It was a magnificent day for Newcastle fans everywhere yesterday, as everything came together and not only did we easily win our final game of the season 3-0 at home to Barnsley, but we managed to pip Brighton to the Championship after a late equalizer from Jack Grealish meant the game at Villa Park ended 1-1.
We also saw photos taken of a jovial Mike Ashley with the Championship trophy and also a great shot of Mike, Rafa and Lee Charnley all smiling and looking like they were together.
Hope that’s true.
Rafa Benitez – the Man of the Moment
Rafa is getting more and more confident that he can work with Mike Ashley to put together an overall joint blueprint for how Mr. Benitez will take the club forward over the next several years to (unlimited) success.
Yesterday was one of those times when you just have to experience it – suck it all in – and words cannot come close to describing how Newcastle fans felt – so proud and happy and overjoyed.
This is what Rafa said after the game:
“I don’t have the English words to describe what happened,”
“It’s difficult to say because I have been a manager for so many years but you appreciate it more when you get older and you feel the emotion around the city and the stadium and everywhere.”
“I would like to dedicate the title to everyone involved – the staff, the players, the fans, everyone.”
“Thank you to all of them. I said before that we had to come with a smile on our faces, and maybe go back home with an even bigger smile.”
“I am really proud of these players, everyone.” “You can see and feel that the fans were very emotional.”
“It was the same as the last game of the last season, but in a different way.” “It was much better.”
“I will meet Ashley next week, but it’s always important for him, for us, to feel the love of the fans and the passion in the stadium.”
“I already have an idea of what a successful club could look like. I think also he has an idea.” “I think we have to put both ideas together next week.”
“I think it is the right time to talk, if not it doesn’t matter.” “We will be in contact to be sure we share the same ambition about how to improve.”
“How to be competitive and to do the right things for everyone.”
What we’d like to see happen and we think it will – is that Rafa gets a (very) long term deal from Ashley.
Maybe a 10 year deal – so he has the security to know he’s at Newcastle for a long time and he can start building Newcastle United into a European Powerhouse.
This is the best outcome we could have hoped for this season, which could well be a very important milestone in Newcastle United’s long and glorious history.
What do you think?
Comments welcome.
185 comments so far
catchy in norway
May 8, 2017 at 10:50 AM
Comment #81Jail i don’t rate bully’s like you, it’s disgusting
magspuggy
May 8, 2017 at 10:50 AM
Comment #82I dont want ashley to sell newcastle united
Most of the fans i know dont either.
What we want is our club to be ran properly and be allowed to grow.
Ashley bashing bores the f##k outta me and is mainly said imho by folk who fail to stop and see the bigger picture.
A new owner would want to change things and mistakes would be made along the way.
At least mash has not got us up to our eyes in debt to a bank.
Our debt is too him and its interest free.
Hes also made the mistakes now and hopefully understands what is needed to make HIS football club somthing we can all be proud of.
jayphoto
May 8, 2017 at 10:53 AM
Comment #83Actually not a big fan of the idea of a long long term contract for Benitez! If the club do that, they’re repeating an action which has proven to be a mistake in the past! Nothing wrong with giving rafa 3 or 4 years and then coming back to it then. Love Benitez, don’t get me wrong and I’d be thrilled if he’s here for 10 years, but if he is it should be based on progress and consistent improvement, not because he got an 8 year deal on 5m a year after 1 season…
catchy in norway
May 8, 2017 at 10:54 AM
Comment #84ww
my point was 20 million plus for a good player but had not played in a long time with not much time to try and fit in. way to much of a gamble.
and Townsend for a loan was a no brainer, club loses nothing, so i still think he or his team pulled the plug
Jail for Ashley
May 8, 2017 at 10:54 AM
Comment #85WW…,
Do you mean stuff like this
catchy in norway // May 8, 2017 at 9:10 AM
Jail who cares what fans he talks to.
catchy in norway // May 8, 2017 at 9:24 AM
of course i care
SPRINGY
May 8, 2017 at 10:54 AM
Comment #86Sounds like theres a fair few hangovers on here today…. glad everyone enjoyed themselves… unfortunately I couldn’t due recent surgery so altho hangover free…i actually wish i had one! Lol…..fulham have to be favourites for promotion from play-offs…given there recent form, so prizing the likes of cairney away will be difficult….goin to be interesting few weeks and months….exciting times we all hope
catchy in norway
May 8, 2017 at 10:55 AM
Comment #87jail
that’s bullying again
you just cannot stop can you
Lee Charnley Bunga Party
May 8, 2017 at 10:56 AM
Comment #88No one actually knows the ins and outs of the January window or who our targets really were! It was all speculation ! Allardyce did say we submitted a loan offer but that was it for Townsend!
