Former Premier League winner Ray Parlour has spoken of his disbelief at Newcastle United’s decision to part ways with former manager Rafael Benitez.
The Spaniard has now officially left the Magpies following the expiration of his contract at St James’ Park, and Parlour can’t believe he was allowed out the door.
“I think they’re crazy, I really do,” he told talkSPORT [01/07; 07:08]. “You’ve got a really top class manager, whose achieved so much in his career, and you’re letting him go – you’ve got to back managers like that.
“I’m amazed by that, I really am. That’s something that’s not going to help the club itself, because the fans will look at that and say ‘wait a minute, why are we letting a manager of his quality leave the club because the vision isn’t right for the club?’ I’m sure Mike Ashley won’t want to be reading that this morning.”
OPINION
Parlour pretty much sums up what all Newcastle supporters will be thinking on Monday, now that Benitez has officially left the club. Why have the Magpies let a world class manager like him leave? It beggars belief. The main thing seems to be that Ashley and his colleagues at the top of the club don’t share the same ambition that Benitez has for the team. That is ludicrous, really. When do you ever hear about a manager having more ambition than the owner of a football club? They should all be in unison, working together to achieve the same lofty goals. However, only Benitez wanted to do that at St James’ Park. The former Liverpool boss is a world class manager, one of the very best around in world football, and Newcastle – not one of English football’s superpowers anymore – have let him walk away. Parlour is amazed, he thinks the club are crazy, and it’s very difficult to argue with him.
