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Rafa Benitez


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Considering staying on anyway. :lol: I actually love the bloke. Please can a takeover just materialise out of thin air please, ffs.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6029183/Benitez-reveals-Newcastle-players-frustrated-lack-business-summer.html

 

Rafa Benitez has revealed that his Newcastle players are just as frustrated as him with Mike Ashley's apparent refusal to invest in new signings.

The boss is mystified as to the owner's reluctance to back him in the transfer market and has warned that another season fighting relegation lies in store.

They are refusing to speak to the press while the bonus dispute continues and we understand they are also considering not fulfilling obligations with some media rights holders, which could lead to financial penalties for the club.

Asked if his team shared his concerns, Benitez said: 'One hundred per cent. The players know. They want to have better players around because they have more possibilities to win.' 

The Spaniard wants four more signings before this week's deadline and West Brom striker Salomon Rondon is set to arrive in a loan swap deal with Dwight Gayle going the other way.

But Benitez - who is yet to sign a new contract - had hoped it would be very different, especially as Newcastle are £26million in profit this summer.

'My idea was that at this stage of pre-season everything would be completed and we would be ready and working with my players for one month - it's not the case,' he said.

'If they trust us, give us the tools, we will deliver. We have done it everywhere and won trophies. In this case, I was expecting we could deliver something.' 

He added: 'To balance the team we need four players. Can we do it? Yes. Can we do the ideal window now? It's impossible because we have lost the opportunities. It's a pity that after two months we are talking about the last five days.

'It will be more difficult than last year. Wolves, Fulham, Cardiff, especially the first two, are spending money. Crystal Palace, West Ham, everyone is spending money.

'I've had the meeting (with Ashley) and I talk with Lee Charnley (managing director) every day. They know my idea, I know their ideas.

'I can talk (about a new contract), but we have to walk the walk and talk the talk. We have to do things. It has to be done. If we want to improve, you need to be sure it will be done.

'The problem is we have been talking about the future for the past month and we are not going in the same direction.

'I will fight until the end. I cannot guarantee anything. But in my head, it's to stay and to fight and make sure we do well. If everything is right then we can talk about the future.'

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It's just a waiting game till we get to see the NUFC press statement thanking him for all his hard work and success during his tenure and wishing him all the best for the future.  Expect it 13th May 2019. 

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The Enduring Love For Rafael Benitez

 

Rafael Benitez is a very meticulous coach, known globally for his attention to detail and getting teams to play as one unit. He is a big believer of repetition, repeating drills over and over again, so that good habits become ingrained. He leaves no stone unturned when scouting oppositions and setting up his teams in the way he feels best suited to get a positive result. It is as a result of this kind of preparation that Benitez has multiple major honours against his name throughout his career, across several different countries.

 

In the current climate of football, there is a big shift towards playing a certain style of football, the so-called ‘Tiki-Taka’, playing out from the back. Unai Emery is showing at Arsenal how difficult this style of play is to master. It takes time and it also takes a certain level of technical ability in the players. To put it simply, Rafa Benitez does simply not have the players available to attempt this style of play and even if he did, he simply isn’t the manager to master this system.

 

His style has led him to several accolades throughout his career so why would he change? Newcastle knew precisely what kind of manager they were getting when Benitez was appointed, but he just isn’t being backed regarding bringing in the kind of players he wants at the club. So I find it very difficult and unfair to judge the way he has Newcastle playing currently. He’s getting the best out of limited resources.

 

Despite his reputation for his teams playing defensive football, given time and the resources, Benitez has a proven record of getting results and also getting his team scoring goals:

 

* Valencia 2003/2004 – Won the league with the team scoring 71 league goals, the second most, 1 goal behind Real Madrid.

* Liverpool 2008/2009 – Finished 2nd with the team scoring 77 league goals in the process, 9 more than any other team.

* Napoli 2012/2013 – Finished 2nd with the team scoring 73 league goals, 2 more than any other team.

* Napoli 2013/2014 – Finished 3rd with the team scoring 77 league goals, the second most, 3 behind Juventus.

 

This puts to bed the myth that Benitez only knows how to set up teams to defend. Given the freedom to bring in the players he wants and implement them into a system, he can make teams stable while also scoring goals. Unfortunately, at Newcastle, this isn’t the case.

