Rafael Benitez

[Mick]

We played some pretty good football at times in the first half of the season. Seems to have been forgotten by many.

 

I watched his Valencia side tear Liverpool apart with amazing football. I watched his Liverpool destroy Real Madrid with amazing football. I watched them put 5 past us at SJP. Rafa's sides can play good football. But it requires the right players and good players.

Our last game of last season against Spurs.

[Mick]

It's not how I dream of us playing (ie old school 4-4-2/4-3-3 with pace and flare and a complete disregard to defending) but it's not boring. I think our ugly performances have come with a combination of a lack of quality, teams giving their all against us, and his instructions being abandoned when it isn't going well. Although he plays a rigid structure he's not going to have us playing hoofball every game, he wants us to control most games.

Rafa isn't a negative manager, he's constantly telling the players to get forward when I look at him.

[TheDonis]

It gets overlooked but he let quite a few players just leave who I think many managers would have forced to stay. Anyone who wasn't 100% on board was either loaned out or sold - it was all about building a functional squad who want to play with each other and for the club. He clearly gets it and I cannot fathom how any Newcastle fan could hold a grudge against him to this point.

Guessing different people have different viewpoints on the expectations of manager with their resources etc.

 

For example, I've met 2 Liverpool fans today who don't rate him that highly despite what happened in Istanbul.

 

 

 

I work there a lot and many would swap him for Klopp tomorrow if they could, he is more than just their KK to us like! They reason that under their current owners and how they spend today he would win them the league.

That's some utter s*** there.

 

Klopp has a £20m profit on transfers and Rodgers hardly spent massive amounts considering the money they recouped.

 

I'm talking about no interference from owners when it comes to spend and transfers. Klopp can basically buy whoever he wants if the money is there. Rafa had to fight tooth and nail for Toress for example. Anyway I'm just going off Liverpool fans. They woud have Rafa back tomorrow, many at the expense of Klopp. Me personally, Klopp, KK and Ancelotti are probably the only people I'd have here at NUFC ahead of Rafa.

 

Those two Liverpool fans must be complete twats because the man's a legend for us. I honestly haven't met a Liverpool alive who didn't rate him. Even the ones who were critical of his methods rated him as a tactician and his ability t5o buy players and improve them. And we *all*  think he's a fucking great bloke. I mean, how can you not like the bloke? He's charming, funny, humble and my God, he works his nuts off for the fans. He gets it.

 

We're more than happy with Klopp, and can see the massive potential there. But if he upped sticks and left, Rafa would be welcomed back with open arms.

[Ronaldo]

It's not how I dream of us playing (ie old school 4-4-2/4-3-3 with pace and flare and a complete disregard to defending) but it's not boring. I think our ugly performances have come with a combination of a lack of quality, teams giving their all against us, and his instructions being abandoned when it isn't going well. Although he plays a rigid structure he's not going to have us playing hoofball every game, he wants us to control most games.

Rafa isn't a negative manager, he's constantly telling the players to get forward when I look at him.

 

If we're being honest, if your idea of positive football is expansive a la Keegan/Ancelotti or pressing like Guardiola/Klopp/everyone who pretend to be them, he absolutely is negative.

 

I don't give a fuck, though. I just want us to score more goals than the opposition more often than not and build from there.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

It gets overlooked but he let quite a few players just leave who I think many managers would have forced to stay. Anyone who wasn't 100% on board was either loaned out or sold - it was all about building a functional squad who want to play with each other and for the club. He clearly gets it and I cannot fathom how any Newcastle fan could hold a grudge against him to this point.

Guessing different people have different viewpoints on the expectations of manager with their resources etc.

 

For example, I've met 2 Liverpool fans today who don't rate him that highly despite what happened in Istanbul.

 

 

 

I work there a lot and many would swap him for Klopp tomorrow if they could, he is more than just their KK to us like! They reason that under their current owners and how they spend today he would win them the league.

That's some utter s*** there.

 

Klopp has a £20m profit on transfers and Rodgers hardly spent massive amounts considering the money they recouped.

 

I'm talking about no interference from owners when it comes to spend and transfers. Klopp can basically buy whoever he wants if the money is there. Rafa had to fight tooth and nail for Toress for example. Anyway I'm just going off Liverpool fans. They woud have Rafa back tomorrow, many at the expense of Klopp. Me personally, Klopp, KK and Ancelotti are probably the only people I'd have here at NUFC ahead of Rafa.

