Why England’s World Cup run could be set to benefit NUFC massively

Football fans across the country are basking in the heat wave and England remarkably making the World Cup semi finals. It is our best performance in the tournament since 1990 and with the likes of Brazil and Germany already sent home, we have a real chance.

Back in Newcastle, Rafa has quietly started pre-season training as we already gear up for the 18/19 campaign. With transfers still delayed, as usual, focus turns towards our incredibly difficult start. Playing four of the top six in our first five games is a nightmare run and already has Newcastle worried we could be near the bottom of the table from the outset this season – unless significant transfer progress is made by the time the season kicks off.

However, England’s success can certainly benefit Newcastle in our season opener at SJP against Spurs.

Kane, Alli, Trippier, Rose and Dier may all not feature as Pochettino must decide if they need a rest after no break all summer due to our success. As Spurs are blessed with many top players, the same can be said of other semi finalists as this will also apply to Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Dembele and Llloris .

Even the likes of Sanchez, Eriksen and Son will also return to pre-season later than usual after competing in this summer’s World Cup – and the latter has apparently picked up an injury which may rule him out of our opening day encounter.

Newcastle on the other hand only had Mitrovic in Russia who in all honestly is very unlikely to be still at the club never mind in our XI come August. We should be fresh and raring to go whereas Spurs might just be suffering from a World Cup hangover.

A bonus three points on opening day would be a big boost for us and take some pressure off our horrendous start.

Here’s hoping Newcastle can continue the feel good factors this summer.

(Fancy writing for us? Send any articles/ideas over to us at [email protected] & we’ll get back to you!)

About Simon Riddlesden

Lifelong Newcastle United fan and East Stand season ticket holder. Observations from a supporter who has followed NUFC during Champions League participation and through relegation, taking me from Milan to Scunthorpe.

415 thoughts on “Why England’s World Cup run could be set to benefit NUFC massively

  1. Sharpy17:
    What a freekick Tripz – class son!!.

    The boy went crazy – he doesn’t even like football yet . This could be the turning point!!

    Bishops finger tastes so much sweeter now

    Aye but where’s it been mate 😆

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  2. Already Croatia are chasing this game and we are sitting deeper. I’m not sure that’s good.

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  3. Computers Kim. Minecraft and stuff. Not really sporty at all. He is academic though, so no doubt he will do well ? When I was a lad I was mad into all sorys of sport. Used to collect the Merlin Premier League albums at that age.

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  4. Dare I say in control here like, it will be a major lapse in concentration or a long range punt for them to get owt .

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  5. Shamrock:
    Sharpy my lad is 9 and has no interest

    Sham – it was inevitable that at some stage the next generation of toon and England fans would call time on it ?

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  6. Shamrock:
    Computers Kim. Minecraft and stuff. Not really sporty at all. He is academic though, so no doubt he will do well When I was a lad I was mad into all sorys of sport. Used to collect the Merlin Premier League albums at that age.

    Sham – how old are you mate, sounds identical

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  7. kimtoon: Aye but where’s it been mate

    Kim – well this ones been in my fridge, but I can’t answer for all of them ??

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  8. I think that has been a feature of this world cup. That teams have gone for it and not just sat back and done the sideways passing.

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  9. These Yank commentators come up with good stats: the number in the Stadium today would be the 5th largest city in Croatia.

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  10. Shamrock:
    Computers Kim. Minecraft and stuff. Not really sporty at all. He is academic though, so no doubt he will do well When I was a lad I was mad into all sorys of sport. Used to collect the Merlin Premier League albums at that age.

    Lots of lads in to computers now

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  11. Halfway there boys, but I’d be happier if Kane or Lingard had put their chances away as well

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  12. Croatia at playing like they’re 2 nil down. Why I don’t know. It will play I to our hands

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  13. Not sure if England were sitting back or Croatia were just so much more aggressive / progressive.

    Croatia are a very savvy professional team

    C’mon England deep breath get back your rhythm .. you’re better team

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  14. Fucking hell man!!!.

    We should have been 3-0 up at half time – game over.

    We’ve just scrapped ET there and look totally backs against the wall.

    Need to get the control of the game back here.

