What were Everton thinking? Rafa is not our man... Big Dunc is EXCLUSIVE
TONY COTTEE
EVERTON legend Tony Cottee fears Rafa Benitez’s Goodison Park reign will end in tears and was always “a recipe for disaster”.
Benitez signed a three-year deal in the summer after Carlo Ancelotti jumped ship to return to Real Madrid.
The appointment prompted a bitter and, at times, sinister reaction from angry Evertonians, who cannot forgive nor forget the 61-year-old’s links to Liverpool.
Everton’s dismal form in the first half of the season has seen them languish in the bottom half of the table and get dumped out of the Carabao Cup by QPR.
Cottee spent six years at Goodison and three at what should have been today’s opponents, Leicester, before the match was postponed due to
Covid, scoring more than 100 goals for the two clubs.
He said: “I’m not a fan of Rafa, I’ve got to be honest, and I thought it was such a crazy, high-risk appointment to give the job to someone who had managed Liverpool.
“It didn’t make sense to me. I’ve got Evertonian pals and they are pulling their hair out with it all.
“If you appoint someone with no ties to your great rivals, then the fans are a bit more understanding.
“But to appoint a former Liverpool manager at Everton was a recipe for disaster – and it’s his style of football, too.
“Evertonians want to see their team attack at Goodison Park, not sitting back and playing on the counter-attack.
“Rafa’s teams are notoriously defensive. In the last 10 games in the Premier League, Everton have been poor and lost to QPR in the League Cup.
“I just don’t know what boxes Rafa ticked when the Everton board came to appointing him. Yes, in his defence, Dominic CalvertLewin has been injured.
“But Evertonians deserve better performances than at Crystal Palace [3-1 defeat] last weekend – and I think it will end in tears for Rafa.”
Cottee believes Everton should have appointed Eddie Howe (above) in the summer, when he was a free agent, or striking legend Duncan Ferguson.
He was overlooked for the top job, despite having been interim boss in 2019, but stayed on the staff as Benitez’s assistant. Cottee added: “Eddie was a big fan of Everton when growing up and he was certainly available.
“Big Dunc was already at the club and he deserves a chance.
“There were people available – and yet the board went and appointed Rafa.”
With Howe now at Newcastle, Cottee thinks Ferguson could be given a chance when Benitez clears off.
Cottee said: “Sadly, I missed Duncan at Everton by three months when I left – but I’d love to have played with him.
“Big Dunc is an Everton legend and he’d be given time.
“People talk about Wayne Rooney coming in and he’s another Evertonian, so at least you’d get the fans behind you.
“Football is a results business and Rafa isn’t getting results.
“Unless he changes that quickly, he will be out of the door.”