Top 10 Reasons Why Newcastle United Might Struggle To Make It In The EPL

[PRL]

 

Overall though, with the team we’ve got, we’ll struggle – possibly more than West Brom or Forest, who are better at playing the ball on the deck. It won’t be easy, because we’re now looking for players who can step into the first team, rather than squad players or youngsters who may come good in two years’ time.

 

 

I'd disagree here. I think this is precisely where WBA have fallen down in past seasons, whilst they can play it around better than us at Championship level the pace of the premier league is a totally different story. I see nothing about West Brom that makes me think they're any more equipped than they have been any other season. I just don't think they've got enough physical strength in their team. I cannot wait to see Olssen and Tamas exposed at premier league level.

[Chris_R]

Just knew that fan expectations would be in there somewhere. Are these guys for fucking real? No Newcastle fan has any expectations next year.

 

Numbers 1 and 3 are valid, everything else is rubbish (Ie Nicky Butt good in the Championship, Jonas our best player by a mile, Alan Smith is very good, sorry but that's all crap).

[Thespence]

We would not struggle in the EPL as we would be the only team in it as there is no such league? If there was would it be run by the EFA & would teams get relegated to EFL?

[merlin]

There’s lots that you can pick over, but I thought it was strange that they picked out Williamson and Carroll as players who would struggle in the Premiership. For me, they’re among the few players that I’m confident about.

 

Williamson isn’t the greatest athlete but he’s calm, decisive and skilful, and I’d say our best CB. Carroll has his limitations, but his power in the air will create problems for defences at any level. If the papers are to be believed, Premiership clubs have already come sniffing. If we hadn’t been promoted, I think he’d have moved up anyway.

 

Overall though, with the team we’ve got, we’ll struggle – possibly more than West Brom or Forest, who are better at playing the ball on the deck. It won’t be easy, because we’re now looking for players who can step into the first team, rather than squad players or youngsters who may come good in two years’ time.

 

 

Agree with this.

 

The article contained a lot of rubbish, but certain points were correct.

 

There ARE doubts over our CBs - Williamson because he has no PL record and lacks pace, Coloccini because of his less than convincing performances last season against the top strikers.

 

The article DIDN'T say Carroll was rubbish - it stated, quite rightly, that he cannot do it on his own and we DO need a top class striker to play alongside him if he is to continue to improve...if this doesn't happen I can see him leaving because there WILL be Prem clubs after him.

 

Not convinced that Jonas will be away ; or that the fans will put too much pressure on the club unless results are really poor after 3 months ; not convinced that Shearer will be a factor either, we are past that at present.

 

The point about Ashley is valid - he does have to provide enough finance or we will struggle.

 

Interesting that Cronky thinks we might not adapt as well as WBA or Forest(if promoted).

I agree to a point, certainly with WBA because they played us off the park for 30 mins at SJP and would probably have won if they possessed a decent striker...they also stuffed us in the FA Cup but we played a weakened side. They WILL look better initially in the Prem unless we make some decent signings because they do keep possession better but I think they will also struggle to get goals. Dorrans is certain to be sold if they look like going down but is better equipped for the prem than any of our midfielders.

 

Back in the 60s when we got promoted , the other club to go up were Northampton - they were expected to do better than NUFC because of their record in the lower div, but they went back down......

 

It all depends on Ashley......

[Disco]

Williamson is skilfull?

 

He's decent, but not great. I don't think we look as solid with him back there as opposed to Taylor and the stats prove it. No coincidence that our worst defeat arrived with him alongside Hall. On Monday the pair of them looked off the pace in the first half against League 1 players who could (and possibly should) have scored 2 goals.

 

Too similar (W'son and Hall is probably the problem). Taylor is a lot better at bringing the ball out from the back but I'd be more than happy with either him and/or Williamson in the first team squad next season.

[Guest gggg]

EPL. /shudder

 

it was bad enough when foreigners used it but people are doing it here now for some daft reason. It would be like yanks calling their game American football.

[Thespence]

Jock football is called the SPL

[2sheds]

Championship Manager wrote:

4. ALAN SHEARER will always be lurking. With more media attention on the Magpies, stories will be made up. They will no doubt revolve around Super Al wanting the hot seat, and while it might not be true, it’ll put pressure on Hughton.

These stories that 'will be made up',  about 'Super Al wanting the hot seat' even tho 'it might not be true' - what sort of arsehole will spread shit like this?