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  15. Croatia look spent on full time .. that was a major effort from them for the last 20 to keep England on back foot

    Surely (hopefully) they can’t sustain that energy for another 30 mins

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  16. T’was a good run. Unfortunately first good team we came up against we lost. Will do England good for next rime though.. Still a very young squad.

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  17. And there you have it , always the bridesmaid never the bride.
    Oh well, they did better than expected.

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  18. Gutted!!

    But I said when the squad was named I worried that if Kane didn’t score I didn’t see where the goals came from – turned out to be the CBs. Need to convert chances if we ever stand a chance.

    It’ll hurt now, but they should be proud, they did well and they got a nation interested again.

    Well done boys, close but no cigar

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  19. You know there is the 3rd place game on Saturday. Anybody going to watch. I sort of don’t see the point. It is like giving out rosettes to everyone competing in a gymkhana.

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  20. Such a shame. Let’s hope they use this experience to develop.

    As others have said a young team .. so the futures at least interesting

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  21. There is hope. I haven’t seen England or NUFC win anything in my lifetime ( I don’t count The Fairs Cup but I know Aussie Magpie Fan does) but the Chicago Cubs won the World Series after 100 years of hurt.

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  22. Oh well, there’s always next time. England still lack the experience. They’ll do well at the next Euros.

    All credit to Croatia. It was a mighty performance by them.

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  23. Eric Sykes:
    You know there is the 3rd place game on Saturday. Anybody going to watch. I sort of don’t see the point. It is like giving out rosettes to everyone competing in a gymkhana.

    I dont see the point either. The lads will just want to go home to their families now and rest. Nobody remembers who finished 3rd. Waste of time.

    Maybe decent was the wrong term. I should hsve said quality. I dont consider Colombia in that bracket, but Croatia and Belgium yes. And we lost to them both. But youngest squad at the world cuo, better brand of football. Modesty and tigetherness with room to grow. Bring in 2020 and 2022!

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  24. Dubai Toon:
    Not good enough. Was Kane even playing?

    Dubai – trouble is at this stage of the tournament, Croatia knew that if they stopped Kane there was no other real goal threat – other than set pieces, but they set up for those as well.
    Lingard and Sterling have done alright, but they aren’t really known for their finishing – Sterling quite the opposite. There after is was Rashford, Vardy and Welbeck – none of which filled me with confidence they would score a hat full either.

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  25. They exceeded expectation tbf, no one expected them to get this far.
    Trouble is at the euro’s and next WC you can bet the big teams who went out early this time won’t all go out so early next time.
    Best chance ever this was, such a shame .
    Is it me or was Kane really quiet tonight.

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  26. You don’t count the Fairs Cup? That’s a bizarre statement. The third most important cup competition in European football at the time, and you discount it? If that’s the case, Eric, you’ll never be satisfied.

    I was at the first leg of that final. You can’t tell me it was unimportant – well, sure, you can tell me that, but it’ll just show you have no idea what you are talking about.

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  27. Brisvegas:
    Oh well, there’s always next time. England still lack the experience. They’ll do well at the next Euros.

    All credit to Croatia. It was a mighty performance by them.

    Bris – yeah, I haven’t said it yet but all credit to Croatia. That’s the 3rd game in a row they’ve played ET and they looked the better side from about 60mins onward – when you’d expect them to tire.
    Stan Laurel and Modric were outstanding I thought.

    Good luck to them, France will be a tough game.

    I couldn’t give a **** about the play off game & im at work anyway.

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  28. Brisvegas:
    You don’t count the Fairs Cup? That’s a bizarre statement. The third most important cup competition in European football at the time, and you discount it? If that’s the case, Eric, you’ll never be satisfied.

    I was at the first leg of that final. You can’t tell me it was unimportant – well, sure, you can tell me that, but it’ll just show you have no idea what you are talking about.

    Are you sure you and Aussie aren’t the same person because he said something very similar to me last time I mentioned the Fairs Cup. I was too young to go but if you say it is meaningful I will accept that.

    So, NUFC HAVE won something in my lifetime, it was just I was too young to go.

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  29. I can’t think of any England player who played badly in this tournament. The Mackem goalie came through after an iffy season at Everton. Kane will almost certainly win the golden boot and even Young played OK.

