Rafa Benitez has issued the following statement ahead of a new Premier League season for Newcastle United.
Good luck for the seasonhttps://t.co/i5U6fZ7IxD #NUFC #PL
— Rafa Benitez Web (@rafabenitezweb) August 11, 2019
This is a classy move by Benitez who will now be a fan of Newcastle United. We truly believe he wants the best for the club and also would be delighted if Steve Bruce can be successful.
We get a few Chinese Super League games on the television over here and hope to be able to watch a Dalian Yifang game at some point. They surprisingly have not been shown yet but we bet Rafa is excited that the Premier League has started again.
But it is time to support Steve Bruce and hope that he can build on what Rafa Benitez has left at Newcastle. If Bruce can be successful this season, a lot of that will be based on what Rafa was able to do in his three years at the club.
It will also be because Steve Bruce was sensible in building off of that foundation. It is in his hands now and he has the opportunity of a lifetime. He has never had a squad like this and if he can get the best out of them, then we could surprise some people this year.
38 comments so far
giimps
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:30 AM
Comment #1Boy the bus is fast today
geordietom
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:30 AM
Comment #22-1 to us this afternoon…
ShirebrookToon
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:31 AM
Comment #3Is Martoon not doing his predictions this season?
giimps
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:32 AM
Comment #4Martin is in his jollies, doing the predictions when he gets back I believe
giimps
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:32 AM
Comment #5Martoon, not Martin, bloody predictive text
Mag52
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:32 AM
Comment #6Ashley Out.
HWTL.
ShirebrookToon
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:33 AM
Comment #7giimps
Cheers
giimps
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:34 AM
Comment #8I’m going for 2:0 , Almiron and Joe to score
giimps
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:34 AM
Comment #9Bar to get involved in a dive by an Arsenal player
giimps
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:35 AM
Comment #10Var even
giimps
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:35 AM
Comment #11Np Shire
geordietom
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:39 AM
Comment #12tell you what it feels good to have a stalker on here or is he just a wum ( bants ) …
comes on makes one comment directed at me then disappears back into his hole …
always has to be one person who spoils it on here …
Moonraker15
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:39 AM
Comment #13Haha, at a stroke Rafa has trumped Ashley’s PR machine!
Well done Rafa you will always be in our hearts!
geordietom
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:41 AM
Comment #14giimps…
i recon VAR will benefit us this season with us having nippy players up front …
IrishRob
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:42 AM
Comment #15Love that man!! End of story.
Ron Knee
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:46 AM
Comment #16“Been down so long
It looks like up to me…”
MrMojoRisin76
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:48 AM
Comment #17Nice one Ron Knee.Another Doors fan?
MrMojoRisin76
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:49 AM
Comment #18“I have to stress that every penny we make really does go into making this club better.
So how do you explain the training ground you fat lying b@stard
MrMojoRisin76
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:51 AM
Comment #19“Those aims are often questioned, but we want to make our ambitions for the club clear: we want to compete as high as we possibly can in the Premier League and we want to win a cup
The goal last season,from Rafa’s own mouth,was to stay in the prem you fat lying b@stard
giimps
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:52 AM
Comment #20Tom, I think Var will help most of the teams outside the top 6, their monopoly on bias referees is over, no more benefit of the doubt on goals, no more getting away with possible leg breaking challenges from the likes of Kane and Ali, no more Aguero goals scored while 2 yards offside and no more wonder goals disallowed because the goalkeeper lies and says a player was in his line of sight when its obvious he wasn’t…..we’ve maybe benefitted a couple of times but I’m hoping the Var revolution will level the playing field, only yes or no, no Grey areas for referees to get away with…..bring it on
danishmag
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:52 AM
Comment #21Predictions for the season..
Sports Direct FC 20th spot, as we will not score many goals this season.
Top scorer Ritchie with 6 goals, as he is the penalty taker, and VAR will give us some extra penalties.
