Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)

[t00nt00n313]

22 hours ago, Superior Acuña said:

Two of Rafa's signings in the starting line-up.

 

Obviously he loves Liverpool, but bet he was buzzing for us.

 

Murphy and schar? Can't remember if Jolinton came under rafa.

[kingxlnc]

1 minute ago, t00nt00n313 said:

 

Murphy and schar? Can't remember if Jolinton came under rafa.

He came the summer after Rafa left - he did approve the signing iirc but said he wouldn't pay £40m for him. 

I do think Rafa would have commented a hearty congrats had we played anyone but Liverpool - which makes sense he still lives there and can't be seen to say the wrong thing

Dubravka was also a Rafa signing
 

[Danh1]

Benitez a big reason for our recent success. The only manager with the bollocks to publicly go against Ashley, got us promoted first time of asking and established us in the league again. Not to mention bringing the new owners to the table.

 

Think Rafa leaving the club opened a lot of eyes about how dire the club was being run, leading to 10k season tickets having to be given away and ultimately Ashley fucking off. 
 

Love the sexy glasses inserting bastard 

[Superior Acuña]

Suppose I shouldn’t be since he’s moved a lot, but quite surprised to learn he only

managed more games for Liverpool and Valencia than he did for us. 

[Mike]

Has Rafa done a congrats Toon video. I need to watch it and sniffle.

[TheBrownBottle]

I still love the bloke, and he’s right up there for me re NUFC managers.  In terms of favourites, he’s on the podium - and he’s second only to KK in terms of positive impact on the city (in terms of self-worth - Benitez coming in after years of being told what we are by Ashley’s acolytes in the press was a massive boon to us.  He gave the support so much belief again).  NB that’s not to say that Howe hasn’t - it’s just that the positivity around the club isn’t only driven by Howe.

[andycap]

He's high up in my managers I loved at the toon. because he was a winner and wanted our club to be the best calling out Ashley and he was a lovely fella aswell. 

Bobby was and is a class manager aswell a lovely fella always made me smile with his witt. 

Keegan a lovely fella full of charisma maybe not an elite manager but could narf pick a player. Plus we played some extraordinary stuff. 

 

[andycap]

Then eddie lovely fella wants and strives for us to be the best can get extra out of the majority of the squad we didn't think they had in them, has actually won us something by thumping arsenal and Liverpool on the way. 

So he has to be top of the pyramid now with the other three neck a neck. 

[Dr.Spaceman]

It still boils my piss whenever anyone downplays the impact of his 3 years at the club. What a man.

 

Tbh it's usually the "Wey Pardew wasn't that bad" crowd who are weirdly anti-Rafa.

 

 

Edited April 1 by Dr.Spaceman

[NSG]

Will always love the bloke.

 

Believed in the club when no one else did and he brought Amanda to the table.

 

We wouldn’t be where we are without him.

[STM]

Modern day mount rushmore:

 

Keegan, Howe, SBR and Rafa.

[PauloGeordio]

Loved Rafa, gave us hope and belief again in our "cloob" inspite of Jabba. Another manager you stopped what you were doing and listened to when he spoke. Sold our potential and boy did it pay off. Glasses off for the win.

[huss9]

37 minutes ago, STM said:

Modern day mount rushmore:

 

Keegan, Howe, SBR and Rafa.

i reckon Cox would have been up there if he hadnt spat his dummy out - or maybe there was more to it. too young to remember what actually happened but i was gutted.

[GavMcEl]

34 minutes ago, STM said:

Modern day mount rushmore:

 

Keegan, Howe, SBR and Rafa.

100% agree, I know he's not in the same bracket as the above, but I have to give Chris Hughton credit when where talking about former managers... just going about his business in the summer of 09 when the club was an absolute shambles, then that season in the championship, winning the title with ease, then them few months he was in charge in the prem, thumping villa and the Mackems and winning at the Emirates before Ashley shafted him... and always handling himself in an honest, dignified and professional manner in the process.

[andycap]

Missing Joe Harvey off the list for Mount rushmore. 

[Dr.Spaceman]

Hughton was great for where we were at the time. It felt like he didn't over manage the side and I enjoyed listening to him speak. Plus he had black and white hair.

[SteV]

5 minutes ago, huss9 said:

i reckon Cox would have been up there if he hadnt spat his dummy out - or maybe there was more to it. too young to remember what actually happened but i was gutted.

Pushing the ‘modern day’ bit mind! 

[Yorkie]

Absolutely adored Rafa; I probably have an even greater affection for him than even Eddie Howe tbh. That's not a slight on Howe, I love him and wouldn't swap him for anyone, but the context is what elevates Rafa for me. His 'difference' is what puts him on a pedestal for me, whereas Howe is a very well-fitting component in a slick operation. 

