42 – The meaning of life, and survival?

42 - The magic number?
Premier League survival was the main aim for the season when we kicked off back in August, and it still is as we enter April.

At the moment we are in the driving seat for securing another season of Premier League football and we sit right at the top of a clutch of clubs who could find themselves dragged into a relegation dogfight come the end of the season.

Do I think we’ll end up having to fight for our lives? No, but until it can be completely ruled out you can never discount it entirely so it’s always worth keeping an eye on things in and around the bottom of the table.

There is a feeling that three points will be enough to take us over the line, and historically that feeling would seem to bear fruit as only one team has ever been relegated on 42 points since the Premier League has been in it’s current format.

The problem is that this season has been notoriously tight and teams have taken points off each other, unexpected points off each other no less. This is great for excitement and for the Premier League, but it’s not great for the hearts and minds of the supporters of a team who is trying to pull away from that bottom three.

A win against Villa would put us on 42 points already, although I personally feel that we will be fortunate to win the game. Villa may be struggling at the moment, but they have some fantastic players who are more than capable of getting them a result on Sunday. Their cause won’t be helped by that dreaded ‘vote of confidence’ that Napolean received today as that will crank up the pressure. Hopefully we can capitalise, but I wouldn’t bank on us winning the game.

Anyway, I’m rambling off course here and can feel myself getting dragged towards a rant about Aston Villa and their scummy fans, so I’ll stop there.

Back on course, 42 points…. Here are the weekend fixtures involving teams that are around us and below, plus what would be the ideal result for us.

Wolves v Everton – Everton win.
Blackburn v Birmingham – Draw.
Bolton v West Ham – Bolton win.
Chelsea v Wigan – Chelsea win.
Man Utd v Fulham – Man Utd win.
Sunderland v West Brom – Draw.
Tottenham v Stoke – Tottenham win.
Blackpool v Arsenal – Arsenal win.
Aston Villa v Newcastle – Newcastle win.

That would put us ten points clear of relegation with only six games left. Obviously not all results will go our way, but the good thing is that a lot of those fixtures see teams that are struggling taking on each other, or teams that are struggling taking on teams at the top of the league. In that respect, even if we lose we will still maintain a gap between us and the rest, and it will chalk off another number from the ‘games remaining’ tab.

So will 42 points be enough? Maybe, but if it we won’t know for a few weeks yet. What is important is to just keep plugging away and to keep doing what we are doing. Let others worry, we’ll just worry about ourselves.

How far from safety do you think we are?

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

62 thoughts on “42 – The meaning of life, and survival?

  1. 42 will be enough in my opinion.

    Also off the the last thread, toonsy the tickets for Villa are pay on the day I think 🙂

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  2. 42 will be more than enough.

    If it’s not then I promise to take Stu out for a slap-up meal at his favourite restaurant.

    How much is a Happy Meal these days by the way? 😆

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  3. 21 more points! 🙂

    Ok, praps not. But I am very heartened by last weekend’s show of grit, and while Wolves were poor, we can expect some of our remaining opposition to be just as catastrophically ***** too.

    Basically, with the experience of our relegation season to pull on, I’m seeing other clubs – like Villa – and thinking how familiar it all looks. To me it looks like a race to the bottom rather than a race away from it.

    I’m thinking Villa, Wolves and West Ham to go down. And yes, there is some hopeful bias in there. 😆

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  4. I agree – 42 will do it. I think 18th will be 38 points this year.

    Mackems’ record of 17 not in danger eh. They plumbed new, species-redefining levels of shitness that season.. 😆

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  5. Does anyone think this will be the same next season, with teams being so close but the top 5 pulling away?
    I dont like it as a Newcastle fan 😆

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  6. I think 42 points would see us safe but I dont know how far away from the drop zone we would be at the end of the season. Its just so tight down there , i think we will finish with 47 points this season.

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  7. Spencer – I think next year will be dominated by clubs’ finances, or lack thereof. I think we’ll see more and more clubs ‘doing a Portsmouth’, with player sales going a bit mad and (hopefully) prices and wages coming down accordingly.
    Then there’s the fall-out from the Nova Sports Greece ruling, too.

    In short: It’s going to be even more weird next season but we’re in a good position to do well out of it. Financially stable, famous for support and looking after players… basically first point of call for any decent player trying to escape, but who won’t get a look-in at the top four.

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  8. My source states the toon have been offered £5m + Berbatov for Enrique and Tiote.
    I say no deal.

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  9. We are being linked with Lukaku!!!

    As long as we are being linked with him I can remain hopeful ey!

