Rafa Benitez looks to be fighting a losing battle at Newcastle - time is running out

Of the first 65 league games Rafa Benitez was manager of Newcastle United, 16 were lost. Of the last eight, seven have ended in defeat. It is difficult to search for context in the Wild West that is Tyneside football, but those statistics will tell you why the club is once more on the brink of civil war.

Benitez, the Champions League-winning manager who took the unlikely step of leading a club on the brink of turmoil out of the Championship, is fighting fires in a way that will bring back painful memories for most of his predecessors.

Kenny Dalglish, Sam Allardyce, Ruud Gullit and Graeme Souness all left saying the position as manager of Newcastle was nigh on impossible. Kevin Keegan said he feared he would end up dead if he saw out his ten-year contract at the club and Sir Bobby Robson was caught on camera criticising the support after the majority snubbed a final-home game lap of honour in a season that would finish fifth.

And that was before Mike Ashley rolled into town ten years ago.

Two relegations in that period have left huge scars.

It is once more a romantic football club without any romance. There is a lack of patience and a growing belief among the club's argumentative fanbase that Benitez is making too many mistakes

The movement against him is growing. Newcastle supporters were arguing with each other inside St James’ Park during the latest defeat, against Everton, on Wednesday.

It is widely known that Benitez is unhappy with the club’s board, and the transfer activity of the summer. He admitted he held a meeting with Lee Charnley the managing director, on Thursday, about what can be spent in January and the truth is nobody has a clue.

Benitez is treading precariously with the confidence and backing of his players, who keep making mistakes. He was at his most angry in the dark hours that followed the loss to Sam Allardyce on Wednesday because of a goalkeeping mistake, a position he had identified as a problem as soon as the transfer window was opened.

The local newspaper, the Evening Chronicle, did a poll of its five Newcastle writers to see who should play in goal against Arsenal on Saturday. Four went for Rob Elliot, who was dropped after conceding seven goals in two games, one went for the England Under-21 international Freddy Woodman, who has not played a minute of first team football for the club, and none went for Darlow, who has leaked nine in four.

Benitez wanted a goalkeeper, a left-back, a number ten and a striker at the start of a summer that has the potential to be another historically significant mistake, so inside his anger and hurt of the current situation is a major element of ‘I told you so.’

There has been a long-standing call for two centre forwards to be played, even in the midst of a start to the season that had the club fourth and fifth early on and then ninth after beating Crystal Palace. Benitez has appeared to relent on that one, and it has been to a cost.

He has risked further anger by overlooking Aleksandar Mitrovic, who he thinks is not quick enough to play on the counter attack and Jonjo Shelvey (who received his second red card of the season on Wednesday and now has a two-game suspension).

Benitez’s lengthy argument is that, armed with a myriad of statistics on every single player, there is no magic wand which the supporters are desperately searching for.

Into the mounting concern of relegation then, one quickly approaching mild hysteria, is a trip to the Emirates, where Newcastle have won one of the eleven games they have played there.

Then it is West Ham, and then it is Manchester City at home. If Newcastle lose to Pep Guardiola’s side at St James’, it will be the first time they have lost five successive home league games since 1953. That number is many home defeats as when they were relegated in 2016.

It means Benitez is fighting for the one thing that has always seemed a given - his relationship with Newcastle’s fans.

“The reality is when we decided to stay everyone appreciated that,” said Benitez. “When we were in the Championship, everyone appreciated that. We won the title, everyone appreciated that.

“Then the fans know where we are and what we have. In terms of that, I have to do my job in the best way possible and that is it. You have to be the first one to have the confidence and believe we can do it and I do believe that this team will improve.

“When you have bad results you have to lead the team and the confidence. I know what we have to do.”

There is a need for Benitez to come out fighting and on that, when asked about how he expressed his anger in defeat, he said: “I don’t have to go home. I can do it in the dressing room. I did it at Liverpool when I was in the dressing room and I smashed one of the boxes there.

“We lost against Middlesbrough and we were fighting for the title. I had to make a decision about a player who could not play, and we made mistakes, and smash!”

There is no suggestion the club has a replacement lined up - Steve McClaren, John Carver and Alan Pardew preceded him - but it is a volatile situation with an owner eager to sell. Heading into a relegation fight has not helped negotiation. The losing run will not be allowed to go on indefinitely.