Rafa Benitez identified the signings of Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle as key components to winning automatic promotion at the first attempt last season. Both completed outstanding seasons and further reinforced their quality, especially at Championship level. Jonjo Shelvey was also a key player for Newcastle last year and these three players provided the spine that helped us win the title.
Question marks remain though over their Premier League pedigree. How have they performed in the top flight previously and what can we expect next from them next year?
Matt Ritchie
Ritchie was arguably our player of the season last year. The £12m winger ended the season with 12 Championship goals and 7 assists, often scoring key goals when we needed them. A high work rate and being willing to responsibly on the pitch has endeared him to fans. This mirrored his previous season in the Championship, where his goal scoring exploits propelled Bournemouth into the Premiership for the first time a few seasons ago.
This led to Ritchie’s one and only season in the top flight in the 15/16 season. Naturally with the step up in quality, his stats were not quite as impressive but 4 goals and 6 assists was still a decent return for a winger in a newly promoted side. Bournemouth fans were divided over his departure and looking at the really poor form of his replacement, Jordan Ibe, I’m pretty sure they would welcome him back.
Ritchie remains one of our best players and the key is purchasing better players to help him out; often he was double marked last year. A greater threat from the other wing will only help him next year, probably one of the key reasons Rafa is so keen on a return for Andros Townsend.
Dwight Gayle
Gayle is the current holder of the iconic number 9 shirt and is coming back off a lethal season of 23 goals in just 26 appearances. Injuries held up the end of his season and he will be looking to prove his belongs at the highest level. United are linked with strikers on a daily basis and with Rafa favouring one up front, it will be interesting to see if he remains undoubted first choice or he is deployed as an impact sub.
It was this role he was predominantly used at Crystal palace when he plied his trade in the Premiership. 15 goals came at Palace from 60 odd appearances, though over half were from the bench. Gayle showed he is a good finisher and plays well on the shoulder but needs to underline he belongs in the Premiership with some early goals next year.
Jonjo Shelvey
Shelvey is perhaps the most experienced of the three in terms of top flight football. This was his first season outside the Premiership and his undoubted ability shone in the Championship. He can dictate a game and his range of passing is something that transforms our attacking options. Shelvey forced his way in the England team at one point following early promise at Liverpool and some excellent displays for Swansea.
Attitude and consistency however remains his Achilles heel. Now 25, his temperament still leaves a lot to be desired. High tackles and a habit of red cards or bans don’t help his cause. He was also accused on ‘downing tools’ at Swansea before competing his move up north to NUFC. Rafa is the best person to help him reach his potential and get back to previous excellent Premiership form.
All three players will be eager to deliver next season. Shelvey has a chance to get back into the England reckoning, especially with a real lack of talent in that area currently. Ritchie and Gayle are hungry to improve and will be better from previous experience of Premiership football. The key next season is to buy enough quality to not rely on these three players to continually bail us out; so when they have off days, which they will, others can step up.
I think all of these players named will do fine in the PL, but they alone aren’t enjoy to keep us in the PL and the squad desperately needs strengthening – but we all know that – including those clowns at SJP who are dragging their heels ??
Sharpy17(Quote)
Those players along with Clark, Mbemba could do well in the PL but they all have relegations under their belts. Any team wishing to do well in the PL needs 2-3 class acts in their line up. I’d put most of our money into that – a DM, striker and playmaker. There’s enough average players in the squad to supplement those 3. We don’t need 8-12 £6m buys but 3 £25m buys.
georgio(Quote)
I agree with that comment mate (for a change) lol
Icedog(Quote)
I would really worry about the injury problems Dwight keeps having every year,his hamstrings just cannot handle to many games,cannot see it changing now
Icedog(Quote)
Let’s look at who PL quality and proven. Shelvey, Ritchie, Yedlin, Perez (?) and maybe Clark. The rest have either been average to poor or just not good enough.
We need at least 6 players in and that will cost us too much money. I think we’re in for a long season.
Stuart79(Quote)
True Stuart – 38 games mate. I would add in a goalie and Hayden to your list.
georgio(Quote)
so jabba is un-happy with Rafa (tough its true)
http://www.themag.co.uk/2017/07/mike-ashley-pet-journalist-accuses-rafa-benitez-running-media-unrest-campaign-no-signings-newcastle-united/
icedog(Quote)
Well WBA have signed Jay Rod for £12m raising to £15m with add ons.
