When you look at the Premier League table this season there aren’t many shocks, Man United are top with a point in hand and are being chased by Chelsea and Arsenal, but the big shock is Newcastle’s position.
Or is it a shock? Newcastle fans will tell you it isn’t and 9th in the table is where they should be but after they got relegated 2 seasons ago they’ve had to rebuild and had the hard task of coming straight back up into the premier league. Since their promotion they’ve been a force to be reckoned with.
They started the season against title challengers Manchester United at Old Trafford which is a difficult proposition for most teams around the world and managed to lose 3-0 but learned valuable lessons.
They proved it at St. James Park when they came against Aston Villa, a team that finished 6th and qualified for European football two seasons in a row. A team that showed good defensive qualities with a solid back four and a solid captain in Richard Dunne. Newcastle produced a result that showed their intent for the rest of the season with a 6-0 drumming of Villa.
Now, 28 games been played and Newcastle are 9th in the table and have pulled off some results that would make any team in the league over the moon. A 1-1 draw with Chelsea; a 3-1 win against Liverpool; 1-1 draw with Tottenham; a 1-0 win against Arsenal and an incredible 4-4 draw with Arsenal which may go down as one of the best games so far this season. All those teams are currently in the top 6 and the only teams they haven’t got a result from are the two Manchester teams so far.
Who can they thank for their pleasing season keeping them 8 points away from the relegation zone? A number of players. The first being former Newcastle, now Liverpool striker Andy Carroll. His height and build gives him the ability to cause problems for defenders with the ball at his feet or in the air. With it being his first season in the Premier league the 22 year old has he scored 11 goals for Newcastle in his 19 starts. At the start of the season people looked at him and initially thought aerial threat but he proved his skill on the ball and his ability to lead the front line, which allowed a club like Liverpool to be interested and sign the young talent for £35 million.
Three other players have influenced where Newcastle are in the league. These players go by the name Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and new boy Cheick Tiote. 3 of the 4 Newcastle midfielders. Playmaker Joey Barton has really stepped up this season on and off the playing field, creating a lot of the magpie’s attacks with fantastic balls through and staying out of trouble when tested and targeted by other players. His game seems to have matured and he’s really starting to master his class in the middle of the park.
Then there’s Cheick Tiote, the player that protects the back four with his tackling and he’s not bad at shooting either as he proved in their 4-4 draw with Arsenal in the last minutes of the game with a left footed volley. He may be the surprise package of all the players due to him being an unknown talent before entering St. James Park and now he’s gaining praise from other managers and some football pundits.
Last but not least, Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan. His season has gone from strength to strength as he’s shown his heart on the pitch in the Newcastle black and white stripes. He is Newcastle’s current top goal scorer with 11 to his name and one of their key figures in the team. His ability to be in the right place at the right time his contributed to his goal tally and so has his composure. He also has strong leadership skills that show on the pitch which lift not only the players but also the fans.
If Newcastle continue to perform well in the league this season and stay above the relegation zone not only would they prove all their critics wrong but so will manager Alan Pardew. If he gets the chance I’m sure Pardew will look to build up his team over the summer and make them even stronger for next season. But before that they play Everton at St James Park and will look to get 3 points from David Moye’s side.
By Jordan Brown