Now I hate to mention the R word, or several in the case of this header, but lets face it, we can’t ignore our perilous position. It would seem we have a mountain to climb to secure our premier league status with just 8 games remaining.
Rafa Benitez has really taken on the task with vigour, getting all the negativity away from the first team squad, including stopping the under 21 players that were hanging around the first team. Even Peter Beardsley has been ousted and the likes of Cheick Tiote and any other negative or moody first teamers will also be told to stay away from Benitez chosen group of first teamers.
I think it’s safe to say he doesn’t suffer fools gladly and you will quickly become persona non grata if you don’t pull your weight or fight for the cause. So it would seem he is doing his best to establish a sense of brotherhood and togetherness amongst the first team, encouraging them to eat and socialise together. After all, this is how they operate at Leicester city and it seems to work for them. The only problem with this approach is it mustn’t be forced as I can’t see it working. At Leicester they are genuine friends who socialise not just with each other but with each others families too.
What ever changes and ploys Benitez chooses to adopt, he has little time to make them effective – hampered somewhat by the overall quality within the squad. We have seen some good progress with the defence. It was immediately noticed in the Leicester City game where we looked calm and passed it out from the back well. However, in the Derby match the same old lack luster, slow play seemed to rear it’s ugly head again and the first half wasn’t pretty at all. Second half we seemed to up our workrate, helped in part by Sunderland sitting back and a Rafa rollicking no doubt.
But.. does Benitez really have time to save us? Are we so wrapped up in the arrival of such a good coach that we are in danger of forgetting part of the reason we are where we are, namely those players? Do we have a squad who are truly able to step up, helped along by good solid tactical knowledge? After all he can only pass on his vision and knowledge to them, in the end it’s up to them to implement that vision on the game.
If the unthinkable were to happen and we are relegated, we then have the question of whether Rafa Benitez stays or goes. Will he fancy a rebuilding job given we are likely to lose several good players and some not so good ones hopefully too? Or will the board opt to let him go and bring in a coach along the lines of Nigel Pearson, who some might argue would be possibly better equipped for that type of fight?
There is also the question of whether or not the team we deployed in that division would have the ability to bounce back like our previous team managed in that league. If I’m honest I cannot see a Toon ressurection like before. There are no Barton’s, Carroll’s and Nolan’s this time – or in the near future it would seem, not with Mike Ashley telling us the financial cupboard is bare. If this is true then we can’t sign good battling footballers because they cost a pretty penny – even in that league.
So it would seem we have to pray and if you aren’t religious, plain hope that we survive and Benitez is allowed to build something really special with Newcastle…… After all – haven’t we waited long enough?
Kimtoon
Simon(Quote)
SHAM I’ve had a great life seen all sorts of great things wouldn’t change one minute.i hear a lot of people say oh I would love to be young again now,for me no bloody thank you it’s a evil evil world we live in,let them keep their youth of today I’ll keep my memory’s
Icedog(Quote)
Ice, it’s shocking mate, just kids and worse still a kid that did it! Got to agree, much as I would like to witness some great scientific breakthroughs and advances in cures and great people emerge in the future, it gets increasingly outweighed by the evil and sadness in our world. Maybe it’s an age thing but the world has gotten crueller in my eyes. Even down to folk filming accidents before running to help. 🙁
kimtoon(Quote)
Ice the thing that really grates on me is that you have pointed out one outrageous act that has been highlighted by the media.
But these act’s are happening ALL the time but 90% of the time they are not reported, because it shows up some groups/religions in a bad light which doesn’t suit others.
I have witnessed many bad bad things that have never been reported, and I know there will be many more.
Big Dave(Quote)
Well, somebody called Eric, who I refer to as Psychs, scoffed at my suggestion that England were looking like a decent side capable of getting to the final of the Euros.
I think after humbling the machine, that is Germany, the world champions, then people have to start taking notice of Stavers!
I’ve been right about the Toon, always, and now I will be right about England.
Mark my words or mock my warts. 😯
Troy Stavers(Quote)
KIM I agree totally mate,what I cannot get through my head is “why”to me there is no greater pleasure in life than helping people in whatever way you can me and the Mrs get great joy from it
Icedog(Quote)
Ice, Agree and I was heartened to read in the paper last week that people in Bristol came out top for helpfulness 😀 As my mum always said good manners and a kind heart cost nothing.
kimtoon(Quote)
Troy: I said we would go out in the quarter finals with my reasoning being there are 4 better teams and France are playing at home. I don’t think England have a bad squad especially with the emergence of Kane and Alli.
