As much as I’d love to think Mike is like an excited little kid at Christmas with our new found good form, thus causing him to open the cheque book on all fronts, I think we all know that won’t be the case.

With that in mind I did a little bit of digging to see whose contract is running out at the end of the season but more so, who fits the criteria, under 27, ideally scouted, long term targets, you know the drill.

Some listed below don’t fall into the latter mentioned criteria but are players I’m somewhat aware of and think might be up to scratch, although some more knowledgeable than myself may be able to correct me if I’m wrong.

Anyway, lets get the ball rolling, starting with defenders…..

Douglas Teixeira of FC Twente. 24 year old centre back we have been linked with for a good while now. Most will be aware of his potential and chances are there will be competition for his signature come the summer, but would be a massive signing if we could pull it off.

Mathias Jorgensen of FC o. 21 year old centre back better known as ‘Zanka’. Newcastle were linked with him in the summer but not in January, maybe there’s a reason for that I’m not aware of but anyway. He is a monster of a man and rated very highly with English and European clubs looking at him over the past couple of years.

Kostas Manolas of AEK Athens. 20 year old centre back who came close to a move to Everton in January, only for the transfer of Jelavic to scupper the deal. Another Newcastle were linked with in the past and may feel slightly miffed at Everton for what happened. The AEK chairman has also confirmed that Everton face stiff competition for his signature in the summer.

Nathaniel Clyne of Crystal Palace. 20 year old right back who we all know about at this stage. Heavily linked with Newcastle since last summer and hotly tipped to be a top right back in the future, could our long standing interest have a bearing on his decision once his contract runs out?

Matthew Bates of Middlesbrough. 25 year old centre back and captain who was linked along with Rhys Williams in January. Boro have tried to tie their captain down to a new deal but with no success as yet, and failure to secure promotion would surely spell the end of his spell there.

As for midfielders….

Mohamed Diamè of Wigan. 24 year old defensive midfielder who despite Wigan’s poor form has looked very promising. Another whose future may hinge on the outcome to their season and as much as Perch has won a few fans over deputising for Tiote during his absence, Diamè is simply a better all round player.

Lewis McGugan of Nottingham Forest. 23 year old attacking midfielder with a knack of scoring absolute belters and someone Newcastle tried to sign in the summer but Forest were looking for too much. Heard he is not having a great season but could be somewhat down to being unsettled and if available for free would certainly strengthen our back-up options.

Alan Dzagoev of CSKA Moscow. 21 year old attacking midfielder who has been linked with some top English clubs in the past year or so including Man Utd. May be out of our league due to level of competition and CSKA I’m sure are offering big money for him to stay but as we saw with the signing of Cabaye in the summer, Newcastle are well capable of punching what some would say is above our weight in the transfer market these days.

Sotiris Ninis of Panathinaikos. 21 year old versatile midfielder and someone who seems very highly rated given I only became aware of him of late. Like Dzagoev, rumour has it plenty are lining up to secure his services but again, in Graham Carr we trust and if he is on the hitlist we have a chance.

Shikabala of Zamalek. 25 year old versatile attacking midfielder who Newcastle were linked with last summer, confirmed by the player at the time, but nothing seemed to materialize. Not a fan of youtube scouting but looked a very handy player if I remember correctly and would make more than adequate back-up for those already at the club.

Tranquillo Barnetta of Bayer Leverkusen. 26 year old versatile winger and a name we all know too well at this stage. We have been linked with this lad for coming on four years I think, and for one reason or another, usually injury on his part, nothing ever comes of it. I don’t expect it to in the summer either to be honest but you never know. Whatever happens I won’t believe it until I see him holding up the jersey.

David Hoilett of Blackburn. 21 year old, highly rated and looks the real deal. Again, someone Newcastle have been heavily linked with for the past year and could face stiff competition for come the summer but nevertheless is a player who is definitely on our radar and would be a great signing if we could convince him St. James’ is the place to be.

Salomon Kalou of Chelsea. 26 year old attacking midfielder slash forward who looks set to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season. Maybe I’m missing something but any time I have watched Kalou he looks a good player, just doesn’t seem to get a look in at Chelsea even despite their poor form and lack of goals this season. Strange one, but someone I’d definitely love to see come to Tyneside.

