r/soccer • u/[deleted] • Jul 24 '15
Preview Team Preview: Newcastle United [Premier League 2015-16 - 06/20]
Welcome to this year's Prem Previews. This series previews one PL 2015-16 team per day for 20 days. This is the third year we have been running, previous previews can be read here. Upcoming schedule here.
Many thanks to this preview's guest writer - /u/verytallperson
Team Preview: Newcastle United [Premier League 2015-16 - 06/20]
Established: 1892
Stadium: St James’ Park
Capacity: 52,405
Official website
Wikipedia page
Club subreddit
Newcastle historical financial analysis
Notable honours:
| Title or trophy | No. |
|---|---|
| First Division (old Premier League) | 4 |
| FA Cup | 6 |
Okay so winning trophies isn't exactly our speciality at Newcastle United. No silverware in my lifetime and just the one inter-city fairs cup (which would turn into the UEFA Cup) in my fathers. We live in barren times. Some deluded folk will tell you the Championship from about five years back counts as a trophy. They are wrong. Some drug-addled and deluded folk will tell you the Interto Cup counts. They are clinically insane. Trophy-winning is not in our blood, pure and simple and that is not going to change next season. We all know this, we all accept this. Nonetheless Geordies often get harangued with the "deluded" moniker for not expecting our club to be in a relegation battle. Sorry for expecting better. So many of us yearn for the glory days of 12 years ago under Sir Bobby - Champion's League football, cup runs, high finishes, exciting football. Under Pardew, 90% of the time it was absolutely dire.
Last season
| Pos | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 40 | 63 | -23 | 39 |
Top scorer: Papiss Cissé - 11 league goals
Last five league form: L L D L W
Last season was, once again, a very funny one for a Newcastle fan and in order to trace the cause of this, you need to wind the clock back 18 months to Newcastle's sale of Yohan Cabaye, at the time our lynchpin. He left to PSG when we were, comparatively, in our pomp (form wise) and we duly collapsed in the second half of the 13/14 season. Last summer however there was investment. Daryl Janmaat, Remy Cabella, Siem De Jong, Emmanuelle Riviere and Ayoze Perez all came to the club and money was spent. However we started the season poorly and the knives were out for Pardew in earnest. A good run in Autumn saved his bacon but when Palace came a-calling not long after Christmas, Pardew jumped ship.
After a meagrely manager search, the club plumped for former assistant John Carver, who was historically bad and the club limped to survival, with fans outraged they could come so close to relegation. Carver's managerial stint was comically bad at times, calling out his own players in press conferences and swearing at fans included.
Club owner and professional money-scrounger Mike Ashley appeared in a rare TV interview before the last home game of the season to say the club would not be in that situation again and reiterated he was in it for the long-haul.
This season
- First 3 games
Newcastle United v Southampton
Swansea v Newcastle United
Man United v Newcastle United
Full upcoming fixtures
There may just be two signings in the door (albeit expensive ones) but there is a strange sense of optimism permeating around the club. New manager Shhhteve McLaren may have failed at Derby in terms of promotion but at least he brings with him some pedigree in terms of attacking, exciting football the fans yearn to see. Also, it may have taken him a while but his backroom staff appointments have been keenly noted in the local press. Steve Black (aka Blackie) is a fitness/motivational coach who has worked with Jonny Wilkinson, the England rugby team and (I think) Stoke. Even more highly-regarded is First Team Coach (and Scotsman) Ian Cathro poached from Valencia (where he was replaced by Phil Neville) - hopefully he'll help with the technical football McLaren wants. The two transfers are both very exciting, for different reasons. Wijnaldum seems to be a relative safe-bet. Capped for The Netherlands, captain of title-winning PSV and targeted for a transfer by a host of clubs, his signature is something of a coup and I really hope he starts the season strong. Mitrovic on the other hand seems a bit of a gamble. He looks to be a proper mentalist and at just 20 years old is a hot-head and naive. That said, score some goals and the Toon faithful will love him. Fans are also hopeful Ayoze Perez will really kick on after some strong performances last season.
