Federico Fernandez has been interviewed in the Chronicle Live today, and he finally made his debut last Saturday for Newcastle at home to Chelsea, and he had an excellent game.
He could well become our best center-back this season, and there is going to be some competition between Fernandez, Schar, Clark, and Lascelles as to which players start games.
Fabian Schar also looked good on his debut, and he will improve as he gets used to the Premier League.
Federico Fernandez – a very talented central defender
This is what Federico said about his debut last Saturday:
“It was brilliant to finally make my debut at St James’ Park.”
“The stadium has a great atmosphere and I’m really happy to play my first game there,” Fernandez reflected upon his first Magpies appearance.”
“I tried to push myself and show a good game, and I’m really happy.”
“We have a few days to work in training, decide on the system we will play, and we will see if it’s the same.”
“It’s always positive to have played a system already, and we have done that now.”
“We need to stay in the game for as long as we can, to defend, move side to side, run a lot – and then attack when we can.”
“The lads all work so hard and will put another big effort in at Man City.”
“Hopefully, we get a positive result there – and a bit more luck.”
Fernandez’ £6M deal was done almost at the last minute of the transfer window and could turn out to be a significant signing for Newcastle.
He could well become the best signing of the summer for the club.
Rafa was delighted to get the defender who played for him at Napoli through the door, and it enables Rafa to have different formations at the back.
But since a number of our new players came in late in the window it has taken a few weeks for Fernandez and others to be ready to start games.
That’s one of the reasons Rafa wants players in early in the summer, so they are ready for the first game of the season.
It makes sense to us – why don’t Ashley and Charnley listen to Rafa?
He knows what he’s doing.
Comments welcome.
89 comments so far
Bladey
Aug 31, 2018 at 10:46 AM
Comment #41Team news for man city
Dubravka darlow Elliot Clark Fernando lascells
Manquillo schar yedlin lazzar and this is a surprise joselu but he has instructions to help out in defence
ASH OUT
DINASAUR MANAGER OUT
Ron Knee
Aug 31, 2018 at 10:52 AM
Comment #42He’s just “obeying orders”, hibbit.
catchy in norway
Aug 31, 2018 at 10:53 AM
Comment #43Hibbit
i’m unaware you asked a question.
you said ask the people who are running it.
Ibiza said yes people afraid.
Rob1971
Aug 31, 2018 at 10:53 AM
Comment #44I sese Catchy is on his daily tirade against Rafa, in his words the great manager who has won countless trophies by playing hoofball, I doubt Torress, Gerrard etc would have been part of a hoofball team
RUNAWAY777
Aug 31, 2018 at 10:55 AM
Comment #45I do not like merson but on this occasion he’s a 100% correct we will get lashed on Sat like it or not you no he’s rite, just had a look at the poll for sat match and for once the fans are not let there heart rule them 3/4 say we will lose.
Rob1971
Aug 31, 2018 at 10:55 AM
Comment #46Ashley’s PR team are out in force, trying to shift the blame onto Rafa because he hasn’t invited him to a game or a training session, this is Ashley who hasn’t attended a game for ages but can attend any time he wants as he owns the club, why would he need an invite? it smacks of desperation.
Rob1971
Aug 31, 2018 at 10:58 AM
Comment #47Any one remember that great Valencia team under Rafa that won the title with hoofball?
Rob1971
Aug 31, 2018 at 10:58 AM
Comment #48Any one remember that great Valencia team under Rafa that won the title with hoofball?
lesh
Aug 31, 2018 at 10:59 AM
Comment #49Ancient
One or two of Prefab Sprout came out of South West Durham, Stanley Chester-le-Street way and put their demos together in a studio in the Cluney.
Ron Knee
As you posted a clip from the Grauniad – – the spelling mistakes are back since in went tabloid – some will surely infer that you’re a Momentum member who’s a commie trotskyist Corbynista socialust anti-capitalist. Be warned, the daily Heil readers’ll Benin your case along with me and Ancient. Be prepared.
🙂
Nicky the ball tosser
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:00 AM
Comment #50We are gonna get done regardless, barring a miracle. They are a superb team. I quite like the contest between attack and defence anyway. A nill all draw at the Etihad would be technically a great result and a much-needed point. Flat back five, Ritchie, Ki, Diame and Murphy in front of them, and Perez up top, and the pundits can eat a D.
The overrated Frenchman
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:01 AM
Comment #51Fernandez was poor against Forest. No surprise he was the defender who was dragged.
lesh
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:01 AM
Comment #52Ron Knee
Benin your case? Be on it’s more likely. Harrumph.
