Rafa Benitez is nothing if not pragmatic and all he thinks of doing is putting a match plan together for the next games that pinpoints the opposing team’s strengths and weaknesses.
Newcastle will attack those weaknesses and plan to defend well against their strengths.
Rafa wants to win every game and if we do that at some point we will gain automatic promotion and have enough games left to overtake Brighton to win the league and be promoted as Champions.
That would be perfect.
Rafa Benitez – good example of giving 100% concentration during a game
He wants his players to do that too
This is what Rafa said yesterday about the mini-league of 8 games which started after the International break on April 1st.
“I said it was a mini league of eight games.” “We’ve won two and lost one now.” “Now we have to be sure we can get three points in the next game.”
“After that, we have to see where we are, but the main thing is to be sure we win our games and we are promoted.”
“And after that, we can fight for more things.” “It’s one at a time, the first thing is to get three points from this game.”
“The main thing is you control the game and you win.” “Whether you score in the first minute or last minute, I don’t care.”
“The main thing is to be solid and then we can put them under pressure.”
So Rafa, as he has said all season. simply wants his players to concentrate on the next game and how we can win it.
If Newcastle can win the next three games and the Terriers also win their next three games we will be promoted on Monday 24th April at home Preston – which would be our third win in three games.
That would be very acceptable and it could come sooner if Huddersfield drop points and we keep winning.
Comments welcome.
83 comments so far
toontaff2
Apr 14, 2017 at 4:56 PM
Comment #41Steve Martin is re-training them!
toontaff2
Apr 14, 2017 at 4:56 PM
Comment #42‘Udders pen – betting scam?
mindshaft
Apr 14, 2017 at 4:57 PM
Comment #43Preston 3 shots and 2 goals – hudders train wheels well and truly off the automatic promotion rails
catchy in norway
Apr 14, 2017 at 4:57 PM
Comment #44PEN
mindshaft
Apr 14, 2017 at 4:57 PM
Comment #45Typical I speak and they get a pen
BenArfa the magician
Apr 14, 2017 at 4:57 PM
Comment #46Huddersfield 95th min pen ffs
LewSpi v2.0
Apr 14, 2017 at 4:58 PM
Comment #473-2 in the 97th minute…
BenArfa the magician
Apr 14, 2017 at 4:58 PM
Comment #48Oh well hopefuly give the boys the kick up the ass they need tonight
ShirebrookToon
Apr 14, 2017 at 4:59 PM
Comment #49Well even more incentive now for the lads to pull their thumbs out their arses and put a fcuking performance in!
JackBall
Apr 14, 2017 at 4:59 PM
Comment #50anyone see the penalty?
archaeomag
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:00 PM
Comment #51BOOO !
3.2
mindshaft
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:00 PM
Comment #52The EFL are desperate for toon to stay in league 1 as they attract interest to their shitty league hence refs giving pens for off the ball incident he didn’t even see
WWSBRD
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:01 PM
Comment #53Tell u what if Huddersfield keep going at this rate and we retire as a football club they will catch our GD sometime before 2019
LewSpi v2.0
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:01 PM
Comment #54Eight points needed, can hopefully make that 5 by 10 o’clock.
cyprus
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:02 PM
Comment #55Bad result… 96′!!
WWSBRD
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:04 PM
Comment #56…if they loan all their players in again obviously
Jail for Ashley
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:10 PM
Comment #57In the bigger picture that’s a better result for us, deflates Leeds in thinking they might get third.
manxpie
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:15 PM
Comment #58Only if we get 3 points jail it’s a very bad result if we dont
Hail Wor Ashley
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:18 PM
Comment #59JfA
Twaddle.
Mister Tuff
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:22 PM
Comment #60That was a bad result – Huddersfield only seven points behind us now.
Need Brighton to get beat and for us to get the 3 points. Getting a bit close for comfort.
The legendary Brighton end of season collapse is needed.
Hail Wor Ashley
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:24 PM
Comment #61Mindshaft
Difficult not to think something is going on the background.
If there was a decision difference like there is GD, I’m sure we’d be on minus and Brighton would be running away with it with Huddersfield not far behind.
It is after all SKYBet Championship televised on Sky and anything Murdoch’s tendrils are wrapped around is prone to being slimy.
If they can’t prevent us from promotion, gotta at least keep interest high as possible through to the end.
