We were hoping for a “normal” season in that we would not be fighting relegation and be around mid-table most of the season.
That’s a lot different to most seasons under current owner Mike Ashley who has never invested enough money in the side to make Newcastle into a really good side.
We were unlucky to get an English Billionaire who didn’t want to invest in the club he bought.
When he did invest and we finished 5th in the league in 2012 he refused to improve the team that summer and lo and behold we were fighting relegation the next season as we struggled with the extra Europa League games.
Ashley cannot seem to understand that he needs to keep spending money (investing) to keep the team good and competitive.
But Ashley seems a lost cause in that he will never be a good owner of any football club.
If he eventually goes to Rangers FC – the best of luck to their fans.
His personality seems too stubborn to be a successful owner as he has admitted he knows very little about football.
But enough of Mike Ashley – this article is supposed to be positive.
In this difficult time for Newcastle, fans are trying to stay upbeat and positive and discussing things like players who could help us in January.
The vast majority also support our manager in these difficult times.
We are relying on the skills an experience of Mr. Rafa Benitez to keep us in the Premier League this season.
Newcastle should go in for a move for giroud he need first team footie we need a striker #Nufc
— Michael Cook (@cookiie84) December 4, 2017
6 points from the upcoming 2 home games and we will be top half going into the new year #NUFC easy no worries.
— Jonathan Snaith (@Jonny_Snaith) December 4, 2017
I think we are going to learn an awful lot about this teams mentality & abillty in these next 2 home games #nufc
— The Looney Toon (@ToonArmy_4ever) December 4, 2017
And the FA Cup draw is tonight – let’s hope we can get a decent draw.
Sunland away in the fa cup #nufc
— Ryan Wake (@ryanwake2) December 4, 2017
Fa cup draw tomorrow night I would love it if we get Sunderland at home #NUFC
— Tom Dixon (@tomdixon27) December 3, 2017
I’m looking forward to seeing how Jacob Murphy improves under Rafa. He’s took a lot of crap from fans early doors but the last couple of games has definitely improved. #NUFC
— Paul (@TheToonReview) December 4, 2017
Fans shouting rafa out is the most ridiculous thing iv heard, best manager weve had in years, this is a transition period #GetAGrip #nufc
— Stan (@StanTheGull) December 4, 2017
Not selling #nufc is surely off the table for Mike Ashley. Should we fall into the abyss again and lose Rafa, we lose so much value.
— NUFC 360 (@NUFC360) December 3, 2017
All those whinging about Newcastle’s performances..if it’s not Rafa,which washed up has been would you want in charge? Back Rafa, support the team,pray for a change in the regime,#nufc
— davidnewc (@davidnewc1967) December 3, 2017
The eagerness and arrogance of some #nufc fans in criticising Rafa is ridiculous. Nobody ever said he doesn’t make mistakes.
— Evin (@EvG_Football) December 3, 2017
Wow I’ll pretend I didn’t read that!! We have one of the best managers in the league with one of the worse squads!yet we still aren’t in the drop zone! Keep the faith back the lads! Rather Rafa at the helm then anyone else #nufc
— Dan Holmes (@DanToon4Life) December 3, 2017
I want a takeover to be announced tomorrow and at least 40 million quid to spend in January, please, and Rafa to stay of course.#nufc
— stevie (@stevieknackered) December 3, 2017
Any angry #nufc fans out there wanna have at moan at Rafa or his team selection this season in the Prem, think back to 12 months to the day when we lost to Forest & those 2 Henri Lansbury pens, get a grip man. #nufc
— Dave Binks (@whyayeman1955) December 3, 2017
This demonstrates the stupidity of some fans. Is Rafa perfect – absolutely not, but he’s still a world class manager working with a limited squad. SA and TP are just journeymen who bounce from club to club without winning anything. Middle of the road tosh. #nufc
— Geordie Twat (@TAoRoMnY) December 3, 2017
93 comments so far
YoungMag :P
Dec 4, 2017 at 2:34 PM
Comment #81Posada
In my opinion I thought that Ritchie at LWB would work. He has good athleticism, he runs around the pitch more then anyone. However he has bad defensive positioning and against Chelsea he was nullified as an attacking threat. Rafa should have changed things around. But look at it from his perspective, we were still in the game, sure, we were hanging on at times but overall we still could have taken atleast a point.
