Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)

[Zero]

I am more optimistic that he will stay now if the fat cunt finally give him the TV money to spend at end of season.  The reason is mainly because the players we bought and we currently have are better than expected, and we don't need a lot of investment to take it to next level.  In another words, Rafa work have been fucking magnificent and he is reaping rewards for himself, so why should he leaving at this moment?

[mrmojorisin75]

As good as he is and as shite as I think the league is overall, on order to finish say 8th we're going to need all of our key players to avoid injury for and length of time and probably some additions in January.

 

Basically the season Pardew had when we finished 5th, flog the core group of players to death.

[TRon]

I am more optimistic that he will stay now if the fat cunt finally give him the TV money to spend at end of season.  The reason is mainly because the players we bought and we currently have are better than expected, and we don't need a lot of investment to take it to next level.  In another words, Rafa work have been fucking magnificent and he is reaping rewards for himself, so why should he leaving at this moment?

 

It will all come down to next summer. We didn't spend this time round because we were behind everyone else in spending power because we lost a season due to relegation. Next time round we should have the TV money in the bank and we should be able to compete for better players. It just depends if Rafa is willing to be patient enough to turn us into a top six team because that is probably going to need a couple more seasons. But my impression is, other than Liverpool he would probably rather be here than anywhere else given a half decent hand to do what he wants.

[Taylor Swift]

I tried speculating in my head but it's pretty tough, but let's say we finish 12th this year, he should get around £80m to spend in the summer.

 

Let's say he spends it, other teams also spend but because of his management, we end up 8th the year after. He spends another £100m.

 

Is there really any route where we achieve a top 4 position in 3-4 years? I think it'll take a long, long time. We'll need to do it the Spurs route. I think we can do it because of Benitez so I hope he stays for a long time but the money is so much these days that it'll be hard to catch up without having spending power.

[HaydnNUFC]

We'd have to do it the Spurs way. Bearing also in mind, on a TF podcast after they met him, I remember them saying Rafa said while we want to get up there in that top 6 with him here, other teams make poor signings, poor managerial appointments which allow clubs like us to capitalise.

 

Whether Ashley backs him though is another thing.

[mrmojorisin75]

I tried speculating in my head but it's pretty tough, but let's say we finish 12th this year, he should get around £80m to spend in the summer.

 

Let's say he spends it, other teams also spend but because of his management, we end up 8th the year after. He spends another £100m.

 

Is there really any route where we achieve a top 4 position in 3-4 years? I think it'll take a long, long time. We'll need to do it the Spurs route. I think we can do it because of Benitez so I hope he stays for a long time but the money is so much these days that it'll be hard to catch up without having spending power.

Spurs route would be a dream come true

 

Of the managers in the pl atm if you had to choose one to build up a club over a period of time on a modest budget I'd say Rafa would be very, very close to the top of the list. If he gets a reasonable budget from Ashley next summer () and settles down with a contract extension I could see us overtaking the likes of Everton or at least being in and around them within 2 years.

 

As a manager he's so far ahead of the likes of Koeman it's not funny, so while they'll always spend more while Ashley runs us I could see it balancing out over time.

[Guest]

Would our fans accept the Spurs route hypothetically speaking? Selling a star player every summer (Carrick, Berbatov, Keane, Modric, Bale...) would just create more supporter unrest particularly under Ashley.

[Wallsendmag]

Would our fans accept the Spurs route hypothetically speaking? Selling a star player every summer (Carrick, Berbatov, Keane, Modric, Bale...) would just create more supporter unrest particularly under Ashley.

 

We've been a selling club for as long as I've been a supporter.  Firstly it was Waddle, then Beardsley, Gazza, and even when we were title contenders we sold Andy Cole. If the money is reinvested nobody has a problem with it, buts it's when the likes of Andy Carroll gets sold for £35m and the club doesn't see a penny of that money is when people get annoyed.

 

It's great at the minute. 4th in the League, 3 wins in a row, playing well but my over riding emotion is what it might have been because make no mistake, if Rafa was backed properly we would be winning trophies.

[Guest]

The Carroll money pretty much paid for the team and wages that ended 5th though. That's been Spurs' model for ages. Their net spend has always been low up until recently.

