Can we challenge again next season?

toonsy

Can this lot challenge again?
This season has gone way beyond the expectations of the vast majority of Newcastle United fans.

Personally I never subscribed to all the doom and gloom predictions from pundits and press at the start of the season and knew we wouldn’t be involved in any kind of relegation scrap like some had us down for, but equally I never expected us to be level on points with the 4th placed team heading into the last five games of the season!

The big question is now, can we keep it up and carry on punching our weight at the top end of the table? Can we do even better than that and challenge for Champions League places? Can we go further than that and mount an assault for the Premier League title? Probably not on the last one, but for the other two I see no reason why we shouldn’t be in and around the European places again next season.

Obviously much of that is assuming that we follow the transfer policy that has served us so well. That, unfortunately, means that it might be the end for one of our senior players, but it also means that we’ll get multiple replacements that will make our squad stronger and benefit us as a whole. Not just that, but those that do stay will have an extra year of Premier League experience and will have built up a chemistry which, hopefully, lead to better performances.

Of course it’s very likely that we’ll have the distraction of Europe to contend with next season, and we’ve seen just how a bit of fixture congestion can affect a season. Extra injuries, travelling, fatigue can take their toll on a squad. It’s also likely that we won’t be viewed as such a surprise package next season and teams will take us seriously from the word go, which is up to us to overcome of course.

It’s a fine balancing act, but if we carry on doing what we’ve been doing I see no reason why we can’t be up there again next season. Expectations will be raised and it’s up to the manager and staff to try and match them by showing that this season hasn’t just been a one season wonder.

Can we do it though?

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

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491 thoughts on “Can we challenge again next season?”

  2. Rodz, I am sure you’ve heard the joke, but since you’re going down that path…

    3 pregnant ladies sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for an appointment.
    1st lady says, “I know we are going to have a boy because my husband was on top.” The second lady says, “I know I am going to have a girl because I was on top.” The third lady starts crying and says, “Oh no, I am going to have puppies.” :mrgreen:

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  5. Cheers lads n lasses.The amount of support and goodwill shown over these last couple of days has been immense. Brilliant stuff.

    Not going to say it was easy as it wasn’t. I pretty much went through everything today and the mrs was the same but with large amounts of pain to contend with also. It wasn’t an easy birth as things went very wrong very quickly culminating in an emergency c-section, but most importantly everyone is fine now.

    There were problems even though the staff were saying everything is fine. Thing is, I’ve been watching the recording equipment for three days now and know what it right and what isn’t, and when you look at the screen and think it aint right and shortly after that there is a dozen doctors/nurses/midwives in the room you think the worst, especially when they are rushing through consent forms and preparing surgery.

    Like I said earlier though, all is well now and although the mrs has been through the wars she is recovering. The baby is 9lb, but he is also 61cm long which is some form of record 😆 So he’s not a fat 9lb, he is a tall muscualr9lb, just like his Dad 😉

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  6. Many congratulations Toonsy.
    And Best wishes to the three of you.
    Well done fella, Nice one.
    😆

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  7. Toonsy…..congrats to you and your lass and Billy…..good job ya didn’t name him after ya pecka or he’d be called little Willy 😉 😆

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  13. Congratulations Toonsy – sounds like Mrs Toonsy has just presented you with the next Andy Carroll.

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  14. Toonsy, my lass went thru the exact same thing.
    In the end all 3 of my sons were born thru the sunroof. 😯
    She’ll be alright in a few days mate.
    Take it easy fella.

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  15. Toonsy it sounds like a scary time for you all today ,so pleased it turned out well in the end . They don’t hang about if they see feotal distress ,your poor lady wife will be feeling rough for some time after all that ,but it’s amazing what a pain reliever looking at your baby is. 😀

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  17. Oh I just read the birth story…. that is stressful, having a scare like that!! I can only imagine how you must have been feeling, what a blessing that everything turned out fine… 9 lbs, no wonder it took so long to get him out 😯

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  18. Big Dave – POT-AYYY-TO 😯 😛
    Toons, that must’ve **** ye right up mate. Norsiz running in anarl that, least ye didn’t have te hear the Eastenders…dum-dum-dum-duddadum….and wait til the morra te find oot 😆

    WAHEYYYY!

    Nice one.

