After the game yesterday Rafa sounded like he did a few times at the beginning of the season when the team played against top-six opposition, but in the end, we had nothing to show for it regarding points.
That must change if we are to avoid a second relegation in four years this May.
The top six are way above the rest of the teams in the Premier League, but we must start winning games against the other 14 teams.
Sean Longstaff – held his own against world-class opposition
But Rafa had to be pleased with some of the performances yesterday with young Sean Longstaff and the returning Florian Lejeune catching the eye.
This is what Rafa said after the game as reported in the Chronicle:
“You could see a lot of positives with the performance but no points.”
“We knew that they would keep the ball and we had to maximize what we did when we got the ball.”
“We had some chances on the counter but our final pass wasn’t there.”
“We conceded a goal we could avoid but after that we were fighting for every ball. These players care, you could see that.”
“We scored and then controlled the last few minutes of the first half so it’s a pity, but a piece of quality made the difference.”
“The work rate was there, and the understanding of the game plan and what we wanted to do was also there.”
“We had chances at corners and scored, but they started the second half pushing.”
“We were defending, but Willian made the difference. After that, we had to keep pushing, but normally you are getting tired.”
“We were still in the game, but we had to be more open sometimes and go higher.” “When we gave the ball away, they had the chance to play on the counter-attack.”
“When you talk about the names they have, and the quality and the pace, that is normal.”
“In the end, it was quite positive in terms of the things we did and the way that we did it.”
For Sean Longstaff to make his first Premier League start for the club at Stamford Bridge and play so well shows that this lad is destined for a great future on Tyneside.
And hopefully, he will have Rafa Benitez to guide him for the next few years as he becomes a top player at Newcastle.
Florian Lejeune made his first Premier League start of the season, and he looked class in this game.
The Frenchman can solidify the defense for the remaining games, and it coincides with when he came back in last season around this time, and we started to pull away from the bottom three.
We also need to keep more clean sheets to maximize the chances of winning games.
Newcastle are currently 4 points behind where we were last season at this time (after 22 games), but it’s nothing that a few wins cannot put right.
Comments welcome.
267 comments so far
toon22
Jan 13, 2019 at 3:42 PM
Comment #1‘Ya club’s turning a profit… no debt’: Rio Ferdinand continues to defend Newcastle owner Mike Ashley as he sends message to fans just day after heated debate with Jake Humphrey
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6586405/Ya-clubs-turning-profit-no-debt-Ferdinand-continues-defend-Newcastle-owner-Mike-Ashley.html
Keep it up Rio,your doing a great job
LoL
ashleysmate
Jan 13, 2019 at 3:43 PM
Comment #2Richard Keys, what a prick, what a mess… now I know who ate all the pies
Optimistic Panda
Jan 13, 2019 at 3:44 PM
Comment #3Smile lad, you can hold ya head up, decent game.
Essex Geordie Bill
Jan 13, 2019 at 3:46 PM
Comment #4The U23s play on Monday and the 1st team on Tuesday, again it’ll be interesting to see who misses out on the Monday game.
one fine day
Jan 13, 2019 at 3:46 PM
Comment #5one fine day
Jan 13, 2019 at 3:44 PM
Comment #82
Right lads
Not much I can do from down here in Aus other than revisit my online shopping addiction
Last time I had $3,000,000 plus worth of tents and snooker tables racked up in my basket just slipped my mind to check out .
May say some of rio’s new range looks very appealing ..won’t be long until the whole range “sells out” I think
toon22
Jan 13, 2019 at 3:48 PM
Comment #6“Well said @RioFerdy5. If Rafa loves Newcastle as he says – spend some of his own money. He’s got enough. Management is about teamwork – why should it always be Ashley? Buy it. It’s still for sale. They’re in the bottom 3 & Rafa is responsible. He picks the team.”
LoL
You think we should have a wip around for a new striker ?
toon22
Jan 13, 2019 at 3:49 PM
Comment #7Its never MAs fault
Optimistic Panda
Jan 13, 2019 at 3:53 PM
Comment #8The premier league should follow Ashleys lead and stop the January window.
Its a new year and it’s like fkin ground got day, same shit different year, no players no sale and no fkin clue what’s going on.
Fcuk you Ashley Fcuk you very much.
