Newcastle have performed miracles since the takeover in early October 2021.
As well as avoiding relegation rather easily last season, Newcastle are now miraculously in 3rd place in the Premier League and have qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
Who would have thought that last August?
Not many.
But there seems to be a renaissance happening in the Premier League, with Brighton and Aston Villa both having excellent seasons, also under new managers – much like Newcastle.
Brighton under the very impressive Roberto De Zerbi are in sixth position and have qualified for the Europa League for the first time in their history.
The Seasiders should be able to maintain their presence near the top of the league as long as they can hold onto their top Italian manager.
We expect some big clubs to be inquiring about the 43-year-old manager in the summer.
And Newcastle’s first choice as manager 18 months ago – Unai Emery – the 51 year-old – has had an excellent season since taking over Aston Villa from Steven Gerrard last October.
Emery has already managed some big clubs like Valencia, Spartak Moscow, Seville, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Villarreal, and now Aston Villa.
Emery has also already won the Europa League 4 times.
He was appointed as head coach of Aston Villa on 24 October last year, and Villa paid a buyout fee of around €6 million (£5.2M) to Spanish club Villarreal.
The team has climbed the Premier League since then and are currently in 7th position.
They should be a lot better next season and, like Brighton and Newcastle, should remain a power in the Premier League.
It really is a breath of fresh air with new clubs like Newcastle, Brighton and Aston Villa upsetting the apple cart (and big money) of the top six clubs, the two Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham.
We love it.
Here’s the current league table with our final game on Sunday afternoon.
| Club | Matches | Goal Diff. | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 38 | 61 | 89 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 38 | 45 | 84 |
| 3 | Man United | 38 | 15 | 75 |
| 4 | Newcastle | 38 | 35 | 71 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 38 | 28 | 67 |
| 6 | Brighton | 38 | 19 | 62 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 38 | 5 | 61 |
| 8 | Tottenham | 38 | 7 | 60 |
| 9 | Brentford | 38 | 12 | 59 |
| 10 | Fulham | 38 | 2 | 52 |
Comments welcome.
166 comments so far
The Taco Taker
May 25, 2023 at 4:31 PM
Comment #41Enjoy Paris, Raj, are you still heading to Montparnasse?
If so I can highly recommend this little Bistro if you are looking for somewhere to eat in that area: https://www.lepetitsommelier-paris.fr/ – went there a couple of years ago and it was great.
Alternatively if everyone you are with loves steak and chips and walnuts try: https://www.relaisentrecote.fr.
– the only starter is a walnut salad, the only main course is steak and chips with a nice garlicy sauce then you choose a dessert. I have to say though I wasn’t overly impressed with that place. If all you are doing is focusing on a single option it should be bloody amazing and it was ok to be fair but nothing special, strangely I found the dessert to be the best course.
Essex Geordie Bill
May 25, 2023 at 4:31 PM
Comment #42Well I’ve already decided I’ll be voting for us to be second when the predictions come around!
CLINT FLICK
May 25, 2023 at 4:32 PM
Comment #43Bills
…wham/moyes and Leicester/rodgers
…and nowhere near the backing potential, or the fan draw!
Ocelots and oranges!
😉
The Taco Taker
May 25, 2023 at 4:38 PM
Comment #44BIlls,
I would agree with that except I think it will take longer than most people think to fix Chelsea so I see them as still in transition next year and not threatening the other top clubs until 24/25.
CLINT FLICK
May 25, 2023 at 4:44 PM
Comment #45Taco
Plus, lfc have spent significant amounts recently on strikers, when they shoulda been buying mids…they are crapping themselves, take historical bias/var and they were way off the pace. Flatter to deceive!
Vile may lose twatkins, tho’ Emery should keep them competitive. Brighton will probably lose numerous to ship jumping to ‘big name’ clubs.
CLINT FLICK
May 25, 2023 at 4:45 PM
Comment #46Cfc will have to sell 10 players.
Then find a system!
Pochettino ain’t no Eddie Howe!
cleveleysbob
May 25, 2023 at 4:48 PM
Comment #47Chelsea’s future almost totally depends on the owner…
Will he be patient while they regroup and have a choppy start to the campaign?
Will he let Poch do his stuff without interference?
Will he impose more unwanted/unnecessary players onto the squad list?
If he doesn’t they’ll implode and just about manage what they have this season. If he keeps out the way and lets Poch sort things out, they could have an excellent 2nd half of Season giving them a good run towards top 6 or 4. But they will have ups and downs in 1st half and be inconsistent while Poch gets his ideas across. All down to what the Owner does! 😉
DKillers
May 25, 2023 at 4:49 PM
Comment #48TTT, Chelsea won’t be perfect…but if they buy a goal scorer, things can change for them rather quickly. Nkunku is already coming and if they add a top striker….
niafron
May 25, 2023 at 4:49 PM
Comment #49About next season, there’s something i’m not sure to understand.
In theory, will be 5 spots for the CPL, but with still a maximum of 5 PL teams.
