We’ve played 22 matches, won 11, drawn three and lost eight. I think we would have grabbed somebodies hand off if offered that at the beginning of the season when doom and gloom reigned supreme.
The table looks interesting too. At the top three teams (49, 50 and 51 points) are pretty much fighting for the title and hogging the Champions League places. Then three teams sitting six points behind – these three chasing the last Champions League spot and the solitary Europa League place. Then another gap down to Manchester United on 37 points, ourselves on 36 points and Southampton on 31. The bottom looks amazing with 11 teams spread between 18 and 24 points. So glad we are out of that.
So what could we hope to achieve this season? I think we are safe from relegation and another couple of wins would guarantee it. Looking up we are not going to catch the three at the top and we’re currently seven points off 4th place. If there was only one club to overhaul that would be doable. But there are four which make it harder, and less likely.
Where would we need to strengthen to make that charge? Looking at the table. We’ve scored 32 goal which lags behind the 53 scored by Liverpool, but only 36, 35 and 29 scored by Manchester United, Everton and Tottenham respectively. So a few more goals would not go amiss, but we are not lagging behind the others there. Similarly goals against. We have conceded 28 which is the same as Liverpool. The others have let in 27, 26 and 20. I think that the Williamson/Mbiwa partnership has looked good, but the absence of Mathieu Debuchy has disrupted that and switching M’biwa to full-back has weakened the defence. We need dedicated back up at right-back.
The way I see it we have three choices. See out the season, push for glory or prepare for next season. Seeing out the season is the easy option. Sell no-one, buy no-one and wait for the summer. Consolidate our top-eight position and see what happens.
Pushing for glory will appeal to some. Fourth place and Champions League football would be fantastic. Looking at PaddyPower, Liverpool are 10/11 to take the 4th spot. Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are 2/1 while Everton are 7/2 with ourselves pegged at 50/1. To finish in the top six we are still 12/1. So according to the bookies we would have to do something drastic to get some glory. It may be as simple as starting Sylvain Marveaux and Hatem Ben Arfa which would make some people happy. However, I suspect it would take more than that. We would need to strengthen at both ends of the field and hope that any new additions bed in immediately.
Which leads me to option three – prepare for next season. This season has already identified our strengths and weaknesses. So we could look at who we want to start next season. We definitely need a stronger bench, and we need to give our new players the rest of the season to bed in, as the lads did last term. We can let go now those who we know will be leaving anyway, Yohan Cabaye and Fabricio Coloccini spring to mind, and make sure we have a good pre-season and shoot for glory next season. Why is it always next season?
What would I do? Well get Nicholas Cortese in as Chairman ASAP. Let Joe go. I was a big fan of his at Wimbledon and not as disappointed with him here first time round as some, but Director of Football? Really? WHY?? Alan Pardew I don’t have a problem with, but there are others out there. I would clear out a few players and bring in three or four more. Time for recognising our core players and strengthening ready to move forward.
What would you do? Stick or Twist??
PREM,pardew says he’s happy with his squad and has depth but would like another striker,or is that Joe and jabba words coming out his mouth 😕
icedog(Quote)
good thread like mate
icedog(Quote)
Thanks Prem, good read.
Well, I don’t think Ashley will be too heartbroken if we miss out on Europa though I’m sure he’d love top4, talk about a cash cow, that’s the jackpot. Pretty certain no one will arrive this window, think they will rejig the team in the summer. I would prefer newbies in now though give them a chance to bed in and get a full preseason without any pressure like last jans guys had on arriving. If we continue our form I see us 7th/8th which I believe is the target tbh, it’s just a real shame we didn’t give the fa cup a right good go,with no relegation threat this season and no Europa there really was no excuse not to go for it, frankly I feel very let down on that score. 🙁
Ice351 previous blog 😯 I never knew that like, knew about the stuff at the Saints but not West Ham. I suppose I should be glad that the dream I had about Pards was that he was only in my garden and not anywhere near my ladygarden given his rep 😉 Shudders at thought.
KIMTOON(Quote)
good read up and pretty much bang on i would say. i dont think we will make it to europe this season, its obviously do-able but its an outside shot. i think that we need to ask Cabaye what his plans are and to be fair, if he says he is leaving in the summer for 6 million we may as well sell now for 20. Its not going to effect where we finish i guess and we are certainly not going to be relegated this season and should, no matter what, be a top ten finish. We need to get Cabs gone or signed up, if he is going get that done and bring in his replacement now also to give him the second half of the season to sort his head out and find his feet.