    Norcal@377 – …it must’ve been ICEDOG, heard he puts himsel aboot a bit like 😉

    ….A 😯 AWOOO

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  20. Toonsy it is a hard time watching your loved ones going through the wars, but it’s all worth it in the end. I always found it can be a real emotional time, funny enough at the time I always said I wouldn’t put her through it again, but you tend to forget the rough and remember the smooth. 😉

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  22. Bloody helicopters overhead makeing a racket now , That’s the downside of living 5 mins walk from Ashton gate…and loseing your parking space if you go out ,no one cares that its a disabled bay . 👿

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  23. Susan – It’s ok. I added humour to the whole thing anyway by pretty much falling over in theatre. Decided to be a good boy and wash my hand with that alco soap stuff only to press the dispense button and the stuff to squirt straight into my eye. Fucking killed, and all the theatre staff took in a sharp breath and said “that’s gotta hurt” as I staggered about almost blind before the aneasthatist grabbed hold of me and sat me down 😆

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  24. KimT…that’s the good thing about here, owt like that, fone the cops and there’ll ba a tow truck within 5 minutes 😈

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  25. Kim helicopters 😯 you want to try living in Norn Iron admittedly its not as bad as what it was. But when the police do a raid and thats a few times a week they’re always hovering above

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  26. Toonsy – that’s shameful of you trying to steal the limelight on such a day! 😉 😆

    Glad you could provide some comic relief and weren’t blinded!!

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  27. 9lb? thats a whopper!… welcome to the Toon Army young Billy Baker 😉

    congrats toonsy, enjoy every min m8 coz it flies past.

    and keep your hands off those big swollen titties, theyre for the baby. u can have them when hes sucked the life out of them lol

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  32. Toons, I hope they said “that’s gotta hurt” in a proper “Chicago Town Pizza” accent, I.E. “Thaaatz GAADA HoyT” 😯 , that would’ve made it better, certainly for people like me attempting to convert dialogue into dialect, If nothing only to add to a dramatic twist to my ponderings. 😐

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  35. @Rodzilla

    I think in the style of Ivan Drago from Wocky4 would of been better. especially if it was a women.. 😆

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  38. Dave ,I dunno how you hack it mate ,it’s like a giant wasp overhead.They are up all the bloody time ,if it ain’t Football it’s joyriders or a mass brawl up the road in one of the bars. 👿
    We have or used to have a really nice highstreet full of shops, now it’s trendy bar after trendy bar .Thing is it’s not town it’s residential but we have all these yuppie types moving in cause its close to town and a nice area but not as posh as say Clifton where they wish they could live 👿 They have manage to push up the prices to stupid levels on houses here ,now my lass and her chap can’t afford a house in the area they grew up and every where I go I hear London accents 👿
    And another thing they keep organising bloody street parties and closing off the road totally forgetting some folk are invalid and need the car outside.And all the kids have daft names poor little buggers . Still as you say it could be a lot worse.

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  39. Bristol’s an odd place. Can’t quite work it out, and I’ve spent a year working there. Very nice City Centre though.

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  41. KIMTOON i worked in bristol for 6mth many moons ago,lived somwhere called down-end i think sure it was down sumit,was quite posh at that time

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  42. Reading promoted back to the prem next season.
    Looks like WHam will have to settle for a play off :mrgreen:
    hope they epic fail and Blackpool beat them, in the final 😆

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  43. …well am gana raise a glass te the yungin anyhoo. Young Billy will develop into a true Toon warrior, starting off nicking milk, but moving on te pastries green (spinach-based). Potential to grow is massive, but when the growing gets tough…

    TOUGH
    TOUGH
    …OO-HA-HA-HOOT 😯

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg3vzl_VwLc

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  45. Took my HGV 1 in Bristle.
    Night mare place.
    Think the test centre was behind Ashton Gate. ❓
    Ha Ha that was over 25 yrs ago tho 👿

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  47. Kim I think you just get used to it, one of my aunts lives in ( bandit country ) Richie would know where that is and there was a Heli pad about 50yds away from her house and during the bad troubles there would be all sorts of helis coming in and out maybe 20 times a day, they never really noticed them but when we went to visit we were mesmerized with watching them but the noise was deafening

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  48. BB @415 That’s not worth thinking about.

    Toonsy-Depends where you go ,I mean I got family in a lot of the so called rough areas but they are salt of the earth folk .I wouldn’t give you two bob for a must have house in Clifton ,sneyd park or redland as no one talks to each other it is soul less ,sad really. There’s a lot of hills in Bristol ,it’s a bit of a basin shape 😆 We are an odd lot to be honest ,that’ll be the scrumpy to blame 😀 😉

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  49. Well done Toonsy and to your wife on the birth of young Billy. Sounds like you’veall had a torrid time but at least he’s here now and everyone is ok.
    Brilliant news

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  50. ah Scrumpy 😯 vile headbanging stuff 😆
    with bits floating in it.
    yum

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  51. Deb – did you get in contact with the lads from NUFC.com about your research project ❓

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  52. Well done Toonsy – just because you blubbed no need to dress it up with the old alco-soap in the eye gag! 😆

    Seriously fella, congratulations to you both, welcome to the best club in the world!