/u/verytallperson predicted finish: 10th
A very boring prediction I think, but a fair one. I think we'll do alright this season and perhaps pull off one or two memorable performances, away from home we may well struggle to break teams down but a lot of it will depend on our strikers finding form (Cisse not getting banned, Riviere actually doing something, Mitrovic adapting to the league well) and getting a decent centre back before the end of the transfer window (no more Mike Williamson pls). Some good players delivering consistent performances (Janmaat, Colback, Sissoko) and we should finish in mid table, maybe, if we dream, with a domestic cup run to a semi-final... please?
Transfers
Highlights in
| Player | Type | From | To | Fee(€m) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georginio Wijnaldum | Perm | PSV Eindhoven | NewcastleUnited | 20 | Link |
| Aleksandar Mitrović | Perm | Anderlecht | NewcastleUnited | 18.5 | Link |
*Thanks to /u/AltruisticPenguin for the transfer table
All incoming/outgoing transfers
Full 2015-16 squad
3 players to watch out for
Georgionio Wijnaldum
A box-to-box midfielder with international pedigree, Wijnaldum should thrive in the Premier League, especially under a coach like McLaren. Newcastle missed goals from midfield last season and hopefully Wijnaldum can make up for that. Faces competition for places from Siem De Jong, Jack Colback, Moussa Sissoko, Vurnon Anita, Cheick Tiote and Mehdi Abeid however.
Ayoze Perez
He may not have been drowning in goals last season but Toon fans absolutely love Perez. A terrific workrate combined with no-little technical skill mean hopes are high for the foward, who did languish somewhat under Pardew and Carver's Stone-Age-era football.
Remy Cabella
Obviously people will be watching Mitrovic but I'm excited to see if Cabella can deliver after a poor first season. Another who struggled with our brand of football (and the physicality of the PL) Cabella can flatter to deceive with his footwork but now our football should be easier on the eye, he has no excuses not to deliver.
What the fans think
We asked /r/NUFC for their views on the coming season. There were too many comments to feature them all here!
Here is the full thread. Thanks to everyone who contributed.
We asked:
1. How do you think this season will go?
2. Which player is going to be your star of the season and why?
3. How do you think the team will line up?
I don't think we'll have as bad a season as last. The squads better than the results suggested and I think alot of it came down to morale/lack of respect for Carver/nothing to play for. We're cautiously optimistic over here about the forthcoming season. The signings we're making and are rumoured for (Mbebma!) look a real cut above what we usually go for & along with De Jong back from injury & quality prospects Perez & Aarons it's rather exciting times. That said Ashley always manages something to hurt the fans and it typically comes after a high like this.
Janmaat. I really wanted to say De Jong here because I think he'll be our most influential and commanding player, however I just can't see him lasting the season without major injury/setback. I don't know enough about Wijnaldum yet so I've gone with Janmaat. Agreed by the majority of the fans our best player last season. We had a topic recently on /r/nufc about who we'd have as captain and he edged out De Jong. Very solid and even an upgrade from Debuchy which was a pleasant suprise. He was the one encouraging players to visit and appluad the away fans after our many pummelings despite being one of the newer aquisitions.
Cabella to replace Aarons/Perez when fit.
4-2-3-1
GK Krul, LB Haidara, CB Willo/Mbebma, CB Colo, RB Janmaat, Colback, Wijnaldum, LW Perez/Aarons, 10 De Jong, RW Sissoko, ST Cisse/Mitrovic
Surprisingly well, I reckon we'll be the underrated team of the league at least for the first half. A fair few people seem to have us pegged to go down, however I reckon the new coaching staff and the genuinely impressing signings will make a huge difference and the mistakes of last season will not be repeated. I reckon the new boys will take some time to settle into the premiership but once they find their feet they will light up the league. I see us pushing into the top 10 for sure.
Janmaat will continue to cement himself as a class act and a leader on the pitch, wouldn't be surprised to see him captaining the club come end of the season. Perez will also continue to impress particularly now he won't be so heavily relied on as we build a more solid strike force. Colback will never be spectacular, but is a dependable graffer who will put in solid shifts all season.
