Newcastle United's season on a knife edge - A huge 18 days for Eddie Howe

Newcastle returned to winning ways on Saturday with an empathic victory over Leicester City in what was a vital, positivity boosting result in the context of the clubs run in the next five fixtures.

United face a tough schedule of five games in 18 days, with three of the fixtures away from home too. Whichever way the run goes, positively or negatively, it will undoubtedly have huge bearing on how the season will play out in both league and cup.

The festive period is always a wonderful time of the year for football fans and United could serve up huge helpings of good tidings if they were to, finally, put together an extended run of positive results and performances.

Brentford (H) 18th December - 7.45pm 

The run begins with, arguably, the most important fixture out of the five. Brentford are the definition of a club who are excellent at home and appalling on their travels, with their only win on the road this season coming in this competition all the way back in August at Colchester United.

Looking at the history of this fixture, United haven’t lost to Brentford at St. James’ Park since 1934/35, and have won two and drawn one of the Premier League games the teams have played at SJP since the Bees’ promotion three seasons ago.

A result must be achieved on the night and with the game going straight to penalties after 90 minutes – it will be crucial for United to start quickly, win the game in normal time and avoid the lottery of a shootout, especially with Nick Pope set to miss the game.

Sean Longstaff will also miss the game after bookings against AFC Wimbledon and Chelsea in the competition and this could be an ideal opportunity for Lewis Miley to come back into the first team frame, although I would hope there won’t be too much rotation overall.

A huge game which could be a huge tone setter. By hook, or by crook, United must win this game.

Ipswich Town (A) 21st December - 3pm 

This is another massive game as, on paper, it would appear to be the ideal game for Newcastle to grab a win on the road, with the Tractor Boys yet to pick up a victory at Portman Road this season.

Ipswich are a competitive, combative side with a sprinkling of quality in Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson and United will have to significantly raise their away form if they are to pick up a result down in Suffolk.

Unfortunately, games like this have seen United come unstuck in recent seasons, and with the Bobby Robson connection the match is likely to be highly emotionally charged, in what will be a different vibe for most of the squad.

Joelinton will serve his one match suspension in this game, so Eddie Howe will have to change a winning team, but surely this is the sort of fixture where United must look to impose their style of play on the opposition – and not the other way around.

Winning against Leicester City was key, and the performance was a step in the right direction, but this needs to be the third win a row as United start to pick up positive results consistently.

Aston Villa (H) 26th December - 3pm

If Newcastle arrive at St. James’ Park on Boxing Day on the back of three wins in a row, then you would hope they could put Villa to the sword, as they have done on the Villans’ last two visits to Tyneside.

Villa have been up and down due to European football this season, much as we were last, and they are also in midst of a difficult run of games in the league with Man City, us and Brighton in their next three fixtures.

Despite being six places above United, there is only a two-point difference (although that will change next weekend) between the sides, and this knife edge difference in points totals, is what is keeping us in touch.

United have won four of the last five against Villa; scoring 13 goals in the process, and Eddie Howe has schooled Unai Emery tactically in the last two meetings between the sides. Villa feel like natural rivals for a European place this season so a win on Boxing Day would be massive.

Manchester United (A) 30th December - 8pm

United have a shocking record in Salford, yet this version of Manchester United is not a good team. They are slow, petulant and disjointed, although you would’ve much rather played them with Ten Hag still in charge over Amorim.

The rat-infested, leaky Old Trafford just appears to have a hoodoo over us and no matter how poor Newton Heath tend to be, Newcastle just can’t win there, as has been proved over the last two seasons when we should’ve won both games at a canter.

However, all these sorts of records are there to be broken, although out of all the fixtures in this run, this is the one which will be informed by what has come before it. If Newcastle have won all three or won two and drawn the other in the preceding fixtures, (and the same can be said of Man Utd in their fixtures), then maybe we can pick up a result.

What is apparent is that in losing to Brentford and Fulham away and West Ham and Brighton at home, you put huge pressure on getting results in games like this at places you have awful records at. If Newcastle were to only win one of the next four in the league, however, I’d want it to be this one.

Tottenham Hotspur (A) 4th January - 12.30pm 

The atmosphere at the Spurs Stadium will be massively informed by what results they have picked up in the games before as they play Man Utd, Liverpool, Forest and Wolves before we play them in the new year.

If Spurs have lost three out of four games leading up to this game, then the atmosphere could be toxic for Postecoglou and this is something Newcastle should look to take advantage of, although the same could be said if the opposite is true too.

But from a Spurs point of view, there is a feeling among a decent section of their fanbase that Postecoglou is papering over ever larger and larger cracks with results like the 5-0 thrashing of Southampton this weekend just gone.

Spurs would appear to be an ideal side for us to play and score goals against as they play an incredibly high line and like to push up on to their opposition, so with Isak, Gordon and Murphy’s pace and direct running in behind you would expect plenty of chances, especially if Van der Ven continues to be injured. And whilst I don’t rate the Dutchman quite as highly as the media do, there’s no denying he is quick with his recovery runs.

The early kick-off time is also a major knacker for United as once again travelling fans have been completely let down and it will our third 12:30 kick-off the season to boot in what is a frankly shambolic time to play football.

A repeat of the result a couple of seasons ago would go down there would go down a treat, although I would take a draw in North London to start the new year on a positive note.