BRUISED BROTHERS

We all have problems, Rafa reminds Blues rival

RAFA BENITEZ has told Antonio Conte every Premier League manager has problems.

The Chelsea boss is at loggerheads with his club over transfers.

But Benitez has been trying to get Newcastle to spend a fraction of Chelsea’s budget on a new striker.

He returns to Stamford Bridge tomorrow with “good memories” of his short, winning spell in charge there.

He talks with Conte now and then, and said: “Chelsea is obviously not my business. My position is to make sure we can compete against those in the bottom half of the table.

“Everyone is spending money, it’s just a question of whether you’re spending right or not... each one has his own problems.

“I will focus on my team. But I always say I have good memories, good friends. I know staff and players and we finished third – that was the target –and won the Europa League so we did what we needed to.”

Benitez will tweak his line-up for the FA Cup tie ahead of Wednesday’s league clash with Burnley.

One mainstay is defender Paul Dummett, who has spent his career proving people wrong – including former Toon boss Alan Pardew.

Dummett is in line for his 130th game for Newcastle, is the only local lad in the team, and desperate to put right United’s poor FA Cup record.

He feared he would be kicked out of St James’ Park years ago.

Dummett (right) explained: “Once I got to 15 or 16 I thought I was going to be released. I was never one of the main players in the team.

“I went on loan to Gateshead and they laughed at me and said, ‘What have you gone there for?’ They never did that at all and now they don’t play football any more.

“I had to keep going, believing. I went on loan to St Mirren and even then thought I’d be released after that.

“I thought I’d be playing football for someone else and not Newcastle. I got another one year contract, I stayed and two games into the season against Liverpool I found out I was getting another contract. That totally changed my life and my career.

“I was told I wasn’t good enough by Pardew, so I told him I had to prove him wrong. He knew then my attitude was right. I’d gone out on loan and kept going. He was the one who ultimately gave me the chance in the Premier League.

“Was Pardew trying to motivate me? I don’t know. I think he said it to other players as well and it didn’t end up happening for them.

“I think you have to be good enough at the time and lucky enough to get the chance.

“We want to battle on in the FA Cup this year because it hasn’t been a good record in the last 10 years.”