The thought was that a lot of the players were the same that took us down, and logic would dictate that none of them will have improved if you listen to various pundits and media outlets. It would appear, unsurprisingly, that they were wrong.
Whilst survival is yet to be guaranteed, the lads we have at the club at the moment are giving it their best shot at trying to get a place in the Premier League for next season nailed down at the earliest opportunity.
A lot of the lads who are being held in the highest regard currently were indeed with us when we went down, but they are sharp proving the critics wrong and have turned out to be more than capable of performing in the Premier League. Here are my three Newcastle players who have gone from zero to hero via relegation and back.
Fabricio Coloccini.
The Argentine defender celebrated his 29th birthday with a goal against Tottenham yesterday, but it could have been very different for the defender.
He was widely regarded as an expensive flop in our relegation season and looked shaky at best. He eventually found himself out of the team and on the bench, and it looked likely that he would be out of the club once our relegation was subsequently confirmed.
That wasn’t the case though, and ‘Colo’ stayed to help put the club back in the big league. He was our best central defender last season, and he has carried that form into this season with a string of excellent performances.
Coloccini can read the game remarkably well and has amazing technique and skills for a defender. His goal against Tottenham yesterday was a brilliant piece of innovation and technique and is something that generally wouldn’t be expected of a defender.
Colo continues to be a crowd favourite.
Joey Barton.
What more can you say about Joey Barton? He has been in trouble, he has been injury-prone, he courts controversy, but he is also one of our best performers of the season so far.
He was written off when we were relegated. A player on huge wages, with similar sized baggage, was never likely to attract too much transfer speculation. That has changed now though and Barton is reportedly being looked at by the likes of Aston Villa and West Ham.
I can’t think of any better English midfielder at the moment, which makes it a shame for the lad that he is unlikely to get the international recognition he deserves. Still, England’s loss is Newcastle’s gain, and you will never hear me complaining about that!
Kevin Nolan.
Admittedly Nolan was only with us for the second half of that relegation season, but he has shown his importance to the team with his leadership and goalscoring ability.
Nolan the Mackem slayer will alway have a place in Geordie hearts, because he broke the hearts of The Mackems on two occasions this season, including that memorable hat-trick back in October.
He was instrumental in bringing us back up scoring 17 goals in the process, and he is proving invaluable again this season with his ten league goals so far.
He can attract criticism at times though, but I think he has been fantastic for us since relegation. The phrase ‘born leader’ is used too often, but Nolan is one and always tries to rally the players. He may not have searing pace, but he is a grafter and always pops up in the right places. He can also finish pretty well aswell!
These are three players that reaped the benefit of playing in a lower league for a season, but they aren’t the only ones. Andy Carroll wouldn’t be the hottest property in English football had it not been for a stint in The Championship, and Jose Enrique reaped the reward and improved his game by ironing out some of his faults.
It’s great that the players found some confidence by playing in The Championship, but the Premier League is where it’s at. If they can keep doing what they are doing then they can continue to show the pundits that they are indeed Premier League class.
Here’s to hoping it continues!
NOLAN was the Best signing JK made.
Can’t believe i just said that. 😯
As for JB,we now know why KK always defended Him,and willing to even Help Him in the Court case,but sadly KK left and JB eventually went to jail,but is over. And he is repaying the faith NUFC FANS had on Him.
Col Creamy: Can’t say much in His first season with Us,cause basically i hardly notice Him. But He is now proven for that huge price the club paid for.Well Done.
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
I’ve heard a few people say Joey Barton has had injury problems or he is injury prone but I disagree.
He broke a bone in his foot and then cattermole sat on his knee sideways. I think he has just been unlucky with a couple of nasty injuries, but to say he is injury prone isn’t right i’d say.
I Love Mike(Quote)
Guys,Le’ts Hope WBA beats Blackburn,and we can hold on 7th position for alittle more while. 😛
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
If i am not wrong,today happens to be Steven Taylor and Enrique Birthday? 😛
Le’ts Hope His birthday present is a new contract extension.
