Newcastle Premier League Survival Guide
Newcastle is a proud football club with passionate fans and a rich tradition but it’s plan to see they are in serious trouble. Through eight games of the Premier League season they find themselves dead last with just three points and a goal difference of minus eleven. Their attention must quickly turn to finding a way to avoid the drop. Fortunately for them there is a clear path to improve on their train wreck start. They must commit to their youth players before it’s too late.
No one could have imagined that even with their recent lack of investment, Newcastle would be in such dire straights so early in the season. Fans were already howling prior to the start of the season due to the club’s lack of ambition in the transfer market. The most ardent Newcastle supporters shook their heads at the transfer of Yohan Cabaye with no real replacement. The departure of Alan Pardew followed and to add insult to injury, ended with the reuiniting of the two at Palace. Newcastle fans have every right to be furious at Mike Ashley and his poor club management. He’s clearly prioritized profit over performance and this philosophy has them teetering on the brink of disaster.
Unforrunately for Newcastle fans those decisions have already been made. Mike Ashley isn’t going anywhere before the season is over so they must search for salvation largely among players already at the club. The good news is that shifting their focus to youth players could be just that salvation. When you take a look at WhoScored.com’s player ratings you quickly notice that the top five rated players on the young season are all twenty five years old or younger. Absent from that top five are the club’s most established names like Colocinni, Sissoko Cisse and Thauvin. In ordinary times you’d count on those international stars to keep your head above water but they’ve been the culprits for the horrid start.
It’s definitely a risky strategy to commit fully to youth in the face of potential disaster, but it’s the right decision for Newcastle. Chancel Mbemba, Jack Colback, Georginio Wijnaldum, Ayoze Perez and Massadio Haidara make up the club’s present and future. The team would be wise to commit to them fully from this point on and live with the consequences. They cannot afford to waste any more time hoping that the old guard comes to their rescue.
There are strong signs present that Newcastle is going to go all in with its youth. Just today, the Express reported that their was an agreement in principle to sell Sissoko to AC Milan. I wouldnt be surprised to see several more established names find new homes in January as well. It would be wise for these funds to be reinvested in some younger Premier League experienced players for the stretch run though. Perhaps even some prudent purchases from the Championship would serve them well. They could certainly use some firepower up front like QPR’s Charle Austin although I do think he will prove out of their reach. Commiting to the youth might be more than a prudent philosophy for Newcastle, it may be the only course available due to Ashley’s fiscal reign.
For one, I hope that Newcastle is able to find a better patch of form and give Premier League survival a real go. Their passionate fan base certainly deserves it. If they are going to stay up it will be on the backs of their young, promising core. If they try to patch the squad over with veterans they will find themselves competing in the Championship instead of enjoying the cash and prestige of the Premier League.