It’s been another tough season for Newcastle fans, and things were not looking too good in mid-December when we lost 1-0 at Arsenal and had gone 9 games getting just one single point.
But we picked up after that, and then we brought in Kenedy and Dubravka on loan, and they helped to get us four wins in a row which took us from 29 points after 29 games to 41 points after 33 games and safety in the Premier League.
Yes!
So at least the last five games have less tension for fans – but unfortunately, we then lost two games 1-0 at Everton and to bottom of the league West Brom at home last Saturday.
Hopefully, we can get a win at Watford on Saturday, and that will almost guarantee us 10th place in the league.
We lost 3-0 at home to Watford on November 25th during that tough stretch of 9 games.
Rafa Benitez – can we get him signed up by May 13th?
It really is important for the team to finish on a high and our easiest game of the three remaining is at Watford on Saturday.
Then we play at Tottenham (Wembley Stadium) next Wednesday night and play Chelsea at home in the final game of the season on May 13th.
A win against the Blues would be an excellent way to end the season in front of (yet) another sell-out crowd.
Hopefully, by then Rafa will have signed a new contract to stay at Newcastle, and we can really celebrate.
We’ll have Rafa signed up long term, and we will have finished in the upper half of the table.
We would have taken that in a New York minute last August.
Comments welcome.
46 comments so far
Nostradamus the Geordie
May 3, 2018 at 2:52 PM
Comment #1If this isn’t fixed over the next few weeks I can see Rafa leaving, then what. Ashley needs to understand that bringing in some half brained manager isn’t making the club attractive to any potential buyers plus the monies involved in TV rights goes out the window. If Rafa is manager he makes more money for the club as TV companies are more willing to show Newcastle games due to having Rafa as manager. What’s Ashley’s idea, play hardball with Rafa because Wenger is available? I honestly don’t understand the thinking with M.A, I thought that if you done a good job at the work place you get rewarded, isn’t that how it meant to happen. Surely in business he understands that part of the acquisition.
JP...from The Rock
May 3, 2018 at 3:11 PM
Comment #2Ashley is a fat tight arsed, greedy, lying twat! If he backs Rafa big time this summer then I could start to forgive him. Do I think he will change and back Rafa?- 70% of thinks no way. But there is always hope. I also believe Rafa will stay to honour his last year regardless.
JP...from The Rock
May 3, 2018 at 3:12 PM
Comment #3*70% of me ..
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 3:13 PM
Comment #4I think I’ve solved the mystery of one of our
players being constantly linked to a certain
La Liga club in the Basque country
Mikel Rico Moreno
is a 33 year old midfielder who plays for Athletic Bilbao
Nufc have a 22 year old midfielder named
Mikel Merino Zazón
chicousa
May 3, 2018 at 3:14 PM
Comment #5100% of me wants Ashley out!!! 😉
bettyswallocks
May 3, 2018 at 3:20 PM
Comment #6Well done Jib……… Your journalistic expertise is wasted on here. Is it true you had to leave AA due to their drinking policy being too strict.
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 3:25 PM
Comment #7Blooming heck George Caulkin is taller than Harps
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 3:28 PM
Comment #8Just doing my bit to keep the blog moving Your Sweatiness
Why don’t you post some pictures of sheep in suspenders
It’s so funny when you do
You clearly have a really
good sense of humour.
lesh
May 3, 2018 at 3:30 PM
Comment #9Nostradamus the Geordie
Ashley doesn’t do good man management. He’s a bully who demands his own way and employs the likes of Barnes and Bishop to do his dirty work.
lesh
May 3, 2018 at 3:34 PM
Comment #103.30 pm and the bitchin’s been well under way for a few hours.
Can we expect all hell to break out when the drink really kicks in?
RobLeenio
May 3, 2018 at 3:57 PM
Comment #11Jib, I hope Slim-chance-of-staying-on-the-pitch-ani doesn’t go to Cullercoats purely for the arcades, he’ll be very disappointed. If he wants good coffee and ice cream and a bracing walk along some very attractive coastline, however, he’ll be in for a treat.
DubaiMicky
May 3, 2018 at 4:17 PM
Comment #12Rafa is interviewed on “The Premier League Show” tonight 10pm on BBC2 guys
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/43993994
“Speaking to The Premier League Show, Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez says his team have great potential to improve and praises his players for keeping clear of a relegation battle this season after returning to the top-flight”.
nufc 11
May 3, 2018 at 4:26 PM
Comment #13I wonder do NUFC have 1st refusal to buy Kevin Mbabu back from Young Boys. Apparently he is been on fire this season developing into a top notch RB and will be heading to the WC with the Swiss. Always thought letting him go was a mistake he had shown far more promise than Dummett ever did and that was been played out of position at LB.
Ron Knee
May 3, 2018 at 4:31 PM
Comment #14nufc 11
He wanted to return to Switzerland.
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
May 3, 2018 at 4:31 PM
Comment #15Betsy truly is the Lil’ Sebastian of this blog…the blog attraction!
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
May 3, 2018 at 4:32 PM
Comment #16On another note…I highly doubt Rafa will sign an extension to his contract before season ends…I have been wrong about Rafa before or even surprise if you will!
…I guess we’ll see!
