McClaren Sacked (Does Rafa Benitez have what it takes to stay in the Premier League?)

[John Arne]

Least surprisngly news of the day?

[John Arne]

http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20160...281670_5411363

After the defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday the Club has spent some time considering its position and has today concluded that Steve McClaren's employment with the Club will end with immediate effect.

We acknowledge that reaching this decision has taken a number of days and that this has caused uncertainty for everyone involved, in particular for Steve and the players, for which we apologise. However we felt that this time was necessary to ensure the right decisions were reached with the best interests of the Club at heart.

Lee Charnley said: "I would like to thank Steve personally for his services to Newcastle United. He is a man of integrity and class and he has conducted himself with great dignity during this difficult time.

"Steve worked tirelessly to try and bring success to Newcastle United. He has the utmost respect of all the players, staff and management and he leaves with our very best wishes and sincere thanks.

"We feel that a change is now needed in order to give the Club the best possible chance of securing its Premier League future.

"A further announcement on a successor to Steve will be made in due course."

[Kikó]

I remember when Schteve was good. Get him in at united.

[Jimmy Floyd]

3 crap jobs in a row will take some coming back from.

[John Arne]

[John Arne]

It's Rafa time.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I can't think of an owner/manager duo that deserve each other more than Mike Ashley and Sir Rafa Benitez.

[Kikó]

The commute from the Wirral to Newcastle is doable.

[Disco]

It defies logic that a) Any manager would want the job as anything other than a payday and b) Anyone would seriously consider Benitez to be the right person for the job.

[Boydy]

Why would anyone want to be Newcastle manager?

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'd take the job if offered. My first act would be to get Shola Ameobi's number.

[Magic]

I'd love McLaren at Leeds.

[Max Power]

Tears when Rafa actually says no and it's Joe Kinnear again.

[Waffdon]

I told ye so. Utter fuckwit.

[Pepe]

Why would anyone want to be Newcastle manager?

No wonder you're unemployed.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Sir Rafa confirmed. What a mug.

[phonics]

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[Smiffy]

.....

[Vim]

If he goes down.

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's a weird one. He's hardly a blood and thunder motivator of men, like your archetypal drop-beater. In fact, all his players hate him.

[Lewis]

Like niko said the other day, this must be the biggest in-season fall from grace ever.

[niko_cee]

Aye.

He also has to be the least likely candidate to get on with the Newcastle model of doing things. I would have thought Moyes would have been a better bet.

Mad to think that it's getting on for a decade since he was a decent manager. When did he have the fachts breakdown? He's been essentially phoning it in since then.

[Disco]

I'm continually amazed that people within football seem to be utterly blind to reality, in what world is this a good appointment? They're doomed, ok they were pretty much gone already but this has to seal the deal.

[Max Power]

I'm continually amazed that people within football seem to be utterly blind to reality, in what world is this a good appointment? They're doomed, ok they were pretty much gone already but this has to seal the deal.

They're one point off safety with a game in hand and have replaced a complete and utter loser with a manager who is at the very least, competent. Wouldn't say they are doomed at all.

[Disco]

Competant?

[Toby]

Newcastle's problem did seem to be precious wankers who couldn't play for the manager, so maybe getting in somebody who's won most things and been at clubs like Real Madrid (however he has done there) will satisfy their egos enough to actually turn up.

[Max Power]

Yeah he is isn't he? He's not Pep Guardiola or Claudio Ranieri but In comparison to Steve McClaren, yes. In comparison to the managers he is in direct competition with down the bottom, Alex Neil and Sam Allardyce, yes.

[Boydy]

Did he not do a half decent job at Napoli?

Genuine question, I have no idea.

He was never going to work at Real Madrid though. That much was obvious to anyone.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Given that Napoli sacked him for the Empoli manager who now has them a close second to Juve, probably not.

[Gray Fox]

This looks to me like an appointment that, when they go down at the end of the season, they'll say "well, we tried."

