OPINION
And so Rafa Benitez has left Newcastle, not with a direct snarl at the owners but a heartfelt message to the fans.
In a statement released on his official Twitter page on Monday, Benitez started off by saying, “Thank you for three fantastic, exciting and, at times, challenging years.”
He went on to praise the fans for “your support, your affection and your passion” which he called “unbelievable” and reiterated what everyone thought, that he felt like he “belonged” at the club.
To Newcastle United fans https://t.co/5gu4eopVjf #NUFC #Newcastle #Toons #ThankYou pic.twitter.com/vLnmVSBGs2
— Rafa Benitez (@rafabenitezweb) July 1, 2019
There were a couple of pointed passages in the statement. First, he said, “Thank you to everyone at the Club who has helped the team”. That suggests an element that hasn’t.
Benitez also said that he “didn’t just want to sign an extended contract, I wanted to be part of a project. Unfortunately, it became increasingly clear to me that those at the top of the Club did not share the same vision.”
He signed off by saying he had no regrets and that Newcastle would always be in his heart, with a fantastic ‘C’mon Toons!’ at the end.
It’s a typically classy statement from a classy manager.
Newcastle fans knew they were lucky to get him, luckier even to keep him when they dropped down into the Championship.
That league is unlikely to see the level of Benitez again, Marcelo Bielsa notwithstanding.
It’s been long documented that his relationship with Mike Ashley was strained but Benitez has walked away with his head held high.
Ashley might not have shared the same vision as him but Benitez has been careful not to directly criticise the owner. It’s possible to have two distinct visions for the club that are both positive, although the fans will have their own views on this.
It’s a dignified response which is in stark contrast to reports that Newcastle announced Benitez’s departure without even bothering to let him know.
Ashley has been silent since although a report in the Mirror claimed he was putting the blame on Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan, in talks over a takeover.
The report said that Sheikh Khaled didn’t want Benitez as manager and wanted him gone so he wouldn’t have to pay compensation.
There’s no way of knowing the truth behind this but we’d have to assume that the story came from somewhere and that the journalists didn’t just make it up.
If there is any truth in it, it’s either true or a piece of Ashley spin that deflects the blame.
Until Ashley releases a statement himself, we might never know.