In our 18th game played last year Newcastle played extremely well at the Emirates Stadium but we were still beaten 1-0 by Arsenal and we didn’t have much luck.
That would end a terrible run of nine games when we had picked up only a solitary point – a 2-2 draw at West Brom – to show for it.
In our next game, the 19th game of the season, we went to West Ham and won that game 3-2.
But after 18 games played last season we had only 15 points so we have two more points to show for it this season.
Rafa Benitez and Claudio Ranieri on the touchline yesterday
Our home draw against Fulham yesterday took us up to 17 points from our 18 games played this season.
Here’s how we compare with last season.
[table “78” not found /]The easy way to think of where the 2 extra points have come from is we have lost two fewer games and drawn them – hence the two extra points.
We have scored two fewer goals than last season but have conceded less too – and we have a better goal difference this season.
Let’s hope that’s still true after out tough trip to Anfield on Boxing Day.
Comments welcome.
8 comments so far
L Toon
Dec 23, 2018 at 3:16 PM
Comment #1I honestley don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Every match day we read the same thing perez was woeful, god help us if joselu is coming on, kenedy was garbage, diame was abysmal, schaar was terrible, manquillo was embarrasing, Ritchie was pathetic. Oh but its all rafas fault. Seriously, how many of our players have played well this season? Ki, but thats about it. No one can dispute rafa is making mistakes but hes making mistakes trying to find solutions to a whole host of problems.
Yesterday was pathetic, but it just looked liked a team that were scared, players didn’t want to take their man on in case they were the ones to give the ball away or make that bad pass that results in a goal. The players can sense the angst and trepidation in the crowd and vice versa. The uncertainty on and off the pitch seems to be affecting everyone. The player’s know without a takeover rafa is gone in the summer
People say “well if pardull or mcnugget played like this they would get slaughtered, why does rafa get leniency? Well simply because pardull and mcnugget had premier league standard players that had the quality to make the difference. Rafa simply doesn’t. We look nice enough in the defensive and middle third but simply havent the quality to break teams down and hurt them. When i hear the term premier league standard player,i interpret that as someone who can consistently perform week in, week out to a reasonable standard. Were like a bag of revels. You simply dont know what you are going to get next.
Can rafa tell the player’s to attack? Of course, but i genuinely think he doesn’t trust the players to do it. The players dont seem to like performing at home, there is far less pressure on us away from home. Teams know exactly what do against us at home. Make sure we have two banks of four, are organised, disciplined, hard to beat and not allow space in between the lines and ask newcastle to break us down. Can newcastle move the ball quicker through the transitions? No. Can newcastle find space in between the lines and fine that killer pass? No. Can newcastle increase the tempo and play quick one touch footbal to draw our team out of position? No. Do newcastle have the pace to cause us problems? No.
What will january bring? Well, if rafa gets his way, players in within the first week. If not then we will here “no i dont know my budget”, “havent spoken to lard arse”, ” dont know where the money has gone, ask charnely”. I can see this samaris or michael travnik coming in for 3-4 mill and hayden leaving for 5 and then a striker on loan from abroad.
Can you imagine waking up to the news that lard arse has gone, new owners saying they want to challenge for europe and win trophies, rafa signing a new contract, being given carte blanche and being backed, work being started on our new state of the art training centre and money put into the youth development. Oh, look a flying pig. It really is the hope that kills.
Ron Knee
Dec 23, 2018 at 3:22 PM
Comment #2Well said.
Jib
Dec 23, 2018 at 3:23 PM
Comment #3Lard arse is very disrespectful
you could really upset folk like
Mr Tuff who Jail for Ashley tells
me has a huge rear end
Paully
Dec 23, 2018 at 3:37 PM
Comment #4L Toon – Nail on head marra.
L Toon
Dec 23, 2018 at 4:05 PM
Comment #5Rafa has been forced to keep producing champagne performances from hayden, manquillo, diame, atsu, perez, joselu, kenedy, Ritchie and it simply doesn’t work. Theres only so long you can continue to do that and anyone thinking otherwise needs to give their head a shake. Rafa has proved he can imrove the player’s, continuously get them overperforming but he cant wave his magic wand and give the player’s talent they dont have. Just like guardiola couldn’t. Just like klopp couldn’t. Rafa did not say top ten would be a miracle for his own personal amusement or out of frustration. He said it because its true. Just sit there and ask yourself how many of our player’s would be regular starters at any other premier leage club’s?
county down magpie
Dec 24, 2018 at 5:26 AM
Comment #6Great words L Toon, true words more to the point. While at times this team has turned in magnificent performances they have been over achieved imo.
As you’ve rightly pointed out, there’s not too many from our first 11 that would make another prem teams first 11, unfortunately it’s the way it is.
To be brutally honest imo we are 4 points above where I expected us to be right now due to the shortcomings in our squad. We simply don’t have the strength in depth or quality to be any better off than we are now.
I seen a week or so ago Ed had an article out saying Diame deserved a new contract and I literally laughed. He puts in a 2/3 in a row shift then reverts to $hit for the next 10, a new contract for him will not advance our club 1 iota.
We as fans, true fans, need to realise the limitations of our club at the minute and hope for better days, which hopefully will be here soon, but until they come we have to support what we have as they do give their all.
HWTL
ash1001
Dec 24, 2018 at 6:47 AM
Comment #7See the Chronicle are going on about whether Rafa should send Kennedy back to Chelsea or not, as he is not performing the way he did last season. If that’s the case after last Saturday we should send the whole lot back to where they came from.
Rafa, I think its time you had a little look at yourself and your team selection, in Kennedy’s case he should be on the left wing, with the ball played in front of him – does it happen, NO. What did Ritchie or Atsu bring to the game on Saturday, Ritchie could not clear the first man at corners, and he is far better cutting in from the right onto his left foot then having a go. As for Atsu well sorry to say but it was exactly nothing, and he cost £10 million.
Please Rafa, take the shackles off the team, get them running, and looking for the ball, Lascelles showed in one 10 second burst in the second half a bit of desire – so its there.
hibbit
Dec 26, 2018 at 12:32 PM
Comment #8😀