Seasons2021-22Everton News
“We didn’t find anyone with his knowledge and passion for football”
“We didn't find anyone with his knowledge and passion for football,” Moshiri said, when asked why he opted for Benitez.
“On his computer he has maybe 3,000 players' details. Name a player, he knows everything about them — injuries, history — and he just won't stop.
“You can see his life is football, there is nothing else. He is an intelligent man who is obsessed with football.
“You can see he will bring passion to your team. At this stage with a major stadium project, you need to go for experience and a winning mentality.
“I'm the biggest fan and I have reacted in most cases to fans when there is discontent. When there were rallies and banners against [Roberto] Martinez, I acted. When I wanted to get David Moyes and there were protests, I didn't take him.
“But this is the case where I think the connection is a very distant connection. He was as passionate a Liverpool manager as he was Napoli manager, Valencia manager or Real Madrid manager.
“He's a professional, dedicated manager who gives his soul to every club that he has been to. You need to pick up professionals who are dedicated and give everything to the team and the man is in love with the city of Liverpool, not so much a particular club.
“All the fans — and I am the biggest fan — will begin to appreciate the man he is. The man will be first in, last out at Finch Farm who gives everything.”
“I mean, what are your criteria? Premier League experience, winning trophies, being dedicated, knowing the city and ability to perform. Even at Newcastle, he worked on no budget, coming from the Championship and finishing tenth [in the Premier League].
“The ability to go from Real Madrid and go to a lower division than the Premier League, it just shows a robust mentality.
“It has been difficult because we brought Carlo in at great effort and the sudden departure disrupted the club and all our plans. We built this squad for him and these are big, big disruptions.
“We couldn't afford another short-term managerial period so we looked hard. We looked at so many managers, matching them with the club, their ability, and he was the only one who ticked all the boxes.
“You can always take big risks and at the end of it we are satisfied that we have done our work.”
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Reader Comments (49)
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2 Posted 01/07/2021 at 12:56:36
3 Posted 01/07/2021 at 13:05:35
However, you have to acknowledge the high risk strategy being employed by Moshiri here, given the clearly divisive nature of the appointment and a poor run of games will inevitably see real evidence of discontent.
The reported shortlist of other candidates was underwhelming though and none of them (as is the way with managerial appointments) gave any indication that they would be a sure fire appointment. Unfortunately, as well, we are not in the frame to be able to appoint a Guardiola type manager at the moment who would almost guarantee success.
So, on balance, I'm content with the appointment and understand what Moshiri has said above as being a sound rationale.
We need to back Benitez and the team from the off. I hope that some of the fans can get over their "he's a kopite" tag, as if that somehow logically explains their angry rejection of him.
Like all managers, like Kendall in his pomp, he needs a bit of luck and, at the risk of sounding biased, Everton are surely due a bit of luck. Let's hope we can get that and have a cracking season. Ever the optimist.
4 Posted 01/07/2021 at 13:07:23
In fairness to Moshiri, I think he's genuinely trying to get it right.
5 Posted 01/07/2021 at 13:07:48
I was reading some of the articles on RS websites yesterday, to get some sort of insight if possible. What Moshiri says here is pretty much replicated in some of the more reasoned views expressed. He is an obsessive basically, by the sound of it. He doesn't suffer fools gladly, be they players, colleagues or directors. If he feels let down he lets people know. And he does seem to love the place, as does his family. He's a pragmatist too, and ruthless.
His relationship with Brands might be interesting. I suspect Rafa is a pretty distant bloke. But that's fine, because a relationship based on trust and respect, is a decent way to proceed, and both have to be earned. Cognitive dissonance is a good spur for management colleagues.
Moshiri has stuck his neck out, but it has been done based on some reasoned thinking process by the sound of it, but as always no guarantees.
I bloody hope so, because Brands is right, we desperately need continuity.
