Let’s get job done so we can all relax
UNITED MUST CASH IN AFTER PROMOTION RIVALS STUMBLE
LET’S mop our brows and be positive. Surely Newcastle United will be promotion winners tonight.
While United have dithered and twitched of late, others have come generously bearing gifts – nearest rivals Huddersfield and Reading both spectacularly lost in this latest round of games.
It all means that Newcastle will go up this very night should they be able to put Preston North End to the sword.
That simply must happen. They cannot look a gift horse in the mouth and say ‘no thanks.’
True, United have pulled in only one point from their last nine and won but two of their last eight matches. That’s dreadful for a big club on the cusp of a return to topflight football, but with pressure now virtually off, all that is required is one final concerted effort over an hour and a half.
Huddersfield have imploded even more than Newcastle – Fulham must be play-off favourites without question – and Reading have equally come up short when away. Thank heaven for the failings of others.
United are looking to complete a hat-trick of victories over Preston this season and Aleksandar Mitrovic, anything but a prolific goalscorer, loves them, having scored four goals in the previous two matches against Tom Finney’s adored club.
Preston were slaughtered here 6-0 in the League Cup and edged out 2-1 there in the Championship. Mitro claimed two of the six and both in the league. He’ll be itching to get on the park.
If in need of further hope, then let us remember that the only two victories attained in a shoddy eight-match run by United were attained at SJP. Home has become better in terms of success than away all of a sudden. It may look as though we’ve got North End’s number but it won’t be as easy as that. They can be decent and Newcastle have given opposition reasons to be optimistic recently. So it all comes down to attitude and guts. It is about time United helped themselves rather than accept a leg up from others. It’s time for self respect and a flourish to end the season.
Victory tonight, same at Cardiff, and same again on the final day against Barnsley back up here. Then we can forget recent failings.
The PFA Championship Team of the Year was released in the last few days and made interesting reading. Jonjo Shelvey and Dwight Gayle were a shoo-in, of course, but United’s third pick was a tad more eyebrow raising.
Jamaal Lascelles, who can look elegant on a good day, has struggled desperately of late. Ciaran Clark is a more consistent centre-back.
And as for the omission of Matt Ritchie (pictured left), he is my United player of the year above all others so that was a glaring mistake. I guess most of the voters must only see United when they play them.
No matter. It’s the team that is important right now and the result tonight more than ever. Let’s get the job done and tension drain away.