make us look like we're a bigger fish than we really are. And let's face it we're probably say a Perch, or perhaps a Tench in the waters of football these days, with an eye on becoming a massive Carp.

Not only that but Benitez lives locally, is available and apparently very well respected and well connected in the football world. All this is up against what? The ire of a few people on the Internet with an 11 year old gripe against the bloke?

In many ways it makes sense in my view. And that's not to knock anyone who isn't happy about it - we're all entitled to an opinion and there's no right or wrong here.

To those digesting the Balague article, here's another, different-tasting course from Andy Hunter at the Guardian -- more about the owner than the new manager, but equally thought-provoking:

Rafael Benítez is a gamble that could expose Everton's wider fragility

The whole farce has certainly affected me but I do think its a good thing that we are finally seeing a bit of steel put behind a long overdue revolution at the club.

He wasnt my choice and I wouldnt have even put him on the list but in terms of a dysfunctional board he has the steel to stand up to the board which is something previous managers have lacked and he will certainly not suffer fools gladly on the playing or coaching staff so I am prepared to wait and see.

Anything Benitez did or said was when he was not at Everton. So judge him for what he says and achieves while at Everton and nothing else.

I remember how Benitez behaved over Rhys Jones. He was a gentleman.

If you don't want to support Everton now that's your choice but shut the fuck up.

I always thought Mazel Tov, was high ranking female who worked for MOSSAD, one of those that was a 'tough as nails sort' but still exuded a great degree of femininity, and raised the Tostesterone levels, even in the Impotent! :-)

And thanks for the link Mike, the hits just keep on coming to Everton's reputation. I'm sure talk in the papers was entirely anticipated and desired by the owners.

Biting the hand that feeds you???

This is more like the dude who sticks his dick up the bottom of a popcorn bucket and asks people if they would like some popcorn.

The stadium is a good thing. The owners' football acumen is a bad thing. And Rafa is a professional and an okay guy.

Far from being a dynaminc leader I think he was out of his depth at Everton. By the end of the season he just didn't seem to be able to know what to do or say. His final after game interviews depicted a very confused manager. I will be very surprised if he is a success at Real Madrid with their very high expectations

However Everton decided on Benitez who is about the same age, has had success in the past, and promises what he knows will appeal to supporters. This time I am far more suspicious of our new manager. I don't really care what he did at Liverpool or said about Everton. I just think that every Evertonian has every right to be concerned. I don't go along with those who want to rip up their season tickets or say they will never watch Everton again.If I did that I would only be punishing myself.

Therefore I sincerely hope I am proved wrong. I do not care who the manager is I will support MY team for as long as I am around. I want Benitez to succeed and it may take a little time before I refer To him as "Raffa". BUT if he is to fail I promise never to say, "See I told you so". I have often been wrong,particularly backing Horses, so I do hope RA...sorry Benitez proves me wrong.COYB

If Rafa won the double next season it won't please certain fans. Life is for going forward not stuck in reverse. The past is the past and if Rafa can bring a positive style of football and competitiveness that's good enough for me.

Missionaries are not always whiter than white, even the black ones, and their positions may even claim a slot in The Kama Sutra, but make it look like a Jane Fonda Exercise Work Out! :-)

Now don't get me started on the ' Politics '!

As for Rafa, I found him laughable when he was the Gobshites manager but I've mellowed a bit since. I'll support him and the club but my gut tells me it's just wrong, however good we think he is. And don't go on about players who have played for both. That's simply not the same thing.
As soon as we win anything, the shite will simply say it was won the Gobshite way. This appointment could turn out to be quite a burden to carry, I'm afraid.

Sorry about those jumping ship even as I understand their frustration. The world needs more Evertonians, not less. In that vein I'll add my best wishes to Ray Roche to get well soon.

We have Mina, Keane, Godfrey and Holgate who are ALL more comfortable on the right cb too. Even if we're about to splash £200m this would be a horrendous waste of money.

Hopefully just some bullshit from Brighton to blag Kroenke into splashing out the full £50m.

Remember premiere league clubs have waiting lists for tickets. Its one out and one in. Giving a season ticket up is fine but not so easy to get it back. If my comment came across as crass then I'm sorry to you and all fellow blues.

For some to give up their season tickets due to this decision is bewildering but their choice.

My dad is 74 and has been a lifelong Evertonian. Born and bred in Liverpool and been in Aussieland since he was 17. He goes on and on about Alex Young, Brian Labone and others like I know what he's talking about!!! Haha.

Obviously me and my brother had no choice but to be blue and at times I curse him for it. He thinks it's an astute appointment and that's good enough for me.

If you can't take it, don't dish it out.

Whatever, he's our manager, so let's support him. At least he is a known quantity and not a wild card that may be good or may be a disaster.

But this is one fan you cannot insult any further.

With hindsight, he's more suited to a team-building project than Ancelotti who's really only been a tinkerer of quality teams set up for him, since he was at Milan. Rafa has experience and success in the Premier League with more than one season compared to his predecessor.

Easy target: to beat Ancelotti's home record – if he does this and maintains the away record, it could be interesting. He needs investment – much more than Ancelotti got, from what we saw. Do a Newcastle on him and he will give you Newcastle results.

For now, back him to succeed; let's see who he signs and how it starts.

Mr Moshiri, you chose him; it's up to you now to back him.

Some will justifiably point to the fact he is yesterday's man and categorise him in that sense as they did Ancelotti. Fair enough. Probably what he has over Ancelotti is that he has inherited shite in the past and done a fairly decent job under constrained conditions. The Newcastle friends I speak to would have taken him back yesterday, let alone tomorrow. Some were convinced Everton wouldn't happen and that he was waiting for their takeover to go through and return.

Hopefully, having made such a controversial and potentially fan dividing decision, the owner, having already spanked millions on averageness, understands he has to lick his wounds, back his man and do the same again. Just spend wisely this time. It's not always what you spend, it's how you spend it. We spoke about Leipzig on another thread.

To Brian's point. We need better players. I feel like I'm starting to use that in a Boris Johnson "let's get Brexit done" slogan kind of way. But it is so obvious. 4 new signings and one for the future improved us last year when all were fit and for a period. But we need more than that.

I too have listened to a few interviews and read some articles.

The one on Toffee TV with the Spanish football journalist was particularly notable.

I think, for the short term, I am becoming quite comfortable with the appointment.

Get rid of Benitez as soon as possible, I (and I am not the only one) don`t want him to be Everton manager. Mister Benitez, you are not welcomed in our club, go now or we will make you go very soon!