2021/22 Rafael Benitez

[John from Bootle]

Will be interesting to see what he has to say about the business we've done.

I'm comfortable with it, tbh. I think we can do well. Is the squad a bit thin in places? Absolutely, but outside of the title challengers, everybody has a 'thin' squad.

I hope he's got the sense to tell the owner not to start acting all Billy big balls again though. By all means splash the cash again, but lets not get into shouting about how much we've got like when he first came in.

The narrative now needs to be that the stadium is a priority. That the days of pumping cash in are over, and that the stadium is part of a more sustainable approach going forward. Because one thing's for certain; if Moshiri starts telling people he's got a load of 'monopoly' money to play with again, then there'll be no shortage of people queueing up to relieve him/us of it.

It still amazes me to this day that he didn't just come in and say 'there'll be some money to spend, but the priority has to be a new stadium.' Imagine telling the world you've got a massive load of money to spend, and then expecting to get value for money in any way shape or form, when the value of the things you want are open to both fluctuation and perception.

 

[FrenchDarrenBent]

I wish it wasn't true.

Anyways, Rafael will do well with yous I'm sure. Would've given my left arm for our takeover to have gone through and he been reinstated and allowed to see out his blueprint for progress and growth.

He was loved up here because he gave us reason for hope, kinda didn't matter whether or not he was a brilliant manager. He just represented excellence, dignity and - like I say - optimism.

Rondon will be a good backup for DCL too. Had a really good year with us, worked great with Perez and Almiron buzzing around him, back when we had tactics and a gameplan.

I can't help but feel for Newcastle Utd. Ashley pocketing the profits and keeping them midtable on a minimum of reinvestment until a stupidly high bid comes in... And it's been going on for more than a decade...

 

[nsno-chris]

I can't help but feel for Newcastle Utd. Ashley pocketing the profits and keeping them midtable on a minimum of reinvestment until a stupidly high bid comes in... And it's been going on for more than a decade...

He’s the best chairman in the world, I hope he obliterates that club into dust and drains it dry in the process

 

[Lord Buckethead]

I can't help but feel for Newcastle Utd. Ashley pocketing the profits and keeping them midtable on a minimum of reinvestment until a stupidly high bid comes in... And it's been going on for more than a decade...

Is it not more that he's wanted out for the last decade, but nobody offers him anywhere near the amount he has pumped into the club, so he refuses to invest anymore than the minimum to reduce his losses?

 

[FrenchDarrenBent]

Is it not more that he's wanted out for the last decade, but nobody offers him anywhere near the amount he has pumped into the club, so he refuses to invest anymore than the minimum to reduce his losses?

The only thing he has pumped in Newcastle is his secretary

 

[gazzaa2]

Will be interesting to see what he has to say about the business we've done.

I'm comfortable with it, tbh. I think we can do well. Is the squad a bit thin in places? Absolutely, but outside of the title challengers, everybody has a 'thin' squad.

I hope he's got the sense to tell the owner not to start acting all Billy big balls again though. By all means splash the cash again, but lets not get into shouting about how much we've got like when he first came in.

The narrative now needs to be that the stadium is a priority. That the days of pumping cash in are over, and that the stadium is part of a more sustainable approach going forward. Because one thing's for certain; if Moshiri starts telling people he's got a load of 'monopoly' money to play with again, then there'll be no shortage of people queueing up to relieve him/us of it.

It still amazes me to this day that he didn't just come in and say 'there'll be some money to spend, but the priority has to be a new stadium.' Imagine telling the world you've got a massive load of money to spend, and then expecting to get value for money in any way shape or form, when the value of the things you want are open to both fluctuation and perception.

I doubt he'll be too bothered. He would have known the budget was tight when he took the job and wouldn't have been offered it otherwise.

 

[blueconverse]

It is weird isn’t it? I’ve never really thought about Newcastle enough to like or dislike them.

There’s a link to this thread on their forum now and they are working themselves up about not a lot really <waves shoe at invading geordies>

Its strange as Sunderland fans are sound and at much bigger club.

 

[YorkieG]

Is it not more that he's wanted out for the last decade, but nobody offers him anywhere near the amount he has pumped into the club, so he refuses to invest anymore than the minimum to reduce his losses?

Ashley has only ever wanted to sell to the Middle East; there's some pretty solid anecdotal evidence that the idea was to make a quick buck after a year or two circa 2008, but we were relegated immediately and any profit disappeared more quickly than an Allardyce in an England dugout.

You're pretty much spot on though, as far as my understanding goes. Rather than invest in the club, all he's done is transfer the club's debt (which was previously with a bank, as per any organisation with debt) to himself. So it's a total albatross around the club's neck, with tens of millions owed to one individual with his boot on our throat, waiting for someone to come along to pay off the debt and pile-on an additional £150m for his troubles.

Mind you, £300million for an established Premier League club in the city centre is a reasonable whack imo - and clearly the Saudis thought so too, even in spite of its neglected staff, infrastructure and facilities.

We don't have an Everton thread btw.

