OPINION
There’s been a lot of negativity around Newcastle United over the past few years.
Time and time again they have fought to stave off relegation, twice succumbing to it’s tractor beam, and usually doing so with a sense of pragmatism and pessimism.
That’s indicative of the Mike Ashley tenure, and, to an extent, the reputation that precedes Rafa Benitez.
The Spaniard is renowned for prioritising organisation before anything else, and is keen to ensure that if his side’s aren’t going to win, they’re certainly not going to lose either.
With the quality of personnel at his disposal, that isn’t always possible, but you cannot deny that the Magpies’ manager has done an incredible job on Tyneside, and on the basis of Saturday’s emphatic 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town, there may be the hint that some of the grey clouds that have taken up residence over St. James’ Park could be about to shift.
Yes, they were playing against a side rooted to the foot of the league, but the way that Salmon Rondon, Ayoze Perez, and new boy Miguel Almiron linked up and ripped the Terriers to shreds, you get the impression that the Toon Army could be a side on the up.
An awful lot of the newfound creative spark came from the fresh impetus of the ever-lively Almiron, but the manner in which his running and intelligent eye complimented his new colleagues was truly exciting.
There are few, if any, clubs fighting relegation who can boast a frontline with as much potential to tear opposition defences apart, and at the end of the day, when goals are a precious commodity, that could be the difference for Newcastle.