Newcastle: Time They Were Taken Seriously Again?

Newcastle: Time They Were Taken Seriously Again?

Newcastle: Time They Were Taken Seriously Again?

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By Andy Brunning, writing from Dorchester, England

As it always does by this stage in the season, the Premier League table is beginning to take on a not unfamiliar appearance. True, perhaps the advent of Manchester City as the current league leaders is a marked change from recent years, but with their many millions it was really only a matter of time before they sauntered to the top of the table. No, the team whose position sticks out like a sore thumb at the moment is Newcastle’s; riding high in third place, three points ahead of Chelsea, and just one point behind last season’s champions, Manchester United. Bear in mind we’re talking about a Newcastle team not drastically changed from the one who finished just seven points above the relegation places last season, and the current state of affairs becomes all the more perplexing. Recall that they’re owned by a man who enjoys cavorting around Chinese restaurants in his pants of a Saturday night, and it becomes nigh on miraculous.

So, what’s behind Newcastle’s sudden revival? Now unbeaten with a quarter of the season gone, and with what is currently the meanest defence in the league, they’ve gone from being touted as potential relegation fight contenders, to mounting a surprising left-field challenge for a European place. Needless to say, they’ve also managed the feat without reinvesting much of the £35 million they received from Liverpool for Andy Carroll, the majority of which is presumably still lining Mike Ashley’s grubby pockets.

Halfway through last season, the story couldn’t have been more different. The sacking of Chris Hughton was a contentious one after he led them back to the Premiership, especially considering their not disrespectful placing of eleventh in the table at the time. His replacement, Alan Pardew, was initially about as welcome as a fart in an elevator, especially after the club sanctioned Andy Carroll’s departure in January. A case of Steve Kean syndrome (i.e. a manager never wanted by the fans in the first place) seemed likely to overshadow Pardew’s tenure.

Funnily enough, however, Pardew has had a big hand in Newcastle’s fortunes so far this season. His tactics against Stoke on Monday night were spot on, perfectly nullifying their long ball game, and he has instilled a defensive discipline into the side that was previously absent. A record of just seven goals conceded in ten games tells its own story, despite the loss of Luis Enrique to Liverpool over the summer. That his replacement, highly rated Italian youngster Davide Santon, has barely got a look in with regards to first team action also suggests a sudden strength and depth in Newcastle’s squad.

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Pardew will, however, have been grateful for the form of Demba Ba so far this season. Signed from relegated West Ham, for whom he finished as their top scorer netting seven league goals last term, he has scored an impressive nine goals this time around. This including a hat-trick against Stoke on Monday, who probably ended the evening reflecting on the fact that they failed in a bid to sign Ba due to a failed medical, and now they’re lumbered with Peter Crouch instead. In fact, Ba aside, most of Pardew’s other signings over the summer have also gelled well into the first team; Gabriel Obertan, so often derided during his time at Manchester United, is slowly starting to turn in more consistent performances; Yohan Cabaye has instantly become a first team staple in midfield. With Hatem Ben Arfa now returned from injury, Newcastle now have a midfield that they could realistically expect to assail the top half of the table with.

But perhaps the most important factor in Newcastle’s renaissance so far has been their fixture list. With the greatest of respect, the majority of the games they’ve played thus far have been against opposition you’d expect to be outside of the top six come season’s end, with the exception of Spurs and Arsenal. Here are the results from their ten games up to this point:

  • Arsenal, H, 0-0.
  • Sunderland, A, 0-1.
  • Fulham, H, 2-1.
  • QPR, A, 0-0.
  • Villa, A, 1-1.
  • Blackburn, H, 3-1.
  • Wolves, A, 1-2.
  • Spurs, H, 2-2.
  • Wigan, H, 1-0.
  • Stoke, A, 1-3.

It’s worth noting that, against teams currently in the bottom half of the table, Newcastle have won all but one of their six games, drawing the remaining one. By way of contrast, they have drawn all three of their games against opposition currently in the top half of the table. More pertinently, Newcastle’s next four fixtures are against Everton, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, and, whilst Chelsea might currently be the crisis club of the fortnight, these upcoming games will prove a much sterner test of Newcastle’s mettle. Perhaps it’s too early to bandy about the phrase ‘season-defining’, but if against the odds they can grab a couple of results, it could form the bedrock for a serious challenge on the top six.

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