The dark outlook for Newcastle United as the winter kicks in and new battle against relegation looks likely
MIKE Ashley’s confession that Newcastle United are effectively in a relegation battle this season transmits a worrying message to fans as another long dark winter kicks in.
The Magpies fended off the drop with four matches to spare in the Premier League last season with a 1-0 win at Leicester City.
It was at the King Power Stadium in 2018 where a 2-1 win clinched their place in the top flight the year before with six games to go.
Rafa Benitez did not want to say publicly the club was in a relegation struggle but he knew he would have to squeeze every last drop out of his players in the last two seasons.
However, ever the gambler, Ashley did not agree with Benitez’s plans to make United a more stable force in the Premier League.
In short, the Spaniard was sick of fighting relegation and wanted a different challenge.
Ten games into the Steve Bruce era on Tyneside, it appears Ashley’s levels of ambition ease any type of internal pressure on him.
In the club’s accounts, Ashley said: “The club will have challenges to face as it looks to remain in the Premier League subsequent to the 2019-20 season.”
It was the type of statement David Moyes was slaughtered for when in charge of Sunderland just before he took them down.
Yet Ashley knows what the odds are of staying up and has gambled before in what can only be deemed a dangerous game.
He rolled the dice in 2013 when a January shopping spree resulted in Moussa Sissoko, Mapou YangaMbiwa, Massadio Haidara, Yoan Gouffran and Mathieu Debuchy all coming through the door.
Back then relegation was staved off with just a game to go. In 2015, it went right down to the wire as Ashley decided against replacing Alan
Pardew with a permanent manager, bringing in John Carver instead as caretaker - with no money to spend!
It took a last-gasp win over West Ham to secure safety that day.
Ashley tried something similar in 2016 when he first handed Steve McClaren the funds to buy Andros Townsend and Jonjo Shelvey along with Seydou Doumbia on loan.
It failed to address the slump and he ended up costing himself more money by dispensing of McClaren’s services and paying big bucks to bring in Benitez but nothing could prevent relegation that year.
With nine points on the board and Bruce looking to find another 10 wins
from his remaining 28 games, Ashley has taken a back seat at Newcastle and will assess the situation as he goes along. Bruce is capable of churning out enough points but does so with a squad containing many players who are not really his.
Talk of spending in January has already been played down by the head coach but, if the Magpies are in trouble, Bruce may have no choice but to ask Lee Charnley for money.
Under McClaren, United relied on the hit-and-miss guidance of Graham Carr until Benitez came in and ensured he had a final-say clause on incoming business.
Bruce does not have that in his contract but instead must use his sway to work with head of recruitment Steve Nickson and two men he has known for decades in Paul Baker and Mick Tait, two of the influential foot soldiers in terms of talent spotting around Europe.
Ashley’s biggest fear is losing out on Premier League revenue such as TV money and merit funds.
Losing out on money for that “prolonged period,” like Sunderland and Middlesbrough, will hurt him the most and could even lead to him selling the club for a knockdown price if they sunk into the Championship.
Such is the dislike for Ashley by some supporters it is a scenario they may even be prepared to take if it meant him selling up.
The reality is Ashley faces a big shopping spree in terms of recruitment either in January or the next summer window under Bruce.
However, as senior players such as Rob Elliot, Javier Manquillo, Ki, Jamie Sterry and Federico Fernandez come to the end of their contracts,, Bruce has the job of motivating a squad of players whose second nature has become surviving at the top level.
If injuries cut into the squad again, leaving Bruce in serious trouble and trying to gee up players who have no future, could this be one gamble too many for Newcastle?