Rafa In or Ashley Out?

[Wullie]

A). I'm very fond of Rafa, but I would take Newcastle in the Conference North if it meant we got rid of fatty.

 

Big statement, but actually think about what that means for a second.

 

It would mean I'd be able to go back and support my team. What's not to like?

 

You would really prefer us to be Conference North but without Mike Ashley than in the Premier League with him? Really?

 

Are you not getting that I basically don't support Newcastle anymore? That's not an active choice I have made, it's just how I feel. It's like a girlfriend you've fallen out of love with. I don't feel any disappointment when we lose, I don't feel any joy when we win. It's Sports Direct FC to me. I felt a bit more involved with Rafa here, because it was a tiny something to be proud of, but ultimately when we went down, it was a shrug of the shoulders.

 

Being able to support/be proud of what used to be my club is worth far more than being able to make sure we play Man Utd every season. I really don't give the slightest s*** what division we're in if I get to go back. I have no loyalty to the Premier League.

 

Rafa has proven, even in the short space of time he's been here IN A RELEGATION SEASON, to have given people hope, brought interest back etc. You even admit that to some extent above.

 

Surely, IF Rafa was to stay and get us back up, your interest would be back properly? You can wait for the next Ashley fuck up, but why? Just enjoy the positives that we could take from it.

 

You never know what the future brings - I never thought I would ever pack in to start with - but I'm pretty much out where Ashley's concerned. I won't sit in that stadium with his company daubed all over it.

[Wullie]

Hindu, I have to admit, it's starting to come across that you believe that it's only possible to enjoy watching your football team if it's in the Premier league.

For a lot of fans, it's irrelevant what league we are in. It's about feeling connected with the club itself.

 

I don't believe that at all, no. I've repeatedly said on here that my favourite season watching us in the last 10 years was our Championship season because it felt like the entire city and club were pulling together in the right direction for the first time since SBR was sacked.

 

However, you're lying if you said that you wouldn't prefer to watch PL football long term.

 

And you do realise that falling down through the tiers would likely mean the club would be completely unrecognisable to how it is now? The level you are talking about, St James' Park would have been sold off quite early in that fall from grace.

 

It's sounding more and more attractive every time you post about it.

[HawK]

Wullie, I respect your views - what's your opinion on my post on the previous page?

[Robster]

It's sounding more and more attractive every time you post about it.

Beat me to it. To have a club unrecognisable from how it currently is, would suit me down to the ground.

[Wullie]

I think there's not really a chance of Rafa staying unless he had total control. Just think about this - Ashley does not want to be hands on at all, and has delegated everything, to the clubs detriment, to unqualified, inept persons. Now, if he delegates to Rafa Benitez, are we not going to get the club we want, long term, built by a proven winner?

 

While I abhor Mike Ashley for his track record with this club, history does show that we'll have a semblance of a squad that should easily come back up again from the Championship based on the last time around - especially with Rafa at the helm. Last time we were able to keep most if not all of the players that wanted to say, and we brought in numerous loan signings to cover the gaps that did a job whilst keeping our 'stars' on big money like Colo, Nolan and Barton.

 

Actions speak louder than words, and there have been lots, and lots, and lots of words but no action from Ashley over the past 10 years. Well, persuading Benitez to manage us in the Championship will be the biggest action Ashley will have ever delivered for us for the betterment of the club and it could be the start of something else. At last there would be a tangible change, I just can't see Benitez bowing to the whims of the living human thumb or Darth Vader.

 

Even if they tell Rafa that he can have full control, I don't think it will be long before they were meddling again in the same way they did with KK. I don't think they'd do it in the Championship - they'll fully want to win that, of that I have no doubt, but they'll want things back to normal once we get back in the top flight imo. I don't think he'd stand for it though and I'd expect him to walk.

[Kanj]

In this situation, A. Because Ashley goes within 2 weeks as a certainty. We could easily get another great manager and get back up 

[Wullie]

It's sounding more and more attractive every time you post about it.

Beat me to it. To have a club unrecognisable from how it currently is, would suit me down to the ground.

Tell me everything that our football club is to you? And I will tell you which ones will still exist if we're not fighting in one of the top few leagues.

