It’s really astonishing Newcastle’s fall down the league table since we beat Aston Villa on the last day of February – and we are hoping the worst is now over, and in the last two games of the season we can get to safety – but we are certainly not sure of that.
🙁
Newcastle could still take the drop if we cannot say get at least three points from our last two games – and it would be nice to get a win – and maybe we can do that at QPR on Saturday.
Ryan Taylor – in action against Spurs
That’s our second last game of the season, and we won last season in the second last fixture when we beat a relegated Cardiff City side – and that was the only game we didn’t lose in the last eight games last season.
So certainly Newcastle have scraped through in each of the last three seasons – after we finished 5th in 2012 – and in each case Newcastle have had just a terrible second half of the season.
Ryan Taylor has been with us since January of 2009 and four months after joining we were relegated for the first time from the Premier League, and Ryan certainly doesn’t want to see that happen again.
This is what the 30 year-old Liverpudlian has said:
“It was embarrassing and if you asked every single person in the dressing room, they feel the same way.” “It is up to us to get to that 39 or 40 point mark and then make sure it does not happen again next season.”
“From where we were in January everyone thought we could at least cement a place in the top ten.” “I knew we had that tricky block of fixtures around March time when I look back now, the turning point was Man United at home.”
“That was the start of all this. If we had held out for a couple of minutes longer and got a point, we could have built on that.” “But the manner we lost and the timing, it rubbed off onto the next week, which we lost and it snowballed from there.”
“We find ourselves in a big hole now and we just need a win to get out of it.” “We keep conceding from set plays at the minute and that is very worrying. That has been the case over the last few weeks, where corners and free kicks are deciding games against us.”
“We work on set plays every week but when it comes to a Saturday, it becomes an individual responsibility.” “You get asked to do a job, told where you are and who you are marking but if people don’t track runners, then you will concede stupid goals.”
“It is something we have to clamp down on – we have put the hours in to put that right and save our season.” “When we went down last time in May 2009, we had a lot more experience in the squad than we have now.”
“I have to make sure those who haven’t been here too long, fully understand the situation and together we get out of this mess and secure or Premier League status.” “I’m not going to lie, the situation does play on my mind because like any other professional it is nice to have a contract and some security.”
“But I am playing for the good of the football club and my main focus is completely on Newcastle United and helping this team stay up.” “In an ideal world, I would love to still be playing in the Premier League for Newcastle. St James Park is where my heart and head are.”
Ryan Taylor is unlikely to get a contract extension at Newcastle, but he’s right not to be thinking about that at the moment.
The real job the players have to do is somehow get our first win in 10 games at QPR on Saturday afternoon, against a side who are already relegated for the second time in three years, and if we can do that the likelihood is we can be out of this mess.
Maybe we can even be safe next Saturday night.
It would be good if that happens, and it doesn’t go down to the very last game of the season.
But given the disastrous year we’ve had so far – it probably will go down to the last day, and it could be a real nail biter – just like it was on May 24th in 2009.
And this is for a club which is currently the 19th richest in the world.
But we have an owner who will not spend the money to build up a decent squad.
It’s really all so very sad – and painful too.
Comments welcome.
4 comments so far
Graeme
May 11, 2015 at 10:52 PM
Comment #1Ashley will be sitting there, rubbing his hands in glee.
Well Done Penfold, Super show Carver – you saved us a fortune, kept the team on track and retained our Premier League Status. Keep it to yourselves, but you will both get a nice Bonus at the end of the season.
“Now, JC, go talk to Carr and work out what you need to achieve the same next season” I’m prepared to really push the boat out in the summer, you can bring in as many player as you like and the budget is £10 million”
“Lee, Officially, the public target is top 10 again, but top 15 will get you and JC the Bonus. Now, get to it, There are more adverts arriving tomorrow and I want them all in place before the pre-season photos!!!!
Lindisfarne
May 11, 2015 at 11:02 PM
Comment #2BandB
I certainly did not say that I would walk away from supporting the team if we are relegated. I have not inspected the wider conversation but I do hope you are not adding meaning where there is no need to elaborate. I am ashamed that my opinion has caused such incongruence and surprised at the lack of explanation or discussion, in preference for personal insinuation and twisting my words.
Geordiedownunder
May 12, 2015 at 3:21 AM
Comment #3I get the distinct impression that all this turmoil has been planned by FCB. Think about it…. the money he’s invested is chicken feed to him…. At the beginning it was all sweetness and light I recall… then not sure when it happened, (Just after the Keegan dismissal?) but he was verballed with his family (child) in attendance at a home game. From then on, it seems he’s gone out of his way to orchestrate what we’ve endured over the last 8 years. Me, paranoid? maybe, but that doesn’t mean they’re not out to get me!
lochinvar
May 12, 2015 at 8:09 AM
Comment #4Geordiedownunder@12
Know what you mean.
There are 52,000 homes hear with twitching net curtains in case Carver comes after our pies.
The post is checked in case they try to slip us a Zero Hours Contract.
Our street has been renamed Sports De Rect Avenue.
And someone keeps leaving Garden Knomes that are the image of Ashley and Charnley in the garden.
The milkman is offering BOGOF pints of milk.
And strange noises can be heard in the night that sound like a banshee whispering ” Joe Kinnear is back in town”
Be afraid, be very afraid .