Rafael Benitez

[BlueStar]

Slow motion car crash, innit.

[Ketsbaia]

West Ham's next games:

 

Huddersfield (H)

West Brom (A)

Spurs (H)

Swansea (H)

Burnley (A)

Brighton (H)

Crystal Palace (A)

 

Phew! Although Rafa's advisers could say certain things, then Bilic gets sacked after a win....

[Foluwashola]

If West Ham had any sense they'd sort it out during this break. Thankfully they're mad cunts.

[Happinesstan]

It's hard to take that article serious when it says:

 

no longer believes it will be possible to fulfil his ambitions of leading the team back into the Champions League under Ashley’s administration, without a fit specialist left back.

 

Aye having no left back is the reason we'll not qualify for the Champions League. Nowt to do with being a newly promoted side still with a championship squad, oh and it was never our goal in the first place.

 

I totally agree with you, but it got me thinking about just how realistic would our chances have been.

 

I'm sure Rafa was (still is) intent on being the best we can be. IF we had got a quality LB in that would have been every position covered with no stand-out weaknesses.

 

We'd obviously expect some injuries throughout the season, but with Rafa's squad management/rotation, and all-round general organisation, we could cover quite competently, and probably make a decent season of it.

 

A few strokes of luck and who knows, a couple of bad runs for the top clubs and we could be there or there abouts. Fuck sake Pards went into the last 2 games with a chance of Champions league.

 

Obviously bad runs for top teams happen less often than Halley's comet, these days, whilst an eclipse is pretty much guaranteed every other year. But if you're wearing your shades when Halley goes by, you'll miss the opportunity of a lifetime.

 

 

 

[Sho Time]

It's hard to take that article serious when it says:

 

no longer believes it will be possible to fulfil his ambitions of leading the team back into the Champions League under Ashley’s administration, without a fit specialist left back.

 

Aye having no left back is the reason we'll not qualify for the Champions League. Nowt to do with being a newly promoted side still with a championship squad, oh and it was never our goal in the first place.

 

A few strokes of luck and who knows, a couple of bad runs for the top clubs and we could be there or there abouts. Fuck sake Pards went into the last 2 games with a chance of Champions league.

 

Teams have pushed on since then, we have declined since then. The aim was never CL, in fact there was no aim. Rafa said we would take things one game at a time and see what happens.

[Tiresias]

He's as good as gone, no chance he'll want to spend any more time than he has to being humiliated and lied to scrabbling for survival at the bottom of a league

[wiseman]

I don't think its all doom and gloom with the lack of late window signings, but I can't help but think that if we are struggling at the bottom end of the table come January that Mike will then open the purse strings up and do a heap of signings to try and turn the season around and avoid the drop again when it should've been at the start ofthe season to set us up for a good year.

[Paully]

The one journo I 100% believe about Rafa.....

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/newcastle-united-rafa-benitez-future-transfer-news-deadline-day-a7924326.html?amp

[Stottie]

Benitez has been consistently undermined to the point where it would understandable for him to actively look elsewhere.

 

If this is now the case, what I don't understand is why he would break the exclusive to Louise Taylor. I need to hear it from someone else first.

[Dave]

It is for another time whether the club has learned anything since but it does believe there is currently a major discrepancy in the figures that have emerged since the window closed. They insist more than £40 million has been spent on the six players Newcastle have signed this summer and that the initial incoming figures for their two major sales, Florian Thauvin to Marseille (£10 million) and Lewis Gibson to Everton (£6 million) will be a fraction of the actual total.

[Altamullan]

The one journo I 100% believe about Rafa.....

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/newcastle-united-rafa-benitez-future-transfer-news-deadline-day-a7924326.html?amp

Reassuring.

[Paully]

It is for another time whether the club has learned anything since but it does believe there is currently a major discrepancy in the figures that have emerged since the window closed. They insist more than £40 million has been spent on the six players Newcastle have signed this summer and that the initial incoming figures for their two major sales, Florian Thauvin to Marseille (£10 million) and Lewis Gibson to Everton (£6 million) will be a fraction of the actual total.

