The Toon Army takes a firm stance against Mike Ashley

Tension, disappointment and uncertainty best describe the current situation at Newcastle United.

A new social media campaign known as “If Rafa Goes We Go” has been created by some of the most fervent supporters of Newcastle United. The social media campaign, which was created on Twitter earlier this week, has picked up steam with nearly 12,000 followers in just a few days.

The purpose of this movement is to vocally express the displeasure and frustration of how Mike Ashley is running the club. Rafa Benitez has tolerated too many false promises from Ashley and many supporters fear that the Spaniard will walk away at the end of the season.

In an effort to prevent this from happening, thousands of club supporters have taken the stance of joining Benitez if he departs from Newcastle. The end-goal of this movement is to hurt Ashley’s regime both publicly and financially with the hope of having the business tycoon sell the club.

Mixed Feelings

While the social media campaign is hitting the ground running, not everyone is in agreement with the approach of boycotting matches and club merchandise. For some supporters, the intention of the movement is understandable, but its implementation raises concern.

Many supporters do not want to participate in the campaign as they do not want to turn their backs on the players who give it their all for the club. Others who are in favor of this movement share the same feeling, but they also feel that enough is enough and a statement has to be made.

Mike Ashley has been in charge for a decade now and aside from one great season, Newcastle United have suffered from his ownership. In the eyes of supporters and pundits, Benitez was the best investment that Ashley has made for the club, but his greed and inactivity will eventually force Benitez to leave.

Benitez Could Leave

The staff here at Newcastle Toons firmly believe that Rafa Benitez will walk away upon the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign. His only reasons to stay are his admiration for the players, the club’s supporters and the city.

However, Ashley has turned this new endeavor for Benitez into a complete nightmare. Benitez aims to improve the quality of the first team and invest more money into the club’s academy program, but he cannot accomplish these objectives with Ashley in charge. This will be the second consecutive summer that Benitez was promised financial support, but instead he received another blind budget.

With an unchanged roster, unmet demands and only three weeks left to buy new talent, Benitez will be in for another long season. The current state of Newcastle United is unfortunate, especially with a Champions League winner leading the club, and this is why fans are beginning to rise up.