BENITEZ RISES WITH NEWCASTLE

It wasn’t just Newcastle’s drop that was surprising back in May 2016, it was rather the emotional attachment it saw with Coach Rafa Benitez who had, with just a few weeks left to the end of the season, been charged with the task of designing an escape route for The Magpies.

He failed to guide the club to safety but in the process of taking on the mission impossible, the Spaniard made them play the kind of football that would render their fall easier to take. Although losing is bad, doing it while playing poorly have proven to be more painful than doing it while playing with heads held high and dignity intact. The changes to the playing style have made tickets to Newcastle United matches amongst the most sought after. Continue reading BENITEZ RISES WITH NEWCASTLE

NEWCASTLE UNITED WANT SEMEDO

Premier League new boys Newcastle United who were relegated last year but won the Championship and earned promotion right back, are leading the chase for Portguese defender Ruben Semedo, according to Sky Sports.


League rivals West Ham United, West Brom and Southampton are also keen on signing the centre back but the Magpiesare offered £10 million for the U-21 star. Sporting Lisbon, the player’s employers, want around £13 million but Newcastle remain confident they can close the deal.

Portuguese news sources claim a deal has been agreed with the Premier League side but Sky Sports says the agent of the player in question CatioBalde has denied it firmly. Semedo’s release clause is £40 million but the eventual transfer fee would be far off the mark.

Semedo is believed to want the move to England. He wants the deal done and settled ahead of the UEFA European U-21 Championship which is poised for Poland in June. The 23-year old only signed a new deal with Sporting three months ago after an impressive run. The defender played 30 games in all competitions, with six being in the Champions League. Continue reading NEWCASTLE UNITED WANT SEMEDO

CAN NEWCASTLE FARE WELL IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE?

The latest winners of the English Championship title are set to play in the top tier again at the start of the new season in August.


Can they succeed in staying afloat this time? They showed a rare resilience in the Championship this year and it is enviable but can the team and its manager take this fire to the unpredictable Premier League?

Since 1992/93, only a handful of clubs have done what the Magpies did. When Premier League clubs go down a tier, they mostly stay afloat in their first year but they stay outside of the top seven usually. Only Burnley won automatic promotion back up in its first attempt. Continue reading CAN NEWCASTLE FARE WELL IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE?

Hull City’s Harry Maguire is being linked with Newcastle United

The English League Championship is reaching it’s end and Newcastle United appears to be on their way of securing the 2nd spot of the English competition.


It’s rumored that the head coach Rafael Benitez is already looking beyond the current season and thinking about how he can strengthen his squad and prepare for the very possible promotion to the Premier League.

Competing in the English Premier League is certainly not something new for Newcastle United as they were competing in the top tier league during the season of 2015-16 but were relegated after having to settle with the 18th spot.

In order to strengthen his squad and avoid another relegation from the Premier League, Rafael Benitez is looking around the football market for possible signings that could arrive to Newcastle United during the approaching summer transfer window and Harry Maguire of Hull City is turning into a candidate. Continue reading Hull City’s Harry Maguire is being linked with Newcastle United

SOUNESS BACKS BENITEZ TO SUCCEED

Former manager of Newcastle United Graeme Souness has declared his support for current manager Rafa Benitez and has asked for him to be backed ahead of the club’s promotion bid.


Souness advised that Championship sides focus on investments in the team after they earn promotion to the top flight.

Souness said all the stakeholders know that a major investment would be required when they regain Premier League status but added that the relationship of Benitez and Mike Ashley would be tested when it comes to time to invest in talents during the transfer window.

Souness said it would be “very difficult next season” if the club does not commit to getting new players.

“You can only speculate [how much money will be made available to spend] and the manager’s relationship with the owner will come out in the wash this summer,” the ex-United manager said Continue reading SOUNESS BACKS BENITEZ TO SUCCEED

Benitez Refuses to Entertain Talk about Newcastle Promotion

Rafa Benitez tried to stay grounded even after Newcastle United secured a decisive advantage in the Championship following a 3-1 win over Huddersfield Town.


Huddersfield have been seen as one of the potential title challengers for Newcastle, despite being outside the top two. Newcastle had a great opportunity to extend the lead in the Championship to six points with a win over Huddersfield. They had watched Brighton and Hove Albion suffer a second consecutive defeat in the form of a 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest during the weekend. Finishing top of the Championship has been a priority for Newcastle ever since they were relegated last season.

This was the second relegation for the club since the turn of the century. However, they look on course to bouncing back straight away just like last time. Even though the win over Huddersfield has provided a significant advantage, Benitez dismissed talk that the club are on the verge of securing promotion back to the top flight. Newcastle have a trip to Reading in the midweek action, and it will also be a difficult encounter for the club considering that Reading have also been involved in the promotion race. Continue reading Benitez Refuses to Entertain Talk about Newcastle Promotion

NEWCASTLE HAVE THE EDGE

The Magpies moved one point clear of the Seagulls after Saturday’s hard-fought win over Steve McClaren’s men. Sky Sports pundit Peter Beagrie believes that Newcastle United have the edge over Brighton and Hove Albion in the race to be crowned Champions of the Championship.