 

[danny147]

I didn’t want benitez due to the Liverpool connection but he deserves more than having to work with the turd that is brands. 100% convinced he’ll get way more out of the squad than Ancelotti did and would have this season, have us play to our actual strengths and the fitness levels/coordination will massively increase. Gray and Townsend might have been cheap but will definitely be additions that play to our strengths, rondon I could care less if he played in China or his age, he’ll be a far better back up that the bell kean.

genuinely think he’ll turn most the fans that was/are against him by the end of the season. Only thing that worries me if that does happen is brands gets away with doing an horrendous job and stays around any longer than this season.

 

[4737carlin]

Will be interesting to see what he has to say about the business we've done.

I'm comfortable with it, tbh. I think we can do well. Is the squad a bit thin in places? Absolutely, but outside of the title challengers, everybody has a 'thin' squad.

I hope he's got the sense to tell the owner not to start acting all Billy big balls again though. By all means splash the cash again, but lets not get into shouting about how much we've got like when he first came in.

The narrative now needs to be that the stadium is a priority. That the days of pumping cash in are over, and that the stadium is part of a more sustainable approach going forward. Because one thing's for certain; if Moshiri starts telling people he's got a load of 'monopoly' money to play with again, then there'll be no shortage of people queueing up to relieve him/us of it.

It still amazes me to this day that he didn't just come in and say 'there'll be some money to spend, but the priority has to be a new stadium.' Imagine telling the world you've got a massive load of money to spend, and then expecting to get value for money in any way shape or form, when the value of the things you want are open to both fluctuation and perception.

He will be happy with it, was a good window that wont saddle is with debt and deadwood.
Besides they would of talked about this window at length when he had his interviews.

 

[MikeH72]

Ashley has only ever wanted to sell to the Middle East; there's some pretty solid anecdotal evidence that the idea was to make a quick buck after a year or two circa 2008, but we were relegated immediately and any profit disappeared more quickly than an Allardyce in an England dugout.

You're pretty much spot on though, as far as my understanding goes. Rather than invest in the club, all he's done is transfer the club's debt (which was previously with a bank, as per any organisation with debt) to himself. So it's a total albatross around the club's neck, with tens of millions owed to one individual with his boot on our throat, waiting for someone to come along to pay off the debt and pile-on an additional £150m for his troubles.

Mind you, £300million for an established Premier League club in the city centre is a reasonable whack imo - and clearly the Saudis thought so too, even in spite of its neglected staff, infrastructure and facilities.

We don't have an Everton thread btw.

Hello mate, welcome to GrandOldTeam.com, we welcome all fans of other teams here. Our Newcastle thread was set up as a discussion around the impending takeover (May 2019), most discussion in there is impending takeover related. It is a good and interesting thread but at the minute it is missing some Newcastle representation as all the Newcastle fans kept getting banned for being tedious head patting slugs. Why don’t you get involved and add some first hand knowledge to the discussion?

 

[Nyhus]

Mustve used the wrong emoji, what hes saying isnt funny, its just factual.

 

[blueconverse]

Mustve used the wrong emoji, what hes saying isnt funny, its just factual.

I have just had a read and I thought we were the most miserable fans but I was wrong. I kind of get it as Bruce is awful but the media love him so it would wind me up.

 

[catcherintherye]

Ashley has only ever wanted to sell to the Middle East; there's some pretty solid anecdotal evidence that the idea was to make a quick buck after a year or two circa 2008, but we were relegated immediately and any profit disappeared more quickly than an Allardyce in an England dugout.

You're pretty much spot on though, as far as my understanding goes. Rather than invest in the club, all he's done is transfer the club's debt (which was previously with a bank, as per any organisation with debt) to himself. So it's a total albatross around the club's neck, with tens of millions owed to one individual with his boot on our throat, waiting for someone to come along to pay off the debt and pile-on an additional £150m for his troubles.

Mind you, £300million for an established Premier League club in the city centre is a reasonable whack imo - and clearly the Saudis thought so too, even in spite of its neglected staff, infrastructure and facilities.

We don't have an Everton thread btw.

The same Saudi's who when asked to show proof of funds failed to do so, then mysteriously dropped out of the bidding?

Simon Jordan is right about this. If the people are serious, they don't go making big statements in public and have Amanda Staveley all over TalkSport, they just buy the club that day. That's what Moshiri did, That's what Mansour did, that's what Abramovich did. The fact that Staveley has been proven in court to be a complete liar and fantasist is just a further nail in the coffin. They were having you lot on completely mate.

 

[catcherintherye]

I can't help but feel for Newcastle Utd. Ashley pocketing the profits and keeping them midtable on a minimum of reinvestment until a stupidly high bid comes in... And it's been going on for more than a decade...

Ashley hasn't taken any money out of the club. He has put a lot of money in to spend, which mangers have wasted. But he can't change what Newcastle fundamentally are, which is a regional club who are basically a yo-yo team. That's not his fault.

The fact he uses what is clearly a fake bid to sell season tickets is a bit snidy though.