 

Those two Liverpool fans must be complete t***s because the man's a legend for us. I honestly haven't met a Liverpool alive who didn't rate him. Even the ones who were critical of his methods rated him as a tactician and his ability t5o buy players and improve them. And we *all*  think he's a f***ing great bloke. I mean, how can you not like the bloke? He's charming, funny, humble and my God, he works his nuts off for the fans. He gets it.

 

We're more than happy with Klopp, and can see the massive potential there. But if he upped sticks and left, Rafa would be welcomed back with open arms.

 

That's all I get from Liverpool fans and btw, Everton fans speak highly of him as well. As a person for everything he has done regarding the Hillsborough campaign and for helping fund a Liverpool hospital with machines.

[TheDonis]

This 'stubborn' shit can piss right off too. He's not stubborn at all. He has methods which have brought him enormous success and to which he rightly cleaves. But he's cuts his cloth according to his means wherever he's been. If Rafa believed 4-4-2 or 1-1-9 would suit the staff and bring success, he'd do it. God knows where the stubborn myth comes from. He's a singular man, with an all consuming passion for the game, who works his knackers off. That's not the same as stubborn, which is the laziest, knee-jerk no-nothing shite that people who don't understand the game one iota throw at him.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

If we're being honest, if your idea of positive football is expansive a la Keegan/Ancelotti or pressing like Guardiola/Klopp/everyone who pretend to be them, he absolutely is negative.

 

I don't give a f***, though. I just want us to score more goals than the opposition more often than not and build from there.

 

If we were to judge attacking football on a scale KK would be a 10 and Rafa a 5, but defensively he would be a 9 so that compromise would give you maybe a solid 8 or 9 and at this stage of my life and times all I want to see is a reasonably successful NUFC. I'm not so proud enough to want that wrapped in a swash buckling all action packed performance type model.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

This 'stubborn' s*** can p*ss right off too. He's not stubborn at all. He has methods which have brought him enormous success and to which he rightly cleaves. But he's cuts his cloth according to his means wherever he's been. If Rafa believed 4-4-2 or 1-1-9 would suit the staff and bring success, he'd do it. God knows where the stubborn myth comes from. He's a singular man, with an all consuming passion for the game, who works his knackers off. That's not the same as stubborn, which is the laziest, knee-jerk no-nothing s**** that people who don't understand the game one iota throw at him.

 

KK and sir Bobby were construed as stubborn...

 

I love your impassioned defence of him btw, it speaks volumes! Do post more...

[TheDonis]

This 'stubborn' s*** can p*ss right off too. He's not stubborn at all. He has methods which have brought him enormous success and to which he rightly cleaves. But he's cuts his cloth according to his means wherever he's been. If Rafa believed 4-4-2 or 1-1-9 would suit the staff and bring success, he'd do it. God knows where the stubborn myth comes from. He's a singular man, with an all consuming passion for the game, who works his knackers off. That's not the same as stubborn, which is the laziest, knee-jerk no-nothing s**** that people who don't understand the game one iota throw at him.

 

KK and sir Bobby were construed as stubborn...

 

I love your impassioned defence of him btw, it speaks volumes! Do post more...

 

I love the crazy bastard. Always have. Always will. Most Liverpool fans are the same. We were rated as the forth best team in Europe under Rafa.

I'm still bitter that he was forced out by a couple of besuited rats and replaced by a gigantic footballing fraud like The Dreaded Hodge.Occasionally it spills over...

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I personally believe he would have won a title for yous eventually!

[Mick]

We've scored 72 goals this season in the league, I wonder how many we'd have scored with a positive manager.  The next best team points wise in this league have scored 8 less after the same number of games.  The great team managed by Wagner have scored 25 goals less than we have.

[TheDonis]

I personally believe he would have won a title for yous eventually!

 

It's debatable. For a start, Man Utd were unstoppable. Maybe after SAF had gone. Secondly, his methods are definitely more suited to a high finish and good cup runs than an all out assault on the title. Thirdly, fighting with Hicks and Gillette had exhausted him and distracted him. It would have been tough for him to regenerate and recharge in the job. But it's a giant shame he didn't get to work under FSG and a stable ownership. Maybe with their backing, and calmer waters, and Man Utd in decline, we might have done. One thing's for sure, the past few years would have been more successful.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I personally believe he would have won a title for yous eventually!

