Loads of Newcastle United fans have been reacting on social media after Rafa Benitez claimed you cannot compare his record at St. James’ Park with that of Steve Bruce’s.
Benitez left the club at the end of his contract in June, after months of negotiations over a new contract with owner Mike Ashley failed to reach a successful outcome.
The Spaniard had been keen to secure certain guarantees over the club’s transfer policy and take a larger control in recruitment, as he sought to sign players aged over 25 such as last season’s Player of the Year Salomon Rondon.
Bruce was later hired two weeks after the former Real Madrid boss’ departure, signing a three-year deal at St. James’ Park in a window we would go on to smash our club-record transfer spend on Joelinton.
The Brazilian’s £40million move was soon followed by the arrival of £16.5m man Allan Saint-Maximin, and Benitez feels the changes made to the squad has made it impossible for any comparisons to be drawn between his and Bruce’s tenures.
“I think when you talk about my Newcastle or my Liverpool, you cannot compare them with these teams now,” Benitez told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily. “It is totally different, the time is different, the league is different, but both are doing well.
“Newcastle United, I will say after we were promoted and had two years in the Premier League, they are doing well. We finished, some people don’t remember, but we finished really well when we signed Miguel Almiron. We finished seventh in the second half of the league, if you just take the second part of the league.
“Now, it is a new team, a new manager and they have spent some money. I think he [Bruce] is doing well. People try to compare every year and it is totally different.”
Where will Newcastle finish under Bruce?
Relegated
Safety
Mid-table
Top-half
We began last season with two wins in 12 Premier League games heading into the November international break under Benitez, to sit 14th in the standings with four defeats to our name and only nine goals scored.
The squad may have changed along with the person standing in the dugout, but we now find ourselves with four wins in 12 games, six more points on the board and have scored two more goals at this stage of the campaign than a year ago.
Here are some of the messages shared in response to Benitez’s comments…
Is Rafa missing being a coach in an elite league rather than being a coach in a league sunderland could probably win. Bottom half premier league club with not much to spend or bottom half Chinese club it was your choice Mr Benitez
— john (@haggo28) November 15, 2019
Is he moaning again
— Gallowgate End 65 (@toonarmyNE29) November 15, 2019
Wants to be near his family blah blah blah and how can people say he was in the same league as Keegan & Sir Bobby… Pardew was a better manager
— Dell (@Dell97785737) November 15, 2019
Except it’s very doubtful Rafa would have endorsed the Maxim sale
— paul allan (@paulall04339552) November 15, 2019
This geezer is getting on my nerves now. Why is he so concerned with Newcastle. Needs to concentrate on his current job not his previous one
— Alex Cachia (@AlexCachia8) November 15, 2019
Yawn. Get over the kid man! He’s yesterday’s news. We’ve moved on ages ago. We have a manager who had unnecessary abuse to start with but has done a brilliant job and is doing BETTER than Rafa did this time last year. #SteveBrucesMags
— Andrew Minto (@minto22) November 15, 2019
Concentrate on your own job greedy guts, we are ticking along nicely thankyou
— David Jones (@davyj1975) November 15, 2019
If he spent less time talking about us and the premier league he might actual turn his China money trip into a success
— Dayle Barron (@DayleBarron) November 15, 2019