[Reg]

I don't know how they've convinced him but it's a massive coup. Everyone is too harsh on his recent spells (Chelsea fans were ridiculous), and even if he's achieved less than par after Liverpool, he's better than anyone else Newcastle could feasibly get.

[Giggles]

Fuckers couldn't leave it til after Leicester

[Lee]

Definitely going to be nil nil in Monday now. He loves a shit off. Fuckers.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Everyone is too harsh on his recent spells (Chelsea fans were ridiculous)

The archives will show you that I was all for it when he was appointed with us, but within two weeks he had turned me against him faster than you can say 'unspeakable cunt who hates football'. His approach to any job is to turn players into joyless pieces of shit who do as he says, which would be slightly better if what he said wasn't a complete load of horseshit.

Sure he might 'get results' from time to time, though increasingly less often, but those results are to the long term detriment of the club in question and all the players under his control, and control is definitely the word.

[GS]

Lord Benitez has won:

Valencia
La Liga: 2001–02, 2003–04
UEFA Cup: 2003–04

Liverpool
FA Cup: 2005–06
FA Community Shield: 2006
UEFA Champions League: 2004–05
UEFA Super Cup: 2005

Inter Milan
Supercoppa Italiana: 2010
FIFA Club World Cup: 2010

Chelsea
UEFA Europa League: 2012–13

Napoli
Coppa Italia: 2013–14
Supercoppa Italiana: 2014

Now, you can scoff at him if you want, but he wins things and he goes deep in competitions that he's involved in - CL final 2007, CL semi-final 2008, UEFA Cup semi-finals in 2010 and 2015. He's the sort of manager that your average shit European at Newcastle is going to look at and think he knows what he's doing, unlike Schteve who they're only going to know as a dreadful England manager at best.

I think he'll do well there (well being top half) if he keeps them up this year.

One suspects he's only doing this for the opportunity to relegate Allardyce.

[Reg]

The archives will show you that I was all for it when he was appointed with us, but within two weeks he had turned me against him faster than you can say 'unspeakable cunt who hates football'. His approach to any job is to turn players into joyless pieces of shit who do as he says, which would be slightly better if what he said wasn't a complete load of horseshit.

Sure he might 'get results' from time to time, though increasingly less often, but those results are to the long term detriment of the club in question and all the players under his control, and control is definitely the word.

And you're a Mourinho fan?

[Shindig]

Since his Liverpool days I've seen him as one of the best cup managers. I am hoping he can drill a honeymoon into these players. We need all the wins we can get.

[Jimmy Floyd]

And you're a Mourinho fan?

Can't you see the difference? Mourinho's football has a shitload of joy in it. Joy at the suffering of others, joy at his own manifest brilliance, the cackling of a dastardly supervillain. It's like Machiavelli on grass. Benitez is like accountancy software on grass.

[Pepe]

So that's why gs likes him.

[GS]

This is why I like Lord Benitez:



It's the only major trophy I've seen Liverpool lift, and we could well never win it again. How could you not think he's a boss?

[Byron]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...ed-real-madrid

That first paragraph

[Samadini]

Newcastle's problem did seem to be precious wankers who couldn't play for the manager, so maybe getting in somebody who's won most things and been at clubs like Real Madrid (however he has done there) will satisfy their egos enough to actually turn up.

This is spot on.

[niko_cee]

Hadn't thought of the Allardyce angle.

Here's hoping for a wavy hand gesture in the derby.

[Shindig]

Hope this opens the door for Jose Enrique to come back.

[Ian]

Allardyce sending Benitez down would be amazing.

[Giggles]

I've gone from really not caring to all aboard the Big Sam train in that battle.

[Shindig]

Just a reminder that Big Sam picked a known paedo on the left wing.

[Ian]

Newcastle employed a known Nile Ranger, to be fair.

[ItalAussie]

How long does Benitez have to go before 2005 becomes the outlier rather than the legacy?

[Shindig]

He won the Europa Leauge, mate.