 

Yep - it's their continued idiotic policy to pay for all outgoing transfers up-front so they have no right to use it as an excuse! Stupid bastards!

[U2]

It is for another time whether the club has learned anything since but it does believe there is currently a major discrepancy in the figures that have emerged since the window closed. They insist more than £40 million has been spent on the six players Newcastle have signed this summer and that the initial incoming figures for their two major sales, Florian Thauvin to Marseille (£10 million) and Lewis Gibson to Everton (£6 million) will be a fraction of the actual total.

They just ignoring the profits from last summer?

[Fenham Mag]

Speaking after the meeting, Mike Ashley said: “I’ve confirmed to Rafa and Lee that they can have every last penny that the club generates through promotion, player sales and other means in order to build for next season.”

[Guest firetotheworks]

It's so much easier if you just approach the whole thing with the presumption that absolutely everything, no matter how big or small, is a lie. They know they can get away with it because they hold the power, even after Keegan won his case, it didn't change anything about the way that they operate.

[Robster]

“Yes it is unusual,” said Benitez. “But I think it is very good for Newcastle because I am representing the club at the top level, at a prestigious meeting like this. I can make sure I can bring back to Newcastle experience and information from the conference to help the club.”

 

Absolutely criminal that this means fuck all to the hierarchy at the club.

They should all be hung from the Tyne Bridge.

[KaKa]

So one of those articles says that the Barnes guy was haggling over every fine detail of each transfer in a bid to impress MA.

 

It apparently took him two months to seal each of the LeJeune and Merino deals. As in two months on each deal separately! One of which involved a release clause and the other which was a simple loan

 

I'm so fed up man.

[U2]

Can you imagine what the BVB boardroom thought of us during those negotiations

[Guest firetotheworks]

Don't believe that for a second KaKa, he'll have been put there to deliberately stall things.

[KaKa]

I'm heartbroken over this shit man. We're so fucking close with Rafa to just having a team we can enjoy and root for. Fucking sickening.

[TRon]

This season could turn out to be one of the most embarrassing I can remember. At least when we had mediocre squads before, we had managers from the scrap heap in charge. This time we've got a great manager and given him a Championship squad to work with. We are going to look tight fisted and trying to act above our station at the same time.

[xLiaaamx]

Being really pragmatic and drawing all the emotional charge out of it for one second ((I'll be raging again afterwards, just a few seconds of calm.)) It's not the worst squad ever, as its being labelled, which is just unfair on those players. Just going to do a simple comparision to the one that I think is the worst squad we've ever had.

 

2014/15 vs 2017/8

((Trying to assume who's going to be first choice as best I can, based on what we've seen so far.))

Goalkeepers

Tim Krul > Rob Elliot

Rob Elliot < Karl Darlow

Jak Alnwick < Freddie Woodman

 

Defenders

Daryl Janmaat < DeAndre Yedlin

Mike Williamson < Florian Lejuene ((By fucking miles.))

Fabricio Coloccini < Ciaran Clark ((Had a really hard time deciding this one, but just think Colo was past his best.))

Paul Dummett = Paul Dummett

Ryan Taylor < Javier Manquillo

Steven Taylor < Jamaal Lascelles

Massadio Haidara = Massadio Haidara

No one < Jesus Gamez

No one < Chancel Mbemba

((Just an opinion, but I think we're so much better in defence now.))

 

Midfielders

Jack Colback < Jonjo Shelvey

Vurnon Anita < Isaac Hayden

Cheick Tiote < Mikel Merino ((Sorry Cheicky. Just past your best by now.))

