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Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)


Would you have Rafa back?   

463 members have voted

  1. 1. Would you have Rafa back?

    • Yes, as manager, immediately
    • Yes, as manager, but at some point in the future (eg if relegated)
    • Yes, in an advisory or DoF role
    • No, not in any meaningful capacity

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There is the smallest chance that Rafa gets the TV money in the summer. I think he'll stay that being the case. It'll most likely need to cover wages as well as fees, but I think Rafa could do a lot with it.

Staveley isn’t finished in her takeover bid with us.
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http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/newcastle-southampton-rafa-benitez-storm-clouds-clearing-set-on-right-path-a8250646.html

 

With the storm clouds clearing, Rafa Benitez now has the chance to set Newcastle on the right path

Newcastle’s progress will be about incremental development, and to that end they could not have a better man at the helm than Benitez

 

It was always a strange match. Rafa Benitez, the former manager of Real Madrid, footballing royalty, and Mike Ashley, the maverick who made a fortune from nothing. In transfer windows they have crossed swords, but now they are speaking, and the importance of that should not be understated.

 

The relationship was perhaps not helped by the appearance of Amanda Staveley in October and talk of a possible takeover, when Newcastle were ninth in the Premier League table. In the following 12 games, when fanciful notion of spending hundreds of millions of pounds on all kinds of star players started emerging, Newcastle managed just one win.

 

It was a damaging period. Now, with that takeover conversation largely expunged, there has been a robust revival. Tyneside feels like storm clouds are clearing. Its football team swatted Southampton aside - and that has not been a regular occurrence in recent years in the Premier League.

 

They were excellent, dominant, fluid, expressive and in control from the moment Kenedy scored after just 64 seconds. The on-loan Chelsea midfielder added a second after 29 minutes with a brilliant breakaway goal and then Matt Ritchie scored a fine third before the hour mark. Tyneside relaxed. The stadium felt less fraught. Newcastle will try to sign Kenedy, who is 22, in the summer. The goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, another January signing, is 29. He was dominant once again. His deal seems nailed on to become permanent, from Sparta Prague, in the summer.

 

Hungry players, with their best years ahead. Newcastle are newly-promoted, and just about everyone has forgotten that. Building the finances to attack, to make the club compete again, will take time. One of football’s biggest myths is that relegation can help, can clear deadwood. It doesn’t. The fall in TV money from the Premier League to the Championship is around £105m (and the parachute payment, initially £40 million, lessens with each season). No business can survive that. Newcastle are still recovering. It will take time. There has to be patience.

 

It puts the club on a clear path. Newcastle’s progress will be about incremental development, and to that end they could not have a better man at the helm than Benitez.

 

It has felt a hugely insulting criticism to continually demean the current squad, one that won promotion at the first attempt - no mean feat - as a bunch of Championship players. This was never thrown at Robert Lee, John Beresford, Andy Cole, Steve Howey, Pavel Srnieck, Steve Watson, Lee Clark or Robbie Elliott, men who grew with the club when it was promoted in 1993 and became such a genuine force in the English game.

 

Jamaal Lascelles strode around the turf at full time on Saturday as the rain fell to take acclaim and share relief with supporters who have bought into his heart. Every day Benitez makes him a better player. Florian Lejeune, a £10m signing in the summer, is not a Championship player. Paul Dummett, finally serenaded by his own club’s supporters, is a quality Premier League defender. Jonjo Shelvey is not Championship, nor Mo Diame, nor Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle, who ran 80 yards for an assist on the second goal.

 

All of those players are progressing. Newcastle spent £47m in the summer and the best days of Jacob Murphy, Mikel Merino, Lejeune and Christian Atsu are ahead.

 

It will always be an at times tempestuous relationship between Benitez’s ambition and Ashley’s rigid financial beliefs, which, whisper it, are in place to protect the long-term future of Newcastle United (see the wanton, aimless spending at Sunderland and its consequences for an alternative).

 

They are the unlikely couple; Ashley and Benitez, but there is a chance it could work. There is something compelling about the level of care Benitez has to show to guide these young players. He admitted last week that he has not managed like this since he was at Extremadura. That was his first success, against all odds, and he smiles every time he mentions it. That translates well to Newcastle United, a young team, a new team and one trying to emerge in corporate football as the proud, regional club you should hope it always will be.

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That's a very optimistic outlook on the current squad. But he's mentioned the key men there; Lascelles, Lejeune, Dummett, Shelvey and Diame. Those five have all improved to varying degress since Christmas, and are the biggest on-pitch contributors to our general solidity. Dubravka too, who was a new signing. And Kenedy's added skill.

