Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Unless Ashley has GEORDIES ARE WANKERS put across the top of the stand I don’t see what else he can do to create more unrest. He’s relegated us twice, renamed our stadium, now he’s about to force out the best manager we’ve had for years.

 

When Rafa leaves there’ll be a bit of anger followed by returning to absolute normal.

 

The key is whether people like The Magpie Group can keep up pressure on Sports Direct and his other interests. And ultimately whether a buyer appears who is willing to be taken to the cleaners by Ashley.

[Tubestationatmidnight]

On the contrary, Rafa is probably the only thing making as many work to get Ashley out at the moment as there are, knowing that we'll be reduced to being nothing again when Rafa walks.

 

If Rafa walks full blown apathy among our supporters will set in again within days.

 

Fair point but I'm not even convinced he will walk. It can't be nice now coming in to training and working every day knowing there is no chance of progression or any hope of anything good. Especially if he knows he is leaving in may then it will all go tits up if he left. He would literally just be keeping us up on the cheap too keep Ashley on the gravy train again.

 

He has been shafted the last 2 summers and is still here. Maybe he just enjoys been here regardless. Maybe he would sign a new deal even the way things are now. If he was here last season and he is here all this season then what's to say he won't do another 2 or more seasons like it? That would be the worst for me it all just carrying on like this, something has to give and soon

[loki679]

It's not daft it's true. We all pretty much agree the most important thing for the club is getting Ashley out. With Rafa the pressure on him is at about 40%. Rafa walks then it at least doubles.

 

[joeyt]

Don't understand how a Newcastle fan can view Rafa as a problem

[Chris_R]

He has no business being here anymore. He is the only thing keeping a mass wave of hate and pressure towards Ashley at bay. Just step aside and let it unleash Rafa man you have f all to lose

 

Are you going to pay Ashley the widely-believed £6m for Rafa to walk? If you were in his shoes, would you pay it just over a point of principle and so that the fans could ramp up their protests 9 months earlier?

[Bimpy474]

I get he thinks if Rafa walks then Ashley might go because of the uproar. Personally i think there's more chance of Ashley going if Rafa stays, imo.

[Tubestationatmidnight]

Don't understand how a Newcastle fan can view Rafa as a problem

 

He's not a problem, he just does not deserve this utter shit

[Tubestationatmidnight]

He has no business being here anymore. He is the only thing keeping a mass wave of hate and pressure towards Ashley at bay. Just step aside and let it unleash Rafa man you have f all to lose

 

Are you going to pay Ashley the widely-believed £6m for Rafa to walk? If you were in his shoes, would you pay it just over a point of principle and so that the fans could ramp up their protests 9 months earlier?

 

That's a stupid clause to have to work under a known wanker like Ashley

 

I just don't go along with the widely believed view that he will walk in May. He already has said he will see about a new deal later in the season. What's there to see about unless Ashley wasn't here anymore?

[UncleBingo]

Don't understand how a Newcastle fan can view Rafa as a problem

 

Indeed, quite staggering really.

 

Especially as Rafa has done more than anyone to mobilise than fans into actually doing something about Ashley.......he'll keep ramping it up until the end of the season, and when he walks, the club will implode imho.

[Chris_R]

He has no business being here anymore. He is the only thing keeping a mass wave of hate and pressure towards Ashley at bay. Just step aside and let it unleash Rafa man you have f all to lose

 

Are you going to pay Ashley the widely-believed £6m for Rafa to walk? If you were in his shoes, would you pay it just over a point of principle and so that the fans could ramp up their protests 9 months earlier?

 

That's a stupid clause to have to work under a known wanker like Ashley

 

I just don't go along with the widely believed view that he will walk in May. He already has said he will see about a new deal later in the season. What's there to see about unless Ashley wasn't here anymore?

 

Are you saying he shouldn't pay the £6m because you've deemed it stupid? Or that he should walk and pay it? Or what?

 

My question still stands in its entirety: "If you were in his shoes, would you pay it just over a point of principle and so that the fans could ramp up their protests 9 months earlier?". Or would you see out your contract, and get paid a year's salary instead of paying £6m to leave?

 

And as for your second bit, Rafa HAS to say he'll see about a new contract. He can't say anything else. Let's face it, there ARE things Ashley could do to make Rafa stay. It's not impossible. He could write something into Rafa's contract saying he'll have £Xm per year net spend to spend on players, that might satisfy Rafa if X was high enough and the contract watertight enough, and Ashley could do that, there's nothing stopping him.

 

But we all know he won't, because 11 years tell us it just won't happen because he's a parasite and a cunt whose only goal is to advertise SD and leach money out of the club and into his own pockets, but Rafa has to allow him to not offer a good enough contract, to give him that opportunity to fuck up, before he walks at the end of his contract with his head held high. Rafa, for me, is playing this perfectly.

