Newcastle 3-0 Chelsea: Rafa’s rampant Mags sign off in style with a stunning win at St James’

WHAT A DAY. The final game of the season and one to remember, with the boys securing our place in the top 10 with an outstanding performance, full of everything we’ve loved about this team this season – desire, spirit, energy and passion.

It was a brilliant atmosphere, a top class display and a perfect end to a season where we have well and truly exceeded expectations. Benitez has worked wonders, but the job those players have done has been nothing short of sensational too. Everyone has played their part – fans included(and just look at this display in the Gallowgate today).

Yes we’ve been tearing our hair out at times and bemoaning the lack of quality or final product within our ranks, but one thing you have never been able to question this season is their fight, togetherness and commitment to the cause.

Now to the game itself. I wasn’t sure whether we’d see a Chelsea side gunning to keep their top four hopes alive or one who’d be sulking from their midweek slip up and focused on staying fit for the FA Cup final and World Cup above all esle. It’s safe to say it was the latter! They were an embarrassment really, putting in an absolutely pitiful performance given they had to win today – but we took full advantage and for every bit they were poor, we were brilliant.

From the off we were first to every ball. We out-passed them, out-jumped them, out-muscled them, out-ran them and out-played them in every single department. The 3-0 scoreline does not flatter us one bit, but we needed it, with our emphatic win making sure we finished 10th – above Palace, Bournemouth and West Ham who all won today:

Diame a colossus in midfield yet AGAIN, Shelvey pulling the strings (how hasn’t Southgate called him up yet?!), Lejeune with one of his best displays in black and white (a player looking better and better with every game), Dubravka with another home clean sheet and TWO vital stops, Lascelles leading by example once again and Perez alive in the box once again to take his tally to 10 for the season. The list could go on – they were all absolutely excellent today.

A 3-0 over Chelsea with what many have called a ‘Championship’ team says so much about Rafa’s capabilities at this club. Yet another reminder to Mike Ashley that the Spaniard is a priceless asset to Newcastle United and someone we (and he!) simply can not afford to lose this summer.

The players deserve huge credit for their hard work, ability to follow Rafa’s instructions and commitment to the cause, but it’s Benitez who is the glue that holds us together. A world-class coach, the perfect ambassador for our great club & an all-round class act.

This summed up by him giving the soon-to-be released Massaido Haidara a warm embrace on the sideline just as Justin Lockwood introduced him back onto the field before the lap of honour. He also went over to shake the groundsman’s hands at the end and made an effort to interact with the player’s kids during the lap of the pitch. It’s the little things like this that make him such a special manager and one who’s a perfect fit for us here on Tyneside.

I love this group of lads and I love the man who is striving to bring greatness back to our beloved football club.

Let’s pray that the right decisions are made this summer to maintain momentum and allow Rafa to keep us moving in the right direction, but for now, let’s just enjoy a superb end to an up and down season.

Newcastle. UNITED.

(Fancy writing for us? Send any articles/ideas over to us at [email protected] & we’ll get back to you!)

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

99 thoughts on “Newcastle 3-0 Chelsea: Rafa’s rampant Mags sign off in style with a stunning win at St James’

  1. WELL DONE RAFA BEST TEAM UNITY AND SPIRIT AT NUFC FOR AGES, OVER TO YOU MIKE GIVE HIM THE 125 MILLION. ITS NOT YOURS!!!!!!

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  2. The Chelsea fans never took to Rafa so I am glad we outplayed them today.

    Chelsea have made some strange signings – Barkley and Drinkwater. And Bakayoko turning out not to be anywhere near as good as advertised. The new Manager will have his work cut out as all of their rivals also have money.

    It is not like when Abramovic first came in and bought the league. Now Man City, Man U and Arsenal are on at least an equal financial footing with Liverpool and Spurs not far behind. And Chelsea need a new stadium as well.

    I think Roman will get bored soon and the Chelsea glory hunters might also and switch to City.

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  3. BTW, I think the 3 Chelsea failures I just mentioned cost as much as our entire squad.

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  4. Absolutely brilliant today. A pleasure to be there, watching a team full of commitment and actually decent quality.

