Rafa Benitez | Sacked (Fachts)

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I thought they were safe after the run they had just put together, but today's result is inexcusable and probably fatal. Was originally hoping Norwich would survive so the other two would feck-off together, but here we are.
 

BigDunc9

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Typical FSW. Can't beat shit stubborn teams. Wouldn't surprise me if he rotated whichever crab is their best player. Made up to see him take them down.
 

united_99

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Yep, was his weakness at Liverpool too, couldn't break down teams lots of times, too many unnecessary draws.
Some things never change.
 

Samid

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Poor guy. Feel sorry for him.

Tag me when they release his season review DVD.
 

Judge Red

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Benitez was brought in to save them and he didn't do it. Could it have been achieved? Well, beating Villa would have helped, but in the end he lost out to the better manager in Big Sam. :)
 

Woodenlung

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Tbh he's a good manager and if Newcastle weren't as badly managed at board level as us they would have appointed him at least a month before they actually did. I've no doubt he would have kept them up given a bit more time.
 

Lay

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He should have been appointed ages ago and they would have been safe. How the buffoon Steve McClaren lasted so long (never mind getting the job in the first place) is a mystery.
 

Tarrou

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Poor Rafa looks finished, but he's had some fantastic moments over the years, like that time he lost to a beach ball, or that other time he ate a sandwich so fast he ate the napkin too.
 

RedPed

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Newcastle in the Championship...wow! They'll be nailed on to come straight back up. Not sure about the Villa though.
 

Antisocial

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I guess that's him done with Newcastle given his escape clause, but I'd gain a lot of respect for him if stays with them and tries to take on the Championship. They'll be the favourites for promotion, and with a season to rebuild them in his image, they could be an interesting side for the Premier League the following season.
 

Bojan11

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He should have been appointed ages ago and they would have been safe. How the buffoon Steve McClaren lasted so long (never mind getting the job in the first place) is a mystery.
He couldn't get his team to beat Villa. Deserves to go down.
 

Lurpak99

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I could see him stay, one season in the Championship won't be that bad if he can get them back up quickly and build from there. Of course it also depends on his options, if Valencia wants him back he might leave, but I don't think it's as certain as many would think.
 

RedSky

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I really hope I don't jinx this, but thats a bad appointment by Newcastle. They need a Manager who knows what relegation battles are about not someone who will come in and immediately try and change everything, that takes too long to implement.
Boom. Obvious is obvious. Well done Big Sam!
 

Blatzo

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Everybody would be nut-hugging him and singing his praises and banging on about what a great manager he is if they'd have avoided the drop.

But he didn't. He failed.

So obviously it's not his fault and it's no reflection on him what-so-ever as a manager. Obviously.
 

Klopper76

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Everybody would be nut-hugging him and singing his praises and banging on about what a great manager he is if they'd have avoided the drop.

But he didn't. He failed.

So obviously it's not his fault and it's no reflection on him what-so-ever as a manager. Obviously.
Do you not think that if they'd brought him in a month earlier he would have kept them up? They stuck with McClaren for too long.
 

Blatzo

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Do you not think that if they'd brought him in a month earlier he would have kept them up? They stuck with McClaren for too long.
Do you not think that if they'd brought him in a month earlier he would have kept them up? They stuck with McClaren for too long.
I'm not sure. Often in football the narrative is painted long before the facts are assessed. I think I'm right in saying his win % is similar to McClaren's and will be worse if they fail to win on Sunday.

I don't have the fixtures to hand so I don't know how they compare but that is always a factor.

People say he needed a few games to "get things going/work his team out" but how come they've not pushed on from his first win? Ultimately they had their fate in their own hands and blew it.

I actually recognise that there is a middle ground between being a miracle worker and being an abject failure and that he likely frequents the space in the middle. It's just that I feel the same would be true even if he kept them up and I feel that the reaction would be entirely different.
 

Klopper76

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I'm not sure. Often in football the narrative is painted long before the facts are assessed. I think I'm right in saying his win % is similar to McClaren's and will be worse if they fail to win on Sunday.

I don't have the fixtures to hand so I don't know how they compare but that is always a factor.

People say he needed a few games to "get things going/work his team out" but how come they've not pushed on from his first win? Ultimately they had their fate in their own hands and blew it.

I actually recognise that there is a middle ground between being a miracle worker and being an abject failure and that he likely frequents the space in the middle. It's just that I feel the same would be true even if he kept them up and I feel that the reaction would be entirely different.
They lost three of his first four in charge, drawing the other one. After that they won two and drew the other three, so they're unbeaten in five. If they'd brought him in at the start of February he would have had an additional six games and 18 points to work with. Given that they seem to have gradually improved over the course of his nine games in charge, they might have managed to get the additional five points needed to get them above Sunderland.

I agree with what you say about him being between a failure and a miracle worker. He's very far from a perfect manager with a lot of flaws to his style of management. He's both over rated and under rated but very few see him as a decent manager with plenty of negative aspects to his management.
 

Damien

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McClaren this season: P28 W6 (21.4%) D6 (21.4%) L16 (57.2%) GF28 (1pg) GA53 (1.89pg) -- 0.86 points per game
5 clean sheets in those 28 games, failed to score in 12

Benitez: P9 W2 (22.2%) D4 (44.4%) L3 (33.3%) GF11 (1.2pg) GA11 (1.2pg) -- 1.1 points per game
3 clean sheets in those 9 games, failed to score in just 2

He definitely improved them. Wasn't an ideal situation being appointed with the fixtures they had left, was always going to be tough playing Leicester City, Southampton, Manchester City, Liverpool and the other two teams in the relegation battle. If he had been appointed a few games earlier I think they could perhaps have stayed up. He stopped the rot in terms of conceding goals but they still struggled to score.

If he stays at Newcastle they could be better for it long term but I reckon they'll part ways and Newcastle will go for someone like Nigel Pearson.
 

prarek

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He should stay and rebuild the squad. One year in the championship is better than sitting at home. He definitely improved them they look way more organized but they don't have that quality upfront.
 

stepic

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Anyone blaming Rafa for Newcastle going down have a clear bias. This is on McClaren, who is the actual shit manager.
 

The Man Himself

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Pound for pound he will be the best manager in championship next season. Way to go, Rafa.
 

RedSky

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Anyone blaming Rafa for Newcastle going down have a clear bias. This is on McClaren, who is the actual shit manager.
Bumfluff, he has no experience of fighting a relegation battle. It was a bizarre appointment, do it at the start of the season but not half way through. Id put my money on Big Sam every day of the week. This is the same Sunderland team that had 3 points after 8 games.
 

Kag

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Damage was already done by the time he came in.
Anybody claiming otherwise is simply biased.

Ashley, Charnley and Carr are to blame for Newcastle's plight. Up until Benitez came in they were still starting with the same central defensive pair that got them relegated a few year back (Taylor and Colocinni).

Newcastle improved slightly, and with more time they would have likely stayed up.

It'd be interesting if he stayed. Ashley essentially has to choose between a good manager like him or his best pal Graham Carr, because they can't co-exist in the same job roles.
 

stepic

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Bumfluff, he has no experience of fighting a relegation battle. It was a bizarre appointment, do it at the start of the season but not half way through. Id put my money on Big Sam every day of the week. This is the same Sunderland team that had 3 points after 8 games.
And how is it Rafa's fault he was appointed so late? This is on McClaren and the Newcastle board for not replacing him sooner.