Away Toon

Well we all have different opinions. When we try to get and keep the ball and attack we actually look a pretty good team, we just don't do it very often, against any opposition not just the top teams.

So Dubravka costs up 3 points. Still concede possession and let yourselves get battered for 90 minutes its what you deserve.

I'm never getting used to or want to, watch us play like this. We permanently look as if we are about to concede, have virtually no possession or goal threat, it's 90 minutes of agony

I suspect that for a lot of fans we have done enough to quieten down the albeit feeble attempts to pressure fat Mike into running a proper football club. So Ashley stays, Rafa probably stays and we remain a bottom battling relegation candidate for the foreseeable future. It's a terrible transfer window on so many different levels.

Unless we go back to 4 at the back which we shouldn't there is no place in the team for Dummett, certainly not as a wing back, that would be tragic.

You need to rephrase your question. Who would you like to see replace Rafa? Well how about Pep, Klopp, Eddie Howe, or pretty much any modern forward thinking manager who is committed to entertaining attacking football. The question should be which manager would accept working for Ashley with all the same constraints as Rafa currently has nd would be better than him? That's harder to answer. Though if they are going to be paid the same salary as Rafa is reputed to be paid 6m a year there will be no shortage of volunteers.

At this point it would be fucking tragic if Rafa stayed unless he has cast iron guarantees in writing about investment in the ground, training ground, academy and players. I cant imagine that Ashley would ever put that in writing and then it would be even less likely he would follow through with it. Rafa staying stops the supporters doing what they need to do, whether they will if he goes who knows.

If Fulham buy some defensive reinforcements before the window shuts they have a chance of getting out of the bottom three, otherwise no way.

We are so far behind both Wolves and Leicester it's embarrassing. Thanks you big fat cunt.

I thought Rafa was meant to get us as supporters? Who gives a fuck if Mike Ashley's team stays in the Premier League and what has the 130m got to do with anything, nobody is getting that except fat Mike, Rafa certainly isn't. Fuck me, pick your best team and try and win something, plenty of smaller clubs than us have won cups since we last did. 1969 for those of you too young to remember.

Manager Rafael Benitez says Newcastle will struggle to "have a go" in this season's FA Cup because of their position in the Premier League. The Magpies fell to 18th in the league on Saturday after defeat to Chelsea. Benitez said he will rotate his squad for the third-round replay against Blackburn on Tuesday, as he did when the teams drew 1-1 at St James' Park. He said clubs have to be "realistic" about their FA Cup chances when deciding to prioritise the competition. "Who has a chance, a realistic chance? Teams in the middle of the table because they can have a go because they are safe," Benitez said. "The other teams, you have to manage it really carefully." Fellow Premier League strugglers Huddersfield, Cardiff and Fulham went out in the FA Cup in the third round to lower-league opposition, while Southampton were taken to a replay by Derby. "Why you see these teams and they were out? Because the Premier League is massive," Benitez said. "You have £130m guaranteed if you are there. So everyone is trying to manage the situation. You have to be realistic."

We all know Ashley is the principal problem, but if Rafa sets us up like he did against Fulham and we spawn ourselves a 0-0, he's going to get a lot of shit from a lot of people.

Anybody criticising a young local player who has made an excellent debut and who showed that he has most if not all the attributes to be a success at this level needs to go and fuck off and support a different team.

Doesn't want to break his contract or some large financial penalty if he does is the most likely reason. At this point with Ashley's continued pisstake showing know sign of ending, Rafa being here is not helping.

Honestly anyway you look at it, he'd be mad to come and sign for this fucked up club unless he's been guaranteed we will have new owners this month.

Lets hope we don't embarrass ourselves as usual against these fuckers.

Send Kenedy back and get Drinkwater in for half a season and we might stay up.

He doesn't need to resign, he'll be out of contract

I would have thought the squad we have this season would be slightly better than last season's, Ki, Rondon, Fernandez, Schar, Muto should be upgrades on what we already had. Although other clubs have obviously strengthened as well there is no way that Rafa is getting anything like as much out of this years lot than last season's. Not sure why but I'll be very surprised if we don't go down this year.

There is no sign that the version of Rafa we have is particularly good at all. Style of football, results, improving players all big negatives.

Agree with this, there is no excuse for the abhorrent football we play even if the players are shit. Pay Howe 6million a year and we'd be more entertaining and more successful. Rafa staying here is a huge problem on so many levels now.

Rafa doesn't seem to be a great believer in giving youth a chance, which with the diabolical state of most of our players is pretty strange really.

The only players that Rafa has bought and presumably wanted that stand out are Murphy and Muto who are pretty much the most expensive players we have bought recently, and either they were rotten buys, Rafa didn't really want them or someone has fucked up badly. For me they should be starting every game.

Our fans indeed. Spanish mercenary who didn't want to sign in the first place and jumped ship throwing the toys out of the pram as he sulked off back to Spain, or local lad? Pretty easy choice there I would have thought.

There is a lot of revisionism about this useless slow shit heap of a player, much rather have Longstaff playing, at least he wants to.