In my mind that would be a fantastic achievement for our first season back in the Premier League and would have untold benefits for the club. There would be more money brought in through prize money, we’d be a much better proposition to sign for, and we’d have a sense of pride that you can only get when you exceed your original target.
It’s not a given yet though as there is still some work that needs doing before we can celebrate a top ten finish. The question is, just what do we need to do to make sure we are in the top ten come around 5:30pm next Sunday?
Well the first thing we have to do is win. If we can beat West Brom at St James’ Park we’d leapfrog them and Bolton into 10th place providing Bolton fail to beat Manchester City regardless of any other results. Those are the cold hard facts. A draw would be fine for us as long as Bolton lost as we’d go above The Trotters on goal difference.
If you dare to dream there is a chance of finishing as high as 8th place in the table. Manchester City would need to beat Stoke on Tuesday and get we’d have to hope that Stoke can muster no more than one point from their home game against Wigan next Sunday. Once again we could draw and Stoke could lose both games which would put us ahead of The Potters on goal difference and into 9th place.
To get into 8th place we’d need a minor miracle to be honest. We’d have to beat West Brom and hope that Arsenal can beat Fulham. Plausible? Well there also needs to be a seven goal swing in our favour, so we’d have to thump The Baggies or The **** would have to thump Fulham, and even then we’d only go above Fulham on goals scored.
Realistically then 9th is the highest we can aim for now. I’ll settle for that as I never thought we’d be in this position at the start of the season. If we could grab 9th place, even 10th place, it would be a fantastic achievement and each and every one of the squad could feel justifiably proud of the effort they have put in this season.
Now, fingers crossed!
And some important players from our squad can move onto pastures new with a clear conscience. 😆
Bobby Shinton number 9(Quote)
I don’t think we need a top ten finish this season, but next season I would be dissapointed if we didn’t finish top ten, or even top eight.
There aren’t too many good teams outside the top six.
Stuart79(Quote)
OF CAUSE WE DONT NEED A TOP TEN FINISH THIS SEASON!!!!!! staying up was our mission and weve done really well!! we were wna the favourites 2 go back down at the start of the season!! some of us expect far to much from newcastle these days!! weve just came up from relegation man !!! well done newcastle united and pardue , done really well
Army69(Quote)
nice one for doing the maths Toons I’ve been thinking about it for a while but couldn’t be arsed to sort it out! Ta
DevonMag(Quote)
I reckon we’ll get 10th and loose Batty some wonga in the process 😉
DevonMag(Quote)
If we get a top ten finish this season, then fail to get a top ten finish next season, but are still comfortably safe I wouldn’t call that a failed season.
All I’m after is steady progression, if we progress significantly in a short period of time – great. If we don’t, as long as there has been some progression, you can’t complain imo.
NUFC expectation is still far too high imo. Look how nice its been to over achieve this season. Next season we should look to progress and that in my mind is mid table 14-9th.
David(Quote)
A top 10 would help in recruiting new players. But one would hope Newcastle is scouting for players with a chip on their shoulders who have the internal motivation to look at a challenge to take this club to the top.
One thing AP has shown is a cool but deep passion to get a result from what he has on hand. Yesterday’s 0-6-4 with whoever has a chance, push to goal showed both his determination to blunt Chelsea’s powerful middle and to barnstorm the Chelsea goal in a free form style. Both worked, and a point was well earned.
BeeGuy(Quote)
“A draw would be fine for us as long as Bolton lost as we’d go above The Trotters on goal difference” – not for 10th in wouldn’t as we wouldn’t go above West Brom as they would get a point as well. To be honest I don’t really care where we finish now as it will be above where I expected at the beginning of the season. Mind you would be seriously pi$$ed off it the mackems finish above us.
seanp(Quote)
Back onto the Ranger topic, What a f*cking ***. Why must he act a d*ck? He’s a professional footballer, not a gangster. Well for now he is, if he keeps acting this way much longer i reckon his footballing career won’t last too long
Jobey07(Quote)
If we’re on course to be in the top ten come “5.30pm” next Sunday, then I’d like to think we’d be able to hang on for the remaining 15-20 min ish of the match to stay top 10 😉
richietoon(Quote)
What’s ranger gone done now Jobey?
