Absolutely over the moon. (my take on the game)

[ghostrider]

So last season you whinged non stop about Benitez playing defensive low possession football trying to nick the odd goal.
This season you are not bothered about Bruce playing defensive (31%possession) trying to Nick the odd goal .
Total wum

You can make up anything you want to if it fits your mindset but it doesn't make what you say, factual.

[ghostrider]

20% possession against Spurs, 31% possession against Man U

The same OP would have completely slated Rafa for identical tactics but it’s The Mighty Bruce/ Ashley partnership that’s got him creaming his pants.

As I said earlier; you can make up anything you want to but it doesn't make it factual.

[usedtobeshearer]

You can make up anything you want to if it fits your mindset but it doesn't make what you say, factual.

Yes....that's what you do!

[toptoon]

The fact is that Fat boy backed Bruce in the transfer market (Joelinton, Saint, Willems, Kraft) and he didn’t back Rafa. If he had done all of us would be happy because we would still have a good manager who had been backed.
The situation has been spectacularly mis handled by Ashley.

IMO comparing Bruce’ performance to Rafa’s isn’t fair because the former was backed.

[ghostrider]

The fact is that Fat boy backed Bruce in the transfer market (Joelinton, Saint, Willems, Kraft) and he didn’t back Rafa. If he had done all of us would be happy because we would still have a good manager who had been backed.
The situation has been spectacularly mis handled by Ashley.

IMO comparing Bruce’ performance to Rafa’s isn’t fair because the former was backed.

Backed?
Did Bruce identify these players in such a short space or time? I'd hazard a guess that he didn't.

Who identified the players above?
Rafa Benitez got plenty of money to spend. It just happened to be money from the sale of players. The same thing to be fair.
Bruce has had players bought for him and most of the money has also been from sales of players, leaving a small net spend.
No real difference there.

Rafa had three and a third seasons to get things right and went backwards with a reliance on loanees to get him out of the mire on occasions.

Saying Benitez wasn't backed is not the truth. Saying he wasn't largely net spend backed would be closer to the truth but a meaningless truth in terms of the bigger picture.

As for Rafa staying. He wasn't going to stay unless his wages were hiked up. And if you think 6 million a season is a pittance for what he gave us and are happy for him to ramp up his wages to about 9 or 10 (guess) for taking us backwards, then feel free to have that thought.
I'm so glad the club didn't bow down to his demands.

Having said that, I'd hazard another guess that he'd already made his mind up on a 12 million a season contract in China with Dalian Yifang (Aerbin).
The man is a mercenary as far as I'm concerned but then again he's gone now and we move on with what we have.

[TheOtherTerryMac]

As I said earlier; you can make up anything you want to but it doesn't make it factual.

No one is making up anything it is factual. If I had nothing better to do with my time I could go back and prove it.

But maybe I am mistaken and it was someone else posting it

[ghostrider]

No one is making up anything it is factual. If I had nothing better to do with my time I could go back and prove it.

But maybe I am mistaken and it was someone else posting it

What are you actually proving?
Tell me exactly what your gripe is.

[toptoon]

If you choose not to believe Rafa wanted to stay and build the club, then little I can do, however, if you look at the actual evidence over years and not the last minute spin, then it’s pretty clear to me what happened.
History is written by the winners/survivors but there happen to be a lot of witnesses in this case.
I agree these signings were not Bruce’s and so perhaps ‘backed’ is the wrong word. Ashley rushed through the purchase of these players in order to sell on later for profit and not to improve the team - that is clearly obvious (otherwise he would’ve waited for guidance from his new manager).
Still Bruce got expensive investment players, Rafa didn’t. Do you honestly think Rafa chose loans over purchases and players like Joselu? I mean really? A champions league winning manager?
Seeing as Bruce was delighted (or maybe even ‘absolutely over the moon’ ) with his new signings, as he said, then we’re expecting to see a lot more on the pitch.

[ghostrider]

If you choose not to believe Rafa wanted to stay and build the club, then little I can do, however, if you look at the actual evidence over years and not the last minute spin, then it’s pretty clear to me what happened.

I have looked at what evidence is available however circumstantial it may be and how speculative much of it generally is from any side.
However there's a lot more to just saying Rafa wanted to stay and build the club.
Any manager can come up with that stuff. A project and what not...but for how long is the project?

Rafa got plenty of backing in his 3 seasons. The issue is in people choosing to concentrate on NET spends being the only worthwhile dealing as if outgoing player sales do not count for anything.

Rafa had enough to build on top of a build. He failed up to the point of him leaving, in my honest opinion.
The if's and but's of whether he stayed and would've, could've done this and that is down to how each individual sees it with speculative foresight, based on what they believe is a potential.

For me the potential was nullified when he refused to sign a contract and we can all argue whether it was for lack of funds offered or not enough funds being acceptable to him, both in wages and in transfer fees.

Anyone can make a guess at that and none of us know the facts of it, except to rely on rumours and an adherence to one specific person or another in terms of favouritism. And we all know the answer to that...for now.

History is written by the winners/survivors but there happen to be a lot of witnesses in this case.

Witnesses to what?
Also, history may be written by the winners/survivors but it doesn't necessarily have to be known to be factual...only the winners/survivors version of events.
So who are the witnesses to what you're referring to with Newcastle United?

I agree these signings were not Bruce’s and so perhaps ‘backed’ is the wrong word. Ashley rushed through the purchase of these players in order to sell on later for profit and not to improve the team - that is clearly obvious (otherwise he would’ve waited for guidance from his new manager).

