If we had a goalscorer we would be top 10

[Nufcian]

Definitely need a surprise result. I can only see two realistic wins from the remaining fixtures - Huddersfield and West Brom. It's not just those big clubs that are games we'd expect to lose at this point - Everton have picked up under Allardyce (despite the weekend's result), Southampton are a bit of a bogey team for us, Bournemouth have come back into form and dug themselves out of trouble, and Leicester are in form and in the top 8 despite a pretty ropey season overall. If we stay up from these fixtures it will mean we've had one hell of an end to the season because we'll have taken points in games we should have lost (as well as winning the two we have to aim to win).

Everybody knew we needed a quality striker to have a fighting chance, and we didn't get one in two transfer windows. We've taken a gamble on an injured Slimani, who has just less than one season of Premier League games under his belt, and just 8 league goals while playing for the Premier League champions (admittedly an anomaly) as their record signing. Even for those who think Rafa should be getting more out of this squad, there's precious little else to squeeze out of our 3 currently fit strikers (if Perez actually counts as a striker), so not bringing someone in is likely to have been the difference between us staying up and going down. We needed someone in for these last two games, which were both winnable, and we didn't do it, and now we have to hope for a miraculous result or two to help us out.

Totally agree, a fair few of the other teams are gonna be hard games for us as you say.

At the end of the day we have not had a striker worth his salt playing for the club this season. I’d question Mitrovic not being given a chance if I have any criticism of Rafa, but the usual suspect can bleat on about us not setting out to win (which I disagree with), but we haven’t got the tools to win the games, and even when we finished 5th and Leicester took the title, that was based on compact defending and hitting teams on the break, not total football FFS... we don’t have the wingers (Kenedy aside once he gets match fit) or the fullbacks to support that kind of play.

This team would get f**king annihilated if we played Keegan style football.

We need Kenedy and Slimani fit, and ideally need Ritchie back on form to have 2 real channels of attack for the ball... because if we just have Kenedy that will get sussed quickly and we’ll be screwed.

[Kal]

Joselu Stoke City 22 apps 4 goals

Joselu Newcastle 22 apps 4 goals

We haven't been playing with a 'striker' if we're being honest.

[Stanleymag]

If's and But's are all well and good. It doesn't tell any story of reality until we see what we all think is clear to see...yet isn't.

Potentially a top striker could do the business
Potentially a top striker may get frustrated by the way we set up.

It's like saying we wouldn't lose games if we had David de Gea in goal with Kompany and Cahill in front.

It stands to reason that better players will reap better results but that's not the entire end product. It's how they are set up and to be honest we set up far too negative in the second half of 95% of games after a promising first half in over half of them.

I reckon we are much more capable with what we have but naturally would be even more capable with better additions, if we play with the same mindset as the first half of games.

We've more than proved we can compete. It's about confidence building in the offensive to see matches out rather than sitting back scrapping and hoping to get over the line.

Don't know if you go to the games, but we have created chances by the way we set up. They have been squandered, and ultimately lost us ***** points, that is down to us NOT having a PL striker up front getting us 15-20 goals in a season.

Spend money on a striker. Get goals. Stay up.

[pboromag]

Joselu Stoke City 22 apps 4 goals

Joselu Newcastle 22 apps 4 goals

We haven't been playing with a 'striker' if we're being honest.

rafa brought him as a striker

[Andy1981_2]

Totally agree, a fair few of the other teams are gonna be hard games for us as you say.

At the end of the day we have not had a striker worth his salt playing for the club this season. I’d question Mitrovic not being given a chance if I have any criticism of Rafa, but the usual suspect can bleat on about us not setting out to win (which I disagree with), but we haven’t got the tools to win the games, and even when we finished 5th and Leicester took the title, that was based on compact defending and hitting teams on the break, not total football FFS... we don’t have the wingers (Kenedy aside once he gets match fit) or the fullbacks to support that kind of play.

This team would get f**king annihilated if we played Keegan style football.

We need Kenedy and Slimani fit, and ideally need Ritchie back on form to have 2 real channels of attack for the ball... because if we just have Kenedy that will get sussed quickly and we’ll be screwed.

I think the problem with the anti-Rafa view on here is that it is (often abrasively) presented as an extreme - as though they think it's all Rafa's fault, or always Rafa's fault - and that has pushed many to the opposite extreme i.e. as though it's all Ashley. The reality is that there has been a couple of games where we've dropped points because Rafa has got it wrong (specific examples of that are the Swansea and Brighton games at home where we sat back way too much). He's admitted that much himself at times. But it's also totally false that Rafa always sets up too negatively to win games - that just doesn't stack up with the actual evidence. We usually create enough chances to win games, but we don't take them as often as we should do, or more to the point, as often as we need to. When your strikers need 15 goes to score a goal, you leave yourself vulnerable to conceding more often as you push to create chances, and if another side have more clinical finishers then you simply get outscored. Your strikers not taking chances therefore has the in-game effect of making the side naturally more cautious as you wait or probe for sure-things. It's a bit of a vicious circle.

[ghostrider]

Don't know if you go to the games, but we have created chances by the way we set up. They have been squandered, and ultimately lost us ***** points, that is down to us NOT having a PL striker up front getting us 15-20 goals in a season.

Spend money on a striker. Get goals. Stay up.

Yep I do go to games but also going to games isn't the only way to understand that this team generally gives up attacking in the second half, regardless and it's getting a bit pathetic when it's clear to see that we could do a lot better.

The game is 90 minutes plus not 45 minutes.