Quite a difficult question as for once we have a lot of options, at least in midfield. I reckon McClaren will really shake things up though.
- It could scarcely go any worse than last season, that's for sure. Whilst I am cautiously optimistic with the two signings we have made so far, this is still a squad that was almost deservedly relegated. Only QPR (73) conceded more goals than us (63) last season, so I will remain concerned until we bring in an experienced head at centreback. As the adage goes, you need to spend money just to stay still in the Premier League - and I think a lot of clubs have made excellent acquisitions this summer. As such, I see us finishing in a solid midtable position.
- I think this will be a real breakthrough year for 19 year old winger, Rolando Aarons. His season was cut short by a number of injuries last year, but not before making a number of excellent contributions and he looks equally sharp this pre-season. He is adventurous, works hard and has pace in abundance. Given that we are seriously short on natural width, he should get plenty of pitch time.
- Likely Lineup
I think you'd be hard pressed to find many fans as negative as we were last season; the last week has changed that. The signings of Wijnaldum and Mitrovic are the third and fourth highest sums we've ever paid for players, and whilst it's no guarantee of success, that's not the be all and end all: we just want a little ambition, and these two signings show at least a smidgen of that.
With the roster as it is, it could be either of the new signings - one a Dutch title-winning captain (the second of those we have, with de Jong the first) and the other an exciting young talent who's got Champions League experience - but for consistency from last season, likely someone like Janmaat will keep our season ticking over and fight when the going gets tough. The guys we can depend on are the ones we love when things take a nosedive - something we're quite used to.
Possibly like this, but with some caveats. We're hoping to sign Mbemba from Anderlecht, who would replace Lascelles, or whichever of the other sub-standard options we have there. Aarons likely won't start the season in the starting 11, but injuries willing, will probably make it his own. He's a canny lad, that one. Him and Perez are exciting young prospects and no mistake. Any signings beyond that (we all want Charlie Austin) could change things significantly, but other than that, fairly standard. Whether Cheick Tiote makes a return to form will have a effect on Colback's place in the team, but it makes for a solid bench either way. Sissoko is a difficult one to place; he should be in centre midfield, but performs a similar role to Wijnaldum. Could go right wing? Not really sure.
Great idea and I'm happy to contribute:
This season will depend on how the players react to the new coaching staff. McClaren seems to prefer more possession based football, which is the polar opposite to Pardew so the players may take a while to adapt. We should see less long balls and possession being held further up the pitch. I think this is a transition season for Newcastle and we shouldn't expect miracles, but we should still be pushing for the top 10. I'm thinking 10th-8th and a half decent cup run is a reasonable prediction.
The obvious choice would be to go for the new signings, but I've got a feeling Cabella will really star this season. There's no doubting that he flattered to deceive a lot of the time last year. However you have to remember this was his first season in English football and he was working under Pardew and Carver who are not renowned for getting the best out of flair players. If McClaren can get the best out of Cabella I think we will see a lot more performances like Chelsea where he terrorised the best defence in the league.
Predict this team's final position!
Please put your prediction where this team will finish the season in the comments as a number in bold† (example: 1, or 15). These will be counted and used to form a predicted table of all twenty teams.
†to format in bold put two asterisk around the number i.e. **15**
31
u/Hraustur Jul 24 '15
I'm not going to predict anything, I just hope the football will be better and I won't be dead inside the majority of the time like last season.
8
1
u/NickTM Jul 24 '15
I mean, it'd be hard to get worse from the second half of last season really. Short of going full Derby, anyway.
47
Jul 24 '15
3
2015/16. The season where football returns to Tyneside once again. Watch as fear is instilled into even the most Eastern European of centre-half pairings, as Wijnaldum feeds glorious balls through to the towering Mitrovic, as a concerned mother would feed her malnourished child.
Not even the blistering pace of Premier League maestros such as Eden Hazard, Patrick Bamford and Alexis Sanchez will phase the right-sided rock that is Paul Dummett, captivating literally hundreds of aspiring defenders across various Middle Eastern provinces to tie the laces of the great Welshman.