Finally, the forwards……

Hugo Rodallega of Wigan. 26 years old striker who has been linked with a move away ever since last summer. Newcastle were said to be one of the interested parties, and given he could be free at the end of the season could well still be in the hunt, but he has had a poor season to say the least, certainly by his standards and may one who could flop at a big club.

Edgar Da Silva of Vitoria Guimaraes. 25 year old versatile forward who apparently was on the radar of Sir Alex Ferguson until he got Hernandez and was later recommended to Alan Pardew as a good signing. Now that could be nothing but speculation as a lot of transfer rumours are but from the little I have seen would make decent back up for our Senegalese strike duo.

Eder Lopes of Academica. 24 year old versatile forward who was linked with both Newcastle and Arsenal in the summer. Again, not a big fan of youtube clips to judge players but one thing I did notice about this lad was his first touch and link up play. It’s been a while but I remember being impressed and very surprised I hadn’t heard of him before. Another who would make for very good back up for our first choice strikers.

Jay Rodriguez of Burnley. 22 year old forward Newcastle were linked with late on in the January transfer window. Although I have known the name since he was in his teeens, not a player I have seen much of to be honest but 18 goals in 37 games this season suggests he is decent enough. Once more, as a back up option may well be worth a punt, especially considering his age and potential sell on valu if it doesn’t work out.

Last one, Yaya Sanogo of Auxerre. 19 year old striker which I know the FIFA heads will be buzzing about as he apparently turns into one of the best players in the game. Not my style of judging players. What I do know is he is someone who, before his long term injury last season and some of this, was being tracked by some of Europes top clubs. He may still be on the big gun hitlist but maybe the injury caused a few to look elsewhere and a potential star of the future could be snapped up for free.

Of course there are a lot more whose contracts run out at the end of the season and I’m sure we’ll hear many a name linked with us between now and then, but for now, that is a mixture of who has been linked with Newcastle in the past and who I think just might be attainable given they’l be free transfers.

If nothing else, it just shows you don’t have to spend big to improve. Major squad strengthening is the next step to consistent European contention for Newcastle and a lot of those players would fit the bill.

As I said, in Graham Carr I trust, but I really hope a few listed above are on his radar for the summer.

Who would you like to see in black and white come next season?

Is Ryan the right wing solution?

Everyone has their own opinion or personal preference as to what they want from a winger, and all hold merit when other factors come into play such as defensive cover, but based on stats alone, who is the strongest performer this season? The four players taken into account are Ryan Taylor, Jonas Gutierrez, Gabriel Obertan and Hatem Ben Arfa.

It is difficult to base a decision on stats alone due to a number of factors including the fact Taylor played in defence for over half his appearances, Hatem Ben Arfa played in the hole behind a striker and has much less game time than the other three, and finally that Jonas and Obertan have been required to cover full backs more than attack in a lot of games this season.

All things considered, check out the stats anyway, see what you make of them.

So based on the above, decide for yourself. Personally I can see why Alan Pardew picks Jonas Gutierrez every week based on the need for defensive cover and think that it’s fairly obvious Ryan Taylor should play right wing if those are the tactics.

As I said in the article the other day though, long term, we need to get in a position where our wingers main priority is to attack and create chances for Demba Ba and especially Cissè rather than being required to protect our full backs constantly.

If we can get in that position by next season and don’t bring in any more wingers, my personal preference would be Ryan Taylor and Hatem Ben Arfa if we were to go standard 4-4-2.

In the ideal scenario I would probably even play Sylvain Marveaux above Taylor and let Ryan be our ultimate utility man, but although he looks a really clever player, the jury has to be out on Marveaux until he shows the fitness to warrant first team selection.

Who would you choose? Both for the remainder of this season, and next.

Mr T returns

That is the first time such a luxury has been afforded to Alan Pardew since the turn of the year, with the last game all of our “big hitters” were available for being the 3-0 thumping of Manchester United.

