Jump to content

Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)


Greg

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

This poll is closed to new votes


Recommended Posts

Seems to confirm the theory about Ashley's gamble. Hopefully his last.

It's almost as if he wants Rafa to walk - even Pardew/Mclaren got more backing than Rafa and that was before the huge TV deals.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Seems to confirm the theory about Ashley's gamble. Hopefully his last.

It's almost as if he wants Rafa to walk - even Pardew/Mclaren got more backing than Rafa and that was before the huge TV deals.

 

McClaren/Carr/some-useless-cockend got about £75m net spend. :lol:

Link to post
Share on other sites

What a beautiful man! He deserves so much better than this shitshow, but the fact that he’s prepared to stick it out because of loyalty and understanding for, and appreciation of the fans puts him in a different league to anyone else in the game.

Link to post
Share on other sites

What a beautiful man! He deserves so much better than this shitshow, but the fact that he’s prepared to stick it out because of loyalty and understanding for, and appreciation of the fans puts him in a different league to anyone else in the game.

Yet some of the press still write articles such as this.. :idiot2:

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5285557/Mike-Ashleys-mistakes-NOT-villain-here.html

Link to post
Share on other sites

What a beautiful man! He deserves so much better than this shitshow, but the fact that he’s prepared to stick it out because of loyalty and understanding for, and appreciation of the fans puts him in a different league to anyone else in the game.

Yet some of the press still write articles such as this.. :idiot2:

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5285557/Mike-Ashleys-mistakes-NOT-villain-here.html

 

Couple of weeks old printed by the same paper that supported Hitler and the nazis. Solid.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I can list the men in charge of our club that I hold in the highest regard on just one hand. (In my lifetime).

 

Robson, Keegan, Hughton and Rafa - and right now Rafa is the only thing about the club worth clinging onto.

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/football/newcastle/15907926.NEWCASTLE__Rafa_Benitez_insists_his_position_unlikely_to_change_even_if_late_moves_for_targets_such_as_Slimani_and_Mangala_fail/

There are also concerns that Benitez could walk if he doesn’t get new players today.

 

But the Spaniard said: “My future is very simple and very clear. Still we have one day for doing business. After that, still we can analyse where we are. But I don’t think that will change too much because I have a responsibility to the fans, with the players, with the club so it is not just personal with people, names, a lot of people around.

 

“I have had the same situation a few years ago when I was at Liverpool and Real Madrid approached me. I gave my word to the players that I would stay. Sometimes, you just have to say ‘OK, I will do what I have to do.’

 

“I have the belief and confidence that even in the more difficult circumstances, still we can stay up and we try to think about that but hopefully, we will have something coming before the end of the transfer window and feel much better and we have three points.”

 

Benitez rarely changes his relaxed demeanour in front of the media and that was the case yesterday despite the clock ticking and knowing Newcastle face Burnley at St James’ Park tonight. If he was frustrated, he did a good job in disguising it.

 

“Again I will say, I will not change anything,” said Benitez. “I understand, I have been here for a while and I understand the feelings of everyone. I am the first one that will like to do things in another way and then to be sure that everything that we have done is right and make the right decisions.

 

“We are trying to do things. There’s the way, there’s another way, but we are trying to do things and sometimes it depends on a phone call, a meeting and then one player is doing a deal, and that means they have to move another player. Sometimes it is that.

 

“It is not the ideal situation, when you have been working for months, preparing names and analysing players and then you go to January 1 with a list of players and then you start with the names, the main target that you have.

 

“And after you have to go to the 31st and waiting for a phone call from someone else, it means that something is wrong. But we cannot change what is going on here for a while, what I can try is to do my best now.”

 

I'm assuming he means he can't change Ashleys cheap policy of bidding low and hoping clubs cave in and sell. Whilst also thinking "leave it late in the window" ensures more value for money as other clubs panic. Despite 10 years of evidence for the contrary, it's us who panic and then walk away.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Rafa simply has to be confident a takeover is still happening. No reason for any sane manager to put up with this. Either way I am thankful for his level head and calmness. If we stay up it will be due to that gorgeous human being. Oops just crushed on rafa hard for a second, almost as hard as our dreams will be crushed  again tmrw.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Seems to confirm the theory about Ashley's gamble. Hopefully his last.

It's almost as if he wants Rafa to walk - even Pardew/Mclaren got more backing than Rafa and that was before the huge TV deals.

 

No, the whole model is based on spending as little as possible while preserving a chance of staying up. He wants us to be in the Premier League to expose the global audience to Sports Direct. Staying up requires a squad that’s good enough to do it even though the manager is well out of his depth, or a manager that’s so competent he might make it anyway. Ashley has always gambled on this. On a couple of occasions (Jan 13’, Summer 15’ and Jan 16’) , he’s conceded that the shit manager he’s hired isn’t good enough and needs backing to be in with a chance. It failed in 2016. With Rafa, that’s never been the case, he knows he’s good enough to maybe make it happen with this lot, so he’ll take his chances.

 

Since his Sports Direct-serving model really kicked into gear in 2010 when Pardew was hand picked to lead the deconstruction of the football club, this logic has only been defied once: In January 2012, when he thought he had a chance of showcasing SD to even larger audiences in the Champions League. Hence his (widely reported) fury when it didn’t come off despite signing Cissé.

Link to post
Share on other sites

He's basically only still here out of loyalty to the players and fans.

 

No way he stays beyond the summer if there's no takeover, no chance at all - he knows their promises aren't worth shit so there's nothing they can say to keep him here.  :(

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

See, my starting point is that I believe the story that it would cost him (personally) six million quid if he walked out before summer.

 

I also agree wholly with this:

 

Rafa is playing politics whilst waiting for the takeover at the end of the season.  :frantic:

 

If he's here until summer no matter what (unless sacked - different post), then he's got nothing to lose by dropping carefully crafted truth bombs from now until June. I'd say he's got a decent constructive dismissal case up his sleeve, too.

 

If he was going to blow all that cash on walking out, wouldn't those who hoped he would do so prefer he personally paid for a striker? :lol: Who was that Ghanaian in Serbia again?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Was expecting him on the SJP touchlinr for the last time tonight until he said what he said yesterday. What a man. Hope he at least gets one of his wishes today. At least a win will cheer him up.

Yeah I'm thinking he will see out this season but no chance he stays if there isn't swift progress in the summer in terms of a sale or a "recruitment drive" urgh
Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest Howaythetoon

I’m sure Crumpy was against Souness? But was critical of Bellamy and Robert at the time which may have been misdirected as supporting Souness? I know I was critical of those two and got labelled as a Souness sympathiser at the time.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest Howaythetoon

What I'd give for us to be in the position where we can be critical of players like Robert and Bellamy.

 

I was never critical of their performances, just their character, shit stirring (Bellamy) and general attitude towards the end of SBR’s time and the beginning of Souness’. You can’t call the manager a prick live on telly, feign injury or on the eve of a big game (Robert) slag the manager off even if it’s Souness. It doesn’t and didn’t help the cause whatsoever. Dark days...

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...