[Tubestationatmidnight]

I'm saying it shouldn't have been in there in the first place

 

Aye maybe. I'm just so pissed off at the moment that I can't even feel anything or look forward to our matches anymore.

[loki679]

I don't think it's about the money for Rafa anyway.  He's a man of principles and honour and he'll at least see out his contract no matter what.

[Chris_R]

I'm saying it shouldn't have been in there in the first place

 

 

Well maybe you're right, but that's slightly irrelevant now.

 

Assuming it is there, which it is widely believed to be from reputable sources, should Rafa see out his contact or walk away now?

[Andy84]

I can see why there hasn’t been a massive drop in attendances this season, it’s  hard to walk away from Rafa and this group of lads.  Rafa is a man of integrity, he believes in the club , he believes in its potential, he believes in us as supporters and he believes in our city.  He always mentions the city, the community, he knows how important the club is to the area.  Next season shouldn’t be a problem in respect of the stadium emptying, all hell will break loose.  It’s good the Ashley out campaign is generating momentum now ahead of next summer. 

[Away Toon]

It is pretty amazing if it is in fact true that Rafa signed a contract with such a severe penalty clause inserted if he decided to leave before the three year deal was up, especially knowing he was going to be working for a cunt as big as Ashley.

[Chris_R]

It is pretty amazing if it is in fact true that Rafa signed a contract with such a severe penalty clause inserted if he decided to leave before the three year deal was up, especially knowing he was going to be working for a cunt as big as Ashley.

 

I don't think it's amazing at all.

 

If Rafa is, as is believed, a man of integrity who will never walk away from a contract then any kind of clause like this is an utter irrelevance to him. Doesn't matter if there's no clause, a £6m clause, or a £1b clause. He'll stay regardless and see out the contract.

[mrmojorisin75]

I don't think it's about the money for Rafa anyway.  He's a man of principles and honour and he'll at least see out his contract no matter what.

Rafa walking would be viewed as failure in his own mind imo. He'll only want to go having done the best he can do and kept us up again.

[mrmojorisin75]

It is pretty amazing if it is in fact true that Rafa signed a contract with such a severe penalty clause inserted if he decided to leave before the three year deal was up, especially knowing he was going to be working for a cunt as big as Ashley.

It's worth remembering when he signed it though.

[loki679]

It is pretty amazing if it is in fact true that Rafa signed a contract with such a severe penalty clause inserted if he decided to leave before the three year deal was up, especially knowing he was going to be working for a cunt as big as Ashley.

 

Unlike Pardew and the other cunts, he actually realises and believes in what this club could be with even just the clubs own money being reinvested in itself. 

 

Shame FMA is such a cunt.

[Away Toon]

Is a clause like this normal for managers? I cant say I've heard of it very often. Mind you very few managers actually walk out of clubs (apart from Pardew from us), they get sacked instead.

[Guest ElCid]

I'm saying it shouldn't have been in there in the first place

 

 

Well maybe you're right, but that's slightly irrelevant now.

 

Assuming it is there, which it is widely believed to be from reputable sources, should Rafa see out his contact or walk away now?

 

Nobody in their right mind would walkand have to pay 5 million for the pleasure especially when he can walk for nothing in the Summer. He could do a Keegan and go for constructve dismissal but I think he does want to see his contract out for the team and the support. When he does go maybe he will then come out full guns blazing. Ashley is the problem and I just don't see hm leaving anytime soon especially with the apathetic support we have in the main. Maybe this will change when Rafa does go we will see I'm not convinced it will.

[wormy]

Is it a two way clause? I may have gotten it round the wrong way but I could've sworn there was an amount along those lines paid to him if Ashley gave him the boot?

 

The idea Rafa leaving would ramp up the protests. He's the man that's galvanised the support into doing something in the first place. The longer he's here the more fans will care about shifting Ashley. When he walks away I'm fairly confident any protests will reduce rather than increase tbh.

[HaydnNUFC]

Is it a two way clause? I may have gotten it round the wrong way but I could've sworn there was an amount along those lines paid to him if Ashley gave him the boot?

 

The idea Rafa leaving would ramp up the protests. He's the man that's galvanised the support into doing something in the first place. The longer he's here the more fans will care about shifting Ashley. When he walks away I'm fairly confident any protests will reduce rather than increase tbh.

Aye. If for argument's sake he walked away now there'd probably be a week or so of ramped up protests before them dying down. Wanting someone fighting our corner inside the club to leave because protests might get more intense is outrageous imo.

[xLiaaamx]

I'm not sure how I'd react if he did sign a new contract now. Probably just be wildly confused.

[TRon]

It is pretty amazing if it is in fact true that Rafa signed a contract with such a severe penalty clause inserted if he decided to leave before the three year deal was up, especially knowing he was going to be working for a cunt as big as Ashley.

 

It's not that amazing, it was a three year contract at a club he wanted to manage. At worst if it didn't work out he can leave after three years, it's not like he locked himself in for a lifetime. Some of the points being raised are a bit daft.