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Opinion

Liverpool fans comment on Newcastle love-in cracks appearing after NUFC chants and Rafa tactics

6 years ago
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Liverpool fans and Newcastle supporters have had a decent rapport in recent times.

For whatever reasons the Premier League era seeing the two fanbases getting along pretty well, certainly better than say when Newcastle play Man Utd or Everton for example.

Whether it is two similar cities, past connections such as Kevin Keegan, Terry McDermott and Peter Beardsley, or whatever.

The arrival of Rafa Benitez taking it to another level, particularly maybe with Newcastle at such a low ebb and zero threat to any ambitions the scousers now have.

However, are the cracks now appearing?

In the comments below you will see some Liverpool fans going a little over the top with their criticism of Rafa Benitez and his tactics, though to be fair plenty of others are just as quick to defend him, citing the difficulties he faces (poor quality squad and especially Mike Ashley).

On the other hand only a few Liverpool fans were looking to defend the Newcastle fanbase after the 2-0 defeat, with some of the travelling fans winding up the home crowd with ‘sign on’ and Steven Gerrard chants.

An interesting debate!

Liverpool fans comments via their top message boards LiverpoolFC Forum and Red and White Kop:

‘Anyone who wants Rafa to come back one day needs their head read.

That was a dire Newcastle going nowhere.

Sure he does not have the resources but 2-0 down and he brings off a striker to replace him with another one. You’re 2-0 down mate.

Why not have a go and play two? There’s a difference between being tactical and being negative.’

‘His ideas beat (Man) United last week so its against lesser teams where criticism should be made.’

‘Rafa probably wanted to keep it tight and the scoreline down.

Newcastle have the best goal difference among the teams fighting for relegation and its worth an additional point. Don’t blame him whatsoever.’

‘Rafa’s got them well drilled. I hope they stay up for his sake. Their fans on the other hand…’

‘To be quite honest mate any team that plays anti/football like that doesn’t need anyone’s sympathy.’

‘That was a hard watch at times. Newcastle are a horrible side to play against.’

‘3 points well deserved… Penalty at the end but no big deal.’

‘Karius needs a special mention as thats what we have been lacking.

How many times do teams have 1 shot and have 1 goal. He doesn’t save that and we go in at half time 1 a piece.

I’ve givem him load of grief so he gets my applause tonight.’

‘Loving a regulation 2 nil victory at home. A horrible side to play against is quietly moved aside and we get the 3 points.’

‘Another great win against a very well organised side, as you would expect from Rafa. Well done Jurgen and the lads!’

‘I would say very negative Rafa side.’

‘Grateful for the win but didn’t think we played all that well.

The only two fluid moves we had led to goals. The rest was balls bobbling off people’s knees, passes going nowhere and some bizarre options.

The main thing though is that we won when playing average but we need to lift for the Scum. Ox man of the match for me and Virgil and Lovren were very good. Need to curb unnecessary free kicks.’

‘It was a frustrating game for me, not because of us, but because of how Newcastle set up. It was never gonna be great against a well drilled Benitez team.’

‘Honestly think that’s the best I’ve seen us play in some ways. We were just so completely calm, in control and patient.

Newcastle didn’t play badly either, we just utterly shut them down. We only carved out a couple of really great opportunities, but we had the belief to know that’s all we’d need. Brilliant.’

‘A good win after Rafa set up his stall to frustrate us and if we were anyway off yesterday then it could have played into Newcastle’s hands.’

‘Can I just defend Rafa a bit, and mention that as much as people are talking about tactics being different now, the reality is that they’re not.

Rafa has just been working in some bad situations, and at Newcastle, with some godawful players. Put him at Arsenal, doing the same stuff, and nobody would be questioning his tactics.

Football is football. Press, cover, balance, consolidate, communicate vs penetrate, depth, width, mobility, and creativity. Be strong in 1v1s, and if you can’t, then turn 1v1s into 2v1s. Be fit. Keep your shape.

The game doesn’t change, only the emphasis.

Rafa’s golden.’

‘He limited us to 3 shots on target. We scored 2. Not much a manager can do beyond that.’

‘Great result.  Well in Klopp and redmen.

Using this game to have  pop at Rafa makes you a c….

May I add? F… those Newcastle fans and their Tory chants. If it wasn’t for Rafa, I’d f…ing pray they went down. Thick knackers.’

