Soccer

Mad fan love sustains Rafa Benitez at Newcastle

07 October 2018 - 00:00 By The Daily Telegraph

Rafa Benitez does not have enough of the things he desires at Newcastle United, yet one thing he is assured of is what every manager craves - adulation; the unwavering backing of supporters who are as besotted with him now as they were when he arrived.
Newcastle may be in the bottom three, they may not have won this season, they have been playing terribly at times and Benitez may be struggling to convince anyone the signings he made in the summer are going to be a success, yet the supporters do not stop singing his name. He can lose and still win hearts and minds.
NO EXCUSES NEEDED
Benitez is a manager who does not need to come up with an excuse for a defeat, because the vast majority of supporters have already made them for him.
"There is no question he gets away with things that other Newcastle managers have not," admitted John Anderson, the former Newcastle defender who watches the team home and away in his role as a BBC pundit. "It's the style of football, as well as results.
"People question his tactics and his substitutions but when everyone takes a step back, they can see what he has achieved in his career and they know they are not going to get anyone better if he goes.
"You are not going to get anyone better. He's been cut a lot of slack because of it. Look at his CV, you can't argue with his CV. Who would do better with the players he is working with?"
CVs, though, are largely irrelevant, useful when it comes to getting a job, not saving them.
Benitez's position is not quite like any in Newcastle's recent history. Even Kevin Keegan and Bobby Robson arguably received more criticism than Benitez and they finished in the top four.
The relationship between manager and supporters is like a marriage on constant honeymoon, yet it remains on course to end in divorce. Benitez has something special at Newcastle, but he also has Mike Ashley.
Pertinently, Newcastle's owner is the biggest source of frustration for Benitez, but also the main reason he remains so popular.
Whatever Benitez does wrong can be explained by something Ashley did badly before that. "The lack of investment in the summer is solely to blame for our poor start," said Chris Holt, fanzine writer for both The Mag and True Faith.
"We bought players cheaply and ended the window in profit. That is not improving the squad. The players who have come in, I can't believe they were Rafa's first choice targets. To make matters worse, the club delayed making the signings until the end of the window, they dragged it out, so they didn't get to work with them in pre-season.
"It has been depressing to watch sometimes but Benitez is making the best of what he has got. I don't even resent the defensive style of football. I think Rafa finds it unbearable at times, but he also knows Newcastle fans understand what is going on.
RAFA KNOWS HE IS ON TO A GOOD THING
"I can't speak for the entire fanbase, but I can't see them turning on Rafa, even if we are bottom of the table at Christmas. We were in the bottom five at Christmas last year and he turned it around. If he gets some financial backing in January, I think he will get us out of trouble again. And if he doesn't, the fans will turn on Ashley, not Rafa."
But what happens after that? Benitez has refused to sign the contract extension offered to him twice this year because he no longer trusts Ashley to keep his promises. Yet, he remains acutely aware of the other major influence on that decision.
"I've always been hopeful Rafa stays beyond the end of the season," added Holt. "Everybody said there was no chance he would stay after relegation and he did.
"Rafa knows he is on to a good thing with the fans and I think he would like to stay. If he gets the backing he wants in January, maybe he will decide to sign the contract. I'm doubtful, but there is still hope."
Newcastle must stay up if Benitez is going to have that decision to make...

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