The Newcastle United Blog

Written by Dr. Ed Harrison

11:53am Sunday, December 5th, 2010

Commented 10 times

Newcastle have made a good solid start to the Premier League this season, but we cannot get carried away – too much.

Chris Hughton – taking control of Newcastle fans’ huge expectations

Newcastle have already had some great results this season, with wins at Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton, and home wins of 6-0 against Aston Villa and 5-1 against local rivals, Sunderland – our best result in that fixture for 55 years.

But Chris Hughton is trying to keep a lid on any unrealistic expectations:

“Where we have been in recent years I don’t think we can afford to think that way,”“The club needs a period of stability before it can push on from there, so talk of top six is unrealistic at this moment.”
“You never know, at some stage in the future, that can be possible.” “But we do have to go through a period of consolidation to get things put in place.”

Newcastle must have an excellent chance of collecting some points this afternoon, and since we haven’t won for 5 games now, we are certainly due a win at the Hawthorns, but the lads will have to turn up for this game, unlike our last game on the road at Bolton.

“If we lose two or three games on the spin there will be an equal amount of people thinking they could be in the bottom three in a few weeks’ time,”
“That is how close the league is. So we are realistic. The aim is exactly the same – to secure Premier League status and to continue to make progress.”

The Premier League is fairly wide open this season, and we can either push on, and get some stability in the league, but as Chris says, a couple of defeats in a row and we could also slip quickly down the table.

The bottom line is that we are very pleased with where the team is right now.

Comments welcome.

10 comments so far

jesus was a geordie
Dec 5, 2010 at 12:01 PM
Comment #1
Dead on Chris, I liked his mentality in the Championship and I like it now – survival first, then build! We’re 2 years into the 5 year plan from when Hughton was installed…I’m willing to wait another 3 before I make a judgement!
0
Rotonda heights
Dec 5, 2010 at 12:23 PM
Comment #2
Aim high and you may come half way. Aim low and chances are you will go down, as you start to inhabit a negative mindset.
We have £10m players, some on on huge wages. Top half should be the minimum requirement. Anything less is a terrible lack of ambition.
We have Carroll, Tiote, Barton, Colo, Spidey etc with Ben Arfa and Gosling to come back in to it.
Our only problem is getting a settled footballing, passing style of play and playing the right formation. Still not sure where Nolan fits in to be at his best. Too slow to be an out and out striker or even playing off one and not creative or fit enough when in midfield. It’s dilemma because he does know where the net is.
0
Solaidback
Dec 5, 2010 at 12:24 PM
Comment #3
Totally agree, it doesn’t matter were we finish this seasopn as long as it’s no lower than 17th, then next season, we can push for midtable, then the season after that maybe a top 7 but at present, we have a very good tem who can turn on the game when needed & that’s a good start, lets have 3 points today as we’ve some hard games this xmas period & need to be in & around 10th place come the transfer window, so we’ll know what the rest of theseason has install for us.. 🙂
0
roblee7
Dec 5, 2010 at 12:37 PM
Comment #4
I read on the previous article somebody mentioned luciano beccio from leeds as a possible signing as his contract is up at the end of the season, a good shout i reckon! Also, has anyone been keeping tabs on Kris Commons at derby recently? I’ve seen him quite a few times now and have to say his game has improved rapidly last couple of seasons, lightning quick, skillful and has an eye for goal. As Lovenkrands doesn’t really seem up to the prem, perhaps a cheap and better replacement?
0
mattnufc
Dec 5, 2010 at 12:40 PM
Comment #5
Apparantly Barton is out today, same line-up as last week predicted.
0
roblee7
Dec 5, 2010 at 12:43 PM
Comment #6
thats a shame mattnufc….just when he’s picking up some form! U know where the hell xisco and leon best are these days? If injured, when are they back? Not that these 2 will save our season, just the more players we have fit the better for the squad!
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mattnufc
Dec 5, 2010 at 12:46 PM
Comment #7
I dno about them roblee sorry!
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Ciaran Thomas
Dec 5, 2010 at 12:48 PM
Comment #8
Who is saying this like,Matt ?
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Ciaran Thomas
Dec 5, 2010 at 12:59 PM
Comment #9
Leon Best was on bench last week.
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kevymartins
Dec 5, 2010 at 5:25 PM
Comment #10
We miss oba we miss oba we miss oba We miss oba
WE MISS OBAFEMI MARTINS!!!
what a signing he wud be on jan
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17 February, 2023

I have an update on what's happening with my treatment for prostate cancer.

Last week, my oncologist called me late in the day and said he thought it was best to terminate my treatment with radium 223 dichloride because it was having such a negative effect on my health - specifically my digestive system.

I had completed 3 of the planned 6 infusions.

They had looked at the bone scans and three CAT scans I had early last week, and they showed no signs of the cancer spread being slowed or stopped: in fact, it was continuing to spread and my PSA account continued to rise.

The only treatment left now is to go back and have another bout of chemotherapy with docetaxel being the medication used.

I understand this will be a 7-month job with 10 sessions 3 weeks apart - almost double my first chemo treatment in Apil 2017, when I has 6 treatmnts.

The problem I have is that I'm in a very poor physical state right now, due to my digestive system being basically torn apart by the radium 223.

The radium 223 has leaked into my digestive system and caused me to have severe diarrhea, nausea, and heartburn, and it was (is) very serious.

They said it was too dangerous to proceed with the radium 223 treatment, with little benefit being shown.

I am also suffering from severe exhaustion, basically, because I have zero testosterone, and all the treatments I've had for the cancer, have further lessened the energy available to me.

It reminds me of the saying that if cancer doesn’t kill you - the treatment will (laugh).

It will probably take up to 8 weeks to get back to a physical state where I can start chemotherapy, and that's where I am now, but the cancer continues to spread in the bones.

I've also been put in touch with the dietitian from UNC Healthcare, who will help me get back my health - she is very helpful.

So that's where it stands it's been quite a journey over 12 years and I think I've had almost every treatment available.

It has really taken a toll on my body and on my energy, but that's where it stands and obviously, I'll do the best I can in the upcoming months with chemo and hope I can get through it.

It is as it is - and another challenge in life.

Ed Harrison