Rafa Benitez released the following statement through his Twitter page earlier this morning.
To Newcastle United fans https://t.co/5gu4eopVjf #NUFC #Newcastle #Toons #ThankYou pic.twitter.com/vLnmVSBGs2
— Rafa Benitez Web (@rafabenitezweb) July 1, 2019
Rafa Benitez has remained classy even after his unceremonious departure from Newcastle United. He clearly wanted more than just the one-year extension on offer.
It is certain now that Mike Ashley was not willing to compromise at all. He would not give Rafa the control he sought over transfers or any assurances that the infrastructure would be improved.
Rafa was offered a one-year extension to his current deal and to Rafa, as well as all Newcastle United fans, that was an insult.
We don’t know if the takeover had anything to do with the contract offered to Rafa Benitez. It could be that Mike was only willing to offer the one year deal based on the pending takeover. Though we have doubts that he would concede any power while still in control at Newcastle.
This statement does appear to mean that he’s never coming back to Newcastle as it really is a farewell to the Newcastle fans.
26 comments so far
lochinvar
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:37 AM
Comment #1First but it doesn’t matter at the moment
Rotonda heights
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:39 AM
Comment #2Munster
My dad died on Saturday, so I kind of know what he is saying. Just feels like we’ve lost someone really special in Rafa as well.
Tsunki
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:40 AM
Comment #3There is a fault. Please do not refresh your page.
Munster is busy engineering an excuse for his outburst, and will resume service as soon as possible.
We apologise for the inconvenience.
martoon
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:40 AM
Comment #4I’m surprised the grammar police haven’t corrected Rafa yet – no s on toon 😀
Spellcheck
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:41 AM
Comment #5Saddened to see you go Rafa. God only knows what lies ahead of us for the upcoming season.
bettyswallocks
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:47 AM
Comment #6One fine day……… Aye we’re all feeling it (Most of us anyways) . Unless a miracle happens and we do get taken over I honestly can’t see any positive outcome to this mess. As you said earlier the last thing anyone needed today was a dickhead like that hurling ( excuse pun) inappropriate abuse!!
TomaKaThor
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:47 AM
Comment #7Defo must boycott if Ashley remains now.
toon22
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:51 AM
Comment #8Munster
It’s never MAs fault
Who do you think you’ll blame everything on next season?
Funny how you have the same opinions as MA
😉
#boycott Arsenal
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:51 AM
Comment #9Now that the interfering and know it all Rafa has left the building, ‘the board’ can pat themselves on the back for a great job done getting us back in to the PL spending a lot less money than McLaren got to relegate us. They can now go back to throwing money at a second rate manager to save us from the drop.
kev1664
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:52 AM
Comment #10https://twitter.com/NUFC/status/1145611879806582784?s=19
I think NUFC admin know. That facepalm on the end of the tweet and the ironic form an orderly queue, bet that gets taken down soon enough.
Geordie-john
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:53 AM
Comment #11Well it’s nice to see that Rafa has been very professional until the end of his contract then he has put the record straight ( even though a slight mistake from his native tongue to our language has been nit picked )
This also confirms that the verbal shite that Fat Lad has been distributing lately about Rafa being at fault is CRAP !
I hope that the majority of true supporters can and will see Fat Lad in a true light now. He is FULL ÓF SHITE ! and always will be, He is only interested in profit from our club. But how many so called supporters will just shrug it off and renew their season tickets anyway ?
droppy in Wallsend
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:54 AM
Comment #12The people watching this and other social media to report back to the Tapeworm must be loving it.
Even though the spirits are crushed, still the cliques and in fighting continue.
Divide and conquer, allowing the continued stagnation of the club through greed.
#boycott Arsenal
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:55 AM
Comment #13It is more than difficult to try and comprehend why a body of men would want to revert back to a system of doing things that seen us relegated, how is it even remotely possible?
Genjikai
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:55 AM
Comment #14Martoon i took that as more of a rally call. Saying ashley is a liar.
Howay all you toons fight for your club.
Thats what i think hes saying.
Genjikai
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:56 AM
Comment #15Robleenio im going and ill report back what was said.
toon22
Jul 1, 2019 at 9:58 AM
Comment #16Bills. Hiya JIB
If we all keep our head down it’ll all blow over 😉
Then MA can get down to exploiting the fans and bleeding the club dry for another season
toon22
Jul 1, 2019 at 10:00 AM
Comment #17Best manager in years wanted to stay but our owner wanted to maximise the profits he trousers from the club
Wants to get back to making mega money from exploiting the club via the prem
one fine day
Jul 1, 2019 at 10:02 AM
Comment #18Kev 1664,
Fair play to them
Only this club could bring out the new shirt on a day when Rafa is confirmed as done and dusted .
Sadly some will still turn up and buy it
Nedders
Jul 1, 2019 at 10:06 AM
Comment #19I’d like to understand why nobody from the media is getting an answer from the Mirror about the “it’s not my fault” comment? I must have missed the part in Rafa’s statement where he says “following conversations with prospective new owners it became apparent they had a different model in mind” or similar.
fatha1965
Jul 1, 2019 at 10:08 AM
Comment #20Talk about disrespectful they might as well have broken into Raffas house at Christmas and pissed on his tree.F***ing unbelievable.
Ron Knee
Jul 1, 2019 at 10:08 AM
Comment #21That tweet is still there:
https://twitter.com/NUFC/status/1145611879806582784?s=19
count
Jul 1, 2019 at 10:09 AM
Comment #22We still getting apathetic tosspots commenting on here who would rather put their energy into poo-pooing boycotts than trying to gee people up and into action?
Those posters more interested in anonymously proving what savvy realists they are than trying to affect change. Here’s the thing… noone knows who you are or is impressed by how pragmatic you are. All you achieve is a little point scored in your own head.
Haven’t had time to read through all these new posters’ cricket related suicide inducing mundane sh¡t posts these last few days…
Even worse the people who talk about ‘individual choice’. Yeah, your individual choice to selfishly fck everyone else over.
#boycott Arsenal
toxic lollie
Jul 1, 2019 at 10:47 AM
Comment #23Regardless of whether people thought rafa’s coaching style was good or bad (it doesn’t really matter now), I think he bought Newcastle City and the many fans worldwide together and gave them hope in dismal times.. Me alone, I’m happy for the time he’s been here because I had hope for a brighter future & I thank him for trying to achieve that for us! God knows where we would be now if Pardew or company was still here?
beefman13
Jul 1, 2019 at 11:16 AM
Comment #24Yes, that was a really nice letter from Rafa, in a way I think he sounded relieved but very sad, whatever any individual fan thinks, the toon at this moment is flattened under an awful grey cloud. We need some serious vitamin D.
IrishRob
Jul 1, 2019 at 12:30 PM
Comment #25Wow breaks my heart reading this. For a man like Rafa that is notoriously closed off with his emotions it really means a lot reading this that he could tell us all how he feels.
Hes in the holy trinity for life, Bobby, Kenny, and Rafa… BKR³
Lynxie
Jul 2, 2019 at 7:18 AM
Comment #26IrishRob: can you please explain what ‘Kenny’ did to achieve greatness at our club? I am mystified, because as I remember it he dismantled the greatest team to ever grace SJP, and replaced the likes of Ferdinand, Ginola, Albert, etc, with Carl Serrant, Des Hamilton, and Garry Brady.
I’ll wait here….