Rafa Benitez reveals a storm knocked out his TV signal while he watched his Newcastle side beat Swansea as he recovered from surgery at home

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Rafa Benitez has revealed that a storm almost caused him to miss coverage of Newcastle’s 1-0 win at Swansea last Sunday as he helped manage the team from his sofa at home.

The Magpies boss - who was recovering from surgery to an infected hernia wound - was offered the use of owner Mike Ashley’s helicopter to fly to south Wales but high winds and his own poorly condition forced him to remain at home on the Wirral.

Benitez, though, admits that his nerves were frayed when he lost his television picture early in the game.

Rafa Benitez revealed his TV signal was knocked out as he watched from home last week

Benitez was home recovering from surgery as Newcastle beat Swansea at the Liberty Stadium

‘I was sure the television was ready, and then there was a storm and it was like, “Woah!”,’ said the Spaniard, who will return to the St James’ Park dugout against Stoke on Saturday.

‘Sky had gone off and three or four minutes had been played. My daughter went in the other room to see if the television was working. There were problems, I couldn’t see the TV!’ 

Thankfully, for Benitez, his daughter recovered the signal and he was able to watch captain Jamaal Lascelles head a second-half winner.

But he admitted: ‘My daughter was laughing, she was telling me to calm down when we were counter attacking.

The Spaniard was in contact with his staff but was too unwell to travel to South Wales

‘I was writing things down but I could not move. Then, when Jamaal scored, I cheered, yes.’ 

Benitez had been raring to go earlier in the day as arrangements were put in place for Ashley’s helicopter to pick him up.

But he said: ‘Little by little I was a bit more sick. I said if I go, with the helicopter, and then the car, and then one hour in the stadium and I was laid down all the time and I feel sick, then that will be a problem more than a solution. So I said forget about that. But the job my staff did was brilliant.’ 

Benitez was speaking for the first time on Friday since the closure of the transfer window. He was furious that Newcastle failed to sign a single player during the final two weeks of August but they have now won two on the spin and could enter the top four with another victory.

The Magpies boss insisted, however, that his team improve both defensively and in attack

And, of his summer frustration, he said: ‘I am very pragmatic. There's a time to fight and I was fighting to improve my team in the way I think we have to improve. Now it's a time to help my team and improve my players.

‘Will doing that be easy? No chance. If you think now we're going to win 10 games in a row, it is not going to be like this.

‘I am against this idea that we can compete for Europe, and before we were going to be relegated. It is a long season.’

 Benitez hopes this Saturday's game against Stoke is another opportunity to gain three points