Ronaldo

Could be a real slam dunk for us tbf. That's the level of wit Neesy dreams of, tbh.

Shola stayed because not even Championship sides would take him even when we practically begged them.

Birmingham even managing to go behind to Wigan now.

You didn't have to watch him for 14 years like most of us. I can promise you now Mitrovic will have a far superior career, just not at NUFC under Rafa. I shouldn't even have to explain this, tbh. In his first season for us Mitrovic scored 9 league goals. Shola matched that once in his entire fucking time here.

He's a white Shola tbh No he isn't. He's got 10 times the ability of Shola. He's just not right for our purpose under Rafa.

The fuck?

Hopefully Gayle is fit for the next game. The attack has no pace without him.

Doesn't even work.

Don't be daft.

Sheff Wed's a fantastic away day. One of the best in the country.

Yorkie knows I've got his back. In spite of his tainted past.

Not my favourite thing about you either.

Suzie. Ouch indeed. That hurts coming from the resident bestie fancier and incestophile.

Nonsense. It's been used for centuries to describe a tradesman who has completed an apprenticeship but is not a master craftsman. "Journey" comes from the French journée, meaning day (i.e. a day's work for a day's pay) - nothing to do with travelling, although Journeymen did often travel from town to town to gain experience. Yeah, in a sporting context it still comes from boxing.

3 of Mitro's goals were penalties, no? It's pointless going over this again, like. He's all wrong for Rafa and vice versa.

Mbemba will be gone before a ball is kicked next season. That's if we can find a buyer.

'Trying to do his best' when Gayle was injured but Murphy deserves his place more according to Rafa. Looks like time's been called.

A shit assessment would probably be more accurate. Weird comparison too.

It's a reference to SteveMc's nonsense about TGI.

He played in the Blackburn game at home where Rafa changed about half the team to give them a chance to prove themselves and we played really poorly. Yep, of course he did.

I could be wrong but I don't think he's played a minute in the league for us since. He'll be the first out in the summer.

I think Rafa's changed a bit now though. I think as he's grown older and more experienced he's become a more avuncular, even father-like figure rather than the cold, aloof technocrat many spoke of. If he has learned to deal with players better, that is good news for you. He can and does fall out with players and can be brutal with it. See Xabi Alonso, which pretty much cost him his job with us in the end. I'm sure he learned from that just as he's learns from every mistake he makes. Last week was a Rafa masterclass. Though he speaks otherwise, he definitely had Tuesday and Saturday in mind before your game v Bristol City. You can bet training for a few weeks also had those matches in mind. Rafa would never admit it but occasionally his eyes goes on bigger games, his player's naturally follows, and there follows the weird result. We lost to Boro then beat Real Madrid in the same week... I do wonder whether the repetition of the next game, the next game is as much for his own benefit as the teams. I can't think of a better manager at setting a team up for a must win match. It's his forte. It's why I always think he'd make a great international coach. But he'd hate it because he'd got piss bored in between. Brilliant post as always. And yep, I do sense his approach to man-management has evolved since Liverpool. I think international football would frustrate and get the better of him. His mantra is preparation and at the business end of tournaments you're obviously unsure of your next game. That and not being able to buy players who fit his functionally defined system.

Agree with that. When you see us lose consecutive home games 0-3 and 0-6 you stop caring about the means. Fwiw Bellamy didn't dislike his methods. He actually said if he ever became a manager, Rafa's approach would be his template. His autocratic, one-size approach was just obviously unsuited to a pretty unique and difficult player like Bellamy who needed someone with Bobby's flexible people skills to get the best out of him, that's all.

We'll seldom see flamboyant footballers at NUFC under Rafa, like. If I remember rightly Bellamy's main gripe with Benitez was the fact he made him train for less speed and more endurance, which, as he saw it, completely negated his natural game. That and the fact he basically told him to find a new club on the plane home from their Champions League final defeat.

If you didn't read that and ascertain that he was talking about them as a partnership you've got bigger problems than I thought, like. I was glad to see both men leave NUFC but they were inarguably a very solid pairing last time we were in this division.