andycap Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 Just think he needs a team that will get behind him and his methods like he had with us. If he went on losing runs we knew he'd sort it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conjo Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 6 hours ago, Coffee_Johnny said: Didn’t think he came out of the Netflix Miracle of Istanbul documentary very well. They were almost portraying him as being ‘neurodiverse’. He was running around in the hallways shouting "man on" to Lascelles to keep him sharp for our matches. He is definitely on the spectrum with his obsession and attention to detail Partly what made him such a great manager. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubaricho Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 2 hours ago, andycap said: Just think he needs a team that will get behind him and his methods like he had with us. If he went on losing runs we knew he'd sort it. Nice try Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Yeah I dread to think where we'd be now if it hadn't been for Benitez. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nufcjb Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 (edited) As much as I am thankful that he had a part in the takeover, I am even more grateful that he stayed with us after we got relegated and then took us back up, as champions too. No promotion, no takeover. Edited May 24 by nufcjb Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBrownBottle Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Even without the excellent job he did for us, it maybe is hard to remember what him coming meant - after years of being told we were deluded and should be grateful for whichever sap Ashley shuffled into the job, along came a genuinely elite manager who reminded us of who we are and could be; he got the club and the city, and didn't spend his time in the press whining about our expectations - he told us we should have those expectations. Unlike Souness, Pardew etc. The game very likely has now moved on, but for what the man gave us he's a legend for me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danh1 Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Had some great results under him. The week we beat Brighton away on the Tuesday 1-2, then beat Huddersfield 1-3 on the Saturday late kick off. Newcastle United with two huge games against our title rivals, away from home and winning them both. Mental. Leicester away twice in a row. Everton 3-2 from 0-2 down. Man City at home. Norwich 4-3, proper turning point of the Benitez era that last 10 minutes. It wasn’t pretty at times but it worked. Frustratingly by the time he left we were starting to play some nice stuff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 50 minutes ago, Danh1 said: Had some great results under him. The week we beat Brighton away on the Tuesday 1-2, then beat Huddersfield 1-3 on the Saturday late kick off. Newcastle United with two huge games against our title rivals, away from home and winning them both. Mental. Leicester away twice in a row. Everton 3-2 from 0-2 down. Man City at home. Norwich 4-3, proper turning point of the Benitez era that last 10 minutes. It wasn’t pretty at times but it worked. Frustratingly by the time he left we were starting to play some nice stuff. Beating Man U & Arsenal in back to back home games when we first signed Dubravka. Remember Slimani doing very little but had massive cameos in two big wins. Kenedy's loan spell. Was a big window that January one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliottman Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 On 23/05/2026 at 07:37, Menace said: Sacked. He's been pretty woeful since managing us like, game has completely passed him by. What are the expectations of that club? Doesn’t seem like he done too bad on paper, 4th, a semi final domestically and I think 1/4 of EL or conference, can’t remember which one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyman Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 One of the GOATs for me. Dedicated, overly loyal, huge heart and an amazing trophy cabinet to show to from his managerial career. And let's not forget he is one of the very few big dogs who doesn't shy away from a challenge. To think he came here is actually ridiculous. What a man. Forever grateful to him Just over 10 years ago we absolutely tore Spurs to pieces. And the crowd was singing Rafa's praises. We loved him and he loved us. Simples Special, special stuff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyman Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Also, I will never tire of Mitro's celebrations Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
toon25 Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 18 minutes ago, andyman said: One of the GOATs for me. Dedicated, overly loyal, huge heart and an amazing trophy cabinet to show to from his managerial career. And let's not forget he is one of the very few big dogs who doesn't shy away from a challenge. To think he came here is actually ridiculous. What a man. Forever grateful to him Just over 10 years ago we absolutely tore Spurs to pieces. And the crowd was singing Rafa's praises. We loved him and he loved us. Simples Special, special stuff. What he could have achieved with the squad he first inherited, man. Instead it was given to that fucking limp dick McLaren Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
