Newcastle are six matches into the campaign and in decent shape in the league. The Magpies have suffered from numerous baffling refereeing decisions that have cost them some potentially critical points.
Newcastle are still primed for a run into the top half of the table currently positioned in 11th on 7 points. They’ve also been without some key stars over the past few hectic weeks in which the schedule was very congested.
One player has consistently risen to the occasion early in this campaign. That is goalkeeper Nick Pope. The 30-year-old was again in fine form in the 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace making some crucial saves.
Pope and his stingy defense picked up the third clean sheet of the season on Saturday. For his performance, Nick has topped another poll as Newcastle’s best player as he collected 30% of the votes.
Loading ...The England international could be the league’s signings of the season if he can keep up his performances. If you take into consideration that he cost just £10m, his addition has to be one of the summer’s steals.
Joelinton and Kieran Trippier round out the top three with their performances. The pair have featured heavily over the past couple of weeks. They’ll be glad the schedule returns to one match a week until the latter half of October.
221 comments so far
Sir Pugalot, the Dutch Bulldog
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:00 AM
Comment #121Jail, an obvious misspell. Kibble! Did someone mention a kibble?
https://www.zedge.net/ringtone/16b28ec3-2966-36fa-8d13-37fc4bf582bb
Toon fans bad
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:01 AM
Comment #122Leicester had an incredibly good injury record when they won the title compared with other contenders. After 35 games 8 players had played over 30 games!
Crikey
Novocastrian66
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:03 AM
Comment #123There isn’t anything wrong with the VAR technology, it is sound. The problem lies within the decision making process while using the technology. If the person analysing the data hasn’t a clue what they are looking at then it will always fail.
Lee Mason was a useless referee, and this inability has followed him in his new role. He isn’t up to the task and should be removed from his position.
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:03 AM
Comment #124Dazzler – exactly. And the more people come up with ridiculous conspiracy theories, the more people become unhappy and disconnected from reality.
It’s a wider world problem too, not just football. These conspiracy theories are there to divide us and make people distrust traditional authorities. Makes those people easy to manipulate once they are distrusting of the very authorities who release the facts.
Sir Pugalot, the Dutch Bulldog
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:05 AM
Comment #125Ref Dubs, It can get very hot in Slovakia at this time of year. Perhaps he went to Mancs to cool down in the drizzle?
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:07 AM
Comment #126Leicester’s win was just a perfect storm. None of the bigger clubs played well that season and Leicester’s key players all had the season of their lives. Lack of injuries helped too and there was probably a little luck along the way.
Incredible story though.
The thing about conspiracy theories is that for something like this, you’d need a lot of people to be involved in it and keep quiet about it. And what do they have to gain? Would require massive corruption and bribery that would be very hard to hide.
Lord Scattercash
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:07 AM
Comment #127TDS …after their recruitment success’ this summer, I think we’re just behind them. They are stonger in midfield for sure.
Defence equal and attack equal…but midfield they are stronger…IMO.
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:14 AM
Comment #128Lord Scattercash – I’d say that’s decent then. Do you think any squad is better than theirs other than the big 6? If we think West Ham have the 7th best squad and we’re 8th, then that sits very well with me. Leicester look like they’re in trouble, Wolves could do ok but I hope we have the edge on them and there could be a flier from another team but I think we’re up there.
CLINT FLICK
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:15 AM
Comment #129Tfb
Consistent team is everything.
Novo
Exactly!
Sir Pugalot, the Dutch Bulldog
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:15 AM
Comment #130TDS, you are so naive. USA never landed on the moon and the Russians did not even notice. I love conspiracy theories. In other news, Pugs have been voted the most intelligent and loveable dogs in the Alpha quadrant.
Dubai Micky
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:16 AM
Comment #131There’s a reason there is no English VAR officials at the World Cup. Pretty obvious why.
Sir Pugalot, the Dutch Bulldog
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:16 AM
Comment #132TDS, as you said earlier, I actually stated I would settle for 17th on goal difference. Then things changed, slightly 🙂
Sir Pugalot, the Dutch Bulldog
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:17 AM
Comment #133DM, can’t think of a reason. Perhaps several dozen reasons, but not a reason 🙂
Raj of Hailsley
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:21 AM
Comment #134Given I was called a tw@t, a WUM and not a proper toon fan on Saturday night because I don’t believe there is an FA conspiracy directed at us by referees, it puts it all in to perspective, VAR being invented by the ‘big six’.
Sir Pugalot, the Dutch Bulldog
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:23 AM
Comment #135Jail, I have been called worse 🙂 Some on this blog do not even believe I am dogged.
Raj of Hailsley
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:23 AM
Comment #136Sparky,
Do you think we were in for Paqueta, I honestly don’t believe he would have chosen W Ham over us for the sake of a dozen extra Europa Conference league games.
Raj of Hailsley
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:24 AM
Comment #137*if we were
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:24 AM
Comment #138Raj – 1 out of 3 of those are true though…
Sir Pugalot, the Dutch Bulldog
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:24 AM
Comment #139just let the actual WUM’s wash over your head and ignore. I promise that your blood pressure will reduce and your heat tracing abilities improve.
Raj of Hailsley
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:24 AM
Comment #140Pugalot,
Oh but they do 😀
Raj of Hailsley
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:26 AM
Comment #141TDSarf,
Which though could open a whole can of worms 😕
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:29 AM
Comment #142Raj – I think you know which one…
Raj of Hailsley
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:31 AM
Comment #143It’s hard to explain but I think they had a valuation for certain AM’s. If that valuation exceeded theirs then they had to weigh in the Elliot Anderson factor. £50M for Maddison might have been worth sending EA to the championship. An extra £20M might have been deemed worth keeping him here. Just a thought.
