Reasons to be cheerful. 1, 2, 3!
It was said at the start of the season that Newcastle would struggle in the Premier League and would find it tough to survive.
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!