So, if a team not in the top 5 win either the CPL or the Europa league, it would drop to 4 ( maybe even 3 )?
Scythe
May 25, 2023 at 4:51 PM
Comment #50Ledges
Congratulations on winning the FPL H2H League One this season. You’re four points clear with only one game left.
I’m playing you at home in the final game so we’ll be sure to have a guard of honour set up beforehand. 😀
cyprus
May 25, 2023 at 4:55 PM
Comment #51Ed,
“The Seasiders should be able to maintain their presence near the top of the league as long as they can hold onto their top Italian manager.”
True, this guy has taken them to even greater heights but their project has been impressive for many years.
Remember, their previous coach was extremely successful, to the point of being hired for mega bucks by Chelsea. He too was deemed to be the secret ingredient. He obviously wasn’t. Or, at least, he wasn’t the only decent ingredient.
Their recruitment is a very important factor. They constantly unearth excellent young players. Even though we recruited their head recruiter, they’re still doing the job without him.
Conclusion: it’s not about any one person, not even the coach or a specific player. The whole organisation seems to be moving in the right direction.
Same with Newcastle. I’m sure Eddie would say that.
CLINT FLICK
May 25, 2023 at 4:56 PM
Comment #52Cbob
Agree on ctc… pochettino has form for being a worky ticket, whiner, miserablist!
So, will the owner put up with his miserable crap and for how long?
The hag looks like a miserablist, too.
They have to buy ‘big egos’ to keep the prawn butty brigade onside, too.
DrGloom
May 25, 2023 at 4:57 PM
Comment #53Will be interesting to see what happens with Brighton next season – seems they’re resigned to losing Caceido and McAllistair and potentially losing a couple of others, they’re in Europa which puts a strain on playing resources for a fraction of the prize money of champions league.
If Bloom doesn’t invest in bolstering the squad with a couple of known quality players , De Zerbi may decide to take an offer at another club willing to invest ( presuming he gets one) – Brighton are unlikely to continually unearth unknown talent.
Think Villa will end up in similar position next year rather than challenge top 4
cyprus
May 25, 2023 at 5:04 PM
Comment #54So, battle of the flip flops on Sunday?
I’ll be betting… Draw.
Chelsea will need to give a semblance of commitment to their fans. Newcastle will be playing some of their under twelves, to give a deserved rest to their battle weary starters.
Maybe Eddie won’t go for the above? Go all out for the three points?
Novocastrian66
May 25, 2023 at 5:10 PM
Comment #55A question for our American based contributors, is there much or any interest in the Major League Cricket tournament in the States?
It is a T20 tournament, I think it starts in July over 17 days with 6 sides participating.
CLINT FLICK
May 25, 2023 at 5:23 PM
Comment #56Novo
Is that a thing?
Never heard of it!
The Taco Taker
May 25, 2023 at 5:27 PM
Comment #57Niafron,
There will be 5 PL teams entering it will just be top 5 99% of the time it would only drop to 4 if English teams wins both the CL and Europa and both of them do not finish in the top 5 I think, which is obviously highly unlikely. I don’t believe there is any scenario whereby only 3 teams would qualify. So I as say in a normal season it will just be the top 5 who qualify.
niafron
May 25, 2023 at 5:28 PM
Comment #58Interesting analysis on RMC:
The german clubs refusal of a new 2 billions deal for Bundesliga TV right could be a turning point for the super league.
20 clubs ( including all the big one ) voted in favour, 11 opposed and 5 abstained.
As 66% of votes in favour was mandatory, it was rejected.
But top german clubs are furious against the smaller one, so they could perhaps change their stance about the super league.
Scythe
May 25, 2023 at 5:30 PM
Comment #59Novocastrian66
I’ve certainly not heard anything about it over here but I don’t have any interest in other sports (especially the traditional American ones) anyway, so I’m not exactly their target audience. I’m sure whatever channel is showing it will be advertising it somehow (ESPN, etc.) but I’ll keep an eye open for it during regular ad breaks and stuff to see if it gets mentioned.
Sir Pugalot, the Dutch Bulldog
May 25, 2023 at 5:55 PM
Comment #60Novo, Jason Roy has asked to be excused his England central contract so he can sign up for £300,000 for major league cricket.
The Taco Taker
May 25, 2023 at 5:58 PM
Comment #61According to Spanish outlet AS, Javier Manquillo is edging closer to a summer move away from St James’ Park.
The report states that he’s already attracted early offers from unnamed clubs in Spain, France, Germany and England, with a return to his homeland his preferred option.
There is no mention of figures but at least he is someone we would get a fee for. Probably somewhere between £2M and £5M I would guess.
ToonDarnSarf
May 25, 2023 at 6:14 PM
Comment #62I think it will be the big 6 fighting for the 4 CL spaces next season. Except, I don’t think Spurs will be one of the big 6 any more…I think they’ll sell Kane and not seriously compete for top 4.
