Steve McClaren has been reportedly sacked and Newcastle are apparently in advanced talks with Benitez for him to take over the managerial job.

Shame they couldn't have waited until after Leicester had beaten them on Monday.

I have no source on this just something i heard from a guy at work but he said that UEFA aren't happy with BT because the viewing figures for CL are poor. It wouldn't surprise me tbh, especially as a lot of people aren't even aware of the free games they are seen as though you have to view them via freeview. True or not I still feel BT have ruined CL coverage, heck I bet Liverpool vs United tonight is higher rates than any CL game they've shown so far.

 

Champions League has been poor on BT so far. I'm not a fan of Sky but they made it seem like more of an event than BT have so far. I also think the games they show for free on BT showcase just doesn't interest enough people, they also don't advertise the games on that channel enough either. The English clubs fans are going to want to watch their own team, if they aren't on tv for free that means they are split, people will either have to pay for BT Sport or watch a live stream. 

 

I think they would be better off coming to some sort of agreement with ITV and allowing them to show games again. I hate ITV, but at least they made a big deal out of the Champions League.

 

Their punditry of games has been pretty poor too. It's like watching a worse version of MOTD. The pundits are boring and look really miserable half the time. Then there is Michael Owen's commentary.......the less said about him the better. I can't believe they have persisted with him, pretty much everyone thinks he is a poor commentator.

 

Steve McClaren has been reportedly sacked and Newcastle are apparently in advanced talks with Benitez for him to take over the managerial job.

 

Well, things won't be improving for Newcastle any time soon then. Benitez look's to have finally found his level though.

Benitez look's to have finally found his level though.

 

To be honest I think Benitez is exactly what Newcastle need. Their defence has been a complete joke for years now; their lack of recruitment in those positions is baffling. Even the good players they brought in were swiftly moved on as soon as somebody came in for them (e.g. Débuchy, Enrique, Yanga-Mbiwa). This is especially strange considering that a) defence has consistently been a problem, b) injuries have consistently been a problem (so you would think they might see it wise to have a fairly large squad), and c) in the age of new Premier League TV money, Ashley has seen fit to invest in the squad in order to avoid a relegation which might see them miss out on a large income.

 

Benitez will instil defensive discipline and make them hard to beat, he'll rotate which [in theory] will help avoid injuries, and has a very talented playmaker he can build the team around in Wijnaldum. The only concern is that they may have left it too late - Benitez will only have two months to implement the changes he wants, and by the time they take effect they may well be down (they currently do not look better than Sunderland or even Norwich), at which point they are completely f**ked - they will have to offload a lot of high earners.

 

On a slightly funnier note, it would be hilarious to see Benitez go from a pre-season in charge of Real Madrid to a pre-season preparing to play against Burton Albion in the space of a year!

Another reason to hope that Newcastle relegate: I don't want to see that man's face on Match of the Day. Ever!

Ahh that's pretty much what he said. Doesn't make for good reading for the European competitions. I think there could be more talk of that Super League idea which I hate.

 

chances are even fewer people would tune-in for that (tune-in; there's a phrase that shows my age!)

I had heard Mark Lawrenson saying that BT was achieving only 12% of the viewers that ITV had - not good. It'll cost BT a fortune because advertisers will back away from this product pretty quickly or demand massive discounts of advertising time. 

To be honest I think Benitez is exactly what Newcastle need. Their defence has been a complete joke for years now; their lack of recruitment in those positions is baffling. Even the good players they brought in were swiftly moved on as soon as somebody came in for them (e.g. Débuchy, Enrique, Yanga-Mbiwa). This is especially strange considering that a) defence has consistently been a problem, b) injuries have consistently been a problem (so you would think they might see it wise to have a fairly large squad), and c) in the age of new Premier League TV money, Ashley has seen fit to invest in the squad in order to avoid a relegation which might see them miss out on a large income.

Benitez will instil defensive discipline and make them hard to beat, he'll rotate which [in theory] will help avoid injuries, and has a very talented playmaker he can build the team around in Wijnaldum. The only concern is that they may have left it too late - Benitez will only have two months to implement the changes he wants, and by the time they take effect they may well be down (they currently do not look better than Sunderland or even Norwich), at which point they are completely f**ked - they will have to offload a lot of high earners.

On a slightly funnier note, it would be hilarious to see Benitez go from a pre-season in charge of Real Madrid to a pre-season preparing to play against Burton Albion in the space of a year!

Good post. A lot of the issues at the North Eastern clubs seem related to the motivation of the players. You wonder if players think they are poor cousins of other clubs, a bit removed from the bright lights of bigger, or more centrally located, cities and towns? There are small teams in the South (Norwich, Watford, etc) but London is only a few hours away. If you are in Hull or Newcastle you are aware of being remote. ?

Spurs are in a game tonight, Dortmund look good in fact I don't understand why Klopp left them for Liverpool, they're miles better.