I think he’ll play regular there & I can see him getting double figures in goals and a half dozen assists.
Personally I think we missed a trick there like.
Sharpy17(Quote)
NUFC are just so far out of the loop it’s a joke! We haven’t broke our transfer record in 12 years ffs! ➡
Stuart79(Quote)
Pardew will be back soon sorry to say it
Stem(Quote)
Can we please, cease to be
Weighing up a move
preparing to make an offer
making tentative enquiries
All set to sign
turning our attention to
making an approach for
looking to secure
joining the race for
eyeing up
linked to
in a 3 way race for
In pursuit of
And just get on with it. 🙄
kimtoon(Quote)
Maybe we are Kim.That language is all journospeak.
georgio(Quote)
Wolves are about to sign a player from benfica for £18m! That’s the current climate of football in this country now. Compete or die…
Stuart79(Quote)
Mate how many times do we give the benefit of the doubt to Ashley &co, I know the window only opened yesterday but other clubs are stealing a march on us by fine tuning their sides , we have a hell of a lot more than that to do. Last window people were saying give it time, we did and we saw zilch. This guy only pushes the boat out on signings when we are battling relegation or trying to get back up.
If he’s looking to sell up he won’t invest a penny ino.
kimtoon(Quote)
Stewie: I said the same thing last week. There have been 91 transfers for 20 mil or more and we have not made any:
Man City – 25
Chelsea – 20
Man U – 17
Liverpool – 13
And that is before this year’s madness really takes off…
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I forgot Salah so Liverpool are now 14 transfers for more than 20 mil.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Great post ?
shamrock(Quote)
AND… that list above of transfers is my prediction for top of the PL this season. Money usually talks with a few outliers like Leicester or Villa every 30 years. Even the great Liverpool teams were built on outspending everybody else. The second coming of Clough was even built of Peter Shilton and Trevor Francis who cost a fortune.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Shamrock: did you write a letter to Football365?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
No mate. How come?
Players back for pre season from tomorrow. Should start to see some movement then. I’m still not unduly worried. Give itba couple of eeeks and then I’ll start getting twitchy if there is still little movement. Now the players have haf their holidays, we can expext talks to start taking place, clubs to dig their heels in etc etc.
shamrock(Quote)
Someone with your first name and suffix NUFC wrote in yesterday to their letters.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I think it is gonna stop soon.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/rafa-benitez-must-willing-evolve-10723569
funrafa(Quote)
Weird. I only wrote once for another site. That was the Mag a couple of years ago when I got fed up with the lack of organisation on here, but I did not warm to it.
shamrock(Quote)
Sham, The Mag is a funny site, they get some really good threads but some bloody awful ones too.
kimtoon(Quote)
Funrafa I really do not get that Mirror arricle at all. ‘He may resent football people because he was not a top player himself’. What sort of observation is that supposed to be? Being a player and running a club are vastly different things. Furthermore, what football people is Stan Collymore talking about?. Graham Carr? Lee Charnley? What exactly is his point? If he has an issue right now, it is with the lack of signings, not who is above him at the club? Speculative, rambling article that made absoolutely no sense. And you read that and suggest he could find himself out on his ear? The ‘article’ even claims the board have designs on being back in the Top 6 or even Top 4! What the fook does Syan base that on?!
shamrock(Quote)
Yeah there is no community feel on that site either Kim. For that you only really have the choice of the two nufc blogs.
shamrock(Quote)
Sham, I agree the content doesn’t make sense. It is the attitude behind it worries me. That shows the attitude of the owner. Apparently Ashley and Rafa are going into a war, at least on newspaper. Neither will change. Only one of them will leave. Most likely Rafa.
I was so looking forward to this transfer window and now, I have to watch this drama which I really hate to watch. I only pray Ashley or Rafa, one of them will leave Newcastle ASAP.
funrafa(Quote)
Based on tbe word of Stan Collymore though Funrafa? What insight is anybody on the Toon board likely to have given that clown? Like anybody needs advice from a woman beater who has achieved nothing in a football sense since his playing retirement anyway.
Far too much being made of completely nonsensicle spurious articles written by people with no more insight than you or I.