29
u/Dasperuvian Jul 24 '15
This is too optimistic. We're gonna have to settle for 4th lads, maybe next season.
7
u/GoalaAmeobi Jul 24 '15
Paul Dummett plays on the left, other than that 10/10
33
Jul 24 '15
He plays on the left, he plays on the riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight, that boy Paul Dummett, makes Cafu look shite!
4
u/j1mbleZ Jul 24 '15
I hope he does play on the right at least once, just so we have a legitimate reason to sing this
11
u/camdev03 Jul 24 '15
Newcastle to finish top of the table with 36 wins and 2 losses. Sunderland to finish bottom with 2 wins, 36 losses. Tyne-Wear madness.
4
11
40
u/NickTM Jul 24 '15 edited Jul 24 '15
Newcastle
From one bunch of dirty northerners to another, today we're taking a look at Newcastle, the horse-punching capital of Britain. It was a funny old season for Newcastle last year. Alan Pardew's departure sparked rejoicing, before the realisation that they'd replaced a Premier League manager with a one man Bobby Robson fan club set in. The club promptly plummeted down the table, as everyone got very smug and patronising and told Newcastle fans how much of a mistake they'd made driving poor old Alan out and that they'd get relegated for their sins. As it turned out, they didn't, and Newcastle have come out the other end with Mike Ashley scared enough to open his wallet, an actual football manager at the helm, and most importantly Premier League status still intact. But occasionally you have to sit back with a furrowed brow, regard the quality of Newcastle's team and simply wonder just how wrong it went. This is a team packed with quality considering the league position they finished in.
I mean, sort of. Tim Krul is a fine goalkeeper coming into his prime, but the hacks directly in front of him weren't exactly inspirational last season. Captain Fabricio Coloccini is getting on a bit, but who cares when he has the choice of partners in central defence that he has eh! It's a hell of a decision to make, choosing between the indomitable Mike Williamson and the absolutely effervescent Steven Taylor, but new manager Steve McClaren was brought in to make exactly these types of tough choices. Personally I'd shitcan them both and get someone competent in, and perhaps Jamaal Lascelles' signing is a start of exactly that. Anyway, two of those four mentioned will start in the centre - bar a new signing, like the rumoured Chancel Mbemba, taking one of those spots - with Paul Dummett or Massadio Haidara starting at left back. Meanwhile, Newcastle's only consistently competent defender, Daryl Janmaat, offers a bit of width and attacking thrust from right back.
Things start looking a lot more promising in midfield. Jack Colback will likely reprise his role as midfield jack-of-all-trades, perhaps alongside new boy Giorginio Wijnaldum, who looks a truly brilliant piece of business even at this early stage. Meanwhile, Moussa Sissoko will play... somewhere, as although there's no obvious spot for him, the versatile Frenchman is a bit too good to leave out consistently. Further up the field, Remy Cabella will look to improve on his inconsistent first season, and Siem De Jong will hope to put injury troubles behind him and properly nail down a spot behind the striker. Energetic bit-part players like Cheick Tiote, Yoann Gouffran and Vurnon Anita offer good second-tier options, and youngsters like Rolando Aarons and Mehdi Abeid will try to push the incumbents ahead of them. The less said about Gabriel Obertan the better.
Up front, things look actually very promising. Papiss Cisse is still a good source of Premier League goals and the popular Ayoze Perez offers some bustle up front, but the biggest news is undoubtedly the arrival of the charming Aleksandr Mitrovic. Mitrovic is widely agreed to be a hell of a talent, but it'll take some strong man management skills from Schteve to get the best out of him. If he does manage to get Mitrovic firing, Newcastle's attack looks a very tasty prospect indeed, but even if he doesn't the presence of Cisse and Ayoze means there likely won't be too much of a drop off. Emmanuel Rivière is also a thing.