Hard to judge on a friendly though and Mr. Roy has stated he will play a completely different team against the Dutch. I remember the Aussies beating us 3-0 or something at Wembley a few years ago, so as I say, it is hard to judge on a friendly.
There is nothing I would like more than to see England win a major tournament. I am glad most of the “golden generation” have moved on or got old because even though they were good players they didn’t seem to hold their nerve. We haven’t done well in a major tournament since 1996 so if your prediction of us winning The Euros comes true I will bow down to the almighty Troysta. Heroic failure does not count and neither does winning the Eurovision Song Contest.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Troysta: I think you said England could/would WIN the Euros. They won all of their qualifying matches which even against inferior opposition is still very unusual. The elephant in the room is Rooney who doesn’t turn up at Tournaments but is still Captain. Mr. Roy said he is not guaranteed to start but we shall see.
Remember, there is always this Nationalistic fervor before a major tournament and it is usually followed by deep disappointment so I would save your gloating until something actually happens and not a friendly.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Shamrock: thanks for the information on away strips. Did I read it right that we can only play in the away strip 8 times a season? It seems that whenever I watch us we are in the away strip and not black and white.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
DAVE I well believe it mate I wouldn’t want to see some of the things you have seen its a sad sad world,Ime just waiting for it to hit a football ground,I fear for any public gathering,what a bloody world it is
Icedog(Quote)
Not sure Eric. That was certainly the rule a couple of seasons ago but i cant find anything dor this season.
England won’t win it haha. I seem to remember michael owen starring in a cushty 5-1? Win against Ze Germans a few years back and then we returned to status quo.
Shamrock(Quote)
To win the Euros England need to get past some of the following:
France (at home)
Belgium – ranked number 1 in the world
Spain – won Euro-World Cup -Euro before Germany won in Brasil
Germany – if in doubt back the Germans to win
Portugal – above England in World Rankings
Italy – multiple World Cup winners
But the time to gloat about a prediction is after a meaningless friendly. YCMIU 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Troysta: when have you ever been right on anything?
Wrong on Pardew, he is doing his usual death spiral again and plays dour football
Wrong on Carver, you said give him a chance and I had pointed out his managerial failures
Wrong on Schteve. Even though none of us wanted him we still needed to give him a chance as he had some successes on his CV as well as many failures. 8 games was not enough which is what you gave him. He realised our worst fears but 8 games was still too early. Funnily enough, if we had sacked him at Christmas Rafa was still at Real Madrid so we would probably have ended up with Pearson or Lee Clark.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Wow 😀
How can a man who is always wrong accuse a football guru like troy?
I was right about Pardew, Carver and Shteve
Where do you get it from. 🙄
Troy Stavers(Quote)
And I suppose you think you were right about Lee Clark as well. YCMIU.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I never supported Schteve but you have to give him a chance once he was appointed. I also don’t always have to deal in absolutes like Troy always does. He is either 100% for or 100% against. Some of us have more nuanced opinions. Although, judging by my Ryder rants you wouldn’t always know it 🙂
Btw, I will take a break from Ryder bashing as I am just stating the obvious now and everybody seems to agree with me anyway.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
England are 11-1 to win the Euros so if he wants he can put his money where his mouth is instead of making it go on here. You can probably get decent odds on them reaching the final as well, although that is not what Troy said to begin with, he said to mark his words that England would win.
Odds are France 7/2, Spain 11/2, Germany 11/2, England 11/1, Belgium 12/1. Of course this is British bookies so the England odds are always lower than they should be because they are determined by patriotic bets placed.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
England have a tricky group as well with Wales, Russia and Slovakia. Germany have a very easy group except for Poland who they should beat. As usual, Troy just goes with his gut and not with his head. He was the only one that could not see that Pardew was playing dire football and should have been sacked for that alone and not just his results. He also said to give Ugly John a chance. But what can I say, he likes his revisionism does Troy.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Great win for England yesterday, but can’ t see us getting beyond the quarter finals.
Munich Mag(Quote)
Psychs
The vision of doom and gloom. Everyone and thing is ***** according to Psychs. 😀
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Have you been watching NUFC for the past few years Troy? There wasn’t much to cheer about although I am happy to have Rafa and do think England will reach the quarter finals.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Was just reading about W/Ham move to the new ground they will make 1billion putting them on the same level as Barca,R/Madrid,not bad for porn magazine owners
Icedog(Quote)
ERIC I can remember as a child holding my dads hand watching the toon parade through the city after winning the FA cup in 55 then walking up to SJP to hear the players talk,been sucked in since
Icedog(Quote)
Aye and all on the backs of tax payers, that is one jammy move for them.
kimtoon(Quote)
Happy Easter everyone, don’t eat too much chocolate it’ll make you sick. On the bright side it’ll be a change from feeling sick at the Toons results.
kimtoon(Quote)
Next 3 Norwich games are us, Palace and Sunderland.
