Never has there been a more popular manager at Newcastle with the exception of Bobby Robson. Newcastle United fans knew they were getting managerial royalty when Rafa was appointed. And he lived to his name and kept a team, with a very talent pool plus a very limited budget in the premier league. Not only that he had Newcastle playing good football. Rafa needed finances to strenghten Newcastle back to former glorys but there was no way Mike Ashley was going to part with the kind of money Benitez required. This put them at loggerhead and Rafa has now departed for China with a massive salary and all the money he wants. The only problem is that it is in China. Rafa is currently lamenting the fact that he never wanted to leave St James Park in the first place and he is telling the press that they forced his hand.
So if you were a Newcastle fan in a coma for the last 3 months and you woke up to this sight then he or she would most likely ask the doctor if this was just a bad dream!
Steve Bruce's Dream Job.
Steve Bruce is a Geordie. He grew up just down the road from St James Park and it is his dream job to manage his boyhood club. The only problem is that he turned down a chance to manage Newcastle not once but twice. The first time was during Bobby Robsons reign. Robson was going to be sacked but Steve did not want to stab his mentor in the back so he politely declined the offer. The second time was after Graham Souness but he didn't think it was the right time. Not only that but he went off and managed arch rivals Sunderland in the meantime, something that did not go down well at all with the Newcastle supporters. So no wonder they do not want him at the club. The fans also think Bruce is a football dinosaur that leaves his coaches look after the day to day running of the team . In their opinion his tactics would not be anywhere near as good as Rafa's. But Rafa is one of the best managers in workd football so he would do well to be on the same level.
Protests
With all that put together a protest took place at the Sportsdirect stadium last weekend. Around 300 protested to Mike Ashleys running of the club. Around 5000 season ticket holders did not show up in objection to the way the club is going. Ashley is rumoured to be selling the club but there has been no real serious bid as of yet and the local press are growing sick of rumours, so much so that they are not reporting on it anymore.
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So it is safe to say it is a pretty glum time up in the north of England where the fanbase live for football. But when will it end??? They have to give up the ghost of Rafa sooner rather than later. If Brucey gets a couple of wins early on will the fans lay off him a bit? They play Norwich at the weekend and for Bruce this game is a massive one for him. Steve Bruce doesn't actually have a bad record with the clubs he was with but he has managed alot of clubs in recent times and some think he has gone a bit flakey. But the supporters are gonna have to give him a chance at some point or it will be a lose lose for Newcastle United. Having the fans behind the manager is half the battle up in the north. Maybe they should give Bruce the benefit of the doubt!
It is hard to replace a BMW with a Toyota Corolla which is what Steve Bruce is. Plain, dull and cheapest available option.
All the same I would love to see how far newcastle fans are willing to go with their protests. I feel other fans are probably watching for a blueprint on how to get rid of shitty owners if the do actually succeed im forcing Mike Ashley to sell the club.
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I'm not an avid fan but I found this article really interesting.
I liked Bruce at Sunderland, and they were doing really good until something happened, a couple of good players left, the newcomers were expensive and didn't add any value, or maybe he got bored. Bruce likes it ruff, he might enjoy his time at NC, but even if they do good, Ashley will find a way to bring them down again, he cares only about the money, he never was a footbal fan.
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Totally agree. He did well at sunderland . Maybe that is the problem 😂😂
Rafa got my attention in 2005 when he won the champions league at Liverpool from 3 goals down to beat AC MILAN. No doubt he is a world-class manager. For Newcastle to get good run in the new season, they need to get more valuable players which is what Rafa wanted to do. Mike Ashley not cooperating with him really contributed to his exit. But, I kept asking myself one question. Why is Mike acting so unconcern about the growth of Newcastle? His attitude towards getting things done spells it all. He didn't want to spend.
About Bruce matter: Bruce is not a bad coach but he can't just be compared with Rafa IMHO. Fans don't like Bruce. He will be frustrated if he didn't put up a better performance. The season has started and he already had some point, which is a plus for him. There is still enough time for him to gain the heart of the fans, and I agree with you, they need to give him a chance. Whatever happens, I wish him what he wishes himself.
lets be honest with the money clubs generate not giving money to managers is scandalous.
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