Mehdi Abeid > Henri Saivet

Moussa Sissoko > Mo Diame

Remy Cabella < Matt Ritchie

Yoan Gouffran < Christian Atsu

Sammy Ameobi < Jacob Murphy

Gabby Obertan < Rolando Aarons

Siem De Jong < Ayoze Perez

 

Strikers

Papiss Cisse > Dwight Gayle (Maybe. Though he was a liability that year and missed ten through suspension, Dwight might miss alot through doubting himself. Could easily go the other way.))

Ayoze Perez < Joselu ((Perez just wasn't a striker, hence being pushed out wide later on.))

Riviere < Mitrovic. ((He could spend all season out banned. His contribution would still be more than Riv's was.))

 

 

So yeah, In my opinion we've had much worse in the past. That team didn't win till October 18th, had one of the worst finishes I've ever seen and still stayed up.

 

To call this squad now "The worst we've ever had", as I've seen a lot on twitter today, just isn't fair on those players.

 

Okay, can stop being pragmatic now.

 

Fuck off, Ashley.

 

[Guest firetotheworks]

14/15 was a poor team, but it didn't have Rafa as a manager. I think we can agree that he's the difference. This is still probably the worst NUFC squad I can remember tbh.

[Shearergol]

Being really pragmatic and drawing all the emotional charge out of it for one second ((I'll be raging again afterwards, just a few seconds of calm.)) It's not the worst squad ever, as its being labelled, which is just unfair on those players. Just going to do a simple comparision to the one that I think is the worst squad we've ever had.

 

2014/15 vs 2017/8

((Trying to assume who's going to be first choice as best I can, based on what we've seen so far.))

Goalkeepers

Tim Krul > Rob Elliot

Rob Elliot < Karl Darlow

Jak Alnwick < Freddie Woodman

 

Defenders

Daryl Janmaat < DeAndre Yedlin

Mike Williamson < Florian Lejuene ((By fucking miles.))

Fabricio Coloccini < Ciaran Clark ((Had a really hard time deciding this one, but just think Colo was past his best.))

Paul Dummett = Paul Dummett

Ryan Taylor < Javier Manquillo

Steven Taylor < Jamaal Lascelles

Massadio Haidara = Massadio Haidara

No one < Jesus Gamez

No one < Chancel Mbemba

((Just an opinion, but I think we're so much better in defence now.))

 

Midfielders

Jack Colback < Jonjo Shelvey

Vurnon Anita < Isaac Hayden

Cheick Tiote < Mikel Merino ((Sorry Cheicky. Just past your best by now.))

Mehdi Abeid > Henri Saivet

Moussa Sissoko > Mo Diame

Remy Cabella < Matt Ritchie

Yoan Gouffran < Christian Atsu

Sammy Ameobi < Jacob Murphy

Gabby Obertan < Rolando Aarons

Siem De Jong < Ayoze Perez

 

Strikers

Papiss Cisse > Dwight Gayle (Maybe. Though he was a liability that year and missed ten through suspension, Dwight might miss alot through doubting himself. Could easily go the other way.))

Ayoze Perez < Joselu ((Perez just wasn't a striker, hence being pushed out wide later on.))

Riviere < Mitrovic. ((He could spend all season out banned. His contribution would still be more than Riv's was.))

 

 

So yeah, In my opinion we've had much worse in the past. That team didn't win till October 18th, had one of the worst finishes I've ever seen and still stayed up.

 

To call this squad now "The worst we've ever had", as I've seen a lot on twitter today, just isn't fair on those players.

 

Okay, can stop being pragmatic now.

 

Fuck off, Ashley.

 

 

Nice positive post. Unfortunately all of the other teams in the league (maybe not all) have improved quicker than we have.

 

With this squad, barring any injuries or suspensions, Rafa may keep us up. What's the point of being in this league though?

[KaKa]

That's a great post by xLiaamx.

 

Breaking it down like that is a real eye opener to how bad that previous team was. Colback and Anita midfield man. My goodness.

 

Rafa can still do things with this team no question, but it's just such a shame he wasn't given what he was promised, and therefore the ill feeling is just taking away from everything.