Newcastle will hope to improve on a mixed record against their former managers when they travel to Goodison Park on Thursday night - should the game get the go-ahead
The Magpies face off against Rafa Benitez for the first time since his exit in July 2019, when the Spaniard left following several unfulfilled promises from vilified former owner Mike Ashley.
Benitez’s outspoken comments against the previous regime during his three-and-a-half years on Tyneside - where he guided the club back to the Premier League following relegation in 2016 - helped endear him to the Toon Army, with some Newcastle fans calling for his return when the takeover was announced in October.
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He boasts a stellar record against Newcastle - winning eight and losing just three times - but he no longer has the luxury of managing Liverpool or Chelsea and the clash between Everton is billed as a far more even contest.
However, the Magpies' record against ex-managers is still a cause for concern…
Below is a list of how returning bosses have fared against Newcastle since the start of the Premier League era.
While Kenny Dalglish sits at the top of the table, those figures are skewered by the lack of games, plus the fact he managed a Liverpool side containing Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez…
Sam Allardyce boasts a far better resume against the Magpies once the whole context is considered.
Big Sam has an impressive 56% win percentage against Newcastle in 13 games while managing Blackburn, West Ham, Sunderland and Everton.
The pinnacle of those victories was when he masterminded a 3-0 win for the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light in October 2015.
However, that isn’t the heaviest scoreline a former manager has inflicted on Newcastle…
A month after the Sunderland defeat, Newcastle suffered an embarrassing 5-1 defeat to Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace, a result that piled more pressure on the under-fire Steve McClaren.
It will be no surprise to Toon fans that Newcastle have a 100% record against McClaren whenever he has returned in the opposition dugout.
In the Championship-winning season of 2016/17, Benitez did the league double against his predecessor - who was in charge of Derby at the time - which remains the last time an ex-Toon boss has returned until Thursday night’s fixture.
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