Has anyone else noticed this Newcastle United narrative ahead of the new season?
Ahead of one of the most exciting seasons Newcastle fans will have in years, you can’t help but notice that there is a common narrative amongst rival fans and pundits alike. The one that we will not be reaching the heights of last year.
According to some, it seems that Eddie Howe and his band of plucky also rans and overachievers crashed the party of the established elite, but won’t be doing so again. That’s because last years fluke was only because of money, and more importantly the failure of others.
It is almost simply accepted, that fallen giants Liverpool and Chelsea will simply spend a few quid, (an oxymoron to the criticism of our achievements) and reassert themselves in said established elite.
Similarly Man City, Arsenal and Manchester Utd will all improve, because that’s apparently what they do. Aston Villa are certainly on an upward curve with exciting summer signings, an ambitious ownership and excellent manager. Spurs meanwhile, will benefit from no European football, and a freshness in approach and style under the impressive Ange Postecoglou.
It seems for many across several outlets, we aren’t even worth a mention as they get in their pre-season predictions for trophies and Champions League qualification.
Of the BBC pundits, only 2 of 26 (one being Shay Given) predicted us to be top 4. On The Overlap, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher didn’t even have the respect to mention us in the conversation for the top 6, let alone Champions League places.
Carragher even questioned whether any of our rivals would be interested in any of our summer additions. He is of course an excellent pundit, but as a Liverpool fan, he’s seen Jurgen Klopp sign lower half Premier League players such as Mane, van Dijk, Wijnaldum, Jota and Robertson to name a few, and turn them into European and Premier League Champions . His criticism of our summer business is frankly nonsensical ignorance.
In fairness, the view amongst our own fans isn’t based on blind faith, as most online polls expect a 5-6th placed finish. Is it justified though? Is a few extra games in Champions League going to really hamper a team who got less points than it’s performance levels deserved last season?
The others will improve, but it is incredibly naive and disrespectful to assume Eddie Howe and Newcastle United won’t. We already have with the addition of a potentially world class midfielder, added a genuine goal threat from wide, and added defensive depth. It would also be foolish to think we’re finished there.
It’s also disrespectful (and hopefully proves to be ignorant) to assume this current Newcastle squad played above themselves. With the exceptions of Almiron, Burn and Trippier pretty much the whole outfield squad is in their early to mid 20’s and yet to hit their prime. Certainly the prospect of Isak and Gordon after having their first pre-season with Howe is exciting.
Let’s also not underestimate the togetherness on and off the pitch of this current squad. Our rivals may still be in a different league commercially, but with the exception of maybe Arsenal, every where you look there is a question mark or concern.
So let’s blissfully slip under the radar, because we’re here to stay.
HTL!