I see City winning it and Chelski second, followed by ****.
craig chisholm(Quote)
Prem good read mate and as usual well researched 😉
I have a feeling the club will try to stick
Big Dave(Quote)
KIM he seems to think he’s a lady’s delight,some guys are never happy I suppose,me I will keep my steak and leave the beans to others lol
icedog(Quote)
get a lock on your garden gate Kim 😉
icedog(Quote)
Craig
stealing Newkies comment but he explains it well
“Knocky-see this link mate http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/may/20/webster-ruling-matuzalem-cas-compensation
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is a higher authority than Fifa and can set compensation awards. Basically it will force the player/the club he joins to pay fees which could be well up to his transfer value or more.
If it was so easy Van Persie and so many others would have moved for a pittance. Mountains out of molehills this one I reckon.”
He can not leave for £6 million its a load of *****
I think he will go in the summer after the world cup but we will wait and see what happens i guess.
Santii(Quote)
Ice , I read somewhere his Mrs had really bad depression, I’m not surprised if he carries on like that poor cow. 🙁
KIMTOON(Quote)
i don’t think we could get champions league even if we got a few players in.
I do think we can push for a Europa spot and it looks like City are going to win the Capital one cup so top 6 get us Europa. The FA Cup is still wide open but i can see Chelsea doing well in that per usual so top 7 could get us Europa as well. Very doable without buying anyone but a striker would not go a miss but it could wait until the summer i guess.
Always nice to read a negative free article Prem 😀
Santii(Quote)
Kim
Pardew has a Mrs? I thought he was a complete ***** hound bachelor 😀
Santii(Quote)
KIM I know he gives me depression at times,my Mrs thinks he’s a slime ball and would not trust him to the bottom of the street she is normally good at sussing people out
icedog(Quote)
9 nowt now on at,think it could be bye bye sam
icedog(Quote)
Prem – good read mate.
I think folk get too hung up on what league position we finish though.
Of course you want to finish the highest league position possible, but is it a true reflex when you look at the gap in points between 8th and 7th last season?;
http://espnfc.com/tables/_/league/eng.1/season/2012/barclays-premier-league
Personally I think the top 7 will be the same as last season – not in the same order though.
If we don’t strengthen our attacking options, I don’t think there’s enough goals in our squad.
I reckon 8th but we wouldn’t be as many points behind 7th as WBA were last season.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Nicollin now saying there is no deal for Remy and he knows toon are waiting for 20mil for cabaye and we are not stupid
icedog(Quote)
Ice – any idea what the record defeat is for the FA Cup mate?
This fixture must be heading that way now I reckon?!
Sharpy17(Quote)
SHARPY know of 16 nowt game think Newport rings a bell don’t think it was a cup game like could be wrong mate
icedog(Quote)
Ice – same ****, different Frenchman at a different French club!
Sharpy17(Quote)
Ice – City still have plenty of time to top that un if they want to
West Ham look soooooo ****!
Sharpy17(Quote)
Stick or twist? Wrong card game. I’d bid 7 hearts and lead with trumps. 😆 (presuming our current position in the league means we have a strong hand)
I’d offer Cabaye a new deal, making a monetary offer he can’t refuse and promising to build a team to compete for the Champs League. Offer him glory and hero status in the history of Newcastle United.
Hopefully my partner can back me up and play a couple of aces in my off suit, spending some cash to bring in replacements for the likes of Marveaux, Obertan, Shola, Gosling, and a few others.
That should win the points. Then we can wait for the next hand.
Unfortunately, Ashley and co seem to be more interested in playing Old Maid.
Brisvegas(Quote)
SHARPY sounds the same sort of **** as that PEA carry-on when he said he wanted to come to the toon and he ended up in Germany for bigger money,all white IMO a way of bumping up money and clubs.