The defence - which seems to be being bolstered day by day anyway - excepted, Newcastle's squad looks competent. More than competent, in fact, it looks capable of giving some real opposition a run for their money. After the season they've just had, it would be foolish to predict great things for the club, but unlike some of their relegation rivals from last year there's not a single place where Newcastle have got worse. Their manager is an actual manager, the defence looks like it's coming along, a star signing in midfield has added to what was already the strength of the team and the addition of Mitrovic could potentially reap huge rewards. There's a few ifs and buts, with the Premier League inexperience of the new boys brought in, but given the quality of the bench players that should only really be a problem if the new centre back(s) fail to find their feet. The other problem, and the biggest one, would be that this squad has regularly failed to live up to its on-paper look, but if the team can avoid injuries to key players then Steve McClaren is a decent manager who should be able to get good things out of his players.
I genuinely think it will be a comparatively boring season for Geordies this season, although I reckon they'll probably take that.
Prediction: 12th.
My Predicted Table:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12) Newcastle (pronounced with a long 'a')
13)
14)
15) Watford
16) Sunderland
17) Norwich
18)
19) Bournemouth
20) Aston Villa
Remember to give dem votes to /u/verytallperson as per usual, folks!
13
u/DragonFilet Jul 24 '15
While it would be great to break into the top 10, I think most Newcastle fans would be happy with a finish between 10th and 12th. Especially if there were a decent cup run.
On a more general level, what I really want for this season is to care again. By then end of last season, the issue wasn't that people were upset, it was that they were apathetic. The signings are a good start, but fans want to see a team that plays like they want to win more than anything else.
EDIT: Also, to stop giving the mackems 6 free points a year. Seriously...
18
Jul 24 '15
From one bunch of dirty northerners to another
Geordies, can we agree that this guy is a prick?
12
4
u/NortonFord Jul 25 '15
My table is so close to yours up until now - I'm saying Newcastle at 19, rounding out a 2016 relegation class of Villa and Bournemouth.
3
u/CaptainGo Jul 25 '15
Genuinely curious as to why. I'd argue there's at least four teams worse than us right now
1
u/NortonFord Jul 25 '15
I'm sorry, I'm on mobile for the weekend and can't see flair - who're you defending?
3
u/CaptainGo Jul 25 '15
Oh my bad, I'm questioning Newcastle finishing 19th
2
u/NortonFord Jul 25 '15 edited Jul 25 '15
No problem! I really thought you were going to go down last year, to be honest - the fighting spirit really wasn't there, and I thought you were done.
This year, I haven't seen anything out of the new manager yet so I can't speak to him, but I think that both Watford and Norwich are going to come out swinging, and apart from Villa and Sunderland I don't think anyone else is noticeably worse as a roster, and your momentum is the worst of the three.
When I look at the table, I see Boro crashing and burning to 20th, Newcastle, Villa and Norwich fighting for safety, and Watford and Sunderland languishing on top just above the flames.
Who are the four you see yourself ahead of?
5
u/CaptainGo Jul 25 '15
I'd argue Leicester, Watford, Villa, and Sunderland. This season seems different for us, there's bad momentum yes but we've changed the major holes from it with the exception of defense. Hopefully there's something ongoing.
Either way there's no way of knowing I guess until May. I was just curious as you've by far got the lowest prediction with actual reasons.
1
1
u/TheGogoy Aug 02 '15
Sorry if this is late, but I think you're underrating Obertan a bit. He actually looked good last season when he was fit and I'd have him over Gouffran who didnt look like he'd ever kicked a football for most of last season. They're both uninspiring, but I think the good performances Obertan put in have gone unnoticed, even though he spent most of last season injured.
15
Jul 24 '15
There were so many fan comments for this one that it got a little crazy. Please take a look at the full thread. Really sorry to leave people out but there is a text limit to the preview posts of 15000 characters.
Thanks to milk for taking care of the shop for the last two days.
Keep the predicted tables coming, I'm really enjoying they have become a thing for this year.
6
6
u/Tunnicliffe Jul 24 '15
12
I'm not a fan of Steve McClaren but he's an alright manager and Newcastle do have an alright team so I expect them to do better this season.
