Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)

[Twinport53]

[mrmojorisin75]

Is anyone else slightly worried that very few players are showing signs of improvement or development under Rafa? Lascelles a side, I can't really think of a player that is performing, or showing any more potential than they did at the start of the season, or throughout last season (obviously factoring in differences in league).

 

Lascelles performance wise has been consistently decent enough, probably the only player I'd say that's acquitted himself since the step up.

 

Unless there is a change in ownership at the top, or a drastic and unprecedented change in direction that Charnley/Ashley are going to take with the club, I'm starting to worry that Rafa won't ever being able to push us up the league - in that he's the type of coach that is able to make a side more than the sum of it's parts.

 

Christ.

[Vinny Green Balls]

And some had no gorm to give.

[Varadi]

Is anyone else slightly worried that very few players are showing signs of improvement or development under Rafa? Lascelles a side, I can't really think of a player that is performing, or showing any more potential than they did at the start of the season, or throughout last season (obviously factoring in differences in league).

 

Lascelles performance wise has been consistently decent enough, probably the only player I'd say that's acquitted himself since the step up.

 

Unless there is a change in ownership at the top, or a drastic and unprecedented change in direction that Charnley/Ashley are going to take with the club, I'm starting to worry that Rafa won't ever being able to push us up the league - in that he's the type of coach that is able to make a side more than the sum of it's parts.

 

Christ.

 

I wonder what it's like living in opposites land

[STM]

Is anyone else slightly worried that very few players are showing signs of improvement or development under Rafa? Lascelles a side, I can't really think of a player that is performing, or showing any more potential than they did at the start of the season, or throughout last season (obviously factoring in differences in league).

 

Lascelles performance wise has been consistently decent enough, probably the only player I'd say that's acquitted himself since the step up.

 

Unless there is a change in ownership at the top, or a drastic and unprecedented change in direction that Charnley/Ashley are going to take with the club, I'm starting to worry that Rafa won't ever being able to push us up the league - in that he's the type of coach that is able to make a side more than the sum of it's parts.

 

 

[Paully]

Is anyone else slightly worried that very few players are showing signs of improvement or development under Rafa? Lascelles a side, I can't really think of a player that is performing, or showing any more potential than they did at the start of the season, or throughout last season (obviously factoring in differences in league).

 

Lascelles performance wise has been consistently decent enough, probably the only player I'd say that's acquitted himself since the step up.

 

Unless there is a change in ownership at the top, or a drastic and unprecedented change in direction that Charnley/Ashley are going to take with the club, I'm starting to worry that Rafa won't ever being able to push us up the league - in that he's the type of coach that is able to make a side more than the sum of it's parts.

 

 

Holy f***!

[Darth Crooks]

That's a laughable post but it's worryingly typical of people trying to warp the reality of seemingly impossible situation by 'seeing it from another point of view' despite it being abundantly obvious that players aren't improving because they are in part unsuitable for the league, in a neglected squad and under a manager/team hostile ownership that stalls everything. Which bizarrely the post admits is the big factor by the end. We'll never push up the league chiefly because the bloke hamstrung by the club. It's that simple.

[themanupstairs]

Is anyone else slightly worried that very few players are showing signs of improvement or development under Rafa? Lascelles a side, I can't really think of a player that is performing, or showing any more potential than they did at the start of the season, or throughout last season (obviously factoring in differences in league).

 

Lascelles performance wise has been consistently decent enough, probably the only player I'd say that's acquitted himself since the step up.

 

Unless there is a change in ownership at the top, or a drastic and unprecedented change in direction that Charnley/Ashley are going to take with the club, I'm starting to worry that Rafa won't ever being able to push us up the league - in that he's the type of coach that is able to make a side more than the sum of it's parts.

 

 

 

The answer is in your first paragraph

[NEEJ]

Where did all these new wassocks come from?

[themanupstairs]

Where did all these new wassocks come from?

 

The woodwork because brexit

[Yorkie]

I think the majority have improved to varying extents. We played at least 30 minutes of the Palace game without a single upgrade to the team who hobbled to the Championship title less than 12 months ago.

