 Welcome to Toffley TV. Today I am joined by a well-renowned journalist, Gillan Balagay, to have a chat about Everton's new manager, Raphael Benitez. Gillan, thanks for taking the time to have a chat with us. My pleasure. Let's get into it. Let's get into what's been a very, I'm not going to say controversial, but very emotive subjectively amongst Everton and a few Liverpool. Liverpool fans as well, but certainly amongst us Blues, the appointments of Raphael Benitez. I mean, when you first heard that this may be a possibility, what was your take on it? Were you surprised or? More importantly, what do you think? What do I think? You see, I'm opposite, not opposite, but my reservations, and you might be able to put me straight on this, my reservations are more around the perceived style of Raphael Benitez as football, and whether or not the hunger is still there, because obviously he's had a time of his life where you're looking at a lot of younger coaches and could he bring that energy? The Liverpool connection for me is years ago, so he's moved on, he's been at different clubs. And it really isn't a thing, because if it had been Brendan Rodgers or Jürgen Klopp, I would have been saying, yeah, fine, let's get on with it. So it's not really the Liverpool thing. My reservations are more around the style of play. We just had Carlo Antialotti, who's a lot of Evertonians loved, but the way we played last season wasn't very attacking. It wasn't great to watch. It got results on some occasions. So that's kind of where my reservations come in. I'm hoping this is where you tell me Raphael Benitez is very adaptable, and it isn't the picture that people are taking. OK, you come out with a few things there. First of all, he was the best interview that the owners and decision makers of the club did. It was the best one by a mile. This is said by people that were questions, and they felt that his approach was very professional, the information that he had was very professional, that the information he had about the team and what he wanted to do with it was very, very telling in terms of what he can do with the side. That's the first thing. Secondly, do you know which is the highest scoring record in the Champions League? No, but you were going to tell me, so go on. Liverpool beat, I think it was Basitcus, 8-0. Do you know who was the manager? Well, obviously it was Mr Benitez. But that was equaled by another team that also won 8-0, Bramadrid Malmol. Do you know who was the manager? No, go on. Brafa Benitez. The consciousness of his approach, and I'm not saying he's an offensive coach, he's not Pep Guardiola, he's, as you're describing well, he's a balanced kind of philosophy, if you like, everybody has to defend, everybody has to attack, however you approach the game has to do with what you've got available. So if he has two guys up front that make really the difference, the team will be built around that, and the team will defend perhaps, you know, far away from the wrong box because there isn't the quality to defending your own box. Whatever it is, he will analyse and then apply to it. But I think most people, for whatever reason, I mean, we take conclusions based on what we remember on one or two things that we saw and what about, but a lot of people are taking the conclusion that he's a defensive coach on his approach to the game against Liverpool when Newcastle had just come up into the Premier League. He had wingers, right, that could not beat, and these are the fastest players that he had, could not beat defenders. And he didn't have enough players afront that made the difference. And this was against the Liverpool off-clop that fought for the league that season, right? So he goes on a five, four, five, one formation, and that's like, that's it, that's roughly what I needed. He played 4-3-3 with Newcastle in the championship. His favourite formation is 4-2-3-1, and some would say at a time where one holding midfield is enough, why have two? Well, it's his favourite formation. What also means that four guys that are mostly offensive, that have to do a defensive job, tags, myths. I mean, football is full of them. I think people in your channel and yourself are the kind of people that will think and will say, all right, let's research judgment to whatever he decides that he's got, whatever signings that there are, and what about why he approaches the games, not the first one, the first three months. So by then you would know what his approach is. Finally, you talk about his energy as a 61-year-old man, and this you have to believe me because you haven't seen it yet. He went to China with the idea in theory to be the coach of a team, actually decided to change the methodology and the philosophy of a whole club. He put the foundations for them to jump high up the table if you can, but whatever budget you've got is really relevant because you need most of your squad to be Chinese and the best Chinese players, and there isn't a bunch of them end up with the teams with more money. But meanwhile, he worked on the academy. He worked on the mentality of the people working within the club, not just the players, but the physios, the medical department, the people at the office. And he needed a project that was worthwhile spending all that amount of energy in. He has his own software that is developed, taking advantage of the time that he's had available in his hands in the last few months. Talk about energy. Don't worry about that. OK, great answers. Very insightful. I've been doing a lot of reading and my thinking, sorry, my knowledge of him. Cos obviously, as an ex Liverpool manager, out of the way, I'm not really interested in what he's doing. Once obviously the spotlight comes on with Everton, you do a little bit of reading, you listen to people speak about him, have watched videos on him talking, obviously speaks really well. Thought he handled his Everton interview as professionally as I expected from him, said all the right things. So, do you think he's a good fit for Everton Football Club? Obviously, you're well aware of the Premier League. You're very knowledgeable of the Premier League. Do you think he's a good fit for Everton Football Club? I have to tell you, first of all, I'm biased. I know him. I've worked very closely with him. I know his potential, but I know what he can do. I know a lot of stuff that hasn't been published and I haven't published the kind of word that he does behind the scenes. I know his relationship to players, the players that he had. That's important players that go back to him, asking for advice from Real Madrid players, Napoli players. Napoli, who had