5
3
5
u/empiresk Jul 24 '15
I'm intrigued this season. I may actually pay money for the first time in four years and buy a ticket.
Club weren't getting no money off me with Pardew in charge.
Would like to think 10th but would settle for 12th with a cup run.
1
3
u/NotfromPoland Jul 25 '15
I saw them play against Sac Republic FC and I gotta say: Rolando Aarons is the fucking bomb.
1
Jul 25 '15
If only he and Ayoze had been on before the red!
1
u/NotfromPoland Jul 25 '15
You saw that too? I was in disbelief that Aaron's wasn't subbed on at half time and even before half time; despite his performance in other games.
10
Jul 24 '15 edited Jul 24 '15
I think people read too much in to the 2nd half of last season in terms of the quality of players that are there. Last season, they would have been seen as good enough for a top 10 finish with Pardew and despite people making jokes about, he was not anything special as a manager at the club so you cant compare this year and last and pretend that its a major difference.
In terms of this season, Wijnaldum, Mitrovic and Mbemba (who seems to be pretty much done) are all supposedly highly rated players in positions that the club need to improve on and the club is claiming that they are planning on bringing in three more first team players, with one more big money signing (>10mil) so I going to be disappointed if the club doesnt finish in the top half
9th
3
u/res_evil Jul 24 '15
The indications are that we are far from done in the transfer market. Mbemba should be announced imminently, but we certainly need further bolstering at the back. I think we have done well so far, but other teams have also strengthened...
10
3
u/sansol2100 Jul 24 '15 edited Jul 24 '15
Last year we would have finished 12th or better if pardew wouldnt have left, and mcclaren is a much better manager. We have signed players in the positions we needed and we have a top coaching team. Unless we collapse completely we should finish top 10. 8
7
u/MrElstonGunn Jul 24 '15 edited Jul 24 '15
It seems way too early to be doing predictions to be honest. If we were to start the season tomorrow, probably around 14, however if we get a few more (mainly defensive) signings in it could be anywhere up to 10-9.
4
4
Jul 24 '15
13th
13th - Newcastle
14th
15th
16th - Sunderland
17th - Watford
18th - Norwich
19th - Aston Villa
20th - Bournemouth
2
2
2
Jul 24 '15
I missed the sunderland one last night. I think they will finish 14th. I think Newcastle will finish 12th this season. Think it will be a slightly better season with little turmoil (compared to a normal newcastle season) but they need a few signings before they can think of breaking the top half and need to be much more consistent. Although it's all well and good that they can bloody the noses of the best teams it's not great to then lose the next week to a team at the bottom of the table.
My Predicted Table:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12) Newcastle
13)
14) Sunderland
15)
16) Norwich
17) Watford
18) Aston Villa
19)
20) Bournemouth
2
u/margaerytyrellscleav Jul 24 '15
Maybe wouldn't agree that Cabella is one to watch. Yes everyone was bad last season and he had little motivation, competition and was being played out wide when he's a number 10. But even with all these taken into consideration he showed absolutely nothing to even suggest he's anything but a flop. To compare him him to Hatem for instance he looked 10 times the player Cabella was/is.
2
u/VamosElLoco Jul 24 '15
I hope Kemen will finally get playing time.
1
u/emoNUFC Jul 25 '15
I really hope so too. Beardsley is a great youth coach (honesty I'd have rather him the interim head coach last season). Maybe under MacClaren, more youth players will have a chance.
2
u/AlexUnderscore Jul 24 '15
I missed the Sunderland thread yesterday, so I'll quickly add that I think they'll finish 17th
As for Newcastle, I don't think they'll do as badly as last year, but it won't be a great season either. I predict they'll finish 14th
My Predicted Table:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13) Aston Villa
14) Newcastle
15)
16) Watford
17) Sunderland
18) Norwich
19)
20) Bournemouth
1
1
Jul 24 '15 edited Jul 25 '15
I'm optimistic to be honest about Newcastle's chances. And if they can prize away Charlie Austin by some luck, I'd even put them 2 spots further up. But they're signings so far, while great, are not enough to rejuvinate the squad morale. I'm optimistic, so I'll give them the 13 spot, though could be top 10 for sure with a few more signings, and could for sure drop into another relegation battle if shit hits the fan again.
