Well nobody saw that coming did they? League champions nearly losing, their world class defender made to look both slow, and ordinary… And all this by last seasons Championship winning side Leeds United; oddly a team who’s Coach’s surname sounds suspiciously like Beelzebub.
Opening weekend proved to be both a continuation of last season, and a couple of rather amusing surprises. One of these was the signing by Newcastle United of one Callum Wilson formerly resident goalkeeper worrier at Bournemouth.
Arsenal, Chelsea, and an ordinary looking Liverpool racked up wins. Spurs went one nil to Everton, Wolves tore up Sheffield United two nil, and guest blogger Max Grainger will be spitting feathers as West Brom went down three nil to Leicester; oh and lucky to be in the Premiership Crystal Palace managed to locate the back of the net to beat lucky to still be in the Premiership Southampton.
So onto the season review/reflection, this time from fellow Championship teamster Peter Jones, who I can confirm has an almost dirty love of Birmingham City. As this literary masterpiece arrived, it was confirmed that Lee Camp had been put out of every Birmingham supporters misery, and has been replaced by the hopefully better than Camp; Lee Etherington.
So take it away Peter…
Last season was always going to be a transitional one with Gary Monk departing near the end of the previous one, then being replaced by a his assistant coach Pep Clotet. Clotet’s brief was to develop the under 23 players and improve the style of play. Reading between the lines, there was no money available for transfers due to the financial fair play issues and the owners were hoping that one of the youth players would come good so that they could recoup some of the money that they had previously wasted on players/wages when Gianfranco Zola and Harry Redknapp were managing the team. Blues scored 54 goals. Only 4 teams scored fewer. The defence was not much better, conceding 75 goals. Only 2 teams conceded more. These type of stats could have ended with relegation but Blues were fortunate that other teams were struggling so survived.
2020/21
When Jude Bellingham broke into the first team and impressed all season it was not a surprise to see him sold to Borussia Dortmund for £23m. To the Chinese owners BCFC is just a business and they have taken more out of the club than they have put in. So far the money generated by Bellingham’s transfer has not been invested in new players and the fans are not optimistic that it will be. So far the only players signed are free transfers. We loaned out our goalkeeper Connal Trueman which has left us short in that position. His replacement is Spanish journeyman Andres Prieto who played a grand total of 3 games for Espanyol last season (in the Europa League). This is disappointing expecially due to the club’s history of having good goalkeepers such as Tony Coton, David Seaman, Ian Bennett, Maik Taylor and Jack Butland to name but a few. The club has been linked with Neil Etheridge as his contract at Cardiff has just expired. This would be the logical choice for first team goalkeeper due to his quality and championship experience.
Aitor Karanka has been appointed as manager and has made a bad start by losing at home to Cambridge in the EFL cup. Karanka is an uninspiring choice considering the availability of Chris Hughton, Nigel Clough and Slasiva Jokanovic. He has brought two players in who he worked with at Middlesbrough – George Friend and Adam Clayton who were both out of contract. Whilst it is understandable that a manager often brings in players that he has previous worked with these signings do not immediately fill me with confidence. Clearly they did not have much of an influence at Middlesbrough considering how that team struggled last season. With Friend’s arrival it could be a sign that Kristian Pederson could be on his way as in January he was the subject of a bid by Watford but the deal did not get finalised before the transfer window expired.
Unless some more signings are made throughout the spine of the team it will be a relegation battle this season. The defence has been weak, especially since the restart after the enforced break due to Covid-19. The team has struggled since Michael Morrison left the club at the end of the previous season and his replacements are quite frankly not up to scratch. If the club is to achieve mid table status the defensive issues need addressing, specifically with a centre half. The midfield is crying out for a playmaker who can add some creativity. Jeremie Bela has shown some promise on the wing but we need more form the rest of the midfield. Maikel Keiftenbeld’s return from a long term injury should give the team a boost as he is a good defensive midfielder. A striker should be top of Karanka’s list as the club have struggled since the departure of Che Adams. Briefly Scott Hogan filled the void and helped the club go on a 10 match unbeaten run pre lockdown scoring 7 goals in 9 matches. A player of this calibre is what is required as it is not fair to rely on Lukas Jutkiewicz to provide all the goals, even though he has had his best two scoring seasons in the last two years (14 and 15).
There are some good prospects too in Dan Crowley and Croatian under 21 Ivan Sunjic but for the club to really push on Karanka must ensure the team are well organised and hard working. This in addition to a few new signings should see them safe from a relegation battle. Unfortunately until the current owners leave it does not seem likely that Blues will be able to push for promotion.
Ladies, and Gentlemen… Peter Jones..
One of the most insane teams in the Premiership at the moment is Newcastle United, a team which seems to employ batshit managers, has a ballistic approach to transfer dealings, and have a chairman who just wants to sell the club, and retire to a pasty van in Maldives.
So when I wanted a review and reflection for Newcastle I knew just where to go. The two chaps who wrote this piece are Newcastle through to the core; and aren’t afraid to show it. Also prior to receiving this, Newcastle actually signed an actual striker.. This hasn’t happend since Asprillia..
