How in hell did they manage this? Maybe it's all the spending that has brought in someone who thinks they could've done a lot better with what we had. The only dark cloud is that this all goes down the crapper if we don't stay up. He's only got time to set some basic rules, and maybe sort out one or two or the worst underperformers. Not a chance he stays with us to the Championship. http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20160311/rafa-benitez-confirmed-as-newcastle-manager_2281670_5411873 10 matches to go to respectability... or not.
I would love to see what kind of bonus he gets if he avoids relegation. Even if it were $10M, it would be worth it.
Hopefully we do to the Mackems what they've done to us for so many derbies in the past; appoint a new manager who then has the derby as their second game in charge. For the first time in a long, long time I'm actually looking forward to the game tomorrow. Hopefully the players have some kind of reaction and show a lot more than what they have so far. I'm still not expecting anything other than a defeat - but I have hope that we at least look better. Maybe Sissoko will actually put in a shift, Wijnaldum might actually look like "one of the most promising players in Europe" that we signed. Coloccini has already managed to get himself off the treatment table. Reading through all the articles in the past few days about McClaren just shows that none of the players had any respect for him, most of the foreign lads had apparently not really heard of him. Wijnaldum fell out with him after the Chelsea subbing at half time. I'd imagine the players have been just as exasperated at our cheap managerial appointments as we have been. I hope this is the start of a change in how the club is run.
Ten years ago if you said Alan Shearer and Rafa Benitez would be the managers to preside over our relegations, you'd have been called delusional. Thanks Fat Mike. Thx, Jay!