Desperation!

[Guest Howaythetoon]

The most ashamed I have ever been of my own fellow fans was when we faced Hull at St. James' Park a few seasons back.

 

A match where the brilliant SackPardew.com lot had organised (or tried to) a mass protest against the then 'manager'. I went for the first time since Cardiff at home the season before which was again to protest against the 'manager'.

 

I expected more of the same as what happened during the Cardiff match. What followed, however, was nothing short of embarrassing from the home fans as they allowed Alan Pardew to get off scott free if you like - some even chanting for a wave.

 

I lost faith in Newcastle fans that day and I lost the will to continue supporting the club financially and emotionally. I argued with myself that if Pardew went and someone competent came in I may go back. Maybe!

 

Pardew eventually went, but his replacements first in John Carver as a temp manager and then Steve McClaren said much of the same about how the club was perceived by those that own, run and support it. In short no ambition and to do the very minimum to stay up for the Premier League riches and exposure and to bloody well be happy with things.

 

With 10 games to go this season just ended, however, McClaren was sacked and in come the unthinkable - world renowned top-class (some would say world-class) Rafa Benitez. A manager more decorated than a Christmas tree!

 

Well I never!

 

I never though that the club would even look at someone like him, but I definitely thought the man himself would never look at Newcastle United, not under Mike Ashley anyway.

 

But he did and in doing so he gave everyone hope, myself included that not only could we stay up, but we could actually become something of a proper club again.

 

Alas we didn't stay up, we went down. With a bit of a fight this time. Although not a huge fight!

 

Alan Shearer - a club legend - tried to save the club once in similar circumstances, but to no avail. Yet his name was never sang as much as Rafa's nor was he, club legend and all, ever thought of as something a potential saviour.

 

Rafa on the face of it has failed in his remit to keep the club up. Failure to beat the mackems at home and a woeful loss to Norwich plus a pathetic showing away to Aston Villa were all nails into the coffin. Hardly inspiring stuff. But even during those matches Rafa's name was shouted loud and proud and his popularity as high as ever. Fans were calm even if relegation was staring us squarely in the face.

 

Of course, the mackems beating a sorry Everton condemned us to the Championship to where we belong. A final game at home to Spurs could have been a toxic atmosphere and a routine defeat, but instead there was nothing but cheers, claps and an emphatic 5-1 win.

 

And then there was the love in for Rafa, an almost non-stop 90 minute love letter sang to the man in the dugout. Why? Its not because he had us playing great football or because he almost kept us up because he didn't. Villa away was as bad as Villa away when we first went down under Ashley and Norwich away was just as shocking.

 

So again, why the love in? I personally have always rated Rafa as a manager, a tactician, a coach. Easily one of the best in world football as his CV shows. That said his style isn't a style I find particularly attractive. I get why fans rate him... but that love its almost akin to the show of affection fans would shower KK with.

 

When Freddy Shepherd and Co. got rid of Sir Bobby they should have looked at someone like Rafa rather than the dinosaur that was Graeme Souness. Our loss Liverpool's gain...

 

But now we can gain... gain from Rafa's expertise and that is why this cult of Rafa as unusual as it is exists, is so stong. Because for the first time under Ashley, Kevin Keegan aside, it feels like we finally have someone at the club who knows just what the fuck he is doing and how to go about getting things done in a way that should befit a club that gets 50K fans every week, regardless of division.

 

That and this man who has managed some of the best and won it all has decided in his infinite wisdom or whatever it is that Newcastle United is the kind of club he can help. For him to believe in this mad house of a football club says something strong and resonates with people, fans who also believe or want to despite Ashley and what he has done to this club.

 

I want to believe... but Ashley Out first and foremost!

 

PS I don't know where I'm going with this or whether it warrants a new thread, but I just wanted to write some things down about how I feel at current in regards to our situation and Rafa and perhaps see why others are putting so much faith into the man after years of zero hope and no real leadership and humility. Even to the point where they are happy to be a division down and with Ashley as owner so long as Rafa is the manager.

[CPL]

Fully agree, in particularly this comment. 

 

But now we can gain... gain from Rafa's expertise and that is why this cult of Rafa as unusual as it is exists, is so stong. Because for the first time under Ashley, Kevin Keegan aside, it feels like we finally have someone at the club who knows just what the fuck he is doing and how to go about getting things done in a way that should befit a club that gets 50K fans every week, regardless of division.

 

O0 Please stay Rafa!