    Jabba’s statement means nothing. He’s boxing Rafa into a corner and basically he’s saying the same old thing “he can have everything the club generates.” An ambitious owner would do more…

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  5. Rafa should have full control. His record innthe transfer market and improving players is clear. Perez, Ritichie, Lascelles, Lejuane, Dummet, Shelvey, Yedlin and Diame would all bring in double what they costs. That’s because Rafa has improved them significantly.

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  6. Great result and so very pleasing to see a top 1/2 finish and not too far off leicester and Everton

    Words are simply that from the owner. Let’s hope we see something more tangible than this time last year

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  7. Fat **** just needs to sell up. Can’t stand the thought of another season and two windows with that **** as owner.
    We were brilliant today, spirit and unity and a world class coach, DO NOT **** this up Jabba .

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  8. Should of had a pen too when perez shirt was pulled in the box, even the comms team said it. If Perez had gone down he would of got it.
    Hopefully we get our fair share next season.

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  9. kimtoon:
    Should of had a pen too when perez shirt was pulled in the box, even the comms team said it. If Perez had gone down he would of got it.
    Hopefully we get our fair share next season.

    What’s a penalty? Is that what the other teams get for foul play in the box? Even if Perez had gone down it would not have been given. We never get penalties. As you probably know, I think there is a conspiracy against NUFC for this and opposition sendings off. Gayle should probably have had half a dozen pens this season but they are never given.

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  10. It will be interesting to find out when the TV money actually gets paid. I know it comes in tranches and I think that will decide how much Rafa has and when. The other thing to do is match player sales and spending. Other teams pay in installments and we have to too to be on a level playing field.

    We will get some high earners off the payroll like Mitro, MBemba, Colback, Gayle and Saivet so we shouldn’t be counting players future wages in any spend stats – which I think they have tried to do before.

    We know how much we will make next year so in an ideal world we would get a small bank overdraft against future earnings. It doesn’t have to be much, 20 million, and Ashley wouldn’t have to dip into his own pocket. It would still come under the heading of “getting every penny NUFC earn” but would be available in the summer. I think a gesture like that would please Rafa.

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  11. Eric, no way will Jabba take a loan from bank, he’d rather lend us his own and top up that debt we owe to him than that.

    He just needs to sell up.

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  12. Statement in full:


    Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has thanked Rafa Benítez, the players and the club’s supporters following the club’s tenth-place finish in the Premier League.

    The Magpies secured a place in the top half with a 3-0 victory over Chelsea at St. James’ Park on Sunday.

    The owner said: “I would like to thank Rafa Benitez for his magnificent achievement this season.

    “I would also like to applaud the players, led fantastically by the captain Jamaal Lascelles.

    “On many occasions throughout the season they have been described as a Championship side, which I personally consider to be derogatory.

    “Rafa, as always, has my full support, and contrary to some media reports that portray me as a pantomime villain, I will continue to ensure that every penny generated by the club is available to him.

    “I hope very much that Rafa will remain at Newcastle United.

    “Finally, I would like to thank the fans for their unrivalled support of Rafa and the team throughout the season.”

    That means **** all, does he think we are daft? I guess it means he’s going nowhere too, we’ll never be rid of this man. 👿 Jabba out

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  13. Was looking at the Chelsea team from yesterday and I would like to highlight a few of them. I don’t know if they had their minds elsewhere or if they are just sick of Conte but they did beat Liverpool last week.

    They had Courtois who is supposed to be in the top 5 goalies in the world and was their best player.

    Kante who was the EPL player of the year at Leicester and credited with making them Champions last year.

    In attack there was Eden Hazard who is supposedly world class and a target of Real Madrid. Then Giroud who is often first choice CF for France. And Barkley who was the next big thing but admittedly has fallen short. He did cost like 35 million though. They had no shots in the first half.

    So our team of “Championship Players” made a team of superstars look less than ordinary.

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  14. Oh, and I watched the Liverpool game and they were up for it. They only have the small matter of a Champions League final to distract them so I don’t know wtf is going on at Chelsea.