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  53. Ice , I hate driving through Temple meads ,a lot of people from outside the city don’t know what lane they are supposed to be in ,it’s a nightmare. Ithink the town planners we’re shitfaced on scrumpy when they planned the city centre and surrounding roads layout.

    BB@420 yeh My parents lived 2 mins from it .It shut down about 15 years ago , I live 5 mins from there . It’s trendy flats now . 😉

    Ice ,Downend ,not that posh now. What is funny mind is a 3 story victorian villa in the heart of St pauls ( 1980’s riots ) and still same folk living there will set you back over half a million now cause some trendies are moving there as its close to town .All the prossies have moved on to stapleton ! 😆

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  55. ..on to John Stapelton?

    …kmee, that lad has some stamina. Thought gerin up for GMTV was hardcore enough. Fair play 😯

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  58. @417
    God no, not blackpool 😡 My preferred promotion 3:
    1.Reading(already promoted and I quite like them)
    2.Southhamton(great squad, worked hard like norwich up through the leagues, nice young promising players that ‘big teams’ might not pinch if they’re in the PL)
    3.Cardiff(dunno why but would like another welsh team in the league)
    Not a team that plays primarily in orange, so **** off blackpool. 👿

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  59. Right lads I’m off for the night, hope alls well with the bairn toonsy 😉 hopefully a new article for the morrow 😆

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  60. Andymag, you crazy mother. You’re a bit like me, just turn up every now and again and talk utter *****.

    …ah, sorry, that’s just me 😯

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  61. Toons, in celebration of baby ocean, you need to introduce a kissy kissy gay emoticon to the blog XX

    ….Jonas told me to say that anyway. He puts me before NUFC, well that’s what he says anyway, when he comes back yem pissed up and stinking of kebabs.

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  63. (kissy kissy as in love, not gay, wasn’t insinuating Billy would turn out liking men more than women or anything, although even if he did, each to their own, anarl that) 😎

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  67. …least lil’Bill’s a Taurean though Toons eh, mentil them lot, am one too, very loyal and meticulous, always follows things through to the end, bit like Hitler.

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  69. Congrats sy, great to hear that you’re all ok. Best of luck in the next few weeks (and beyond)

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  70. …Aries I meant, which I’m not either, which means probably something like whatever. 🙄

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  72. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/lukeedwards/100024572/will-europe-be-a-gift-or-a-curse-for-newcastle-united/?

    “Had they had a couple of long-term injuries to any of the blue chip brigade – Tim Krul, Fabricio Coloccini, Yohan Cabaye, Cheick Tiote, Jonas Gutierrez, Demba Ba or Papiss Cisse – they would have been in major trouble.”

    It is Newcastle’s starting XI that has got them into a position where they could still grab a Champions League spot, but it is the quality of the squad, even if they only make the Europa League, that will determine whether it becomes a gift or a curse.

    More ***** from the papers. Absolute bollocks. Colo and Tiote have been in and out of the squad, no injuries to Ba or cisse(who we only bought in Jan…) but we had the ACON to contend with with three players out…absolute *****. Anyone watching us this season would know that the SQUAD players have performed immensely. Perch, Williamson, Raylor, Bestie, Bambi, Guthrie, all have been MOTM at some stage IMO. Jeesus 👿

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  74. Also, I’ve seen a lot of articles going on about how the sale of Carroll gave us Santon, Cabaye, Marveux, Ba, Obertan, Cisse, even Ben Arfa and Tiote.

    No…..the sale of Carroll has given us Cisse, with perhaps a few mil overspill into Marveux/Ba’s agent fees and signing on fee? Perhaps another few mil here and there. If we’re talking about money being spent purely on transfer fees then Cabaye, Obertan (+1mil) Santon all paid for themselves.

    Benny and Tiote were from last year, fine if you want to put their 8.5mils worth from Carroll retrospectively but we did have them beforehand…With Cisse at about 9mil then that’s at least, 15 mil to be expected from pure transfers is it not?….

    Too much to expect that to be spent this summer? :mrgreen:

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