‘Not all Geordies should be judged because their fans sang small time songs today.’

‘Totally agree, annoys me when some posters need to play one manager against an ex manager, Rafa deserves respect 24/7 at this club and in the City of Liverpool itself.’

‘Benitez, much like Mourinho, is holding on to a style of football that doesn’t seem to be as successful as it used to be. Not conceding and scoring the odd goal.

It is a borefest to watch and only occasionally gets a result, especially with the atrocious squad that Newcastle has put together for  him.’

‘Bit of a mess that post to be honest.

Don’t you see a link between that ‘atrocious squad’ and why he has to set them up that way?

Mourinho has a squad that cost hundreds of millions with a ton of talent that he doesn’t use properly because he’s a coward. BIG difference.’

‘Rafa is working miracles with a Championship level squad.’

‘Can’t understand why anyone would take snide digs at Rafa Benitez.

Says everything about the man that, in spite of the mess that Newcastle find themselves in, their supporters absolutely adore him, as every Liverpool supporter should for everything he did for the club and for everything he still continues to do for the city.

I wouldn’t swap Jürgen Klopp for any other manager, but I also wouldn’t trade the memories I have of Rafa’s time at the club.  We were very lucky to have him, as Newcastle are very lucky to have him now, and I will never wish him anything but the best.’

‘Thats the thing with Rafa, not only an excellent coach over the years, but even more importantly a wonderful man.

Does my head in Liverpool fans who have digs at him now.  Remember the great times, but more than anything remember his class, and not just his, but his wife’s too, they live in the area to this day, for a reason.’

‘Hopefully the love in over Newcastle just because Rafa is their manager will stop as.

I wouldn’t mind it at all if they went down, their fans think they are entitled and they’re still a big club.’

‘I wasn’t aware they ever were a big club mate.’

‘In terms of fan base, stadium size, etc

Otherwise I’m well aware they’ve won f… all for the last 50 years and will win f… all for the next 50, but somehow they still think they’re bigger than they actually are.’

‘Yeah they always come across as thinking they are a big club, when the reality is the opposite. Being the only club in a city will give you a decent crowd, but Everton are a bigger club than they will ever be.’

‘To be fair to them, their potential is massive,

52000 fanatical support every week,they just need the right people in charge off the field.’

‘The potential is there, but they are still not a big club. They last won the league in 1927, which was their 4th, the last major thing they won was the Fairs Cup in 1969. Big clubs win things.’

‘Every single set of fans in the league has heard this from their rivals/opponents.

I think it’s ridiculous, honestly. Of course Newcastle fans think they’re up there in terms of club stature with Everton, Leicester, and Southampton. Their stadium, their fanbase, their history, all says they could be there or thereabouts.

Should we expect them to be HAPPY finishing 15th and just barely staying up? Should they say “yeah, that’s about where we should be” and then just accept it?

The reason I make this argument is because people always do this to us. “Liverpool fans should stop living in the past and expecting to win the league or finish top 4 every year.” “The scousers are the most deluded fanbase in the league, they still think Liverpool are a massive club up there with Man United and Arsenal, truth is they’ve finished outside the top four more often than not last 10 years.”

Well, sure, we’re going through a down period (or we were, at least, before Klopp took over). But we still think of ourselves as a massive club, and we have the ambitions to match. I want us to be competing for the league at the very least every single season, and going deep into the CL and I don’t think that’s ridiculous and thinking of us as “bigger than we actually are,” despite what other fanbases say about us.

But here we have people criticising Newcastle fans for the exact same thing. Sure, criticise them for the incredibly small-time Gerrard song. That’s perfectly fair. But to criticise them for “thinking they’re a bigger club than they are” – that’s just ambition, for me.

I’d be pretty wound up with what Ashley’s doing to their club if I were one of them, and I don’t blame them for being upset about it and wanting to do better.’

‘Newcastle of all teams/cities should never sing “sign on” to Liverpool supporters.’

‘Of course they shouldn’t, but they’re a bunch of mainly drunk away fans trying to annoy the home supporters. They know full well that Newcastle is actually extremely similar to Liverpool, they just don’t particularly care about the fact at the time.’

‘Had no time for them since their racist chants toward Mido all them years ago. Hope Rafa bins em off and they get relegated.’

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