 

Rafa was a rare beam of light in an otherwise dark, dark time; a figure of ambition and excellence in a sea of contentment and incompetence. It meant the world to me to have someone like him cut through all the gaslighting, and everything else that characterised the Ashley era.

 

We also weren't a bad side under him. He got a tune out of a very mixed bag of players. 

 

I don't know how tangible his role in the takeover was but, at the very least, if he didn't get us promoted that year then I'd put good money on us not being where we are now. 

[Superior Acuña]

Rafa was managing us in the Championship less than a year after managing Real Madrid. It was really quite extraordinary that he stayed to get us back up.

[TomYam]

8 minutes ago, huss9 said:

i reckon Cox would have been up there if he hadnt spat his dummy out - or maybe there was more to it. too young to remember what actually happened but i was gutted.

I understand Cox walked out on the club after the first round of negotiations. Unlike many others, the club didn't have a wealthy benefactor and the board was conservative and risk averse. Cox wanted a fat new contract as a reward for achieving promotion as well as quality investment in the team. His stock was high so as soon as he met some resistance (which he doubtlessly anticipated), he walked.

It was a real missed opportunity for the club as Cox was a good team manager and the team could have competed at the top of the league with 2-3 good additions (esp goalkeeper and CF).

[Facundo Ferreyra]

Would love to see Rafa back at the club one day, not as manager but working in the background somewhere. 

 

Still gutted we never got to see what he could really do here with proper backing, and I hated that people accused him of leaving Newcastle to go to China for the money. He'd have stayed if Ashley wasn't such a greedy dickhead. 

[PauloGeordio]

1 minute ago, Yorkie said:

Absolutely adored Rafa; I probably have an even greater affection for him than even Eddie Howe tbh. That's not a slight on Howe, I love him and wouldn't swap him for anyone, but the context is what elevates Rafa for me. His 'difference' is what puts him on a pedestal for me, whereas Howe is a very well-fitting component in a slick operation. 

 

Rafa was a rare beam of light in an otherwise dark, dark time; a figure of ambition and excellence in a sea of contentment and incompetence. It meant the world to me to have someone like him cut through all the gaslighting, and everything else that characterised the Ashley era.

 

We also weren't a bad side under him. He got a tune out of a very mixed bag of players. 

 

I don't know how tangible his role in the takeover was but, at the very least, if he didn't get us promoted that year then I'd put good money on us not being where we are now. 

Believe he was very instrumental in selling us to Amanda and Co. Loved that front 3 of Miggy, Rondon and Perez.

[huss9]

22 minutes ago, SteV said:

Pushing the ‘modern day’ bit mind! 

some of us are closer to 60 than 50 so its all relative 

[Conjo]

3 hours ago, Yorkie said:

Absolutely adored Rafa; I probably have an even greater affection for him than even Eddie Howe tbh. That's not a slight on Howe, I love him and wouldn't swap him for anyone, but the context is what elevates Rafa for me. His 'difference' is what puts him on a pedestal for me, whereas Howe is a very well-fitting component in a slick operation. 

 

Rafa was a rare beam of light in an otherwise dark, dark time; a figure of ambition and excellence in a sea of contentment and incompetence. It meant the world to me to have someone like him cut through all the gaslighting, and everything else that characterised the Ashley era.

 

We also weren't a bad side under him. He got a tune out of a very mixed bag of players. 

 

I don't know how tangible his role in the takeover was but, at the very least, if he didn't get us promoted that year then I'd put good money on us not being where we are now. 

 

Not only did he stay here to get us promoted, he got us promoted while drilling a side he knew would be limited in the PL into a system that would make us hard to beat and dangerous on the counter against tougher opposition. Had we gone for a more attacking strategy against lesser opponents while in the championship, I'm not sure that group of players would have managed to stay up.

[Wandy]

3 hours ago, Yorkie said:

Absolutely adored Rafa; I probably have an even greater affection for him than even Eddie Howe tbh. That's not a slight on Howe, I love him and wouldn't swap him for anyone, but the context is what elevates Rafa for me. His 'difference' is what puts him on a pedestal for me, whereas Howe is a very well-fitting component in a slick operation. 

 

Rafa was a rare beam of light in an otherwise dark, dark time; a figure of ambition and excellence in a sea of contentment and incompetence. It meant the world to me to have someone like him cut through all the gaslighting, and everything else that characterised the Ashley era.

 

We also weren't a bad side under him. He got a tune out of a very mixed bag of players. 

 

I don't know how tangible his role in the takeover was but, at the very least, if he didn't get us promoted that year then I'd put good money on us not being where we are now. 

 

Without Rafa, there would have been no Amanda Staveley. For that fact alone he deserves his place in the NUFC hall of fame. That invite to the Liverpool match changed the course of history.