 

It's interesting how quick Dortmund are to have a pop at goal from outside the box, good efforts too. Maybe our next Chelsea manager will ensure shooting is part of daily training!

1-0 Dortmund, it's been coming

Spurs are in a game tonight, Dortmund look good in fact I don't understand why Klopp left them for Liverpool, they're miles better.

 

It's interesting how quick Dortmund are to have a pop at goal from outside the box, good efforts too. Maybe our next Chelsea manager will ensure shooting is part of daily training!

Could be he's tired of playing coyote and roadrunner with Bayern every season. Liverpool's support and history are second to none you know....

Could be he's tired of playing coyote and roadrunner with Bayern every season. Liverpool's support and history are second to none you know....

 

oh yeah, I forgot about that!

oh yeah, I forgot about that!

They'll be happy to remind you if you ask, or if you just look in their general direction

van der Sar is apparently coming out of retirement for one game (albeit in the Dutch fourth division):

 

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/10/edwin-van-der-sar-vv-noordwijk

They'll be happy to remind you if you ask, or if you just look in their general direction

 it's ok there'll be enough of that cr*p later tonight, I'm hoping United turn up

Edited March 10, 201610 yr by carrickblue

that's Spurs out; 3-0 down I can't see them over turning that. This Dortmund side look better than almost anything we've got in the Premier League - makes you wonder what all the fuss about the EPL is.....

Dortmund cutting Spurs open at will now, strange team selection considering Germany is only an hours flight away

Aubameyang looks dangerous anytime the ball goes near him. Deadly striker.

Reus really is excellent.

Reus is class, I'd give anything for us to sign him!

Another English team disrespects the Europa League and they are now getting hammered. There is no excuse for it in my opinion. Tottenham may be going for the title, but to just throw away a competition like this is ridiculous. If i was a Tottenham fan i would be furious right now. Why bother entering the competition if you are just going to throw it away in the later stages ?

 

I don't want it to happen but if English football losses a European spot, we would be getting exactly what we deserve.

that's Spurs out; 3-0 down I can't see them over turning that. This Dortmund side look better than almost anything we've got in the Premier League - makes you wonder what all the fuss about the EPL is.....

They are up against a Spurs B team, I would be worried if they weren't dominating.

 

I understand they need to win against Villa but on the other hand, it's Villa. I'm sure the team they have out now would beat Villa comfortably.

Another English team disrespects the Europa League and they are now getting hammered. There is no excuse for it in my opinion. Tottenham may be going for the title, but to just throw away a competition like this is ridiculous. If i was a Tottenham fan i would be furious right now. Why bother entering the competition if you are just going to throw it away in the later stages ?

I don't want it to happen but if English football losses a European spot, we would be getting exactly what we deserve.

I agree. The theory is wrong because you can't prioritise competition A over competition B because success in neither is guaranteed. We might be neglecting one contest for another, only to fail in both. We can do nothing in the league unless Leicester make mistakes. Europe is (was) do-able.

I agree. The theory is wrong because you can't prioritise competition A over competition B because success in neither is guaranteed. We might be neglecting one contest for another, only to fail in both. We can do nothing in the league unless Leicester make mistakes. Europe is (was) do-able.

I think it's a combination of Leicester having tough games coming up and the reward for Europa League, apart from the trophy, being CL football which Spurs would get regardless if they won the league or at least finish Top 4. 

I think it's a combination of Leicester having tough games coming up and the reward for Europa League, apart from the trophy, being CL football which Spurs would get regardless if they won the league or at least finish Top 4.

That's a fair point but winning the Europa League would be a trophy whereas Leicester might not slip up, we might not close the gap, etc. I know that what you say makes sense but it feels like a self imposed narrowing of options. I don't like the idea of doing an Arsenal and weighing options based on £ and not on actually winning trophies.

Worse, I've got a feeling that LFC will do well tonight...:-(

Edited March 10, 201610 yr by Spudulike

I'm sure it would be a big payday to be the next Newcastle manager but surely any half decent manager would avoid it at all costs.

Their defenders are just dreadful and the squad is full of players that don't give a sh*t. Incredibly difficult job.

Which means it's tailor made for Pulis who will likely leave West Brom this summer when yet another chairman becomes upset at his financial ineptitude and prickness. (I admire his accomplishments more than those of any manager but acknowledge that he's a prick.)

Not sure he'd be okay with a Championship team. His promotion record is a much bigger question mark than his relegation avoidance record.

If they avoid relegation, my money's on Pulis.

Liverpool "hard man" booked within 3 minutes. Excellent :-)

Liverpool "hard man" booked within 3 minutes. Excellent :-)

He's a pixie looking child prat twat.

'Have you ever seen Gerrard win the league?' Being sang loudly & proudly and Anfield. Oh and now the Demba Ba song!