Since then we’ve played five league games, winning three, and two FA Cup games, winning one and losing the other against Brighton. If you take the cup results out of it then it’s not actually been a bad points return considering we’ve had a mashed up team with none of our first choice strikers or central midfield available for at least three of those games.

That will change when Wolves come to town on Saturday. The rudderless Wolverhampton outfit are currently without a manager after the sacking of Mick McMackem, which is a shame for us as he is still yet to beat Newcastle as a manager! Various successors have been linked but as yet there has been no new appointment at Molineux, but even if there is between now and Saturday they will have to contend with a very different animal in Newcastle United.

Returning we have Cheik Tiote and Yohan Cabaye who will give us some much needed bite in midfield. Danny Guthrie and James Perch just aren’t in the same class as a partnership unfortunately. On top of that we’ve had a rest and a couple of weeks training together after the White Hart Lane debacle which will stand us in good stead, especially with Papiss Demba Cisse becoming more accustomed to life at his new club.

In short, Newcastle expects. Whilst most fans know there is no such thing as an easy game as far as we’re concerned, a fixture against a team sat in the bottom three, without a manager, with a virtual full strength team to chose from in front of a packed out Sports Direct Arena St James’ Park is one we must surely be looking for three points from.

Do that and we could be sitting as high as 4th (depending on results) heading into the Tyne-Wear derby!

Shay Given made 462 appearances in his 12 year illustrious stint at ST JAMES’ PARK, earning him the very worthy title of one of NUFC’s all time best ‘keepers.

During the Premier League era, personnel such as Pavel Srnicek, Shaka Hislop, Steve Harper and Mike Hooper have donned the No. 1 shirt at Newcastle, but none have ever shown the quality, consistency and ability that Given brought.

Recently though, a young Dutchman by the name of Tim Krul has started making quite a name for himself. 60 appearances now for the black & whites in all competitions since arriving for ADO Den Haag in 2005. Loan spells at Falkirk and Carlise helped to identify the real talents of the Under-21 international, before shifts in place of Steve Harper last season brought the qualities of the ‘keeper to fruition.

Krul has now earned himself the stature of NUFC’s number one goal keeper this season, but further to that, there are fans outside of the North East exclaiming of Krul’s performance in goal this season. Talk of big moves, first in January but now in the summer, continue to escalate, showing how big an impression the young Dutchman has made in his short time in the Premier League.

NUFC_Stats looked at the numbers over Krul’s Premier League appearances and compared him with past and present goalkeeping greats.

Top 7

Krul and the other top 7 'keepers

From the GK’s currently occupying the top 7 Premier League spots, there’s only Joe Hart and Brad Freidel that have pulled off more saves per game than Tim Krul at present, although he does concede the most goals per match.

When it comes to clean sheets, again there are only 3 of those ‘top’ goalkeepers who better Krul – 9 clean sheets is not a bad return at all, especially when you consider the defensive woes NUFC has suffered this season and the fact that only 8 clean sheets were kept in the entirety of last season.

Krul and the other top 7 'keepers - attributes

The Newcastle stopper pushes the least percentage of the shots he receives wide but is ‘up there’ when it comes to catching them. As with most of the league’s top ‘keepers, he rarely ‘fumbles’ the ball and he tends to ‘parry’ the ball an average amount in comparison.

For ‘punches’ and ‘tips’, Krul is fairly average, but to some surprise, he doesn’t save a great deal with his feet.

In terms of distribution, Krul tends to stand out a bit. His pass rate is the lowest of the top 7 ‘keepers, but it also happens to be the 3rd lowest in the whole Premier League behind Paul Robinson and Simon Mignolet. Furthermore, he passes the highest percentage of his passes straight forward, with only 4% (the lowest) going to his right, thus meaning he has some work to do on his passing composure and confidence.

While a GK shouldn’t really be held accountable for the chances on goal they are creating, Tim Krul has managed to get a key pass in this season, so too have 4 of the other top 7. But, no ‘keeper is ‘putting them on a plate’ like Liverpool’s Jose Reina, who has an amazing 5 key passes to his name already!

Krul v history

Krul v Given & Harper

Between Newcastle United’s 3 main Premier League goalkeepers historically, it is Steve Harper who saves the most shots per game, albeit in way less games than the ever-present Shay Given, who features last.