him, wanted him back twice. They tried to get him in the last 12 months. Newcastle, you know, new owners come in. He would have been the manager. What does that tell you? Quite clearly, you know, Valencia, I don't even need to tell you about that. So, you are talking about somebody that is capable to adapt to whatever security is in, but I've related, I did an article for the BBC, which also gives you a little bit of context on his side, if you like, and I relate his arrival to Everton now, to his arrival in Liverpool in 2004. He was on the back of Gerard Julier, a forum manager that was changing methodology and way of work and a way of preparing, but he didn't jump, he didn't do everything that he needed doing, and Rafa just took the team to the next level. Angelotti, he came in with a way of thinking about the job. I think the family suffered in Merseyside. They weren't particularly happy. You've got, you haven't got a problem because they've been, the Vanity family have been in Merseyside and very involved in social life there for 17 years. And Rafa can take this team that needs to become a winning team, because there is money available, plenty of money available to make this quote better. But I think the impression everybody's got is that for that money to actually make sense for players to come, for players to want to come to Everton, but also the ones that come in, they want to be surrounded by professional people that are demanding, that want to win, that want to get better at all levels. And again, that means everywhere. And that means tough decisions that will have to be made for actually that dynamic change from being what you are at the moment, a meat table side. You know, you've been 10th and 12th and 8th and 9th or something in the last four years. Average I think I calculated 52 points. That takes you, that it's about seven points average in the last four years to an European place. That seven point gap is not just players and it's not just a style and it's not just the manager. Everybody has to get better. And you've got a winning manager, you've got a guy that wants to win, that he wouldn't just come here to just because I'm home so I cannot after training I can get home, not like that. So everybody's got to accept what's coming and that means everybody. And while that happens, then you will have a team that will play better. If you want, by the way, solutions in the first game or two, if people are waiting for the first defeat, they'll get it. And they'll get it relatively soon, I imagine. If those people that are waiting for the first defeat to have a go, they'll have a failed time at the beginning. Don't hang around for long because when it all starts getting better, then you'll be the ones that people will laugh at. I think both the owners, I know that they're not seen locally, but they're ambitious. The Ousman office in advice as well, they are winning people that want to win. So they've got now a manager that will get them closer to that. OK, fair enough. Some of those things I've mentioned, Gwilym, you've probably been able to give me a little bit more context to it. I've seen comments from the likes of Stephen Gerrard saying, you know, don't think Rafa liked me and he was very hard on me and things like that. What generally has been his relationship with players, is he a demanding manager? Is this what players are reacting with, this kind of thing, is I'm unsure whether he likes me or whatever. I would rather have a manager who, to be fair, who was demanding rather than one and got results rather than one who was a lovely fella and didn't get results. But is it a case of pushing it and pushing it to drive on to get better things? Is that what your experience of, obviously, knowing Rafael Benitez very well and a lot of footballers, is that the kind of relationship he has? I'll start with my experience. I don't know if he likes me. We've been talking since 2004. No, before when he was a violinist. I've got no idea if he likes me or not. I don't know what his personal opinion of me is. I don't even know what his professional opinion of me is. It's not the guy that will tell you, well done, I love the article or like that book. I know that it's a record of mine. But if you're the kind of person that wants an arm around your shoulder and a tap on your back, that kind of thing is not the man. But by the way, the fact that he emotionally perhaps his volume is low, he's down, also helps him when he gets xenophobic chantings against him as staff of Bridgeman or his job funds. When he sees a banner in his district, threatened him, or when he gets called all kinds of names in banners in the Buddhist Park, it just doesn't affect him, don't waste your time. He's been identified by the club or somebody that can do what we were describing before. If you want to hurt him, I'm not sure what the way is. And that lack of emotional behavior means that the players, he will tell them exactly what he wants of them. And if they don't deliver, then they probably won't play. It's like that. But he's got a very professional coaching staff that fills all the walls. That, you know, I think Stevie G had all the people telling him how brilliant he was and how good a job he was doing. And a lot of people around him saying that he wanted it from the boss. And now that Stevie G is a boss, I like to hear him talking about that time with Brafa that made him better. If he could be, but he didn't get a hook. Let's see how he feels about that now. To be honest, I've seen something not long ago that says he understands why it was and it made him better. And he's putting some of those principles into what he's doing at Rangers. So maybe it's the long game, Brafa playing the long game with some of these people. You mentioned there obviously the connection to the city and him settling it. He's been here since 2004. His family are quite clearly settled. We've seen some, you know, the thing with the banner close to his home has been widely condemned by Evertonians anywhere. Even people who don't want him as the manager have said, totally crossed the line out of order. Do you think there would have been, I think you've just kind of answered this before I've asked you the question, but do you think there would have been anything in his psyche when he saw these things popping up that made him think, no, I'm not going to do it. There's too many people against me or is he the kind of person who wants to prove people wrong and that kind of would have just egg them on a little bit more to go. I will prove you wrong that I can do this job. How many people do you need to ride the banner? Yeah, yeah, of