 

The problem all season has been goals and, as harsh as it is, Gayle doesn't deserve to be in that list of "heyyy, stop calling these select few players Championship standard!" The team is as bad as its weakest link and that's why, in spite of the improvement of several individuals, the team - as a collective - has been branded 'Championship'.

 

The need to invest in the summer is still as palpable as it has been at any point since we came up.

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Bit knee jerk that I think. God forbid had Southampton been slightly better, and we'd been a little unlucky - came away 1-1 there is not a chance that sort of think is being written. Thankfully that wasn't the case, Southampton we're admittedly poor, but we played well and saw them off convincingly.

 

Jamaal Lascelles strode around the turf at full time on Saturday as the rain fell to take acclaim and share relief with supporters who have bought into his heart. Every day Benitez makes him a better player. Florian Lejeune, a £10m signing in the summer, is not a Championship player. Paul Dummett, finally serenaded by his own club’s supporters, is a quality Premier League defender. Jonjo Shelvey is not Championship, nor Mo Diame, nor Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle, who ran 80 yards for an assist on the second goal.

 

In my book though that doesn't suddenly make the above true, and makes for rather embarrassing reading off the back of one game. All players mentioned there had good games yesterday, and have had their form pick up of late, but that can't suddenly hide worrying performances they have shown this season - in which they have thoroughly looked Championship.

 

Hopefully everyone can keep close to recent levels until end of the season - then write that. 

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I do actually think he'll give Ashley a chance to use the money we've accrued this season if we stay up. In theory we should be shopping in the £15-25m bracket that we claimed was out of our reach last year. No excuse this summer.

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I do actually think he'll give Ashley a chance to use the money we've accrued this season if we stay up. In theory we should be shopping in the £15-25m bracket that we claimed was out of our reach. No excuse this summer.

Staveley will buy us if/when we stay up.
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I do actually think he'll give Ashley a chance to use the money we've accrued this season if we stay up. In theory we should be shopping in the £15-25m bracket that we claimed was out of our reach. No excuse this summer.

Staveley will buy us if/when we stay up.

 

She'll not be back.

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Might buy one player in the £15M-£20M band, but we could really do with 4 coming in. The type of player is incredibly important as well, not solely the price tag.

 

We brought Murphy for £12M, but he has done very little to further our cause.

 

But that won't account for the players we miss out on in the £15M, £20M, £30M areas because we just won't pay/won't get deals done. Despite them no doubt available to us, willing to come, but ending up at clubs elsewhere in the league.

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That's a very optimistic outlook on the current squad. But he's mentioned the key men there; Lascelles, Lejeune, Dummett, Shelvey and Diame. Those five have all improved to varying degress since Christmas, and are the biggest on-pitch contributors to our general solidity. Dubravka too, who was a new signing. And Kenedy's added skill.

 

The problem all season has been goals and, as harsh as it is, Gayle doesn't deserve to be in that list of "heyyy, stop calling these select few players Championship standard!" The team is as bad as its weakest link and that's why, in spite of the improvement of several individuals, the team - as a collective - has been branded 'Championship'.

 

The need to invest in the summer is still as palpable as it has been at any point since we came up.

Not that I think Gayle is upto it these days but he's at least contributed a few goals and assists lately. Has helped given the fine margins.
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Two years ago today...

 

Any chance someone could correct the link to the old thread in the first post on page 1?

I like to read through the first pages occasionally just to relive that period of time. It was an amazing few days in the build up to him being confirmed.

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I do actually think he'll give Ashley a chance to use the money we've accrued this season if we stay up. In theory we should be shopping in the £15-25m bracket that we claimed was out of our reach. No excuse this summer.

Staveley will buy us if/when we stay up.

 

She'll not be back.

She will be.
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I do actually think he'll give Ashley a chance to use the money we've accrued this season if we stay up. In theory we should be shopping in the £15-25m bracket that we claimed was out of our reach last year. No excuse this summer.

 

Rafa will want to stay given any encouragement about funds. If there is going to be significant funds due to tv money being available next season as suggested, then Rafa will stay IMO. Although obviously I'm still hoping the club gets bought out.

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I do actually think he'll give Ashley a chance to use the money we've accrued this season if we stay up. In theory we should be shopping in the £15-25m bracket that we claimed was out of our reach. No excuse this summer.

Staveley will buy us if/when we stay up.

 

She'll not be back.

She will be.

 

 

Oh, most certainly she will be back, as she hasn't gone away.

 

The ONLY time anything SERIOUS gets done in things like this, is when the spotlight is off the people involved.

 

Like now.

 

So, just wait and e n j o y !!!

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