So, as Rafa Benitez rocks up to The Toon, the fixture calendar has been that nice to him that his first assignment as Newcastle manager is to take his relegation-threatened side to Premier League leaders Leicester City tonight.

The ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid boss has already confirmed that he has sought the counsel of ex-Newcastle United legends like Peter Beardsley and Alan Shearer.

But it's all about the next 10 games in terms of his immediate future as the relationship could well end if the Magpies do plummet into the Championship.

The Daily Mail's North-East football correspondent Craig Hope believes he is already trying to show a squad of players punching below their weights who's boss by bringing them into training on their day off.

He told Off The Ball tonight, "He knew he had 72 hours for tonight's game at Leicester and he wasn't going to waste a minute of it in bringing the players in from their day off. From what I gather, they were fairly receptive to that, they went out and had a lively session. Afterwards, they had one-on-one meetings with two or three of them. He really has made a fantastic impression over his first weekend as manager and the players needed that." 

As for the problems within the squad, Hope spoke of the lack of leaders within the team, with suggestions of "a losing culture" in terms of mental flaws when facing adversity. 

And Hope also believes that Benitez coming in as a manager rather than the head coach model used when Steve McClaren was in charge is a boost for the club.