course, yeah. One, two, yeah. Maybe two. Let's be generous. Say three. How many people do you think wrote those banners, both in his district? It seems like the same calligraphy. It seems like the same people. So let's say three people think that way. Three people. Who are they? Who are they in the bigger picture? I think he listens to, he's got a lot of friends who are Evertonians, friends that have been helped by the foundation that he's got with his wife. Friends that are in the local district that he used to have banter with when he was at Liverpool, but now they've asked him. I heard it. They've asked him, join us, make us better because we know what you can do. We know what kind of person you are. Those are the people that count. It's like going to social media and being affected by the comments and the trolls and it's like, who are they anyway? I'd rather hear the opinion of my brother than be affected by a comment on Twitter, to be honest, and this is exactly the same. Because emotionally he can control his reactions. That's not his motivation. His motivation is not to prove anybody right or wrong. It's to actually do a job and if he didn't feel capable of doing it, he won't be just waiting for an opportunity like this. He wouldn't. He won't be easy to step by the workers. He gets age sketch to us and energy gets reduced with age if you don't renovate the energy and all that. It's not there by any means. No, no, I think you take satisfaction but you write his first thing will just be to do his job the same as probably the way he's always done it anyway. I think a lot of people, a lot of Evertonians have gone, okay, you might not have been my choice that I would have picked but you've got big honies to come in and do it. Listen, we've seen him handle it at Stanford Bridge and obviously that was at a time with Chelsea fans and everything else. I'm sure he'll cope without any issues really. Very interested, you've made some comments, I've seen it on Twitter. I think it was last week talking about obviously very positive about Rafa Benitez to Everton but there was some comments that you felt it represents a change for Everton Football Club as to what's been going on. What did you mean by that? I mean, because I took it as to the owners. I think you said the owners are tired of losing and now they want to win and things like that. Do you think it genuinely does represent a change now from Farad Masherian and his mate? Alice Llywodraff in terms of what they actually want Everton to do and buy a point and wrap up and he says those changes can happen in the football club? I think they had the impression that with Angelotti they could have gone that way. It didn't happen because I don't think Angelotti was interested in wanting to win or wasn't interested in changing the culture of a club. He wanted to reduce his influence to the thing that is very good at to make the team the best they can be. So, all right, they identified that the mistake they made is that they needed to bring somebody that had the full package. The full package means that socially he would be adaptable to mercy side and not everybody helps to it. And I understand that. I mean, I lived in Liverpool for many years. It's my favourite place in the world but all this have left after that one year or two. And I will always come back because there is a magnet to it and the fact that Rafa Benitez and his wife Montser are living there is a proof that for them is home. This is home. So you've got that sorted. But the biggest thing for the owners and decision makers at Everton is how can we win? And when you haven't done it, you can have an idea. See Angelotti can do it maybe. But when you have done it, it's not just a manager. Everything has to change. And that's going to be tough decisions and maybe not everybody will understand it. And I guarantee you, I guarantee you, there will be people within the club that don't want change because it means them changing. So stories will come out from the club for those that have been pushed aside because they don't want to change. That will be negative. I hope the fans are intelligent enough to identify that and realise that every change, think of your company, think of your group of friends, think of your football team. Once there is a change and I think this is for the better and convince this is for the better. When there is a change, there are victims, there are things, people that want to change and there are negativity will come out of it. Identify the moment that you are in history. Don't think of the next game only. Think that you're actually being pushed to be better and to do that you need a culture of the club and everybody within it to think on a similar way. Don't think just of the next game. Think of the bigger picture all the time. And then when you see, I think, I'm convinced, I haven't got a crystal ball, but I'm convinced to improve. And that is never a linear line. It never just goes that way. It goes that way but it goes up. So I hope that helps you. I hope this is at least a different angle on whatever you were thinking of it. And anyway, I think that one or two other people listen to it and think, all right, I changed my mind. Not I love Raffaenite, but I'll give you my chance to make this thing better. That's all we can hope for, isn't it, that he comes in and everybody gets behind it because he's our manager and we all need to be pushing in the same way. When people have asked me stuff and said, oh, I'm not supporting them, it will. OK, you don't have to support them, support the team. You don't have to be against them to support the team. And there is a difference. There is a difference and hopefully. I hope you enjoyed and I've got to move on. Sorry for the delay earlier. But yeah, I don't know if you get comments of people going and collecting on this, but I'll keep an eye on it. And certainly see the evolution of the team and come more often to Liverpool. Always a good excuse and excuse. Excellent. Willam, thanks very much for taking the time out to talk today. It's going to be interesting. Thanks a lot. Take care. OK. Bye-bye. Big thanks there to Gil and Balagay talking about Rafa Benitez becoming the new Evermanage. Good insight there. He knows him very well. He's written a book with him. Spent a lot of time with him and just given us a different perspective, I guess, on Rafa Benitez. Everyone will obviously make their own judgments on it, but I thought very interesting chat there with Gil and Balagay. There you go. Make sure you give the video a thumbs up, subscribe if you haven't, and if you want more videos, join us over on Patreon. See you later.