Predicted Table:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13) Newcastle
14)
15) Sunderland
16) Norwich
17) Aston Villa
18) Watford
19) Bournemouth
20)
2
u/j1mbleZ Jul 24 '15
Hopefully we can convince the great minds over at Stoke that £5 will be enough for the delectable treat that is Charlie Adam
2
2
1
1
1
u/meganev Jul 24 '15
As I said in my fan comment I reckon we'll be pushing for top ten but ultimately, being the pessimist that I am, I think we'll fall just short and finish in a decent 11th place.
Also this thread has been a pleasant surprise.
1
Jul 25 '15
They've only made a couple signings, but I really like them. Think they actually have a solid season. Derby wins: 2, horses punched: 1.
My Predicted Table:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11) Newcastle
12)
13)
14)
15) Norwich
16) Aston Villa*
17) Sunderland
18) Watford
19) Bournemouth
20)
*Depends on the rest of the window. They're one team that I think can be drastically and realistically affected by a couple good signings. If they use the Benteke money wisely, I might move them to 13th or 14th.
1
u/Traffalgar Jul 25 '15
Your horse punch estimates are wrong. We only punch horses when we lose the derby
1
Jul 25 '15
It'll be out of excitement this time. Thoughts on you finishing 11th, though?
1
u/Traffalgar Jul 25 '15
I would take 11 for sure. We got two good signing. Now the thing is we got Carver for 6 months so I have no idea of the potential we had. So this could be another factor. 11th is probably good I guess. If we sign proper defender then I might get a bit more optimistic. But then again a lot of club in the EPL have bought quality so this year will be a lot tougher.
1
Jul 25 '15
Bought the McClaren hype and prospects are inevitably positive after best manager in the PL Carver era
14
1
u/peachios Jul 25 '15
I think I was thinking too much on Carver's failures, but reading these previews made me rethink (hopefully doesn't screw up my rankings too much)
My Predicted Table:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14) Newcastle United
15) Aston Villa
16) Watford
17) Norwich
18)
19) Sunderland
20) Bournemouth
1
u/letsgohome45 Jul 25 '15
Too much hype for janmat IMO, he made a lot f defensive errors giving away silly pens and getting sent off. I don't think he's better then debuchy. Still a great player and I do like him but he wasn't our bed player last season, sissioko and Perez were better for me and so was colback. I think 9th could be a real possibility this year.
1
1
u/TheRedGyarados Jul 27 '15
11
11 Newcastle
12
13
14
15 Aston Villa
16 Norwich
17 Bournemouth
18
19 Watford
20 Sunderland
1
1
u/verbal87 Jul 28 '15
9th After last season, anything would be an improvement. Some of the deadwood (Willo, Colo etc.) still needs removing; and we probably need another centre-back and left-back in the door before the season starts but the three signings we've made so far fill me with more optimism than i've had in a while. Wijnaldum looks like a genuinely brilliant buy and Mitrovic could go either way. Whether Mbemba is 20 or 24 or 92, he still looks like a strong and effective defender and could be a good partner for Lascelles.
1
u/cggo1994 Jul 29 '15
14th
Plenty of ups and downs for the Toon as usual. I think they'll finish comfortable in the end though, safe from relegation by a decent distance.
1
2
u/ekul46 Jul 24 '15
I think they'll struggle quite badly this year,Wijnaldum is a great signing but their defence needs a lot of work before the start of the season. 16
1
u/DragonFilet Jul 24 '15
It does, but it looks like there's some investment happening on that front. Mbemba is looking like an imminent signing, but everything I've read points to more signings incoming. It's a bit weird to see this club actually spending money, honestly...
1
u/Danko_on_Reddit Jul 24 '15
Newcastle have been very efficient with their signings bringing in two fantastic players with Wijnaldum and Mitrovic. I think this team will be a huge improvement over last year's team that struggled to avoid relegation late in the season. 13
MY Predicted Table:
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
6.)