6 Posted 01/07/2021 at 13:16:30
7 Posted 01/07/2021 at 13:21:40
I think the majority believe in the expectation and John Moores' principles. I foolishly and gullibley do. I was brought up on it and then lived the 80s from the Gwladys Street.
Interestingly, Catterick was apparently a task master, not necessarily popular and cared little for reputations. But Moores was quick enough to appoint. But he won titles and trophies. Do we now have similar?
I think the owner is trying to do the right thing. If he was trying to do the popular thing he'd have chosen a very different option.
Just to remind everyone before the happy clapper apologist calls come in or whatever phrase we coin next; option 3 (disappointed) on the poll from me.
8 Posted 01/07/2021 at 13:26:53
Cheapshot and harsh from me.
9 Posted 01/07/2021 at 13:27:21
10 Posted 01/07/2021 at 13:47:01
“I didn't want to get rid of Martinez but I listened to the fans. I wanted Moyes but I listened to the fans. This time the fans can piss off, I want Benitez, so we've got him.”
He takes this entirely upon himself because you can read by what he doesn't say, you can bet your bottom dollar Kenwright didn't want this appointment. The difference between a businessman who has seen enough and an old-fashioned Chairman who is actually an Everton fan!
Who is right? Only time will tell.
11 Posted 01/07/2021 at 14:09:10
What, so the reason we've been shite over the course of this man's tenure is because he's been listening to others? Doesn't sound like someone taking responsibility to me. Who wanted Silva, Allardyce, Koeman, etc?
Nobody wanted Allardyce amongst the supporters but he still appointed him.
12 Posted 01/07/2021 at 16:38:58
I didnt want Benitez, probably because of his past with Liverpool and also his style of play, but being realistic he was the best candidate by far of all those who were mentioned and if he can get a few early wins under his belt then we will all get behind him.
I just dread us having a bad start because I feel the wrath of the fans would only make things worse and possibly make players lose confidence.
Now hes here lets get behind him and the team with our full support win or lose for at least this season and see where it gets us.
COYB
13 Posted 01/07/2021 at 16:58:59
Yeah so have I. Its called Championship Manager.
14 Posted 01/07/2021 at 17:26:31
It took another nine months for the Board to act.
15 Posted 01/07/2021 at 17:40:58
Lol you beat me to it. That apart I am torn on his reactions to fans. On one hand, you don't want a Kroenke type aloof owner who's out of touch. On the other hand, is having a "Stars in their eyes" type poll a good way to decided on firing RM or hiring Moyes? I think being decisive is good, but having employed Brands to handle such matters I am puzzled as to why Mosh doesn't utilize him.
16 Posted 01/07/2021 at 17:43:45
Hey everyone, Moshiri Antoinette is serving cake. Who's having it?
17 Posted 01/07/2021 at 18:34:43
“𝗜'𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻"
Translation - Fans want a challenging, attacking team but the Albatross of a new stadium is where it's at so they can do one. Remember, Benitez lives local so moonlight flits a la pasta gob are off the agenda and he'll keep us up!! Jump on the "time heals everything" bandwagon (ignore Ireland and the Middle East) and we might even borrow "you'll never walk alone".
Hello. hello anyone there??
Who said karaoke? - "my way" for me
Who wants a fig roll??
NURSE!!
18 Posted 01/07/2021 at 18:42:41
“Look, Ive already invested half a billion in this club and it nearly went tits up. The least I expect is for us to stay in the fucking Premier League whilst I build you lot a new stadium and spunk even more money on players.”
If he had I think we all wouldve respected the decision far more.
19 Posted 01/07/2021 at 18:54:01
If we had few choices on the table Benitez at least has some kind of reputation. More than an Eddie Howe or Dunc at least. Might be worth something when we want to try and bring in a player. Maybe he'll contribute a bit more towards Duncs managerial development than the others shortlisted.
Nah, cant lie, I'm still not happy with this but I'm facing the fact that I could, with some of the other lesser choices Moyes especially, be cat-kicking livid and nervous about next season. I'm not now just not particularly excited.