Krul concedes the most goals per game out of the threesome, but does at present keep most clean sheets per game, but again at over 300 less games than Given.

Krul v Given & Harper - Save attributes

Looking at the save attributes of the 3, again Krul is diminished on pushing wide, but has caught a lower percentage of shots too this time. He has also ‘fumbled’ the highest percentage of shots out of the 3 and again shows that using his feet is not his favourite option.

There is no doubt that in Tim Krul, Newcastle United have one of their best goalkeepers for a long time in the Premier League and at the age he currently sits, the future is nothing but bright for the Dutch international. The problem for NUFC will be the wolves that surround their stopper during the transfer windows, as holding on to him could be a very challenging task, especially if a European competition is not reached for next season.

With the current defensive questions being asked at NUFC, the performances of Krul, along with the goals from Demba Ba, have been the saviour of the season and the main contributor towards the current high placing in the division. Here’s to hoping for more of the same from ‘Timmy’and that elusive high placed finish and European qualifying place in May.

Merson can stay silent for all I care

Surely we should be grateful that Paul Merson and Co can’t be bothered to talk about Newcastle United as serious contenders for Europe and ignore our sixth place standing in the Premier League at the moment?

For a start, as soon as the pundits mention Newcastle United and Europe in the same sentence the words “don’t stand a chance of making it” will probably also be thrown into the sentence, which would just get on our nerves and have us ranting about the Southern media again. Another major benefit is, of course, that it will keep pressure off the players who can just go about their business and try to win each match that comes.

Even if the media begin to talk good of Newcastle and their prospects of getting into Europe next season, this will just put more pressure on the club as supporters, and maybe even the players themselves will start to believe the hype. We have been guilty in the past of putting to much pressure on our own players, and we certainly don’t need that again. Things have gone well this season, and long may we continue in that fashion.

Personally I believe it’s been clear for all to see what pressure can do the players that are expected to deliver European football or maybe even league titles. Chelsea look a shadow of their former selves and despite still being in the mix, the team that was always regarded as being a top four side now find that position under serious threat from the teams below, whereas Arsenal also don’t appear to be as strong as they once were and without the excellent goalscoring form of Robin van Persie, their League position could be a lot lower than it currently is, I wouldn’t go as far as calling Arsenal a one man team but he has certainly bailed them out so far this season.

Then of course there is world conquering Liverpool, the club which has spent hundreds of millions in the last couple of seasons find themselves seventh in the league table at the moment, and I would dare say if Kenny Dalglish was not in charge, the supporters would be putting a lot more pressure on their side to push into the top four, because to be fair, with the money they have spent, they are underachieving in the league this season.

So I for one will be happy enough for the Sky Sports and BBC football pundits to just keep talking about their favourite clubs while overlooking our teams achievements so far this season. Many haven’t give Alan Pardew and the players the credit they deserve so why would they start now? Lets just look after ourselves and see what can be achieved by our overlooked club.

Because when the mighty are struggling and looking weak, our pack of hungry animals could emerge from the media shadows and deliver the fatal blow, and wouldn’t that just be sweet?

May the media silence continue.

Goodbye!

So with that I’ve really been thinking about our team, our fortunes, and what we need to improve to progress in the future.

Of course we covered that the other day in this article, but that one essentially takes a look at what we need to do in the transfer market. With that particular market closed for the time being, we must make do with what we’ve got.

So what have we got? I’m pretty sure that most will agree that we have some cracking players. I’m also pretty sure that most will agree that we have some players who are, well, shall we say not so cracking? Yes the squad has holes in it which have been discussed to death, but what about the first team? Where would you improve as a priority? Who is the weakest link?

To establish that I think it’s important to try and work out our best team when everyone is fit. To me that probably means something like; Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, S.Taylor, Santon, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Jonas, Demba Ba, Cisse.

Now I know people will scoff with the inclusion of Obertan, but the fact is I really struggled with who to put on the right. Obertan is there solely because he was part of the team that went unbeaten at the start of the season although it could just as easily be Hatem Ben Arfa in truth.

