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You don’t think Rafa bought well in the Championship?! WTF?! Maybe it's a relic of the Ashley philosophy, but even at the time I thought players like Gayle and Ritchie were championship standard players and it all felt a bit short term. Ritchie Yedlin Gayle Hanley Murphy Sels Diame Hayden All very very good buys for a Championship team looking to get up, but I always felt we were a Prem club in the Championship and so maybe we could have bought with one eye on our return to the Prem in mind. Ritchie dropping down a division when he was already established at a good prem club showed that we did still have that pull. In my opinion we could have bought more players who would have been good enough for both the Prem and the Championsip, but instead, we went almost exclusively for players who were only good enough for the Championship. Ritchie, Yedlin, Diame and Hayden all played a big part in retaining our PL status in the first season. And yet we're struggling to shift them all because no other team in the Prem wants them. At some point you have to take a step back and ask yourself why? Like I say, Rafa is my only choice as manager of the club and I would be genuinely gutted if it was literally anyone else, but the point I was responding to was about him getting free reign to sign who he'd like and the only time I remember him having that at Newcastle was summer 2016 and I didnt think he signed that well. I'm well aware that when he had free reign at Napoli, he signed some unreal players so it's a side note rather than a major sleight on his transfer ability.

You don’t think Rafa bought well in the Championship?! WTF?! Maybe it's a relic of the Ashley philosophy, but even at the time I thought players like Gayle and Ritchie were championship standard players and it all felt a bit short term. Ritchie Yedlin Gayle Hanley Murphy Sels Diame Hayden All very very good buys for a Championship team looking to get up, but I always felt we were a Prem club in the Championship and so maybe we could have bought with one eye on our return to the Prem in mind. Ritchie dropping down a division when he was already established at a good prem club showed that we did still have that pull. In my opinion we could have bought more players who would have been good enough for both the Prem and the Championsip, but instead, we went almost exclusively for players who were only good enough for the Championship. Pretty sure he had deals lined up and pretty much done for Townsend and loftus cheek on loan in the January only for Ashley to pull the plug. That was kind of the turning point in him being unhappy I don't doubt thay for a second, but it felt like he had free reign in the summer and bought what he bought. All I'm saying is that at the time, I didnt think they were great buys. I cant remember the quality of players in the championship back then, but even now you can see so many players who are clearly good enough to establish themselves as very good prem players, I always felt we should have been hoovering up all that talent. Instead we went for good Championship players who would have ended up as average prem players. Obviously players like Hayden and Diame ended up having spells of being very very good in the Prem, bit can't really say the same for others.

You don’t think Rafa bought well in the Championship?! WTF?! Maybe it's a relic of the Ashley philosophy, but even at the time I thought players like Gayle and Ritchie were championship standard players and it all felt a bit short term. Ritchie Yedlin Gayle Hanley Murphy Sels Diame Hayden All very very good buys for a Championship team looking to get up, but I always felt we were a Prem club in the Championship and so maybe we could have bought with one eye on our return to the Prem in mind. Ritchie dropping down a division when he was already established at a good prem club showed that we did still have that pull. In my opinion we could have bought more players who would have been good enough for both the Prem and the Championsip, but instead, we went almost exclusively for players who were only good enough for the Championship.

Tbf, I judged him on his time at Liverpool where his caution against weaker teams probably cost them the title. Always tagged him as more of a cup winner than a title type. That said, I have said in the other thread that given he is highly intelligent and a student of the game, he's probably moved on quite a lot since those days. He doesn't seem the type not to learn and adapt to the modern game and more effective styles of the day. Would love to see what he would produce now if he had a quality squad available to him. This is the thing that excites me most. Although it's a double edged sword in the sense that I actually don't actually think he bought well for the Championship season and he does have that precedent of buying hard to shift dross.

Am I the only one who would want to build any success gradually? I just think theres something really empty with the way Man City and Chelsea's achieved success. Chelsea barely even care about success now they've had it all. I'd hate for that to happen to our club after waiting so long, I'd be more than happy to wait a little longer, just as long as I could see us getting there.

I actually really enjoyed seeing how well organised we were. It was quite cathartic knowing your manager knew what he was doing and wasnt relying on mavericks or 'big performances' week in week out. I still dont understand why people ignore what he achieved in the second half of the season when he had Almiron at his disposal.

