Newcastle United Season Preview: internal tensions?

Not only did Newcastle win promotion from the Championship last year, they came first with more points than five of the last six title-winners. Does the club get enough credit for that achievement? Supporter Carl Hudson speaks to The Football Lab ahead of the new season.

Possibly not. It was expected that we return as champions, and we did so nothing unexpected. However, I don’t think we had as strong a squad as we did when we went down in 2009 and I thought Rafa bought just to get us out of the league, so I don’t think we had as good a team as last time. Also, I’m not a big fan of wholesale changes as they can take time to gel. Plus there was an awful lot of squad rotation up to Christmas.

All that said it would’ve been nicer to have won some of the games that we should have been expected to win. Up to the point I had to stop going (early March) it was like a relegation season in that you were never too confident if we were going to win!

Being there for the final game, and hearing the results coming through on my radio and knowing we’d won the championship was great though.

I did take umbrage with some fans saying we bought our way out of the league. We made a decent profit in the transfer market so we sold to buy. And if Spurs were stupid enough to pay so much for Sissoko, then who are we to say no. Good work Mr Levy!

It seems that the personal ambition of Rafa Benitez is not matched by that of Mike Ashley. Do you think there are internal tensions?

It’s a tough one. Rafa was patently displeased with the lack of action in January. However, we don’t really know what happens behind the scenes. I think Ashley has finally learnt his lesson on how to run a football club. He won’t bankroll the club (which is good) but has announced all proceeds the club makes go to the squad (whatever that makes). And I think Ashley definitely realised he’s on a good thing with Rafa at the club.

Until Ashley leaves and Sheikh Geordie comes along, there will always be a section of fans who will complain about how much is being spent. The Fair Play Rules may make things different, but I really don’t think we should be held to ransom on transfer fees just because we’re Newcastle United.

Ciaran Clark and Jamaal Lascelles have only ever proven themselves consistently at Championship level. Although Florian Lejeune has signed, are you surprised you’ve not signed a centre-back with Premier League experience?

When Lascelles came in during the relegation season I thought he was awesome, something the fans could really get behind; his attitude was what the fans had been wanting for years. To make him captain was a bit of a mistake and I think it got to him; a captain being dropped doesn’t do anyone any good.

Mbemba also did good in the Premier League but didn’t seem to dominate in the lower league (same with Mitrovic & Perez). I must admit I know nothing about Lejeune, hopefully he can settle in without any problems. However, Newcastle have been needing a good, experienced centre-back for a lot of years, so yes, at the moment, I’m surprised we haven’t signed a “name”.

DeAndre Yedlin looked better going forward last season than Paul Dummett. Are you surprised you’ve signed another right-back, but not a left-back?

I think Dummett gets a lot of undeserved criticism from a section of fans. He’s no Roberto Carlos but he’s usually pretty solid (his mistakes get highlighted a lot more than others). Dummett can play centre-back too and Rafa has used the three centre-backs formation a number of times. Would I be happy to see Marcelo come to Newcastle though? Of course, the team can always be improved, but lets not change for the sake of changing. And no, I’m not comparing Dummett to Marcelo, and I really don’t think Marcelo will come to Newcastle!

Jonjo Shelvey and Matt Ritchie were outstanding in the Championship. Is the test for them to dominate games at a higher level?

Definitely. Shelvey had a number of good games when he first arrived but not enough to keep us up. It’s hard to believe he’s still only 25 years old, he seems to have been around forever. He has England aspirations and I think this is probably his final chance to make the step up. Same for Ritchie, although playing for Scotland I think his international task is a little easier.

There are a lot of players who need to show what they can do in the top division.

Who do you see as the most likely partner to Shelvey – can Isaac Hayden step up?

Hayden has the potential to be a class player. I think he and Shelvey can make a great partnership. Fingers crossed this is also his season.

A lot of fans weren’t convinced by Christian Atsu last season, but he’s signed permanently. Is there more pressure on some of the wingers to step up with Jacob Murphy signing?

I wasn’t overly impressed with what I saw of Atsu last season. Lots of pace, ability to get to the line but his end product often left a lot to be desired.

Dwight Gayle was in excellent form before his injury in the second half of last season. Is another striker needed?

Yes, competition is always good.

Newcastle aside, what are your thoughts ahead of the Premier League season as a whole?

To be honest, I’m not really bothered. The money in the Premier League is killing the England team. I think it’s sickening that English players are happy to warm a bench rather than play every game. If I were England manager I’d only pick players who were first choice for their league team. Then the best English players would be scattered around the league playing every week and the lower teams wouldn’t have to buy sub-standard imports.

Where will you finish? You didn’t get the Wembley trip you wanted last year…

As you know I’m always the optimist when it comes to my team. I think 14th will be a great season so long as the players with potential actually start fulfilling that and we can build for the forthcoming seasons. I do think we should be challenging for both cups as it’s a way into Europe and European football is great. League cup in 2018, UEFA Cup in 2019, back in the Champions league within two years 
I’m glad we didn’t get the play off finals, it’s much better finishing as champions!

The Football Lab’s Verdict

Newcastle’s dominant Championship campaign suggests they will adapt well, with a strong midfield led by Shelvey and Ritchie. Experience may be lacking, but Benitez has re-built bridges with fans, so a top half finish could be on the cards. 10th 

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