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
well i think tiote for class show in a short time in epl is one of clueless chris best signings and one of the toons best signing for a long time we had been missing that type of player for a long time imo
icedog(Quote)
Agreed Ice, but he didn’t get relegated with us 😉
toonsy(Quote)
TOONSY i know m8,and wouldnt have if he had been in,just a little poke at a certain guy on clueless 😉
icedog(Quote)
TOONSY gan along with 1 and three like 😉
icedog(Quote)
quality finish that like hahaha
Blackburn 1 – 0 WBA
I Love Mike(Quote)
Ice – I didn’t think you would go along with number two mate 😉
toonsy(Quote)
TOONSY cannot help it m8,the way i was bought up maybe
icedog(Quote)
Oh dear,C’Mon WBA. Don’t Let Blackburn overtake us. 😥
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
dog clueless isnt our manager any more ,mr pardew is ,jk nolan SA barton and CH pancrap
batty(Quote)
dog are you cluelesses father ❓ 😀
batty(Quote)
BATTY lol,your getting old m8,you dont normally bite that easy 😀
icedog(Quote)
dog and heres me thinking i was gettin you too bit 😀
batty(Quote)
BATTY your a sound lad,you know your footy m8
icedog(Quote)
wonder what little dave is up to
batty(Quote)
ATM,we drop to 8th. 😥
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
BATTY dave says he sold your caravan got 1500 quid for it hope you got your cut 😉
icedog(Quote)
Batty – You mean Sir Pardew? 😆
toonsy(Quote)
Where is Dave anyway?
toonsy(Quote)
spending battys cash
icedog(Quote)
toonsy soon could be sir 😉
batty(Quote)
I wondered why he’d been gone a while 😀
West Brom have been garbage in this game.
toonsy(Quote)
i think dave has gone on 1 of his bnp rallys 😆
batty(Quote)
or EDL 😀
batty(Quote)
😆 😆
Grandmaster Dave
toonsy(Quote)
could be with richie hes gone picking sea coal daves got a bogie he nicked
icedog(Quote)
For some reason I was in Nuneaton a few weeks back and they had an EDL march over there with an anti-EDL march oing at the same time 😀
Never seen so many coppers. Looked like a fun day 😆
toonsy(Quote)
batty luv it,big dave is a skin heed 😆
hitman(Quote)
dog divent mention coal pickin ,that old c@nt what calls himself me father used too have us doing that at 2 in the mornin when he came in pissed 😡
batty(Quote)
hitman kna hes just bald as a coot 😀
batty(Quote)
BATTY sorry m8 bad mems eh
icedog(Quote)
Batty your the silver fox ye c@nt
Big Dave(Quote)
alreet dave have they let ya oot ,have you been charged 😉
batty(Quote)
dave dog reckons your bald with all the tapping on the head the coppers do to you when your giving them info ❓ thats a good lad dave 😆
batty(Quote)
Toonsy I would tend to agree with your 3 mate even if one is not me fav I will still admit that he has done us proud 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
DAVE been defending you all day from them rat bags 😉
icedog(Quote)
anyone seen this tinos half time cross bar challenge at the match yesterday 😆
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wepjhEbjEPI&feature=youtube_gdata_player
hitman(Quote)
dave is,nt bald at all its his solar panel
icedog(Quote)
Batty my fav words to them was no comment, and I dont know if its the same ower the water but here they use to knock the **** out of ye then try to tell others that you spilled the beans to try to get them to say something 👿
Big Dave(Quote)
Tino will be forever a legend on Tyneside for giving me one of my proudest moments as a toon fan…a hat-trick against the mighty Barca on the hill….immense !!!