Sam took Andy off after 45min
icedog(Quote)
Bris. Raise to 7NT. My yarborough is pretty solid
Premandup(Quote)
Ice – exactly mate, I’m sure we’ve learned our lesson though and instead of spending the whole window pursuing a player were not going to sign, we’ll switch our attentions to one we could …
Ok maybe not 🙄 😆
Sharpy17(Quote)
SHARPY I don’t expect anything from this crowd mate,just cheap talk and bullshit,gave up hope long ago ime afraid
icedog(Quote)
I see Everton got a work permit for that player w/ham couldn’t,strange that
icedog(Quote)
While everyone is drooling over cabs, this guy was a class act, oh and from a female perspective better looking too 😉 enjoy. 😎
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfyty0_9Iyo
KIMTOON(Quote)
From a total male perspective Kim i wouldn’t say no to either of them… 😆 😎 😉
Santii(Quote)
Santi, 😆 😆
KIMTOON(Quote)
Shaka’s view.
http://www.espn.co.uk/espn/sport/video_audio/275887.html?CMP=OTC-RSS;genre=1;sport=3
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim – a better player than Ben Arfa in my opinion. Possibly the most frustratingly talented player Newcastle have had during my time supporting them – close to 30yrs 😆
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy I loved him, the overhead kick v Fulham is a joy to behold 😎
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim – the long range freekick against Liverpool for me. I spend the previous 20mins or so saying get that fecker off!!, he’d done nowt – then smashes that freekick in!
The whole pub turn and took the **** 😛 But I wasn’t bothered one little bit 😛
Sharpy17(Quote)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<< thinks the chance to gate crash the top 4 has gone now think them 3 defeats on the spin put pay to that disappointment for another season 😥
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
I would also get Nicholas Cortese in to run the club on behalf of Mike Ashley.
Hopefully that would mean the replacement of Joe Kinnear & Alan Pardew as i imagine Cortese will agree that neither of them are good enough for us.
Obviously it’s very unlikely that this will happen but there is no practical reason why it couldn’t.
KK(Quote)
There is not a full week’s rest between the Norwich game (28th Jan) & the Sunderland game.
I count it as only 2 days training between the two matches so Pardew MUST rotate the team or risk a poor performance from the players. He’s failed to rotate the team so far but lets hope he’s learned his lesson.
Swansea, Stoke, Arsenal, West Brom, Cardiff were all bad performances & it’s no surprise that they were all matches which were played after reduced preparation time.
KK(Quote)
We also have reduced preparation time for the Spurs game on 12 Feb so again that’s another match where the players will need to be rotated.
If we carry on as we have so far this season then we’re on course to finish with 62pts which is possibly 7th.
If the club finishes with less than 60pts Pardew should be sacked.
16 games left.
Six of those against Chelsea, Spurs, Everton, Man Utd, Arsenal & Liverpool.
The other 10 games are against clubs that are weaker than us on paper.
So realistically we should be close to a Champions League place but just miss out on it.
KK(Quote)
Obviously i think Pardew should be sacked straight away.
He should never have been given the job especially after being sacked by a League One club!
His appointment as manager is just as ridiculous as Joe Kinnear being DoF or the Kazakh work experience guy becoming Head of Recruitment at Cardiff!!
But if he get’s less than 60pts, i can’t see how any of the Pardew fanboys could defend him so that’s what i was referring to in my post @36.
KK(Quote)
@TAE
We ‘should’ be close to gatecrashing last Champions League place.
This season is probably the most tightly placed Premier League season i can think of.
The title race, the race for 4, the fight against relegation, it’s more exciting than it was 2 seasons ago!
KK(Quote)
@ KK
cant rember us being 7 points adrift of 4th a couple of seasons ago,yeah i know we should be banging on the door for a champions league spot every year unfortunally that aint the case
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
@ KK
them 3 defeats on the spin was a hammer blow to our chances of gatecrashing 4th spot in my opion
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
Prem,
Nice thread.
You’d think at most clubs its simple. Push for your best position.
But not here.
Definitely a replacement for JK.
I wouldn’t stop looking at possible alternatives to Pards. If someone more talented became available and was interested in managing us. I’d make the change. But Pards has done well enough this season – for now.
JJ(Quote)
If we’re in talks with one of Frances best young talents – why is JFK in Germany sorting a 6 mth loan deal for De Jong?!.
That said, it means its either bollox coz JFKs in Germany, or it’s true and they’re keeping him out the way so he’s not to **** things up
Sharpy17(Quote)
Did anyone else see that report about Soton potentially being bought by that Chinese billionaire? When’s our turn we’ve got a better team, bigger stadium, more fans/following and are more financially sound. It’s ridiculous. Soton aren’t even a London team so haven’t even got that going for them.
Andymag(Quote)
Sharpy
Could we give sochaux Obertan as part of the Backumba (?) deal. 😆 Two birds, one stone.
