As things stand United are guaranteed a spot in European competition next season, with the only question mark hanging over whether we’ll be playing in the Europa League or dining at the top table of European football in the Champions League.
Newcastle find themselves in 4th place at the moment and know that sealing a place that is usually good enough to be placed into the qualifying rounds of the lucrative Champions League is in their own hands. However a cruel twist of fate could see entry into the competition denied should Chelsea go on to win the final against Bayern Munich and finish outside of the top four. And wouldn’t that just be very Newcastle United if things transpired that way?
The rules changed back in 2005 when Liverpool won the Champions League and finished outside of the top four in the same season which wasn’t enough for them to qualify for the next season and defend their crown. They moaned about it and in the end UEFA gave in and allowed the top four plus Liverpool into the competition the following season but changed the rules thereafter to stop it from happening again. Now if a team from outside the top four wins the Champions League, it is they plus the the top three who gain entry into the Champions League.
Realistically, if we do finish fourth and Chelsea do win the Champions League there is very little we can do about it. Rules are rules at the end of the day and whilst it would be harsh, very harsh, it would be something that we”d just have to take. It’s pointless getting carried away about it yet anyway, as Alan Pardew was keen to express.
“We are in a great position and we have to try the best we can in the four games left. We cannot think about ifs and maybes, we have to just keep looking after ourselves,” Pardew told the Daily Express.
“There are four cup finals left between now and the end of the season and we can still finish anywhere from third to sixth.”
Absolutely right Alan. There is still a lot of football to be played and still an awful lot that could go right or wrong for any number of teams. You never know, we might just do enough to pip Arsenal to third although I personally feel that it’s unlikely. Mind you I thought us having a realistic chance of finishing fourth was unlikely and here we are so what do I know?
Do you agree with Pardew? Should we just take things as they come and worry about it after the final whistle has been blown on what has been a stunning season regardless?
Let’s just finish 3rd and close the door on this issue.
B-Anon(Quote)
Absolutely. 3rd it will be
premandup(Quote)
I suppose I could be happy with 3rd if that’s the way it pans out.
richietoon(Quote)
I think we’ll have finished fourth at a minimum before the final game. Spurs have a really tough couple if away games against Bolton and Villa – both who are fighting for their lives and their away form is shocking.
Arsenal have a couple of tricky games too.
I’ve got us down to beat Wigan draw with City and beat Chelsea. That will give us 69 points which means Spurs would need to get 10 points from their remaining 4 games.
Although lets be honest, I’m sure it won’t quite work like that.
Stuart79(Quote)
As long as stoke city do us a favor by stopping arsenal getting all 3points,which i think they can,we have chance to level on points with Arsenal and that as long as we beat chelsea,
WE ARE 3RD!!!! 😯 😯
Do rmb we have game in hand.
Do our best to draw with man city at our home ground,and win everton. 😉
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
seems daft but wigan will be the toughest game imo get past that and lads will really go for it,
just to add a chat with pardew http://www.talksport.co.uk/radio/sports-breakfast/120426/pardew-newcastle-want-buy-top-talent-its-getting-harder-170683
icedog(Quote)
On paper, I think we have the toughest run in of all the teams vying for the Champs League. Arsenal should get third as they have the easiest run in.
But … games aren’t played on paper, and some unexpected things have happened this season. All you can do is play your own game and leave the rest to the gods … fickle bastards that they are.
brisvegas(Quote)
I would love for us to get 70 points. That would be an amazing achievement. We have four very tricky games left though and it wouldn’t be unimaginable to get no points.
I am cacking myself
Lacedaemonian(Quote)
Newcastle United will unveil a statue of former manager Sir Bobby Robson ahead of their final home game of the season against Manchester City on Sunday, 6th May.
😥 😥
Great Gesture.
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
anything less than 2nd would be a disaster
M(Quote)
Hopefully the lads’ heads don’t drop after seeing Chelsea get to the final and knowing all their effort could be for nothing. I don’t see that happening though as Pardew’s got them well up-for-it.
I did the PL predictor thing here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/predictor/default.stm) and get us in 4th, 3 points behind Arsenal.