The results of those 3 games will no doubt go a long way towards shaping the eventual bottom 3
YouYew(Quote)
Good for Rafa to have a fortnight without a game.
Not so good for my anxiety levels.
YouYew(Quote)
youyew, it will do when Norwich win all 3 games mate…
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM.
They definitely have the opportunity to break totally free.
For ourselves, next week will be pivotal.
Sunderland was ‘must not lose’. Norwich is possibly more ‘must win’.
Nobody expected anything from Leicester, and I think deep down we’d all have taken a point from the Derby after recent results, just to get the hoodoo off our backs, so in many ways the real work starts here.
It’s a great time for an international break from Rafa’s point of view, and if we he is unable to work out a formula to beat Norwich with the players he has then our fate may well be deservedly sealed, as they are the lowest placed team barring Villa that we have left in our remaining fixtures.
YouYew(Quote)
Christ, that sounded more negative than I actually am.
I genuinely think we’ll stay up by a gnats ****.
Could really do with a decent score against Norwich though, as goal difference may well yet be the deciding factor
YouYew(Quote)
YouYew,
you are dead right there mate, I just think we have some really poor players, throw in the injury situation and we are really struggling.
The knackers in charge of the club have left things too late and now we are going down.
Would have Tiote and Cisse both starting the next games, absolutely unavoidable!
Munich Mag(Quote)
YouYew.. “a decent score against Norwich”….. they will batter us mate, everyone does.
Munich Mag(Quote)
It’s difficult to predict how we get on against Norwich until we see our starting 11 for me.
He will have to make at least 1 change with Colback being suspended. But I think if he goes with the same midfield & forwards as the last 2 games, we will continue to struggle to score.
Norwich kept a clean sheet against Man City & WBA in their last 2, so they won’t be overly concerned with our current set up.
For me, we need to make changes if we stand a chance.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I think there has been enough talk about de Jong to believe he will start. Probably at the expense of Perez.
Our lot on international duty don’t seem to be getting much playing time. That is a good thing as we cant afford any injuries and they don’t deserve it anyway. Rafa will know about Wijnaldum and Sissoko anyway and I think he said he had seen a few of the Mad Serbs games.
There is also that audio/video room where they can analyse this years games. I am not sure if Schteve had the keys to it?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I know I said he I would lay off Ryder but he has written a bizarre article today basically holding McClaren blameless. He writes “Steve McClaren’s struggles in the hot-seat were largely down to decisions made by others”. He defended Carver to the last and now is doing the same with Steve. He even says getting only 3 points from the first 8 games was largely due to The US Tour and Coloccini not having much of a pre-season. If I am not mistaken just about every club makes a pre-season tour mainly to Asia which is a lot more foreign than Milwaukee or Portland. Hell, we went to New Zealand FFS.
Ryder makes the obvious points about recruitment and power but his all out defense of Steve is indefensible.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
~Ryder’s a fool mate!
Georgio(Quote)
Rafa isn’t going to start Sissoko at left back is he? If Ugly John had made that move I think my head would have exploded 🙂 Who do we have though? Is MBabu fit or will it be Anita?
I am not a big fan of switching a centre back to full back as that always seems to backfire for us. Has with Lascelles this year and Steven Taylor gave me nightmares at right back.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
http://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/10220082/biggest-appointment-since-sir-bobby ERIC ugly John just for you
Icedog(Quote)
Cheers Ice. He actually makes sense when he is not manager and having to do the live press conferences 🙂 I still think he was out of his depth but he is a die hard NUFC fan. I like the fact that he still says “we” when referring to NUFC. I never hated Carver, I just think he was the wrong choice by Carr to try to keep the seat warm for Schteve.
With the England result offering hope I would like to say our 2 England internationals are unlucky and that it was their previous club treatment and a little bit of loss of form that saw them dropped. Both Shelvey and Townsend received Man of the Match for England. That’s half of our midfield to go along with the two currently on International duty. We should be able to dominate a team like Norwich if we set up properly.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric – I agree with you re Carver. I can’t imagine any Newcastle fan put in his position of managing the club they love turning it down coz they aren’t the best man for the job. The fact is he should never have been offered the post in the first place.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Regarding England. It was an excellent result last night & a good performance.
