More than 15,000 readers have backed a regional daily’s bid to keep a football manager in his job.
The Chronicle, Newcastle, has launched a petition calling on Rafa Benitez to stay in charge at Newcastle United despite the club’s relegation from England’s top flight on Wednesday.
The campaign began with an open letter to Benitez, which was carried on this morning’s front page, signed by ‘The Toon Army’ – a nickname given to United supporters.
The letter was carried on the front page of this morning’s edition of The Chronicle, pictured below.
It reads: “Dear Rafa,
“We speak for the region when we make this plea. Everyone is right behind you and we’re desperate for you to stay. Please, Rafa, give us the football we deserve.
“At Chelsea, some supporters simply shrugged when you won the Europa League. At Newcastle, we’d immortalise you in a statue.
“So stay with us. Rescue us. Win for us and lead us back to glory!
“Yours hopefully, The Toon Army.”
Benitez took over at St James’ Park in March with just 10 games to save the club from relegation to the Championship.
He is believed to have a break clause in his contract allowing him to leave in the event of the club going down, but is considering staying on to get the club back in the top flight.
The campaign comes after Chronicle editor Darren Thwaites changed yesterday’s splash when fans urged the paper to call for United’s managing director Lee Charnley to quit.
Darren won praise from readers for the decision, with comments on Twitter ranging from “outstanding” to “That is why the local press is so important. Well done.”
Backed by 15,000 readers? Does the Chronicle have 15,000 readers?
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Yes, Harry – quite a few more than that, thankfully! We’re the fourth biggest regional newspaper site in the UK and the best-selling regional newspaper in the North East. We’ve also got a very hard-working, talented and creative team. I’m sure you’d have respected their quality and their work in your time as an editor.
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Awful front page with so many things wrong with it, including:
1) Who appointed the Chronicle to speak for the ‘Geordie Nation’?
2) There is no ‘Geordie nation’.
3) When the Chronicle speaks for ‘the region’ what does it mean? The City of Newcastle? Not a region. Tyneside? Not really a region.
Or the North East? Yes, that’s a region but that region includes Sunderland and arguably Middlesbrough.
Does the Chronicle honestly believe Sunderland fans share the Chron’s viewpoint? Or Middlesbrough fans?
Such arrogance.
Also these claims of idolisation of top-quality managers are a little OTT.
Newcastle’s best manager of recent times was Sir Bobby Robson and although it has largely been airbrushed from Tyneside history, Newcastle SACKED ‘wor Bobby’ in an act of stunning ingratitude because they thought finishing fifth in the Premier League was not good enough for everybody’s ‘second favourite’ team.
In that contex, Rafa would know that if Newcastle lost their first six Championship games next season, those same fans would be calling for his head.
And apart from anything else, who knows if Rafa would even be a success at Newcastle next season? His record of leading top European teams is outstanding but he has no proven track record of helping basket-case cases get promoted from football’s second tier.
Apart from that, er, there’s not much wrong with it…
P.S. I suppose the picture used of Rafa is meant to show him giving the thumbs up to the ‘Geordie’ nation but I have to say it looks suspiciously to me like a man hailing a taxi.
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What a sour, snarky, ill-informed, jaundiced comment. Stay classy, Harry Blackwood.
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Calling them readers is a bit disingenuous. Web browsers who pay not a penny would be a more apt description.
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Both Harry and Argus are spot on. However, Argus forgot to mention Hartlepool United in that list of other big North East football teams.
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I stand corrected Mrl!
😉
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Well done Darren. Some of the comments on here really are pathetic.
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@Voice of reason. No they’re not. Hartlepool United IS a big team.
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The 15,000 comment was a joke. I’m well aware of how many they sell.
Regardless, it’s an online petition and I’d wager that 90% who signed it are not readers.
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