Now assuming I’ve pretty much touched on what our strongest team is, the next question has to be where do we improve it? It’s all to easy to say all over, which ultimately is the goal, but in one transfer window that just isn’t going to happen. Small steps and all that…

So look at that team and work out who is the weakest link?

Sullivan talks about Ba

First off we had Harry Redknapp gushing details of an alleged clause in the contract of Demba Ba to all and sundry, and now we have West Ham United co-owner doing much the same with regard to his former player.

Redknapp was quoted as saying that Ba has a release clause in his contract allowing him to walk away from Newcastle for a sum of £7m. David Sullivan has reiterated that figure and divulged a bit more information by suggesting that Ba himself could be entitled 50% of any transfer fee over £7m.

The West Ham supremo spoke candidly to Hammers fansite ‘West Ham Till I Die’ where he went through a serious of figures regarding the deal between Ba and West Ham. As a Newcastle fan I don’t really care about that, but when it comes to NUFC, which I do care about, Sullivan said:

“I’m told he’s got a £7 million get-out at Newcastle and he gets half the money over that. They keep denying it but I think you’ll see in the summer – He will leave Newcastle or he’ll get a monstrous rise to stay there.”

“If they get about four million, half will go to him, so if they sell him for £7 million they’ll only net about three because they paid his agent £2 million to get him out of here. Getting £3 million is not bad, but for a player of his quality it’s not fantastic.”

Well that last line is stating the obvious isn’t it?

On a serious note, to me it read as though Ba will get 50% of anything OVER £7m although I could be wrong on that one of course.

Does the Porn Baron really know the details though? I mean he is going to know about the happening at his end of things, but is he really privvy to the nuts and bolts of any deal between Ba and NUFC? I seriously can’t see why he would be.

I have little doubt that Ba does indeed have a release clause. In this instance the silence from the club has been deafening which is odd when you consider how quickly they like to come out and deny things. On the clause though, not a word, which to me indicates that there is one.

The only way this kind of chatter will get sorted is in the summer as we’ll know one way or another exactly what is going on. Will Newcastle give Ba another contract with terms not as “flexible” as they are now? Or will Ba exploit the clause in his contract and head for pastures new?

I very much doubt that Mike Ashley would be prepared to lose out by selling Ba on the cheap, and £7m would be on the cheap, but on the other hand logic sometimes goes out of the window with this regime so I guess the rumours and murmurs from other clubs will continue.

I just wish they would poke their nose out of our business!

Montpellier captain Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa

The Magpies were linked with the Montpellier captain last month as they looked to boost the depth of their defence – a task which they ultimately failed to complete.

Yanga-Mbiwa has been a virtual ever present since breaking onto the scene as a 17-year-old and is now helping his side go toe to toe with oil rich PSG in pursuit of the Ligue 1 title. In total he has made 175 appearances for Montpellier, which is no mean feat for a player that doesn’t turn 23 until later on in the year.

His admission that he would prefer to move to England comes in the midst of interest in the player from Bayern Munich who have been keeping tabs on him for a while. However it would appear that Yanga-Mbiwa has set his eyes on a move to England ahead of anything else.

“Bayern is a very big club. I’m really flattered, but my ambition is to one day play my football in England,” he told Sky Sports.

It is believed that it would take a fee in the region of £5m to persuade Montpellier to do business, and for that price I hope we are at least keeping an eye on the situation. By signing one player it could go a long way to adding some much needed depth to our defence as he can play right across the back four although he is primarily a centre-back.

That would give us cover in both full-back positions and added depth in the middle meaning that we’d probably only need another dedicated right-back (should Danny Simpson leave in the summer – a likely scenario given the reluctance to agree a new deal) and we’d be a lot more prepared than what we are now.

It’s a no brainer in my opinion.

From the first minute until the final whistle, Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham side dominated proceedings at White Hart Lane in a match that I consider to be our biggest humbling of the season.

It was humiliating. A shocking performance in which we showed very little energy and no fight whatsoever. The lads looked drained and, in all fairness, the 5-0 scoreline didn’t flatter Spurs in the slightest. A break in fixtures looked urgently required, and thankfully that is just what we’ve now got.

