the 7 teams below us.....

[Zippity]

Think a win against Huddersfield next game, at the end of the month, would be a massive step toward safety and a real confidence boost just when we need it most.

Would be a huge boost...I might even start to enjoy games!

But this bit is the key for me:

I’m just hoping results go our way in the next month so we can confirm survival before the end of the season... that should flush out any prospective take over deals, and i’d rather see that happen sooner than later... because I reckon Fatty won’t invest in the team with that in mind (again) and we can’t spend another transfer window where we bring in a cheap as chips striker, or injured players on loan.

If we're safe with a couple of games left you'd think that if anything was going to happen it'd be then. If Ashley doesn't sell before the Summer break or within the first couple of weeks then it's a whole new ball game. Rafa will leave and he'll gamble again with whoever we get in by spending the bare minimum and the whole cycle will repeat itself until we do eventually go down.

We're not out of the woods by ANY stretch of the imagination but survival is very much within our grasp-the next 3 or 4 games could end up being the most important in the history of the club.

[HughieG]

Pellegrino gone.

1 win in the last 17 games for him. I'm actually happy to see that a club believed in their manager for that long. But it's time to go after a run like that...

[waalsendmick]

so now there's 8 teams below us. with our record against them.

P 15 W 8 D 5 L 2 PTS 29

I'd say we've pretty much got it right when it's mattered.

some of us need to remember, that along with Brighton and Huddersfield, we've been a newly promoted team this season, and, out of the 3 , we invested the least into the squad.

now that we are above both of them, people seem to have stopped comparing us, I've read quite a bit this season about how they'd both adapted to premier league life better than us, how they both had better managers than us etc (now before anybody starts, I have a lot of time for Chris Hughton)

early in the season we were 6 points behind Huddersfield and as recently as 3 weeks ago we were 5 points behind Brighton.

the fact is, nobody below us (currently) has beaten us since september 24th.

we all hope for better (for which we get called deluded) but our squad weakness has been highlighted by our results when both Lascelles and Dummett have been missing and the fact our top scorer has only 5 goals.

our manager has targeted a mini division and used his squad and his tactical ability around a set of fixtures that would define our season...

almost job done...

[Jammy89]

Cannot fault him.

Although some will try to.

[ghostrider]

.... we've played 12 games against them (with West Brom and Huddersfield still to come to us) and in those 12 games we have 7 wins 4 draws and 1 defeat (2nd game of the season at huddersfield)

25 points from 12 games against our relegation rivals.....


but people still question Rafa's tactics?

he obviously knows how to get the results that matter!

He deserved his tactics questioning because before we actually started getting results, he baffled the hell out of fans.
When he messes up he'll get stick. When he uses his loaf he'll get praise. Simple as that.
He's not beyond criticism when it's due.

[Geordie1974]

We didnt get results in my view because of lack of investment by a greedy owner.Like Mick said.When Lascelles and Dummett were injured was when we suffered,we had no adequate cover for them.
Rafa kept saying we needed more quality and it wasnt there.We had no decent striker that can sometimes nick a goal and win a game when its tight.Again not Rafas fault.
Lack of investment again.Only one man to blame and that is the fat one.Ashley.
Those few that defend Ashley and criticise Rafa need to wake up.It has to be a personal thing towards Rafa as it cant be a football thing.
He has done wonders with what he has had player wise.
What about all the dross we have seen before Rafa came but under Ashley.Who is to blame for that.You wouldnt ask Lewis Hamilton to race in the GP with a skoda.Ashley gives a couple of quid and expects miracles.
Well he has got lucky this season because Rafa has given him a miracle in what looks like keeping us up.