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:35 AM
Comment #144Raj – that makes sense. And with FFP, they won’t want to overspend. Signing Maddison for £50m would mean they could potentially make a profit on him if (say) Barcelona came in for him in 2 years. That allows that money to be reinvested in the squad and balance expenditure for FFP.
Everything has to be balanced up and risk/reward considered.
I suspect we’d have got Maddison if Fofana hadn’t gone to Chelsea.
dazzler
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:36 AM
Comment #145Raj,
Stop winding people up, a real toon fan would never say a thing like that you tw@.
😉
Munster Mag
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:40 AM
Comment #146Mund I’m not having a go at you here, but I couldnt give a fly fk what Keith Patterson thinks about a VAR conspiracy by the top 6.
As a fanbase we moan about being called “deluded geordies/nufc fans” and not we have people actively peddling this crap that nufc are being denied points in a refereeing conspiracy.
And now we are deluding ourselves and if it gets worse, we will actively be making fools of ourselves to the football world, if we aren’t already.
The incompetence is clear, and we are right to rage against this 100%, but us peddling this bullshiiit on Twitter etc does us no favours and if it gets worse, will be seriously embarrassing.
Raj of Hailsley
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:43 AM
Comment #147dazzler,
Indeed and harrumph.
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:43 AM
Comment #148Munster – you’re fighting a lost battle trying to convince some people mate. But keep posting on the topic, hopefully we can convince some people not to dive down the rabbit hole.
It’s psychologically so comfortable to believe in these conspiracy theories, it’s human nature to gain comfort from identifying the “enemy” rather than the reality of it almost always being much more difficult to resolve the problem.
Raj of Hailsley
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:44 AM
Comment #149Tickets for Brentford going on sale in fifteen minutes and I have to do some paperwork for the next hour 😀
Sir Pugalot, the Dutch Bulldog
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:44 AM
Comment #150Munster. May I suggest “Rage against the Machine” Pink Floyd. Or as my attemps to get Fulham away ticket currently not doing so well “Wish I was “”there”” ” PK fans will get that one.
dazzler
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:48 AM
Comment #151Keith Patterson lost all credibility after the takeover IMO.
He just became a Burnsie, Sean Casey, Bazza type who peddled rubbish and everyone lapped it up as he’d built up a lot of goodwill because of his previous work.
Sadly I think he wore that down with everything he says and does now. He’s essentially the David Icke of NUFC now, next he’ll be telling us the FA head office is in the hollow (or flat) earth and is manned by a bunch of reptillians in full Liverpool kits.
Munster Mag
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:48 AM
Comment #152Jail I think i was saying same to Sparky and JMiley last night
Pedro is a loss and Paqueta should not have been allowed to join our biggest rival ( along with Brighton) for a slot outside the top places.
Maybe it was FFP. Maybe it was outside our budget. But surely it wasnt that Eddie and Co didnt rate a bloke who is so regarded in Brazil etc?
We would have bought Pedro if Wilson and stayed fit, and we wouldnt have bought Isak at all. We still need Pedro ( a better signing than Ekitike would have been, without a doubt) and a top class creative or destructive midfielder.
We took it for granted, because it was so pumped on here that Paqueta would be ours. Can you imagine him and Bruno on the same team – how much they would have motivated each other?
As for Dupravka, Man U took the mickey re LIngard, and nobody would trade with us, but we let them have Dupravka? Not Dan’s finest hour in my opinion.
dazzler
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:51 AM
Comment #153Munster,
I think with Paqueta it was more because he’s too similar to what we already have in Bruno. Paqueta is much less of a number 10 type than people realise. He used to be, but Lyon seemed to drop him deeper.
I still think he’s a better player than Willock etc so we’d be better for having him overall but think that’s why we went for Maddison as he offers something completely different to what we have in the middle.
Just my opinion of course.
JohnJ
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:52 AM
Comment #154Thought I’d share this link from The Mag regarding our former player John Tudor
https://www.themag.co.uk/2022/09/former-newcastle-united-star-needs-your-help-with-care-costs-suffering-from-sports-related-dementia-john-tudor/
Raj of Hailsley
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:54 AM
Comment #155dazzler,
In saying that though I don’t think KP gets anywhere near the recognition he deserves for helping this through. He should have two seats in the directors seats for life.
Ashingtoon62
Sep 6, 2022 at 9:58 AM
Comment #156Munster
If we want to join the top echelons of the EPL,and effectively become one of the slimy seven,
surely you would think, that some sort of relationship with the other six would be prudent.
ToonDarnSarf
Sep 6, 2022 at 10:00 AM
Comment #157Yeah, I don’t think Bruno, Paqueta, and Joelinton in midfield is the right balance to be honest. But Bruno, Joelinton, and Maddison would be amazing. Still hoping that one of our other central midfielders will come into some form.
Raj of Hailsley
Sep 6, 2022 at 10:01 AM
Comment #158I think EA had a lot to do with us not pushing the boat out. We’d all be delighted if he turned out better than both Maddison and Paqueta
hibbit
Sep 6, 2022 at 10:02 AM
Comment #159Ashingtoon
not really sure its our choice at the moment, the the big 6 don’t seem to want to play yet ????
Munster Mag
Sep 6, 2022 at 10:03 AM
Comment #160Feck it lads I had plans to get over for the Brentford game with the young lad but costs were too high . Hopefully later in the season for the pilgrims 🙂