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  15. I know I shouldn’t be greedy but it is interesting to compare our stats with Burnley’s.
    Burnley. For 36 against 39 pts 54
    NUFC For 39 against 47 pts 44.
    Obviously Rafa was right to play for the defence. Given our lack of a strike force our Goals against was always going to be important. NB only 6 teams better.
    But what if we hadn’t switched off for those 4 games and had picked up maximum points. We would have been in Europe. That way we would know that Rafa is as good as Pards.
    That ones for you Eric 😀

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  16. PremAndUp:
    I know I shouldn’t be greedy but it is interesting to compare our stats with Burnley’s.
    Burnley. For 36 against 39 pts 54
    NUFC For 39 against 47 pts 44.
    Obviously Rafa was right to play for the defence. Given our lack of a strike force our Goals against was always going to be important. NB only 6 teams better.
    But what if we hadn’t switched off for those 4 games and had picked up maximum points. We would have been in Europe. That way we would know that Rafa is as good as Pards.
    That ones for you Eric

    Yeah Prem. It was just like when Pards won the Champions League at Liverpool and the Europa League at Chelsea. A lucky 5th with some unbelievable good fortune is exactly the same 🙂

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  17. I don’t have a single regret about any disparaging remark I said about Pardew at NUFC. I knew what would happen at Palace but I thought he would have a bounce at WBA like he did there. That is my only regret, that I didn’t just say him and Ugly John would fail immediately. 8 points from 18 games, lost the last 8 in a row. 9 if you include the cup.

    Looking forward to seeing Pards, BFS and probably Moyes on the Qatar BEin sports couch for the World Cup.

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  18. No probs mate. The problem is that Pards as well as getting us into Europe has more top 10 finishes than any manage at NUFC since the 50s with two obvious exceptions. So he might be ****, but he achieved more than the other **** managers we have had in the PL.

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  19. Can you imagine a more smug overrated bunch of fcks on the Bein Sports couch for the WC than Richard Keys, Andy Gray, BFS, Pards and Moyes? It makes you think the world is not fair when this lot and Donald Trump are multi-millionaires telling the rest of us how things should be.

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  20. Prem: I get e-mail from you on your lifecoach thing but haven’t signed up. I am actually sort of a believer in some of that stuff as long as it is not a cult or paintballing. As long as there is a positive message it will often work. My ex-boss did quite a few of these types of self-help courses and I went on a few with him. They actually work if they take you out of your comfort zone and make you think, inwardly and outwardly. The main thing is to embrace it and it can change you. It is about belief, just look at the Church.

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  21. With the PL over, here are some predictions:

    FA Cup the most boring ever. I don’t care who wins!

    Champions League will be Real Madrid’s historical 3rd in a row because of Liverpool’s inexperienced fullbacks and Karius. Hope I am wrong.

    Butland to Liverpool. Wolves are supposedly bidding 35 million for him but Liverpool or Arsenal should steal him.

    Sunderland’s new owner to turn out to be a total chancer but still “fit and proper”.

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  22. Jabba’s statement in my opinion is laying down the gauntlet to Rafa. He’s laying the ground for what happens when Rafa leaves. He mentions Rafa getting every penny, but it’s not about that. It’s aboit how it’s spent. If Rafa wanted to spend his entire budget on two players will he be allowed to?

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  23. Eric, if Wolves can offer £35m for a keeper and they only just got promoted then serious questions need asking about the Toons funds for players.

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  24. Stuart79:
    Jabba’s statement in my opinion is laying down the gauntlet to Rafa. He’s laying the ground for what happens when Rafa leaves. He mentions Rafa getting every penny, but it’s not about that. It’s aboit how it’s spent. If Rafa wanted to spend his entire budget on two players will he be allowed to?

    Stu, it’s not even that simple mate, every last penny generated means what exactly ?, Generated from what? He said that before yet the pot wasn’t exactly overflowing was it, otherwise we wouldn’t be shopping for Joselu.
    Still think there is some clever book keeping going on at Toon and why are the clubs accounts always late being disclosed.
    Every close season it’s the same pathetic statement or interview from Jabba, how many ways can you dress up a lie.

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  25. kimtoon:
    Eric, if Wolves can offer £35m for a keeper and they only just got promoted then serious questions need asking about the Toons funds for players.

    ‘Keeper and striker are most important. De Gea, Mackem Lad at Everton etc.

    Wolves have some serious money behind them but I think **** and Liverpool would be mad to pass on Butland unless they can get Oblak for 80 million.