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  10. However, the 1996 European Championship, held in England, gave Berbatov a new role model; the 15-year-old Berbatov began to look up to the English front man Alan Shearer,[9] who played for Newcastle United. Berbatov’s mother later spoke of her son’s teenage dream of playing for Newcastle United, and said that his admiration for Shearer was such that, during these years, he slept in a Newcastle shirt.[10][11] wiki :p

    not a chance of signing him, especially not on that deal, he’s 30.

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  11. We will get atleast 42 but I dont even think 42 will be needed, I honestly think the next 3 pts will be the hardest then the players will settle down abit knowing we’re safe, and can then kick on to try to climb higher

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  12. As my Mother always said when I was in trouble, “We are not talking about what the others did, but what you did.” In the case of relegation fights, the same would hold. The Magpies should take care of their own business and not rely on what others do. The Newcastle roster, as thin as it is, has the talent to push into the high 40’s, so my advice is “Just do it!”

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  13. Beeguy spot on after our relegation yr I have insisted on not relying on others teams to do you a favour, you have to do it for yourself and if you cant do it for yourself will then you shouldn’t be here 😉

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  14. Dave

    He was talking bollox again though. Telling some french magazine that he’s the best english midfielder and that Barry is like a tortoise. 😆

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  15. Aye Dave, what he ACTUALLY said was that he was the best midfielder in the world and Barry is a c*nt

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  16. worky slagging off this blog, for nee reason…once again.

    Haven’t commented on there since…..well certainly not this year anyway and wasn’t planning too. Did write a big comment with a few choice words in, changed it though as that’s not how we roll on this blog mate 😉

    Not even worth my anger to be honest, that place means nothing to me, let it rot

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  17. Moreno- you took the 50th comment mate… they don’t often get that high, you’ll be hailed as some sort of legend on there 😛

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  18. How could ‘im the best english midfielder’ get lost in translation dave. 😀

    Its seems a fairly simple translation to me. 🙂

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  19. Dave he has said before in ENGLISH , ‘I am the best midfielder in england’. I’m sure I read it not so long ago.

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  20. Well he’s better than Lampard and Barry, I’ll admit that, not sure he’s better than Gerrard and Wilshire tbh.

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  21. What have I missed? Getting slagged again?

    Ah well 😆

    Guess it’s not me who has the problem after all. I tell you what I did miss out on though – a Villa ticket. Don’t get paid until tomorrow and they’ve sold out now apparently 😥

    Still, I could have begged for donations for a ticket. I needed one for the site anyway 😀

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  22. SpencerTheToon
    Posted April 7, 2011 at 7:07 PM

    “O/T but is Davetoon4life a regular poster?”

    Yes he is 🙂

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  23. One thing that makes me chuckle, is Worky’s parting words of advice.

    “Anyone can run a ‘blog, but not everyone can run a busy ‘blog”

    Wise words indeed. Perhaps he should heed them 😆

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  24. Toonsy just the Sad little man having another pop at the blog but you cant really blame him as.org-and donors was probably all he had in his sad little life, and now that is falling apart.
    But you reap what you sow 😉

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  25. Dave – I’m staying out of it mate. He started that particular one by mentioning this place and me, so it’s there for all to see that it had nowt to do with me 🙂

    Those loyal to him, fair play, but they need to ask themselves why Stardust (those two were best buds once upon a time), Bowburn, Deb, myself, all walked away…….

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  26. Not just saying it as im a newcastle fan but id have barton over gerrard in the center of midfield , he is a better passer of the ball , he creates he gets back he controls the tempo of the game , great footballing brain ,

    Wiltshire has certianly got the potential

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  27. I know I made a sly dig last night Toonsy about .org n im sorry if that is going to casue you some ” interenet **** ” as it is nothing to do with myself directly.

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  28. ‘those two were best buds once upon a time’

    Could say the same about you and him toonsy. A measure of Paul’s personality perhaps? 😉 (He called you by your real name aswell did you notice)

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  29. DJG – Loads of people know my real name, and it isn’t that hard to work out from Sy so that doesn’t bother me 🙂

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  30. Spence – Just keep popping on. You;ll catch him at some point, or Andrew/Dan/Liam will pass it on….

    You know there is an article with all his graphics on?

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  31. Well Aye but, I called you it once and you said ‘it’s toonsy thankyou’ something along those lines.

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  32. Obviously I prefer being called my nick, in fact if your going to call me anything just call me Sy. Simon is reserved for my mother to use, and only when I’m in trouble,

    Paul Newsome can say what he likes 🙂

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  33. toonsy i no that its there, I just wanted to ask him what he makes them on, how and what have you!

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  34. Ice – I’m sure it won’t be long mate 🙂

    Free publicity anyway. Good move by Dan 🙂

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