Essex Geordie Bill
Jan 13, 2019 at 3:59 PM
Comment #9It would certainly start a very weird trend if managers were expected to buy players at their own expense.
Let’s see now, Rafa is on around £6m a year, deduct his personal living expenses of say £1 to £2 million a year and divide that by two for each window. That would give him a grand total of £2M per window, he could get some real quality players for that, could he not.
Very innovative and smart idea Rio, you certainly think outside the box.
BeeGuy
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:01 PM
Comment #10NUFC looked as good as it did because Chelsea had almost no motivation to bring their “A” game. Lot’s of laggard play and trotting around by Chelsea. That attitude was how NUFC beat them at SJP last year. Chelsea saves their energy for the good opponents.
As long as their is no draft, salary cap or roster limits this is what all but the top 6 live with.
Essex Geordie Bill
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:02 PM
Comment #11Repost, cos I wanted to!
Don’t think the fans guillibilty are a factor in Ashley still being here, he’s a stubborn b*gger who will go when he’s ready and not before, whether we like it or not.
Money is the only motivation that will shift him!
Tsunki
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:03 PM
Comment #12Rio should be thinking inside a box. With chains round it. In a river. Under ice.
Sad Frog II
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:03 PM
Comment #13Top six still possible if we play well
Essex Geordie Bill
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:06 PM
Comment #14BeeGuy
Sorry but I disagree with your assessment, I think they were well up for the game, they still want a Champions league spot and I doubt if Sarri would let them coast. They looked to me as if they were trying throughout the game.
Pickup Points Benitez
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:08 PM
Comment #15I understand what Rio is trying to say but his logic is massively flawed.
His house analogy is absolute cobblers as there hasn’t been a price agreed.
In his own analogy this is a case of trying to sell your house but you redecorate to attract buyers. Making it a more attractive proposition.
Rio is a guy who keeps himself in the limelight by saying controversial stuff that he knows will get a reaction.
Him and merson are essentially professional trolls.
Essex Geordie Bill
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:09 PM
Comment #16Aye, I mentioned the box so that people could add their own ideas as to what uses it could be put to with Mr. Ferdinand!!
😉
geordietom
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:12 PM
Comment #17cheers lads…
thanks for all them hearts on previous thread…
got me embarrassed now…
starting to get ticked off big time with the in fighting on here … the one up manship…the ganging up on each other …
scoring points off each other …
going on about hearts on here me i dont give a toss if ANYONE HEARTS ME …
TO MANY LITTLE CLIQUES ON HERE …
you said this you said that come on lads we are all grown ups ( i think )…
shoot me down as i dont care i a big lad now i can wipe my own arse…
DISGRUNTLED YEAH I AM …
Essex Geordie Bill
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:16 PM
Comment #18geordietom
How many hearts now? Deserved all you got.
Also glad to know that you can wipe your own arse, probably a few on the blog who can’t! 🙂
carltoon
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:17 PM
Comment #19It does liven the day up sometimes. They are all little boys at heart.
carltoon
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:20 PM
Comment #20We have nothing to look forward to. Just repeat and rinse year after year.
Jail for Ashley
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:25 PM
Comment #21geordietom,
Do you think you will improve the blog by coming on here talking to people like school kids. The blog is what it is and always has been. If you don’t like it ferk off over to .co.uk they’ve a really nice knitting club over there.
c-dog
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:29 PM
Comment #22How far behind spurs were we before Ashley took over. My my he has destroyed this club. We are resorted to bickering over the quality of bum players desperately seeking positives in their game.
geordietom
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:30 PM
Comment #23EGB…
22 and counting mate …
pmsl @ your probably cant wipe their own arses ..
blushing here in fact it brought me to tears all the ” HEARTS ”
Tsunki
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:35 PM
Comment #24Well ahem er well er… Jail has put it in his own inimitable style, shall we say? 😉
Geordietom – I get what you say about the bickering and by not being shy at defending myself from some outrageous clowns who hate being called out…er…I’m doing it again, aren’t I ha ha….
No, seriously just think about the logic path. What is a blog for? You don’t think Ed hates all this controversy, rumour, rabid infighting and polar dissent do you? Nah. That’s what he put the blog up for. Pages of drivel with lots of lovely hits (sorry Ed but hey tell it like it is) to keep the blog rolling along and nicely funded.
