TalkSport pundit Simon Jordan has given his thoughts on Everton manager Rafael Benitez following recent actions from the supporters.
The relationship between Benitez and the Everton faithful was a tough one from the start, which was unsurprising given his association with their rivals across Stanley Park, as well as some comments he made about the Toffees in the past.
It led to some rather worrying scenes ahead of the start of the season, and the Spaniard hasn’t exactly done a lot to get fans on his side. They currently lie 15th in the league, which led to some fans unfurling a banner with the message ‘Benitez get out of our club’ during their recent FA Cup tie with Hull City.
They won that game to move into the fourth round, and speaking on TalkSport, Jordan talked about the relationship between Benitez and the fans, claiming that even a decent cup run would not be enough to curry favour with those supporters who are against him.
He said: “If they get dragged into the bottom four or bottom five of the division – they’re already in the bottom six – and they’re fighting against relegation, yet having a good cup run, that’s not going to save Rafa Benitez.
“Going into the FA Cup deep, I think people have made their minds up at Everton about Rafa Benitez, they made their mind up before he came. And they were waiting for the opportunity to have some failure so it could compound their already pretty hard and fast views on him. And they’ve got it. Some of it is justified and some of it is not.
“The fans have to be convinced. Rafa Benitez doesn’t have a god-given right to walk through the door because once upon a time he’s been successful in other people’s spaces, whilst criticising the club that he’s now managing and be given the benefit of the doubt. He’s got to earn that right.”
TIF Thoughts on Simon Jordan’s comments on Rafael Benitez at Everton…
Should Everton sack Benitez?
Yes!
No!
It certainly does feel like there is a level of toxicity around the club and Benitez, which doesn’t seem to be doing anybody any favours.
Given the circumstances surrounding Benitez and his appointment, it seemed inevitable that it was going to reach a point like this, especially if the club aren’t producing much in the league, taking a major step back from where they have been in the past few seasons.
For that reason, it might probably be best for the club to move on from Benitez as soon as possible, just so there can be some positivity around Goodison Park once again, rather than the negativity aimed towards the manager.
In other news: Everton’s Lucas Digne drops interesting post on Instagram amid transfer speculation