Rafa Benitez will give his press conference today, and we may be able to gauge what Rafa’s mood is, but we think he will be all business and want to talk about what is a very challenging game for us on Sunday afternoon.
One that Paul Merson the Sky Sports pundit says may end in a cricket score – why is Paul always so much against Newcastle?
Maybe he can answer that question someday in his column for Sky Sports and his predictions every week in the Premier League.
It could be as bad as the predictions last season in the Championship by David Prutton – who obviously was also dead against Newcastle for whatever reason.
21-year-old Kenedy of Chelsea
We are hoping we can get Kenedy through the door on loan and when the report came out early yesterday morning, the Mirror was reporting it was a done deal.
But it’s not official yet although Rafa talked to the player in London on Wednesday and it’s an opportunity for Rafa to get the best out of Kenedy – who is a talented young player but may have some character concerns.
But Rafa will have made sure he talked to the Brazilian and told him what was necessary for the 21-year-old to play for the world-class manager, so we trust Rafa on this.
We think Kenedy will be just fine with Rafa guiding him.
Newcastle still needs three players – not two as I talked about yesterday.
It was a lousy day for me yesterday in a number of ways – even talking about the mystical Anderson in that headline.
Oh well, you win some and lose some – I lost yesterday.
Yes, we need a playmaker and striker, but of course, we also need a third goalkeeper brought in so we can send out the talented young Freddie Woodman on loan.
Mike Ashley still has time in the next three weeks to bring in three good players for Rafa and assuming we get Kenedy in then that would be 9 players brought in this summer.
That’s a good number, but the quality is not what Rafa wanted.
The national press are trying their best to have Newcastle in another crisis – but it’s not a crisis on Tyneside
We have some decent players but yes – we must also unload some high wage earners too in the next three weeks, but that’s also possible.
So we are hoping the owner comes to his senses and even gets involved with Lee Charnley to give Rafa what he wants very late in the transfer window,
With Rafa in charge of Newcastle, there cannot be too many crises at the club – Rafa is too talented a manager to allow that to happen.
He will take the players he has in September and create a good team for the fantastic fans we have.
Fact.
In Rafa we trust.
Comments welcome.
25 comments so far
Ron Knee
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:16 AM
Comment #1Ed
It’s Kenedy with one ‘n’. Nothing to do with JFK and Jackie!
Jib
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:17 AM
Comment #2Presser at 13.30 on Sky sports news
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:18 AM
Comment #3Ed…yesterday you had Anderson and today you have Kneenday ?
…don’t let it define your day pal!
geordiemark
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:19 AM
Comment #4Ashley has no excuses, he has failed big time to back rafa with hard cash obviously he wants us to be relegated yet again with his actions, hes more bothered about his drunken court cases and trying to get people to court who have screwed him over the years bit ironic isn’t it when hes screwed our own club out of multi millions in free advertising yet has the balls to say the club owes him 129 million quid sooner the evil scum bag goes the better
Ron Knee
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:21 AM
Comment #5Morning, jesper
c-dog
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:25 AM
Comment #6Kennedy signing is another nothing one. Based on the business we’ve done so far, buy to sell looks to be very much still effect.
Mag52
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:29 AM
Comment #7.
Geordiemark.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say he wants us relegated, but there must be some possibility that he has a bet on with a mate (he must have some) for say £15 million !!!!!!!!! that NUFC won’t spend net any more than say £20 mill. In this transfer window, yet still stay up ?
Shot Bru
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:30 AM
Comment #8Take it easy Ed. Try and enjoy the game on Sunday. Appreciate all your efforts regarding the blog.
