Benitez: I won’t let Toon go down again

RAFA BENITEZ hopes to cap his second anniversary as Newcastle boss with a potentially priceless home win over Southampton today.

It’s two years tomorrow since Benitez arrived at St James’ Park with the Magpies in a similar predicament to the one they faced back then.

He failed to keep Newcastle up two years ago.

But Benitez believes that having won promotion last season at the first attempt, he will be more successful this term.

Strugglers

“It is difficult to sum up just two years,” he said.

“There was the disappointment of that first season when we thought we could stay up, but I was really pleased with the second when we won the Championship.

“This year could be worse. It is fine. Obviously we wanted to do things in another way, a better way, but when you think of what we had and where we are now, we are doing a lot of things right.”

Benitez knows how vital it is to beat fellow strugglers Saints this afternoon.

“It is a massive game and of course we will all feel ® the pressure,” he said. “But we have been feeling it from day one so it’s not a big difference.”

Newcastle will fly out to Alicante on Thursday for a four-day stay which will include a friendly, most likely against Belgian side Royal Antwerp who are based in the same area of Spain.

A similar trip backfired badly for bottom side West Brom recently when four players broke a curfew and were accused of stealing a taxi in Barcelona.

Benitez was Liverpool manager 11 years ago when his players hit the front pages rather than the back after Craig Bellamy whacked John Arne Riise with a golf club on a Reds break in Portugal.

But Benitez has no such fears for his current squad.

“I don’t like to take everyone away from their families but 21 days between league games is too long,” he said.

“We need to do something so we will go for four days – not too long, no parties, but train and play a game.

“Will they be allowed to drink? They can drink water, no problem!

“But seriously, I trust them. I have not had problems with my teams. There was that famous incident with Liverpool in Portugal but then we beat

Barcelona.”