Everton fans are a fickle bunch, but once you’ve won them over, you can expect support like no other.
Frank Lampard felt the benefits of this for a short period before his managerial shortcomings were laid bare, whilst the jury is still out on Sean Dyche despite his admirable work in solidifying the club.
However, one man who never really ever won over the supporters was Rafa Benitez, and he has reflected on his poisonous period in charge now.
Rafa Benitez reflects on his time at Everton
Speaking on the Overlap just yesterday, they welcomed Benitez onto the show with open arms, with Jamie Carragher particularly delighted to see him.
After all, the two enjoyed a supremely successful spell together at Liverpool, with the centre-back starring as they won the Champions League together against all the odds amongst other honours.
However, many years on from that triumph, his decision to take the vacant managerial position at the Toffees turned many heads, with the 46-year-old particularly perplexed.
Benitez tried to justify his decision to manage Everton, and would reflect on the time briefly whilst also looking ahead to his next job.
He claimed: ‘I am thinking about Premier League, that is not easy. Trust me I have offers. I have had five or six offers from teams at the bottom of the table.
‘I am realistic. I have the passion, the knowledge and experience. I can make the difference. I like to be on the pitch coaching players and improving players. Little things. Anthony Gordon is one of the players, so we can improve players and we can make these things happen. There are not too many though. Man United will not come for me, Chelsea will not come for me. There are teams that I will not coach because they will not come for me now.
Anthony Gordon and Rafa Benitez are not well-liked around Goodison Park
Despite both having left Goodison Park over a year ago now, neither Gordon nor Benitez are particularly well-liked individuals to this day.
With the latter in particular, that should come as no surprise though.
His tenure was always bound to be a rocky one, having previously managed bitter rivals Liverpool, and with financial restrictions further plaguing his time with the Toffees, things only went from bad to worse.
The Spaniard engineered one of the worst runs of form in the club’s recent history, and did so whilst alienating the fans and turning them against one another.
In the end, his departure was a sweet relief for supporters, who then latched onto Lampard as their saviour by comparison.
Gordon, however, left in much more different circumstances, but still was hounded out in a way.
Despite having been handed his big break by his boyhood club, the 23-year-old never really thrived at Everton, showcasing flashes of brilliance without really excelling.
And yet, since leaving for Newcastle United, suggesting he was forced out by the fans despite only a handful reacting poorly to his dire performances, he has flourished, scoring 11 and assisting ten last campaign whilst berating the Toffees at every opportunity.
