There’s some potentially good news for Newcastle fans today (yes – really) that Rafa Benitez is seriously considering staying at Newcastle United – even though we were relegated last night.
And it comes from somebody who should know – Sky Sports’ Spanish reporter Guillem Balague.
Guillem is an expert on Spanish football and he knows all about Rafa Benitez too.
Guillem Balague – Sky Sports’ Spanish reporter
He’s the author of ‘A Season on the Brink: Rafael Benitez, Liverpool and the Path to European Glory’ which he wrote in 2005 after their dramatic Champions League victory over Milan in Istanbul.
He also believes Rafa is one of the top 10 managers in the world and seems to know an awful lot about Newcastle too.
Here’s what he has tweeted – with some advice for Newcastle supporters.
If I was a @NUFC fan and crossed paths with him, I would tell him I want him to stay. He’s seriously considering it https://t.co/5VFCIklsbE
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) May 12, 2016
OK – get those messages in to ask Rafa to stay.
Here’s all the contact information for Newcastle United – here.
Here’s Rafa’s twitter account associated with his web-site.
16 comments so far
GeordieTwo
May 12, 2016 at 6:00 PM
Comment #1Get on with it Ashley. Sack Charnley immediately. Don’t bother waiting for the end of the season. This debacle is obvious to everyone. The papers are full of it. You are a disgrace. Give Rafa what he wants and stay out of the way. Sack the rest of the board after the final game. Let Rafa choose a head scout. Right then, we’re ready for the heads to roll Mike.
BandB
May 12, 2016 at 6:01 PM
Comment #2I really hope this is genuine and sincere.
Obviously, the sight of a packed stadium pleading with him to stay looks good on the CV, whatever he decides to do.
Nufc-83
May 12, 2016 at 6:02 PM
Comment #3Hibbit I can assure you I don’t play those games and how is it bullshit have we played in the championship with the players mentioned? It sounds to me like you want to prove your correct with stupid comments like that.
I will have you a fifty pound bet now that we will get promoted next season that’s how confident I am???? I will bet my dad is harder than your dad just to make this more childish ? but I am serious with the bet on promotion
Nufc-83
May 12, 2016 at 6:03 PM
Comment #4Jamestoon the problem with a young coach is very few clubs get it right. Look at garde at villa he was terrible even with that god awful squad surely a good manager would have done better. Veira is the same getting hammered for his tactics in the mls. These young coaches very rarely turn out to be good enough and you are lucky (such as Howe) if you get it right. It’s also about the club fitting correctly for the coach so it’s not easy to appoint an up and coming manager and succeed.
GeordieTwo
May 12, 2016 at 6:06 PM
Comment #5Any sign of waffling and you will put yourself into an even worse situation Ashley. Surely it’s obvious who needs to go? If we stay with what we have we won’t get back up. It’s as simple as that. I have no interest in hearing what Charnley, Carr, Moncur, Beardsley and any other board member have to say. Get them out of the club.
GeordieTwo
May 12, 2016 at 6:09 PM
Comment #6With a club that’s rotten to the core it’s going to be very difficult. Only Rafa deserves to stay. And anyone he chooses. Try it Ashley. We’ve seen what you can do. Which is nothing. You and your flunkies who couldn’t make a good decision on anything related to football.
Shadow_Shearer
May 12, 2016 at 6:15 PM
Comment #7I wouldn’t bank on him staying here. Last season fat man said he wanted to win something, this season relegated. This report says rafa seriously considering staying, weeks later gets offered a better job.
Nufc-83
May 12, 2016 at 6:22 PM
Comment #8Jamestoon I understand totally where your coming from in the last thread however I think someone like Bruce is a better option for the upcoming campaign as we can’t risk a young up and coming manager IMO. Some people will say well when can you and I can see that argument aswell it’s a hard decision
YouCouldn'tMakeItUp
May 12, 2016 at 6:23 PM
Comment #9I see a lot of this guy, through following Barca on sky, and I have to say he really knows his stuff. Never gets carried away about this player or that, or about how Barca, real, athletico et.c play the game. He tends to be really objective, so I am inclined to believe there is some genuine milage in this comment
Munster Mag
May 12, 2016 at 6:24 PM
Comment #10As much as I am singing the Rafa song in my head, I read ir criticism oone of thrs over here today which reflected some of what I have said in the recent past. Rafa got us two wins in 10 matches and set us up far too defensively for mackems and Villa and Norwich aswell – all 6 pointers. I know we were porous, but if Carver McC and Pardew had come in as new managers and done what , we would have been less enthusiastic about them. I don’t want to see us over respecting Blackburn Rovers etc. We need to attack this league and play three at the back when the situation allows, and get onto these teams. rafa was quite unpopular with many Liverpool fans for being quite defensive and tinkering all the time, before he found the glory of the CL. I just feel its worth stating that. We can scream for who we want all day. We all wanted Viera and he hasnt been a genius either. That said, I would like Rafa to sign, but get the club into a defensively clever state, but with serious attacking intentions.
Hail Wor Ashley
May 12, 2016 at 6:29 PM
Comment #11Think it will be a case of once bitten, twice shy.
He wasn’t contemplating relegation, he said so enough times, now he’s taken that hit and no matter that we think he’s unsullied, the perception from others won’t be so forgiving. If he stays he’s putting his reputation on the line in a much bigger way. If he failed to get us promoted first time of asking as hot favourites, there’d be no way back to the big time for him, at least not in the short-term.
Only way I can see him staying is if he wants a legacy club, somewhere he can mould and make in his image, at Liverpool he was successful, but didn’t really build a culture and leave his mark like Wenger/Arsenal, SAF/Man Utd, Chelsea/Mourinho.
He’s an avid football fan and has achieved a lot, so maybe all that’s left is a a project of his own at this crackpot club and then in his latter years an international gig.
I’m not custodian of quixotry, so I’ll go with he’ll scarper on Monday.
Thump
May 12, 2016 at 6:30 PM
Comment #12@nufc-83: And then look at Burton Albion, who have got it right consecutively with up and coming managers.
soundoid
May 12, 2016 at 6:45 PM
Comment #13On our championship tour 2009/10 we hardly set the league on fire went about our business, attack at home don’t get beat away from home. we didn’t start thrashing anyone until the end of the season. Rafa’s style fits this model the power we have is SJP.
Nufc-83
May 12, 2016 at 6:50 PM
Comment #14Thump well burton are lucky and have done well (maybe get their advisors 🙂 there’s a lot more failures than success stories when appointing so called up and coming managers
toonluvva
May 12, 2016 at 7:02 PM
Comment #15No matter how much the fans realise who is at fault for NUFC’s demise, it will be Mug Astley who will sack the board and oversee the appointment of their replacements.
I doubt he has the nous to know who to appoint. I expect he’ll lean on his drinking buddies again. Even if Rafa did sign up, he’ll be so p*ssed off with the inadequacies of the management set up that he’ll be away in January 2017.
Division 1, here we come unless Mug changes his attitude!
c-dog
May 12, 2016 at 7:57 PM
Comment #16I’d say Alan Carr would do a better job than his inept old man. Carr Out!