[waalsendmick]

He deserved his tactics questioning because before we actually started getting results, he baffled the hell out of fans.
When he messes up he'll get stick. When he uses his loaf he'll get praise. Simple as that.
He's not beyond criticism when it's due.

he set out a gameplan and a pattern of play that suited his personnel. just because there are a few adverse results, doesn't mean you change that. you keep working hard, keep educating your players and staff and, if they all buy into it and do their own jobs, it works.

the proof of the pudding is in the tasting.

most of us could see what Rafa was trying to do, luckily, so could the players.

some choose to listen to the likes of Jamie carragher and Adrian Durham and bang the media drum.

we are doing well, with a very limited squad.

[toptoon]

He deserved his tactics questioning because before we actually started getting results, he baffled the hell out of fans.
When he messes up he'll get stick. When he uses his loaf he'll get praise. Simple as that.
He's not beyond criticism when it's due.

You´ll excuse me if I think that is a bit of an arrogant thing to say. WTF is your managerial record like in top class football? And before I get the "this is a forum for giving opinions" speech, has it occured to you that Rafa has changed his tactics since a host of players in the squad have stopped playing like sh*t and regained some form?

You saw Diame´s form (at No 10 and further back in midfield) , Shelvey has his head screwed on now, Dummet is back, we have a goalkeeper and Gayle has stopped playing like a drain.

I´m not surprised Rafa was cautious tactically when the team was playing sh*t and I´m not surprised we are more offensive now as this is not the case. Why? Because that´s what top class managers do.

[michaelowen]

I've got to agree regarding diame. I truly thought he was another lame duck of a signing. Now he looks like a defensive midfield general sending shelvey on his way (to try his million dollar passes) with confidence that he is behind him. And flipping heck it's working! In my opinion, please don't be nasty to me Peter ghost.

[ghostrider]

We have never been a championship team battling it out in a premier league.
Anyone would be happy in the first season back to escape the drop. I get that but this entire squad had more to give earlier on as they built up but it was suppressed. Look at it now.
Could, would, should, maybe, if only...are all words that could be used to argue that we could have been in Burnley's position if we hadn't of laid down against the top teams and some mediocre teams at times, which was frustrating.
Rafa takes the rap for that as much as he takes the praise for changing it all up which is as clear as day to be seen, lately.

This championship team is a cop out in order to make it appear like anything we do other than be relegated, will be some kind of miracle.
No way.

That's where fans have been coaxed into believing that's where we are because too many have gorged on this fictional championship team doing their best in a league of shiny golden nuggets.
It's nonsense.

This squad is doing better because the mindset has changed and the tactics have changed to do that, not to mention players coming to the fore because of it.

A few months back this team battled but done it under duress more than gusto.
A first half offensive attempt as and when and a second half back in the trench to repel the onslaught with no plan B back up capable of doing anything different.

Look at it now.
The change is almost chalk and cheese because there's more of a confidence about the entire set up.

Rafa Benitez has started showing his managerial skills 70/80% more than he has done in the last few months.
Just take a look at what we were set up like to what we are set up like now, in terms of all the game.

Rafa deserved his kick in the gonads but he also deserves praise when he gets it right. He's getting it right because he's realising that this squad is capable of much more than he allowed it to be.

Kenedy and Dubravka, as well as LeJeune, Diame, Ritchie, Shelvey, etc adding a bit of extra gee up and revamped game play and the omittance of players like Joselu and what not has changed out game from chicken chasing runabouts to actual have a go with the ball mindset, throughout.

Rafa's done a lot wrong but he's also done a lot right, lately.
I know people won't have anything said about him because of who he is but just as a player will get stick for a bad performance, so will the manager, etc.

All in all Rafa is working with a very sub-standard top 6 squad but on the flip side, he's working with a very capable squad that can claim any place above that.
Nobody can tell me that Burnley are stand out above us, because they're not.
Nor are Leicester.

Where we are in the league is where we end up but the possibilities are far and beyond what fans have been coaxed into believing.
All it needed was a game changer...and Rafa is showing what happens when it's put to proper use with the players we have at our disposal, which would have been even more clever had we kept Mitrovic. However, we don't have him but we do have more than enough to be a force as it stands to more than hold out own from this point on.