astraguy Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 We should get him at board level or a scout for us, he'd be mint for Eddie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBG Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Howe's number two next season who can step in after Howe only picks up 4 points in his first two games (Arsenal (a), Manchester City (a))? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paully Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Absolutely Rafa love and always will Made us believe again Made us think of us a football club again rather than a sports shop advertising Brought Amanda to the table No Rafa - no takeover Legend Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 14 hours ago, Dokko said: 10 years ago the man could do no wrong. Without checking, I'd imagine the same people backing Howe to the hilt. Football moves on very quickly. It's not about who hasn't done something, it's about who can't. What I loved about him was his dedication to the game. You can argue about the style of football he played, but not his reasoning. He had a method, and for us at the time, that was a novelty in itself. The other things he brought of course were high standards. If he didn't think a player was ready he wouldn't play. Still remember getting pissed off when he bought players but refused to play them for two months until they had locked in on fitness and role in the side. We used to finish every season strongly just because he knew how to rotate the squad effectively. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloGeordio Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 12 minutes ago, Paully said: Absolutely Rafa love and always will Made us believe again Made us think of us a football club again rather than a sports shop advertising Brought Amanda to the table No Rafa - no takeover Legend Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Luque Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 First manager we had with a tactical plan since SBR. Couldn’t believe my eyes, some of the goals we scored. Simple, drilled moves, squaring it and passing into the net. The type of goals other teams scored, but never us. A whole bunch of incredibly professional 1-0 wins and I always loved them. Going from him to Bruce was the biggest gut punch I have had as a supporter (and I even rooted against us during the final Pardew years). When he left, I left. Going from that to Steve fucking Bruce was too much to bear. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holloway Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 13 minutes ago, Unlucky Luque said: First manager we had with a tactical plan since SBR. Couldn’t believe my eyes, some of the goals we scored. Simple, drilled moves, squaring it and passing into the net. The type of goals other teams scored, but never us. A whole bunch of incredibly professional 1-0 wins and I always loved them. Going from him to Bruce was the biggest gut punch I have had as a supporter (and I even rooted against us during the final Pardew years). When he left, I left. Going from that to Steve fucking Bruce was too much to bear. Aye that ended me, too Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
St1pe Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Random but I really miss belting out the Rafa Benitez chant when we’re seeing out a win. “Fuck off Wijnaldum, Shevley and Perez… Rafa Benitez, RAFA BENITEZ!” In my head 24/7 post good result Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATF Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 4 hours ago, Elliottman said: What are the expectations of that club? Doesn’t seem like he done too bad on paper, 4th, a semi final domestically and I think 1/4 of EL or conference, can’t remember which one. It's modern football really. They haven't won the league in 16 years. They'd won 5 of their first 16 games before he arrived. Went on a good run initially, then a spell of bad form, but only the champions have registered more points than them in 2026, and their early season form had made the recent end-of-season championship round essentially redundant for them. But you just don't get time to create anything now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliottman Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 10 minutes ago, ATF said: It's modern football really. They haven't won the league in 16 years. They'd won 5 of their first 16 games before he arrived. Went on a good run initially, then a spell of bad form, but only the champions have registered more points than them in 2026, and their early season form had made the recent end-of-season championship round essentially redundant for them. But you just don't get time to create anything now. Interesting, didn’t seem too bad when I looked at what they’re done this season but again, wasn’t sure what their expectations were. As you say, everyone wants immediate success. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK-421 Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 3 hours ago, PauloGeordio said: "Unfinished Business" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deuce Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Eddie’s taken us to new heights, but I reckon Rafa will always be my favorite. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoreboard82 Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 This fixture away at Fulham always brings back memories of that sunny day and 4-0 win there. His last game as toon boss and my last away game as a ST holder. Great day and we were looking good then it was allowed to turn to shit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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