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That's a fabulous read. I had to do a double check to confirm it was a chronicle journalist who wrote it, Mark Douglas as it happens, one of the better local journalists for me.

There are loads of typos in there, but it's a decent insight into the methods Rafa uses.

 

The bit about his decision to play Anita because Yedlin was still having issues with his ankles was revealing. He could probably have played him at a push but Rafa doesn't seem like the guy to look short term. It's probably no coincidence our injury list has gone down dramatically.

 

I quite often don't like the formation or team that Rafa sends out at kick off, but he gets paid to get results and who am I to argue with his record?

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Reckon we need to get used to seeing a Newcastle United team that will be rigorously set up to be defensively organized with players trained to be positioned in a compact shape. You often hear Rafa use the word "compact" in his interviews and he has historically stressed that his training methods are calculated to repetitively drill both offensive and defensive positioning patterns and pressing triggers into the players heads so that it becomes almost second nature in a real game. Thus, you have tended to hear so much disgruntlement from certain players at Rafa's previous clubs that after a while training becomes monotonous and uninteresting as it leaves little scope for spontaneous creativity. That's not a slight on Rafa in any way as it shows that the guy believes in a methodology that aims to minimize reliance on individual players in deference to the collective.

 

I've often seen Rafa being described as a drill sergeant on the training ground as he doesn't trust players to think for themselves too much; the corollary problem with this is that at a certain calibre of club - such as Real Madrid where the superstars have utmost autonomy - that is not necessarily a recipe for success. Newcastle United have no such problem of course: the club has actually been susceptible to dysfunction because the players have been tactically undisciplined and often been given too much leeway in the name of creative expression by weak-willed managers. To be honest, two of our more successful managers, King Kev and Sir Bobby, suffered because there wasn't too much structural protection on the pitch. It's refreshing to see a manager take a vastly opposite approach for once.

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He might have mellowed in recent years but here's what Carragher had to say on his methods earlier this year:

 

What Newcastle have got is a manager who players will listen to because of his cv, someone who is excellent in one-off games. He is brilliant at stopping the opposition from playing and that is one of the reasons we did so well in Europe during his time in charge at Liverpool. Teams hated playing against us. The games would be horrible for the opposition because we would not give them any space to breathe. If you asked me to say the one word I heard most during training and games, it would be him shouting ‘compact’. After the first year of working with Rafa, we were like robots. By that I mean we knew exactly what he wanted us to do and when to do it. This came about through repetition on the training ground, the drills being done over and over again until he was satisfied. It demanded a high level of concentration and there was no laughing or joking. Rafa was intense and you had to be prepared for him to physically push and pull you into the positions, but the results followed.
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The last few months under Rafa has almost made me forget who still owns the club. I wouldn't say I forgive Ashley but if he stays in the background and lets Rafa run the show we'll be fine. And i'm happy enough with that scenario.

 

Rafa is up there with sir bobby without a doubt. If either of those two men said to me, right son straight from the kick off I want you to sprint at their centre half and headbutt him, i'd do it without question. And I think that's how almost all of our squad feel.

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Keegan was like the best dad ever, Bobby like the awesome grandad, and Rafa's the favourite uncle. Basically the NUFC football family who totally get what I want as a supporter. All of them part of the same circle.

 

Couldn't agree more.

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The last few months under Rafa has almost made me forget who still owns the club. I wouldn't say I forgive Ashley but if he stays in the background and lets Rafa run the show we'll be fine. And i'm happy enough with that scenario.

 

Rafa is up there with sir bobby without a doubt. If either of those two men said to me, right son straight from the kick off I want you to sprint at their centre half and headbutt him, i'd do it without question. And I think that's how almost all of our squad feel.

Ashley owns the club but it's basically Rafa's club now. Everyone involved knows it as well.

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Keegan was like the best dad ever, Bobby like the awesome grandad, and Rafa's the favourite uncle. Basically the NUFC football family who totally get what I want as a supporter. All of them part of the same circle.

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

I'd swap Rafa to be me dad, and Keegan to be my mad uncle.

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Keegan was like the best dad ever, Bobby like the awesome grandad, and Rafa's the favourite uncle. Basically the NUFC football family who totally get what I want as a supporter. All of them part of the same circle.

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

I'd swap Rafa to be me dad, and Keegan to be my mad uncle.

 

It's getting a bit RAWK in here, HawK.

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Keegan was like the best dad ever, Bobby like the awesome grandad, and Rafa's the favourite uncle. Basically the NUFC football family who totally get what I want as a supporter. All of them part of the same circle.

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

I'd swap Rafa to be me dad, and Keegan to be my mad uncle.

 

It's getting a bit RAWK in here, HawK.

 

Well don't just stand there and gawk.

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Keegan was like the best dad ever, Bobby like the awesome grandad, and Rafa's the favourite uncle. Basically the NUFC football family who totally get what I want as a supporter. All of them part of the same circle.

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

I'd swap Rafa to be me dad, and Keegan to be my mad uncle.

 

It's getting a bit RAWK in here, HawK.

 

Well don't just stand there and gawk.

 

Get stuck in, go on, grab a fawk

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Diego Maradona questions Rafa Benitez appointment at Newcastle

 

Diego Maradona has questioned why Newcastle offered Rafa Benitez a three-year deal after his Real Madrid "failure".

 

Benitez signed the long-term deal with the Magpies in May this year, despite being unable to steer the club away from relegation from the Premier league after taking over from Steve McClaren in March.

 

The ex-Liverpool boss moved to the north east from Real Madrid, where he was sacked midway through the season with the Spanish giants trailing Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in La Liga.

 

Former World Cup winner Maradona, who had a spell as manager of Argentina between 2008 and 2010, believes there are no excuses for Benitez's disappointing time in charge at the Bernabeu and has now aimed his bemusement at Sky Bet Championship side Newcastle for offering Benitez another chance.

 

Maradona told Marca: "If Benitez, whom I respect very much, was bad in Madrid, let him tell me it was for a lack of players!

 

"No, he failed. But after a while, after failing there, they gave him three years in Newcastle.

 

"Can someone explain it to me? Is that normal or does something go wrong?"

 

Newcastle began the new season in the second tier of English football badly, suffering defeats in their opening two fixtures, but have since turned their form around and are currently third in the Championship ahead of Saturday's visit of Brentford. 

 

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11678/10615405/maradona-why-rafa-newcastle

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Guest firetotheworks

Not to undermine our standing in the football world but I reckon Real Madrid have different expectations to Newcastle, Diego. :lol:

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Guest firetotheworks

This seems like a completely random, unprovoked attack that is typical of all cokeheads I've known, and continue to know, in my life. :lol:

 

You would say that, prick.

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