Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez was not a very happy man after the final whistle yesterday when it was the second game in a row that was a huge surprise – this time on the negative side.
It followed out biggest road win since 1962 when we hammered QPR on Tuesday night but for some reason that win affected our players and they made fart too many mistakes yesterday and got what they deserved – a defeat.
Rafa Benitez – can get Magpies back on track
That’s the third defeat in eight league games but as long as we keep winning games we can still amass quite a few points this season.
This is some of what an unhappy Rafa Benitez said on nufcTV after the game:
“The good thing when you have another game soon is that you can try to do things in the same way that you were doing before.”
“This is the league, the next one will be the cup competition.We are not very happy now and we have to concentrate on the next game and try to do things in the same way that we did before.”
This will be a good challenge for Rafa Benitez to get Newcastle back on track quickly, with hopefully a win on Tuesday night in the EFL Cup 3rd round against Wolves.
Then we have three league games through October 1st before the two week International break – and the results of those games will give us a decent idea of how we can do this season.
Three wins in those games are really what we need to get completely back on track.
September
Tue 20 19:45 H Wolves - EFL Cup 3rd round
Sat 24 17:30 A Aston Villa
Wed 28 19:45 H Norwich City
October
Sat 01 15:00 A Rotherham United
In his 23 years since he started managing clubs back in 1993, Rafa has managed a massive 979 games with 499 wins for a win average of 50.97%.
So a win on Tuesday night would be the 500th win in Rafa’s stellar career.
That would be nice.
Comments welcome.
111 comments so far
Bobbybee
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:40 PM
Comment #41LR, should’ve kept them in until Tuesday night after that performance.! 🙂
Bobbybee
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:45 PM
Comment #42Get in! 🙂
Bobbybee
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:47 PM
Comment #43David Moyes’ red and white wakners! 🙂
Charlie in the Gallowgate
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:47 PM
Comment #44Laurent
Thought there keeper did well to block his shot – maybe he should of tried to chip him as he went down.
Mind you Mitro 1on1 with keepers is poor.
Laurent Robert 32
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:47 PM
Comment #45John Anderson said on the radio post-match that Mick Lowes suggested Rafa should play exactly the same team on Tuesday, but doubts that will be the case. Yedlin, Lazaar, Atsu etc need the games.
Essex Geordie Bill
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:49 PM
Comment #46I was just about to say that Sundalamd were defending doggedly but from Bobbies comment they must have scored, I’d only just moved away from the TV.
Jib
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:50 PM
Comment #47Bobby
Moyes gone by Xmas methinks
toonking
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:50 PM
Comment #48The next few matches could be key.
Wolves(H) has Rafa learned much following this defeat or do we deem ourselves knocked out of the cup
Villa (A) dout this fixture will be any harder that most championship fixtures. Losses are already stacking up and that’s the last thing we need if we are to get auto promotion. I’d probably table a boring draw or win any day because the following fixture is a must win.
Norwich (H) A team I believe will be one of our main rivals this match is a must win a loss and we’ll be creating a points gap to 2nd
Ron Knee
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:51 PM
Comment #49LR@39
That should have had the desired effect!
Essex Geordie Bill
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:51 PM
Comment #50LR I think Yedlin will have to play as Anita can’t or doesn’t the red card apply to a cup game.
Jib
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:51 PM
Comment #51McClaren is looking for a job
😎
Bobbybee
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:53 PM
Comment #52Jib, they’ll do the usual mate. Sack the manager when all seems lost then try to ride the honeymoon express to safety. Gonna fail though hopefully. They can’t keep surviving by the skin of their teeth.
Jib
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:56 PM
Comment #53Watmore looks OK
A cheeky bid by Rafa in Jan to keep him in the NE could work.
😀
Bobbybee
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:56 PM
Comment #54Jib, if they hire Mclaren the honeymoon express will be well and truly derailed! 🙂
Laurent Robert 32
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:57 PM
Comment #55Charlie, it was a chip shot all day long that. I’d have done it and have done in 11 asides before. Keepers block a lot of shots because the player gets too close to them.
Laurent Robert 32
Sep 18, 2016 at 5:59 PM
Comment #56Ron, hopefully.
Bill, not sure. Shame, because Anita has done really well since Rafa has been in.
toonking
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:01 PM
Comment #57Munster
He always has looked keen on fast paced players obatan would be welcomed. He’ll have these decent starts to a season and terrible finishes to a season now that his players have lost pace. Vardy should beg pardew to be next English England manager he’ll be the first player on the sheet
Laurent Robert 32
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:01 PM
Comment #58I remember that as good as Sir Les and Bellamy were, they missed an unsightly amount of one-on-ones.
I even counted Bellamy’s one year. I think it got to over 30.
Bobbybee
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:03 PM
Comment #59I believe the ban covers any competition covered by the FA, so Anita will be out for Tuesday night.
toonking
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:05 PM
Comment #60Still very early into the season but stoke and Sunderland look relegation.
Jib
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:10 PM
Comment #61Toonking
You won’t get an argument from me
Who joins Stoke and Sunlun is the Q
The Swans probably
Sorry Welshie pal
Bobbybee
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:12 PM
Comment #62Pickford has saved the mackems from a rugby score today.
