Last year at this time, the day before our first Championship game in 16 years, against WBA, the Newcastle fans didn’t really know what to expect.
Chris Hughton – tough job on his hands next season
And as it turns out, this season is not much different right now, with a number of Newcastle fans thinking we will do well to just survive in the Premier League next season.
Of course we did just great last season, thanks in no small way to new manager Chris Hughton, and we think Chris is building up the squad slowly but surely on Tyneside.
We’d like to see three more players signed before the end of this month, to go with free agensts Sol Campbll and Dan Gosling and James Perch, who was signed from Nottingham Forest, and has looked a decent player in pre-season.
There’s no doubt that Hughton has a tough job on Tyneside, since he has been given very little money to strengthen the squad, and has to rely on free agents and loan signings to build the squad up – so we have some chance of surviving.
Personally we think Newcastle will do better then most fans think next season, but we are not shouting that from the roof-tops.
If Hughton can get us around mid-table next May, it will be as good as he did last season, in his very first season as manager of a football club, and confidence should return on Tyneside with the Newcastle faithful.
But make no mistake – Chris has got an enormously tough job on his hands these next nine months or so, to keep Newcastle up – given the limits of spending placed on him by the club.
If he can get us to mid-table next season, he’ll be as much a hero next May, as he was last May.
Howay The Lads!!
Comments welcome.
24 comments so far
NUFC_Richyg01
Aug 6, 2010 at 11:37 AM
Comment #1Yes it is a mamouth task, but this group of lads is so much different to them we went down with.
We have a much better squad and more togetherness within the squad, we no have lads who want to perform, not just saps here for a payday.
I believe in Chris 100% and I know he can get the best from players.
Preston_toon
Aug 6, 2010 at 11:42 AM
Comment #2I can not see us going down next season at all, but I can see us finishing mid table as much as I would love the lads to prove me wrong I don’t think it’s going to happen.
Right now I will take 17th with no problems at all. The lads will be aiming higher and I hope we do I can not see a problem for them landing 17th/16th
Then again with the new Rules I think where going to have a very diffrent season
Darling27
Aug 6, 2010 at 11:42 AM
Comment #3We’re a much stronger team than the one that went down. I’m excited about this season. Two more quality signings needed!!!
Preston_toon
Aug 6, 2010 at 11:43 AM
Comment #4I can NOT^ see us finishing mid
howay man
Aug 6, 2010 at 11:51 AM
Comment #5we will do a birmingham or a reading a few years back, no stand out quality but a great manager and team spirit.
lewman
Aug 6, 2010 at 11:51 AM
Comment #6new rules preston, we have the biggest english to non english ratio of players in the league. i can see the new rules making problems for others but they can only help us.
lewman
Aug 6, 2010 at 11:53 AM
Comment #7anything from 8th to 20th is possible but i reckon from 10th to 15th is where we will finish imo.
Preston_toon
Aug 6, 2010 at 11:56 AM
Comment #8Yea thats what I am saying
All times have to name a 25 Man Squad with 8 players that are “home grown” correct me if I am wrong but we have 11 or something like that
Where as you look at other teams they may have to bring in inexperienced players if time get tough
Toon XI
Aug 6, 2010 at 11:56 AM
Comment #9I am confident of survival, but I certainly don’t see midtable as a possibility. We will struggle too often for goals.
Is it me or does CH and his staff seem to be only capable of working one new signing at a time? It seems Bolton, Sunderland, and the like are putting bids in to strengthen their squads all the time. I saw today that Sunderland bid for Onuoha. Why are we not in for him?
This transfer window is turning into a tease for us. Mackems now have Bent, Jones, Campbell and Wellbeck up front, correct? They are bidding for Hart and Onuoha. I hare to say this, but Bruce may put together a solid club if he gets his signings.
I pray CH closes a few deals in the next two weeks. We need that pace and creativity we all crave desperately.
lewman
Aug 6, 2010 at 11:58 AM
Comment #10sorrry preston i jumped to the wrong conclusion.
NUFC_Richyg01
Aug 6, 2010 at 12:09 PM
Comment #11I dont honestly care where in the league we finish.
Anythin above 17th will be a bonus, I just want us to stay up, and to be fair I think there are teams who will finish below us.
Blackpool – Newly Promoted
West Brom – Newly Promoted
Wigan – Struggled last season (36 Points)
Wolves – Struggled last season (38 Points)
Birmingham – Did okay last season, can it continue?
