Isaac Hayden: on loan at QPR

Rafa's done wonders in the market really:

We needed a goalscorer at this level and a bit of pace up top, couldn't have asked for a better fir for need than Gayle.

We were losing our left footed right winger who was easily our best player during the run in, he replaces Townsend with a huge amount of quality on Ritchie (left footed , right winger).

Lose two centre halves, need to rebuild that group which has very much been a weak point. Brings in Hanley and Clark, two extremely competent replacements and way better than the players they replaced (at that point in their careers). Everyone (including villa fans) said we over paid for Clark, but if he keeps up with his current form 5 million is an absolute snip.

Our pacy attacking right goes, replace him with another pacy attacking right back in Yedlin, a player who has done nothing but impress when he's played.

Then there is this guy ! FFS we paid 1.5 million for him, that's ridiculous based on what we've seen. How Rafa knew what a gem this guy was based on an average at best season with Hull, I don't know. Hayden is a prime example of why you give the keys to the safe to Rafa, as an owner you just sit back and let him manage the transfer budget.

Atsu on loan with the option to buy looks like another piece of great piece of business.

Really the only questionable moves have been Gamez, Lazaar and Diame. We didn't pay a lot for Gamez, and he's had some injury issues, got a feeling he may still have a part to play in this but the form of Yedlin and Anita is going to make it tough. Lazaar is a question mark, dunno what is going on there perhaps Rafa has viewed him as a PL player that can't play effectively at this level and is using this season to get him attuned to English football. Diame has been poor up until last night, but if he continues to play and score goals like he did against Preston then it will have been a solid buy, again 5 million is not a lot of money in these days.

Starting for England U21s v Italy this evening.  7.45pm kick off.

Playing rb apparently

Some Italian is gonna put him out for the season and we'll lose our best two CMs

Some Italian is gonna put him out for the season and we'll lose our best two CMs

This guy really needs to be looked after man. Losing both Shelvey and this guy would be a disaster. Scary thought.

How did he get on like? Played the full 90 didn't he?

General consensus of twitter users - nowt else to go on here - is that he did well, especially seeing that he was played out of his usual position.

I watched it, he's definitely not a right-back like.

On the bench tonight

The bench

Good news

The bench

Aye, wish he was playing to increase the likelihood of a Colback/Tiote midfield on Sunday.

Please don't ever say that again.

I'd rather our very promising midfielder get as much international experience as possible.  Playing will only benefit him - unless he gets injured. 

I'd rather keep him as fresh as possible after he played 90 minutes on Thursday and we have a hectic schedule coming up with limited central midfielders.

He's not used to playing loads of games in quick succession and we can't afford to burn him out

Just found out that the game is against France.  Even more certain now that I'd rather he play the full game.  Playing against the top French prospects would really help him grow.

It's an U21 friendly

Seems an intelligent lad.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/nov/19/rafael-benitez-newcastle-united-isaac-hayden-championship-football-leeds

If Isaac Hayden required proof of the benefits of “Rafaology” he received it after rejoining the England Under-21 squad during the international break. “The England staff have really picked up on the change in me,” reports the Newcastle United midfielder. “They say that, compared to last season, my ‘game understanding’ is massively different. They say it’s obvious it’s down to Rafa’s tutelage.”

 

Rafael Benítez’s transformative impact in the north-east can hardly be overstated and his Championship topping side will arrive at promotion rivals Leeds United on Sunday seeking to an extend an eight-game winning run. Hayden attributes much of Newcastle’s success to their manager’s alliance of a forensic eye for detail, an assured grasp of broader strategy and excellent communication skills.

 

“The England coaches want you to come up with ideas about how we’re going to beat varying types of opponents,” explains the 21-year-old Arsenal academy graduate, who spent last season on loan at Hull City. “They seemed really pleased with me this time, they said: ‘You’re coming up with different ideas from everyone else.’ Again, that’s down to working with Rafa. He loves his little details and they transfer to us players.”

 

The cult of the manager can sometimes be overplayed but it is no exaggeration to say that, at St James’ Park, the Benítez effect has been extraordinary. Indeed after simultaneously “taming” Mike Ashley, Newcastle’s maverick owner, bonding the club with its previously disillusioned fans and revitalising a squad which had looked lost as it tumbled out of the Premier League last season, it would be no surprise were the Spaniard to be spotted walking on the Tyne.