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  26. He’s not saying he can have the £125m is he, it’s as clear as mud imo.
    Will he be taking part of his loan back ? Does Rafa have to sell and if so who, deadwood is one thing but we don’t want Lascelles, Shelvey or Diame sold to ‘ generate’ funds do we.

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  27. kimtoon: Stu, it’s not even that simple mate, every last penny generated means what exactly ?, Generatedfrom what? He said that before yet the pot wasn’t exactly overflowing was it, otherwise we wouldn’t be shopping for Joselu.
    Still think there is some clever book keeping going on at Toon and why are the clubs accounts always late being disclosed.
    Every close season it’s the same pathetic statement or interview from Jabba, how many ways can you dress up a lie.

    We must have made a biggish loss in The Championship year. Fatty did provide some money that year. It is simple accounting to figure out that if your payroll is 85 million and you go down and your income get reduced by 40% there will be a shortfall. I don’t care if we made a profit in the transfer market because a lot of that is instalment payments and Ashley wants the books balanced here and now and is a risk taker.

    Now we have some decent money coming in we will see how Rafa feels.

    I do believe that the Fatman will let NUFC be run as a standalone business and that is what he is saying. I also think that could be appealing to a control freak like Rafa as it could be RafaNUFC and he will not get that anywhere else.

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  28. If Wolves spend beyond their means you would expect eyebrows to be raised and mutterings made by other PL clubs.

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  29. Eric, I don’t think Jabba is letting Rafa control things. I read everywhere that it’s not just about the amount of money Rafa has. Clearly they still have this ridiculous hierarchy which requires everything they do to be signed off by Jabba. This was his major complaint last couple of transfer windows. We missed out on players due to them messing about and waiting Jabba to ok it or even get back off his holidays. Rafa knows a football club can’t be run like that. But I’m not sure the club can change under Ashley and that’s why I don’t see him signing a new contract. I’m also on the Rafa-meter 70% sure he will leave this summer. Why did Jabba say in his statement he hopes Rafa stays? That would indictate to me that’s it’s still up in the air…

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  30. Stuart79:
    Eric, I don’t think Jabba is letting Rafa control things. I read everywhere that it’s not just about the amount of money Rafa has. Clearly they still have this ridiculous hierarchy which requires everything they do to be signed off by Jabba. This was his major complaint last couple of transfer windows. We missed out on players due to them messing about and waiting Jabba to ok it or even get back off his holidays. Rafa knows a football club can’t be run like that. But I’m not sure the club can change under Ashley and that’s why I don’t see him signing a new contract. I’m also on the Rafa-meter 70% sure he will leave this summer. Why did Jabba say in his statement he hopes Rafa stays? That would indictate to me that’s it’s still up in the air…

    Where to though Stuart? Rafa just said he wants to stay in England.

    Stoke down.

    Would you work for the ***** Brothers?

    Everton. Loads of Money, but blue bin-dippers? Their squad isn’t that good either, whatever they spent.

    Leicester. Have a run like we did Nov and Dec and he would be sacked. They sacked the Manager who produced a miracle and then sacked his deputy and now are ready to sack the next one.

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  31. Garth Crooks is an idiot.

    Anybody who didn’t pick Pep is an idiot.

    100 points, 106 goals, 19 points difference to second.

    There are always mid-table managers who overachieve.

    This does not happen what Pep did and break every record out there.

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  32. Eric Sykes: Where to though Stuart? Rafa just said he wants to stay in England.

    Stoke down.

    Would you work for the ***** Brothers?

    Everton. Loads of Money, but blue bin-dippers? Their squad isn’t that good either, whatever they spent.

    Leicester. Have a run like we did Nov and Dec and he would be sacked. They sacked the Manager who produced a miracle and then sacked his deputy and now are ready to sack the next one.

    Eric, if Jabba doesn’t budge and the club continues to be run like a market stall then I would say Leicester and WH would both be more attractive. Imagine the frustration Rafa has everytime he asks for something and it takes so long because Charnley has to go to Justin Barnes and then he has to go to Jabba. What kind of club doesn’t let the manager know his budget in January until 20th Jan because the owner is on holiday and they’re **** scared to do anything without him. Rafa can’t keep putting up with that surely?

