Newcastle United sit rock bottom, propping up the rest of the Premier League table, but there is hope on the horizon. In their next four fixtures, Newcastle will be hoping to gain a respectable amount of points. It is billed as crunch time at St James’ Park amidst an air of uncertainty surrounding the commitment of the players and management, however after the toughest start to a league campaign in years, United have been given four winnable games to save their season from another torrid relegation scrap.
Crunch Time: Four Games to Save Newcastle’s Season
Norwich City – Sunday 18th October – 16:00
Up first after the international break, is a visit from the Canaries. Alex Neil’s Norwich City side have been resilient since their promotion and find themselves sitting pretty in 13th place, a position many Norwich fans would be satisfied with in May. Having accumulated nine points from eight matches, it can be said that they are performing to a high standard given their threadbare squad and inexperienced manager. Dangermen Cameron Jerome and Wes Hoolahan both have Premier League experience under their belts and skipper Russell Martin was a part of the Norwich squad relegated in 2013/14, meaning they won’t be turned over too easily. Newcastle’s defence will need to track the movement of Norwich’s attacking threat as Nathan Redmond’s pace and Hoolahan’s vision could scythe United open if given the opportunity. The Canaries haven’t had trouble finding the back of the net so far this season, failing to score in just one of their opening eight fixtures while securing draws at Anfield and Upton Park, and dispatching of Sunderland in a rasping 3-1 victory away from home. On the other hand, they are yet to keep a clean sheet in the league which is something Newcastle must look to exploit. It is the type of match where Aleksandar Mitrovic will be hoping to get on the score sheet, if the service is provided.
Sunderland – Sunday 25th October – 12:00
Recent Tyne-Wear derbies have not been a welcome sight for Newcastle fans. Five defeats in a row at the hands of their bitter rivals has left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Geordie following, with the upcoming derby at the Stadium of Light looking to be one of the most important fixtures in recent times. A defeat for either side could condemn them to life in the bottom three for an extended period of time, while the victor of the fixture could very well kick-start their, so far woeful, season. Sitting above Newcastle by a single goal’s difference, Sunderland’s start to the season has been anything but promising, seeing their saviour of last season Dick Advocaat leave the club following a two-goal collapse against West Ham. Both sides will be going into the fixture on the back of terrible form, however having played six of last season’s top eight in the first eight fixtures, Newcastle may be excused only slightly for their terrible start. Sunderland on the other hand, are winless in 11 Premier League games and have failed to find the net in three of their first eight matches, conceding two or more goals on six occasions so far. Two leaky defences will face off at the Stadium of Light and Newcastle fans will be hoping to end the terrible spell of results in the fierce local derby, which would certainly be the catalyst for United to kick-on and surge up the table, if a victory, preferably emphatic, could be secured.
Stoke City – Saturday 31st October – 15:00
Following what could be a derby win, Newcastle face off against Mark Hughes’ rebuffed Stoke side, brimming with Spanish imports. In a similar position to Newcastle, Stoke find themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League while many pundits had expected them to be challenging for a top-ten finish. However, on the back of two straight victories against AFC Bournemouth and Aston Villa, it looks as though they may be moving in the right direction. The interchangeable front-line trio of Bojan Krkic, Marko Arnautovic and Mame Biram Diouf is a frightful prospect for any Premier League defence, as the Potters have a good mix of pace, power and skill in their line-up as well as their front three. However, Stoke on the road are still a shaky team, with last week’s 1-0 victory at Villa Park, their first away league win in eight games, dating back to February. Defensively Stoke have been relatively watertight this season, and therefore United should hope to either snatch a late winner, capitalising on Stoke’s poor away form, or gain a draw against a talented Potters’ side, which would not necessarily be a bad result. One thing is certain though, another home defeat would be disastrous for Newcastle and it must be avoided at all costs.
AFC Bournemouth – Saturday 7th November – 12:45
The mammoth journey for the travelling United faithful will see their side take on Premier League new boys Bournemouth in the early kick-off. The side from the South Coast have held their own in the division so far this year, securing vital victories over Sunderland and West Ham, which sees them teetering above the bottom three on eight points. While the season is still young, Bournemouth have already been dealt a heavy blow, losing last season’s star striker Callum Wilson to a serious injury that will keep him out of action for six months, which compounds the early season injuries received by duo Max Gradel and Tyrone Mings. This provides Newcastle with the opportunity to pick off the Cherries using their superior Premier League experience, against a side where many have never played at the highest level. Newcastle’s internationals must be up for the test of a close, intimidating stadium, less-than luxurious changing rooms, and an atmosphere to rival any other ground of similar capacity, not to mention the fast-paced attacking football that Eddie Howe has got his Bournemouth side playing. However, an experienced tactician like McClaren who has worked alongside Sir Alex Ferguson, should try to set up his United team to exploit Bournemouth’s naivety and weaknesses to ensure Newcastle leave the Goldsands Stadium with three points. Failing that, securing a draw against a buoyant Bournemouth side with nothing to lose, may not to too bad, but that requires Newcastle to win at least two of their previous three games if they are to draw on the South Coast.
Overall, from the next four fixtures, two wins are vital but even more important is the need to not lose a single one of those games, as another setback in trying to fix the mess the club is currently in on the pitch would only further demoralise the players. Newcastle were handed the toughest start in the Premier League, but have been gifted with four upcoming fixtures that an on-song Toon Army side could capably gain 12 points from. While that remains wholly unrealistic at this moment in time, if McClaren can get his side to replicate for 90 minutes what was showed against Manchester City in the first half and for the majority of the Chelsea game, he should be able to deliver the three points on more than one occasion over the next month. Newcastle fans remain hopeful, not yet desperate, for a good run of form and almost as important, some derby day delight.
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