1.) 13 Dec 2017
13 Dec 2017 08:23:19
Really enjoyed that one Ed.

I think Rafa might have shot himself in the foot. He has spent the last 8 weeks moaning before and after every game about how his squad isn't good enough and how he needed more money/ signings etc.

Now this may be a naive view point, but could you imagine being a player like Ritchie, Perez, Atsu, Shelvey, Gayle etc who loves to attack, but you sacrifice your natural game because you believe in your managers system and want what's best for the team? Once you've put yourself in their shoes, now imagine the man who you are making those sacrifices for very publically suggests you are not good enough and should've been replaced if money was there. Do you still want to give up your natural game to make his system work? It is the wrong attitude as you should work harder to prove them wrong. I know i didn't though. When my old boss kept calling me out individually in front of my co-workers every morning i just packed my bags and changed jobs, then he started begging me not to leave and throwing pay rises and benefits at me. It's toxic working for someone who has no respect for you though, so i left anyway. Respect is mutual and when you don't feel appreciated it can affect your performance levels in any walk of life.

Their form has fallen off a cliff since Rafa started moaning. He is a great tactician, but i think like Mourinho, he needs to change his management style. It is not good management to openly criticise the people below you constantly. Maybe once to spark a reaction, but every week? Rafa needs to suck it up and get on with it. He has a better squad than Brighton, Huddersfield, Swansea, Crystal Palace and Stoke at the very least. So if he just get's on with it in the mean time Newcastle will be safe.

I love Rafa, but his public meltdown did him no favours when he was at Liverpool, and they're doing him no favours now.

2.) 13 Dec 2017
13 Dec 2017 08:46:05
MK - by the same token, if you were one of those players wouldn't you be desperate for him to get the naturally defensive players in to allow you to play in a way you're comfortable with? Right now they are all trying to do something they aren't suited for and it's making them look dreadful. If I was them, I'd rather less game time but more opportunity to show what I can do rather than more game time doing something I'm unlikely to ever look like more than a lower division player doing. Not saying you're wrong, just a flipside - he might have made it very clear to all of them that he's talking about players that will release them to do their natural jobs.

3.) 13 Dec 2017
13 Dec 2017 09:25:32
A great read. A must win for us today, I think we will beat them but it's not going to be as easy as some may think. They're in terrible form West Brom but if they was going to change things around guaranteed it'd be against us! just our luck. We need to be ready for whatever they have. A big problem I think we have is we are so complacent at times against the 'smaller' teams. They should be respected like any other team, top of the table or bottom, they have plenty of time to turn things around.

4.) 13 Dec 2017
13 Dec 2017 09:55:25
True hjikle, but he keeps using the word "quality" which to me implies he thinks those he has jack that trait. I just feel as though his moaning has been detrimental. Not only could it possibly offend the Newcastle players, but it also gives them an excuse.

Why did you lose? "Oh, it's not our fault. It is the owner not spending enough money".

Rafa may well think these things, but airing your dirty laundry in public is suicidal. You can privately want to replace players, but making it public is a gamble. Some will react positively, but in the modern game, most won't. If I'm honest (as a 23 year old) my generation are generally stubborn and easily offended, especially when we're embarrassed by someone in front of others! Modern day managers just need to accept that social shift in attitude and adapt to it. Young people nowadays a generally still behaving like teenagers in their mid 20's. Just look at the England Cricket team if you want a case study! Part of being a good manager in any industry is knowing your employee's personalities though and treating them in a way which maximises their performance.

Klopp from day one has backed all of his players vehemently in the public eye, and just worked on the training ground to get the best out of them. It has turned previously awful players such as Mignolet, Milner, Moreno, Can, Lovren and Lallana into relatively decent players or at the very least, average players. Hence why we can now compete for the Champions League with half the starting line-up still being the same as the team Rodgers had in mid table. Rodgers always blamed the players when things went wrong and lost the dressing room because of it.

Man management is a massive part of being a successful football manager nowadays. There is a fine line between being too nice (Bilic, Wenger), getting the critical but respectful balance right (Guardiola, Dyche, Pochettino), and being overly critical (Rafa, Mourinho) . It is very hard to find a middle ground and you may have to treat some players differently.

That is why you see some managers getting the absolute most from their resources, and others like Mourinho spending the second most money in Europe and still losing to Huddersfield and failing to get anywhere near to the top of their league (or even play good football) . He's not only looking like losing his dressing room, but also the stands because of it.

You can be a great tactician and spend all the money in the world, but if the people below you don't respect you then they will make you look bad knowing full well you will carry the blame. That is sadly the reality of modern football, and modern society. If Rafa can't accept that, Newcastle will go down.

5.) 13 Dec 2017
13 Dec 2017 10:49:16
You have a point there I guess - especially with the excuse part. Footballers seem to loose their drive very easily, you never want to give them excuses before playing because them seem to become self-for filling prophecies more often then not. It'll be very interesting to see how that plays out for Rafa - at the start of the season I was hoping that someone like Chirivella or Grujic who are trying to learn some positional dicipline in the defensive roles would go on loan to Newcastle but I'm glad they haven't now.

6.) 13 Dec 2017
13 Dec 2017 13:54:44
Been lurking for years and years, finally decided to register to applaud MK Scouser for his exquisite posts, not that I always agree with his points. And of course all hail to the mighty Eds.

7.) 13 Dec 2017
13 Dec 2017 15:44:20
Cheers Molby Man! Look forward to seeing more of you on here now you're registered!

8.) 13 Dec 2017
13 Dec 2017 16:29:00
Hope to pop in with a quick remark now and then. As for Rafa, you got to love him, no matter what, even if he joined United, but thankfully that won't happen.

9.) 13 Dec 2017
13 Dec 2017 17:02:23
I can see were Rafa is coming from, and the lack of transfer funds and a takeover could mean the end of Rafa at Newcastle .

10.) 13 Dec 2017
13 Dec 2017 17:24:20
Good to see a Molby fan here! What a player he was! ❤️❤️.

11.) 13 Dec 2017
13 Dec 2017 18:21:03
Rafa should shut up and learn a thing or 2 from Sean Dyche.