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  33. So Poch built Spurs with a net spend of £40m over the last few years apparently. Of course it helps when you have an academy that produces SHC

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  34. Stuart79: Eric, if Jabba doesn’t budge and the club continues to be run like a market stall then I would say Leicester and WH would both be more attractive. Imagine the frustration Rafa has everytime he asks for something and it takes so long because Charnley has to go to Justin Barnes and then he has to go to Jabba. What kind of club doesn’t let the manager know his budget in January until 20th Jan because the owner is on holiday and they’re **** scared to do anything without him. Rafa can’t keep putting up with that surely?

    Or you can be Everton and replace Lukaku with 3 number 10s and a potato and tell the Manager that’s what he has to deal with.

    Leicester, 3 Mangers in a year.

    Pick your poison, Man.

    Watford have had like 10 mangers in 6 years. How many have West Ham had and how many have the fans turned on?

    Pick your poison.

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  35. If Rafa wants to stay in England, which is what he says he wants, what are his choices?

    Bournemouth – doesn’t their ground hold like 250 people?

    Brighton? Yeah, right!

    Huddersfield? They will be relegated next year.

    Burnley. The red hedded (Sean Dyche) stepchild of the NW. That won’t last. If they stay up next year it will only be a stay of execution.

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  36. So lets look at the choices{

    City
    Man U
    Spurs
    Liverpool
    Chelsea

    No

    Arsenal – if they were smart, but no
    Burnley – they will stick with Dyche
    Everton – blue bin dippers, mutiny
    West Ham – see above
    Mr. Roy – Palace are happy
    Bournemouth – pub team
    Brighton – punching well above their weight
    Leicester = see above
    Watford – see above
    Southampton – will stick with Hughes and are a selling team.

    AND… Promoted teams do not sack their managers before the season.

    So where does Rafa go Stuart?

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  37. I’m sure some clubs would be happy to let Rafa have what he wants if they’re actually ambitious.

    But ask yourself this. Why on earth wouldn’t Jabba allow Rafa to spend the money how he wants and to improve the infrastructure of the club?

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  38. I think Leicester would be reasonably attractive if their owners were going to give it a go. I also think West Ham would be if he got control. I’m sure it would be worth quite a lot to Rafa for him not to have to wait for his owner to get off his sun bed 10 days before the window shuts before knowing his budget.

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  39. Stuart79:
    I think Leicester would be reasonably attractive if their owners were going to give it a go. I also think West Ham would be if he got control. I’m sure it would be worth quite a lot to Rafa for him not to have to wait for his owner to get off his sun bed 10 days before the window shuts before knowing his budget.

    Leicester: Ranieri, Shakespeare, Puel sacked in 14 months. Not a historically good team they just got very, very lucky. I lived in Leicester for a year and their fans are fickle as fck.

    West Ham: 3 managers in 3 years and 3 meddling owners more in it for the money than the Fat Man.

    Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

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  40. Stuart: I know you own business but lets say you were a sales Manager in a good company who messed around a bit but were still at the top level for the last 20 years, including 11 under current Management.

    There are only 20 viable companies in your industry.

    You are looking for a new position but the top six companies have no openings.

    There are 3 up and comers but their Sales Managers just got them where they are now so that is out.

    Next there are some companies that have done well this year but have no recent history of success – Watford, Burnley, Brighton, Borunemouth.

    And the others are a sideways move with just as dodgy owners as your current job but where you are adored by staff and customers (fans), can do what you want, hire and fire who you want and don’t have to start from scratch.

    And you don’t have to answer to a director of sales (football) and your assumed boss (Charnley) gets paid one 10th of what you do so he is not really your boss.

    Plus you get a guaranteed 6 million a year and can extend that contract for at least another 3 years if you want.

    IS THE GRASS GREENER STUART?

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  41. Maybe, Eric. But I reckon Rafa might fancy his chances at these clubs rather than working like mad at NUFC only for it to be a complete waste of time.

    Who knows…

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  42. I understand that he would like to stay in the UK, and I understand that control is his thing. If he has control then he’ll build and achieve with parameters and that will not be a problem. What worries me more is that he is still friends with owners at previous clubs, notably Napoli who would have him back in a heartbeat. I think that if things go pear shaped he may move somewhere other than the UK. He wil do not only what is right for himself, but also his family.