Jail for Ashley
May 8, 2017 at 10:58 AM
Comment #89magspuggy,
Is it the bigger picture that you see that I fail to see?
hibbit
May 8, 2017 at 10:58 AM
Comment #90magspuggy
funnily enough watching Ashley yesterday he really seemed to enjoy it got into the spirit of things
definitely didn’t look like a guy that had no emotional attachment to the club
Jail for Ashley
May 8, 2017 at 10:59 AM
Comment #91Catchy,
Give over will you!
jayphoto
May 8, 2017 at 11:00 AM
Comment #92new sponsor is FUN88 isn’t it?
Beats Wonga I guess… just…
On Ashley from earlier, it’s hard to know what role he even portrays, sometimes it’s better the devil you know.. my hope is after 11 years of mistakes that he learns as he goes and in the end becomes decent ownership… Just have to look at Blackburn and Leeds to see the kind of owners that could buy in… my guess would be a significant number of people that buy into football now are probably going to be Chinese backed..
WWSBRD
May 8, 2017 at 11:01 AM
Comment #93catchy
I think Rafa is a far better judge of what is and isnt too much of a gamble for NUFC tbh
And Townsend on loan was never going to happen unless we paid a fee which we were never going to do as Ashley refused to spend in Jan causing an issue (throwing a spanner in the works u could say)
We never got to the point where Townsend could of pulled the deal
catchy in norway
May 8, 2017 at 11:01 AM
Comment #94Jail
Maybe it’s that narrow view you have. but you are a Bully
Jail for Ashley
May 8, 2017 at 11:01 AM
Comment #95hibbit,
Hopefully the talks will go well and the future will be rosy.
WWSBRD
May 8, 2017 at 11:02 AM
Comment #96Jail
Like banging my head against a wall…u big bully
WWSBRD
May 8, 2017 at 11:03 AM
Comment #97hibbit
Time will tell but theres a difference between enjoying a day and funding ambition
hibbit
May 8, 2017 at 11:04 AM
Comment #98Rafa meets Ashley
probably the most important meeting in the club history
jayphoto
May 8, 2017 at 11:05 AM
Comment #99@wwsbrd – what with us winning the title and all, was the club right not to waste money in January on over inflated fees? I mean…technically they were right.. we had enough…
magspuggy
May 8, 2017 at 11:06 AM
Comment #100Jail.
I was talking about real people that i tallk too at games and my friends.
Nowt to dee with whats said on a blog.
The blog for me is to discuss these things with a wider circle of fans.
You cannot take a blog at face value ..
Jail for Ashley
May 8, 2017 at 11:07 AM
Comment #101Jay,
Don’t want to get in to an Ashley debate but to point out the five worse owners of 92 to defend him doesn’t really paint him in a good light. If we’re doing well nobody will care who owns the club, so like I said to hibbit, hopefully the talks will go well and we’ll see an FA cup at least. Rafa has boxed seriously clever in his interviews and has firmly put the ball in Ashleys court.
NUFCadon
May 8, 2017 at 11:07 AM
Comment #102I must say I don’t think MA has done a great deal wrong in the last couple of years. Yes SM was a mistake but lets be honest at the time he was probably the most proven manager available to us. It went bad but some things just don’t work out. He should have got rid of him a little sooner but he did get rid of him and we don’t know how long things were going on in the background for replacement negotiations. I think it will be clear how much MA wants the club to go forward in the next few months. Yes we would all love him to come out and say we have £150m to be made available for transfers but I think it will be a more subtle approach. I think Rafa will put a case forward for the players he wants and the club will do their best to get him them players. There will be a budget but it wont be a public number branded for all to see and rightfully so
hibbit
May 8, 2017 at 11:08 AM
Comment #103WWSBRD
total agree still think Ashley carnt be trusted
no doubt Ashley will do what’s best for Ashley
SPRINGY
May 8, 2017 at 11:08 AM
Comment #104Allerdyce would of probably qanted an extortionate fee to let us take townsend and then another extortionate fee if we wanted to buy him….so if ashley/charnley told him no deal… thats fine by me…. as the money could be used this summer….i want newcastle to spend some money but not to pander to extortionate fees or wages….we are not chelsea or city,so need to be steady and grow at a decent rate,so with that being said some of the names of players mentioned over the last few weeks will be pie in the sky for these reasons imho
WWSBRD
May 8, 2017 at 11:09 AM
Comment #105jay
We had enough to stumble over the line after almost throwing the title away, had we spent in Jan we’d of won it last month, Rafa wouldnt of felt that promises werent kept and there would be no question marks about his future
bettyswallocks
May 8, 2017 at 11:09 AM
Comment #106Catchy………… If we had stayed with Schteve we wouldn’t be celebrating today, that’s for sure. We’d be saying,” Let’s have a look at what we could have won.
You can’t beat a bit of bully.
http://www.educationquizzes.com/library/People/Television_Personalities/Jim-Bowen-C.jpg
Jail for Ashley
May 8, 2017 at 11:10 AM
Comment #107Jay @99
That points back to the ‘The board’ claiming to know better than the manager. That attitude has seen us relegated twice over the last ten years and nearly relegated twice.
