Rafa Benitez has been appointed as Newcastle manager on a three-year deal, saying he has committed to a legendary English club. Bernie Parent Flyers Jersey . Benitez, who arrived on Tyneside early on Friday afternoon, was announced just three hours after Steve McClarens sacking on Friday morning.After a brief meeting at St James Park, Benitez left for Newcastles Darsley Park training ground to meet with club staff and took his first training session with the players. It is thought Benitez will take training on both Saturday and Sunday and could be in the dugout for Newcastles Monday Night Football clash at Premier League leaders Leicester City.Sky Sports News HQ understands Benitez, who has been without a club since being sacked by Real Madrid in January, has an opt-out clause in his contract if the club is relegated.I have the pleasure to confirm I have committed to a legendary English club, said Benitez in a club statement. With the massive challenge of remaining part of the Premier League.It will be a challenge not just for me and my staff but for the players, the club and the fans. Five games which cost McClaren Newcastle sack Steve McClaren: Five games which cost him his job All of us must push together in the same direction and with the same target in mind. This is the reason why Im going to ask for your total support to successfully complete this task.Personally, it means my return to the Premier League, closer to my home and my family. I cant be happier. Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink says Rafa Benitez will bring experience to Newcastle Cmon Toon Army! The club and I need your total involvement!The former Liverpool and Chelsea boss will be joined by Fabio Pecchia, Francisco de Míguel Moreno and Antonio Gómez Pérez, who will join existing coaches Ian Cathro and Simon Smith to form Benitezs coaching team. The relegation run-in Premier League relegation battle: Newcastle, Sunderland, Norwich and Aston Villas run-ins analysed Paul Simpson, Alessandro Schoenmaker and Steve Black have all left club with immediate effect. Steve McClaren was sacked on Friday morning Managing Director Lee Charnley added: I am very pleased to welcome Rafa Benitez to the club. In Rafa we have, without doubt, secured the services of one of Europes top managers.He has managed some of the most successful teams at the very highest level of the game and we are proud to now have him as our manager. Rafas ups and downs Rafael Benitez to Newcastle? Ups and downs of the Spanish manager Our sole focus now is to give our full support to Rafa, his coaching team and the players in order to secure our status in the Premier League. Whats wrong at Newcastle? Whats going wrong at Newcastle? The problems which cost Steve McClaren I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to Paul Simpson, Alessandro Schoenmaker and Steve Black for their service to the Club.McClaren was sacked by Newcastle after just nine months at the club which saw him win just six games in 28 Premier League outings and leave the club 19th in the table, one point adrift of safety. Paul Merson says the way Newcastle United have sacked Steve McClaren is poor and disrespectful Benitez becomes Newcastles eighth permanent manager in 12 years and their second foreign coach in the Premier League following Ruud Gullits spell in charge in 1998-99.The Spaniard has won 12 trophies, including two La Liga titles with Valencia and the Champions League with Liverpool during a distinguished career. Keith Downie gets reaction from fans as Rafa Benitez takes over at Newcastle Also See: Five games which cost McClaren McClaren in quotes Whats wrong at Newcastle? Rafas ups and downs James Van Riemsdyk Jersey . How foolishly wrong I was. Forget the now inherent corruption and back handed favours that plague the beautiful game. Goal Line Technology? Youre having a laugh. As for them penalty cheating bandits, footballs lawmakers upend them by awarding the penalty to the opponent each time a player attempts to con the referee into awarding ghost penalties. Claude Giroux Jersey . - Carter Verhaeghe scored the winner with 41 seconds to go as the Niagara IceDogs edged the North Bay Battalion 3-2 to even their first-round series at a game apiece in Ontario Hockey League playoff action on Sunday. http://www.hockeyflyersauthentic.com/ivan-provorov-jersey/ . The striker headed Spurs into a 35th-minute lead and tapped in their third in the 71st after Chico Flores own goal. Wilfried Bony hit the bar and had a good penalty appeal for a push by Tottenham captain Michael Dawson turned down in the first half, before getting Swanseas consolation late on.FRANKFURT, Germany -- Germany began an 11-day training camp in northern Italy on Wednesday with injury worries clouding the mood of the team shortly before the World Cup. Several key players, including captain Philipp Lahm and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, are carrying injuries into the camp in St. Leonhard, in the German speaking Alto Adige region. Lahm and Neuer will join the rest of the team later. Defender Per Mertesacker delayed his arrival by a day because of the birth of his second child. Another star, Sami Khedira of Real Madrid, will not join the squad until after the Champions League final on Saturday. Germany coach Joachim Loews camp will eventually include 27 players. The squad will return to Germany for a friendly against Cameroon on June 1, after which Loew will announce his final 23-man squad. Germany also plays Armenia on June 6, one day before departing for Brazil. The Germans open their World Cup campaign against Portugal on June 16 in Salvador, then play Ghana on June 21 in Fortaleza and conclude the group stage against the United States on June 26 in Recife. Loew said earlier this week that he was optimistic about Lahm and Neuer recovering for the World Cup. "But its good and important to have them with us in South Tirol from the start, even if they cant practice," Loew said. His players, however, decided to extend their break. While the remaining squad flew to Italy, Bayern Munichs players arrived by car -- minus Lahm and Neuer. While Lahm was expected to show up on Friday, Neuer was "day-by-day," but still expected to arrive at some point, team spokkesman Jens Grittner said. Scott Laughton Jersey. The decision for them to stay in Munich was reached mutually by Loew and team doctors, Grittner said. Lahm, nominally a defender, can also play in midfield, a role he has executed well at Bayern Munich. He injured his left ankle in the German Cup final on Saturday, when Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0. Doctors said he would not be able to train for up to seven days and Lahm said Wednesday he would stay home until Friday, while stressing that he would be ready for the World Cup. "I need to rest a few days but I will be top fit by the World Cup," Lahm told Bild newspaper in comments also published on the federations site. Lahm said Germany needed to work on its defence. "Weve allowed too many goals and too many chances recently. We have to pay more attention to our defence," he said. Neuer injured his right shoulder in the cup final and is wearing a brace. Khedira has yet to play a full match since coming back this month from a knee injury that had sidelined him for six months. A leader of the team, he is considered one of Loews key men. Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has been nursing a knee inflammation and missed the cup final. Miroslav Klose, one of only two strikers in squad, has been bothered by a hamstring injury. Defender Mats Hummels has a foot injury and played the cup final on medication. He played only 23 Bundesliga games this season for Dortmund because of various injuries. Germany also trained in the same region ahead of the 1990 World Cup in Italy and went on to win the last of its three titles. ' ' '