wolfy

Let's put it plainly. Rafa is absolutely not immune to being called out for his issues just as Ashley and Charnley and co, aren't. It's fine to say it wasn't Rafa that gave the 5 year deals and what not but the point is, he was a major part in sanctioning all of his deals, which, like it or not, will have been contractual negotiations. Rafa has a lot more input than most managers we've had and especially under Ashley. It's one of the reasons he stayed, apparently. The point still stands that Hanley and a good few others he bought were for two reasons, it appears to me. One is the obvious championship experience and quality and the other is the hope that it can be carried on into the premier league to give us a first season kick start in terms of improving to cater for the change, as first team in some cases but squad back up in many, with the already earmarked deadwood/surplus already penned off well before, in the likes of those who we went down with and who are hardest to shift. Rafa is taking his share of the praise and also the digs. He either gets on with it and sets about putting the squad to work in his image, without whining. And he can quickly start to get his squad mentality into confident mode by cutting out the negative vibes and also the negative on field tactics. Or, he can piss off now before he wrecks the mood of the camp and the minds of the fans. He's got the potential to do a very good job for us but I do not want him if his mind is on seeing out half a season and calling it a day. Basically speaking, I'm saying that he needs to get focused and do what he's paid handsomely for.

I didn't imply it would make sense giving those players one year deals. You implied that Rafa bought them as championship fodder. I simply argued as to why they would get the contracts they did if that was the case. Now you're saying that Hanley COULD have turned out ok and Diame COULD have proven to be the goalscoring midfielder in the prem,a s well as being an alternative to Shelvey. Rafa Bought players for two reasons, I believe.

Sunderland had a good go at it as well and look at the state of them.

Q.P.R is the closest I can think of and we all know what happened to them.

You don't give players 3 year contracts (Diame) and £45,000 a week or players 5 year contracts (Hanley for instance) if you intend for them to be championship fodder. It makes no sense, at all.

Never too soon for a prick like yourself.

Everton will most likely pay the silly asking prices seeing as they spent 45 million on Siggardson and are paying Rooney sickening wages. We can't compete with that silliness.

There can be no argument that players were bought for the championship in many of the cases and you only have to look at contract length to show that. Darryl Murphy stands out as one legitimate player that was bought for the championship. Hanley on a 5 year contract suggests that Rafa had higher hopes for the lad. And so on.

Let's put it very simply. Rafa has been promised what he's been promised by the club. If Rafa is not allowed to do what he agreed to on top of what he expected to get by Ashley or Charnley, then we can all accept that he would have stipulated this in a contract, in terms of a breach and allowing him to walk away with compensation and his head held high. By the close of this window I expect Rafa to either manage this club in the proper manner, playing reasonably entertaining football with what he has at his disposal, or I expect him to actually walk out of the club citing the reasons above, or similar. If he decides to stay once the window is closed, I do not expect him to bemoan any unwillingness by the club to aid him in his quest to build his team, because I'm fairly sure that the onus is well and truly at his own door and gives him no scope for excuses to favour himself should he decide to walk from that point or fail to provide the fans with a team on that pitch that give 100% and wear the shirt with pride, whilst showcasing the skills they do have.

It's not the signings that are bad, it's the way Rafa uses them.

We were beaten by a better team in a cup that not too many top teams take that seriously, other than to give players a run out.

Out of the cup and we move on. Nothing much else to say about any of it. It doesn't tell any real story of anything with Rafa or so called statements of intent to Ashley and co, as has been mentioned. We lost because Forest scored 3 and we scored 2. That's it. If Rafa needs to make any real statements of intent, he needs to do it for the fans by intending to send out a team to entertain and not sit back and allow the opposition to hog it all for their own fans.

I can't understand why Given and Benitez no longer want to speak to each other.

Purely belter.

I don't like to brag.

