Appointing Rafa Benitez as manager is being seen as something of a coup by Newcastle as they face up to a fight against relegation.
And that decision to replace Steve McClaren has come just in time ahead of a difficult match against league leaders Leicester City tonight in the Premier League.
Is Benitez a good appointment for Newcastle and is it a good move for the former Liverpool, Valencia and Real Madrid boss?
Ex-Ireland and Chelsea defender Paddy Mulligan believes it is a mistake as he told the Rewind podcast.
"Terrible acceptance, awful appointment," he said.
"[It's] a great appointment from Newcastle if they thought they could go and get him but a terrible decision, I think, from Benitez to go and say yes 'I'm going to go to Newcastle'. He must be desperate to go back into the Premier League. But he doesn't need to show his qualities to the Premier League [because] he's already been there"
Newcastle United's new manager Rafael Benitez after his press conference at St James' Park, Newcastle. Picture by: Scott Heppell / PA Wire/Press Association Images
Paddy also feels the decision to change manager should not have come this late in the season.
"They've got Leicester tonight away from home, they've got Sunderland again on Saturday, which is the biggest game of the season for both Newcastle and Sunderland - certainly for Newcastle - and he's come in at a very bad time. It's very, very unfair of the Newcastle board to go and behave the way that they did. McClaren has been a dead man walking for months. He should have gone months ago - shouldn't have been appointed in the first place, that was another bad appointment because he was having a nightmare at Derby County. Newcastle deserve all that they get."
Listen to Paddy's full review of the Premier League and FA Cup talking points on the podcast player:
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