Optimistic Panda
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:03 AM
Comment #53Im having a tenna on the toon to win..
It’s worth a punt and would be just like us
AncientC
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:09 AM
Comment #54You can get 100/1 with Betvictor on Newcastle to beat Man City 0-1. Unlikely, sure, but seems worth a punt. A 0-1 smash and grab is exactly what Benitez is about when the odds are against him.
Ron Knee
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:10 AM
Comment #55lesh
Maybe Rafa should invite Ashley to the next Fans’ Forum?
Rob1971
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:11 AM
Comment #56Nicky that won’t stop Rafa getting slaughtered of people on here, even if we lose by a single goal he will get criticized for something, they have the knives sharpened already for it
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:12 AM
Comment #57Did you get it all out OP?
Are you relaxed now…there was really no point to engaging that rant of yours!
You and moaning Myrtle just cannot have a normal conversation with people who does not agree with our “logic”!
Everything gets so up close and personal with you guys…
RobLeenio
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:18 AM
Comment #58Parking the bus and hoping to grab something is nothing new. It’s just relatively new to some Newcastle fans.
I had a good mate at Uni who was a Forest fan and we used to debate which team played the best football. His main point was that we didn’t have a heritage for good football, unlike the Forest teams of the 70s and 80s under Clough. He was right, the best and most attractive football we had ever played was under Keegan and it’s not been matched since.
I’d love that kind of footy to make its way back to SJP, but it’s a different era and we’ll never see its likes again, sadly.
Munster Mag
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:23 AM
Comment #59Jail you will only hear things that you want to hear. I think sacking Rafa wud be a really stupid move. In terms of his football I’d certainly like too see more of the spurs style and less of the Cardiff forest and Chelsea. Smart football guys like catchy, Lilongwe, posada have suggested that Rafa needs to modify his approach v the good teams. I don’t have an issue parking the bus v city but turfing away possession and retreating into the last third is unusual. But its the forest / Cardiff games that worry me more. In your myopic cult world, do you feel Rafa bears any responsibility for those games, especially forest?
Munster Mag
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:25 AM
Comment #60Rob, why not, if Ashley leaves?
G
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:25 AM
Comment #61There were quite a few defensive errors against Notts F the other night. In fact the only stand out performer I saw in defence was that German feller Forest signed from Huddersfield (who’s name escapes me). Deservedly appointed MOM by Sky in my opinion. Could be one to watch?
Rob1971
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:26 AM
Comment #62Robleenio Robsons was good, Ardiles style was good as well but it was a team of youngsters, its a good job the internet did not exist when Jack Charlton was here as his style would have been slaughtered on here, we started games with bean poles strikers Riley and Cunningham up front and shifted Beardsley to the wing, direct football at its finest
Munster Mag
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:27 AM
Comment #63Jester, myrtle can’t accept other people’s opinions. Who is the original poster?
Munster Mag
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:28 AM
Comment #64Calling them Notts forest really irritates them btw
Nicky the ball tosser
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:28 AM
Comment #65The criticism of Rafa is pretty short-sighted I think. It’s maybe warranted, no one is above criticism, but Jesus, the guys our Champion. You really do need to get behind him, through thick and thin. The guy goes into bat for us, and up against the owner day in, day out. Top bloke, and maybe our only real hope.
RobLeenio
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:32 AM
Comment #66G, Michael Hefele, German guy, 27 years old and tough as boots from what I saw on Wednesday.
There’s a Hudds fan here at work who was gutted when he left, he was apparently a bit of a club icon but wasn’t getting a game.
Turns out he could be an ambassador to the UN too, given his response to the question of if it was a penalty or not (“It’s a beautiful night here, the atmosphere was great….”)
😉
Rob1971
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:37 AM
Comment #67Munster you are only reading what you want, Catchy is a smart fooball guy, he said he wanted Rafa sacked and an inferior manager brought in? he posted bring back Carver, that’s really smart
Munster Mag
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:39 AM
Comment #68Nicky, at last some balance in opinion. Robleenio same. I think can can criticise rafa but not hate him, which is as it shud be. Any more of that shite type of application that we saw v forest deserves opprobrium, end of. The only good thing was that if mcclaren had managed us, he’d have said ‘the lads gave me everything’ ?. And pardew wud have said ‘ we was a fret’. Actually I miss pards, and his front foot football, big glasses and headbutts 🙂
Munster Mag
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:42 AM
Comment #69Rob I didn’t see all the comments from catchy sorry mate. Lots of them I suppose. The guy has every right to air his grievances and opinions. He might do same if he was a city fan. Either way he is entitled to voice his opinion and he doesn’t seem to get abusive, so fair enough.
