Newcastle United supporters flocked to the King Power Stadium with fresh hope and belief that, perhaps, there would be shelter from the oncoming storm. It was March 2016 and the Magpies faced an uphill struggle to stay in the Premier League after a demoralising campaign that signalled the culmination of Mike Ashley’s, at the very least, apathetic approach to ownership of a once great football club.
Leicester City were the perfect opposition for that game in many ways; the Foxes, who would go on to achieve one of the greatest feats in sporting history by winning the title just two months later, were the antithesis of Ashley’s Newcastle, full of heart and passion, and the personification of hard work and belief. They were, in essence, everything the travelling hoards from Tyneside hoped their club could be under Rafael Benitez, their new manager, who was taking charge of his first game.
Shinji Okazaki’s scrappy first half goal pushed Leicester one step closer to the dream, and Newcastle one step closer to the Championship. But there was hope in the air for the visitors on that hazy Monday evening in the Midlands; a tiny glimpse into where Benitez could take the club.
Where under his predecessor, Steve McClaren, there was no effort, heart or plan; the Spaniard had instilled the basics already. He’d need a lot of help, and persuasion that all his effort would be worth it, but it finally felt as though Newcastle had found the man to guide them out of their darkest hour and into a much brighter future. Benitez and his side lost the battle and were eventually relegated, but they were winning the war already.
There have been so many examples of why Benitez is so special to Newcastle fans since, but it was best summed up than on Saturday, when they returned to face Leicester. The title success may now be consigned to history, but Europa League qualification is a very real possibility for the Foxes this season. Newcastle, too, were looking upwards; no longer hoping for a win to kickstart a desperate scramble for safety heading into the run-in, they were looking for three points to all but confirm it way ahead of time.
Goals from Jonjo Shelvey, his first in the top flight for Newcastle, and Ayoze Perez, clinched the win, despite Jamie Vardy causing palms to sweat late on. The Magpies moved onto 38 points, two short of Benitez’s target, and into the top half; they are “nearly” safe, he says, after a third straight win, and will soon be able to relax completely, if they cannot already. That is not in the manager’s nature, though, which is a key reason for his success since that first game two years ago.
For all that success, steering Newcastle to promotion with minimal fuss, keeping them away from the sharp end of the relegation dogfight at a crucial time, and improving players’ ability on the pitch, Benitez’s biggest influence has been on the culture at the club generally. Before he arrived, there was nothing in place to suggest Newcastle even wanted to be successful, let alone that they could be.
Recruitment under chief scout Graham Carr, which had unearthed gold in the past, became more about style over substance, following the brief of signing young talented players with resale value at affordable prices far too closely. Those who arrived were told they could use the club as a stepping-stone to bigger things, which would bring in a profit for Ashley, and that eventually filtered through onto the pitch. At the most crucial moments, there just wasn’t enough heart and effort because there was always an escape route and a way to absolve responsibility.
Benitez’s Newcastle are completely different, though; a 30 second video clip that emerged after the game showed this perfectly. When Leicester are in possession of the ball in the second half, the Magpies defence, once again lead by the exceptional Jamaal Lascelles, can be seen harrying them at every turn, going in for fifty-fifty challenges and coming out on top; as the ball rolls into the path of another blue shirt, the cycle restarts.
This is a team that does not have time for individuals, only the greater cause; the term “stepping-stone” is a thing of the past, Benitez has often spoken about having a squad of players who care, and that is all down to him. It is no longer acceptable to fail to give your all, as it became in years gone by, and shirking responsibility in the face of adversity is not an option.
It has been said before and it will be said until he leaves, and probably years after that too; Benitez is the most important man at Newcastle, even despite Ashley’s best efforts to stifle him at times. He has an unprecedented level of authority at the club, and although the likes of McClaren, John Carver and Alan Pardew played their part in the chaos that went before, they couldn’t change the toxic nature of what surrounded them if they wanted to.
Links with other clubs refuse to go away and, although Ashley is said to want to sell the club, until there is a takeover and a new contract on the table at the very least, the speculation is unlikely to disperse. Rafa Benitez has successfully rebuilt the club Ashley has spent years neglecting, and he may even outstay the owner. Kevin Keegan once said the club will never be successful under his stewardship and, while that still seems a fair comment, Newcastle United have the perfect man in charge to change that perception.