 

In April of this year, Newcastle played Arsenal at St. James Park in a game which could have secured Newcastle’s Premier League safety. The Magpies won 2-1 thanks to goals from Ayoze Perez and Matt Ritchie. Rafael Benitez was lauded as a ‘tactical genius’ for the way Newcastle went about beating Arsenal and for how he managed to keep a ‘Championship squad’ in the Premier League with games to spare.

 

Fast forward to the beginning of this season, 26th August, Newcastle were beaten 2 – 1 by Chelsea at St. James Park and Rafael Benitez is branded a ‘disgrace’ for his ‘anti-football’. If we dig deeper and examine the statistics of both games, it makes for fascinating reading. Against Arsenal, Newcastle had 28% possession, eight shots, 274 passes and two corners, whereas Arsenal had 72% possession, 15 shots, 695 passes and five corners. Against Chelsea, Newcastle had 18% possession, 6 shots, 200 passes and 4 corners, whereas Chelsea had 82% possession, 15 shots, 914 passes and 5 corners, very similar games however I didn’t hear pundits or even fellow Newcastle fans complaining after beating Arsenal; you can’t accept this style of football when we win and condemn it when we lose.

 

This isn’t a new way of playing that Newcastle have taken on. The Tyneside outfit has been playing the same way under Benitez since he took over and his record against last season’s top six was better than every other club barring Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool. His record against clubs below us was also exceptional, culminating in a top 10 finish.

 

The reaction, or should I say over-reaction, to how Benitez set his team up against Chelsea was laughable, Newcastle were 3-5 minutes away from taking points off a team worth hundreds of millions of pounds (Jorginho alone worth more than Newcastle’s whole starting XI) whilst having three of their best players out and a complete new CB pairing, which had never played together previously. Had Newcastle taken a point, the same individuals who called it a ‘disgrace’ would have been saying it was a ‘tactical masterclass’ and job done.

 

I believe it speaks volumes when the people criticising him are either individuals who have never managed or individuals who have been managers and failed. The people who defend him and praise his managerial abilities are individuals who have been successful in management and knows what success takes. Only this week Benitez was in Switzerland attending the UEFA Elite Coaches Forum alongside the worlds best managers. There is a reason that Benitez is continuously invited to the annual UEFA Elite Coaches Forum because he was and still is a world class coach/manager.

 

Newcastle fans have been lambasted in previous years for not giving managers enough time or not getting entirely behind their appointed managers even when there was just cause for unrest, i.e. Alan Pardew’s record-breaking run for consecutive losses, Pardew headbutting an opponent’s player during a match, Joe Kinnear’s astonishing interview rant.

Newcastle fans are entirely behind Rafael Benitez. He is the best manager Newcastle have had since the late, great, Sir Bobby Robson. The Spaniard just gets the club, he gets the fans, he gets the city, and I do not see that support wavering one bit. Staggeringly, Newcastle fans are now being criticised for backing a manager, with certain parts of the media stating that Benitez gets away with too much in regards to results and/or style of play. All I can say to that is, we don’t care one iota, this is our club, and no matter what happens, Newcastle fans will not turn against Benitez, no matter how certain individuals or companies try to portray him in a negative light.

 

No Newcastle fan enjoys watching the current type of football, and Benitez indeed isn’t immune to criticism, especially from the fans who pay good money and invest a lot of their time into the club. Benitez is only human after all, and he makes mistakes. However, the vast majority of the fans understand the predicament Benitez is in. With the lack of funds provided, I believe he is fully justified in setting up the team in any way he deems fit to get the best result for the club.

 

https://the4thofficial.net/2018/09/the-enduring-love-for-rafael-benitez-from-a-newcastle-united-faithful/

 

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Nitro scores again for his country, perhaps Rafa should have done better man-management and instruction. I see Crouch is knocking Rafa's man-management when he was at Liverpool. Perhaps Rafa is a bit rigid in his tactics.

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19 minutes ago, Noelie said:

Nitro scores again for his country, perhaps Rafa should have done better man-management and instruction. I see Crouch is knocking Rafa's man-management when he was at Liverpool. Perhaps Rafa is a bit rigid in his tactics.

 

His lack of major honours certainly back up that theory Noelle.

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Ic

 

Given the demanding fixture list so far, it is no surprise Newcastle are in the bottom three. A truer judgement of the side’s quality can be made over the next two months, starting with Saturday’s trip to Crystal Palace. Games against Leicester, Brighton, Southampton and Watford follow soon. The season has to kick into shape now.