 

Although undoubtedly a consummate politician who, crucially, commands the respect from both boardroom and dressing room which Steve McClaren, his predecessor, lacked, the manager has surprised many people with his consistent warmth.

 

“You might think a manager of his calibre might not be like that – some high-level managers and even some top players can be quite distant – but the gaffer’s warm,” says Hayden with the thoughtful intelligence which distinguishes his tactically articulate game. “Rafa’s so easy to talk to, you can speak to him about anything and he’s the same with everybody: players, support staff, fans. It doesn’t matter who you are, he’s as friendly as anything and that’s really helped the lads.

 

“He’s reconnected this club to the fans and the city and united it. There’s no unrest anywhere. The manager, players, staff, owner and supporters are all pulling in the right direction and, at the minute, that’s having a massive impact on our football. Everyone’s united and it shows on the pitch.”

 

Arsène Wenger has imbued Arsenal with similar dignity and class but Hayden, who parted with the Frenchman on excellent terms and admires him immensely, feels the pair could not be more different. “They’re polar opposites,” he says. “Two totally different people. Arsène doesn’t really say much, when he’s at training he just watches and you might hear his voice three or four times a session. Max. He sees absolutely everything, though, every mistake you make.

 

“The gaffer here is much more hands on. He talks us through sessions and helps us out. I prefer that style of management. It gets the best out of me; I know exactly how he’s feeling about me and what he wants me to improve on.”

 

Hayden fully buys into Benítez’s love of squad rotation – something which proved controversial in his early days at Liverpool before winning the Champions League. “The big difference between being here and at Hull last season is that no one’s certain to play any game under this manager. Everyone’s on their toes, there’s a lot of competition for places, everybody’s fresh, working hard in training and doing the right things and, touch wood, we haven’t had many injuries.”

 

Last season Hull started strongly, with the side under Steve Bruce looking near certainties for automatic promotion before suffering an alarming February wobble and going up via the play-offs. “The difference was that Steve essentially utilised the same players all the time and it got to February and March and then the lads who’d played Saturday-Tuesday all season hit a brick wall,” says Hayden. “They were knackered.”

 

Meanwhile the understudies were losing heart. “In October and November Steve played the same starting eleven nine games in a row. It got to the point where some players didn’t even bother bringing their wash bags any more – you knew you weren’t going to get a game.”

 

Even so he enjoyed working with Bruce, now Aston Villa manager, who helped him grow up. “Steve’s easy to talk to. You could knock on his door and chat to him,” he says. “But he had a lot more of an old school mentality and was very demanding.

 

“Hull’s training was vigorous. It wasn’t uncontrolled but it was very intense, less controlled than here or Arsenal. We had lots of double sessions, lots of gym work and running. It was my transition to the real adult professional game and it taught me the importance of a hard-working mentality.”

 

On top of that are the benefits of harmony. “Steve was very good at setting us up to deal with different opponents but it didn’t help that Hull’s owners wanted to sell and the fans didn’t like the owners and would show their disgruntlement,” says Hayden. “That filtered through to the manager and on to the players. At times it wasn’t the nicest feeling. In April, when we played Brentford at home and were still in with a chance of finishing second, only 15,000 turned up and they were waving placards and shouting ‘Allams out’.”

 

With the days of anti-Ashley and anti-Alan Pardew protests a receding memory, Newcastle is very different. “We get more than 50,000 every home game,” says Hayden. “It helps that we’ve got the biggest crowds in the Championship, the best atmosphere and the best fans. They’re so loud some of our away games feel like home matches.”

 

Elland Road is a 38,000 sell-out on Sunday. “It’s a hostile ground, not the nicest place to go,” he acknowledges. “But I don’t think it’ll be a problem for us.”

cba to read that

Cracking read.

Intelligent lad. Cracking player, too.

This guy will hopefully go far, seems to have the brains and talent to back it up. Still really young too, so he's constantly learning and from a great manager to boot.

Without having a poor game he's not been anything really special either, Early days and he's still learning. Signs are decent but wouldn't like to hit the prem with him as a starter right now.

He's been much better than just 'decent'