Again it's how it's looked at.
Most people wanted Perez out of the club earlier on.
He didn't take too kindly to the boos and such and let the fans know, whi9ch only alienated him so much so that he chose to leave.
That's not Ashley selling him on for profit...and if it was he'd have been gone to Tottenham when they expressed keen interest a few years ago.
The same has applied to a lot of players wanting out.
So what can Ashley and co do other than to make sure they don't leave on the cheap?

As for buying players in for later profit. You don't pay 30/40 million for a player like Linton with a mindset to sell him on for profit. You're more likely going to to have to get him well up to speed and being a Shearer before his price tag rose heavily...so that's basically not right, surely.
Rushing through purchases in order to make profit on the rest.
Willens is a loan.
Krafth is unlikely to command any more than was paid out.
The Saint has potential.
The Longstaff's have potential. All of them can prove it at Newcastle if they choose to do so. If they opt out by hewad turning for clubs and are adamant, then what can we do?

There's only so much you can be held to ransom for.
At the start of the season the rumours on here were about losing Dubravka and Longstaff and Schar...etc.....etc. The one's that went were the one's most accepted were surplus to requirements.

Anything to crucify Ashley is fair game for some and if that's the case then get on with it...but life's too short to keep the bitterness up and being ultra negative about the club at every available opportunity.

Still Bruce got expensive investment players, Rafa didn’t.

I absolutely totally disagree with that.
The outgoing's catered for a large chunk of the new signings, just like Rafa's did in his time.

Do you honestly think Rafa chose loans over purchases and players like Joselu? I mean really? A champions league winning manager?

He had no choice because he wasted the budget he had on players he refused to use and players he refused to play and yet left himself the scrapings for a striker (Joselu) because he was a grafter first, back up defence second and striker as a passing thought.
Then there was Kenedy as an emergency loan and Dubravka also as an emergency trust keeper with massive fingers crossed. It worked.
The same as Almiron worked at first with another loan of Rondon, adding to a resurgent Perez.

I'd call it a last ditch throw of the dice in those cases because bad spending forced the issue.
That's how I saw it.

Seeing as Bruce was delighted (or maybe even ‘absolutely over the moon’ ) with his new signings, as he said, then we’re expecting to see a lot more on the pitch.

What else can he say on becoming manager?

[usedtobeshearer]

I have looked at what evidence is available however circumstantial it may be and how speculative much of it generally is from any side.
However there's a lot more to just saying Rafa wanted to stay and build the club.
Any manager can come up with that stuff. A project and what not...but for how long is the project?

Rafa got plenty of backing in his 3 seasons. The issue is in people choosing to concentrate on NET spends being the only worthwhile dealing as if outgoing player sales do not count for anything.

Rafa had enough to build on top of a build. He failed up to the point of him leaving, in my honest opinion.
The if's and but's of whether he stayed and would've, could've done this and that is down to how each individual sees it with speculative foresight, based on what they believe is a potential.

For me the potential was nullified when he refused to sign a contract and we can all argue whether it was for lack of funds offered or not enough funds being acceptable to him, both in wages and in transfer fees.

Anyone can make a guess at that and none of us know the facts of it, except to rely on rumours and an adherence to one specific person or another in terms of favouritism. And we all know the answer to that...for now.

Witnesses to what?
Also, history may be written by the winners/survivors but it doesn't necessarily have to be known to be factual...only the winners/survivors version of events.
So who are the witnesses to what you're referring to with Newcastle United?

Again it's how it's looked at.
Most people wanted Perez out of the club earlier on.
He didn't take too kindly to the boos and such and let the fans know, whi9ch only alienated him so much so that he chose to leave.
That's not Ashley selling him on for profit...and if it was he'd have been gone to Tottenham when they expressed keen interest a few years ago.
The same has applied to a lot of players wanting out.
So what can Ashley and co do other than to make sure they don't leave on the cheap?

As for buying players in for later profit. You don't pay 30/40 million for a player like Linton with a mindset to sell him on for profit. You're more likely going to to have to get him well up to speed and being a Shearer before his price tag rose heavily...so that's basically not right, surely.
Rushing through purchases in order to make profit on the rest.
Willens is a loan.
Krafth is unlikely to command any more than was paid out.
The Saint has potential.
The Longstaff's have potential. All of them can prove it at Newcastle if they choose to do so. If they opt out by hewad turning for clubs and are adamant, then what can we do?

There's only so much you can be held to ransom for.
At the start of the season the rumours on here were about losing Dubravka and Longstaff and Schar...etc.....etc. The one's that went were the one's most accepted were surplus to requirements.

Anything to crucify Ashley is fair game for some and if that's the case then get on with it...but life's too short to keep the bitterness up and being ultra negative about the club at every available opportunity.



I absolutely totally disagree with that.
The outgoing's catered for a large chunk of the new signings, just like Rafa's did in his time.

He had no choice because he wasted the budget he had on players he refused to use and players he refused to play and yet left himself the scrapings for a striker (Joselu) because he was a grafter first, back up defence second and striker as a passing thought.
Then there was Kenedy as an emergency loan and Dubravka also as an emergency trust keeper with massive fingers crossed. It worked.
The same as Almiron worked at first with another loan of Rondon, adding to a resurgent Perez.

I'd call it a last ditch throw of the dice in those cases because bad spending forced the issue.
That's how I saw it.

What else can he say on becoming manager?

Don't bother...it's b0ll0x...