Jon R(Quote)
I think us fans need to focus on the next game and not get too far ahead of ourselves… there is some wild scenaros and calculations flying about. One game at a time guys, stay focused 🙂
aussie magpie fan(Quote)
I was cleaning out my diary the other day and found a piece of paper with a top 8 league table on it. I remembered writing it after about 10 games of the season and using the PL predictor site. I remember making a post here about it. The table read:
ManC
ManU
Arsenal
Newcastle
Liverpool
Spurs
Chelsea
Everton
Pretty good predictions, I think. And who says we are all surprised at how well Newcastle have done? Not Nostravegas.
brisvegas(Quote)
Having criticised ashley in the past, only fair to praise him for the unveiling of new statue of Sir Bobby ahead of Man C game. Great move
hitman(Quote)
So its those bin dippers who have goosed us here getting the rules changed because of them spitting their dummy out. The rule should not have been changed as it could encourage a team who is in the campions league to consentrate on that alone if they feel they may not make qualification through the league. That gives them an unfair advantage over a team who is trying to win their league. The bin dippers are due for the mother of all falls and when it happens I will 😆 😆 😆 😆 my pants off.
Anyway whats all the fuss Chelski will get turned over and we will finish 3rd 😉
Carter(Quote)
Cisse did an interview with l’equipe talking about transfer and teammates. Short translation on @davidmcrossan twitter. I’d copy it across as I haven’t seen it anywhere else, but I’m using my phone 😳
Dubtoon(Quote)
Papiss Cisse in L’Equipe:
“I was surprised by the Newcastle move as initially I was meant to be going to Bayern…In the end it didn’t happen. In England, Sunderland and Fulham wanted me. Then at the last minute my agent told me when I was in Senegal ‘I’ve booked a flight to Paris then Newcastle. If all goes well you’ll sign there’. The next day I was there. By five I’d finished the medical and by eight I’d signed. As I was going to AFCON Pardew had prepared a DVD for me which I watched every evening in my hotel room. I didn’t choose to wear 9. I turned up ans saw my name on the shirt. The coach told me he’d chosen it for me… Pardew told me ‘it’s a big number, we don’t just give it to anybody’. For me, coming from nowhere, to get the shirt, he put a lot of pressure on me! I’m trying to prove he did the right thing. It’s the Newcastle style more than the Premier League that suits me. There are lots of French players here. Ben Arfa pleases everybody wide, Yohan Cabaye feeds me extraordinary passes. And then there’s Demba Ba who spoke to me a lot about the club during the AFCON. I say to myself that what I’m in the midst of achieving is out of the ordinary. But I say to myself every morning… ‘you saw what you did last weekend. You need to do even more to help the team win’. Ben Arfa is extraordinary. He’s a phenomenon. When I see his runs, his tricks, his acceleration with the ball at his feet, he reminds me a bit of Messi. That’s what his goal against Bolton was like, exactly that. If I had a message for Laurent Blanc it would be: ‘Please call up Ben Arfa. You won’t regret it’. ”
Jon R(Quote)
“goosed” 😯
haven’t heard that for ages. 😆
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Over the moon about the SBR statue news.
I really think he will bring us some good luck for the future.
I’m sure the owld fella will be looking down on us with that crafty little smile and the twinkle in his eyes.
He would be SO proud of NUFC this season.
God bless you Bobby, your still missed.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Strange stuff that from Cisse.
Almost like he is not in control of his own future.
Like he had never even heard of NUFC 😯
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
So Chelsea are guaranteed £45M tv money from CL final 😯
and if they win its another £2.8M ontop of that.
wtf 😈
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Was the Sir Bobby statue news to everybody else too? I didn’t realise they had even commissioned one.
Here’s a question; how would you feel if some of our star players were sold in the summer? Would you be more confident that they would replaced than you were in the previous few seasons?
Lacedaemonian(Quote)
I as long as they don’t put Bobby next to the MA stature, or no hold on I think Ashley’s stature is the one down on china town.
BR never to be forgotton.
Carter(Quote)
Apologies for lifting this from another site, but I think it makes interesting reading.
“Papiss Cisse has scored eleven goals in ten games since joining the club (nine starts) and has now netted in six consecutive top-flight games.
He’ll go into Saturday’s game at Wigan with a chance of becoming only the fourth player in our history to score in seven successive league games. Len White achieved this in both 1958 and 1961, Paul Goddard followed in 1987 and Alan Shearer racked up seven in 1996 – the only player to have done so for the club in the Premier League.
The club’s all-time consecutive scoring record remains nine goals in league and cup games, a feat only ever managed by Willie Wardrope way back in 1895. Les Ferdinand made it to eight in 1995 (five in the PL and three League Cup ties).
😆
Papiss eats stats for breakfast.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)