With thoughts turning to survival and what happens next, Rafa Benitez will be focused on one thing only.
Whilst the likes of our local paper, The Chronicle, mention things like end of season summits, it’s fair to suggest that this would involve a danger of Rafa’s philosophy being forgotten as he usually takes things a game at a time, so any proposed talks will be on his future agenda.
Maybe in private when we get mathematical confirmation there will feel a need for Rafa to pencil in any potential dates with Mike Ashley as you can’t really ink anything down in permanent scribe with him.
I don’t think it’s any secret that Rafa, with a Champions League win, The UEFA Cup, The Europa League, a couple of Spanish league titles, The FA Cup and many more trophies on his CV, will be ambitious in his thoughts for Newcastle and it’s also no secret that his future here as Newcastle manager is all about what Ashley does.
So with Ashley coming up to owning us for eleven years, it’s his business approach that needs changing against typecasting. Will it be the usual takeover rumour mongering in the press with its sole aim to divert attention and cash or play for time enabling him to achieve this? or will there be some sort of lightbulb moment in his head to realise that he is in the best position he’s ever been in as the owner to achieve what propaganda he peddled when he came here?
Whatever happens, after the season ends, there is a window of opportunity for someone to take the club on armed with the best chance in the whole of Ashley’s tenure here to take us to the next level but for now, that has to wait as there’s business to attend to.