Nufc-83
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:31 AM
Comment #9Haha people thinking we will finish around 8th are living in a bubble. The prem is ruthless and this team is weaker than almost every team in the league. There is only one player who could get into the first 11 of prem teams who finished around 10th spot last season and that’s shelvey. People need to wake up we need quality through the door. Would be made up to avoid relegation and consolidate with next season spending the TV money on bringing real quality in. Will be 3-4 years before we can think of finishing 8th.
geordiemark
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:32 AM
Comment #10Mag52
I wouldn’t put nothing past that scum bag
Pootle2118
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:34 AM
Comment #11If/when we sign him, I agree with markacus from a few reports ago. This has all the marks, imo, of Ritchie being used in the no10 role for the first couple of games. That way Rafa will be able to see whether he needs to press FatAsh for a proper no10 before the end of August or whether we can muddle through until Jan.
carl
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:37 AM
Comment #12“We knew what we had to do and I was working with Lee Charnley, who is trying to do his best, but we had some problems at the beginning, we made some mistakes and we have to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again”.
hellodjo
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:42 AM
Comment #13I see abit of positivity and talk of no crisis/plenty time brought the doom mongers out In all their unstable negative neurotic force ?
We are going to be absolutely fine, Kenedy will be a good signing very smart business
Pootle2118
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:44 AM
Comment #14NUFC-83
I agree with you mate, with the team we have at the moment, I reckon we’ll finish 15-17th. Add a quality striker, maybe as high as 13th but, like you, I reckon it’ll take a couple of years of TV money and squad shuffling before we can even think of challenging for a top 10 spot.
Ron Knee
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:44 AM
Comment #15Doom mongers or realists?
Veltman
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:45 AM
Comment #16hellodjo – bang on.Careful though,c-dog will be on your case..ha ha
Jib
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:50 AM
Comment #17I see Kenedy’s “adviser” is the agent Kia Joorabchian.
I think I can make a good guess who leaked the news
about the loan deal to the press.
hellodjo
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:51 AM
Comment #18Ron Knee doom mongers
toontaff2
Aug 11, 2017 at 7:59 AM
Comment #19https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxqvwkmTNy8
Jib
Aug 11, 2017 at 8:05 AM
Comment #20Ron Knee
Comment #1
Ed
It’s Kenedy with one ‘n’. Nothing to do with JFK and Jackie!
His name is Roberto Kenedy
He was named for the assassinated US Attorney General who was the brother of JFK
Christiano Ronaldo was named for his dad who in turn was named for Ronald Reagan
It’s quite common in Portuguese to latinise the name of a perceived US hero.
Apropos nothing at all
Messi was named by his mum after her favourite singer Lionel Richie
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Aug 11, 2017 at 8:12 AM
Comment #21Morning Ron…any news this morning?
Jack Root
Aug 11, 2017 at 8:28 AM
Comment #22Jib
Good to read something of interest after so much doom and gloom and negativity.
Rafa has recognised that he and Charnley got it wrong, early doors in underestimating the impact of spiralling inflation in transfer fees and wages. We were out of kilter in trying to offload players on high salaries to many Championship clubs. Birmingham were a natural destination for a number but Harry has been reined in!
Jack Root
Aug 11, 2017 at 8:43 AM
Comment #23hellodjo
We appear to still be favourites to sign Pérez according to the Evening Standard. They cover the London scene and have been focussing on Arsenal kicking off the season.
Bryan
Aug 11, 2017 at 9:22 AM
Comment #24NUFC83
Spot on mate.
Anyone who thinks we have made good signings are deluded. Rafa has more or less already said these players are his 3rd & 4th choice. In real terms we have gone backwards from last season. Everyone needs to stop thinking a top striker will arrive before deadline day, its never going to happen. We are in for a long hard season and I would settle for 4th bottom right now, and thats the problem. How on earth can the club keep hold of one of the best managers in the world when survival is the goal? I think Rafa will stay this season, but I would not blame him if he walked, and he will be gone regardless if we stay up or go down at the end of the season. Only Ashley could appoint a manager of the caliber of Rafa and still mess it up. You couldn’t make this stuff up. As for Sunday, did anyone see Spurs against Juve (I think it was Juve), they could have and should have won by 5 or 6 so what are they going to do to us?
RoyalToon
Aug 11, 2017 at 11:30 AM
Comment #25Have just read that Turan from Barca is available for less than £15mil. Perfect number 10.