 

Individuals like Lascelles have improved on a personal level, but we've improved as a unit. Rafa's created a solid foundation/identity, it just needs that investment to turn it, first, into a team that can comfortably consolidate it's position in the PL, then it needs its Bellamy/Robert to make it special.

[HaydnNUFC]

What an utter bell end this bloke is.

 

https://twitter.com/markcurry26/status/961070280453115904

[Guest chopey]

Pardew was at Newcastle for the benefit of Ashley, Rafa is not

[Pons Alias]

[Guest chopey]

I'm bored of this, I'm going for a Twix.

 

Halfies

[1964]

I don't think it's helpful to attack someone for proffering a different view, you might not agree with it but to personally insult them for asking whether we could be performing better is not right and more like RAWK or even RTG.

 

Benitez cannot be above healthy challenge

[STM]

I don't think it's helpful to attack someone for proffering a different view, you might not agree with it but to personally insult them for asking whether we could be performing better is not right and more like RAWK or even RTG.

 

Benitez cannot be above healthy challenge

 

Let me know when there is a healthy challenge and not some bizarre ramblings.

 

It's like having doctors talking about medicine then bringing in a homeopathy expert for the sake of "balance".

[Paully]

What an utter bell end this bloke is.

 

https://twitter.com/markcurry26/status/961070280453115904

 

The rest of that conversation - Jesus H! Some of our fans will deserve Lawrie Sanchez when he rocks up in the summer (no doubt with his mate Wise as his assistant!)!

[1964]

I don't think it's helpful to attack someone for proffering a different view, you might not agree with it but to personally insult them for asking whether we could be performing better is not right and more like RAWK or even RTG.

 

Benitez cannot be above healthy challenge

 

Let me know when there is a healthy challenge and not some bizarre ramblings.

 

It's like having doctors talking about medicine then bringing in a homeopathy expert for the sake of "balance".

Someone questioning whether the players have improved this season are not bizarre ramblings, Jesus if you want to close down anyone that asks a legitimate question, even if you don't agree with it is ridiculous. 

 

Just to clarify I wasn't defending the tweet above, but the comment further up the chain

[STM]

I don't think it's helpful to attack someone for proffering a different view, you might not agree with it but to personally insult them for asking whether we could be performing better is not right and more like RAWK or even RTG.

 

Benitez cannot be above healthy challenge

 

Let me know when there is a healthy challenge and not some bizarre ramblings.

 

It's like having doctors talking about medicine then bringing in a homeopathy expert for the sake of "balance".

Someone questioning whether the players have improved this season are not bizarre ramblings, Jesus if you want to close down anyone that asks a legitimate question, even if you don't agree with it is ridiculous

 

It's absolutely bizarre to suggest the Rafa should "improve" what are essentially championship players into mid-table premiership players.

[HaydnNUFC]

There's opinion with a backed up argument, and then there's just unmitigated wank. Those tweets by that bloke and some of the posts in this thread and just about Rafa in general recently have fallen under the latter category. 

[1964]

Where did 'mid-table premiership players' come from?  They're your words.  I'm not arguing about the point made and I personally don't agree with it, I just think going down the line of personally abusing someone for asking a question is not on.  People just won't post anything and we will be RAWK which is not healthy

[1964]

There's opinion with a backed up argument, and then there's just unmitigated w***. Those tweets by that bloke and some of the posts in this thread and just about Rafa in general recently have fallen under the latter category. 

I wasn't referring to the tweet, it was the question further up.  Jesus!

[Guest firetotheworks]

Is that the same Mark Curry that organised the fly over thing?

[TRon]

I think the whole "away from home" thing with Wijnaldum lets him off lightly if anything. He was disgraceful in almost every game from February onwards, home and away, even under Rafa. He got dropped from that team ffs

 

He wasn't motivated, that's for sure, neither was Thauvin, but that doesn't mean they weren't quality players. We haven't been a side that attracts ambitious players for a while now, because we don't have any ambition as a club. If anything Rafa has fought tooth and nail to change that, but with Ashley it's obviously a losing battle.