Many fans, including myself, will of seen our departure from the FA Cup as a kick in the teeth. Another opportunity to win a trophy wasted, if you like. However, I now believe that our exit from this competition may prove crucial if we are to ever realise our ambitions of European football. After all, but for our failings against Brighton and Hove Albion we would have today played away at Anfield against Liverpool. A match that would have surely required a full strength starting XI and proved excruciating on the legs of our already exhausted stars. Thankfully, though, that isn’t the case.

What we must now do then, is use our exclusion from the FA Cup wisely by getting some well deserved rest. Which is why I was delighted to hear that Alan Pardew has given the lads this weekend off in order to recuperate in whatever way they believe best. Hopefully then, this will prove to be just what the doctor ordered and the players will return to training on Monday morning reinvigorated and hungry to right those wrongs that were so clearly on show against Spurs.

Add to that the return of recent absentees such as Yohan Cabaye (suspension), Cheick Tiote (ACON) and Ryan Taylor (injury), who have all been very big players for us this season, and we once again have a first team capable of competing with the best. This should also provide the rest of the players with a well needed lift and may even help to galvanize our squad back into the well drilled unit that we were so accustomed to watching during the early stages of our Premier League campaign. Should that happen, who knows where we could finish this season?

Our next two fixtures, in my opinion, are both very winnable games. First up, we meet a currently managerless Wolves at home on Saturday, which is then followed by another home outing against local rivals Sunderland on March 4. Should we use our disappointing performance against Tottenham as motivation to improve in these outings, then we may find ourselves generating some very important momentum that could help us surge towards a top six finish and that all important place in Europe.

With Arsenal and Chelsea stumbling at every given opportunity, even a top four spot may not be out of the question, but for now, we must rest. 

Can Pardew Play Positive?

Despite changes in management, ownership and most of all a succession of squads, some a joy to behold and others not so much, one thing seemed to stay consistent, Newcastle’s playing philosophy.

One of those teams long revered for their gun-ho outscore the opposition style, Newcastle held on to this philosophy, in darker days to our detriment maybe, but under Alan Pardew we have witnessed a complete shift in how we get results.

Pardew is a defensive coach and notably meticulous in his approach and preparation to games. He values work rate, defensive organization and an all round team effort aimed at stopping the opposition rather than taking the game to them.

Now quite obviously this has worked wonders for us thus far, but in light of the recent article on our potential to be a top six side, it made me think about the future, more importantly, whether this philosophy will pay dividends that big.

If you look at every other ‘big club’ around us this season, defensive strength is an important ingredient to success, but not the most important. The key attribute all top clubs have in modern football seems to be the ability to keep the ball, and even more so, make something of that possession.

For those supposedly having an off-season or slipping up, the problem isn’t so much conceding goals, but an inability to score enough, Arsenal probably being the slight exception, but in saying that they have a real problem in creating chances without Fabregas and Nasri this season.

As for the other two, Chelsea to an extent, but Liverpool especially, are a prime example of strong defence without creativity. Stats say that they actually create the most chances in the Premier League, but if you watch their matches you quickly realize that the term ‘chances’ is obviously used loosely.

The title contenders are exactly that because they make chances and score goals, consistently. They have the ability to dish out hidings on their day as Newcastle felt to it’s fullest against Spurs. They can all defend and have pretty good records in that regard, but it is not the focus of their play.

As for Newcastle, chances created are way down in comparison but what has us in the position we are in is quite simply, clinical finishing, mostly from the almost unplayable Demba Ba. Our defence, with Steven Taylor, was very impressive, but without has leaked goals, and sometimes looked very suspect.

Maybe this is why Alan Pardew takes the approach he does? Maybe it isn’t his hard-line philosophy on how to play the game and is something that will change once we have better players. Personally I’m not so sure, and even less sure it is the way to go about becoming one of the ‘big clubs’ season in, season out.

I think the difference is most easily illustrated using philosophies on wide players. At Newcastle, paramount to everything else is keeping the defence solid. Wingers are asked to protect full backs and track back more than expected to take on the opposition, provide crosses and chip in with goals.

