Realistic Expectations For Next Season.

[steve_69]

I'm actually looking forward to seeing what Hughton can do in the Premier League. He's obviously very good at the defensive side of the game and is pretty pragmatic in his approach to games. I just can't see us getting rolled over the way we did last season and the season before. We'll almost certainly get beaten by the top teams but I'm confident they won't give us the type of thrashings we've witnessed recently.

 

The team obviously needs some strenthening in most areas but if we do that I think we'll stay up comfortable.

 

Hughton has well and truly won me over.

[Guest bobthemag]

a couple of 2m bargain buys, a couple of loans, and back down.

 

 

[Guest Roger Kint]

a couple of 2m bargain buys, a couple of loans, and back down.

 

 

 

Am sure he will do less business than in January.......

[Guest Haris Vuckic]

Mackems seem to be 110 % that they are going to turn us over in both derbys and finish MILES above us.

 

Have they forgotten that they are also a wank premier league side?

 

Bent will be off/inured/a cockney and then they are nothing...

[Exiled in Texas]

In all likelihood we'll 'only' need to finish above West Brom, Nottingham Forest and someone else like Wigan/Wolves/Bolton/Blackburn.

 

Exactly - depends who comes up with us, and then we just need to finish above them and one other club to stay up.

[Teasy]

 

We've all seen him play in the Premiership, he played 8 games last season you know

 

...and what did he do? Do you see something in him that Schalke didn't ? German clubs rarely make mistakes when giving players free transfers or deciding they are surplus to requirements..

He is not going to get any better at his age, so I would be interested in your view as to whether you think he will score 15 goals next season ?

 

He scored 3 goals in 8 games.  Not bothered what happened at Schalke, because that's nothing to do with Newcastle United.  I prefer to watch the player and judge him on his performances.  He was decent in the 8 games he played last season in the Premiership in difficult circumstances, so there's no reason I can see that he shouldn't be kept on as backup next season, and no of course I don't expect a backup player to score 15 goals.

 

..So if you consider him a back-up player, then who do you think that NUFC are going to be able to get to go up front better than Kuyt ? There's a hint of unrealism about this because a) you consider Lovenkrands, a player older than Kuyt, to be a better bet in the Prem despite the fact he has played only 8 games there and Kuyt has played 4 seasons with a consistent scoring record ; also, you say you are not bothered about what happened at Schalke - a bit arrogant, don't you think ? Schalke are a better supported club than Newcastle United in Germany and are more respected in European football than NUFC...perhaps if Allardyce had been MORE bothered about what happened at Man City with Barton, we wouldn't have ended up with a player who has been a constant liability and cost us a fortune in wasted wages etc.

 

Lovenkrands would not have reached the age of 30 and be playing for a CCC club after being given a Free from the only major club(unless you consider Rangers a top club) he has played for, unless he lacks something at the top level - and that is where NUFC should be aiming. I notice you didn't address my point about David Kelly, and that DID happen at NUFC and is more relevant to the current situation

 

I didn't say a word about Dirk Kuyt or David Kelly.  I said that we've all seen Lovenkrands play in the Premiership and IMO he's more then good enough to be a backup striker in our squad.  This is after you said we should wait and see what he's like in the Premiership and that you'd left him out of your list because you didn't think he was good enough.

 

Now you're saying that I'm arrogant because I'd rather base my opinion of Lovenkrands at Newcastle on his time at Newcastle then on how well he did at a different club in a totally different league?  There's nothing arrogant about that..  Also what does the size of Schalke's fanbase or how respected they are have to do with wether or not Lovenkrands can be a squad player for us next season in the Premiership?, nothing what so ever.

 

By the way, I hope to god we can get someone better then Kuyt because he's just not a very good goal scorer, definitely not what I'd look for as a first choice player, especially with the fee he'd command.