Newcastle United myth is blown away here

Newcastle United myth is blown away here

The desperation from journalists, pundits, presenters, commentators for Newcastle United to fail, has been self-evident.

The slightest dip has been massively magnified.

So many column inches and broadcast comments, claiming that this / this and this, means Newcastle United look set to stumble.

Don’t have the experience, aren’t really a big club, a team playing about itself, luck gone NUFC’s way, other such nonsense.

The two most recent examples have been…

Firstly, when losing 2-0 at home to Liverpool and then 2-0 away at Man City. Journalists and pundits asking whether the Newcastle United owners would now be considering replacing Eddie Howe. No, honestly.

Secondly, this then followed by questions asked about Newcastle’s resilience and ability to see out the season, having lost 2-0 at home to Arsenal and drawing 2-2 at Leeds.

I haven’t seen the knives out for any other club and / or manager in recent times, based on such flimsy ‘evidence’ put forward.

It gets better / worse though:

In their past twelve Premier League matches, this is how many points from a possible 36, each club have picked up:

Apart from all powerful Man City, Newcastle United actually easily the second best team in the final 12 games they have played this season, which included that supposed nightmare period of losing to Arsenal and drawing at Leeds.

If we then look at the number of points picked up in the opening two thirds of this 2022/23 Premier League season (over 24 or 25 matches):

41 Newcastle United (24) – Averaging 1.71 points per game in opening 24 matches of the season.

42 Liverpool (25) – Averaging 1.68 points per game in opening 25 matches of the season.

Despite drawing five and losing one of their opening seven PL games of the season, in their first 22 matches this season Newcastle United with the fifth best form in the top tier. Considering Spurs played 25 compared to NUFC’s 24, fourth best form Spurs only two points better off.

So Newcastle United with second best form in the top tier in final third of this season and fifth best form in opening two thirds.

If you extend that further, in the entire second half of last (2021/22) season, Eddie Howe’s side had the third best form, only Man City and Liverpool picking up more points in 19 games.

So, having given say Eddie Howe just the seven Premier League matches to get his feet under the table, he has produced the third, fifth and second best form in these three defined periods of matches.

This Newcastle United myth that Eddie Howe and his NUFC team / squad are surely set to fall away at any time, has proved to be the exact opposite.

The last 56 Premier League matches since 19 December 2021, Newcastle United have:

Lost only 10 of the 56.

Lost only 3 of the 28 home PL games.

In only 9 of the 56 have NUFC conceded more than one goal in a game.

The consistency, resilience and reliability has been massive testament to Eddie Howe and his players, now they just have to go out and show it twice more, before a bit of downtime for both everybody at the club and the supporters.