Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ROUGHER BENITEZ
Rafa warns fans it will get worse for Toon before it starts to get better
RAFA BENITEZ has warned that Newcastle’s season could get worse.
And the United boss says the heart of the problem is that Newcastle refused to compete with rivals including Huddersfield and Burnley in the summer transfer market.
Benitez is pinning no blame on his squad for their troubles after a four-game losing streak.
He says they are young, committed and learning the pitfalls of the top flight.
Benitez is confident his side will achieve the “aim of the season” and survive in the Premier League.
With takeover uncertainty also hampering his January transfer window deal-making, he says fans should be braced to stick with his side through a tough winter.
Benitez said: “We cannot forget that the first of September we were complaining, and all the fans were saying it will be a difficult season.
“We are 14th in the league and in a good position. What is our target? To stay in the Premier League.
“I was reading about the average wages in the Premier League. Who are the top six teams in terms of wages? The top six in the table.
“Football now has a lot of connection with the wages – you can sign the top players by paying big money.
“Our fans need to know it could be even worse. If we cannot sign anybody, what can we do? We have to stick together.
“I am telling the players to keep going and keep working hard.
“We have a difficult month. We knew that before. We have 14 points and are in a good position. Are we happy? No, it could be better, but it could be worse. If it gets worse, keep on going.”
Benitez’s team faces West Brom, and he is pleading for supporters to stick with him.
He added: “Could it be better? Yes, 100 per cent. We need to be sure we understand our reality.
“The reality is if you want to sign a striker who can score 20 goals every year, it is £40million. An average striker is £20m or £30m. We didn’t do that, so we are where we are.
“We have to compete against Huddersfield, Brighton or Burnley, but we couldn’t compete against those clubs and sign the players they were signing.
“We couldn’t pay the prices they were paying or the wages they were offering. Theplayers can manage if we stay calm and continue in the same way. Our fans know where we are and why we are here. “It’s not a frustration, it’s a reality. “I have told our fans don’t start thinking we need this or can do this, you don’t know what is going on. We have to support our players because it could be worse.
“Stick together.”