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  43. And where you are now you can hire your own staff but the 2 most viable alternatives (Everton, Leicester) have people above your head that do that.

    The other (West Ham) will say they will let you but then meddle anyway because they are run by two grumpy old men who think everybody is dispensable.

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  44. Everybody thinks Rafa has all the cards. I know Fatty deals from the bottom of the deck but so do the alternative choices. I have said it many times but Rafa can have RafaNUFC but do you think he can have RafaEverton with a new DoF, or RafaLeicester with another new DoF or RafaWHam with those 3 meddling Cnuts?

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  45. Eric, since when have football managers or players acted like they’re in the real world? They all think the grass is greener – that’s why they move all the time.

    There’s a reason why Rafa hasn’t signed a new contract yet and there’s a reason why Jabba made a point of saying yesterday that he hopes he stays. Why would he say that if it wasn’t up in the air? Also why is it even a question for someone who has one year left on his contract? I can’t see him resigning but I certainly can see him leaving for another PL club. That’s football.

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  46. Stuart79:
    Eric, since when have football managers or players acted like they’re in the real world? They all think the grass is greener – that’s why they move all the time.

    There’s a reason why Rafa hasn’t signed a new contract yet and there’s a reason why Jabba made a point of saying yesterday that he hopes he stays. Why would he say that if it wasn’t up in the air? Also why is it even a question for someone who has one year left on his contract? I can’t see him resigning but I certainly can see him leaving for another PL club. That’s football.

    Stuart, mate. I was trying to assess his alternatives in the PL and I don’t see many for the reasons I said.

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  47. I keep coming back to what Ashley will give him, which is complete control, if not the budget he wants. He will not get that anywhere else because the alternatives are way below our level, the ***** Brothers (and Karren) and a Director of Football (Leicester, Everton) telling him who he can have.

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  48. I think it’s down to a few things, Eric. How slow the club works, the **** poor standard of the infrastructure with no improvements in sight and how the budget is spent.

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  49. Stuart: the infrastructure can be fixed for the cost of a Jacob Murphy every year. When you look at Spurs spending 1 billion for a new ground you will see some perspective there.

    I really believe Fatty now wants to protect his investment and realizes that is by it being RafaNUFC.

    He didn’t give Rafa money this year because he had partitioned it in his head that he wasn’t putting another penny of his own money into NUFC. And that he had lost money last year. I think that is the way his mind works.

    Now we are self sufficient, I think the Fat Man will allow it to run by itself because he will see potential profits.

    He might even go to a game 🙂 🙂 🙂

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  50. If it’s only the cost of a Jacob Murphy why has every other PL club already done it or starting to do it?

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  51. Stuart79:
    If it’s only the cost of a Jacob Murphy why has every other PL club already done it or starting to do it?

    Because they haven’t. Because nothing has come through from the Man City project yet. Or Bournemouth who supposedly have state of the art. Or Mackems where they have a class 1 academy and are a “class” 3 team in the3rd division.

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  52. Although if he did decide to leave I dread to think who Jabba would let them appoint. Pardew? Tim Sherwood? Sam Allardyce?

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  53. Eric Sykes: Because they haven’t. Because nothing has come through from the Man City project yet. Or Bournemouth who supposedly have state of the art. Or Mackems where they have a class 1 academy and are a “class” 3 team in the3rd division.

    Eric, City’s cost about £40m! Plus I’m not just talking about the academy. The training ground is bang average. Most other teams have invested in their training facilities and if you don’t think it makes any difference whatsoever then you’re mad!

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  54. Who was the last player to come through our academy? Gazza? I like Dummett but investing 50 million infrastructure money over 20 years on a left back may seem like a waste of money to me.

    Keegan might have had the right idea for NUFC. Not Barca with La Masia or Real Madrid with their 2nd division team but for NUFC with our limited resources?

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  55. Stuart79: Eric, City’s cost about £40m! Plus I’m not just talking about the academy. The training ground is bang average. Most other teams have invested in their training facilities and if you don’t think it makes any difference whatsoever then you’re mad!

    That’s not true.

