Rafa Benitez will want to strengthen the team in various positions this summer but also keep the great team spirit within the squad – that’s again been a massive positive for the team.
And the fact the fans are right behind Rafa and his players as well as the City of Newcastle Upon Tyne, ensures we are all behind the team in every single game.
Rafa has talked about that multiple times, and he sees it as one of the shining lights at Newcastle United – the sleeping giant.
Even when the club was trying to be sold, Rafa somehow kept the fans engaged and right behind the team through the various shenanigans coming from owner Mike Ashley.
Rafa will want to bring in a couple of full-backs, a new central midfielder, winger, and maybe a couple of strikers up front this summer.
Not scoring enough goals has been our major weakness for the last couple of seasons.
We scored only 39 goals in the 38 games last season and this term we have scored just 32 goals in our 34 games.
One goal a game is not good enough to be successful in the Premier League with top clubs scoring an average of two goals a game and more.
This is what Rafa explained to Jamie Carragher after the game on Friday night; it’s a good synopsis of what may be coming for Newcastle if Rafa stays:
“I have been trying to win titles everywhere in different countries and what I have said before is we have to have a team that can compete.”
“So you cannot go with a team that maybe you can win but you think ‘If it’s a draw it’s a good result’.”
“We need to be stronger. You have the city, we have all the potential. Everyone in Newcastle is supporting the team so it’s massive.”
“Doing a little bit – I don’t say spending £200M – I say a little bit more, doing the right things we can compete against the teams who are between 7th and 12th but we have to do things right.”
“Even if you have a lot of money in the transfer market you can make mistakes. If you have less, it’s even more difficult.”
“You know we were competing against Manchester United (when I was at Liverpool) with a budget of £70M. It was very difficult.”
“You can do everything right but if the other team has one player, it can be the difference.”
“If you go to sign a player from Leicester now – one of their defensive players – you have to spend £30M.”
“So we have to be more competitive in the window and do things differently.”
One man is preventing Rafa and Newcastle moving forward – but unfortunately, that’s the owner Mike Ashley.
Comments welcome.
14 comments so far
Ron Knee
Apr 15, 2019 at 3:01 PM
Comment #1Is NUFC’s presence in the 2019 Premier League Asia Trophy confirmed?
jayphoto
Apr 15, 2019 at 3:05 PM
Comment #2Annoying thing about Leicester is that their young english players, they actually took a gamble and paid quite a high price and everyone in the football world knew they were going to be good players. Maguire, Maddison, Gray, Iheanacho… they actually paid a high amount for all of them… where we need to compete is not signing this players from Leicester for 40/50m…. but we damn well should have been in for Maddison at 18m and even Iheanacho at 25m, Gray cost them about 3m….
Don’t think Rafa is expecting to compete with the teams dropping 40-50m on a player, but when Bournemouth are signing a defensive midfielder for 25m, Fulham spent 50m on 2 central midfielders etc this is the bracket we need to compete in.
Colombus
Apr 15, 2019 at 3:18 PM
Comment #3Jayphoto, out of the Leicester-players you mention, only Maguire and Maddison would raise our team. Iheanacho has been a total disaster and Gray just doesnt have enough end product. I have faith in our scouting these days. Schär, Lejeune, Almiron, Rondon etc have all been brilliant additions.
jayphoto
Apr 15, 2019 at 3:27 PM
Comment #4@colombus – my point wasn’t really that we should have signed those players, it was a more a point that the club would never have competed for 18m Maddison or 25m Iheanacho… its one thing not competing with the top clubs but Rafa needs to be given license to drop 20m on a player etc, especially when like you say, our scouting is excellent. Imagine the level we could have signed if they were backed to compete with the teams around us
jayphoto
Apr 15, 2019 at 3:31 PM
Comment #5its just the same ol story of the club only valuing players under the asking price… dread to think who Rafa has missed out on because alot of our team were probably never in his top 5 requested players
Lee Charnley Bunga Party
Apr 15, 2019 at 3:39 PM
Comment #6@Jayphoto
I actually thought the club should have been all over Maddison when he was at Coventry with Armstrong Norwich got him for about 4 or 5 million did they not?
We always seem to be nowhere when it comes to picking up domestic youngsters apart from Lascalles and Darlow who were a bit of a steal for the price!
I know Old Man Carr would always like a French fancy but surely we have someone scouting the lower leagues in England/Scotland/Northern Ireland etc ? Lots of bargain youngsters about that could come good if nurtured properly Robertson and Fraser are good examples of Scottish Talent but there are other young players up the road that could do well with top class coaching!
Jib
Apr 15, 2019 at 3:39 PM
Comment #7I dunno who Rafa has scouting for him
in Spain but spotting Fabian Schar at
Deportivo de La Coruña was fantastic.
Wayayman
Apr 15, 2019 at 3:46 PM
Comment #8Jayphoto, just a small point but I thought Iheanacho was Nigerian? Anyway, I get your point about the young talent that has been allowed to go elsewhere – especially as Ashley seems convinced U25 players are where the future profit is at. Shame he doesnt see the potential benefit of having some more quality experienced 28+ players in the squad (Rondon, Ki etc) all of whom can play their part in surviving in the league and therefore generating over £100 M more than they would if we were relegated. It’s almost like he cant see a bigger picture…
Wayayman
Apr 15, 2019 at 3:47 PM
Comment #9Oh and @DubaiMickey from yesterday – thank you and noted…
ilovetoon8788
Apr 15, 2019 at 3:54 PM
Comment #10Only way rafa will sign a new contract is if he has guarantees that investment will be made off the pitch, importantly to bring the club forward.
Our training base and all has had so little investment in the last decade even recently promoted sides have better infrastructure in place.
No way Ashley will allow investment for these areas.
Jail for Ashley
Apr 15, 2019 at 4:05 PM
Comment #11ilovetoon8788,
ha ha, you still smarting from that nine goal thriller?
carltoon
Apr 15, 2019 at 4:06 PM
Comment #12Ron the under 23s match live on NUFC TV. Free.
hibbit
Apr 15, 2019 at 4:14 PM
Comment #13Jail this one’s for you LoL !!!!!!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6923151/Gulf-Thailand-dog-rescued-oil-rig-worker-swimming-135-MILES-coast.html
Ron Knee
Apr 15, 2019 at 4:19 PM
Comment #14Thanks, carltoon!