Rafa's earnt the opportunity. No other manager on that list would have even looked at us at the time Rafa took over. Kind of feel we owe it to him, plus I cant see any other manager connecting with the club in the same way he did. Love the man. Finally deserves a job he's fully backed in.

Liverpool FC.

Been reading alot of ''boring football" jibes about Rafa which seems strange when we were so good second half of last season. Also nice to have a side that's so well drilled, literally never seen that in all my time as a newcastle united fan.

Nah, he'll think he'll be hard done by and he'll get to take home the smallest severance pay. No chance he gets another job in the PL. Crystal Palace would have been a shout had he not fucked them already. Bye bye Brucie

Love that this fat chancers days are numbered. Bet he's sat at home sweating pork pies. Hopefully that's his career done.

Worst Football Club owner of the decade. Hmm, I mean Owen Oyston raped a lass. But those jeans :lol:

We do - on a takeover agreement or death warrant.

That's the last we'll see of Pardew. His career is now dead. Those 10 fans have achieved more than the 50k who turn up every week to "support the team not the regime" ever will.

I think the problem is the exploitation of the rule. Barca had every opportunity to sign someone in the allotted timeframe and fucked that up. Not only that but they still have Griezmann and Messi up front with a wonderkid on the bench. Furthermore, they loaned out 2 youth strikers, both with an obligation to buy clause in a period after they learnt they lost Dembele. This is a total shambles. Joke league.

He's not even in the same ballpark! Robert regularly scored screamers from 35 yards plus. Silva is more technically gifted without a doubt but Robert s***s on him in the left peg stakes Being "more technically gifted" with his left foot is exactly why he's up there.

Well on his way to being right up there.

Can't believe no ones said David Silva yet. Easily up there with Robert for me.

Exactly. Are we measuring the release of the ball in the same fractions that we're measuring the actual offside? I hate VAR

Absolutely this, Owen was a finisher with lightening pace that scared opposition defenders to death. Once he lost that pace, he lost his edge. He remained a great finisher but never adapted his game after his injuries. Shearer suffered some horrific injuries but always managed to find a way back by changing his game to get the best out his strengths, Owen gave up and wanted to retire. Without the passion, heart and desire of the aforementioned players he had no interest in getting the best out of himself, just coining in on his previous reputation. He doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Shearer. Going to Real Madrid killed his career. They highlighted the limitations to his game which separated him from the upper tier of strikers. Once that became apparent it was no wonder the top teams didnt go for him. He was a very good striker, just a total prick.

He's not very good at defending, which is brilliant because if he was he certainly wouldn't be here. Schar is a good defender. Very good at times, in fact. He really isn't. He is good at aggresive interceptions at that is about it, he gets caught out of position a lot but gets away with it in our three man set up with relatively deep wing backs making a 5 when defending. Wouldn't have him anywhere near my team in a back four. Great on the ball, lovely passing range. Decent finisher. He's not very good at defending, which is brilliant because if he was he certainly wouldn't be here. Schar is a good defender. Very good at times, in fact. He's not at all. If he was he'd be at a very top club I completely disagree. Superb defensively just 1 week ago. Some great challenges. Last ditch tackles and blocks are not the sign of a good defender. The best defenders don't tackle at all really. They don't need to. This. Never saw woodgate making them But the likes of Terry, Vidic and Cannavaro do.

How do modern posters on this forum still not realise that players will never come out and slag off their manager and paymasters (apart from very extreme circumstances when things have totally broken down)?!! I worked for some absolute dickheads but even I can recognise I'd be in the s*** and get sacked (fined / frozen out) if I slagged them off in public and in the press. Some of the subsequent post Rafa understanding of how football and world works have been a disgrace. Yes Greg, I want players to come out and praise Rafa whilst slagging off Bruce and Ashley. That is exactly the point I was making. I accept the players presenting a unified front and praising the current management; that's standard PR, as sickening as it is. I do not however, understand the sly digs at Rafa and the only reason I can give for this is they are happier without Rafa, which, if that is the case leads me to my point about them not being able to recognise quality in management. You've made a nothing point there.

How do modern players still not realise when they're working with quality managers?!! I worked for some absolute dickheads but even I can recognise the value they've added to the company. Some of the subsequent comments post Rafa have been a disgrace.

so it'll be 5-3----------------2 going forward then instead of 5-4----------1 We play with 11 players? When you quote formations the keeper is a given so you leave him out. As in a couldn't tell from what I've seen so far.

so it'll be 5-3----------------2 going forward then instead of 5-4----------1 We play with 11 players?