Bobbybee
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:17 PM
Comment #63And a red card to round the day off. Happy days.
lukes26
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:19 PM
Comment #64what a pyrrhic win for tottenham. 3 pts, but look to have lost dembele, kane and possibly dier
firebug666
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:19 PM
Comment #65Bobbybee
So that’s 7 yellows in total for the makems today, two resulting in a red.
jasper
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:19 PM
Comment #66For those that were not there and have been asking Thump and Gingertom have it right. It was just like the Huddersfield game. They pressed and we did not have an answer.
The way to beat a press is to move the ball quickly and tire them out. But to do this you need players who are comfortable to receive it. But we have Dummett…..
The passing was slow, the ball needs to ping about. Players were disappearing, which of course means that they did not make the effort to make themselves available for a pass, especially in central midfield.
Diameter and Hayden hardly touched the ball in the first 20 mins.
This resulted in two many long balls forward, both arial – to a small forward – and along the ground but picked off (Lascalles, Shelvey and Mbemba several times)..
The players who did try to make themselves available were Anita, Ritchie and, to be fair, Gayle. Gayle made many Bellamy-like runs looking for an opportunity like at Bristol but never got a sniff. He also dropped off the defenders into midfield but when the ball came forward there wasn’t enough movement off him.
Probably would have benefitted from Perez in the hole. Really need alternate to Dummett, the opposition have him sussed. What bothered me the most was the half hearted way he overlapped when we were in possession, he never sprinted forward. He seemed unwilling to commit.
Another worry is that Mitro doesn’t seem to win many first headers against the CBs. More pussy cat than lion. Needs some lessons from Shearer (or for that matter Shola) as to how to combat CBs, how to move them and win headers.
It will be interesting to see how hard the Wolves (second?) team press on Tuesday.
To be cont……
lukes26
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:21 PM
Comment #67I feel really bad for moyes actually. sunderland seem to be a well organized mess.
toonking
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:22 PM
Comment #68No matter how early into the season we are the title seems as clear as day, man city themselves look a mile ahead of the rest. 2nd-4th could be anyone
Tsunki
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:31 PM
Comment #69A year and a half since King Percy abandoned the sinking ship Newcastle and still we get the justifications of his eminent averageness on the rare occasions he gets a decent result. Hail to the King! Adequacy rules!
Jib
Sep 18, 2016 at 6:56 PM
Comment #70Tsunki
Is that the best you can do ?
A bit of disparagement for an ex NUFC employee that most of us don’t give a fig for !
Sad twat
sing in the corner
Sep 18, 2016 at 7:05 PM
Comment #71Hoping to see Murphy or Mitro start on Tuesday. We need to offer more of a physical presence against Wolves. Got tickets for the East Corner again, proper bargain prices so hope there’s a good sized crowd and a revenge performance!
Howay the lads!
GeordieTwo
Sep 18, 2016 at 7:18 PM
Comment #72Just watched an abysmal match between Sunderland and Spurs. Sunderland would struggle in the MLS. I think they’ll go down two divisions in the next two seasons. Moyes had better walk away quickly. There is a bad stench around that club.
jazzyp
Sep 18, 2016 at 7:18 PM
Comment #73The only booing I heard yesterday was towards Perez. Because the second half he gave up and did not even try.
How many passes went direct to there players……How many times did he let a player just drift by him.
And the second half when he let Atsu’s cross just sail by him and didn’t even chase it down drew most anger from the crowd.
Jib
Sep 18, 2016 at 7:23 PM
Comment #74Geordie Two
Unfortunately for you we get the MLS shown here .
Sunderland – shit as they are – would walk the MLS.
Didier Drogba 39 next March looks like a star for Montreal !
Get real ffs
lochinvar
Sep 18, 2016 at 7:24 PM
Comment #75Earlier blog – why should Goffran have to fight for his place ! He’s one of the few who’s earned it so far. In fact he would have made a difference yesterday. Don’t want to see him play againstWolves in the Cup though – better to keep him fresh for the Villa game.
martoon
Sep 18, 2016 at 7:24 PM
Comment #76You can always rely on NUFC.com to sum thing up well
“Today was classic Newcastle, building up their fans by winning away, only to fluff their lines on home turf in a manner that has frustrated crowds for decades.”
Aye says it all really.
Rotonda heights
Sep 18, 2016 at 7:30 PM
Comment #77Jib
I’m not sure if you are vulnerable with a capital V or a nutter with a capital N.
andrew84
Sep 18, 2016 at 7:30 PM
Comment #78Being as polite and friendly as ever there, Jib.
Next time you’re doing your Googling you might want to look up ‘netiquette’.
GeordieTwo
Sep 18, 2016 at 7:32 PM
Comment #79Spot on lochinvar @75. Gouffran should have been in the side against Wolves. Perez hasn’t played well enough often enough to start.
GeordieTwo
Sep 18, 2016 at 7:34 PM
Comment #80Mitrovic’s performance didn’t escape the NUFC.com eyes either martoon. Sounds like he was very poor indeed along with Perez.