Rafa: I’ll stay on as Toon gaffer

No wins, bottom of the league,but Rafa insists..

RAFA BENITEZ hinted he could stay at Newcastle next season – despite admitting they are in a “bad position”. The Toon chief

RAFA BENITEZ insists that he is relishing the pressure of Newcastle’s winless run.

The Toon boss believes his experiences in the cauldron of football emotions generated in Naples, Milan and Madrid means he is well prepared to endure stormy results on Tyneside.

Newcastle are bottom of the Premier League (the Magpies’ dejected players after last Saturday’s home defeat to Brighton, above) and without a win, but the Spaniard said: “The pressure? I have to be calm and believe because we have done this before.

“When I decided to come to Newcastle, it’s because of the potential of the club, the passion of the supporters, the city, everyone wanting to follow the team. I like this passion and pressure... I prefer fans with passion.

“Believe me if you go to Naples you will feel the pressure! I will see Naples in a positive way because my relationship was fantastic with them.

“If everyone loves football you feel that passion. We have to expect and enjoy that. At Newcastle there is pressure, but these fans... they are great.”

Benitez is still searching for a formula that works for the Magpies this term – and admits he and his

coaching staff have made mistakes. He added: “We criticise ourselves.

“Afterwards, we will say maybe that is right, maybe that is wrong. Everybody has made mistakes.

“We have to be better than three teams. We will try to make less mistakes than them. But, yes, every day you think ‘maybe I could change this or that’.”

He says his contract uncertainty – it runs out in June – would only hamper his players if they saw he was not working hard.

But Benitez said: “We are here at 7.30am and leave at 7.30pm.

“We’ve been successful for years. When I came, I felt it would be a team fighting to be in the top eight. That is the reality.

“Now we are in a position that I am not happy with, but I have to deal with that because I am a professional. I will try to do my best. Am I happy with the position? No chance. But still I believe that we will do it.

“How? We find things positive to give our players. We prepare clips, we go to the pitch, we train, we analyse the positions, we change players, we think about everything we need to think about – formations, substitutions.”

Benitez is only shown respect and love by Newcastle fans (holding a flag showing his face, right) who meet him out

and about in the city. There is no backlash or clamour for him to go, like there would be if a lesser character was in charge.

And he does not take it for granted. He said: “Do fans come and tell me what mistakes? Not too much here. Maybe in other cities.

“When I walk around the city, they talk and that is normal. They want to talk about normal things. They are fine because they understand the situation.”

Striker Salomon Rondon – who offers more strength holding the ball up – is in the squad after recovering from injury, but may not be fully fit for a few more games.

Benitez added: “We know we are in a difficult position, but we are close.

“One win, I will not say two wins, as first we must win one. But two wins and we could be 11th maybe.

“One win to start with. We must believe we can do it.”

‘You feel that passion. We have to expect and enjoy that. There is pressure, but these fans... they are great’