So please welcome the over optimistic pairing of Sam Lockie, and David Duell; take it away boys.
Last season started with the club in limbo between managers, the departure of the much-loved Rafa Benitez followed by the contentious and underwhelming appointment of Steve Bruce during the pre-season Asia Trophy.
The season ended in even more fundamental uncertainty, with a global pandemic affecting the world, let alone the football season, and the subsequent rollercoaster of the PIF takeover bid.
Bruce may have won over more fans had it not been for this pervading uncertainty. However, it’s worth noting that before Project Restart he was on course (with 42 points) to beat Rafa’s tally (45) of points from 2018/19. Picking up only two of a possible 18 points in the last six games after the restart has left the season ending on a sour note. Coupled with a dour pre-season behind closed doors (with a thumping 5-1 loss to Middlesbrough particularly jarring), there seemed little room for optimism for the Toon fanbase before the early September signings of Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and Jamal Lewis.
This is particularly true given the elephant in the room. Anyone who knows anything about Premier League football will know that Newcastle fans are clamouring, and have been for about twelve years, for a new owner for their club. The PIF bid raised everyone’s hopes (and let’s not forget, this was not a completely unwary fanbase – there have been a couple of false dawns in recent years) only to see them dashed as the group were driven to withdraw their bid after the Premier League indicated that it was unlikely to be ratified.
Before last season, Lee Charnley and Mike Ashley made noises about their desire to be more communicative with fans – the lack of communication from the club around the takeover process may well have strengthened the resolve of supporters to remove Big Mike (the football club owner, not the rapper) and his perceived cronies, and embrace owners who would unshackle the club’s potential and resources to guarantee a consistent presence in the top half of the league.
Ashley has managed to offset this ill-feeling somewhat with the recent rash of signings, but he has done this before (see the 2013 “French Revolution” which saw the arrivals of five French players and arguably saved the season… only for long-term change to fail to materialise). There will always be a feeling that these are pragmatic bursts of activity – keeping the club in the Premier League and thus attractive to potential suitors, rather than done out of a genuine desire for success or to build for the long term.
Last Season’s Positives
- The emergence of the Longstaff brothers
- Allan Saint-Maximin – both as a game-changing player and a social media sensation
- Keeping the unsettled Isaac Hayden
- The resurgence/emergence of Javier Manquillo as a credible Premier League full-back
Last Season’s Negatives
- Low points total after Project Restart
- Losing Ayoze Perez just as he started to deliver consistently (ah, they always disappoint you)
- Frustration for Jonjo Shelvey continuing to fail to reach his potential – and still being prone to the occasional red card…
- …despite being our top goalscorer. Our low goal tally is a crucial negative.
- Joelinton’s stuttering start and the lack of a number 9 – Andy Carroll, despite the whirlwind of sentimentality in bringing him back, hasn’t looked threatening and Dwight Gayle hasn’t performed consistently at PL level
- Injuries, particularly in defence, a problem which has dogged Newcastle for some time.
Signings
It has to be said that Newcastle have exceeded expectations in the transfer window, especially recently. The big news has been the signing of Callum Wilson but in our view, Jeff Hendrick has been an equally impressive bit of business. A player who has a good mix of skill and grit, he has played consistently well for club and country for some years and could be a ready-made replacement leader if, indeed Matt Ritchie goes back to Bournemouth.
Callum Wilson’s signing will probably not give us the fabled 20-goal-a-season dream striker, but with service from Fraser, Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin (a man whose season on Tyneside has seen him develop true Geordie credentials to rival the likes of Ant & Dec, Kevin Whately and Raoul Moat), he should lead the line with aplomb.
A new striker and right-back would give confidence although the memory of ending the last season, during Project Restart, with full-backs covering central defence, means that we never quite feel like we have enough cover.
Youth Prospects
Inevitably it’s a challenge to lift the Toon Army after the failure of the takeover. The recent flurry of transfer activity will help, for sure, but a drab pre-season behind closed doors hasn’t done much to inspire confidence over summer.
An interesting angle might be academy prospects. If the team can get a few wins under the belt and be in a relatively safe mid-table position come Christmas, Bruce might feel able to give some local boys a shot at the first team. A problem Newcastle really need to address is the dearth of talent which makes its way from the academy to the first team despite hype and promise – for every Longstaff there is an Adam Campbell, for every… other Longstaff there is an Adam Armstrong (and they are not all called Adam, I promise). Ivan Toney’s recent move to Brentford again has shades of a promise untapped on Tyneside. After a troubled time on loan last season, could this be Elias Sorensen’s year?
Shola Ameobi, club legend-turned-loan manager, has his work cut out in ensuring that the current crop of youth players is given a more tangible chance. Liberian international midfielder Mo Sangare, defender Kell Watts and Dan Barlaser, at 23 surely soon to either break into the first team or be released, are among those currently on loan to the Championship and League One.
It should be highlighted that the club have done well behind the scenes to keep Matty Longstaff and Freddie Woodman, both of whom are solid prospects who could very easily have gone elsewhere.
So there you have it, a window into the collective madness of football fans. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, football is always there to nip at you..
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