Andymag(Quote)
Andy, Not sure I would want a Chinese Billionaire, they would probably wanna put us in red strips what with it being a lucky colour in all. 🙄
KIMTOON(Quote)
Andy@44, quite like that idea though 😉
KIMTOON(Quote)
Will someone please shut this obnoxious prat up 👿
http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/01/22/montpellier-president-attacks-newcastle-cabella-deserves-somethi/
KIMTOON(Quote)
Andy – haven’t we fallen out with enough French clubs mate? 😆
I’d certainly be offering him mate but it depends if they need the money more. I’ve read Bakumba is around €3m so they won’t get much cash plus Oba if that’s the case.
Do you know much about Bakumba mate?, I’ve seen nowt of the lad to be honest so don’t know how good he is
Sharpy17(Quote)
Kim-seems to be the way its done in France. Slag off the other club, slag off our current player, stress beyond all reason no deal will happen with anyone ever. And then sell the player. 🙄
Prem-good piece mate. I’d say for now we need to try and finish as high as we can, we aren’t completely adrift of Europa. I’d like to see us back in it as the winner of it next year will get a champions league spot-we were two defensive howlers away from beating Benfica. If we’d had Chelsea in the final who knows? We beat them 4-2 in the league after all.
Players I’d want out are Gosling, Obertan,Jonas Staylor. Possibly Ferguson. I agree we need cover at right back, we also need a long term CB for Mbiwa, Good doesn’t seem to be pulling up many trees. Ideally we’d keep Cabaye and instead take big money for someone like Santon-not that I want rid of him exactly but we have 3 dedicated left backs and one of them has to go, or be loaned out. Shola might need to go as well but this all depends on which strikers we will get in January/the summer. If we sneak Europa I’m happy for us to go for PL survival and try and target the Europa, if not then see what happens next year.
Newkie(Quote)
Andy – I saw the Chinese Billionaire story mate and it was a figure of around £175m or round about that.
Cashley wants something like £100m more than that doesn’t he? ….
That’s why it isn’t our turn mate 🙄
Sharpy17(Quote)
Oh and Amalfitano as well, worse signing than Obertan! 😆
Newkie(Quote)
Kim
That’s true, what if he decides on red and white stripes 😯 .
Sharpy
That’s true, surely though we are more the finished product that Soton as we’ve already got a large stadium and a team of internationals. Which is what he’d pump his money into anyway.
Andymag(Quote)
Sharpy
I was more thinking of paying them to take Obertan 😆 . Very true that the whole of ligue 1 hates us. 😕
Andymag(Quote)
Sharpy-the point Andy is making I think is that 100 mil is pretty much short change to a guy like that-esp considering he will need to invest somewhat if he is to make Southampton match our turnover and squad. However their youth facilities/coaching is pretty attractive. Supposedly their full back Luke Shaw will fetch 30mil-no idea why though, mostly because he’s English I guess!
Newkie(Quote)
Well the good news is there is only 9 days of this transfer **** is over
Big Dave(Quote)
Newkie, It’s infuriating, what he’s saying though because he knows nothing of England if he assumes only anything good is based in London. Complete prat who insults the club and area just because he knows his player is slipping away from him. 👿
KIMTOON(Quote)
Dave , I will be so glad when it’s done and dusted mate.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Newkie/Andy – it depends on how much homework the Chinese fella has done or whether its paper research.
But the £100m will defo make a difference mate. Billionaires don’t become so by spending more for a PL club than they need to.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Ashley slagged the city and fans off to any potential buyer.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Any Billionaire is going to want CL football. That means an additional 50m on the wage bill min. + the cost of the players. Even then he only catches up with Spurs. To chase the big boys you can at least double that. Even then he is not guaranteed top four. It would be far cheaper abroad.
Premandup(Quote)
Sharpy-your point would have more credibility if Ashley wasn’t also a billionaire and didn’t also massively overspend on us 😀 And he is English and runs a sportswear shop and would presumably know the market…
Prem-I agree anywhere else abroad would be cheaper, but there is a lot more gravitas involved with owning a CL chasing club in England than one in Romania. These men are egotistical in most cases. They want the world to know. If you rule out Germany because of their laws, and Spain because nobody can compete with Barca/Madrid, then what your left with is another PSG knock off. And now the tax free haven of Monaco is gone as well…leads back to the UK. A committed owner would be willing to Challenge Everton/Liverpool/Spurs. City and Chelsea maybe not. Manure is up in the air for now.
Newkie(Quote)
Pity the fans decided to hate Ashley.
