The takeover uncertainty leaves Newcastle in limbo, with no obvious direction, a willing but limited team and a manager happy to leave everyone wondering whether he will quitWhen Kevin Keegan took over as manager at Newcastle United in 1992, the first thing he wanted to do was restore some pride in the place. Keegan had been at St James’ Park as a player eight years earlier and nothing seemed to have been touched since he left. He was shocked by how filthy everything was and sure they were still the same stains on the communal baths at the club’s training ground that had been there in his day.The water had scum floating on the surface and Keegan’s first request to...
Hammers are thought likely to trigger the disillusioned Newcastle manager’s release clause if the mounting pressure on Slaven Bilic ends with the sackIn football parlance, Rafael Benítez faces a late fitness test before Sunday’s trip to Swansea, City but is rated doubtful. Newcastle United’s manager has spent the last week recovering from surgery to clear infection from an old hernia repair, yet, despite being in considerable discomfort, he did not forget about a fan’s fundraising event for a food bank, which was staged on Thursday night. Benítez duly picked up the telephone and not only pledged a generous donation but asked what else he could do to help the cause. Related: Rafael Benítez open to job offers amid anger over...
The manager wants new signings, the owner to sell the club. What are the key questions at St James’ Park in what promises to be a vital week ahead?Newcastle United face West Ham United at St James’ Park on Saturday after losing their opening two league games without scoring. With the euphoria of promotion a rapidly receding memory, tensions behind the scenes are escalating and the squad look ill-equipped for the Premier League. So how has it come to this, why is the “cold war” between Rafael Benítez and Mike Ashley intensifying?Surely it cannot be true the manager and owner rarely speak, let alone meet? Related: Newcastle United v West Ham United: match preview Related: The best debut in English...
Manager insists ‘we’ll do our best’ on return to Premier League, despite minimal transfer budget and a lack of communication from owner Mike AshleyThe mood inside the room had turned as gloomy as the dark clouds on view through the windows when someone attempted a joke. “It’s North Korea v the United States,” they said, deadpan. “Just without the nuclear weapons.”It got a laugh, yet Mike Ashley v Rafael Benítez is a little bit different; less Kim Jong-un v Donald Trump and much more a particularly capricious brand of shortsighted parochialism against a worldly wise grasp of the bigger picture. Related: Newcastle’s Mike Ashley: ‘I don’t have the cash to compete with top clubs’ Related: Newcastle: Can Gayle force banish...