The two sides have continually swapped places at the top of the Championship table but it is Rafa Benitez’s men who currently sit on top of the pile.

Matt Ritchie’s goal was enough to seal a vital win over Derby on Saturday as they leapfrogged Chris Hughton’s side after they could only manage a 3-3 draw in a dramatic game away at Brentford. Continue reading NEWCASTLE HAVE THE EDGE

BENITEZ STILL WANTS TOWNSEND

Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has revealed that the Championship side is still interested in Three Lions forward Andros Townsend.


The transfer window is set to lapse next week but the coach insists that the club wants the player at Saint James Park.

Newcastle started the race in the English Championship strongly this campaign but they have been faltering in a season they are desperate to return to Premier League after being relegated at the end of the last campaign.

The Spaniard said he is looking at improving the team. Benitez wants two new additions next week but there are a lot of hurdles for the deal to happen.
“You know that I like Andros but at the moment no news. We have to find somebody who can give us some balance. Always as a manager you always look to improve,” he said.

Newcastle were involved in the transfer market during the summer where the coach made a profit of £30 million. However, with the position they find themselves now the market has been expensive to get options as they struggle to finish the season well.

He has refused to feel bad about summer additions, saying: “Everything we did in the summer was good. We are in a good position now to go forward and find the players we need.”

The club is set to sell Cheick Tiote and the club could call back Tim Krul, who is on loan at Ajax.

“Tim is a top class keeper who needed some time because he has been injured. He has been playing for the Ajax Under 21 team, so if someone is interested in a keeper then it’s always a name that people will look at,” Benitez said of the player who would be sent on another loan deal to get experience.

Rafa Benitez Extremely Happy with Dwight Gayle after Second Hat-Trick

Newcastle United have been able to become one of the top teams in the Championship under the management of Rafa Benitez and it has largely been done to the form of Dwight Gayle.


The 26-year-old arrived from Crystal Palace in the summer for around £ 10 million and he has been one of the best players in the Championship so far. A hat-trick against Birmingham on Saturday saw the player take his tally to 16 goals from a similar number of appearances. He is the top scorer in the Championship and Benitez says that he is happy to see the faith in the 26-year-old being rewarded in such brilliant fashion.

Back when Newcastle were relegated a few years ago, they managed to bounce back straight away. It looks highly likely that the club will be repeating the same this time around as well. Newcastle have managed to maintain their one-point advantage over Brighton and Hove Albion as a result of the 4-0 win over Birmingham.

The two teams have been the high flyers in the Championship and they have opened a six-point advantage over third placed Reading.The hat-trick against Birmingham was the second of the campaign for Gayle. Benitez said that he is surprised with the player scoring so many goals.

“I knew that he would score goals, I didn’t know how many.Now I can see he will score a lot but I don’t want to say a figure.Hopefully he can score goals in every game.He is a great finisher, he has good movement and he can make the difference.If the team is playing well he will score goals, and so will the other strikers.If we play as well as we did against Birmingham and they are in and around the box, they will score goals,” said Benitez.

NEWCASTLE UNITED PLAYER FINED FOR BETTING

The Football Association has fined Newcastle United player Jack Colback £25,000 after he accepted a misconduct charge regarding soccer betting.


Colback flouted the FA rule E8 regarding betting. The rule demands that players, coaches and match officials not place any bet on results, progress or any other aspect of, or occurrence in, a football match or competition.

Colback was discovered to have broken the law on March 16 this year after Newcastle lost 1-0 to eventual Premier League winners, Leicester City. H also placed bets on the 1-1 draw between Newcastle and Sunderland – his former club.

The FA charges did not involve games involving Sunderland but those that he placed as a Magpies player. The 27-year old was not in the squad that lost 1-0 to Blackburn as he was sidelined with an eye problem. Newcastle are set to play Hull on Tuesday evening in an EFL Cup showdown and it is unclear if Colback would feature. Aside Coulback, Kyle Lafferty and Martin Demichelis have been charged with flouting soccer betting rules introduced by the FA two years ago.

The Tigers will be hoping they get past Newcastle to book their spot in the last four of the tournament.
“We have progressed in this cup and now we get to this stage it is important we maintain momentum,” Coach Mike Phelan said.

Phelan added that the players are looking forward to it after getting this far in the competition. Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez said it is a motivation to play a Premier League side despite their home advantage. He says the team has “the right motivation and the concentration to do well” against Hull and book a place in their first semi final in 11 years. Liverpool vs., Leeds is the other Tuesday EFL fixture.