WWSBRD
May 8, 2017 at 11:12 AM
Comment #108hibbit
Fingers crossed hes changed his ways…just like there were last time and the time before that and before that and so on haha
Nar tbf all he has to do is back Rafa for the next window then the TV money kicks in and as long as he leaves the club to its own devices then we can all be happy long term
Jail for Ashley
May 8, 2017 at 11:16 AM
Comment #109NUFCadon,
How was he tye most proven manager available to us??? Firstly he wasn’t available we had to sit and wait for him to right royally screw up enough for Derby to sack him and secondly how was he proven?? He was a Championship manager, a load of mid to lower PL dispensed with their managers while he was at Forest and Derby, did any of them make him an offer, no, because he’s shite.
Ron Knee
May 8, 2017 at 11:16 AM
Comment #110NUFC
“Yes SM was a mistake but lets be honest at the time he was probably the most proven manager available to us.”
… at a bargain basement price!
NUFCadon
May 8, 2017 at 11:18 AM
Comment #111I am interested to here,
What are to people see most crucial to invest in for stepping up to the premier league. Defence, Midfield or forwards?
Obviously all and its a balance but where do people see our weakest area in the premier league?
WWSBRD
May 8, 2017 at 11:18 AM
Comment #112Didnt Charnley have 100 CVs from managers to go through? Pretty sure de Boar openly admitted an interest in our club?
jayphoto
May 8, 2017 at 11:19 AM
Comment #113@WWSBRD – I mean its an interesting one, Rafa is a wiley political fox, every club ever he’s been at has had to put their foot down at some point with him over transfers, I think the club would always know Rafa will stay if he’s backed in the summer. (Which they have to do)
The fees quoted this January were far worse considering our championship status than normal, gotta admit, if I was an owner I’m not sure I’d have authorized the moves, if the main targets were townsend and Mccarthy, I’m hopeful now we are actually guaranteed to be a premier league club the level we target is slightly better than those. (must admit, I quite rate McCarthy though)
Pretty excited to see what we’ll bring in, ironically, not romping to the title by 20 points probably saw rafa get another 15-20m in funds as it’s clear we need to strengthen now
Jail for Ashley
May 8, 2017 at 11:20 AM
Comment #114We are actually blessed that The Wally was so shite, if it wasn’t for his complete ineptitude we’d have had season after season of mind numbing mediocrity while bought and sold old man Carrs foreign legion.
NUFCadon
May 8, 2017 at 11:22 AM
Comment #115Jail,
I am not a fan of SM by any means, far from it. At the time though who else would you have employed? there are tones we would have picked ahead of him, yes but realistically would you have made the manger who was willing to come to Newcastle. Our goal at the time was to move forward and win a trophy. SM has done that, that’s what I mean by proven
ToonRich
May 8, 2017 at 11:26 AM
Comment #116Springy @86, if Fulham do gain promotion and TC is out of the equation…would anyone look back to Forestieri at Sheff Wednesday?
WWSBRD
May 8, 2017 at 11:26 AM
Comment #117jay
Rafa is also no fool and knows how things work at NUFC so him not being backed (Townsend deal was not an expensive one) points towards nothing changing and thats compounded by him not knowing what was going on (and quite possibly being misled about the likelyhood that we would bring players in)
Its dangerous to think he’ll get more money just because we didnt walk the title though we got promotion comfortably and we all know how Ashleys mind tends to work
Bobbybee
May 8, 2017 at 11:28 AM
Comment #118Catchy, it wasn’t a gastrointestinal band, jail was right and it’s done now. Bit of a pain in the arse but… Sorry, I’ll get me coat. 🙂 you can rest comfortably that I am not a fat knacker too lazy to diet. 🙂
What did I come back on for? My memory gets worse. Ah, yes. New sponsor? Any real news?
Jail, I’ll post what I want. Clearly I’m not the only one sick of hearing you attack people. Then cwying like a baba when someone says somefing about pwecious Tuffy wuffy. If ye can’t take it, stop giving it. 🙂
SPRINGY
May 8, 2017 at 11:29 AM
Comment #119Nufcadon
All those positions need strengthening for me, Wouldn’t bother with a keeper we have enough quality there for the time being…..dont thing hanley has the pace for premier,but clark,lascelles and mbemba for me can do enough but need another and hopefully a young lad thru the ranks or brought in to develope,midfield has lacked pace and creativity at times and that be highlighted in premier… so that will be looked at im sure….and for me gayles premier form is debatable as well as his injuries so can he be relied on….im not so sure,mitro is young but unless he starts hitting the net more often he’ll not be much use….but he may hit the ground running and bag a good few but we need a another goal scorer….maybe 2….thats my view
AncientC
May 8, 2017 at 11:33 AM
Comment #120Not sure about everybody else, but I know I will be cancelling a few plans today lol. Lots of water, R&R needed after yesterday.