Hopefully I'm proved wrong. I've been served some fine meals by portly waiters in my time. Maybe another one can serve up a surprise.
20 Posted 01/07/2021 at 19:00:33
21 Posted 01/07/2021 at 19:02:58
Jurgen Klinsmann, "I have a house in the US" great let's get him for the US team useless
Pepe Mel, overweight, balding, Spanish, Let's get him for WBA Useless
Graeme Souness, ex RS, has a moustache useless manager
Carlo Ancelotti, age 61, useless at Everton
The omens are bad
22 Posted 01/07/2021 at 19:04:18
23 Posted 01/07/2021 at 19:42:57
As for "I am the biggest fan and I sacked Martinez when the banners went up, and I didnt reappoint Moyes". Well what happened to carrying out the fans wishes on hiring Allardyce who nobody wanted.
Then we come to the best bit " The ability to go from Real Madrid to a Championship side shows a robust mentality, he took Newcastle down into the Championship he didnt go to a Championship club he took over a premier league club and got them relegated. The only part that has a grain of realism is they think he will be a safe pair of hands till BMD is built.
My question to Moshiri would be well seeing you sacked Martinez because of the crowds banners if in 6 months we are struggling and there are even more banners calling for Benitez to be sacked what happens then.
24 Posted 01/07/2021 at 00:01:36
Benitez fulfilled the criteria of continuing the plan and tackling the barrier to progress. Benitez has given Moshiri a tour of his methods, which Steve Fearns has given us a incite to on another threads. Sounds familar as a result, without Steve's analysis.
Moshiri really does believe you can parachute a Manager in and change a whole organisation. The problem is that the Manager is only in charge of the playing side of the Club and is dependent on others to hold up their end of the Club.
For a Business Manager he has a alarming lack of knowledge of governance, accountability and monitoring performance in a Business organisation.
Is he going to back Benitez to run the whole club? If he backs him even on the playing side Everton may get somewhere. Benitez is a necessary according to Moshiri long term appointment. He stayed at Liverpool for six years, but his other tenure lasted at most four years.
The only good thing is there are no illusions this time. The pressure is on from the start and Moshiri has no choice but to back Benitez.
There is alot more' now or never' regarding this appointment and Everton this season.
25 Posted 02/07/2021 at 01:03:26
"Ancelotti before he left gave Moshiri an ear full of where the barriers to progress lay on the football side."
Where are your sources... post them on TW. Some will agree, some will disagree but stop making stuff up... please?
26 Posted 02/07/2021 at 01:22:41
It's a done deal and I have to get used to it.
If so, then fair enough, now we just have to sit back and wait to see if the fine words translate into fine actions...and even finer results.
Getting some of the players to appear to actually give a fuck will be a start.
27 Posted 02/07/2021 at 04:47:04
You don't really think that Anchelotti's public pronoucements regarding effort and committent, recruitment would not have been discussed with Moshiri at some stage or that Moshiri on hearing them would have not asked Anchelotti about them?
Rafa's main pronouncement at his first interview was the need for competitiveness: effort and committement. He did not make that up. It is a big part of his job and was a key reason he got the job.
Brian#23
I agree. Psychologists say when you feel the need to give a reason , you are making a excuse. Moshiiri has left himself wide open to all you say.
Just hope he is right and has found the right Manager
28 Posted 02/07/2021 at 06:53:46
29 Posted 02/07/2021 at 07:06:37
I don't know a lot about Ben White, but if that's where we're shopping, I hope he's more Ben Godfrey than Michael Keane.
30 Posted 02/07/2021 at 07:25:09
And were there only three applicants considered, is the pool really that small?
31 Posted 02/07/2021 at 08:11:03
As Steve Ferns pointed out, Benitez was well know for being a pioneer for collecting player data. Now Clubs have Data Analysts employed specially to collect such data.
