wtf

FFS

https://twitter.com/_TheKopEnd_/status/707942011727441921

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:

free_cat wrote:

ES wrote:@BTSportRob  6m6 minutes ago
BREAKING: McLaren to be sacked & will NOT be in charge against Leicester on Monday. Newcastle ARE in advanced talks with Rafa Benitez
#NUFC

That's disgraceful. Surely a backstabbing Arsenal or Tottenham funded move in order to get Leicester to drop points.

We could get Guardiola in and we are not beating Leicester lol.

The odds you get for Newcastle beating Leicester is just ridicules...putting down big money for this game. Newcastle are EPL survivors and Leicester can't mess with that.

My prediction; Newcastle 3 Leicester 2.

I actually fancy Rafa to not bomb with a club the stature of Newcastle (no offense GLS).

windkick wrote:I actually fancy Rafa to not bomb with a club the stature of Newcastle (no offense GLS).

No offense, we are what we are this not point.

I'm under no illusions of that fact.

Aren't you little bit excited though? (even if its miniscule)

Yeah, i'd be more excited if the reports of him getting full control are true though. Also Ashley has to back him.

AS reporting a 3 year contract

Some of the hate Rafael is getting on this thread is ridiculous. Have some respect for the man's career. Probably the 2nd best manager in Newcastle ''s history.

Not hard tbf

But yeah his career is very impressive and should be respected IMO, he shouldn't even be considering us considering the state we have been over the last decade.

I'm still quite shocked that he is.

The problem is that it's been so long since he did anything good in football. Not since Liverpool.

Inter aside i don't think the other two were THAT bad, there was just expectations for him to do better and he didn't reach that level.

Napoli were almost expected to top Juve and it didn't happen, at Madrid the football was apparently shit and they are competing with Barca and he failed in those situations although it should be said and people can disagree all they want but in no way in hell are Madrid better with Zidane.

For us he doesn't need to worry about that and he's building a team from the shitter, kind of like with Liverpool and Valencia i suppose. Maybe that's who he is and he's not someone you bring in to take you to the top when you are touching distance away from it and to get over the hump.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:Some of the hate Rafael is getting on this thread is ridiculous. Have some respect for the man's career. Probably the 2nd best manager in Newcastle ''s history.

While I totally agree with this statement, fans don't even show respect for a player's career, why should it be different for a manager?

I don't doubt that he can be great for Newcastle. Its something to be excited about.

I was just commenting on the bad rep he gets. Madrid aren't better with Zidane, but what kind of extra low bar is that? In recent Napoli history Benitez is the low point as well.

How's Guidolin doing in the EPL? He was a magician with Udinese. Now there is someone that can build you a team.

He's the hero Newcastle needs, but not the one it deserves right now..

rincon wrote:I was just commenting on the bad rep he gets. Madrid aren't better with Zidane, but what kind of extra low bar is that? Laughing In recent Napoli history Benitez is the low point as well.

Low point? They won a cup and supercup and made the EL semis. Granted losing to dnipro in the EL and not making the CL losing to Athletic on his 2nd  season left fans with a sour taste but we're talking about Napoli here, not Milan or Inter. So unless by recent history you only mean the last 4 years I don't think this is true.

Yeah in recent history I mean since they came back from bankrupcy. De Laurentis era. After climbing back from Serie C (2005?) things have gone well from them. Mazzari took over 6 years ago and made Napoli a contender for the european spots. Benitez is the only one in recent years that regressed that growth. They won the cup, but failing to qualify for the CL and performing worse than his predecessor (Mazzarri) and his successor (Sarri) while spending the most money is a low point. Mazzarri won the cup as well. The club lost, or at best retained, ground with Benitez.

Regressed growth - sure, but low point implies literally a low point and that would be Serie C. Contending for Europe, having a shot at the title and occasionally winning trophies is a great place for Napoli to be. It's only natural that progressing would become harder as they reach the top.

Low point in their development as a team is what I meant. You have to take into account the expectations of the club at each point. In Serie C the goal was the go to Serie B, and so on. After stability (Reja, Donadoni, etc.) in Serie A they wanted Europe. Mazzarri brought EL, CL and contention for the title as well as a cup. Then Benitez came and reformed the team spending a bunch of money and ultimately made the team worse. Finished the league worse and failed to qualify for the CL. And he did so playing dire football. Least imaginative and exciting Napoli in years.

If one performs worse than your predecessor and successor what is it but a low point?

But did he perform worse? What did Mazzari accomplish that he didn't? Mazzari sometimes qualified for the CL, sometimes didn't. Same with Benitez. Neither did great in that competition in spite of good performances and groups of death. Neither came within of a shot of actually winning the title. Benitez won the supercup, which while a Mickey Mouse title, is still a title for a club with as little history as Napoli. I'd say their records are not that different.

Anyways I can't believe I have started defending him so strongly, considering I'm one of his haters here (at least as far as style goes). But I think the criticism is unfair.

How did he not perform worse?

Napoli are an ambitious team with one of the biggest followings in Italy. Under De Laurentis they are attempting to become a top team. Hence why a coach like Benitez was brought. Experienced and with an international CV.

Under Benitez they spent ~130 mill in 2 seasons. Most of the current squad was bought then (the spaniards, Higuain, Jorginho, Ghoulam, Gabbiadini, Koulibaly Mertens, etc.). That raises the expectations, yet they came out playing worse than before. Sarri then takes over and they buy a bunch of squad players + Hysaj and Allan, and now they look like a top team again. His lack of flexibility hell bent on playing that ridiculous 4-2-3-1 in Serie A plus how clueless they looked in attack didn't help.

Under Benitez Napoli had 0 midfield play, not plan there whatsoever. They conceded a bunch, and scored a bunch. Most of the time by relying on their forwards individual play, no fluidity at all.

Remember that Mazzarri didn't inherit a CL team. Before him Napoli were in midtable, recently promoted to Serie A. He put them on top. His time ended with Napoli 2nd and a coppa. He more than fulfilled expectations.

Benitez took that team and had a good first season. But then completely blew it the second one. Got eliminated in CL qualifers, and missed out on CL for next season finishing 5th!!!! behind Roma, Lazio and Fiore. A 3rd place and a 5th place are far from good enough.

Then Sarri came in with virtually the same team as Benitez and made it so much better. I'm sure you've seen them play. Rafa underperformed and Napoli stagnated with him. If you take the team, invest heavily, and leave it in worse shape than when you got there did you do a good job? He was Ok at most, nothing more.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:But did he perform worse? What did Mazzari accomplish that he didn't? Mazzari sometimes qualified for the CL, sometimes didn't. Same with Benitez..

Remember that Benitez never qualified for the CL.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3487396/Rafa-Benitez-heading-Newcastle-finalise-appointment-manager-trip-Premier-League-leaders-Leicester-City-set-match-charge.html

Also he's in Newcastle atm finalizing his contract and McClaren has been sacked.

https://twitter.com/henrywinter/status/708254940792279040

Damn

Always did like Winter.

He's a great coach, he's English, worked with SAF and won the league title in Holland. Shame the management set him up to fail, unjustful sack.