Rafael Benitez.

[Biscao]

Rafa will probably be gone before the PL-season starts in any case. Having a dig at Ashley already, echoes when he called out Cancer&Aids in 2007 after the final:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/apr/24/rafael-benitez-newcastle-united-promotion

 

I think Rafa has done a great job up there, but we all know this will end in tears. He's working under one of the worst people involved in football at the moment and he won't stand for it.

[Jairzinho]

Nailed on for relegation - again

 

[Jairzinho]

Another season, another trophy.

[Jay86]

I don't even think he'll be there for the start of next season, he's apparently asking for over £100m to spend, Ashley won't invest that much and Rafa is a man of principles, he's shown that by staying to get them back promoted, he'll walk away before pre-season starts and he'll get a top job. I'm pleased for him, he's a top guy.

[Jairzinho]

He'll be there. He's just putting pressure on the sweat shop owning cunt.

 

They'll finish top half and he'll probably win one of the domestic trophies.

[Strontium]

I don't even think he'll be there for the start of next season, he's apparently asking for over £100m to spend, Ashley won't invest that much and Rafa is a man of principles, he's shown that by staying to get them back promoted, he'll walk away before pre-season starts and he'll get a top job. I'm pleased for him, he's a top guy.

 

Ashley won't need to invest anything, you get £150m just for being in the Prem.

 

You might well wonder what happens to our £150m a year, but that's for another thread.

[Biscao]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/may/10/newcastle-rafael-benitez-every-last-penny-mike-ashley

 

Seems like Rafa finally found an owner he can work with! I'm more than a little bit surprised it's Mike Ashley.

[Pureblood]

Wor Rafa.

[halewood pete]

I'm made up forRafa,think they will do well in premier league,I had a tenner on them to win championship with bet victor,also had twenty quid on us to win premier league,ah well,maybe next year !

[TheHowieLama]

Newcastle fans are concerned Rafael Benitez could walk away from the club after the breakdown of a series of transfer moves.

 

Thats my boy.

[Biscao]

Wouldn't blame him.

[VladimirIlyich]

He's too good for Newcastle(in their current state,eg run by Ashley.)

It generally happens with Rafa but having a supertwat as owner tends to accelerate the process.

[Pureblood]

What would have happened if we'd finished top four in the 2009/10 season?  Would Rafa still have left by mutual consent (sacked), or would he have been given another season?

[Aventus]

I'll be kind of sad if he leaves Newcastle, I like teams that give us a good game but we still end up winning, and there was a couple of 4-3 games in the late 90's that made me like them, almost been a second club to me since then. The fact they have Rafa made me like them a bit more, so the idea of him sticking with them through relegation and turning them into a europa league team gave me a semi on.

 

We hear a lot about question marks over top mangers, like what if guadiola managed stoke, would he still be winning trophys? Does he deserve to be called a great manager if he's only ever had big clubs?

 

I wanted rafa to buck that trend, and show that the truly great mangers can bring the little teams up to the top.

[Biscao]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/aug/18/newcastle-united-summer-transfer-dealing-rafael-benitez

 

With regards to FSG I think we should be careful what we wish for. I don't think Rafa is enjoying working with Ashley. Quite amazing that he can't invest in a newly promoted team.

[Biscao]

Rafa open to leave Newcastle after an abysmal transfer window:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/sep/01/rafael-benitez-job-offers-newcastle-mike-ashley-west-ham

 

Can't say I blame him.

[Kloppite]

He will I reckon if arsenal come calling.

[Grinch]

Rafa and Ashley, surprised it lasted this long.

[Jairzinho]

Could really do with him not going to Arsenal. 

[AngryOfTuebrook]

The state of that Newcastle squad, compared to some of the players Rafa has had at other clubs.

[Pureblood]

They can't afford to back him.

[Yerse]

He will move on and will be successful. No shadow of a doubt.

 

His Real Madrid side would have won the Champions league.

[Grinch]

He will move on and will be successful. No shadow of a doubt.

 

His Real Madrid side would have won the Champions league.

He hasnt been successful in some time now tbf.

 

Atrocious career decisions.

[Jairzinho]

Inter and Real Madrid were terrible career decisions. Although as he supports the latter you can see why he couldn't turn it down.

 

Chelsea, Napoli and Newcastle made sense, in my opinion.

[s(k)aturation]

It was always going to be hard to top the European Cup, in your first season at a club, with a team that wasn't "yours". 

 

That was a one-in-a-million masterclass.