[ghostrider]

I think the problem with the anti-Rafa view on here is that it is (often abrasively) presented as an extreme - as though they think it's all Rafa's fault, or always Rafa's fault - and that has pushed many to the opposite extreme i.e. as though it's all Ashley. The reality is that there has been a couple of games where we've dropped points because Rafa has got it wrong (specific examples of that are the Swansea and Brighton games at home where we sat back way too much). He's admitted that much himself at times. But it's also totally false that Rafa always sets up too negatively to win games - that just doesn't stack up with the actual evidence. We usually create enough chances to win games, but we don't take them as often as we should do, or more to the point, as often as we need to. When your strikers need 15 goes to score a goal, you leave yourself vulnerable to conceding more often as you push to create chances, and if another side have more clinical finishers then you simply get outscored. Your strikers not taking chances therefore has the in-game effect of making the side naturally more cautious as you wait or probe for sure-things. It's a bit of a vicious circle.

Nobody thinks it's all Rafa's fault but equally he's not innocent either.
He has enough to work with to do a job and we can clearly see that in the first half or quite a few games this season.

It's also clear to see that we are a match for all but 8 of the teams in this premier league without having to resort to any extreme bus parking tactics.

It's plain and simple.
If we stay up and Rafa takes the plaudits for it then equally he should take the flack if he relegates us.
It's his entire set up and he works with the players nearly every day.

We all want the same thing as an end goal which is a Newcastle United team that can bring us something and a club that can fight on all fronts as a dream scenario.
That doesn't mean that one person can be criticised and one is above it.

[HughieG]

I think the problem with the anti-Rafa view on here is that it is (often abrasively) presented as an extreme - as though they think it's all Rafa's fault, or always Rafa's fault - and that has pushed many to the opposite extreme i.e. as though it's all Ashley. The reality is that there has been a couple of games where we've dropped points because Rafa has got it wrong (specific examples of that are the Swansea and Brighton games at home where we sat back way too much). He's admitted that much himself at times. But it's also totally false that Rafa always sets up too negatively to win games - that just doesn't stack up with the actual evidence. We usually create enough chances to win games, but we don't take them as often as we should do, or more to the point, as often as we need to. When your strikers need 15 goes to score a goal, you leave yourself vulnerable to conceding more often as you push to create chances, and if another side have more clinical finishers then you simply get outscored. Your strikers not taking chances therefore has the in-game effect of making the side naturally more cautious as you wait or probe for sure-things. It's a bit of a vicious circle.

This is the most nuanced and objectively sound post I've read on here for a while.

Football isn't simple. If we win every match, it's not all down to Rafa. If we lose every match, it's not all down to Rafa. No individual should take all the flack or praise on him/herself.

[HughieG]

Nobody thinks it's all Rafa's fault but equally he's not innocent either.
He has enough to work with to do a job and we can clearly see that in the first half or quite a few games this season.

It's also clear to see that we are a match for all but 8 of the teams in this premier league without having to resort to any extreme bus parking tactics.

It's plain and simple.
If we stay up and Rafa takes the plaudits for it then equally he should take the flack if he relegates us.
It's his entire set up and he works with the players nearly every day.

We all want the same thing as an end goal which is a Newcastle United team that can bring us something and a club that can fight on all fronts as a dream scenario.
That doesn't mean that one person can be criticised and one is above it.

I'm with you that we have been poor in a lot of second halves this season, and I believe Rafa should instruct his players to get forward rather than back in the second half as well (depending on who we're playing).

Above criticism? He's not. It's about being fair when you criticize. And the first thing you have to look at is the squad. We could've possibly had 5-6 more points by now, but no more than that with these players. He's doing just about the best he can with what he's got. If you think it's not entertaining or worthwhile - or even tactically rank - that's your prerogative. I agree with you at times. Just don't care for the constant focus on bringing down Rafa, when clearly the problems do not start with him at all.

[ghostrider]

I'm with you that we have been poor in a lot of second halves this season, and I believe Rafa should instruct his players to get forward rather than back in the second half as well (depending on who we're playing).

Above criticism? He's not. It's about being fair when you criticize. And the first thing you have to look at is the squad. We could've possibly had 5-6 more points by now, but no more than that with these players. He's doing just about the best he can with what he's got. If you think it's not entertaining or worthwhile - or even tactically rank - that's your prerogative. I agree with you at times. Just don't care for the constant focus on bringing down Rafa, when clearly the problems do not start with him at all.

I'd rather not be having any digs at Rafa and that's the truth.
I'd love Rafa to give me no reason to have a pop and will give credit to him when it's due, which I have...albeit not anywhere near where I'd like to be in the credit giving stakes.

I'd simply like fans to be totally honest with themselves and admit that, if Rafa wasn't the manager and it was someone like Gary Monk or even Eddie Howe, or Claude Puel (add in any other non messiah like world class managers) who had done exactly what Rafa had done from taking us down (not his fault in the main) to getting us back up as champions with the buys he made himself, to this very point.....I guarantee the fans, in the main would be clamouring for his head on top of the usual Ashley out banners.


There would be no flags with managers faces on.
Basically anyone of those would be getting crucified for doing exactly what Rafa is doing and has done.

People are free to deny it if they wish but that's my absolute honest belief of what would really be happening at this point and well before it.

This is mostly Stockholm syndrome with Rafa.

Seriously though, it is. It's a case of fans feeling like it's a privilege to even have Rafa Benitez just being manager of Newcastle United and everything else can be forsaken.