OPINION
Many Newcastle United fans have stood by boss Rafa Benitez through thick and thin, even when things were especially tough at the start of the season.
They stick by him even when the team is performing badly, something which does not usually happen – if anything, the manager is the first person the supporters turn on when luck is not on their side.
But not Benitez.
This is why they will dread hearing Johan Mjallby’s claim about how Benitez could manage Celtic if they decide not to keep Neil Lennon – mainly because he would be tempted by the prospect of winning silverware on a regular basis.
“Why not? You can’t talk Celtic down. Obviously, Rangers have had difficult years but they are massive clubs and either one of them should win the league every year,” he said, as quoted by the Daily Star.
“But even if you have been the manager of big clubs in other major leagues, the pressure you have as a Celtic manager is enormous. But you have the chance to win trophies every year at Parkhead.”
The former Sweden international is right – if you are in charge of the Hoops, the likelihood of winning at least one, if not two or three, pieces of silverware every season is very high.
However, this is not a claim that the fans would want to be hearing, especially with Benitez’s future at Newcastle still yet to be figured out.
It is obvious that he is the one person that they do not want to lose to anyone else this summer, but they will be wary of the fact that clubs may be interested in him if they have a vacancy for the top job – and that may very well be the case with Celtic this summer.
Benitez is no doubt going to be linked with many managerial positions this summer due to his experience, and that is something that the supporters may have to get used to.
Nevertheless, they will still dread hearing this claim from Mjallby, as managing Celtic could prove to be very tempting indeed.
