It’s an uncertain situation Newcastle are in at the moment with no agreement having been reached on Rafa’s potential new contract.
Only Newcastle could have let this situation drag on for this long, and it looks like negotiations will need to continue after next Sunday’s final game of the season at Fulham.
We wrote this morning about some of the problems this causes.
Former Newcastle player and coach Lee Clark has written in Tribal Football today about his essential it is.
Lee Clark – knows what Newcastle need to do
This is what Clark has written in his column for tribal Football:
“What you’ve got to do even before the season finishes is begin to plan for the future,”
“Because ultimately when you come to the transfer market, most of the other clubs are in for the same players that you are in for.”
“You can’t really hide the players that you are after and you need to try and get a little bit of a head-start.”
“For Rafa Benitez and Newcastle, it has got to be sorted one way or another.”
“You can’t go into the summer months where you don’t know if the manager is staying or not.”
“Not only transfers, but there is also pre-season that needs to be planned, you need to decide on the players that you want to let go and the ones you want to keep, such as Salomon Rondon.”
“If there’s no manager in place there is no direction for these decisions.”
“I’ve worked in environments as a manager that haven’t been particularly stable.”
“During my six months at Blackpool there was strong resistance from the ownership.”
“And I also had a situation when I was at Birmingham City where the owner Carson Yeung was put under house arrest.”
“It’s not great, let me tell you. It’s difficult to keep those type of situations away from the players and let them concentrate on the playing side.”
“It’s an uncertain period for Newcastle but I hope it works out for all parties involved.”
“The manager has proven that he is world-class and I hope he can stay on.”
Good words there from Clark.
But we are all dependent on Mike Ashley whose stubborn temperament doesn’t help things.
Comments welcome.
188 comments so far
jimiley
May 7, 2019 at 4:22 PM
Comment #1The contract will be sorted very soon.
Gone.
And its everything the fat man deserves.
Fat man is treating Rafa like a tw.t just like one of his transfer sagas.
If Rafa signs again he must be mad. Putting it mildly!!!!
Bring on Big Sam to try to keep us up
Jib
May 7, 2019 at 4:29 PM
Comment #2jimiley
Dec 13, 2017 at 5:50 PM
Comment #9
We should all acknowledge that Ashley has saved this club financially and we owe him our gratitude. I will always remember the Ashley era with fondness.
give it a rest mackem
Toonces
May 7, 2019 at 4:30 PM
Comment #3So another scary story about transfers at Newcastle United being up in the air.
This time the excuse is uncertainty about Rafa’s contract.
The last few windows it was uncertainty that the club might be for sale.
Ashley won’t sanction any transfers until the last day of the window and he won’t finalize a contract with Rafa until the day before his current one expires if he gets Rafa to stay at all.
Then the excuse for no transfer progress will be the uncertainty over who the new manager will be. He can save the club being for sale excuse until the January window.
Essex Geordie Bill
May 7, 2019 at 4:34 PM
Comment #4I believe that the U23s have to play away to Everton cos they are the higher placed team and it’s possibly the same for the Southampton game.
Jib
May 7, 2019 at 4:41 PM
Comment #5https://www.calciomercato.it/news/339036/inter_napoli_e_non_solo_le_ultime_di_cm_it_su_ayoze_perez
Bambams
May 7, 2019 at 4:41 PM
Comment #6The longer AshLIE takes in negotiations with Rafa about his contract….The less time Rafa has to bring in new players.
toon22
May 7, 2019 at 4:45 PM
Comment #7Yep
It’s the perfect lie ,can’t buy players till we have a manager
hibbit
May 7, 2019 at 4:46 PM
Comment #8if it’s true that Rafa’s Spanish coaches are renewing leases on there rental homes then a deal must be close !!
GeordieTwo
May 7, 2019 at 4:53 PM
Comment #9” I will always remember the Ashley era with fondness.” You’re an even bigger buffoon than I thought you were Jib/Jane/Jeff
RobLeenio
May 7, 2019 at 4:54 PM
Comment #10hibbit, nice to see someone has their sensible head on.
Jib, your comment on the previous thread re Godwin’s law “This is often where the conversation or thread ends.”
Cue Dr Ed moving the bus – classic.
Jib
May 7, 2019 at 4:55 PM
Comment #11G2
That was jimiley’s post you pilloch
Essex Geordie Bill
May 7, 2019 at 4:56 PM
Comment #12If CP lose 4-0 and we beat Fulham 3-0 then we’d end up 12th providing Bournemouth get no better than a draw.
Aaaah what heady heights we could achieve!
Optimistic Panda
May 7, 2019 at 5:03 PM
Comment #13Bobby
You about?
welshgeordie9
May 7, 2019 at 5:11 PM
Comment #14Hope Barca slaughter Liverpool tonight.
Messi Hat trick.
jane
May 7, 2019 at 5:11 PM
Comment #15GeordieTwo
DO NOT INCLUDE MY NAME IN YOUR POSTS PLEASE IF YOU ARE NOT TALKING TO ME.
jane
May 7, 2019 at 5:14 PM
Comment #16i would have thought the recruitment team are working with Rafa on new players even though he hasn’t signed a new contract yet.