To use the X-Files tag line – I want to believe.
manxpie
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:30 PM
Comment #62Aye hail I feel a dodgy decision or 2 tonight might happen then it would be hard to argue against
A player gets caught match fixing banned for probably years or life
Ref with a very “dodgy” decision demoted for a week
Jail for Ashley
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:34 PM
Comment #63Aye manxpie,
We’ll need a whole new squad in the Prem, we’ll never survive with this team but we should be ten points clear at the top.
martoon
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:37 PM
Comment #64Rafa Bingo:
…………….Darlow
Anita Lascelles Hanley Dummett
……..Shelvey Hayden
Ritchie Perez Gouffran
………..Mitrovich
Jail for Ashley
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:38 PM
Comment #65So glad I’m off to the match so I don’t have to witness HWA and his matchday cronies being quietened down by nurse Ratchet and her two orderlies.
magspuggy
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:41 PM
Comment #663-1 toon . Time to remind this league who it’s champions are.
Jon jo hat tricks @ 200/1 fortune favours the brave.
cyprus
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:48 PM
Comment #67So Brighton up. Between us and Huddersfield. Surely we’ve done enough. Even with a point per game we should be ok.
mindshaft
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:49 PM
Comment #68Terrible defending and goalkeeping from Wolves – looks like we need to win tonight then or Brighton pretty much wrapping up title
manxpie
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:49 PM
Comment #69Haha jail I’ve never said that!
Huddersfield winning is a bad result simple as that
Mister Tuff
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:51 PM
Comment #70Brighton just scored. Damn.
Mag52
Apr 14, 2017 at 5:57 PM
Comment #71There’s no way in the world that ref.Probert saw what happened in the Preston penalty box when the ball was up around the half way line !
Bobbybee
Apr 14, 2017 at 6:00 PM
Comment #72Wtf was the Wolves keeper doing? Got to agree that there’s a refs conspiracy to keep us down. 🙂 Just poor officiating in this league I reckon. Right, time to go pick my mate up and head to the game. Bit of added pressure now, making it all the more exciting. No reason we can’t rise to the occasion though. A win, any win, will suit me. Don’t care who scores it either. Even the ref will do. Make up for all the dodgy decisions that’s gone against us so far. Right, here we go. Howay the lads!!!!! Toon Toon, blacknwhitearmy!!?
wynsleap
Apr 14, 2017 at 6:01 PM
Comment #73Huddersfield winning by a dubious late penalty (another
fantastic decsion by a useless ref) which affects us and Wolves seemingly disinterested in beating Brighton and it seems to be nailed on that we are going to have to scrap to get out of this league.
Take a lucky Brighton, refs who don’t appear to like us and a Toon team lacking in bottle and the end of this season is going to a cardiac arrest job.
Can’t see us getting 3 points tonight as much as I’m praying. Sorry.
LewSpi v2.0
Apr 14, 2017 at 6:06 PM
Comment #74NERVES
firebug666
Apr 14, 2017 at 6:15 PM
Comment #75Not worried about the other teams, Huddersfield or Brighton. We win tonight and nothing has changed except we are a game closer to promotion. Still on course to win this league just need a Brighton blip.
HWTL
2-0 Toon win.
AncientC
Apr 14, 2017 at 6:16 PM
Comment #76http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/listen-newcastle-uniteds-new-version-12895994
New version of Blaydon Races. It sounds like some kind of Viking war march music.
The group wrote ““The aim is to create something of a tribal call to arms ahead of matches.” I like the intent.
BlacknWhiteBarmy
Apr 14, 2017 at 6:19 PM
Comment #77Weif goofy or perez are chosen to lead the attack we are in for a long nervy game with little to cheer up front”. wuld love to play 4132 With both murphy and mitro up top – but 2 dm is probably the order of the day… 1st beer down. Looking like a long night 🙂
Hail Wor Ashley
Apr 14, 2017 at 6:43 PM
Comment #78Well Huddersfield passed their test, albeit assisted by the ref, Brighton have seemingly passed theirs.
Over to us.
We’re about to find out if this team is still fundamentally bottlers.
Mister Tuff
Apr 14, 2017 at 6:43 PM
Comment #79Brighton 2 -0 up now.
JamesToon
Apr 14, 2017 at 6:44 PM
Comment #80They’re really not that great Brighton, they have just grinded out the results more than us, they will be relegation fodder in the prem