Give it a fortnight and then we will have a better idea of how things are really going atvthe Toon. Until then it is just idle speculation and nothing more.
shamrock(Quote)
Chronicle also has this article on and one of the comments below I copied here. I have to say I am with him:
Ex footballers are not experts especially Stan Collymore of all people . These people stick their tuppence worth in where it isn’t wanted. They never have any credence and who is interested in what the big baby wants to say . My god to question someone’s temperament after the controversy that surrounded his pitiful career is just narcissism. I’m more worried about one is
going on back scenes. There is obviously a problem releasing funds . I do not for one minute believe Charnley is that bad that he can’t even get Lejuenne over the line with no competition to deal with. Is it possible takeover talks are that advanced that we could have new ownership next week. Or is the extremely likely scenario that Ashley has put the brakes on a reality? I was looking forward to this transfer window more than any other in 15-20 years. Now I have that anxious feeling that the club is about to implode. Maybe it’s just the nature of being a Newcastle fan but I can’t help but feel all the momentum has been took out of things . Honestly at the moment I feel there’s more chance of Rafa walking than us breaking our transfer record. I for one am terrified.
funrafa(Quote)
Collymore writes absolute rubbish Sham.
I still worry a bit about Lee and the Fatman, because they have done it to us before. However, Carr is gone so that gives me hope that Rafa is more in charge.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Kimtoon and Ice might have got my reference. There used to be a show called Jake and the Fatman years ago 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
i got it
icedog(Quote)
Can we all just take a default setting that anything & everything written in the papers or any other media outlet is a load of ***** – at least until something happens to support what’s being suggested.
It’s silly season at the moment & it’s getting a bit daft now. This bloody site is even doing it – rehashing every little sniff of anything toon related – and even not toon related – sunderlands new manager got an article ? – and it’s getting passed off as ‘latest news’.
The hysteria is getting beyond belief now.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy, I don’t think it’s hysteria, more frustration. WE have or had what looked like a nice new beginning on the horizon and it’s looking a little wobbly at the moment.
Maybe it’s not, trouble is this owner has shafted managers and fans so many times now that we are just waiting for him to derail us again. I am clinging on to the hope that the delay getting faces in is because investment or buy out is on the horizon.
kimtoon(Quote)
isn’t the Chilean national anthem a jolly little jitty 🙂
kimtoon(Quote)
Well what a surprise, Germany win 🙄
kimtoon(Quote)
We should look to buy a few players from there Kimtoon.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Where the hell is Munich Mag anyway?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Was wondering same thing mate.
And yeah should buy German by looks of it.
kimtoon(Quote)
There was talk of Lewis Holtby. I think heis British raised with a German Dad or something, but has a couple of years exp. playing in Germany. I know it is complete conjecture, but thoughts?
shamrock(Quote)
Well I didn’t him very highly when he was at Spurs mate,maybe he has improved but cannot be that much like by the price they are asking in today’s market
Icedog(Quote)
He’s knocking about mate seen him on f/book,he will be back just nothing happening really,he could give us some gen on German players Ime sure
Icedog(Quote)
Yeah you are probably right Ice. I’d say he is an upgrade on Colback though….
shamrock(Quote)
Fair play to John Terry for chosing to sign for Villa for footballing reasons rather than taking mega bucks in some nothing league.
shamrock(Quote)
I will beat Icedog to it and say a Garden Gnome is an upgrade on Colback.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Would Holtby be a upgrade on Colback? I haven’t really seen enough of him to know to be honest.
We also need to start get players out of the door too. The likes of Hanley, Krul Murphy, Lazaar (?) and probably Mitro as I don’t think Rafa trusts him.
I see WBA have signed Jay Rodriguez. I thought he was quite a good player tbh.
Stuart79(Quote)
Of the midfielders we have been ‘linked’ with – I have my doubts – I think he’d be my least preferred choice to be honest.
Have to agree with Eric/Ice, a garden gnome would be an upgrade on Colback – and probably taller than Holtby
Sharpy17(Quote)
Aye, didn’t think he’d go there tbh, very good signing for them, even if he is a **** on a personal level.
kimtoon(Quote)
The German I’d like to bring back to the PL is Andre Schurrle – but not sure there is much chance of that.