Jib
May 7, 2019 at 5:20 PM
Comment #17welshie
It won’t be a classic
both sides are resting players
LPool have to stop Barcelona getting an away goal
Mission Impossible comes to mind
Optimistic Panda
May 7, 2019 at 5:24 PM
Comment #18Jib
You say if Ashley and Rafa can compromise “the skys the limit”
Really?
With Ashley 8th place is the limit!
welshgeordie9
May 7, 2019 at 5:31 PM
Comment #19Jib
Yeah I know, would be nice though.
welshgeordie9
May 7, 2019 at 5:32 PM
Comment #20Optimistic
If it wasn’t for Ashley, Rafa wouldn’t be here.
Optimistic Panda
May 7, 2019 at 5:32 PM
Comment #21Theres a lot of talk about a compromise.
Who’s going to compromise Rafa or Ashley.
I dont want Rafa to compromise I want Ashley to run Nufc as a football club instead of his personal advertising hoarding.
Mag52
May 7, 2019 at 5:33 PM
Comment #22An owner “under house arrest”, now that sounds like a pretty good idea to me.
The crime – habitually falling short of the fans’ reasonable expectations.
Jib
May 7, 2019 at 5:33 PM
Comment #23“OP
I want Ashley to run Nufc as a football club”
we all do
Optimistic Panda
May 7, 2019 at 5:34 PM
Comment #24Welsh
I see your intellect hasn’t grown in your absence.
Jib
May 7, 2019 at 5:35 PM
Comment #25OP
In fact
No
I want Ashley to let Rafa run NUFC as a football club
welshgeordie9
May 7, 2019 at 5:37 PM
Comment #26Optimistic
Happy to help
Ron Knee
May 7, 2019 at 5:38 PM
Comment #27Fancy that:
“Graeme Souness and Tony Blair both born on this day in Edinburgh in 1953, … their immediate successors as Liverpool skipper and Labour leader respectively, Phil Neal & Gordon Brown, were also born on the same day: 20 Feb 1951”
Optimistic Panda
May 7, 2019 at 5:40 PM
Comment #28Jib@25
I think we’ve found something to agree on!
Optimistic Panda
May 7, 2019 at 5:49 PM
Comment #29Up until Saturday I didn’t care who won the league, I still dont care as long as it isn’t Liverpool.
Their cheating was bad enough but listening to Klopp claim they struggled with our long ball tactics was a piss take considering they played more.
I wonder how many pens and sending offs they’ve had due to their dramatics.
I’d be embarrassed if my team mates play acted like they do!
Cheating doesnt deserve a trophy
welshgeordie9
May 7, 2019 at 5:51 PM
Comment #30Well said optimistic, totally agree.
Optimistic Panda
May 7, 2019 at 5:54 PM
Comment #31Welsh and jib agree with me???
I’m off to the doctors
welshgeordie9
May 7, 2019 at 5:56 PM
Comment #32Love you really
Lee Charnley Bunga Party
May 7, 2019 at 6:12 PM
Comment #33There was also a stat put up on one of the pages that Liverpool actually played more long balls than we did!!
Actually thought some of our attacking play was pretty good nice little passing moves but get it up to Rondon when necessary he bullied Lovren and Van Dijk was worried the whole game!
jane
May 7, 2019 at 6:14 PM
Comment #34explains as thought why the play-off final is at Southampton.
“Teams ranked second, third, fourth and fifth go into a promotion play-off
Second plays fifth place at home and third hosts fourth in the semi-finals, both at the club’s main stadium, while the final takes place at the home ground of the team who finished highest in the league”
https://www.premierleague.com/premier-league-2-explained
lesh
May 7, 2019 at 6:14 PM
Comment #35Jib
Godwin’s Law proved very handy for you; I take it you couldn’t argue against Ashley’s megalomania?
Ron Knee
May 7, 2019 at 6:14 PM
Comment #36Latest sale rumour in the Chronic:
“Over the weekend reports were carried by Fox Sports’ Gustavo Mendez that the Orlegi Group, based in Cuajimalpa, has United on their radar.”
jane
May 7, 2019 at 6:18 PM
Comment #37U23 league cup final tomorrow at Goodison
“Entry to Wednesday’s game is FREE”
http://www.evertonfc.com/news/2019/05/06/under23s-cup-final-at-goodison-on-wednesday
Optimistic Panda
May 7, 2019 at 6:18 PM
Comment #38Lcpb
Klopps comments were embarrassing, they got out played in sections of the game and he doent have the decency to admit it.
I hope they draw and Citeh lose but still win te title on goal difference, give the bin dippers something to really cry about.
jane
May 7, 2019 at 6:31 PM
Comment #39wonder how much of that potential £6million it will turn out to be!
“EVERTON have won the race to sign Newcastle’s teen starlet Lewis Gibson for a potential £6million fee.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/4111038/everton-transfer-news-lewis-gibson-newcastle-united/
https://uk.soccerway.com/players/lewis-jack-gibson/453908/
chicousa
May 7, 2019 at 6:32 PM
Comment #40OP, Jib and Welshie making all nice-like? Oh come on now! 😛