What I saw from that game was a man testing the full strength of his squad, maybe showing Ashley how weak it is. He has now tried a bunch of formations and different personnel and it’s the same problems. Because it’s a shit squad lol.
I get more frustrated with Rafa’s substitutions, but when it comes to the squad he picks I just feel for him. The fact that we’re above the relegation stage with this squad is great.
catchy in norway
Dec 4, 2017 at 2:35 PM
Comment #82Jay
some of them played in the championship, but the vast majority of this squad has top flight experience, so i dont buy that for a second
jayphoto
Dec 4, 2017 at 2:41 PM
Comment #83@Toonfan8 – I hated Alan Pardew but gotta say, I said Alan knows better about Ben Arfa! Posted on here at the time, I knew some of the photographers that work for the club and sponsors and Ben Arfas behaviour round the training ground etc was Infantile and outrageous… attitude was terrible and he clashed with a lot of players, the only surprise was that Pardew actually let him get away with it for quite a while. Anyone and everyone connected with the club had stories about how bad his attitude was.. Heard stories of him answering phone calls during team talks, listening to headphones during halftime etc, its no surprise 4 of his last 5 seasons have been a bust
hibbit
Dec 4, 2017 at 2:43 PM
Comment #84catchy
its nothing bad when you say it but everybody else should be ashamed
grow up lad you’re talking nonsense and the hole is getting deeper
jayphoto
Dec 4, 2017 at 2:45 PM
Comment #85@catchy – they have experience but that doesn’t mean they are of that level… most of yedlin and manquillos experience came in awful sunderland sides, Clarks in a terrible villa side (neither 3 were guaranteed starters)
Ritchie was a squad player at Bournemouth, similarly Gayle was a bencher at Palace – these are all not guaranteed starters for sides that were struggling
Add the ones that were with us before, Perez, Dummett, mitro, Elliot, we were a struggling side and at the time they were our weaker players.
I count really 1 player we have in our squad that has premier league experience as being a week in week out starter at a premier league side that weren’t fighting at the bottom and that’s JonJo Shelvey….
YoungMag :P
Dec 4, 2017 at 2:47 PM
Comment #86Shelvey, elliot, perez, Mbemba, Mitrovic, Lascelles, Clark, yedlin, manquillo and gayle.
They have premier league ‘experience’
Elliot – mainly a number 2 goalkeeper, shouldn’t be starting in this league.
Perez – had one decent season upfront where he showed potential but has faded badly.
Clark – always looked shaky at villa, eventually got relegated with them.
Manquillo – failed badly at Liverpool, got relegated with Sunderland.
Yedlin – was OK for Sunderland but they were fighting relegation, also failed at Tottenham.
Mbemba – showed good potential first season before mistakes started to creep into his game. Now he’s usually overlooked.
Lascelles – was great for us when we got relegated, we’re missing him now.
Shelvey – failed at Liverpool, was a decent player for Swansea but they got rid (I wonder why).
Gayle – hardly featured for palace but did a decent job there.
Mitrovic – had a decent first season however he missed countless chances infront of goal. Has youth of his side but clearly has problems with Rafa.
Then the rest have potential to be premier league players such as: Merino, Murphy, Aarons, Lejuene and Hayden etc…
Or they are just barely tested in this league like Darlow, Joselu, Gamez.
It’s just not a premier league level squad regardless of ‘experience’. It has like 2 key players being Lascelles and Merino. Who both still hardly have any premier league experience.