Full backs are in-turn asked to tuck in and protect centre-backs and double up on opposition threat from wide positions. All goes without saying in the job description of a full back but when you look at the top clubs that is not all they bring to the table.

It has frustrated me no end to see Davide Santon come in for ridicule in some circles for bombing forward, especially when some of the top full backs in the country do that week after week, and more so, would not be doing enough in the eyes of their managers if they didn’t.

The situation with the wingers is one which I think serves us well in certain scenarios, but for the most part makes us slightly one-dimensional going forward. Since the Liverpool game, I have actually been waiting for other teams to take the exact same approach, because as much as I hate to say it, they set an example for how to stop Newcastle.

The reason they could, in my opinion, is the lack of wing threat. Double mark Demba Ba and go in hard on our central play-maker Cabaye and you essentially eliminate any threat Newcastle pose. The rest can be dealt with unless you’re a decidedly average player and Obertan or Jonas can make a show of you, which doesn’t happen all too often in the Premier League.

I’m obviously highlighting the negatives and by no means mean to belittle the good our wingers do in a defensive sense, but I genuinely think it won’t make the cut when it comes to pushing for Europa or Champions League football on a consistent basis.

Although the likes of Gareth Bale, Nani, Ashley Young, James Milner, Aaron Lennon, Andrew Johnson and others in the squads of the elite probably do a shift defensively, it is not what they are there for and are judged it seems by both media and their own managers on attacking threat and end product, not how many crosses the opposition were allowed to get in.

If we keep it solely on top six, the reason Daniel Sturridge and Alex Chamberlain are two of the hottest English prospects at the moment in terms of wide men, again, is not for their ability to protect a full back, but their ability to open up defences.

In my humble but rather blunt opinion, if as a full back you need the protection of a winger for ninety minutes of a match, you are not good enough to be in a top six team. A top six full backs job is to stop opposition wing threat and support their winger in attack, not the other way around.

Full backs aside, basing it solely on our wingers and their attacking attributes, again putting it bluntly, Gutierrez and Obertan are not top six players. They don’t pose enough of a threat to keep an opposition full back on the back foot and their creativity and ability to keep possession leaves a lot to be desired.

That may sound harsh when it comes to Jonas, and I would have thought so too given his strength in holding players off etc, but I have noticed in the past couple of months he gives the ball away an awful lot, and often from simple passes that he just gets wrong, and it’s something that the likes of Ben Arfa gets major criticism for from some supporters.

As for Obertan, I’m not one to jump all over the lad for the odd mistake and think some of the criticism has been harsh, but at the same time I understand it. He reminds me of a slightly worse Theo Walcott. Bags of pace, all the potential to be a top top player, but he never will be because he doesn’t have a football brain, plays with his head down and makes the wrong decision way too often.

This season, and maybe in the future, this may not be a problem for Demba Ba so much. He suits a direct, central style of play, drops deep or goes behind, good in the air, scores all types of goals, in a nutshell has a bit of everything. Papiss Cissè is not that type of forward though.

Cissè is the type of striker that will thrive on supply, and maybe struggle at times if that supply is limited or comes only from central areas. He clearly has an eye for goal and looks like he has naturally good movement to get that yard of space, but without wingers putting the ball where it is needed, he will rely very heavily on Demba Ba flick-ons or Yohan Cabaye playing a wonder ball from midfield.

All said and done, for someone who is generally a realistic optimist, I am a bit apprehensive about Newcastle’s ability to be in the mix for Europe every season with our current style of play. As effective as it may be at stopping lesser sides, it is always inviting sides onto you, and with the exception of one result against Man Utd, the big sides have got the better of us.

As I said, it may simply be a philosophy put in place to put points on the board with a squad that is not realistically up to the level they find themselves just yet, and if that is the case then Pardew is a better manager than I even give him credit for now.

Hopefully with investment and improvement will come a more dominant style of play, and we can start looking like a team that looks every bit the Champions League contenders, but a part of me thinks Pardew could persist with this philosophy, in which case it could be found out and become relatively ineffective, and even beyond that will bring with it a future of functional workhorses rather than your bums of seats type of player.