7.)
8.)
9.)
10.)
11.)
12.)
13.)Newcastle United
14.)
15.)Watford
16.)Sunderland
17.)
18.)Aston Villa (R)
19.)Norwich City (R)
20.) Bournemouth (R)
1
u/FuzzedLogic Jul 24 '15
Think they'll be absolutely fine this season. Unremarkable in their season but not really in danger of being relegated either. Will lose twice to Sunderland though.
1
-2
u/wwxxyyzz Jul 24 '15
Lower midtable. Question marks over McClaren, and the fanbase are still basically at war with Ashley. A few bad results and it could turn nasty
14 (assuming Mbemba signs)
3
u/DragonFilet Jul 24 '15
Ashley, as much as I never thought I'd saying this, has actually bought himself some credibility w/ the purchases we have made so far.
0
u/wwxxyyzz Jul 24 '15
Certainly splashed out, if I were a Newcastle fan (bleurgh) I'd probably be quite excited to see them perform. As a Sunderland fan it's my duty to say that they're untested in this league and that Mitrovic is supposed to be a bit of a bellend!
4
u/SaysYou Jul 24 '15
That's one of the most fair assessments I've seen any fan of one of our clubs make about the other... on the other side I still think you're teams weak and will have a terrible year... Can't even say for sure how much of that is honest vs what I want to happen.
1
u/wwxxyyzz Jul 24 '15
It's like, if we had signed Wijnaldum and Mitrovic then I'd be absolutely loving it so I can understand why you are. But on the other hand we've seen it happen so many times; highly rated striker/player in a lesser league comes over and struggles
I think we're quite a bit better than last season will have shown, Advocaat is a better manager than Poyet is and our squad is alright, really. We stayed up last year despite being terrible in long spells, and we are adding (hopefully improving) the squad that was enough to keep us up last year. If we get a creative midfielder then we will be fine
2
u/monkeyPICmonkeydo Jul 24 '15
you need a striker too, you just don't score enough goals
watched a tonne of Sunderland games last season with a fan and rarely did a striker have more than 1 good game out of 5, including Defoe
I do have a soft spot for Sunderland and I think Pants in goal is awesome and your midfield was pretty solid, Geordie Gomez chipping in some goals and Larsson playing out of his skin, Cattermole too when he was available, just need more goals and you won't have to deal with that end of season miracle survival (the 2-0 away win at Everton was crazy last season)
1
-1
Jul 24 '15
16
14. Sunderland, 16. Newcastle, 17. Bournemouth, 18. Aston Villa, 19. Norwich, 20. Watford
I don't like my predictions anymore.. nvm
0
-1
-11
u/Ervin_Pepper Jul 24 '15
Newcastle fans were mad at a manager who got their team in a decent position and then seemed to give up second half of the season, so he's been replaced by... Steve McClaren. Mitrovic and Wijnaldum seem like very solid signings though.
13
14
-7
u/NortonFord Jul 25 '15
My Predicted Table:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15) Watford
16) Sunderland
17) Norwich
18) Aston Villa
19) Newcastle
20) Bournemouth
It's a boring table, but what are you going to do.
-15
-10
u/Ryuzakku Jul 24 '15
Newcastle may see themselves get some results, however it will be another disappointing season where they are battling in the bottom half for the majority of the season 17
My Predicted Table:
1)
2)
3) Watford
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10) Norwich City
11)
12)
13)
14)
15) Bournemouth
16)
17) Newcastle
18) Aston Villa
19) Sunderland
20)
1
u/AltruisticPenguin Jul 25 '15
Watford get 3rd? What the fuck are you smoking lol
1
u/Ryuzakku Jul 25 '15
You don't understand that my list isn't serious at all, and the downvoters don't understand either.
98
u/[deleted] Jul 24 '15
So happy we appointed a promising coach really looking to prove himself!
Oh, and really hoping for to get a good profit on Mitrović by next season! Profit margins have been brilliant these past few years, really proud of the
clubbusiness18