The Magpie Group have released a statement ahead of tomorrow night’s clash with Liverpool, asking every Newcastle fan inside St James’ Park to ‘stand up for Rafa’ and sing his name after the game kicks off.
With us yet to hear news of any new contract and his current deal expiring next month, Saturday night’s game at St James’ Park is set to be his last on Tyneside as things stand.
Here’s the Magpie Group’s latest press release, urging every fan to get behind the gaffer, stating ‘He’s stood up for us over the last few years. Now it’s our turn to stand up for him’:
“The Magpie Group has always taken the view that it is imperative that Rafa Benitez remains as Manager of Newcastle United and is fully supported by the Owner to improve all aspects of the club, including team building, development of the train-ing facilities and reorganising the club’s Academy. It is only through securing such improvements that the club will be able to compete for prizes at the upper end of the Premier League. We strongly suspect that the club’s current regime are trying to engineer a situation where Rafa feels forced to leave. We, therefore, whole-heartedly support the Evening Chronicle’s ‘Rafa Must Stay!” campaign. Rafa has stood up to Ashley to try to change our club for the better and this may well be our last chance to show our appreciation for all he has done. We would therefore urgesupporters to reciprocate by standing at the beginning of the Liverpool game andsinging to show our support for our manager. Stand up for Rafa!”
In all honesty, I don’t think there’ll be many fans inside St James’ tomorrow night who’ll need much encouragement to sing the Spaniard’s name, but this is a timely message from the Magpie Group ahead of what *could* be Benitez’s final home game in charge of the club.
Either way, it promises to be an emotional night at St James’ Park, with a huge display planned in the Gallowgate, Benitez up against is former side vying for the title and he himself managing what could be his last game on Tyneside.
Let’s hope we can sign off in style at St James’ Park with a big win for Benitez.
Wow – I thought the Magpie Group had flown away.
Have they found a protest that they think they can finally get more than a dozen fans to join in with?
Briiian(Quote)