Beat the deadbeats or Toon are in big trouble
HOME MATCHES AGAINST STRUGGLERS NEED TO BE WON
DEEP breath, fight the good fight to restrict the relentless spread of coronavirus and move on.
What comes next? A great opportunity actually, that’s what.
Newcastle’s next two home games are against West Bromwich in a week’s time and then Fulham.
Two of the supposed deadbeats. If you cannot overcome them right now without having to leave town then you are in real Premier League trouble.
Even United, not the most reliable of teams upon which to hitch your wagon, ought to be able to muster a points collection against two sides who appear to be yo-yoing back to the Championship.
I don’t care that both claimed rare victories last time out.
Even Newcastle, who can be scared of their own shadow at times timidly tip-toeing into matches, must fancy their chances. If they don’t, where do points come from?
United found a bolder selection foot to put forward at Crystal Palace without changing the match stats and at the death turned one point into three.
However, defeat automatically follows victory in the Premier League arena this campaign for a see-saw club.
This time, of course, the Magpies have notwaited for the next match.
They have taken a knee to the onslaught of coronavirus.
Knocked out by an all-consuming intrusive pandemic which is gripping the globe.
Ironic, isn’t it, that on an epic weekend when fans are being let back into selected grounds for the very first time, United have gone the opposite way, closed down and their game postponed because their players have been infected.
It would appear the “Sob on the Tyne2 has now come back to haunt the section of Aston Villa fans whose twisted sense of delight at Newcastle’s fleeting demise of recent years has so poisoned terrace rivalry. They are sobbing now because the Premier League have not ruled that United must forfeit the match and awarded the three points to Villa. What a shame!
Words have been spewing forth across the claret and blue section of Birmingham that “Steve Bruce and co should be very grateful they have not been made to forfeit the game.” Villa have been lauded for their generosity and dignity at not kicking up a fuss at PL headquarters and United fans had better remember we owe them one.
Well I never. Maybe such a stance has been taken because there are many Geordiebaiters on the Villa terraces, a general dislike of Bruce (left) from his time as their leader or the fact they believed this would have been the match to return them to winning ways given Newcastle’s up-and-down form.
Well, we believed this was our opportunity too.
After Villa came out of the traps like Usain Bolt they have hit the buffers, totting up four defeats in their last five matches – three of them on the bounce at home.
Let me stress the Villa club themselves have been great and a large proportion of decent fans sympathetic because of the seriousness of the virus outbreak.
It is just the banner-wavers who feel aggrieved. As I say, a real shame that. Those on a protest march have cited as part of their case that Leyton Orient were forced to forfeit their League Cup tie with Spurs when coronavirus struck – but there was a significant difference. There is little time for a turnaround in knockout competitions but in the league the season is that much longer to accommodate re-arrangements.
Even Simon Jordan, normally a radio rabble-rouser against Geordies, called the PL decision fair when set up to say the exact opposite.
There is a big “if” to a welcome comeback against West Brom with the promise of possible victory, because it will only happen if things like the 10-day isolation period and restriction of further corona cases is met.
The good news as we approach this not-so-jolly festive period with quarter of the season already gone is that United actually stand above the Premier’s previously blue-chip performers Arsenal in the league rankings.
The bad news is they are no higher than their usual 13th place despite three welcome points last time on the grass.
Perhaps it tells us more about Arsenal’s underachievers than our lot.
The North Londoners are coming up in the FA Cup too, which at first glance is c o n f i rmat i o n Bruce’s ridiculous luck with domestic cup draws has come to an end as it surely had to.
Then again, this is not the Gunners of the early Arsene Wenger days.
This Arsenal team is beatable – that is why they are below United as the weekend series of games are about to start with the Mags idle.
Even United ought to be able to muster a points collection against two sides yo-yoing back to the Championship John Gibson