duo

Why didn't he shoot...

We're still in it - convinced if we can nick a goal we can win.

Just need a bit of luck.

Janmatt WTF !!

Colback you cock

 

How was that his fault?

Gave a cheap free kick away

Callback - cheap free kick 

Just usual anti Newcastle rhetoric.

So much negativity in pundits over this appointment - don't get that at all.  Shows how clueless some of these folk are - how can they not see Rafa having a +ve effect. 

Time to think positive

Agreed - I'm going for  2-1 win 

City are awful 

Manager (pre-game) press conferences are never televised

This isn't a pre-game press conference though - it's a new manager press conference.

Guessing it's a no? 

Would have thought Sky would have shown it.

Is press conference being show live anywhere?

wow - what a strike - come City sort it out.

 

You know he'll have been devising a plan all week to get something on Monday, no way did he just start thinking about it today.

 

This sort of thing unites a fan base. One of the worst things about the last few years for me is how estranged from my fellow NUFC fans I've felt. Now we can all unite in support of Rafa and get on with loving the club again as a collective. Who knows, if we stay up and Ashley keeps his promises we might even see the return of a lot of fans who had walked away from SJP for a while, and get a real atmosphere back. We've all seen it before, this club is a juggernaut once it gets rolling.

 

Aye but juggernauts crash big, we've seen it all before.

 

What's your point, Mick?

 

Everything turns to s*** with us, it's the way it is. If this appointment had been made when Raffa left Madrird we would be comfortably mid table. As it is i suspect it's too late and he will be off to pastures new soon enough. I hope i'm wrong but this has been nearly a 50 year theme during my career as a Newcastle fan.

Better late than never.

We may actually see Siem De Jong play as we've finally a manager who understands tactics.

Still giddy.

Yep - still reading articles on it as I cannot quite believe it.  Much like when Joe Kinnear was made manager - just doesn't seem real - obviously for different reasons.

notice he was training yesterday..... Lazarus has risen

Clearly a McClaren signing  - lets see if Benitez rates him.

just dont think its worth getting excited, ashley won't change.

 

besides, we are not going to get sexy football from Rafa.

 

dont get me wrong its the best appointment he made so far but that aint saying much.

Ok it's taken a bumper TV deal to happen but I disagree.  The spending of 80+ Mil and the appointment of Rafa tells me this is a change.  We have Rafa Benitez as our manager !! - sexy football our not he's a brilliant manager.

Peter Schmeichel ‏@Pschmeichel1

 

What makes Newcastle think that Rafa Benitez will get them out the predicament they're in? If I were them, I'd go for Nigel Pearson.

 

Honestly man, how can you be that thick?

Whatever we do some will always try to put a negative spin on it.  Can't believe they are feeling sorry for McClaren - he was clearly out of his depth and devoid of any ideas - he should have walked but he held on and will no doubt get a nice pay out.  He's a few millions richer than he was 9 months ago - poor thing.

How much more inspiring is he than McClaren ffs?

 

Just because you know his calibre. As simple as that.

Totally.....still cannot believe he's our manager.  God bless this new TV deal or it never would have happened.

Pool fan here. I come in peace. I am a bit of a Rafa fan and thought would share my views on positives and negatives of Rafa.

 

Style of Play: Functional. Hates loosing more than loves winning. Players will be drilled, day in day out. You will have the best defense seen at the club for ages. It can grate fans who like the attacking style of football but I can guarantee one thing - Newcastle United will never let the fans down in terms of effort. He will demand every player to cover every blade of grass 10 times over in each game. Once his tactics take shape, expect Newcastle to suffocate the opposition.

 

One of the reasons he is unpopular in the media is that he never bows down to others. His attitude towards Mourinho "F*** you", towards Ferguson  " F*** you", towards Allardyc " F*** F***  F*** you". You will go to Nou Camp, Madrid, San Siro and play with the "F** you we are Geordies, this is how we play attitude". His Valencia and Liverpool teams never bowed to anyone. Ayala used to say about how Rafa wanted him to kick players in the shower and create fights in the dressing room when someone was giving less than 100%. Expect the same at Newcastle.

 

Player management: He is not the best at managing egos. He views each player as a chess piece. If he believes the team performance improves after drinking tea which Alan Shearer makes, he will ask Alan Shearer to make tea. He is all about drills. Players come in repeat the drills over and over again till it becomes second nature. He is from the Sacchi school than Cryuff.

 

Attention to details: Obsessive. He will spend hours analyzing every bit of detail about the opposition. Stop him on the street and ask about next weeks game, he will be able to recite the height and weight of all opposition players from memory. He will give you 400%. When he got fired from Inter he started coaching the U 10 or U 8 football team his daughters played for, and apparently parents got bewildered when he stood at the sidelines and started shouting at 8 year old girls for not following his instruction.

 

Relationship with owners: Not the best at maintaining relationship with owners. Frequently gets into fights.

 

Relationship with fans: Dont listen to the media who portray him as a cold person. You will love him. He embraces the city, the culture and when you loose you can see the hurt in his eyes. He will give you his everything. Him and his wife Montse Benitez are wonderful human beings who will do a lot for charity. When he left he gave the HJC a check for $96000. I know he makes millions but having the presence of mind to pick that number shows everything about him. Other incidents:

Google for Montse Benitez charities. She and Rafa have done a lot.

 

Tranfers: A bit of a mixed bag. His transfers initially were brilliant. He loves choir boys than mavericks. But when he gets it right, he really gets it right - Alonso, Torres, Mascherano, Reina. The right type of players love him. "Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano has expressed his gratitude to Rafa Benitez and feels the Real Madrid coach saved his career. Mascherano has not forgotten about his former mentor and has stressed he will always be grateful to Benitez. He's a great man, and a diligent and excellent coach," Mascherano told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has thanked Rafa Benitez for helping him to a reach a level he never expected to hit." Bellamy: "I have gone on record recently and I will say it again now that I have learnt more from Rafael Benitez than any other coach I have worked with. I am a much better player for the time I've spent working with him and if I do go on to manage at some point in the future he's the model I'll use in my career. I can't make my respect for him any clearer than that."

 

Football infrastructure: He builds the long term football infrastructure along with the first team. His coaching staff are serious technical people - not people who get jobs because of their playing career. He revamped the youth setup at LFC and Sterling, Ibe, Flanagan - not exactly class of 92 but still the best youth setup LFC had in ages. Expect some personnel from Sevilla, Barcelona, Madrid youth setup to join yu guys in the future.

 

Will Newcastle win the Premier League if Rafa is the boss for the next 10 years? Not sure. But you will definitely win cups and most likely nice shiny European ones. If my life depended on the outcome of a two legged European tie, there is no one on the planet I would pick to manage my club other than Rafa Benitez. Loose to Reading on Saturday and then go to Nou Camp and defeat reining European champion Barcelona on their home turf. Expect a lot of weeks like that.

 

Good luck. Wonderful manager, great person. You will love him

 

That's got me moist as f***

A highly enjoyable read.

Best post I've read in ages 

Can't believe some have put a negative spin on this....best thing to happen to the club since Sir Bobby.