Stoke – Started well, but dropped off in 2010
Blackburn – Very Average Big Sam Team,
Bolton – Struggled last Season (39 Points)
Fulham – Big pressure on Mark Hughes
Mackems – Only Darren Bents goals kept them up
West Ham – Stuggled last year, not much has changed.
All have a lot to do this season and are our nearest rivals, forget Manure, Chelsea, Arsenal, Citeh, Villa, Everton, Liverpool thats our mini league I feel.
Captain Beefheart
Aug 6, 2010 at 12:18 PM
Comment #12‘Chris has got an enormously tough job on his hands these next nine months or so, to keep Newcastle up’
Not made any easier if blogs keep stirring fans up about where we should finish. We all secretly think we could do OK this season, but we’ve all been wrong before. CH isn’t raising expectations, we are, and them we’ll damn him accordingly if they aren’t met. So let’s leave it out, eh, and let him get on with keeping us in the top 16 (somewhere)?
MacToon
Aug 6, 2010 at 12:44 PM
Comment #13Capt Beefy, I think most people are behind CH and we all hope he does well.
This team might be better than the one that took us down but our squad was better. I can’t even count 25 players yet (under 21’s aside) so hopefully we’ll start the season with a full, strengthened squad.
chuck
Aug 6, 2010 at 12:56 PM
Comment #14Dont see why those mentioning the English to foreign born players ratio are happy about, perhaps thats the problem, too many English plodders ?
chuck
Aug 6, 2010 at 1:20 PM
Comment #15Check out our opposition`s rosters, think you may be surprised how much they have improved.
Wigan is building a nice young side, people from S/America, plus N`zog & McCarthy,Rodelega, an imitation of Arsenal buy em young and cheap.
Sure we are doing the same, but with questionable buys, Williamson,Perch, R.Taylor,
Simpson, etc., none of who would make any top clubs bench and face it where will they be in a couple of years ?
McCarthy at Wolves is also doing a good job, went out and spent on the players he needed, will be a much improved side this season.
Another side who will give us trouble is Stoke who are rumored to have cash available and are not like us looking in the bargain basement for players.
And these are the clubs we have to take points from!
There`s money to be made down the road in the EPL and anyone with foresight is positioning themselves and their clubs to be around to cash in .
Why else are most EPL clubs being sold to foreign investors, you got it , for the money!
And where are we going, that remains to be seen, we have to strengthen to survive , but to waste money on a bunch of plodders because they come cheap is a recipe for relegation.
Gotta spend money to make money.
Then what do i know ?
cgrizzly87
Aug 6, 2010 at 1:22 PM
Comment #16I would snatch your arm off for 17th right now! Stay up and build funds to strengthen next summer!
Maybe a decent cup run too, if the squad can cope with the extra games…
Whumpie
Aug 6, 2010 at 1:29 PM
Comment #17Yep, I think anywhere from 10th to 16th. And I’d be happy with that.
..and CH is doing fine in the transfer market – but as in January, expect the finishing touches in the last few hours.
NUFC_Richyg01
Aug 6, 2010 at 1:33 PM
Comment #18Exactly Whumpie,
One thing we dont need is to bring in a stack of players for the sake of it.
One thing we know of Hoots is he does his homework and he doesnt panic buy.
NUFC_Richyg01
Aug 6, 2010 at 1:36 PM
Comment #19Rangers game is on ESPN tomorrow from 12:30
NUFC_Richyg01
Aug 6, 2010 at 2:28 PM
Comment #20Manure are keeping Cleverley now
http://www.teamtalk.com/newcastle-united/6297738/United-boss-holds-on-to-Cleverley
freddie
Aug 6, 2010 at 2:42 PM
Comment #21Blackpool, west brom and wolves will go down imo. It will be close but those 3 are shitter than us.
Freddie
Aug 6, 2010 at 4:41 PM
Comment #22i reckon were gonna do a lot better than we think! we may not have loads of stand out players but we have team players now and great team spirit! ch is the man to lead us to good mid table finish!
also, dont you think its nice to have a manger for longer than season?
Stuart
Aug 6, 2010 at 5:16 PM
Comment #23You’re right Freddie, it does make a welcome change. Hopefully we’ll have CH for a few more seasons yet!
chuck
Aug 6, 2010 at 10:31 PM
Comment #24Team spirit is it, gonna get us through eh?
Look, it`s gonna take a hell of a lot more than team spirit, when you dont have the horses, which we dont.
Sure we have a number of decent players, but we also have our fair share of plodders and without bringing in some decent talent , gonna be a tough season, regardless of team spirit.