    Even though we are out, this is so much better than the Euros. We will not be seeing a 1 minute press conference from Mr Roy or pictures of umbrellas and turnips in the tabloids. Southgate can say he did his best and deserves a shot at the Euros (which was not the case with Mr Roy after Brasil).

    I thought we were slightly unlucky and it could have gone either way.

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  30. Yeah. Lack of experience but at times sime very composed football. Really need a playmaker in the middle of the park. We lack that spark to set the attackers up. Alli or Lingars but not both.

    Standouts for me are:
    1) Trippier.
    2) Maguire
    3) Pickford

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  31. Shamrock:
    Yeah. Lack of experience but at times sime very composed football. Really need a playmaker in the middle of the park. We lack that spark to set the attackers up. Alli or Lingars but not both.

    Standouts for me are:
    1) Trippier.
    2) Maguire
    3) Pickford

    Sham: you are probably too young to remember the picture of Graham Taylor’s face super-imposed on a turnip on The Sun backpage. They slaughtered him, just like they did Sir Bobby. Then when they die they act like they were their biggest supporters all along.

    Happy that Gareth will not have to go through this YET. They went surprisingly easy on Mr. Roy in my opinion considering how **** his teams did. And they are very quick with the redemption at Palace. I have no idea why. Does he remind the current scum at the current bun of their grandfather or summink?

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  32. Well, if we dont do well at the Euros then the press will tuen again – because we reached the semi final of the world Cup and they will expect us to match that at least.

    Trouble is, a semi final this year is a bit of a mirage in terms of proving how far we have come. We played 2 quality sides and lost them both. We have improved, the future is still bright but kwts not gwt carried away. Quarters for the Euros has to be the ?

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  33. Shamrock:
    Yeah. Lack of experience but at times sime very composed football. Really need a playmaker in the middle of the park. We lack that spark to set the attackers up. Alli or Lingars but not both.

    Standouts for me are:
    1) Trippier.
    2) Maguire
    3) Pickford

    Sham – from what little I’ve seen of him at City, I hope Phil Foden is developed there coz he looks like a future star and could be that spark.
    Ryan Sessagon could also be Ashley Young’s replacement on that left side heading into the Euros.

    I agree though, the 3 you mention there were the stand out players for sure.

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  34. Sharpy17: Sham – from what little I’ve seen of him at City, I hope Phil Foden is developed there coz he looks like a future star and could be that spark.
    Ryan Sessagon could also be Ashley Young’s replacement on that left side heading into the Euros.

    I agree though, the 3 you mention there were the stand out players for sure.

    That Foden kid is going to be a superstar. I don’t think Pep will loan him out but will use him to spell David Silva.

    Just my guess, anybody can say I am talking ****.

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  35. Sharpy: I said a couple of months ago on here that Foden reminds me of Beardsley the way he ghosts past people. I can’t say Messi because he is the best player to ever live so nobody compares to Lionel.

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  36. Sharpy: if we could loan Foden then I would be very confident of top 8. I think we are allowed to loan a max of 2 PL players, so why not.

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  37. Yeah I know Vegas.. English fans should have known better than to have dared to dream though. ?

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  38. You’ve got to have a dream. If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true? – “South Pacific” I think.

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  39. People will sneer and laugh at England football fans and thats expected and fine

    It was good to be excited as we watched an England team that looked like they wanted to play, were pretty decent and seemed interested in more than themselves.

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  40. Only managed to see the first half, then had to be at an awards evening. Fortunately my son won his category, Best young actor.
    Wierd feelings, checking scores on phone and then almost glad I missed it, Weird.

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  41. PremAndUp:
    Only managed to see the first half, then had to be at an awards evening. Fortunately my son won his category, Best young actor.
    Wierd feelings, checking scores on phone and then almost glad I missed it, Weird.

    congrats to your son Prem, well done .

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  42. GlosMag:
    People will sneer and laugh at England football fans and thats expected and fine

    It was good to be excited as we watched an England team that looked like they wanted to play, were pretty decent and seemed interested in more than themselves.

    Agree, no tears in our house, I was gutted in 1990 and a bit sad in 96 but had already prepared myself for defeat in a way. We don’t do success and certainly not a team that young and average.
    They gave their all and I dared to half hope but in reality the end result was always likely.

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  43. looking forward to the euros and how and if any have progressed.

    Anyway, we signed anyone for upfront yet ?

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