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Opinion

Richard Keys uses blatant lies in embarrassing attack on Rafa Benitez

6 years ago
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It is amazing that they still let Richard Keys out of the house, never mind still pollute the TV screens.

Fair enough, he may have been banished from these shores, but by the power of technology he can still be seen in the UK.

Richard Keys also has his own personal blog, where he writes very similar rubbish to what he speaks on screen.

Half-baked arguments based often on false premises.

In his latest blog, Keys has returned to one of his favourite subjects, namely English/British managers are hard done by.

Rather than just taking about what a great job Sean Dyche has done at Burnley, Richard Keys has felt the need to lay into Rafa Benitez as the main thrust of his argument that Brits are best when managing outside the top half dozen clubs.

Facts are very flexible for Keys and he claims Rafa Benitez only got Newcastle promoted because he spent ‘£102m and took 17 players to St James Park’.

It was actually around £54m and 12 players in the promotion season transfer windows.

He praises Sean Dyche (rightly) for producing a transfer profit this summer, yet fails to mention that Rafa Benitez is currently almost £30m in credit on transfers at Newcastle, having produced a £40m profit in summer 2016 (see extract from club accounts below), spending nothing in January 2017, then a net spend of around £11.5m this summer.

He praises Chris Hughton (again rightly) for the job he did getting Brighton promoted…but then fails to mention that Hughton, as well as David Wagner at Huddersfield, had net spends of over £40m each, almost four times as much as Rafa Benitez.

We can all pick and choose statistics to use but it is pretty disgraceful the way Richard Keys puts forward his ‘arguments’, especially with the lies regarding what happened in Rafa’s promotion season with Newcastle.

He has admitted in the past that he doesn’t like Rafa Benitez and repeatedly criticised him but to stoop to cowardly attacks like this just sums Richard Keys up.

Richard Keys writing on his personal blog:

‘Here’s an inconvenient truth – the three Brits who’ve taken charge at Palace, West Ham and Everton have lifted those clubs 16 places since taking over. Not bad eh? Moyes is fast becoming a hero at West Ham, Allardyce has got Everton moving and Hodgson has got Palace off the bottom and out of trouble.

By the way, if Allardyce can deliver Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January then its ‘lift-off’ at Goodison.

But I’ve often wondered how a ‘Super Coach’ would manage at the wrong end of our league – and it looks like I might be getting my answer. I’ve said before – great credit to Benitez for the job he did getting Newcastle up. It was every bit as good as the job Chris Hughton did the last time they got promoted from the Championship. To get the job done Benitez spent £102m and took 17 players to St James’ Park. Hughton didn’t.

Now the Toon languish in the bottom 3 – having taken just one point from 27. I’ll say that again – one point from 27.   Benitez wants more money to correct the problem. 

Of course he does. I’m sure Alan Pardew does at West Brom. I’m sure Paul Clement does. I’m sure David Moyes, Eddie Howe and Roy Hodgson do. I sure Mark Hughes does. Will they get it? I don’t think so.

No, I’m sorry Rafa, it’s a different game at the other end of the table isn’t it? The run Newcastle are on is NOTHING to do with Mike Ashley and EVERYTHING to do with what’s happening ON the pitch – or rather isn’t happening on the pitch. No Rafa, this one is down to you.

Sean Dyche hasn’t had anything like £102m to spend at Burnley. In fact, last summer he traded at a profit -again. The Brits are obviously doing something right.’

Extract from Newcastle United accounts for period up to 30 June 2016:

‘Subsequent to the balance sheet date the club has generated a net surplus of around £40m in respect of changes to the playing squad.”

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