But I think we will screw our own chances in the competition simply by selecting the wrong players for the squad.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Contrary to what Troy thinks, I am not doom and gloom about our prospects. I am not even writing off the Citeh and Spurs games. Citeh are in a slump with much more important games before we play them and we have already beaten Spurs this season.
With England a lot will depend on whether Mr. Roy has the courage to drop Rooney if he plays **** at yet another tournament. Mr. Roy has the blueprint and it is Leicester. If we play without fear and on the counter we might even reach the semis depending on the draw. France are only favourites because they are at home and the Germans have even had a mini slump before they played us. Ireland and the US beat them.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Rooney gets on my tits, be glad when he retires from international footie. Time for the younger players to shine.
kimtoon(Quote)
Kim I can’t stand him but I will say one thing he is a grafter even at his best he never really let his ego get in the way of hard work like so many big players do.
Big Dave(Quote)
Dave , true, but I still don’t like him.
kimtoon(Quote)
Based on this season, there is no way Rooney should be in the England squad this summer.
I’d put Troy Deeney in ahead of him this season.
I reckon Woy will probably look to take Carrick & Wilshire ahead of Drinkwater and Noble.
England is about players from the top 5 teams regardless of form – always has been.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharp spot on mate as you say always has been about the big names never mind the form .
Big Dave(Quote)
Sharpy, you are probably right but can you see a 35 year old Carrick getting through a whole tournament? I doubt Wilshere will be fully fit but will go as he has played well for England and was the next big thing. He keeps getting the same injury to his ankles so I am not sure if he can do much about it, especially with the way he plays which is a bit reckless and dirty.
Our 2 players have never let England down but will not make the squad. Perhaps others have moved ahead of them, but it is always the same where players from the big teams are selected even though they are sicknotes. I am not even sure if Wilshere will even get in the Arsenal team much to prove his fitness but I bet he goes. Wenger could be livid.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Everyone slagging Carr off but according to the Chronicle he recommended the le following to NUFC: Anthony Martial, Kurt Zouma, Raphael Varane, Alexandre Lacazette and Dmitri Payet.
Stuart79(Quote)
Stu – that’s always been my reservation before I can point the finger of blame at Carr.
We were also reportedly after Bonny and Alli, so I’d be interested to know why these signings didn’t come off.
But, if I were him and putting forward some top players, and the club kept signing guff, then I think I would have walked long before now personally.
Sharpy17(Quote)
The Chron has just listed the signings this season with fees and as we all suspected it comes to just over £60m not the £80m quoted. Same as ever.
Georgio(Quote)
The problem has always been we want everything on the cheap with an eye on future profit. To that end it is difficult to always put the finger of blame on Carr but I have to say the obsession he had in signing Thauvin when everything suggested he would flop is very strange. No one should be fooled by this seasons big spend, it’s been done out of desperation nothing less. You can tell Ashley is majorly hacked off it hasn’t worked out to date, by reading his latest interview, read between the lines and it’s actually quite a toys out the pram interview really. I’m with Rob Lee when he says if he really wishes he hadn’t bought us then bloody sell up.
kimtoon(Quote)
Kim – I didn’t read that from his interview personally.
He said he regretted getting into football because he hasn’t been able to have the impact he wanted. I think he had ideas of graduer on how to change the way football clubs up and down the Country are run. He thought his self sufficiency and book balancing would catch on – instead he’s seen as the fraudster he really is.
But his comments on NUFC seemed more of disappointment that he couldn’t make it a success rather than disappointment of buying the club.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Stuart: I am more annoyed at Carr for his role in getting Carver and McClaren. His player recruitment has been very hit and miss just like any other DoF/scout. The ones you name that he recommended were pretty much on everybody elses radar as well. Isn’t it true that every scout presents a list and expects not to get all of them. I am sure that some of it was due to our penny pinching and policy but also some of them didn’t want to come and had other offers.
I would give Carr a C+ but would question the suitability of some of his signings for the PL. Perhaps that is down to our managers not integrating the players. For example, I think Pards was very much divide and conquer so I can imagine him taking an instant dislike to a player and freezing them out. That is not Carr’s fault.