[STM]

The Carroll money pretty much paid for the team and wages that ended 5th though. That's been Spurs' model for ages. Their net spend has always been low up until recently.

 

We signed Ba (free), Marveaux (free), Santon (5m) and Cabaye (4m).

 

The Carroll money simply wasn't spent.

[Zero]

One of the problem during Pardew era was that even though players transfer fees are cheap, the agent fees and the wages aren't.  On the other hand we only targeted "bargaining deals" rather than "promising youngsters" which was fucking wrong both on and off the pitch.  So we weren't rlly goin the Spurs route.  We should be signing lots of players like Murphy which is talented, raw, come at a low wages, and with a lot to prove on the pitch.

[Zero]

The Carroll money pretty much paid for the team and wages that ended 5th though. That's been Spurs' model for ages. Their net spend has always been low up until recently.

 

We signed Ba (free), Marveaux (free), Santon (5m) and Cabaye (4m).

 

The Carroll money simply wasn't spent.

 

I remember Ba Marveaux Cabaye all having wages over 40K per week, never mind signing fees and agent fees.

 

Not saying they didn't do a job but these deals definitely not as Rosy as portraited by the club. The Marveaux one is close to a scam.

[Guest]

Cisse too.

[Guest neesy111]

The Carroll money pretty much paid for the team and wages that ended 5th though. That's been Spurs' model for ages. Their net spend has always been low up until recently.

 

We signed Ba (free), Marveaux (free), Santon (5m) and Cabaye (4m).

 

The Carroll money simply wasn't spent.

 

I remember Ba Marveaux Cabaye all having wages over 40K per week, never mind signing fees and agent fees.

 

Not saying they didn't do a job but these deals definitely not as Rosy as portraited by the club. The Marveaux one is close to a scam.

 

Mike Ashley has you very well trained.

 

You completely forget we got rid of Barton and Nolan who were both on 40k+ wages for us as well.

[Guest]

And Enrique.

 

But you know how this 'regime' works. They sold/released three players in the last year of their contracts and brought in players on 4-5 year deals on similar wages with signing-on fees, etc. They'd have seen that as a big commitment financially that summer rightly or wrongly (wrongly).

[Zero]

The Carroll money pretty much paid for the team and wages that ended 5th though. That's been Spurs' model for ages. Their net spend has always been low up until recently.

 

We signed Ba (free), Marveaux (free), Santon (5m) and Cabaye (4m).

 

The Carroll money simply wasn't spent.

 

I remember Ba Marveaux Cabaye all having wages over 40K per week, never mind signing fees and agent fees.

 

Not saying they didn't do a job but these deals definitely not as Rosy as portraited by the club. The Marveaux one is close to a scam.

 

Mike Ashley has you very well trained.

 

You completely forget we got rid of Barton and Nolan who were both on 40k+ wages for us as well.

 

What the fuck are you on?  I am just saying "free" is in fact not "free".

[Zero]

And also I don't think Barton and Nolan justified their wages as well.  Both are on 50K+.  Wasn't Colo earned close to 80K? And give us back only 1 year of reliable performance?

[Taylor Swift]

I thought Coloccini gave us 4 good years plus the year in the Championship. He wasn't a captain but he was a good footballer and at his peak, he was very, very good for us. That was a good transfer IMO.

[Wallsendmag]

The Carroll money pretty much paid for the team and wages that ended 5th though. That's been Spurs' model for ages. Their net spend has always been low up until recently.

 

You're another one who has been brainwashed by the regime. NUFC turnover huge amounts of money and the money the club generate is more than enough to cover wages and agent fees etc. The Carroll money simply wasn't reinvested.

[54]

I thought Coloccini gave us 4 good years plus the year in the Championship. He wasn't a captain but he was a good footballer and at his peak, he was very, very good for us. That was a good transfer IMO.

This, he was a beast in his prime.

[Zero]

I thought Coloccini gave us 4 good years plus the year in the Championship. He wasn't a captain but he was a good footballer and at his peak, he was very, very good for us. That was a good transfer IMO.