Premandup(Quote)
Anyway back to work. Thanks for the compliments. Back later.
Premandup(Quote)
But I agree with Kim-any unknown owner could always be dangerous. Would people swap investment for us to play in red?
What we want is that Geordie trillionaire who already has a grand plan, loves the club, will make us a force for the next 50 years, etc etc etc. Where do we find one? 😉
Newkie(Quote)
Not all the fans hate him Prem. There are parts of his model we would probably like to change but for me at least his is a good owner and is very close to getting us into a top (top) team.
Funny how better the devil you know saying applies to the manager but not a new owner to some…
Newkie people would still find a reason to complain….
Santii(Quote)
Newkie – Maybe Ashley ****** up, or maybe he knew what he was entering into and was happy to foot the debt.
When Ashley bought us he wanted to be fan. He turned up with his strip on downing beers with the rest of us. He didn’t want it to become a business for HIM to run – he wanted to leave that to numpties he employed, but they ****** it up.
Maybe you’re right. Look at the money that Roman has pumped into Chelsea – or the City owner.
Maybe Ashley is just tight with his cash coz he fucking hates the fact that it turned into a business for him when all he wanted was to turn up and watch the match.
Sharpy17(Quote)
In the next 2 years we will be the only club with a ****** of an owner who has no interest in the success of the club.
Stuart79(Quote)
Sharpy-I don’t disagree with that, I’ve said before that I don’t buy the idea he bought us solely as an advertising board. There are cheaper and more profitable ways to do that. I think it was an ego thing. Ashley is a quiet person but where there is any info it seems like he is a man who wants to be loved, but he is also very arrogant. As soon as it went sour I think he changed his mind-some of his stunts are businesses minded, some just to spite the fans, and some of those fans equally wish losses and relegation on us to spite the owner.
Ash probably made the wrong choice in a few ways. He probably hoped for the iconic/messiah tag to be applied to him, but what he doesn’t know is that we are fanbase larger, more vocal and with more expectations than most. It has been enough to crush a fair few managers over the years, including SBR.
Newkie(Quote)
what he didn’t know even*
Newkie(Quote)
Newkie – I’ve often wondered whether he was railroaded into it buy his mates. A conversation in a wine bar turned into reality. Him, Dennis Wise and the rest telling Ashley ‘listen all you have to do is buy it, we’ll run it for you’ and he got sucked in.
That’s the type of fella he strikes me as being. He’s always seemed to employ his mates or people he knows rather than the best person for the job.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Talking of ruthless, nasty owners – I see Blackpools fella sacked Paul Ince by text message! 😯 😆
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy-quite possibly mate, certainly if Wise had any influence over him that could have happened. I’m not sure Ashley ever had a grand plan for getting his pals jobs, I just think he turns to them in a crisis because he struggles at making personal relationships and wary of making business ones. That’s why he got rid of Mort and got his chum Llambias in and went for Kinnear after everything else had gone to **** as opposed to getting them from the start.
Newkie(Quote)
Keegan
Daglish
Gullit
Robson
Souness
Roedar
Allerdyce
Keegan
Kinnear
Shearer
Hughton
Pardew
That’s some list of people that have tried there hardest to win something over the years. Roedar won the inter toto cup and Hughton won the championship.
stem(Quote)
Good read and I largely agree. There will be quite a bit of change in the summer with Colo and Cabaye going. On top of that, I dont see Remy staying – so the difficulty will be losing Colo and Remy for effectively nothing – and finding the funds to replace them with real quality. A tough ask., bearing in mind any money from sale of Cabaye will likely go to a direct replacement (around 3/4 the fee) with the rest going into payment of debt.
It will also be interesting to see if Saylor goes. In which case we need a further CB unless they want to give one of our young lads a proper go at the 1st team squad – which could work.
Either way the loss of Colo, Cabaye and Remy will rip our heart out. I just hope we can survive the changes and come out of it with a competitive squad capable of maintaining status quo (Top 8 next season would be progress I believe).
Shamrock(Quote)
Some very good comments re Mike Ashley.
He could have been a fantastic owner if he didn’t keep appointing the wrong people everytime.
If he had brought SBR in from the start in some capacity i’m pretty sure we would have avoided alot of the trauma.
KK(Quote)
The difficult thing is some people still blame ashley just for the sake of it.
If we don’t sign anyone this month it’s because ashley is tight.
We struggled last year because ashley tied pardew’s hands etc
KK(Quote)