Ron Knee
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:54 AM
Comment #22@17
“The future’s uncertain and the end is always near…”
IrishRob
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:54 AM
Comment #23Come on Steve hurry up and announce the squad, I bet Richie and Manquillo start, with Williems and st max on the bench.
giimps
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:55 AM
Comment #24Predictions for the season
Elation, dejection, joy, sorrow and heartache……a normal season in the Premier league for NUFC
Ron Knee
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:58 AM
Comment #25So Rafa advised against spending all that money on Joelinton, but the club (apparently) wouldn’t pay a few million more to keep Benitez. KBA logic, I suppose.
DaveD1000
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:58 AM
Comment #26giimps
nailed it there hwtl
Pain in the Blog
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:59 AM
Comment #27More and more posters on here and pundits in the media are jumping on the bandwagon crying that Rafa went to China just for the money.
What they don’t say is that he would have much preferred to stay here and see his ‘project’ through to completion. Given even just a little backing he would have wakened the sleeping giant and pushed NUFC up near the top six. When he finally realised that it was never going to happen he just lost heart and gave up.
At that point , yes, he agreed to take a big pay check to end his managerial career. Even if there had been any other ‘projects’ available – and it looks like there weren’t any – I think he had just lost the will. He may feel different in three years.
His message to SB, the team and the fans was class but I suspect that in the long term, despite the adulation of the fans, Newcastle will always be a wretched and exasperating memory for him.
Vask
Aug 11, 2019 at 11:59 AM
Comment #28Anyone tell me why Liverpool is second in the table but Norwich is fourth from the bottom?
giimps
Aug 11, 2019 at 12:01 PM
Comment #29Rob, another hour yet mate, 1pm will be the time for the team announcement…
I’m going for
Dubs
Manquillo lascelles,schar, Dummet, Willems
Hayden, Shelvey,
Almiron, Joe,Max
Very attacking ,which probs won’t happen vs Arse but would be great to see
Probably be Longstaff for Max though
IrishRob
Aug 11, 2019 at 12:02 PM
Comment #30I reckon 5-3-1-1
Dubs,
Manquillo,
Schar,
Lascelles,
Dummett,
Richie,
Hayden,
Shelvey,
S. Longstaff,
Miggy,
Joe.
giimps
Aug 11, 2019 at 12:05 PM
Comment #31Probably right Rob, its what we need to do vs “better teams” but I think with the pace we have we could destroy a lot of defences this season
toon22
Aug 11, 2019 at 12:06 PM
Comment #32Ahh
Let’s blame Rafa for Jabbas greed
The whole Rafa went for money thing shows exactly how they think
They only see the money involved
Not the football
They know the cost but not the worth
geordietom
Aug 11, 2019 at 12:06 PM
Comment #33giimps …
and it might stop wilfred zaha diving , buy as you say grey areas level the playing field hope so . kane and comany have got away with leg breaking challenges for to long look what kane did to lejeune nowt done about that tackle .deli ali gets away with murder hopefully it puts pay to things like that …
geordietom
Aug 11, 2019 at 12:08 PM
Comment #34but*
Vask
Aug 11, 2019 at 12:12 PM
Comment #35I see. Goals scored.
Pat On The Heed
Aug 11, 2019 at 12:17 PM
Comment #36Giimps – I believe the opposite to be true – VAR will benefit the bigger teams. Despite what people say about refs. there is a romance in the premier league when an underdog defeats the odds to beat a top side – you can see how ref’s get swept along with all that – with many of the micro decisions going there way. Have a look. A lot of 50/50s go the way of the davids Vs the Goliath’s.
I give you the Arsenal 4-4. Legally, that game should have been about 6-2 to Arsenal. We scored two offside goals and won a hellish soft pen. They had a legit. goal ruled out in the closing minute. None of us were complaining at the time of course.
James
Aug 11, 2019 at 12:25 PM
Comment #37I know this comment may be ridiculed but please consider this. Dwight Gayle has never prospered for us mainly in my opinion by the way we were set up. This year it’s all about pace, almiron, joelinton, maxim, even our new defenders are quite quick. Could Gayle fit into this perfectly ?
our
IrishRob
Aug 11, 2019 at 12:33 PM
Comment #38Gimps I’d love to see your team playing mate, but I dont think Steve will change it up that much yet. It could well look like that in the second half. It would Be deadly if he started that team though.