 

Correct me if I am wrong.  We signed him for a staggering amount at that time, give him our highest wages, and in return he guided us to relegation with uncountable mistakes.  It's when we was in Championship that he started to perform, and when we were back to EPL he gave us 1 year of world class performance.  Then that's it.  After the back home saga "let me go for free" he was never the same, and basically do nothing on and off the pitch.  The only remarkable thing was he give Ba a head kick when Ba transferred to Chelsea and play against us.

[Wallsendmag]

And also I don't think Barton and Nolan justified their wages as well.  Both are on 50K+.  Wasn't Colo earned close to 80K? And give us back only 1 year of reliable performance?

 

Agree with Barton, but not Nolan who was a very good player and captain for us.

[Away Day Gadgie]

I thought Coloccini gave us 4 good years plus the year in the Championship. He wasn't a captain but he was a good footballer and at his peak, he was very, very good for us. That was a good transfer IMO.

 

Correct me if I am wrong.  We signed him for a staggering amount at that time, give him our highest wages, and in return he guided us to relegation with uncountable mistakes.  It's when we was in Championship that he started to perform, and when we were back to EPL he gave us 1 year of world class performance.  Then that's it.  After the back home saga "let me go for free" he was never the same, and basically do nothing on and off the pitch.  The only remarkable thing was he give Ba a head kick when Ba transferred to Chelsea and play against us.

I think he gave us 3 decent seasons.  The season in The Championship, the first season back up, and the season we finished 5th.  The rest of his time here he was abysmal and appeared to be a negative influence as captain.

[steve_69]

Looking at the impact Rafa's coaching has had on the likes of Lascelles, Clark, Mbemba, Hayden etc. it makes it even more baffling that Ashley won't back him. If the whole 'buy young, increase value, sell high' is still loosely in place then we have the perfect man at the helm to execute that plan (for the record i hope that's not the plan). Lascelles in particular is now being talked about by pundits, other clubs and other managers and his value has soared. Obviously some credit has to go to the player himself but his rise in stock is primarily down to our world class manager.  Merino is probably in the £20m bracket already and he's played what, 4 games?

 

If Ashley had any sense he'd see that Rafa is the key to the club not just being successful on the pitch but also highly profitable in the transfer market.

[Dokko]

Looking at the impact Rafa's coaching has had on the likes of Lascelles, Clark, Mbemba, Hayden etc. it makes it even more baffling that Ashley won't back him. If the whole 'buy young, increase value, sell high' is still loosely in place then we have the perfect man at the helm to execute that plan (for the record i hope that's not the plan). Lascelles in particular is now being talked about by pundits, other clubs and other managers and his value has soared. Obviously some credit has to go to the player himself but his rise in stock is primarily down to our world class manager.  Merino is probably in the £20m bracket already and he's played what, 4 games?

 

If Ashley had any sense he'd see that Rafa is the key to the club not just being successful on the pitch but also highly profitable in the transfer market.

 

It's more than likely still in place, sprinkled with a few older players at the request of the manager for experience & leadership qualities (this is the big change Rafa has requested over anything else). Ashley is always going to hold value for money a key component when dealing in the transfer market. He'll refuse, like many other teams to be taking for a ride, I think its an ego thing more than anything, so we just have to hope when the right player comes along then we're willing to go that extra bit to get him. Spending daft money on average to good players that may not fit, or don't balance the squad properly (looking at Everton) will just see us causing long term issues for ourselves as unlike Everton we couldn't spend our way out of trouble (they'll be active again in the next window) so all moves need to be calculated.

 

I'd have liked Gibbs for example, but giving him £80kpw is ridiculous, even in today's market, and knowing our luck we do it and he'd get a season ending injury in his debut. Not only do we not have that wage budget to spend elsewhere, we'd also be setting the benchmark for all incoming and players already on the books for their wages as well.

 

Of all the players we 'missed out' on (whether we were in for them or not) Sandro at Everton would on the face of it been a great signing for this team. Whether it pans out for him there or whether we could have afforded what Everton are paying him (or even if we were in for him) in the first place along with him and Begovic I think are two players we should have gone that extra mile for, should Rafa had rated them.

 

I think a record breaking signing in the winter window would be a game changer, for us and Rafa's future. It would be great to confirm we can when the deal is right go for such a player, its still not impossible to think that may happen.