A tragedy is beginning United . . but it’s not all
Regional football editor EVERYONE gets what no one wants.
Nothing sums up the current impasse at Newcastle United better: the sorry conclusion of a game of brinkmanship that has turned this season into the sorriest of struggles and appears close to breaking the resolve of Rafa Benitez, the garlanded managerial genius who offered the club the chance to tunnel out of the mediocrity of the last few years.
What is unfolding at United is not what Benitez wanted, definitely not what the fans desired and – surely – isn’t doing Mike Ashley or the boardroom much good either.
That it is allowed to continue is as infuriating as it is bewildering: United seemingly intent on dicing with the very real and damaging threat of relegation unless they really do believe that a midfield of Mo Diame and Isaac Hayden and being just one injury short of having to resort to Joselu leading the line is an acceptable situation to be in.
As it stands on January 10, Newcastle United are not close to brokering a transfer. The protracted takeover saga that sees Peter Kenyon describe his own consortium as the “right fit” for Newcastle is shrouded in mystery and mistrust. Just as it did in 2018, nothing is happening. No one in a position to change it will talk on the record and the impact on the club is felt on the pitch.
In the middle of this sits Benitez: the great hope of the club who spoke about making a decision with his heart rather than his head when he decided to stay at Newcastle despite relegation.
That swish of romance – the beguiling feel of a manager who shared a vision of an ambitious Newcastle challenging again – has long since disappeared.
Benitez spoke of winning something in the summer that followed promotion from the Championship as champions; now he says that staying in the division would be a “miracle”. Although he did not say it outright, there could be no denying the sense that the FA Cup was an unwanted distraction to the business
of remaining in the Premier League by any means necessary.
There’s no doubt that Benitez can be unrelenting. He is a political animal who is never satisfied and, when his view isn’t shared, he can become exasperated by what he sees unfold. Newcastle might suggest that his refusal to yield – both in press conferences and in transfer meetings – has not helped in the recruitment roadblock, but that’s missing the point. They appointed Benitez and he will never allow himself to be Benitez Lite: working with players he didn’t personally pick like Alan Pardew and Steve McClaren did.
With neither side willing to budge, we are left with the squad we have now: packed with graft but no inspiration or excitement. They are hardworking but not strong enough to play attractive football or do anything other than regard 17th as a success.
And it feels like Benitez, too, is starting to lose hope. While last season the club was galvanised by their problems, this year they have been suffocated by them. Last year they had something to aim for – a summer where Benitez might have money to spend to reshape the squad. This year, the aim is again survival, but why? Will Newcastle still be managed by Benitez? Will they finally have money to spend? Will Ashley remain? Will they just be content to survive again? It is not a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, more a club just existing to exist.
Supporters who saw the club increase season ticket prices last season deserve so much sympathy for their loyalty in the face of such meagre rations. But the mood in the stadium is difficult to deny now. Benitez has inspired hope and joy since he arrived, but not since August. No one is enjoying watching this direct, defensive, “Survivalball” that Benitez feels has been thrust on him by the inability to improve the squad. Where last season he gave the impression of a manager convinced they would stay up, this year the dark mood that descended in the summer has barely left him.
“He remains charming company and clearly relishes his work on the training ground, but enjoyment? If he is finding this fun, he certainly isn’t showing it. Perhaps he could loosen the shackles because, whatever it is that he’s doing against the top six sides, it isn’t working. Newcastle haven’t come close to beating any of them. They have scored the second fewest goals in the Premier League and are just two points above the drop zone. The home form is a major issue and Newcastle look incapable of breaking down sides at St James’ Park playing the way they do at the moment.
The buck here stops with Ashley, who has turned Newcastle from a perennial Premier League side into one that now does not look fit for purpose in the top flight.
I was told by someone who knew how he operated that the problem was that, while Ashley is a “genius” with figures, he doesn’t understand football. So he cannot see the point in signing a player who will decrease in value even if it improves the level of the squad which – surely – is the point of being involved in the game.
At one point, it was possible to see a point to what Ashley was doing. When Graham Carr was pinpointing the players and the club was actually signing them, United had a brief flurry of success. They finished fifth and brought in exciting players such as Yohan Cabaye, Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse and Hatem Ben Arfa. But now no one is clear what the point is, other than Benitez is not a good fit for the parameters that Newcastle have made him operate in.
Ironically, someone like Chris Hughton – who Newcastle sacked – might have worked in this system. But even he has outgrown Newcastle now, working for a club intent on growing and consolidating since they were bested by Benitez and United in the Championship promotion race.
It is why Ashley has to do two things. The first is to communicate with fans who he has led to believe that a takeover is close. The second is to go as soon as possible: whether by taking a hit on an asset his tenure has devalued or working out a way that Kenyon, or someone else, can make this deal happen.
Whoever takes Newcastle on will encounter some big challenges. Not all of the issues Newcastle face start and end with Ashley. Although this may be an unpopular opinion on Tyneside, profound changes in the balance of power in top-flight football have contributed to the club’s problems.
The distribution of clubs in the top flight tells its own tale: United are the most
Benitez has inspired hope and joy since he arrived, but not since August