I am chuffed with this season. I’d have taken 17th at the start of the season. Now I hope we have a good summer window, and stave off 2nd season syndrome.
Will be great to watch the mackems sink next season.
Ryan(Quote)
Just posed with a “replica” gun for a photo, no need. he actually doesn’t have a brain
Jobey07(Quote)
I have to say he is daft.
However, at least he isn’t out shagging grandma prostitutes or assaulting DJ’s in nightclubs. You have to be a full time England international to get away with that…
Moreno(Quote)
Seanp – oh **** yeah 😆
Rich – oh **** yeah 😆
That’s what you get for rushing 😳
toonsy(Quote)
And I start even earlier tomorrow 😆
toonsy(Quote)
If we beat West Brom we’ll be highest placed of the 3 promoted teams, we’ll be guaranteed to finish above the unwashed and we’ll be virtually assured of a top 10 finish. 😀
But whatever happens on Sunday I doubt even the most miserable of sods (you know who I’m talking about) could argue that this season has been anything other than an unbridled success.
Toon Chicken(Quote)
Toonsy 😉
TC…agree it’s been a success whatever happens….though it would still be a bit of a gut wrencher if we drew Sunday and the scum won….still here’s to a decent summer and roll on next season.Well done lads. HWTL
richietoon(Quote)
We’ve got to beat the Baggies first, and that won’t be easy. We seem to be able to beat the likes of Chelski, Bindippers and ****, but struggle somehow when the giant-killing motivation isn’t there.
Still – I think we will do it, and I’d be delighted with 9th. As Toonsy says – it really will make our transfer work easier.
Whumpie(Quote)
Didn’t know Brits were so scared of guns. I own eight 😯
JerseyGeordie(Quote)
the only problem with finishing so high this year is that lots of the fans will be expecting a higher finish next year. I just think that the league has been real strange this year for all the teams, and if it goes back to normal next season we would be doing well to get a 10th place.
Big Dave(Quote)
Dave was thinking the same but wouldn’t our points tally have us higher up the league in previous seasons?
JerseyGeordie(Quote)
As JG says we certainly would have been a few points higher if not for the ridiculous amount of injuries. althpugh it hasbeen a strange year, I expect Tottenham will slide a bit w/out the CL money, plus Fulham and Bolton might lose a couple of players. Assuming we add a few quality players in the offseason, especially upfront, and I think expecting futher improvement in the table is reasonable.
By the way Dave- was away all weekend and just got to read through the last few threads. From now on, STaylor shall be known as “The Loyal Geordie.” Classic
MDS(Quote)
Aye Dave you’re right, I for one have already got my bedsheets ready for next season if we don’t break into the top 6 😉 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Me three, richie.
How do you spell boycout again? 😆
Toon Chicken(Quote)
Anyone agrees..
This season success has a huge part down to those unexpected wins against big clubs,and points taken from big clubs.
I don’t think it would be the same in next season.
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
Really hope we can sneak 9th, 8th would be unbelieveable, but hard to achieve considering the baggies are still looking decent and we’re without a bunch of our top players. Plus we’ve always found it hard to beat the baggies, even last year, and this year was possibly our worst performance all season when we played them. Still, hoping the confidence of our players will be up after stamford bridge, and hopefully fergie will be fine to play and Jonas put on the attacking mid role. Only change I’d like to see would be LuaLua on the right for loven after half time, providing he’s up for it, and possibly ranger brought on earlier for bambi.
Still, it will be tough, and we put the nails in the coffin for an improving Liverpool under Hodgson and probably cost him the job so he’ll be out for revenge 😀 At the end of the day I’ll still be happy regardless our position, as long as we play like we did against Chelski! Preferably without the mistakes 😎
NewkieBrown(Quote)