Rafael Benitez: How much longer can Everton boss survive in role after Norwich defeat?



The team's form has slumped since the first five games of the year, when they won four of them.

There was a point in the first half at Carrow Road when the home and away fans were in agreement.

"Get out of our club" is what the travelling contingent demanded.

The opposition manager was going to besacked in the morning according to the supporters.

The pitch invader didn't look like he disagreed with either of the opposing teams.

The defeat by the Toffees means they have lost nine of their past 12 games and have fallen from fourth to fifth in the table.

Since his appointment in June, Farhad Moshiri has been steadfast in his support of the Spaniard. How long can his patience last?

There are no excuses for Benitez.

The Spaniard admits that he is at the mercy of the Almighty.

After Saturday's defeat, Benitez said the rest was not in his hands.

The fans displayed banners demanding the departure of the manager.

I came here to fix things that have been happening for the last five years.

I have to analyse the mistakes we are making and make sure we avoid them in the future.

There may be long-term issues, but he needs to improve in the near future.

The Toffees make the same mistakes.

He said he was disappointed that they did not learn. We have made the same mistakes in the past. We have worked on that but when we are on the field, we have a little anxiety.

"We are doing things little by little that are good for the future, bringing in and improving players, but the reality is we have to win on the pitch."

The fan unrest spreads.

The fans came prepared. The away end at the FA Cup win over Hull last weekend had a banner calling for the departure of manager Rafa Benitez, which was unfurled at Carrow Road after the visitors fell behind to two goals in the space of 94 seconds.

On-air and online, the noise continued. He trended on social media. In a bad way. Duncan Ferguson was mentioned as a possible replacement.

Kevin Ratcliffe was embarrassed by the performance.

The appointment of a man who led the cross-town rivals for six years was doomed from the start, according to one caller.

John Southall said there was a lot of anger around Rafa. They are making mistakes and not learning. They lost their way after the first goal.

It is a pretty grim situation for the club. The fans' reaction summed it up. They should be doing better now that they have had enough, and they have a lot of good people.

It's hard to see how he can survive.

The chief football writer is Phil McNulty.

It's hard to see how the manager can survive an embarrassing loss, but the hierarchy have been following their instincts and sticking with him.

Farhad Moshiri was prepared to ignore the past of the previous manager in order to believe that he would be the man to bring stability to the club.

It all started well, with good early wins and the success of signings, but injuries to key figures such as England forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin saw the season go into a tailspin.

The tactical touch that was always his trademark has been lost in some team selections and a failure to show it. The run is six points from the last 39.

The loss at Canaries adds to the toxicity of the situation at the club and the manager, and there is now too much anger around the club for him to keep his job.

It would be a move typical of the confusion at the club were they to sack him after he sold France full-back Lucas Digne to Aston Villa and let him spend the £25m raked in on defenders.

The boldest gamble was made by Moshiri in his time atEverton. He might have to take another one.