There’s lots of hypocrisy on here. People who tell people they are “look at me” artists but who post here every single day of their lives so their opinion can be heard. Those who say they don’t care what anyone else thinks, same thing they post here every day and keep responding to those who they don’t apparently care about ha ha. The list goes on. You might not like certain aspects of the blog, and obviously quite a few others do, but in reality that’s their better self “hearting you” their inside person just laps it up greedily like a dog with custard.
If we all said “well said sir!” And all got along nice this blog would turn into a ghost of .co.uk 😀
geordietom
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:37 PM
Comment #25JAIL …
not gonna argue with you bonny lad not my style …
Tsunki
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:44 PM
Comment #26But having said that geordietom for every catchy and bladey we need the positive end of the battery so well done for being the polar opposite. 🙂
Munster Mag
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:44 PM
Comment #27Geordietom, don’t argue with Jail. Even if he was incorrect hr is not man enough to admit it. And he’s too busy counting his lovehearts.
hibbit
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:45 PM
Comment #28divide-and-conquer
# UNITED NOT A HOPE
geordietom
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:46 PM
Comment #29JAIL …
i gather you live on your own …
telling people ferk off …
i aint a keyboard warrior like you …
little man syndrome springs to mind…
tsunki i’ve took on board what you said mate and your right in what you say …
hence my answer to the blog police man PC jail…
Munster Mag
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:52 PM
Comment #30OK will we try a truce now, across the board?
Essex Geordie Bill
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:57 PM
Comment #31Munster, what again? 😉
geordietom
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:57 PM
Comment #32just been reading CABAYE is looking to leave UAE SIDE AL-NASR …
Ii know he’s 32 now but would any one of you him back ?…
me it would be yes on a short term contract …
lesh
Jan 13, 2019 at 4:59 PM
Comment #33Bambans/ Dubai
We were pondering Ashley’s motives behind his seemingly strange behaviour and thinking outside the box, I’ve had a light bulb moment!
I’ll list some thoughts and leave you to join the dots:
NUFC appears to be being run down by Ashley;
NUFC’s long-Tim’s home has been SJP – a piece of prime city centre real estate;
SJP is built on land owned by and leased from the Freemen of Newcastle upon Tyne;
The SJP land is designated by the Freemen for recreational and sporting use (my words);
NUFC could be relegated down the leagues, each year being burdened with more debt by Ashley;
NUFC becomes financially hobbled by debt to Ashley;
SJP proves to be too big and expensive for the club;
Ashley decides to call in the debts he’s loaded onto the club and puts the club into administration, insolvency;
The club has to dispose of assets and cut its costs;
Ashley owns the Strawberry Place plot he recently sold to himself;
The club’s insolvency practitioners decide to extract NUFC from the lease of SJP;
Ashley offers to take over and extend the lease to SJP, demolish the stadium and replace it with a sports and recreation facility available for the use of the good people of Newcastle upon Tyne (ahhh, isn’t he kind)
And to ease the UK’s housing shortage, he proposes to build living accommodation, hotels or whatever above his sporting complex.
Ashley’s keen to be more involved in property development …
Frightening
Jib
Jan 13, 2019 at 5:00 PM
Comment #34Tom
Jail for Ashley
sits on his own in the middle of Liverpool bay all day.
He wears his hard hat to bed
😀
lesh
Jan 13, 2019 at 5:01 PM
Comment #35Bambana/ Dubai
Excuse the typos.
Jib
Jan 13, 2019 at 5:03 PM
Comment #36Lesh
Two words shoot down your scenario
City Freemen
WarrenBartonCentreParting
Jan 13, 2019 at 5:03 PM
Comment #37I’m wondering why Son is playing for Tottenham and we had to release Ki.. am I missing something?
Jib
Jan 13, 2019 at 5:04 PM
Comment #38Heart this post if you want Spurs to give
Man U a good scudding
lesh
Jan 13, 2019 at 5:05 PM
Comment #39Munster
If you want the truce to last, you really must stop firing the first shot that breaks it.
Tsunki
Jan 13, 2019 at 5:06 PM
Comment #40Another one of Munsters Truces? Aye why not I’ll fall for it. 🙂