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 4:36 PM
Comment #17nufc 11
Ron is right
I posted an interview with M’Babu on Swiss tv
and he was emphatic that he didn’t want to leave
Switzerland
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 4:41 PM
Comment #18Jesper you could be right
Unless everything is totally
to Rafa’s liking he has no need
to sign an extension still having 12 months
from June 2018 (and out of his £6m release clause)
Ibizatoon
May 3, 2018 at 5:23 PM
Comment #19Ron is right, Jesper could be right, can I fill that wrong vacancy or does the, could be wrong, one need to go first?
Just saying hi, wouldn’t want to upset the running order of things around here…
lesh
May 3, 2018 at 5:38 PM
Comment #20Looking at this Chronicle piece about the lack of pertinent questions from delegates at the Fan Forum, it strikes me that there seems to be no coordination among delegates. Just what the club wants no doubt.
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/what-justin-barnes-role-7-14611683
Surely there must be someone among the delegates who can bring delegates together to present and pursue answers to key issues of concern – the wider picture. A sub-group might be useful to collect, discuss and priorities issues to challenge the club about. And, it could even decide strategies for tabling questions that the club haven’t cleared as easy – forcing the club to respond in some way and formally minuting its responses.
The club,appear to be going through the motions in the way it’s managing the forum and not engaging with fans in the spirit of constructive dialogue with stakeholders, the fans.
Come on FF delegates, get a grip and ask burning questions and aggressively pursue answers from the club otherwise you’ll continue to be regarded as and treat like u sitting underwriters of the club’s devious ways.
lesh
May 3, 2018 at 5:42 PM
Comment #21RobLeenio @11
A,walk along the coast involves some risk for anyone – being accosted by Jib!
lesh
May 3, 2018 at 5:46 PM
Comment #22nufc 11
Wasn’t Mbabu involved in some off the field incident (with Aarons?) that led to him being moved out….. Possibly for the good of his health?
lesh
May 3, 2018 at 5:49 PM
Comment #23Nufc
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3561943/Woman-22-raped-twice-25-000-week-professional-footballer-videoed-bed-two-players-DAYS-appeared-court.html
bettyswallocks
May 3, 2018 at 5:50 PM
Comment #24https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article6817765.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200/Man-walks-home-the-morning-after-a-party-wearing-stockings-and-suspenders.jpg
Jib does tend to become rather disorientated after a heavy night’s drinking.
lesh
May 3, 2018 at 5:50 PM
Comment #25@20
*u sitting = unwitting
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 5:55 PM
Comment #26Ibiza
Some Google info for you
Just type in
“Lost medieval serving boy”
and it comes back
“Page missing”
😛
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 5:57 PM
Comment #27Everybody
go
ho ho ho
at
Sweaty Betty’s
so subtle humour
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 6:05 PM
Comment #28You know when you’re sitting in your
favourite bar and your mates are there
and you are all on the same wavelength
and the craic is lush and you are all laughing
like lunatics ant some fantastic wit and having
a great time.
then
some strange dickhead on the next table tries
to get involved yet misses by a mile and you all
look at each other and go WTF
Yoo hoo bettyswallocks it’s you I’m talking about
bettyswallocks
May 3, 2018 at 6:12 PM
Comment #29Jib……….. Maybe it’s you that’s not tuned in to the right wavelength.
Tsunki
May 3, 2018 at 6:16 PM
Comment #30That’d be the tin foil hat causing interference.
Jail for Ashley
May 3, 2018 at 6:21 PM
Comment #31Bobby would blow a gasket. Steve Howay talking about players coming through the ranks and says fair play to Armstrong he’s at Barnsley now. That is shocking, he’s a well paid pundit.
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 6:21 PM
Comment #32No it’s you Betty dear
You are a knob
and this forum is the last place
you should be.
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 6:22 PM
Comment #33Steve Howay
great typo Jail
ha ha ha
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 6:29 PM
Comment #34I’m quite worried about Watford
I know they’ve had some chinnings
on the road
but
at home they are a different beast.
Even last week when they got beat at
Wembley off Spurs they looked OK
This match is no push over
Rafa has got to have the lads heads sorted
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 6:33 PM
Comment #35I always remember being at an away game
and the lads were doing a warm-up
and we chanted (to the tune of tan tivvy)
Steve Howey Steve Howey Steve Howey
Your brother Lee’s a c–t
and he turned to us with a big smile
and applauded us
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 6:39 PM
Comment #36Lee Howey played for Sunlun at the time
chicousa
May 3, 2018 at 6:44 PM
Comment #37For all you Mitrovic fans: Mitro has been nominated once again for championship player of the month….his second month in a row nominated, winning the award last month.
Munster Mag
May 3, 2018 at 6:49 PM
Comment #38Best guess is that Rafa will get a modest sum to spend and it won’t be enough to buy a striker of his choice. He won’t sign a contract but might this time next year when more sky money is available and afforded to him. In general he won’t be pleased with these discussions. Sadly I was more optimistic a few days ago but the FF is harping back to the excellent squad and salaries he had last year and sounds like early excuses.
Jib
May 3, 2018 at 6:49 PM
Comment #39Chico
He’s still an NUFC player
Munster Mag
May 3, 2018 at 6:49 PM
Comment #40Yip, dumping mitro and getting slimani looks like a silly move now.