Teams attacking us does not play to our strengths at all. Teams attacking us generally get the spoils of the game in this league, because by the time we've shipped a goal or two through this clever defensive work, rafa decides to go for the jugular by unleashing his new strike for and all out attacking mentality by taking off a striker and putting on a striker, whilst still making sure we don't concede. We will get royally stuffed if we keep this nonsense up. Attack the teams that are there to be attacked, especially at home. Be more cautious when the bigger teams come to batter you and hit them on the break. By hitting on the break it means attacking the team and quickly getting into their danger area before testing their keeper. It doesn't mean getting into the danger area and then passing it back out, or dawdling on the ball, wondering what to do next.

His philosophy is negative. He needs to lighten up a bit. The game isn't just about making sure you don't concede with all else a bonus. The game is about scoring more than the opposition whilst giving the fans value for money. Clean sheets are a bonus or conceding less goals than you score. You don't build a confident team by sending them out to go on the back foot all the time.

Shelvey having a brain fart so early on might be more of a blessing in disguise to be fair. He's under no illusions about what his agenda has to be from this point on, with no lee-way for outlandish idiocy.

We're only in trouble if Rafa continues to be negative and trying to turn the football into some kind of scientific tactic. Coach the players and let them express themselves in attack.

All I'm saying is, given the right service from a positive team mindset, then he could thrive in front of our fans and become a legend. I think he has a lot more than what we've been used to for long enough in terms of all round ability. A proper striker.

It's not just about having the good feeling, it's about watching him play and seeing how he has the potential to turn into a top player if provided with the service.

Not exactly. I'm saying that Snodgrass would do more harm than good in my honest opinion.

Benitez needs to stop whining and understand that he came to the club with the mercenaries it had and went down with the club with those same mercenaries and underachievers. He stayed for the championship season and to start a rebuild for that championship fight, with his players. He now has to get rid of those players, plus the surplus dross he walked into. He's a top manager but he's not at a top club....yet. He's at a club that is trying to make its way into the premier league and stay there, under his guidance and with the budget he's been told he's got to work with. It was always going to be a troublesome effort to up a gear from the championship back to a premier league scrap in terms of player purchases, especially at inflated prices. He's bought in what he identified whether he argues about whatever pecking order choice they came down to. He's not in any real position to expect to go hammer and tongs at an attempt to sign players no matter what the cost or wage issues to get a first choice over the line. He needs to earn that right by steadying his own ship so that potential future identified players will feel that the club under guidance is an attractive proposition for them to grow with.

A few reasonably high wage earners who are surplus to free up space is all we require. Riviere.... Simply below standard in all departments. A duffer. Haidara....A constant sick note and made of glass but potentially decent left back, if fit, which means he has to go. Krull.... I don't know what's went on with him and it's a head scratcher but he wants out it seems, so I'm surprised he's not been snapped up...unless we're asking too much, which I doubt considering this transfer market madness. I haven't seen enough of the rest of them to make any real assumptions as to whether they can do a little job for us when badly needed. Saivet... It's easy to say he's crap but from the little I saw of him, I wouldn't be too worried about not getting rid immediately. Lazaar... I have even less clue about this lads ability to cut it but I can't see his wages being any issue. Gamez... Same sort of thing although from what I've seen he's also not an immediate panic button transfer out. Colback... Hasn't pushed on to better things like I believed he would when we first signed him and would be a big wage free up and should be fairly easy to move on. Hanley... Hasn't really done a lot wrong since he came and has been ready to do a job when required in the championship. However, I think the championship is about his mark to be fair. 8 players that we can afford to lose as long as half are replaced. More realistic would be 5 players released with maybe 2 more in, with the rest either loaned out or sold off in January...or in the summer.

No they aren't b t then again they also don't have a NE1 postcode. I'm sure we will break our transfer record soon enough but smashing it will also smash our wage paying record, which stands at Owen doesn't it? Once that starts then we'd better buy in players who fall in love with the club from that point on, or we're in trouble. Most of those clubs above will fall apart at the seams soon enough if they keep up their silly money deals.