Absolutely. I think other than some Man Utd fans and a very small number of Everton fans this is pretty much how everyone reads the situation. Ashley isn't selling, Rafa surely knows that too. I would say it's 50-50 whether he walks in the summer (his contract is up) and 95%+ of the Newcastle fanbase would understand why and wish him luck (i think...).
They’ll be hoping a helicopter crashes into a plane directly over N7, and the burning wreckage wiped out the Emirates.
Agreed. And it’s absolutely nailed on that you’ll be on fire when we go to the Taxpayers Porno Stadium next month.
Well, this. No point me talking about things you can't change - there's nothing much anyone can do about Ashley (until he sells up). But there's still things a manager could do. I suppose the question is, do you see progress under Benitez? Is he developing the youth team or the infrastructure long term if he's not willing to give the current youngsters a go. Is there any long term vision. Is he going to turn you into a stable PL club? I agree he was more than capable of getting you out of the Championship, is he good enough to keep you there. I don't like changing managers, but he comes across as someone going through the motions and picking up a paycheck. Put it another way, if Benitez had ambition he'd have walked by now. A young manager cutting his teeth, playing good football and proving successful at a smaller club here or abroad may be a better option.
The infrastructure and long term vision at our club is almost non-existent. The talk among people who are privy to far better insights than myself is that Ashley is unwilling to spend anything whatsoever on improving the training facilities for the first team or youth team - to the extent that Sunderland have far superior facilities than ourselves. One of the issues over the contract is believed to be that Rafa wants assurances over money being made available for not just first team issues in the immediacy but also improving dilapidated infrastructures which Ashley wants to ignore if he can. Under the current regime I can't see that any manager could hope to do more than just tread water, it's a case of when we get relegated next rather than if but that lies with Ashley not Rafa. I would question his ambition though. He should leave us for his own good, I think he likes the adulation though and kind of hopes it will get better. I doubt it will though.
Fair enough mate. Either way it's a sad state of affairs at a club that deserves better. I hope you don't get relegated at all, the PL is better off with a strong NUFC in it.
Where's @Spurlock anyway? Hope you'll be on by time motd is on bru 3 points closer to your username today
Your posts are getting longer and longer each time. Your board has that theme, essays everywhere. It’s a good thing we all like you Haslam... or you’d be getting the Fosse treatment.
