Sad departure of Rafa Benítez says everything about Newcastle’s woes

Owner Mike Ashley’s decision to let manager go is a further sign of a club paralysed by short-sightedness and underinvestment

Just over three weeks ago, there was a palpable though repressed gasp of relief on Tyneside as news began to surface that an investment firm in the Middle East was on the brink of taking over Newcastle United. Just days earlier, a feeling of optimism had coursed through the streets of the city after promising contract discussions between the much-adored manager, Rafa Benítez, and the woeful owner, Mike Ashley.

The masterly and reassuringly calm presence of the Spaniard looked increasingly likely to stay, as his boss – though more often than not, adversary – appeared finally to be on his way out. There was therefore a sense of astonishment that accompanied news on Monday that Benítez, after three and a half years of unrelenting graft and unrewarded loyalty, was to depart the club. A disagreement in vision between Ashley – an owner sculpted in the vision of a footballing Scrooge – and the manager was the cause for the split.

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from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jun/25/rafa-benitez-departure-newcastle-mike-ashley

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