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  56. We do need a complete overhaul of the academy and training facilities which is likely some of the request other than players that Rafa has asked for.

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  57. kimtoon:
    We do need a complete overhaul of the academy and training facilities which is likely some of the request other than players that Rafa has asked for.

    Of course we do. we should be pulling together and fighting on all fronts. But, the Mackems have a much better academy that us and look at them.

    First thing first.

    First team first.

    Then deal with the academy.

    Unless you are Man City and have almost unlimitless money.

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  58. Firstly, what a great win yesterday. I watched up to around 60mins before I had to go to work.
    What a spine we have to that team with Dubravka, Lascelles, Lejeune, Shelvey, Diame and Perez.
    If we can get that forward we all know we need, then I think we could be a match for most teams in the league. The only issue then would be strength in depth.

    Brilliant achievement 10th though. I always thought we were better than a relegation battle, but thought 14/15th – which arguably we are as a few finished on 41 didn’t they.

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  59. On Ashley’s statement, there were a couple of stand out things. Firstly his comment of people calling the squad Championship and him believing that to be derisory – is that him saying he didn’t release more money coz he ‘believe’ the team didn’t need it ? … or is that him saying he won’t be putting much in this summer coz the squad is good enough ??‍♂️.

    The second bit was him referring to himself as a pantomime clown. Not entirely correct – a pantomime clown is a character people love to hate, pretend to hate … I think you get where I’m going with this.

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  60. Alls I’m saying is that if you think there are that many options for Rafa in England then maybe you should think again.

    Abroad, fine, but he says he want to stay in England.

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  61. Beating a dead horse!!! Why would Rafa go to:

    Everton: 500 million quid to pay for new stadium and a bunch of players who are overrated. They are Klopped anyway as you have to compete with him and his fun machine football.

    Leicester: caught lighting in a bottle for 1 season. Will never happen again. Mid-table at best and might even be bottom 4 when Vardy and Mahrez go.

    West Ham: have to compete with Chelsea, **** and Spurs. Have they ever been top dog. Plus the 3 horrible people that run it now will always want to take the credit if they ever win anything.

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  62. I’m not sure about the rationale of comparing Man City and us… The fact is that most other clubs have invested in new training grounds. It makes a difference. If it didn’t then nobody would do it. Even the likes of Brighton, Burnley, Southampton, Villa, Everton and others we’re supposed to be competing with have invested in new training grounds. Not only will it help improve players but it will help attract players.

    As for the academy, that won’t cost much money in fairness. But the training ground needs improving as were being left behind.

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  63. Stuart79:
    I’m not sure about the rationale of comparing Man City and us… The fact is that most other clubs have invested in new training grounds. It makes a difference. If it didn’t then nobody would do it. Even the likes of Brighton, Burnley, Southampton, Villa, Everton and others we’re supposed to be competing with have invested in new training grounds. Not only will it help improve players but it will help attract players.

    As for the academy, that won’t cost much money in fairness. But the training ground needs improving as were being left behind.

    I was comparing your figure of 40 mil to the actual investment in facilities of 150-200 mil.

    I said the cost of a Jacob Murphy every year would be more than sufficient and that is what other clubs have spent.

    We agree we have lagged behind.

    But there are also many examples of shiny new buildings and Stadiums of Light that end up with weathered pink seats with no one to sit on them in the third division. Good training facilities though that were mortgaged to a bank and now a chancer shacking up with a stripper will own it all!!!

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  64. We shouldn’t bother improving our training facilities then just because it didn’t do any good for Sunderland…

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  65. Eric Sykes:
    Stuart: the infrastructure can be fixed for the cost of a Jacob Murphy every year. When you look at Spurs spending 1 billion for a new ground you will see some perspective there.

    I really believe Fatty now wants to protect his investment and realizes that is by it being RafaNUFC.

    He didn’t give Rafa moneythis year because he had partitioned it in his head that he wasn’t putting another penny of his own money into NUFC. And that he had lost money last year. I think that is the way his mind works.

    Now we are self sufficient, I think the Fat Man will allow it to run by itself because he will see potential profits.

    He might even go to a game

    Stuart: read. I said the cost of a Jacob Murphy EVERY YEAR to fix the infrastructure.

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