Everton have three Data Analysts on players working for them.
Sorry, you probably already know all this and of course as you say Brands will be up to speed on this.
Hopefully Moshiri had amongst his selection criteria 'ability to delegate'. Benitez is going to be busy enough in what he has to do.
32 Posted 02/07/2021 at 08:34:38
But he's here now whether we like it or not and it will be results that matter as part of the Board have created a rift and any future move will be a stand down with great reluctance.
33 Posted 02/07/2021 at 09:56:23
34 Posted 02/07/2021 at 10:05:09
I got the same impression and Moshiri in that statement doesn't seem to know what is going on. As you say it comes across as excuses. The problem is just not the playing side, it is also a divided Everton. Hopefully it will work out and they get together or changes are made to help the process of getting together. More than anything a Everton with a unity of purpose is needed, or else your conclusion will be spot on.
If he came on Toffeeweb with a Post like that he would be slaughtered.
He comes across as a genuine bloke , with a tendency to be too honest.
35 Posted 02/07/2021 at 10:09:29
This to me read like he's saying the fans got it wrong - with Martinez and Moyes both being held in high regard currently - and that he'd rather have kept Martinez, and rather have appointed Moyes.to Ancelotti.
36 Posted 02/07/2021 at 11:18:11
I don't know, neither do you... so why post it as fact when you have absolutely no knowledge? I do notice that you have at least gone from stating that "Ancelotti before he left give Moshiri an earful" to simply suggesting the two men would have discussed the issues at some point.
But yet again you still can't help yourself: "Rafa's main pronouncement at his first interview was the need for competitiveness: effort and commitment. He did not make that up. It is a big part of his job and was a key reason he got the job."(My added emphasis.)
How do you know what were the decisive factors in Moshiri giving Benitez the job?
37 Posted 02/07/2021 at 12:01:21
What utter rot. Nowhere near the biggest fan. You are simply the major shareholder. This appointment is all about protecting your future payout when the stadium is built and the value of all of the assets rise.
Rafa, fits the bill, a guy with lots of knowledge, who should perform okay. The rest of the fans will just have to hope it all works out.
38 Posted 02/07/2021 at 12:36:09
39 Posted 02/07/2021 at 12:40:32
40 Posted 02/07/2021 at 12:46:00
Is it the 65-year-old fan who's followed Everton all of his life and has a long-time season ticket? Or a man who has taken a huge personal risk and invested a large amount of his own personal wealth into the club and is in the process of making the biggest investment in the club's entire history?
41 Posted 02/07/2021 at 15:49:21
You should post your explanation of what is happening at Everton, and see how it stands up to scrutiny. You will then respect other peoples right to have opinions that differ from yours. When you actually do some research you will come across evidence and form opinions. I am not going to do the research for you.
42 Posted 02/07/2021 at 19:26:46
Moshiri has been a bastion of incompetence from the moment he walked through the door. Not only has been a total disaster with regards to recruiting of management but he has no strategy, no plan and no sense of where he wants to take the club. He has behaved like a kid in a candy shop and I think it was Darren who accurately labelled him as having the temperament of a 'paranoid schizophrenic' as he flits between ideologies, philosophies and age profiles of players dependent on the latest flavour of the month employed.
If things couldn't get much worse the imbecile has now laid many of his woeful mistakes on the doorstep of our loyal fan base for whom he has been given a uniquely lenient time in comparison to his much more canny predecessor.
Firstly let's deal with Martinez. Yes I was in the minority who still had faith in Roberto,feeling that he should be afforded more time. For me it was only from December that third season when the wheels came off and I felt with 72 points, European last 16 and two cup semis that there was certainly merit to Moshiri backing him if he so wished.
However, in all sincerity, it wasn't just the majority of fans who had lost faith in Roberto. Many of the players had shown they didn't retain the faith in the Spaniard and league results were a real source of underachievement for the squad at his disposal. Ultimately it wasn't the fans alone who drove Roberto out, it was fans,players and results, a lethal combination.