There should be a decent gap between the new big 6 and the chasing pack like Spurs and Villa.
The Taco Taker
May 25, 2023 at 6:20 PM
Comment #63Except it will be 5 CL spaces TDS!! I agree Spurs will struggle and they won’t be part of the big 6 (even if they keep Kane for another year) I always said we would replace them but I didn’t think it would happen so fast.
Uncertain Toon
May 25, 2023 at 6:34 PM
Comment #64Does Lukaka not return to the Chelsea from loan?
WLtoon
May 25, 2023 at 6:35 PM
Comment #65We might be newcomers to next seasons CL but that certainly doesn`t mean we will be the whipping boys, no matter who is in our group.
Man C are the best team in the world atm and we managed a point against them up here, Man U , another big hitter in the CL have already had a taste of the COTH and failed miserably losing 2-0.
The Toon finished top 4 in the most competitive lge in the world and they will not be underestimated by any opposing coach/manager.
Whoever we play it`s gong to be fantastic, even if we do fail to progress into the KO stage it is one big learning curve for all concerned and it will only get better.
ToonDarnSarf
May 25, 2023 at 6:38 PM
Comment #66Taco – I didn’t think it would happen so fast either! On paper, Spurs have a better squad than ours but it’s disjointed, poorly managed, and they’re not working together anywhere near as well as our lads are. I don’t believe it will be easy for them to improve too much this summer but I’m certain we will.
Is it definitely going to be 5 CL spaces for the PL next season?
The Taco Taker
May 25, 2023 at 6:44 PM
Comment #67Uncertain yes he does return if Milan don’t buy him and it doesn’t look like they want to.
That is just another problem Chelsea have I think they may find it hard to move on the players they actually want to move as everyone knows they have too many playes and they will not make the big offers that Chelsea will want for some of these players and they must be pretty close to one or more FFP limits expecially with no CL money coming in.
The Taco Taker
May 25, 2023 at 6:59 PM
Comment #68TDS, yes it is definitely 5 CL places next season (and for the foreseeable future unless all the English teams perform badly in Europe for several seasons in row in which case we would not be one of the top nations and lose the extra place on that basis)
WLtoon
May 25, 2023 at 7:00 PM
Comment #69I`m not sure Poch is a good fit a Chelsea, in fact i think, hope , it will be a disaster.
Too many big ego`s in that Chelsea squad, and an owner who can`t keep his nose out.
ToonDarnSarf
May 25, 2023 at 7:06 PM
Comment #70Taco – good news for us for sure then. Even if we finish in 6th, that proves we’re right up there challenging but I suspect we’ll be odds on for the top 5. Even if we still have the 6th best squad on paper, I just don’t think we’ll falter or have poor team spirit, whereas I’m definitely not convinced about the other teams except for Man City.
Expecting a tough battle for top 5 next season and I’m looking forward to it!
The Taco Taker
May 25, 2023 at 7:07 PM
Comment #71In other news TDS you won’t be caching me in FPL this week despite that unless Chelseas keeper gets me 8 pts or more I will lose. You are going to lose too. 😉
Uncertain Toon
May 25, 2023 at 7:12 PM
Comment #72Taco,
Lukaku knows where the onion bag is, Poch will be pretty confident of getting a tune out of him I reckon. He’s been sat observing, leaving Fat Frank to run it. There’s going to be a lot of movement, obviously more outs than ins.
I think Poch will get them up and running in short time and they’ll be a fret next season pal.
The Taco Taker
May 25, 2023 at 7:17 PM
Comment #73Uncertain, we will see mate. I think they will struggle for another year and Poch should have started the job as soon as he took it as there is a lot to sort out. I can’t understand why he didn’t really, it is not as if he needed some sort of break/holiday.
The Taco Taker
May 25, 2023 at 7:21 PM
Comment #74In other news SSN reporting we have had scouts watching Szoboszlai at both of his last two matches.
lochinvar
May 25, 2023 at 7:23 PM
Comment #75I can see Kane going abroad, like Gareth Bale did.
Kane won’t join another London club, Man City don’t need him. He’s too old for our future plans.
That leaves the Scousers, unlikely. He might look at ManU as de Jong did and say not for me.
Son will then follow unless he thinks Poncho can work miracles , unlikely
ToonDarnSarf
May 25, 2023 at 7:24 PM
Comment #76Taco – as long as Rashford plays a few minutes, I should win my match.
lochinvar
May 25, 2023 at 7:25 PM
Comment #77Szoboszlai
No chance. The shop staff will veto his move as they can’t spell his name for the shirts.
The Taco Taker
May 25, 2023 at 7:25 PM
Comment #78Loch the big question there is who the hell is poncho?
Uncertain Toon
May 25, 2023 at 7:25 PM
Comment #79Thing is, all the Chelsea players that Poch doesn’t want will command big wages.
The Taco Taker
May 25, 2023 at 7:29 PM
Comment #80Tds
Actually you are right, you lose if rashford does not play but if he does you should win.