Toonfan8
Dec 4, 2017 at 2:48 PM
Comment #87Mitro has better record than HBA for us in the EPL, and affect team more than HBA, so I think defending playing Joselu is strange, as Mitro itself is much better player.
catchy in norway
Dec 4, 2017 at 2:48 PM
Comment #88those defending Rafa cannot have it both ways,
He is either a world class coach, or he isnt
you cannot say yes we have a world class coach then start slating the quality of the player, there is no logic in that what so ever.
a world class coach, will coach bad footballers into better ones, and no one is expecting him to turn this group in a top 4 team.
i think he has an ok group, he won the division below with them and improved it just a bit, and im biased here but when i look at squads like brighton Huddersfield swansea, palace, there isnt many of those teams that i would say player for player squad for squad i would swap,, od players yes, but i would chose our squad over theres every time.
and like i said we have a world class coach, do any of them have one ?
posada
Dec 4, 2017 at 2:51 PM
Comment #89Young Mag
Yeh, Ritchie puts the work in no doubt. Valid points.
Saw him warming up for the West Ham game. He was closing down in the warm up and running about like a maniac. When the game started it became clear why. We played a pressing game and had them under pressure from the start. Thought at the time that was really impressive.
Key thing though is pace. While he is a fit lad he does not have the pace. Not all players do, some top ones at that.
I think that is why teams think they can do us on our right. Yedlin quick but he is the FB and won’t get forward that much. They don’t fear a pacey break from Ritchie.
Obertan, not great but teams feared his pace when he played RW. That alone sometimes kept thier LB in check. Before folks start he did have a good run pre Christmas when we finnished 5th.
jayphoto
Dec 4, 2017 at 2:55 PM
Comment #90Also, in what world are we falling apart because we got ran over by Chelsea away? Their side is years ahead of us!
I would have liked to have done better against Bournemouth, and Watford was a disaster but game for game, we’re at a points level that really we can be happy with given how we acted in the transfer window and the squad we have. Away draws to WBA and Southampton and home draw to Liverpool and away win to Swansea is 6 points historically we would have dropped which probably averages out the Bournemouth game we should have won and Burnley/Brighton games we could have drawn. Id be more inclined to get worried if we’re still shipping and dropping after stoke away on Jan 1st but games are going to come thick and fast now.. Leicester and everton at home are very tough but winnable, West Ham away, Brighton at home are 2 more we should compete in.. Need to judge the team really at least at the half way mark.. Rafas not a pardew streak manager, his results average out over the course of a season
posada
Dec 4, 2017 at 2:59 PM
Comment #91Jayphoto
Sorry missed your question.
Who did he waste money on 2016.
Sels, Lazaar, Diame.
ok he was trying to pick up 3-6 million pound players to get us out of the Championship.
But it did add up to a lot of money.
Leguene, Murphy and Manquillo. Are you confident that is 25 million well spent.
jayphoto
Dec 4, 2017 at 3:02 PM
Comment #92I don’t think Rafa is a world class manager… I think he was…but the game has moved on a generation and the new generation of managers like pep, pocc, Silva etc are the future, whereas Rafa and Mourinho, Ancelotti etc are from a slightly different time and evolution has a way of leaving managers behind: see George Graham for ref
That said, I still think he is a very very good manager, the best we’ve had for years and the best we’re going to have. He’s probably performing above average but not excellent with the current group of players but really do think our fans over rate some of our players. Hes integral to our survival currently and if we get a takeover, he’s probably the best man to bring in an infrastructure and philosophy to establish us as a top club in PL
jayphoto
Dec 4, 2017 at 3:11 PM
Comment #93@posada – but over all it wasn’t a waste? The club will likely get most of that money back on the players you mentioned and Diame alone played most of the season last year in a season we won promotion? Like him or rate him, he contributed to that and at 3m playing 20+ games can’t really be labelled a waste of money…
Azaar was 1.3m… and they club already retrieved half of that in his loan fee to Benevento…
Sels was a cheap goalkeeper they took a chance on?
Lejeune is adapting, Murphy is very raw young and English, id bet my house in 5 years the club don’t lose money on these deals..
Manquillo was a deal forced because he was 4m and could cover both right and left back… given more money no way do we sign him.
Its easy to isolate but in the big picture he won the league with a surplus of 20m and halved the wage bill….
Fact is under rafa Lascelles has become a player talked about for England call ups, Gayle got 20+ goals in the champ for 10m, Ritchie was our best player for 12m and has set up half of our goals this year, Hayden cost 1.5m and has been a steal..I don’t rate clark but for 5m he was one of the best players in the league last year, Atsu at 6m has been one of our most potent threats.