Reply With QuoteDefinitely wrong manager but certainly a manager that even I thought might actually get us watching a football team play real football..and to be fair we did see some good football.Originally Posted by Zippity
Problem?
Too many players in too quickly and arguably most of which McClaren had little time to work with and arguably little knowledge of, in terms of getting them, as (if you can recall as I do) I remember seeing players coming in as the club was in America.
I disliked McClaren in the end, obviously but I think the chemistry of players were simply a volatile mix whilst McClaren was too diluted to actually sort it. Hence the near end of season shambles that even Rafa couldn't fix.
This is what you get when you spend big money on potential superstars at a club like Newcastle United in the back of beyond the arctic circle of the north east, it seems.
Basically the players come with a talk the talk top dog mentality and rarely want to walk the walk unless it's to use us as a stepping stone.
This is why I hope we never go silly in spending, because it's dangerous for this club.
The olden days of Hall are long gone.
It's a different definition of spend spend spend to get results.
It's about identifying potential quality and actually making your own stars for a fair price and knowing that if they want to use you as a stepping stone, they have to become a star in their own right, for us, which means we benefit as we go, both ways, generally.
Wijnaldum was a horses for courses player. Still is in a way. But for us he simply used us as a stepping stone in his own theatre (St.James') to put himself on the radar of the big guns.
A player who came too young and ended up under the wrong manager, even though his heart was at this club, which is the biggest shame in terms of what he could've achieved.Mitrovic-dunno who this lad is...we never discuss him on here.
But, he's gone.
A player that walked into the club like a young pampered film star. A player that knew how good he was and what he was capable of but wasn't prepared for the physicality of the English game....yet didn't really get the chance to put his own stamp on it which I believe he could've done if he was afforded time and patience from the manager and staff down to his own patience.
Just another one that got away. All clubs have them and generally have them in abundance.
I think his own versatility killed off his prospects at the club.
I think Rafa saw him as too much of a ball playing risk rather than a bread and butter defensive brick.
Basically speaking he had it all but made the odd error as well as actually using the ball that befit a more cultured centre back. Something Benitez isn't overly keen on.
His fate was sealed regardless of rumours of him not learning English and what not, which I refuse to believe.
Yep, enough said.
Mercenary fits the bill.
I think he had some potential but just not enough to nail anything down at Newcastle.
I actually think all managers were backed.Apart from Saivet, every other player would improve our first team. Not even sure what my point is. Suppose I was just thinking what a waste of money it was when Ashley actually did back a manager properly but when I looked, the actual players weren't as bad as you might think given our subsequent relegation.
It's just a case of how people see that backing and how they look into why the backing doesn't seem so giving for some as to others.
This net spend stuff is a real twist in the tale of spending because it does not tell any reality of the whole story of transfers. It just plays a reliance on cash on the hip whilst the rest is simply left to disappear in terms of player movement with no cash changing so called hands.
In hindsight he did but hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it?
Personally speaking I think he's backed all managers. The issue is to do with the amount and what was bought with that amount, whether it's net cash or player outgoing transfer money recouping for incoming spending.
I don't really want to use the Man Utd game as any yardstick for how we performed.
I believe man Utd allowed us to perform because they simply did not.
As much as it was good to watch in that half it was equally annoying to watch in the second half because Rafa decided once again to close down the game and allow Man Utd to simply regain lost impetus.
That's not down to Ashley not giving Rafa money. It's down to Rafa.
That game was there for the taking and Rafa chose to hand it to Man Utd at a canter in the end, after the canter being our footing earlier on.
There will always be some excuse with Rafa if things don't go his way, which always comes down to everyone and thing else to blame but the man himself, because he's one egotistical bloke and fans will soon tire of him unless Ashley kicks him out of the club, hopefully sooner rather than later.
There's my thoughts.
