Rafael Benitez’s job has become untenable. His record is now the worst of any of the club’s managers since David Moyes left. In recent weeks his tactics have looked totally wrong. He is a one-man wrecking ball destroying my club.
A lot of fans were against him because of his association with Liverpool and that ‘small club’ jibe. I was surprised that he got the job, but gave him the benefit of the doubt.
He started well. We lost only one match in the first two months of the season. His two summer signings, Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend, who cost £1.8million between them, have been our best players.
When results began to unravel, you felt it wasn’t entirely Rafa’s fault. We had injuries to key players, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.
But performances over the past few weeks have just been unacceptable. In the FA Cup last Saturday, Rafa played five at the back against Hull, a Championship side.
He set the team up in the same formation on Saturday against a Norwich side who had not scored in the league since November.
We are doing simple things badly. Rafa believes in zonal marking, telling players to focus on clearing their space. But fresh air never scored a goal. Hence we keep conceding at set-pieces.
It did not help that Lucas Digne fell out with Rafa. We missed him. There is talk that other players have been unhappy with his tactics.
The problem is who should replace him? Duncan Ferguson has been mentioned but he hasn’t got the experience. Some fans want Wayne Rooney but he’s still unproven.
We need stability but there are no obvious candidates for this job.