Newcastle United: Phoenix Rising or Ticking Time Bomb?

Posted on September 27th, 2011 | 14 Comments |

Ticking time bomb.
Geordie paranoia? Or is it only a matter of time?
As the feel good factor continues around Tyneside, the question I keep asking myself is “Is this too good to be true?” The Toon has had it’s best start in years, the feel good factor is back, but just how long can this Indian summer last?

I wrote previously about the media’s relationship with the Toon in a previous blog. I get the impression that the eagles are slowly circling the club, awaiting the slightest tit bit in order to commence operation slide down the league.

The lads at work (an endless source of blogging topics, even though they are Leeds / Man U fans) expect that we will slowly start to drift down into a final finish of tenth. However one fella made a valid point; if we can keep our makeshift strike force fit we could really push on to Europe with a couple of lucky results. I personally think this a key point, the fortunes of Best, Ba and HBA will define our season.

It’s very difficult to not get carried away at this point, with Blackburn away in the Carling Cup we have a very real chance of getting to the last eight. The point I’ve been making for years is that NUFC need to slowly stabilise in order to improve, are we finally seeing our patience pay off? I just hope that come January, we don’t decide to sell half the team on after receiving “offers we can’t refuse” on HBA or Besty etc. What we need now is to invest strongly in the team, keep the momentum going but in the same manner that we have been quietly getting on with, ie the right player for a sensible price.

However if the past years of supporting NUFC have taught me anything it’s to expect the unexpected. Who knows, maybe Pardew will get sick of being Ashleys puppet, kick off and get sacked, once again leaving us rudderless. Or possibly the French Resistance at NUFC could do what the French are good at, capitulating under pressure and throwing a strop. Our form could slip significantly and we could find ourselves in a relegation scrap. Or Best and Ba could get injured and leave us with the one, the only, Shola Ameobi!

Not everything in this world is as black and white as we would like it to be, the economy’s bust, people have less money now then they ever have. However, just this once maybe the “Green shoots of recovery” phrase can be wheeled out to describe NUFC’s recent form.

Howay the Lads!

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NUFCBlog Author: Mick toons Mick toons is a proud nufc fan hailing from Durham. He now lives in Yorkshire with another group of hard done by fans... Leeds United Mick toons has written 13 articles on this blog.

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14 Responses

  1. Uh, I think people are still doing well by any historical measurements. Football wise I share the injury concerns, but this is really true of most sides. Look at what injuries did to Arsenal’s season last campaign. We’re defo thin in places. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

  2. I just hope that come January, we don’t decide to sell half the team on after receiving “offers we can’t refuse” on HBA or Best…………..One widely forecast for the chop was Jonas but NUFC.co are saying he’s been offered a new 4 year deal today. If Colo is next then we must start to believe that only players to be sold are crap overpriced donkey strikers, or unsettled wannabe’s and troublemakers. Even if the policy is to tie them into longer deals to up the price then so what?…as long as the conveyor belt of cheap quality replacements keeps coming in ….that’s football!

  3. While the Newcastle three designated defensemen are fine, the rest of the defense is thin as prison soup. An injury to one of the big three, or even to Ba or Best and any weekly results will be much more difficult to achieve. Based on last Summer’s window, I’ll be fascinated to see if there is a quick acquisition when the window re-opens. I like the idea of getting players in sooner rather than later, as we find out how they will fit in and get them to work.

  4. Blo*dy h=ll Micky, a plague could hit the team or a long abandoned mineshaft could swallow up the Gallowgate end. Or Mike Ashley could jump ito the Tyne causing a Tsunami to overwhelm St James Park. On the other hand the team could continue to prosper with reserve members of the squad stepping up when needed to maintain our good start.

    Glass half full time, lets enjoy it while it lasts. :)

    HTWL

  6. If this is ticking time bomb, I still want to take it by both hand rather than unknown direction like 2-3 years ago. Let it bomb if we can get 3 pts again and again. Long may continue.

  7. I like the way all the players are stepping up to the plate this season.
    When you consider that the team we are currently putting out has yet to include Marveaux, Santon, Ben Arfa and a fully fit Gosling the future is starting slowly to look bright. Add to that some excellent talent coming through in the likes of Sammy, Abeid, Tavernier and Ferguson and a really good end of season position shouldn’t be just a pipedream.
    And if Ashley would take a key to the locks on his wallet and deliver us a cracking top class striker (Cisse?) who knows where we could end up?

  10. Good luck to Jonas and at 28 he now needs the security of a four year contract – similar to the one JB was asking for but didnt get because his face didnt fit :(

  11. “the one JB was asking for but didnt get because his face didnt fit” shouldn’t that read “his face is on an identyfit” (as pinned on the wall of his local nick)

  12. Jonas does get good marks from the Actim scoring algorithm. His end product defo needs work, but he tracks back and draws fouls in dangerous positions.

  13. Mick,
    divn’t get ower excited mate, but take heart at the position we’re in & enjoy the ride.
    If we don’t enjoy the good bits, what’s the point?
    ;)

  14. To be honest. When marvaux came on for gutterz on Saturday I appreciated gutterz a lot more. You don’t know what you’ve got until its gone. Yes marvaux can cross the ball quite nicely but he doesn’t seems to defend like we have seen from gutterz. But come January let’s hope the likes of collo and tiote are still around. Rough diamonds need polished not sold to highest bidder.