the next few weeks

[Zippity]

In footballing terms, my worry for the next few weeks is that the limitations of our squad will be laid bare.

I think, in the main, we've bought pretty well-the problem lies in the business Rafa hasn't been allowed to do. We've got 'keepers Rafa doesn't fully trust, ditto our main striker whose Premier League record is slightly poorer than 1 in 4 and who had confidence problems before we tried to sell him and we don't have a recognised left back...and even when our 'left back' does return from fitness he's not a proper LB.

I know NR and Ghost have made very admirable and optimistic posts about the positives in our squad- and they make some very good points-but Rafa himself said we absolutely needed a couple more in which we didn't get.

Think it's going to be a long, hard slog up until Christmas.

[NorthernRock]

I'm disappointed as **** but I agree with some of ghosts points.

End of the day fat man's not purposely trying to **** up his investment and the lack of deadline activity probably coincides with Rafa going home early, maybe he was only expecting either Targett or Kenedy tbh.

He's appointed and given full control to Rafa, that's a positive move, aye the club have held up negotiations sometimes, but that is also for good reason, **** paying millions more to greedy agents or £15m on players like Wood man ffs.

Don't forget we have more than a 25 man squad and apart from deadline day this has been one of our most productive transfer windows in recent years with 6 players through the door tbh.

People need to stop looking at money spent, especially in this crazy market because it doesn't mean **** lads.

Liverpool spent around 40m on Oxlade-Chamberlain... Whos the say Murphy isn't a better player?

Who's to say just because Brighton and Huddersfield have spent **** loads they've got a better squad than ours? They needed to spend money so all the pundits are saying yeah good on them showing ambition but I still don't think that their first 11's are as good as ours, I honestly don't.

We should have definitely brought in a left back and another striker but I can see why we didn't and I don't believe it was because they're amateurs or that Benitez didn't know the reasons why either.

By the end of this season our signings values could well look like the following...

Joselu £10-15m
Merino £25m
Lequene £30
Manquillo £10
Murphy £15m
Atsu £15m

You look at relative players and with a good season (which I still think we'll have, nothings changed for me) those prices definitely aren't unrealistic.

If we'd have paid their potential values would that have showed more ambition and allowed pundits and a-like that we're ambitious and heading in the right direction?

Like I said, watch this space, this guy can get this team winning consistently, then January add a few additions and in the summer with the tv money we can proper spend more on the squad.

Patience is key in my opinion. Let the man do his job and let them all show us what they can do before writing the lads off who DO play for our football club.

[Zippity]

I totally agree that the amount of money spent isn't the big issue. What matters to me is the failure to strengthen in the key areas Rafa had identified.

[pboromag]

rafa has full controll of his squad
he was told you can have every penny the club generates

he got rid of carr

against ashlys advice

he didnt ship enough out
he didnt have enough lined uopp

it seems to me the biggest area rafa wanted to strengthen was a goalie

we have been linked with more goalies than we ever have yet have 3-4 good enough goalies

yet it has been blatanty clear noy in just this window but previous ones we needed a left back

i just feel rafa is a decent coach but a footy manager
know way

the adoration from the fans has gone to his head and he is taking on ash

with hugely uninspiring footy and a complet lack of knowledge of suad building

will we miss him
no

any manager would have got us up last season
most with more inspiring footy than we played

but the geordies love a badge thumper

[toptoon]

I totally agree that the amount of money spent isn't the big issue. What matters to me is the failure to strengthen in the key areas Rafa had identified.

Rafa clearly rates Dummett otherwise he would´ve signed a LB instead of Murphy.

I´m happy with lejeune, Merino and the jury's out on Joselu (but made a good start).
I´m not happy that we didn´t sign a LB and another striker. As far as goalies. I hope Woodman is nearly ready to step up.

[Nufc24Mag]

rafa has full controll of his squad
he was told you can have every penny the club generates

he got rid of carr

against ashlys advice

he didnt ship enough out
he didnt have enough lined uopp

it seems to me the biggest area rafa wanted to strengthen was a goalie

we have been linked with more goalies than we ever have yet have 3-4 good enough goalies

yet it has been blatanty clear noy in just this window but previous ones we needed a left back

i just feel rafa is a decent coach but a footy manager
know way

the adoration from the fans has gone to his head and he is taking on ash

with hugely uninspiring footy and a complet lack of knowledge of suad building

will we miss him
no

any manager would have got us up last season
most with more inspiring footy than we played

but the geordies love a badge thumper

F*ck off u muppet, he shipped out nearly all the dead won except 2-3 players but I forgot u said we needed a full new squad so he still has another 25 players rid of!!!


He had players lined up but can't sign them if numptys won't pay what the clubs or the players are asking!!!!

The only Newcastle fan that won't miss him is u!!!


No wonder everyone calls u a idiot I've never talked too or met a Newcastle fan like u



ASHLEY OUT!!!

[pboromag]

F*ck off u muppet, he shipped out nearly all the dead won except 2-3 players but I forgot u said we needed a full new squad so he still has another 25 players rid of!!!


He had players lined up but can't sign them if numptys won't pay what the clubs or the players are asking!!!!

The only Newcastle fan that won't miss him is u!!!


No wonder everyone calls u a idiot I've never talked too or met a Newcastle fan like u



ASHLEY OUT!!!

i thought rafa had contacts and players wanted to play for him

he couldnt even get a loane to come here

one of our own players was head phucked after a meeting with him

one of our ex players who i was out with during the week said the squad of players he talked to was totaly confused as to what he was trying to do

[pboromag]

Rafa clearly rates Dummett otherwise he would´ve signed a LB instead of Murphy.

I´m happy with lejeune, Merino and the jury's out on Joselu (but made a good start).
I´m not happy that we didn´t sign a LB and another striker. As far as goalies. I hope Woodman is nearly ready to step up.

woody wants out
he feels let gown by rafa

was told to stay and fight for his placeand wouldnt be going out on loan
only to be told rafa wanted a goalie

making him 4th choice

this is a player with 6 clubs after him all willing to pay his wages in full

[NorthernRock]

Losing carr didn't effect this window, how could it when Benitez gets who he wants?

With inside knowledge I would have thought that youd have known the ONLY keeper he wanted was Reina for a lot of reasons, the rags just ran with it that he was after another keeper so linked us with **** loads, did you ever hear this from the horses mouth/

He couldn't ship enough out because clubs/charnley held up sales.
He didn't have enough lined up because of the above, I said this weeks ago.

Replying to Zip, I agree but if you think that we did add Joselu and he only plays one up front, I'm not saying it's ideal but I'm sure not many clubs wanted to sell their best finisher, Perez apparently rejected us too.

The left back situation is piss poor BUT Manquillo, Mbemba and Clarke can play there, it's not ideal but it's not a disaster, when Yedlin comes back Manquillo can switch and try and make the position his own to keep Dummet out, left back funnily has constantly been a weak area but we do have Haidara also, who I actually used to rate then never saw the **** play again, maybe it's a blessing for him to prove his worth mate?

I know there's a few bits in there trying to rub jam on ****, but lets face it, the windows shut, I want/believe we'll have a good so wtf can we change except whats in front of us?

OUR players need more credit tbh, these lads got us up because they wanted to be here, now lets give them the chance to push on and evolve into a good prem team.

We've only been back a few weeks lads, lets keep the buzz and kick on with Rafa man, **** players who we haven't got man.

HTL

[NorthernRock]

one of our ex players who i was out with during the week said the squad of players he talked to was totaly confused as to what he was trying to do

Bull ****ing ****.

Why don't you give us a laugh and share who it was