Newcastle Need To Take Positives Not Negatives
It is something Newcastle United fans are going to have to get used to this season if they want to preserve their sanity. Trawling for positives in an ocean of apparent disappointments.
Newcastle were well-beaten and, at times, out-classed by Manchester United. However, they will not be the last team to have their pants pulled down at Old Trafford this season and I have seen plenty of United sides - far better ones than this on paper as well - given an equally torrid time at the Theatre of Nightmares, sorry dreams.
It was, as returns to the top flight go, a baptism of fire which scolded plenty of Newcastle fingers, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really mean anything in terms of what the Magpies are trying to achieve.
Without labouring the point I tried to make in my match report, Newcastle's main mission this season is survival and anything else will be a bonus.
Teams with those objectives don't tend to achieve them by beating the likes of Manchester United away, they do it by beating those who are in a similar position to themselves, whether that is at home, or on their travels.
There were some poor performances on Monday night. Kevin Nolan's lack of pace was a weakness in the Championship, but he still managed to pop up with vital goals.
But the new skipper looked badly off the pace against Manchester United and was utterly ineffective as an attacking midfielder. He will have easier games to make his mark, but this set an early alarm bell ringing for me.
Then there was Joey "I'm as good as any midfielder in England" Barton. Well, on the basis of one game and the fact you didn't get near Paul Scholes all night or create anything in open play, you're sadly deluded my moustached friend!
Wayne Routledge started well and then disappeared when the going got tough. Jonas Gutierrez was a pale shadow of the player he was last season, while the two full-backs James Perch and Jose Enrique also struggled.
But there were other performances which promised far better things. Andy Carroll missed an easy header but he was a handful for arguably the best central-defender in the Premier League, Nemanja Vidic. He could be one of the big surprises of the season.
I thought Mike Williamson had a hugely encouraging game and, while they may have conceded three goals, I also thought Fabricio Coloccini played well alongside him - although this wasn't a view shared by everyone. It's a similar story with Alan Smith. As a defensive shield I thought he was highly impressive.
Of course, it's far too early to judge anyone and it wasn't the players on the pitch who worried me, it was those who sat on the bench. Nile Ranger, James Tavernier, Xisco and Ryan Taylor. Fringe players in the Championship, what on earth are they going to be in the Premier League?
My chief concern this season is this. Newcastle United were a bottom-half or mid-table Premier League side when they were relegated in May 2009. In all honesty, with the players they had, they shouldn't have gone down that season, but they did.
The Newcastle that has returned to the top flight is big on team spirit and togetherness, but there is no denying some of the best players from that team of 2009 have left. If they were a bottom half of the table side then, what are they now?
The window will be slamming shut soon enough and the lack of new arrivals is becoming a major worry. Dan Gosling won't play until the New Year, Sol Campbell will add something, but how many games will a 35-year-old play?
There is a lack of pace in midfield, competition for places at full-back and a lack of goal threat besides Carroll.
These weaknesses need to be remedied otherwise the search for positives might well become an increasingly depressing task this season.
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Luke Edwards - is Chief Sports Writer of The Journal and uses his blog to give a unique and entertaining insight into events at Newcastle United and Sunderland.
On a totally unrelated topic, I'm still waiting for a journalist to ask why NUFC are accepting limited ticket allocations for away games??
What do you mean Gordon? What you are implying is highly libelous, and it isn't the first time you have thrown such ridiculous allegations at myself and the newspapers. Please think before you leave comments in the future. I have had to remove your last one. You can't go around calling people criminals and claiming they have bribed people.
Jamie, I'm on holiday at the moment but I'll try and find out for you. I suspect they don't hasve any control over it though as it is up to the club they are travelling to.
There will be a couple of days during this season when the opposition makes Nolan and friends look good, but not many more times than that.
Based on what happened in the first round of games it is hard to look past the three promoted clubs, Wigan, Wolves and West Ham as the bottom third strugglers. Other teams that might slip into the dogfight are probably Stoke, Fulham and Everton (yes them!), i.e. teams that have over performed recently but are now runnibg on fumes.
Blackpool had a great first day against the woeful Wigan and they could either end up doing a Hull or doing a Carlisle.
As few as twenty five points could well keep any of the mentioned teams up which translated into about five or six wins and a few draws. West Ham should achieve that target along with Wolves, Stoke, Fulham and Everton.
The smart money has go on another swift return to the championship for WBA and a swift end to the Blackpool fairytale. Newcastle versus Wigan games could well define which of them completes the unlucky trio.
My guess is that Saturday 16th October 2010 and Saturday 01st January 2011 will be the biggest days in Newcastle’s season.
"There will be a couple of days during this season when the opposition makes Nolan and friends look good, but not many more times than that."
Well, that's one of them out of the way today, eh Mackem?
Boing Boing Baggies.
Jamie, you need to have a look on NUFC.com for the explanation about reduced ticket allocations, it explained there and for once sounds like the club are doing the right thing.