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Michael Gray “I am getting sick of hearing what Rafa Benitez has to say”

5 years ago
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Michael Gray is about as good at football punditry, as he was at taking penalties….

Obviously there is minimal interest in his specialist subject of League One football and Sunderland.

So the obvious way for him to try and get attention is by being a bit controversial about Newcastle United.

Michael Gray isn’t the brightest and claims Rafa Benitez will get a pay-off and walk away at the end of the season. Sadly, it looks as though the manager will leave but not sure what kind of pay-off anybody is entitled to when their contract has ran out…

That isn’t the main piece of stupidity though, Michael Gray also stating ‘I am getting sick of hearing what Rafa Benitez has to say’, the former Sunderland player saying he is sick of all the excuses from the Newcastle boss.

His reasoning is that because this squad of Newcastle players got to tenth last season…’why can’t they finish tenth again?’

It is quite amazing how often this tenth place finish is actually used AGAINST Rafa Benitez.

Rafa performed a relative minor ‘miracle’ to get that squad to 44 points and it was simply a quirk that this equalled as high as tenth, the lowest points total ever to get a top half finish in the Premier League era. The reality is that only three points separated 10th and 15th and if results had been different on the final day of the season, NUFC could have ended up 15th.

Huddersfield in 16th were only seven points behind Newcastle and in the summer 2018 transfer window had a net spend £50m higher than Rafa Benitez was allowed, yet they have gone from 16th to currently rock bottom.

Why isn’t Michael Gray questioning why Huddersfield can’t finish at least 16th because they did it last season with these same players plus the likes of club record signing £18m Terence Kongolo who was added in the summer? Even better, surely Sean Dyche should have Burnley at least seventh again, rather than 16th at the minute!

It won’t necessarily be a miracle if Rafa Benitez keeps Newcastle up BUT it will be a great job done, as NUFC clearly have one of the handful of weakest teams/squads in the league.

Michael Gray speaking to Talksport:

“Whatever I say about Newcastle I will get criticised anyway…but I’m bored of hearing all these things that are coming out about Newcastle  United.

“Whether it is on the field or off it, I’m sure that Newcastle supporters are exactly the same.

“They probably get to a transfer window and think…see some new faces and get ourselves mid-table, the owner is gonna leave, Rafa will be saying it will be a miracle if we stay in the Premier League.

“He’s after a couple of players that probably they’re not going to get, so he has stuck with the players who should be good enough to stay in the Premier League.

“Rafa’s contract ends at the end of the season and I’m sure I’m right about that, he has not been backed in any transfer window if this chairman is still involved in any capacity, so Benitez gets his pay-off at the end of the season and it’s a thank you very much, packs his bags and he’s off.

“Why would he stick around?

“He has done what he has had to do at that club, got relegated, got back up, spent a huge amount of money on getting them back up.

“Gets them in the Premier League, finish 10th last season, why they can’t finish 10th again? It’s the same squad of players and they brought Rondon in.

“Newcastle, when I’ve seen them, on their day they are a decent team…I’m not saying that they are fantastic because they’re not, they are a million miles away from that.

“But it is excuse after excuse….and I am getting sick of hearing what Rafa Benitez has to say and the chairman doesn’t come out anyway with anything, he doesn’t need to.”

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