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Newcastle United were the subject of a brilliant Sky Sports Soccer Saturday special as reporter Dickie Davies journeyed to the city to talk to fans and Rafa Benitez about exactly why it is that he’s so popular among Magpies fans.

It was a really in-depth attempt to drill down to why he’s so well-liked on Tyneside and why fans are so desperate for him to commit to the club. Here is the full transcript of what Benitez said – and then the fascinating panel discussion that followed.

Rafa Benitez transcript:

On getting involved in the community : When I was without a job I was coaching the team of my daughter’s school – obviously coaching two or three sessions, not officially coaching because they have one of the parents who was doing well – but I like to do that. I am a teacher, I teach PE so I like to teach players and coach players and especially the kids and young people. They are learning more than the others.

I remember one of the times when we had a picture (from one of the Premier League Kicks events) and the kids were jumping on top of me, talking in Italian and Spanish to me. It was quite funny and enjoyable and I like these things and it could be a motivation for some of them.

(Image: newcastle chronicle)

On being compared to Sir Bobby Robson : Still I am too far away. Sometimes you can see how much you can do and how important it is for you to do something that you think is nothing but for someone else is a lot.

On the love of the supporters : Obviously, when you are a professional who works so hard, to see the recognition from the people around the club and the fans, it’s massive for a manager. That is something that I like and when I go through the streets and through the city the fans love you and it’s quite positive. At the same time I have a responsibility because when they support you so much you want to do even better for them and then you have to win against Arsenal.

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

On his future : At the moment we will concentrate on the games, that’s it.

The panel then had a discussion on his future. Here is the full transcript.

Panel discussion on NUFC

Jeff Stelling : It’s amazing for a manager to build a relationship like that with a community, and it’s even more amazing that he’s done it twice.

Phil Thompson : He’s still held in high esteem by Liverpool fans. He’s greeted like a hero. His wife still lives in Merseyside , in the Wirral and she absolutely loves it there. She said to Rafa: ‘Follow your career but I’m staying here, this is my home’. That’s the way they are as a family. Rafa has gone – he’s gone to Inter, he went to London with Chelsea but that’s the way he is – you can feel that from him. That passion for the town.

As you can see, doing all the community things, he doesn’t just stay in his hotel room because his wife’s in Liverpool. He gets out and about to meet the people where a lot of managers might think ‘I’m not edging out that way’ but he welcomes that. He feels it with everybody and that’s why everyone loves him.

I saw a few dissenters around about Christmas time when things weren’t going well for them – only a few – because you can feel the love coming from the fans, the flags they have at the ground and everything. Liverpool fans loved him but Newcastle fans see him as everything to them because they realise they do have a top class manager and top class coach and they wouldn’t be in the Premier League if they didn’t have him.

Stelling : Isaac Hayden said Rafa is one of the great managers in the Premier League. Do you agree?

Paul Merson : I would. Tactically I think if he wasn’t manager of Newcastle they’d be easily bottom three. What he gets out of these players week in, week out is amazing. They all know what they’re doing. When you watch them play it doesn’t look like they’re just falling over something, they know what they need to do and what they have to do.

Newcastle filled the whole of their away end at Bournemouth and even playing on a Monday night at Arsenal, with no trains back, you watch: if they score and someone runs over, there won’t be a spare seat.

I think Rafa’s up there with the best. Tactically to get what he does out of the players is amazing. Could Pep Guardiola do what Rafa Benitez is doing at Newcastle with those players? No chance.

Watch: Rafa talks about Chinese interest

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Charlie Nicholas : I keep looking at Newcastle’s group and thinking ‘They will go down’. He’s had no real budget, no ambition from the owner but how he’s managed to manipulate the crowd – and not just because they like him personally, because he doesn’t play a style of football that I personally like – is amazing. There’s probably Newcastle fans who don’t like the style either but they like his tactics because to get that balance and take the pain and strain away from the players (is impressive).

He’s added to it with Miguel Almiron and Rondon and Perez and you’re starting to see a bit more creativity and ambition. To get to that level now, it would be such a shame for that club if he didn’t re-sign and continue.

Thompson : At his press conference yesterday it was the first time he said ‘We are talking’. I thought ‘He’s never said that’. I know he’s got three months left on his deal but he’s very clever the way he says things. He finishes that interview saying ‘We will see’ and gives that little smile and you could melt! But it was the first time he’d given those fans that little encouragement.

Stelling : It’s a staring competition between Mike Ashley and Rafa, isn’t it?

Merson : I think the Newcastle job suits him. It’s a nice, relaxing job. If he wants to win something, let’s be honest he’s not going to stay at Newcastle. You’ve always got that dream of winning something with Newcastle who haven’t won anything for so long. But he’ll get to a Cup competition and rest everyone won’t he?

(Image: Newcastle United)

Stelling : I see little things. He likes his pre-seasons in Ireland, low-key training camps but the club have signed up for a tournament in China and that can only add to the friction, can’t it?

Matt Le Tissier : That’s a commercial decision. It’s probably not what you want for your players as a manager so it will cause friction.

Stelling : The longer it goes on, it’s a nightmare for the club. They can’t make plans for what they’re going to do with Salomon Rondon, they can’t make plans with Ayoze Perez – who has hinted he might want to go back to Spain .

Le Tissier : For the future, you need to know which manager is going to be making those decisions. You need a manager to sort pre-season and the list of players he’s looking at will be in long before now - that is, if he’s going to be given the money to spend.

(Image: Newcastle United)

Stelling : The buy-out clause for Rondon is £16.5million. You bite their hand off, don’t you?

Merson : I’d have bought him already. He’s a major player. He’s their best player, if I’m honest. He’s a handful. £16.5million – in football terms, it’s a cup of tea. If I was a team coming up from the Championship, I’d look to buy him straight away.

Thompson : The club are saying they don’t want to commit to him because he’s 30 and you’re going ‘Come on’. Have a little bit of blend. He’s a fella who has taken to the club and the club’s taken to him. They need a blend and if Benitez wants him they have to sanction the deal for £16.5million.