Munich Mag(Quote)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wepjhEbjEPI&feature=youtube_gdata_player
tino half time
I Love Mike(Quote)
HITMAN cheers for that m8
icedog(Quote)
to slow ILM 😉
hitman(Quote)
Ice yer a good lad no matter what them slags say mate 😉
Hitman I bet old rubber legs Tino felt like a right knob when he slipped 😆 but he still has it 😉
Big Dave(Quote)
fkin nailed ice 2nd shot.classic 😆
hitman(Quote)
Tino..there’s only one Tino… 😛
Munich Mag(Quote)
columbian geordie big dave 😆
hitman(Quote)
He spent a lot of time falling ower when he played for the toon…no different yesterday, though he had had his dodgy sports direct white trainers on…
Munich Mag(Quote)
Munich that was a game to remember the other player that was on fire that night was Gilly, and he was supposed to give me his Top and im still waiting for it 😀
Big Dave(Quote)
Dave – He probably sold it for a tenner to go on the **** 😛
toonsy(Quote)
dave they always use too come ours mob handed more too do with me elder bros ,never did them any good like 😀
batty(Quote)
chinese time bloody starving,back laters
icedog(Quote)
dog iam suprised your still doing 69s at your age 😆
batty(Quote)
Big D…I remember it well, Gilly giving it lowdy down the right wing leaving one of the worlds best left backs at the time chasing his tail… It all went down hill for him after that , but his performance that day was also immense…
Looks like you’ll be waiting a while for that top, I’d stop holding me breath now mate if I was you…!
Munich Mag(Quote)
batty,the dog is off to eat a dog 😆
hitman(Quote)
Icedog…don’t let them hound you……
Munich Mag(Quote)
Batty they are a bunch of c@nts when I was younger they use to pull us in when we were going for the ferry to watch the Rangers match, they thought it was so funny that we wasted all that money and wouldn’t get to go 😈
Toonsy he was always fond of a drink I use to feel sorry for his Lass as she would end up sitting with just her mate while he was necking drink with the boys. I did get another top of him but it was the Barca one I wanted 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
ile be back lata am away oot 👿
batty(Quote)
Munich I always thought it was sad to see someone with that gift throw it all away on drink and other ***** 🙁
But then its their choice I suppose, But I do think the troubles ower here didn’t really help them
Big Dave(Quote)
Batty take it easy and dont be making poor old Ice do all the graft 😉
Big Dave(Quote)
Allardyce: “My philosophy is to play to the strengths of the players I have”
Owen as a lone striker then? Full of bollocks is fat Sam 🙄
toonsy(Quote)
Big Dave…Gilly was a great winger, I met him once after training in Durham, a wisp of a lad 50kg soaking wet…Growing up with all the **** going on must have had some affect on these lads..
Munich Mag(Quote)
Big Sam…I’d be really surprised if we saw him again in the PL……if at all maybe back at the makkems once fat boy gets bladdered…they would deserve him..wazzock..
Munich Mag(Quote)
Holloway on Charlie Adam: “If anyone wants him they best start their bid with a 1”
So nowt less that £10 million for Charlie Adam then 😯
toonsy(Quote)
Toonsy I do think Adams is a good player and some of his passing is top notch 😉 but I sometimes think do’s he sit out more and look better because he is playing with Blackpool no disrespect to them ❓
Big Dave(Quote)
Big fish, small pond 😉
toonsy(Quote)
😉
Big Dave(Quote)
toonsy- 1.5? lol
Ross(Quote)
Was having a look at the table and correct me if I’m wrong but if both the recent results went our way, we would be 6th and 1 point off 5th? With 15 games to go? That’s mental considering what we all expected going into the season. I really love our lads and the passion they’ve brought back to the club. Haven’t heard people saying team spirit is worth Nowt lately either…
Funny how the “same lot” that got us relegated, and the same lot that were supposed to be playing in league one this year, is the same lot sitting pretty right now.
Legends. All of them.
JerseyGeordie(Quote)
Funny how a season in coca cola (or npower nowadays) can do wonders to some of our players
Colo and Jonas had a wonderful debut against manu but the former’s has turn out pretty shocking at times after that, worst I think was the 1-5 trashing by the scousers
Nolan as well, a red card on his debut? or was it the 2nd game? 😆
Thought he was ***** to be honest with you, never thought he would be our captain one day and turn out to be an awesome asset afterall 😈
And what more can I say about Joey, absolutely fantastic player, shame that he got injured for quite a while before being able to play consistently like now, it would be nice if he could reproduce his scoring form at citeh, not that i’m complaining
Seems like the relegation was a blessing in disguise after all, those who stayed in the end were those who were proud to don the black and white 😉 (Or do they have a choice?)
arcarius(Quote)