Ruthless, Relentless, Remarkable!

I wrote last week about what a wonderful job Eddie Howe was doing with this Newcastle squad. They are overachieving in my opinion and Sunday’s result just proves why.

After each week’s fixtures I, like many others, take on board all of the output, opinions and viewpoints around the football world. Sunday evenings and Monday mornings are usually spent reading column inches, watching Youtube videos and listening to football podcasts……. what an exciting life we lead!

Weekly it’s a mix of waxing lyrical about the usual clubs and trying to shoehorn something in about Spurs or Man Utd and a common theme is “how did Newcastle win again?” I don’t think I’m being over sensitive but the obvious irritation of pundits and supporters from our rivals is palpable every week as Eddie keeps this juggernaut going along the highway to success.

When you look through the achievements of the season it really amazes me that we are where we are at the moment. I’m not having a go, but in spite of the limitations of this squad, it’s outstanding in that they are just ruthless, single-minded, and prepared to do whatever it takes to win.

Every club around us has much, much more than we do. Since the start of the season here are the signings in or around each club’s first teams (www.transfermarkt.co.uk):

Aston Villa 10 in - 3 out

Chelsea 8 in – 3 out

Forest 8 in – 4 out

Man City 6 in – 4 out

Newcastle 2 in – 4 out

If you factor in that the Newcastle squad was a threadbare one to begin with, then the achievements are even more profound. Statistics don’t always tell the full picture and can be twisted to the narrative, but Newcastle are top of the wins from winning positions at 20 from 23, third in wins from losing positions with 5 from 16, and second in the form league table for the last 20 games with 43 points with only Liverpool ahead of us on 46 points. Add to that, we are also second top scorers on 68 goals, and you can see what an amazing season this is becoming.

It's easy to get over excited but if we analyse the games we can see that there is a definite game plan which is being worked in the main to perfection. We are a first-half team: most of the time scoring is heavier in the first 45 minutes in 8 from 10 games on average. This tells you what happened yesterday against Chelsea, with an early advantage and then we closed out the game, conserving energy, making fewer errors and presenting the opposition with fewer chances.

Our next strongest period is the last quarter, which actually backs up the previous observations. Teams throw the sink at us trying to get back into games and we pick them off with a late goal or two to cement the result.

I genuinely don’t think this is our style per-se, but is Eddie Howe being practical. We have a threadbare squad, with few options outside the main 14/15 players who dominate the starting line up, and this pattern is obviously a deliberate one designed to get the very best from our players without creating more injuries. I hear chatter from pundits who say, “Newcastle looked tired”, but I think in the main objective is to get ahead then consolidate and then pick the opposition off in the final third.

We still have things to work on. Our final third passing is erratic at best, often blowing chances we create simply because we can’t execute when we get there. I think this is more a personnel thing, though, and this is when some of our players look human. End product, or lack of, has been an issue for lots of players this season.

To have amassed 20 wins in the league, 10 in the cups (in which they won the Carabao Cup and got to the quarter finals of the FA Cup) with this small squad is remarkable and shows how utterly ruthless this side is becoming. Players like Bruno, Tonali, Gordon, and Isak have bought into this style knowing it sometimes clips their wings a little but the ultimate prize is the big one.

They have two more games to grab one win and guarantee a top 5 finish and this is banking on every other side getting maximum points they can from the final two games.

When this summer brings a release of the PSR shackles and we see the additions we expect with 4/5/6 new signings in vital positions, you can see this upcoming season being another leap forward for the club. It’ll be tough, very tough with a minimum of 8 extra games from the UCL if we qualify. The growth of the squad is essential but I also expect to see some of our Academy players beginning to get game time next season. The early rounds of the Carabao Cup might be dominated by changes to the starting 11, and even the FA Cup, if the draw favours, could be the same.

The larger squad will allow Eddie to roll out the style of our first 45 minutes this season across the whole 90 minutes much more often. Can you imagine how rivals will cope with a relentless and ruthless United going after them for the whole game? I can see carnage in some matches, with a bench that is chomping at the bit to get on and try and force the gaffer to pick them as a starter in future games, something that isn’t the case now, as the side picks itself at the moment.

Let’s see the boys be ruthless for two more games, finish with at least one more win and unbeaten over this period, and then we can all salivate over the summer at the prospect of a Newcastle United of 2025-26.

What a time to be a Geordie!!

Les Cash

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