Nobby Solano has compared the anticipation for next season with Sir Bobby Robson’s takeover as Newcastle manager.
While Rafa Benitez has time to put plans together for next season the former England boss was brought in to rescue the club after Ruud Gullit’s disastrous start to the 1999/2000 season.
Robson quickly made his mark, installed some good old fashioned managerial principles and got everyone pulling in the right direction.
Benitez was unable to rescue Newcastle from the clutches of relegation but after winning promotion as champions Solano is looking forward to exciting times at St James’ Park next season.
“It is a crucial period for the club now. In some ways this reminds me of the early days of Sir Bobby Robson,” he told The Chronicle.
“Bobby’s first job was to make sure we stayed in the Premier League in 2000 and he did that with some style to get us to a mid-table position.
“Then the next season it was more a case of stabilising the club. But the season after that we finished fourth to get into the Champions League after bringing in the likes of Craig Bellamy, Laurent Robert and Sylvain Distin.
“Then in 2003, they finished third and then fifth in 2004. You lay the foundations first and then you can build upwards, and that’s the task that Rafa has just now.
“Freddy Shepherd always promised to make as much money available for transfers as possible and Newcastle will need that from Mr Ashley this summer.”
It doesn’t seem so long ago that Robson was restoring pride, hope and ambition among the fans with Benitez doing much the same after a string of false dawns under various management teams.
With the former Liverpool and Real Madrid boss controlling things from the dug out Solano and every Newcastle fan is hoping that the yo-yo days are over allowing the fans to get on with enjoying exciting, attacking football.
