The January window has created a stir on Tyneside, but the reality is NUFC will be forced to sell one of their key men this summer, with Bruno catching the eye ..read more

It has been over four years since I last wrote a post on here. It marked the the departure of Rafa Benitez as Newcastle United manager. The club was a sad state of affairs, bereft of direction, derelect by owner. Fast forward over 1500 days and Newcastle United are preparing to line out against European giants AC Milan in a UEFA Champions League affair. After an incredible Premier League campaign, Eddie Howe has guided a determined bunch of stalwarts to the top tier competition in the world, and tonight it all kicks-off in the twilight of the city of Milan ..read more

Monday, June 24th 2019 is a day that will live long in the memory of Newcastle United supporters, for all the wrong reasons. It marked the announcement of Rafa Benitez’s departure from NUFC, after three classy years on Tyneside. Mike Ashley decided to pull the plug on negotiations after the Spaniard all but confirmed his intentions to turn down the contract renewal on offer via various media outlets over the past two days ..read more

As each day passes, the contract of Rafa Benitez ticks down little by little. Three years after taking the reins at St. James’ Park, Newcastle United as a club has felt a renewed sense of energy, a feeling of pride in their team, and a unusual sense of hope that has been vacant for quite some time. Yet, despite all that, as NUFC fans, we are brought back to reality when we remember who owns this football club ..read more

There was nothing unusual to the start of week at Newcastle United. It followed the same pattern as most others this season, constant rumours that Rafa Benitez was close to the exit door, and the trickle of transfer talk as January came to a conclusion. Murmurs of Benitez’s departure intensified as he gave the strongest indicator to date that he could walk away before the end of the season. It was a frank answer, and hardly unexpected, but it started the ball rolling for a pretty mental few days on Tyneside, even by North East standards ..read more

Almost exactly a year ago today, I wrote about a possible takeover of Newcastle United. It was all over the news. Amanda Staveley was apparently closing in on the purchase of NUFC. As we know, it all fell through. Staveley didn’t have the financial backing, and Ashley lost patience. The Spaniard at the centre of it all, Rafa Benitez, managed to overachieve with a 10th place finish and hopes for a new owner over the summer grew taller ..read more

When Ki Sung-yueng arrived on Tyneside in the summer, not too many folks were screaming with enthusiasm. The Korean had severed ties with recently relegated Swansea following an abysmal season in Wales. It ended and perhaps maybe even soured what was a very decent stint with the Swans overall. He followed in the footsteps of quite a few players under Benitez who happened to wear the Black and White of Newcastle, and the red and white stripes of their neighbours, Sunderland ..read more

It has been a strange start to the new Premier League campaign at Newcastle United, and by strange, I mean completely predictable. A new season usually brings about a sense of optimism - whether blind or not - and the hope for a year of excitement. One wishes that those cold winter fixtures will have meaning other than merely existing around the lower half of the table. That would be the case for most clubs, but Newcastle United isn’t like most other teams ..read more

There are three guarantees in life; taxes, death, and the annual criticism of Newcastle United striker Ayoze Perez. The slick-haired Spaniard arrived from the beautiful Tenerifé in 2014, with the plan of being introduced to the NUFC development squad. He was a highly sought after talent, with FC Porto and even Barcelona admitting to interest in signing him. Perez quickly impressed on Tyneside, and gained a starting role before too long ..read more

Another predictably underwhelming transfer window for Rafa Benitez & Newcastle United - who would have thought? Despite the handful of defensive arrivals, and of Salomon Rondon, the squad is nowhere near the standards required by Rafa and his staff. In fact, if you were to hand this squad to any of our former managers, I think they’d likely struggle to keep us afloat in the Premier League. Of course, it remains to be seen whether Benitez can secure safety with this lot, but he simply isn’t the type of manager to suffer relegation; he is almost completely foreign to the idea of dropping dow ..read more