 

Personally I hate the owner, the chairman, the chief scout, most of the players, the state of the shirt and the state of the stadium. Other than a handful of players, the only people I don't detest at NUFC have been there about two months.

 

What are you on about, the 'top few leagues'? If your concern is that Newcastle might find themselves in League 2 because the crowds drop, I really wouldn't worry about it.

[TRon]

The reason I voted B is purely because I believe Rafa wouldn't come unless he had total control of football matters.

 

It might be the reason he still turns us down tbh. If I knew we were going to get good owners instead of Ashley I'd go for A. But I just feel that there has been a shift away from the cheapskate model in the last 12 months, we are finally investing in the squad, and if Rafa agrees to stay then we'll have a management structure to go with it. So I voted B.

 

Also because I don't think there's any chance of Ashley leaving realistically so I'd like to have a decent manager and team in the meantime.

[Wullie]

It's sounding more and more attractive every time you post about it.

Beat me to it. To have a club unrecognisable from how it currently is, would suit me down to the ground.

Tell me everything that our football club is to you? And I will tell you which ones will still exist if we're not fighting in one of the top few leagues.

 

Personally I hate the owner, the chairman, the chief scout, most of the players, the state of the shirt and the state of the stadium. Other than a handful of players, the only people I don't detest at NUFC have been there about two months.

 

What are you on about, the 'top few leagues'? If your concern is that Newcastle might find themselves in League 2 because the crowds drop, I really wouldn't worry about it.

 

It's the direct response to whoever said they'd prefer to see in Conference North.

 

Fair point.

[Guest neesy111]

B). The guy is a cancer on the club.

[Robster]

Tell me everything that our football club is to you? And I will tell you which ones will still exist if we're not fighting in one of the top few leagues.

That's quite a question to answer, and I'm not sure if I can provide you a list, but in simple terms, NUFC is a representative of the area in which I was born and raised and of which I am immensely proud. Outside of the area, i've found, that as soon as you mention you are from around Newcastle they immediately think NUFC.

NUFC is central to the area and the community.

 

Ashley has taken away it's identity, made us a laughing stock, and I take that very personally.

[bhoywhonder]

Can we have a third option whereby after about 12 games under Rafa, playing attractive football and top by some margin, Ashley has some kind of 'Road to Damascus' moment and dismantles his evil empire. "It was all so simple....just act like a human being, it seems so obvious now'. *Bluebird lands on extended finger, choir rises, lens flare* "I love you kids", "we love you too uncle Mike" *Audience* - "Awwwwwwww"

 

Freeze frame. Cut to theme tune #Standing Taaaaaaall on the wings of my dream....#

[Guest Spark]

B). The guy is a cancer on the club.

 

[Wullie]

Tell me everything that our football club is to you? And I will tell you which ones will still exist if we're not fighting in one of the top few leagues.

That's quite a question to answer, and I'm not sure if I can provide you a list, but in simple terms, NUFC is a representative of the area in which I was born and raised and of which I am immensely proud. Outside of the area, i've found, that as soon as you mention you are from around Newcastle they immediately think NUFC.

NUFC is central to the area and the community.

 

Ashley has taken away it's identity, made us a laughing stock, and I take that very personally.

 

Exactly. I'd be appalled if anybody NUFC as it is today was a representation of the city, the area or the people. I don't find anything at all to be proud of other than a history that existed before he arrived.

[Guest neesy111]

Isn't b Ashley out?  I'm just following the title thread?

[Wullie]

Fair point, I have muddled them up in the title.

[Guest neesy111]

Right my answer is, I want Ashley out no matter what, he's a cancer a the club.

 

[Frazzle]

The damage Ashley has done to our club is fucking huge. Imagine even having a thread like this in the first place? Deciding whether to get rid of one the best managers of the world just to get rid of the owner. It's mental but that's what Ashley has done.