I still think Carr should go if Rafa stays. We need a clearout because we have been fighting relegation too often no matter who Carr recommended that we didn’t get.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I have never been a total Rooney basher but think he has slowed a lot in the past 2 years. To put his goal scoring into perspective, he has 51 and Lucas Podolski has 48. They beat up on yer Andorra’s and San Merino’s.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Stuart: Martial, Zouma and Verane are all on Mondial’s books. That is the major Agency where we got a lot of our players from. I am not necessarily saying that is a bad thing because they are the pre-eminent sports Agency in France but it also does not take a hell of a lot of scouting to give them a ring and ask who is any good and who is available at what price.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Some more stats. International goals:
Okazaki (Leicester and Japan) 48
Robbie Keane 67
Rooney 51
Podolski 48
The standard of opposition in a lot of the friendlies and qualifiers is now so low that the goal stats don’t have the meaning you might think they should. How many have this lot scored at major tournaments? Not many.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric says-I still think Carr should go if Rafa stays. We need a clearout because we have been fighting relegation too often no matter who Carr recommended that we didn’t get.
Spot on Eric, if our policy and system and scouting are producing seasons like of late then something is very wrong somewhere. Now we can look at poor/average coaches but they need the tools to work with. Likewise we need good medics and physio guys to get on top these hammy injuries we seem beset with. You get what you pay for and that applies to all aspects of a football club.
kimtoon(Quote)
http://www.themag.co.uk/2016/03/aston-villa-fans-saying-newcastle-united-rafa-benitez-relegation/
So glad they are going down
kimtoon(Quote)
After England’s admittedly overhyped win I read the comments sections of The Guardian, Telegraph and even The Mail. Literally, nobody wants Rooney in the team. Seriously, not a single pro-Rooney post anywhere. There was resignation that he will go anyway.
In a whole nation there are only a few fanboys at a couple of the redtops who still support him (and maybe Mr. Roy). There is actually quite a lot of vitriol about him now and I have seen him described as a sack of potatoes a few times.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Can a whole nation be wrong? 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I mean, Rooney used to be good once but he has slipped behind Kane, Sturridge and Vardy by a long way. You watch any of them and they do something brilliant just about every game. Rooney manages to do something brilliant now about twice a season. I am not saying he is a sack of potatoes but he does have the first touch of a sack of potatoes.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
ERIC I have never been a Rooney lover,he is very childish on the pitch every time he plays if something he try’s doesn’t come off or he loses the ball he charges around like a mad bull kicking everything or anybody that gets in his way often being booked or sent off,just don’t like the prositute loving bloke
Icedog(Quote)
Ice: I don’t think Rooney deserves the stick he is getting now but I also don’t think he deserves a place in the team.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
ERIC why don’t you think Rooney deserves the stick he gets??
Icedog(Quote)
I think Rafa will go with the following for Norwich:
Elliot
Janmaat Lascelles Mbemba Anita
Sissoko Shelvey Wijnaldum Townsend
De Jong Mitrovic
I doubt he will play Cisse to start. De Jong should be fit as he only injured his eye and I saw that he was at least able to do fitness work as it healed. Rafa has made enough noises to suggest De Jong will start and I can’t see him risking Sissoko at left back to start.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Ice: because he has been a good servant to the National team and has scored enough goals to justify his inclusion. I do not agree with picking a dunce as Captain and believe he was wildly overhyped. That is not his fault though.
He used to be a polarising figure but now it seems that everybody is in agreement that he should not be in the first team.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
there was a thing in the paper last week showing Rooney on cctv helping himself to stuff in the Nike hospitality suite at Wembley. stuff had been reported stolen and they traced stuff back to a security guard caught on cctv and to their surprise saw Rooney with his friends helping himself and stuffing stuff into a binbag.http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/7014518/Just-Do-It-Wayne-Rooney-captured-on-CCTV-appearing-to-help-himself-to-Nike-merchandise-inside-Wembley-hospitality-box.html
kimtoon(Quote)
ERIC ok mate fair do’s
Icedog(Quote)
https://www.beinsports.com/us/premier-league/news/wayne-rooney-denies-involvement-in-wembley-th/221811
kimtoon(Quote)
KIM well he’s not going to admit it is he,cannot stand the bloke if Ime honest
Icedog(Quote)
Kimtoon: should I state the obvious stereotypes – once a bindipper, always a bindipper 🙂 Or, you can take the boy out of Liverpool, but you cant take Liverpool out of the boy.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Ice: I can’t listen to him, Carra or Gerrard because that throaty scouse accent does my head in. The Beatles never spoke like that.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric, 😆 yeah it did cross my mind too tbh. Poor sods only on 300k a week
kimtoon(Quote)