 

It's debatable. For a start, Man Utd were unstoppable. Maybe after SAF had gone. Secondly, his methods are definitely more suited to a high finish and good cup runs than an all out assault on the title. Thirdly, fighting with Hicks and Gillette had exhausted him and distracted him. It would have been tough for him to regenerate and recharge in the job. But it's a giant shame he didn't get to work under FSG and a stable ownership. Maybe with their backing, and calmer waters, and Man Utd in decline, we might have done. One thing's for sure, the past few years would have been more successful.

 

I just think with managers like Rafa its a matter of course. Give him say 5 years and the right backing at the right club and he's going to deliver major success. For yous it was domestic cups and the European Cup. Again i think the league would have followed eventually.

[themanupstairs]

Some people have really lost touch with reality and think that football is like Champ Manager. Anyone who thinks Rafa has done anything less than a bloody fantastic job on the verge of getting this rabble promoted wants their head checked. 50 million my arse. As if things are always that linear man ffs.

[henke]

Bang on like.

 

God I'd give almost anything to gaurantee five more years of Rafa.

[Guest alijmitchell]

I'm so glad to see people defending him. For those that are so f***ing desperate to seem relevant by being mad f***ing contrarians, how were the last few years pre-Rafa for you?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mick]

I can enjoy my football for the first time in over a decade, I have Rafa to thank for that.

[Deuce]

Some people have really lost touch with reality and think that football is like Champ Manager. Anyone who thinks Rafa has done anything less than a bloody fantastic job on the verge of getting this rabble promoted wants their head checked. 50 million my arse. As if things are always that linear man ffs.

 

[themanupstairs]

I can enjoy my football for the first time in over a decade, I have Rafa to thank for that.

 

 

You know what, I'd still be 10000% behind Benitez even if we'd been in a playoff spot now and would feel more or less confident that we would make a serious push to get into the promotion spots. I want a manager who knows what the fuck they're doing, treats football like a sport and not a popularity contest, and once in a while communicates with the fans. Don't give a fuck what division we're in tbh.

[Dave]

It was a win, I have to be happy.

 

I would like to score five goals and be amazing, but at the moment we showed character, good reaction and personality.

 

We have to take our chances. We can improve on a lot of things, but we do a lot of things well. But when you see Huddersfield losing or Brighton winning 1-0 it shows it is not easy.

 

Such a negative manager.

[Disco]

Comparing us to those teams won't go down well.

[themanupstairs]

Comparing us to those teams won't go down well.

 

Yup. Villa kept a clean sheet whereas we couldn't. 50 million pound embarrassment. I like Rafa but he's very flawed.

[Jesse Pinkman]

To be fair the only fans I've seen complain about Rafa are those who hold personal grudges against him for one weird reason or another.

 

We are on track for 90 points. Most people would have bitten your hand off for that at the start of the season. The team is still very mentally weak but he's managed to drag them through this season by sheer organisation.

 

If he gets his way in the summer, he will bring some leaders in and hopefully we kick on. I can't see Lascelles being captain next year.

[madras]

This 'stubborn' s*** can p*ss right off too. He's not stubborn at all. He has methods which have brought him enormous success and to which he rightly cleaves. But he's cuts his cloth according to his means wherever he's been. If Rafa believed 4-4-2 or 1-1-9 would suit the staff and bring success, he'd do it. God knows where the stubborn myth comes from. He's a singular man, with an all consuming passion for the game, who works his knackers off. That's not the same as stubborn, which is the laziest, knee-jerk no-nothing s**** that people who don't understand the game one iota throw at him.

Rafa doesn't cut his cloth according to his means in my eyes, he cuts it according to 4-2-3-1 and I'll be very happy if he gets players to suit it next season and for all he is meticulous in his preperation we always look so weak at the back to basic over the top balls or someone running from 30yds.

[Disco]

Not being daft for once I can slightly get why people are annoyed. A lot, not necessarily here, got swept up in the winning every game craic and massive scores each game and seem unable to see the bigger picture ahead of their short term gains. The bigger picture being promotion is everything and the anti being I can't brag on if we don't win games against shite teams by small margins to lads of other teams at work. This is intensified by the football on offer being functional rather funky but alas it ain't.