,There was a mixed reaction from Newcastle fans at the Transfer Tavern, after the appointment of Rafa Benitez at St James’ Park back in March.
The Spaniard was left only 11 games to rescue the Magpies from relegation in what seemed an almost unmountable feat – even for a manager of the former Madrid and Liverpool man’s calibre.
Newcastle have certainly had a upturn in fortunes since Benitez took the helm on Tyneside, with wins against Swansea and Crystal Palace as well as draws at both Manchester City and Liverpool.
Disappointing results at Aston Villa, and a 3-2 loss to relegation rivals Norwich however have left Benitez’s side’s fate in the hands of their bitter rivals Sunderland – who now need only 3 points from 2 games to secure Premier League football next season.
Despite the appointment of the former Champion’s League winner; it all seemed too little too late for a side who had been below par all season and showed no signs of improving under former boss Steve McClaren.
Relegation now seems imminent and the Toon Army are wondering what may have been if the switch had been made earlier in the year.
A win for the Black Cats against Everton on Wednesday night would doom Newcastle to Championship football next season. If the club is to repeat the feat of 2010 – where Chris Hughton led his side to the title and of course promotion the season directly after being relegated – there must be changes.
Players will come and of course, players will go. So who have been the prime suspects in Newcastle’s demise and should exit St James’ with their face to floor? Our landlord here in the Transfer Tavern has identified FOUR players who Newcastle fans need to say goodbye to in the summer….
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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE FOUR PLAYERS!
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Seydou Doumbia
A player probably more familiar to FIFA fans than the remainder of the footballing world – the Ivorian forward signed on loan from CSKA Moscow on loan back in February with a option to make the deal permanent in the summer.
The FIFA Ultimate Team hero has failed to reproduce at all, and with three appearances and zero goals to boot, the former Roma man is set to leave this summer. *click’s discard*
Emmanuel Riviere
Despite the Frenchman being injury stricken during his tenure at St James’ Park, Riviere
has been beyond poor even when given a chance to sign on Tyneside.
1 goal since his 2014 move from Monaco saw Newcastle try to offload the striker to French side Lille back in February, however much to the dismay of the Toon Army, the deal fell through.
Henri Saivet
Former Bordeaux man Henri Saivet failed to even make the bench last weekend during Newcastle’s hapless 0-0 draw with Aston Villa, after failing to impress Rafa Benitez during training.
Infact, he didn’t even fly with the squad and was left to watch the game from the comfort of his own home.
Add his astronomical wages to an equivalent transfer bill of £1.25 million per game since Saivet’s winter move to Tyneside, and the Tavern may have just found the worst value-for-money player in the league.
Siem De Jong
Whether it be a punctured lung or a poke in the eye (yes, seriously), De Jong has been chronically injured since his 2014 switch from Ajax.
Joel McHale’s doppelgänger (have a look it’s uncanny) has certainly been unfortunate and unlike the others on this list, has shown promise when playing despite having only notched once in his Newcastle career.
A move back to Holland seems likely, as Newcastle will search for consistency this summer for what is set to be a long and difficult season coming.