Given the demanding fixture list so far, it is no surprise Newcastle are in the bottom three. A truer judgement of the side’s quality can be made over the next two months, starting with Saturday’s trip to Crystal Palace. Games against Leicester, Brighton, Southampton and Watford follow soon. The season has to kick into shape now.

But the reality is Newcastle travel to Selhurst Park as underdogs. Crystal Palace, on paper, is a superior side. There is no-one of Wilfried Zaha’s class in the Newcastle squad, which is why Benítez has opted for a much more defensive approach to keep the team up.

Leicester are far better, too. They are the type of club Newcastle fans must watch and think, ‘why can’t we be like them?’ We all talk about the miracle of their Premier League win – and given the standard of opposition in the top six it was – but look deeper and it was achieved with smart investment.

Leicester’s owners appointed a renowned ex-Valencia, Chelsea and Napoli manager and spent money to build the team – as they still do with signings such as James Maddison for £25 million. It does not guarantee the unprecedented success of a title, but it ensures you go into every game believing you can win, even against the top sides. It is a long time since Newcastle could say this.

Leicester are far better, too. They are the type of club Newcastle fans must watch and think, ‘why can’t we be like them?’ We all talk about the miracle of their Premier League win – and given the standard of opposition in the top six it was – but look deeper and it was achieved with smart investment.

Leicester’s owners appointed a renowned ex-Valencia, Chelsea and Napoli manager and spent money to build the team – as they still do with signings such as James Maddison for £25 million. It does not guarantee the unprecedented success of a title, but it ensures you go into every game believing you can win, even against the top sides. It is a long time since Newcastle could say this.

ised Benítez’s style last season, believing they should have been more positive in their home games reg

I criticised Benítez’s style last season, believing they should have been more positive in their home games regardless of the calibre of opponent. I stand by that, but in a strange way I think taking on the Newcastle job and being prepared to set-up his side in such a manner is brave from Benítez knowing the criticism that will come, and the damage it can do to him when trying to attract the attentions of a club competing in the Champions League – a competition he had spent 13 consecutive years managing in prior to his move to Newcastle.

It was telling that when the Arsenal job came up in the summer, they turned to a manager less successful in Spanish football and with none of Rafa’s Premier League experience.

Knowing Rafa as I do, he will be desperately missing the Champions League, watching those games in midweek and so frustrated he is not trying to outsmart those younger coaches. He will feel he has one more crack at the European elite in him, but he would have to go back overseas to do it.

The shame for Newcastle is they could have been that ‘one last big job’ if they had just some of the cash – and ambition – of Premier League rivals.

Newcastle fans justifiably argue they can never achieve such lofty ambitions until Ashley gets out of St James’ Park.

For Benítez to satisfy his and enhance a decorated list of honours, he will go first.

ardless of the calibre of opponent. I stand by that, but in a strange way I think taking on the Newcastle job and being prepared to set-up his side in such a manner is brave from Benítez knowing the criticism that will come, and the damage it can do to him when trying to attract the attentions of a club competing in the Champions League – a competition he had spent 13 consecutive years managing in prior to his move to Newcastle.

It was telling that when the Arsenal job came up in the summer, they turned to a manager less successful in Spanish football and with none of Rafa’s Premier League experience.

Knowing Rafa as I do, he will be desperately missing the Champions League, watching those games in midweek and so frustrated he is not trying to outsmart those younger coaches. He will feel he has one more crack at the European elite in him, but he would have to go back overseas to do it.

The shame for Newcastle is they could have been that ‘one last big job’ if they had just some of the cash – and ambition – of Premier League rivals.

Newcastle fans justifiably argue they can never achieve such lofty ambitions until Ashley gets out of St James’ Park.

For Benítez to satisfy his and enhance a decorated list of honours, he will go first.

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Just read a headline, "Ashley trying to persuade Benitez to stay". :lol:

 

Fucking hell man, if he'd backed him in the summer he wouldn't need to. This is why his approach to running the club is just so baffling for me, for someone who is supposed to be a good businessman he never, ever sees the bigger picture football wise. It's fucking weird actually.

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On 10/14/2018 at 23:34, ohhh_yeah said:

 

DpNrEz6XUAEd4ru.jpg

 

Why oh why isn't that ordered by the rank, rather than alphabetically? 

 

Fucking amateurs.

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On 16/10/2018 at 09:20, Kevin Carr's Gloves said:

 

Well he is bound to hire some annoying prick, at least this will piss off the Celtic fans too.

Rogers is probably at the higher end of who we can expect to replace him tbh. My money's on Dave Basset

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