FUN TYNE BOSS
RAFA BENITEZ has revealed his love for British sitcoms.
As Newcastle boss, he may be in charge of football’s very own soap opera but the fun-loving Spaniard likes to relax by watching classic comedy.
“When I first came, I enjoyed watching Father Ted and Fawlty Towers, with the waiter who was meant to be Spanish but sounded more Italian,” he said.
“Only Fools and Horses is a big favourite of mine and I also liked My Family, Blackadder and The Vicar of Dibley.
“And I love the ‘Don’t panic, don’t panic’ in Dad’s Army. I watched them all – they’re great fun.
Hampers
“My English was poor when I first arrived but I used to listen to The Beatles to improve it and then I watched these programmes to relax, though I couldn’t always understand the Peckham accent in Only Fools.
“We don’t play these programmes on the coach these days because players are always on their phones, tablets or playing video games against each other.”
And Benitez isn’t expecting any box sets on Christmas Day either. “Everyone seems to buy me hampers and more hampers. Don’t buy me hampers, give me strikers all the time,” he said.
“The hampers – I get wine and I don’t drink, I get chocolate and I eat too much of it as it is!”
Benitez was in jovial mood ahead of this afternoon’s home game against Fulham – and a reunion with former Tyneside striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who he controversially deemed surplus to requirements.
“He is doing well for Fulham, so he has nothing to prove,” said the Toon boss. “He’s a good player and we knew that before.
“But we needed something different, more mobility. Were we right or wrong to let him go? We got promoted, we were right. Then we finished 10th, so we were right again.
“Now we are ahead of Fulham, so at the moment we are still right.”
Another player Benitez will be without – though this time he’d prefer to have him around – is Ki Sung-yueng, who flies out to
Abu Dhabi after this weekend to link up with the South Korea squad ahead of the Asia Cup.
Benitez wanted Ki to delay heading off until after the festive trips to Liverpool and Watford, but his pleas to the South Korea management fell on deaf ears.