Quote Originally Posted by ghostrider View Post
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.