If Moshiri had similar convictions to me he could have easily came in and said that he felt Roberto hadn't had the backing, that Roberto understood and knew how to address the problems, that he had shown he could achieve things in his three years, that the supremo would invest over 100 million that summer and that he would get until December to turn things around. This would have been enough I believe for the fans to trust the owner and his grant his desires.
Secondly how many fans would have wanted Roberto replaced with Koeman?This was a manager who previous had overseen two dire failures and two mini successes, one of which was founded by the brilliance of a Mauricio Pochettino. Even those like me who understood that Martinez deserved to lose his job would never have wanted such an inferior manager, had a totally different philosophy and had no history or intention of bringing through youth. It was a comical nonsensical appointment just like Allardyce and Silva which all had little support from the fan base Moshiri likes to scapegoat. He doesn't take the rap for these such is his arrogance.
Finally Moshiri justifies Benitez appointment by saying he wanted Moyes. Everton fans didn't want Moyes not because he was poor but because he would never bring us trophies, because he shit on the club and because we had already walked that walk.
Does Moshiri not understand that the arrival of the tycoon encouraged fans to believe that we could now achieve something special and brought about dreams of top managers and players alike donning the Everton Blue? Talking about wanting Martinez and Moyes, who despite being two of our better managers, represented 'failure' to the majority of our supporters whether accurate or not. Moshiri could have appointed any three managers in the world (excluding his aforementioned three) who would have garnered the goodwill of the majority once appointed. The fact he was insistent on these three shows exactly how truly idiotic and deluded the man is.
43 Posted 02/07/2021 at 20:15:31
"I am not going to do the research for you."
No worries I'm more than capable of making up crap myself if the mood takes me
44 Posted 02/07/2021 at 20:26:52
45 Posted 03/07/2021 at 06:25:57
Moshari has been a great owner, imho. He has moved us from being a small provincial club to one that the very top echelon of managers and coaches now at least consider when they are looking for work.
Buried beneath us by this managerial distraction is a not too often mentioned truth: that is, despite our falling off at the end of the season, Everton were in contention for a Top 4 finish until the last month of the season.
We were perhaps not Top 4 on merit but our 10th place finish was not a true reflection of the value and worth of this team.
Benitez is not going to replace Seamus Coleman; he will probably just find a way of playing without him.
When we were managed by Desktop Davey and Liverpool were managed by Rafa, I always wished we had someone with the basic on-the-ground savvy as Rafa. This club finally has a great manager who has the pull to attract elite players.
46 Posted 03/07/2021 at 07:22:26
47 Posted 03/07/2021 at 10:56:31
48 Posted 04/07/2021 at 19:05:32
49 Posted 04/07/2021 at 20:51:55
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1 Posted 01/07/2021 at 12:46:33
I wonder if he is just repeating the same mistake? A has-been, a yesterday's man who can spout a nice line in interviews, but will be as singularly unable to produce the results from the players he has as was Carlo Ancelotti.
Why were we so patient with him? Well, the absence of crowds has to have been a major factor that dragged out the inevitable. I'd like to think that the Goodison faithful would have really delivered a message to Carlo that this was simply "Not Good Enough". But we were told repeatedly he needed time, he needed better players, we must not be impatient, it's a marathon not a sprint… blah blah blah.
I was guilty of giving Ancelotti the benefit of the doubt and expecting jam tomorrow always jam tomorrow. Did that make me gullible or suupine? Or was it the sign of being a good supporter?
Some write in fear of the atmosphere at Goodison quickly turning 'toxic' if we don't start well under Benitez. For me, I think that would be excellent. The manager and the players need to be told in no uncertain terms if they are not performeing.
But then I'm an accolyte of a certain Sir John Moores, who acknowdged that:
The supporters of Everton expect the best. Only the best is good enough, and if it's not the best then they will demand the best.