Worry Toon can’t hold on to a lead
THERE are a worryingly long list of statistics which lay bare the worrying situation Newcastle United find themselves in at the moment.
Six defeats in seven matches, one win in 11, 15 goals conceded in their last five games. Those are but a few.
Yet perhaps one of the mostconcerning statistics associated with the Magpies at the moment relates to their inability to hold on to a lead.
Rafa Benitez’s men have dropped 11 points from winning positions this season, which is the most in the Premier League.
Add even a third of those on to Newcastle’s current haul, and United would be 10th with 19 points, rather than 16th and just two clear of the drop zone.
From losing positions this season, meanwhile, the Magpies have recovered just two points a 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool, and the 2-2 draw against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns last month.
As things stand, however, the Magpies are equidistant to bottom-side Crystal Palace (four points) as they are to 10th-placed Everton (19 points).
A win on Wednesday against Sam Allardyce’s Toffees may only mask Newcastle’s problems to a certain extent, but it would also help to alleviate the pressure which is building.
In fact, if United win on Wednesday and other results go their way in midweek, Newcastle would jump up to 12th in the table; in theory they could even go as high as 11th, but that would require a six-goal swing to Southampton, which appears unlikely.
So that is one uplifting statistic which should offer hope to Newcastle supporters. The Premier League table is so congested that one victory can change the picture dramatically - it’s just up to the United players, and Benitez, to deliver that now...