BENITEZ: I DON’T FEAR ASHLEY AXE
RAFA BENITEZ says he does not fear the sack despite Newcastle’s winless start to the season. If the Spaniard’s side fail to beat Brighton today, it will be the first time in Premier League history they have gone nine matches without victory from the outset of a campaign. Benitez is not under pressure from supporters but owner Mike Ashley, mindful that the manager is set to leave at the end of the season when his contract expires, could well act should he think uncertainty over the future is having an adverse effect on results. Not that Benitez is worried, preferring to offer mitigation for their poor form. ‘I don’t fear the sack,’ he said. ‘I am optimistic. We will persevere and we have the belief that we can do survive, because we did it last year. ‘Will it be more difficult? Yes. Is it a difficult situation? Yes, because we are at the bottom of the table. But is it something we were not expecting? No. You saw the fixtures against the top sides and you knew we could be there.’ Asked if another manager could do a better job than him — he brought them back up to the Premier League after relegation in 2016 and kept them up last season — Benitez said: ‘You have to consider what happened when I came here and then en when I decided too stay and what is happeningi now.’ ’ Benitez highlighted the lack of investment in players, the club made a £21million profit on transfers in the summer, by saying: ‘Everyone can see the problems before the start of the season, then once the season starts everyone is talking about tactics, players, substitutions. ‘But