RADIO
Newcastle United were in freefall for much of 2015. They survived more as a consequence of the lack of quality of the clubs eventually relegated rather than through their own efforts.
John Carver was Manager in name only and he never appeared to have the respect of the players. He hardly endeared himself to them either by some of his public statements. *Note to Managers - Wearing your heart on your sleeve is not really a prerequisite in the lower reaches of the EPL.
Editor’s Note: be sure to check out all of our articles, and read more about English Premier League (EPL, BPL) fantasy analysis and European football news.
Now former England manager Steve McLaren returns to the top flight of English Football. Whilst his reputation was to some extent repaired by his work in Holland and Germany he has still failed to deliver in English Football in spells with Nottingham Forest and Derby County.
This must be seen as the last chance for the so called 'Wally with the Brolley'. You can guarantee whatever the weather there is no chance whatsoever of Steve McLaren being spotted publicly ever again with an umbrella in hand.
The Newcastle fans are not renowned for their patience. The Newcastle owner is not renowned for spending money. As a result the purchases of Georginio Wijnaldum from PSV Eindhoven and Aleksander Mitrovic from Anderlecht are key moves.
Mitrovic scored 36 goals last season, but the EPL is a step up in class and for every success there are countless failures such as Luke De Jong, Albert Luque and Stephane Guivarc'h at Newcastle alone. Riviere and Perez have hardly been world beaters and so the pressure will be on for Mitrovic to make a good start. Expect him to play week in and week out and be potentially available to score in fantasy play each week.
Newcastle still seem to have a very weak squad in comparative terms. Daryl Janmaat is an accomplished Defender, but the midfield lacks creativity. Moussa Sissoko is a hard working player although in the EPL you need a little more than that. Newcastle are certainly not the team they were with Yohan Cabeye. The Toon will have a long season ahead and unless McLaren's arrival can galvanize the squad quickly he could again find his position to be vulnerable.
Prediction: The season will be another difficult one but the Toon will survive (15th).
Players to watch: Daryl Janmatt (Defender), Georginio Wijnaldum (Midfield), Aleksander Mitrovic (Attacker).
Football Chat Room
Share Your Thoughts
[iflychat_embed id="c-60" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]