 

Of course - it will be the likes of you

[adam1]

Jock football is called the SPL

 

'small time mentality'  :lol:

[Cronky]

I think West Brom and Forest will struggle, in the same way as Burnley now and West Brom previously have struggled. However, they will be able to provide some kind of threat to the opposition, even if it doesn’t prove enough in the end. I think at the moment, we wouldn’t be able to threaten the opposition by threading the ball through the midfield, and we’re not able to do a Stoke and dominate anyone physically.

 

By and large, we’ve got results by getting behind the ball when the opposition is in possession and relying on the likes of Nolan, Shola and Carroll to nick goals during the periods when we’re on the attack. It’s worked this season, but it’s a non-starter next.

 

I’m not especially worried, because I’m confident we’ll have far more money to spend than West Brom or Forest, so we will improve. But there will have to be big changes – like half the first team.

 

[thewellander]

Everyone said we would struggle more than West Brom this year and wrote us off. I wouldn't be so quick to write us off next year. We have a starting base of players who are capable of performing in the EPL at some level (Enrique, Saylor, Colo, Raylor, Nolan, Guthrie, Barton, Jonas, Smith, Lovenkrands, Carrol), we have some young players with potential (Ranger, Williamson, Simpson, Kadar) and can bring in some new lads in the summer.

 

What I'm trying to get at is that I don't think we're in that bad a position to rebuild. We're probably in a far better position than some of the other clubs that have come up recently and managed to stay up, at the very least. All things considered, I don't think the team we have now would have been relegated last year. I'm hopeful.

[Ronaldo]

Why do I keep reading that Williamson is young?

[Wullie]

Beyond me how anyone who has seen us play at home since January can say we don't play on the deck or pose an attacking threat. Since we bought Routledge, started playing Lovenkrands up front regularly and moved Guthrie inside, we've been unplayable.

 

Teams now come up expecting an arsekicking and generally get one.

[Stu]

Why do I keep reading that Williamson is young?

 

Because he's inexperienced

[Ronaldo]

Beyond me how anyone who has seen us play at home since January can say we don't play on the deck or pose an attacking threat. Since we bought Routledge, started playing Lovenkrands up front regularly and moved Guthrie inside, we've been unplayable.

 

Teams now come up expecting an arsekicking and generally get one.

 

That perception probably comes from the televised away games earlier in the season.

[Ronaldo]

Why do I keep reading that Williamson is young?

 

Because he's inexperienced

 

10 years as a pro isn't enough?

[merlin]

Beyond me how anyone who has seen us play at home since January can say we don't play on the deck or pose an attacking threat. Since we bought Routledge, started playing Lovenkrands up front regularly and moved Guthrie inside, we've been unplayable.

 

Teams now come up expecting an arsekicking and generally get one.

 

They won't in the Prem - unless there are decent signings, WE will be the ones getting the arsekicking from at least half the teams...

[Wullie]

I don't deny it but the idea that we just soak up pressure and rely on better finishers is rubbish. Applicable earlier in the season but not for a while now.

[NG32]

What is the EPL?

 

 

[Dr.Spaceman]

Worst piece of journalism i've ever read.

[Heron]

1 reason why not to buy your game. Now fuck off.

[Peppe]

Like I need another reason not to buy that abomination of a game

 

used to play it back in the day when it was good (until the developers went the way of FM).....nearly failed my exams in the process then .....CM97-98 98/99 00/01 classics.

 

You can download the full CM 01/02 from the Eidos homepage, they've release it for free themselves so its all legal

Playing it with February updates as we speak!

[Stu]

Why do I keep reading that Williamson is young?

 

Because he's inexperienced

 

10 years as a pro isn't enough?

 

Of which how many were as a game-playing Premiership player?

[Ronaldo]

0, doesn't make him young.

[Cronky]

Beyond me how anyone who has seen us play at home since January can say we don't play on the deck or pose an attacking threat. Since we bought Routledge, started playing Lovenkrands up front regularly and moved Guthrie inside, we've been unplayable.

 

Teams now come up expecting an arsekicking and generally get one.

 

Routledge has given us a threat down the right which we never had before, and that's also allowed us to push Guthrie inside which has improved our ability to play through the midfield in home games. But it's not exactly been a sea-change, and I haven't seen any performance where we've been remotely 'unplayable'.

 

In every game that I've seen, there's been a lack of pace and mobility in central midfield, and as a result we find it difficult to pressure the ball when the opposition has possession. We still seem to rely on funnelling back behind the ball and defending in the final third. Championship teams haven't punished us for that strategy, but Premiership teams will. Our back four will get found out.

 

The lack of movement also makes it difficult for us to retain the ball, and we often lose it when put under pressure. We rely a lot on Routledge and Jonas's individual ability down the wings.