Rafael Benitez's lack of respect from English football fans outside of the red half of Liverpool always puzzles me.
When he left Anfield I suspected supporters of the Reds would look back on his tenure as halycon days, and – despite the promise shown so far under Brendan Rodgers – nothing has disproved that theory.
I can sort of see why Chelsea fans are wary of him. He inflicted two savagely painful Champions League semi-final defeats upon them in 2005 and 2007, and had an extremely frosty relationship with their own messiah, Jose Mourinho. But they need to wake up and smell the coffee. Benitez could be great for Chelsea.
I can also see why Chelsea fans would prefer Pep Guardiola – who wouldn't want him as their club's manager, let's be honest? But Benitez deserves better than to be treated as a caretaker until the great man finishes exploring New York. If, for whatever reason, Guardiola says no, perhaps preferring the greater stability that might eventually come his way should the posts at Old Trafford or the Etihad become vacant, then Benitez deserves the gig – and not just for seven months.
I cannot claim that the brand of football Benitez will offer to Chelsea will be to the delectation of Roman Abramovich – I'm not even convinced that has been invented yet – but you don't reach two Champons League finals and another semi-final in six seasons just by being a long-ball merchant.
Yes, he believes in swift counter-attacking, and precision passes to a striker like Fernando Torres, but isn't that great news for Chelsea and Abramovich, who is being criticised for splashing £50 million on the Spaniard?
Benitez offers the last, best hope of helping Torres recapture something close to his true form. Juan Mata and Eden Hazard are more than capable of providing the ammunition for him that Steven Gerrard used to.
It is results that really matter anyhow, and those who under-estimate Benitez choose to ignore an excellent record at Anfield, especially considering he had to work within the financial restritions placed upon him, first under David Moores and then – leveraged initial spending splurge (Torres, Ryan Babel etc) to one side – Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Liverpool's league finishes under Benitez were 5th, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 2nd and – when Hicks/Gillett became personae non-grata at Anfield and the borrowed money ran out – 7th.
The Champions League record we have already discussed, while an FA Cup win in 2006 and a League Cup final in 2005 could also be cited as evidence for his defence.
It doesn't take a professor to calculate that if Abramovich's wealth is added, that record could look even better at Chelsea.
Bizarrely Benitez also comes under fire for his transfer record at Liverpool, particularly for his outlay, but his net spend was about £78 million, or £13 million a season – a drop in the ocean for yacht-loving Abramovich. Those sort of figures would easily comply with Financial Fair Play.
It was only at the end of his Anfield stay did Benitez's skill in the transfer market dissipate slightly – although some argue he was right to cash in on Xabi Alonso when he did – for a profit of nearly £20 million, it should be added.
But Benitez signed some great players at excellent prices: the aforementioned Alonso, Pepe Reina (£6 million), Daniel Agger (£5.8 million), Dirk Kuyt (£9 million), the criminally under-rated Alvaro Arbeloa (£2.5 million, and now first-choice right-back at Real Madrid), Lucas (£5 million), Torres (£20.2 million – sold for two and a half times that) and Martin Skrtel (£6.5 million). There were only a few duds – most notably, Alberto Aquilani and Robbie Keane.
Benitez is also a lucky manager at times – who can forget the Steven Gerrard-inspired night against Olympiakos at Anfield in 2004-05?
Or, indeed the final in Istanbul that same campaign (thanks Gerrard again)?
Or the FA Cup final (err, Gerrard once more) in 2006, when Liverpool looked as if they had been buried by West Ham?
Chelsea fans have had their say. David Johnstone, a spokesman for Chelsea fanzine cfcuk, told BBC Sport: "Rafa Benitez is not a Chelsea manager. Some people are born to play for or manage certain clubs and for us, Benitez isn't what we want. When he was Liverpool manager and Jose Mourinho was Chelsea manager there was a bit of 'beef' between them. He's very dismissive of Chelsea, very rude towards us and my impression of him was, whenever anything went wrong it was always somebody else's fault, not his."
I also concede he falls out with people (stand up, his former assistant Pako Ayestarán – things were never quite the same after he left).
But all Liverpool fans are glad he clashed with Hicks and Gillett and helped to expose what was really happening with the club's bank account.
And anyhow, he's a perfectionist and a genius, and they do fall out with people.
And look at his record. Look at his successes in the transfer market. Any serious-minded football fan cannot dismiss all that.
Clearly Abramovich has not, which is why Benitez seems poised for Stamford Bridge.
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