 

It's true, the current NUFC is lightyears away from the one we grew up with, especially if you're a similar age to me and your earliest memories were the Keegan era. It's blatantly obvious to me that Ashley's primary aim is not the success of NUFC and that's a fucking crying shame. Even if we achieve minor success it's despite his intentions. What sort of football club is that? It doesn't feel right, at least when we aren't tasting success, who knows if it'll be different when we do (if ever). I would honestly rather support a club at the bottom of the footballing pyramid who was aiming to reach the top than one near the top who couldn't be arsed to even try to get to the top. But what are you supposed to do? This IS our club, we don't really have a choice. Hopefully everyone will completely re-connect with the club in the future but clearly there's a lot of fucking work to be done. Some are boycotting and some are continuing to go. Personally, I wish everyone who is continuing to go would stop going but that's just me, everyone will have a different opinion.

 

I'm sure everyone would say, in an ideal world, they would get rid of Ashley if they could. To me that is possible but the fight doesn't seem to be there, there's too many saying, I want rid of him but then not actually doing anything about it and then complaining no-one else it doing anything.

 

It's a shame that the best manager since Robson and Keegan has come in at a time when the club is at such a low point. I always see Rafa and, before that that players, praising the fans etc. and I dunno, maybe it's changed since I gave up my season ticket but I honestly think they're not even talking about the club at the moment but what the club used to be. There's too many day trippers and fair weather fans at games these days (as well as genuine fans, I'm not tarring everyone with the same brush) that make protests too difficult. Even Rafa said that in relation to the fans:

 

"I know they can be even more positive in the future"

 

People will interpret that how they want but to me that means that he know this isn't even the real NUFC, it's been too long since we were a proper club and too many good fans have walked away. Like I say, hopefully we will become the club we used to be where everyone was proud of the club and the city was buzzing with everyone single kid wearing a Newcastle no. 9 shirt rather than every other shirt like you see these days. I just wish we could do it without an owner who has disrespected so many fans and club legends and the club itself.

 

That's a complete ramble without a specific point (after a few drinks) but I just think it's mental the situation we're in. Most other football forums will be talking about the next season, maybe even a cup final in this season and here we are discussing how much of a twat our owner is, what the hell have we done to deserve this ffs.

[HawK]

Our situation is analogous to living with an incurable terminal disease but then winning the Lotto.

[TRon]

Right my answer is, I want Ashley out no matter what, he's a cancer a the club.

 

 

It's not really a good analogy though. Cancer cells can be cut out or treated in most cities of the world. This is more like Woolworths or BHS, purely a business decision. The Newcastle brand has been devalued massively by Ashley, but why hasn't there been a buyer who wants to take advantage and get us relatively cheaply? It comes down to money at the end of the day, and it seems foreign buyers would rather buy smaller clubs for half the price and build them up instead. Chelsea and Man City were exactly that a couple of decades ago.

[Guest neesy111]

Right my answer is, I want Ashley out no matter what, he's a cancer a the club.

 

 

It's not really a good analogy though. Cancer cells can be cut out or treated in most cities of the world. This is more like Woolworths or BHS, purely a business decision. The Newcastle brand has been devalued massively by Ashley, but why hasn't there been a buyer who wants to take advantage and get us relatively cheaply? It comes down to money at the end of the day, and it seems foreign buyers would rather buy smaller clubs for half the price and build them up instead. Chelsea and Man City were exactly that a couple of decades ago.

[Guest]

B. I don't think we'd ever get better than Rafa and as long as he's overlooking the football side, that's all I care about.

[Frazzle]

B. I don't think we'd ever get better than Rafa and as long as he's overlooking the football side, that's all I care about.

 

Rafa has come at one of our lowest points in recent history, why wouldn't we get a top manager in the future?

[Mick]

B. I don't think we'd ever get better than Rafa and as long as he's overlooking the football side, that's all I care about.

 

Rafa has come at one of our lowest points in recent history, why wouldn't we get a top manager in the future?

He's one of the best and not many are better. The odds are against us getting better.

[Frazzle]

B. I don't think we'd ever get better than Rafa and as long as he's overlooking the football side, that's all I care about.

 

Rafa has come at one of our lowest points in recent history, why wouldn't we get a top manager in the future?

He's one of the best and not many are better. The odds are against us getting better.

 

What about a manager who is slightly below Rafa's level but who has a bigger transfer budget because the stadium isn't covered in SD adverts and the ground is full. Who also has an academy that has adequate funding and a training ground that is somewhere close to the standard of our rivals. Not to mention a proper non-footballing side of the board that actually replaces people who leave and an owner who's primary aim is to win trophies.