RobLeenio
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:44 AM
Comment #70Rob1971, yep Bobby’s teams played good footy, pleasing on the eye, but it never reached the peaks for entertainment value as Keegan’s era. Not necessarily a bad thing, some of the performances under Keegan’s watch were reckless but very watchable. Bobby always had an eye on what was happening in defence as well as attack.
We’ve played good, attractive football at times since Bobby too and Rafa’s teams are capable of it when the game plan works and the situation presents itself. They’re also capable of defending like their lives depend on it and shutting up shop.
Munster Mag
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:47 AM
Comment #71Rob, I see my mistake. I meant to say Charlie is a smart football guy, along with Lilongwe etc. Typo! So too is robleenio and we had a good chat the other night about waiting for Rafa to train them better over time. Fair point etc. I just want a little more assertiveness re Chelsea etc at home but I’m sure Rafa wants the same. He won’t want his team in a shell all day. That can wait for after City though
Rob1971
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:49 AM
Comment #72Munster and people have a right to disagree with those comments, to suggest Rafa should leave for an inferior manager is idiotic, we have had those with Mclaren, Pardew etc which Catchy moaned about constantly on here, for me its OTT on here when fans say they want him sacked but absolutely have no idea who to replace him with as the only ones who the club will go for is free and available managers, they always have in Ashleys era, so it will be the usual suspects, allardyce, pardew etc
Munster Mag
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:49 AM
Comment #73Rob I don’t think Bobby wud have wanted us to play like we did v Chelsea, even with the inferior lplayers we have. We need Rafa to get them punching here and there and then covering up, to go back to boxing parlance
Munster Mag
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:51 AM
Comment #74Rob u are confusing me. I don’t want Rafa sacked. Bonkers move and the poison wud pour all over St james
Rob1971
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:52 AM
Comment #75Robleenio it might have been before your time but Cox’s team with Beardsley, Waddle, Mcdermott, Beardsley played some cracking stuff, to go from that to Jack Charlton’s football was a big shift, I still love big Jack though, he just hated the transfer market he bought some duffers for us
Toon&oot
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:54 AM
Comment #76The latest PR bullshit from Ashleys cronies is embarrassing. Scrapping the bottom of the barrel comes to mind. Do you think Ashley needs an invitation? He owns the place! If he was that desperate to come up he could always use the helicopter that transported Andy Carroll swiftly to Anfield. He could bring a tin of paint and a brush to ‘touch up’ the Academy while he was here. Keep going Fatty your bubbles about to burst and everyone including Sky is watching.
Rob1971
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:55 AM
Comment #77Know Munster I am not suggesting you want him sacked but others do on here and they seem to take a warped pleasure in every defeat to come on here and slag him off, before Chelsea they were saying they could understand using negative tactics against Chelsea but not Cardiff, then when we did use those negative tactics they were on here slaughtering him, they will do the same this Saturday.
Belfast
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:58 AM
Comment #78The big German looked good because we played into his hands all night. We didn’t turn him once. He could probably deal with those long balls in his sleep.
Aces-of-Eights
Aug 31, 2018 at 11:58 AM
Comment #79Jail
Last season claude puel and allardyce finished above rafa so in ur ideology theyre better than rafa? Howe plays better footy than rafa. Fact.
Also zidane got the squad but it wasnt built by rafa. The Madrid directors buy the players not the manager. Zidane got more put of them than boring defensive rafa.
A world class manager should be able to get any player pass and move and control ball properly. If anything joselu kenedy are getting worse and worse since their debut which was their best performance in a newcastle shirt.
Before u call me ashleys mate i actually want ashley out and i want rafa out and i want these shit players out.
Charlie in the Gallowgate
Aug 31, 2018 at 12:00 PM
Comment #80I don’t mind parking the bus but what gets me there is no outlet when get the ball and clear defence
Would love at corners free kicks stick someone fast on the half way line – Yedlin or Murphy and at least give their defence something to think about
Take last year when Nurphy scored against City they had a nervous 10 minutes Diame nearly equalised before they put it to bed
No defence likes players running at them at speed and their defence is not brilliant
Pretty good tho but not brilliant