Hernandez on a £13m clause could be a great buy though – reckon he’s a 15 pl goal a season CF.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I would take either Hernandez or Shurrle. Also Giroud but some would worry about his age. Usually you worry about pace as they get older but he never had any to begin with.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Mourinho has said Man U should never have sold him to begin with.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric, I would love Hernandez and as you say a snip at £13m in todays market.
kimtoon(Quote)
Latest price estimates: Keita 70 mil, Dele Alle 90+ mil, Coutinho 87 mil.
All very good players but are they in the same league as Luis Suarez who went for 70 mil or Ronaldo who was about 80 mil or Neymar who was 60 mil?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
That was Sharpy. I didn’t know he had a buyout.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Man did land on the moon. Elvis really is really dead, and Rafa arrived at training today. Hopefully, this will put an end to the Rafa is leaving stories for a while. I doubt it though.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Posted comments under changed name “Smiley”. Comments didn’t appear. Any ideas why?
Groucho(Quote)
you bet he is mate,charging fans a grand to look round the ground until he was caught
icedog(Quote)
Cairney has signed a new contract at Fulham too. Another one gone…
Would this squad avoid relegation?
Stuart79(Quote)
Yep, never enough money for some folk is there. Bit like the lady in that bungalow I was buying. She stood to make £125 k in two years on that refurbished bungalow ( turns out a **** job done too, by the way). Then after I had outlayed 2,500 in legal, surveyor and agent fees and knowing my need for a bungalow asked for another £10k ! Needless to say I told her to do one. Greedy *&%£s everywhere mate, that’s modern life.
kimtoon(Quote)
I think Jay Rodriguez is still a risk at 12 million. He scored 35 goals in 126 games over 5 years. During that time he missed 75 games with a cruciate injury and ankle surgery. If he was back to his best I don’t think Southampton would let him go.
The Cairney contract is probably an Agent maneuver. If not, it shows a lack of ambition. He is 26 and played 10 games in the PL in 2010.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
35 goals in 125 games isn’t bad from out wide. In today’s market £12m is nothing.
Stuart79(Quote)
Agreed about the price Stuart, but is there a reason it is that low?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I do wonder if part of why we struggle to get players in may be down to previous ‘ low ball ‘ offers to certain clubs and them not wanting to do business with us. Just a thought like.
kimtoon(Quote)
It’s a true saying money is the root of all evil,some just take it to far,don’t worry mate she will get her come-up-ins before she’s through life,you reap what you sow,it’s a **** about the money like (pig)
Icedog(Quote)
I know I have banged on about pre-season, but I just saw some of the other teams’ final games – Bournemouth play Napoli, Brighton Althletico Madrid.
We get Hellas Verona who finished 2nd in Serie B.
Are Mainz any good? We play Wolfsburg at their training ground, capacity 5,000, so I doubt if that will be a real game.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
https://twitter.com/jason17jhw/status/881504111858003968
kimtoon(Quote)
He might not be wanted and he might not have long on his contract.
Stuart79(Quote)
West Ham in talks with Hernadez. He will score goals
Stuart79(Quote)
http://www.shieldsgazette.com/sport/football/newcastle-united/newcastle-transfer-breakthrough-imminent-1-8628774
shamrock(Quote)
bollocks, would of liked him
kimtoon(Quote)
funrafa(Quote)
This is getting weird – even the Chronicle is linking us with **** players now. If you look at the business Everton have done this year we are light years behind.
I wonder if the so called frustration and disappointment attributed to Rafa is because good players are turning him down and not because of those upstairs.
georgio(Quote)
The one I would want is Giroud. I know he is old (31) but he is proven. Arsenal want 20 million for him which may sound a lot but is Mitro plus 6 million. I think Giroud and a couple of others would guarantee safety and Mitro will be on the bench. It would be a good trade.
I know you will say the Fat Man will not pay that but he might when it protects his investment. He has just seen that relegation wiped 150-200 million off NUFC and promotion added it back, so he might, fingers crossed, have learnt his lesson.
If he didn’t learn from our 2 relegations all he has to do is look down the road where Ellis Short can’t give Sunderland away. And I think Tony Xia paid like 60 million for Villa once the debts were cleared and they seem to be no nearer to promotion than they were last year.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Not excited by speculation regarding Gibbs of Arsenal. Gibbs will probably be third choice for Arsenal a team in which defence is possibly the weakest area.
Groucho(Quote)
3rd choice at Arsenal could be Newcastle’s best player!
georgio(Quote)