TalkSport pundit Martin Keown has expressed his concern when it comes to Newcastle United and their battle against relegation.
Newcastle United are very much behind the eight-ball when it comes to staying in the Premier League this season as they currently sit 19th in the table and without a win to their name. The club have looked to change their fortunes with the appointment of Eddie Howe who will have to wait until next weekend for his first game.
With 27 games left in the season, there is still some time left for them to get out of trouble, however speaking on TalkSport (0:33), Keown expressed his concern for Newcastle United based on their upcoming games, stating that in the run-up to Christmas they might find themselves in a very tricky position:
“I mean, it’s going to be very difficult. I’m just sort of looking at the games for Newcastle; Brentford, Arsenal, Norwich, Burnley. Now there’s three teams in there that they really are going to have to get some points from, after that it’s Leicester, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Everton.
“Now this is before Christmas before the January window opens. Eddie Howe’s job could be in trouble at that point. Because if their expectations are they’re going to stay up there’s a huge pressure.”
TIF Thoughts on Martin Keown’s comments about Newcastle United
Will Newcastle avoid relegation this season?
Yes
No
Keown is right that those fixtures, especially the latter bunch do look incredibly tough on paper, and whilst there are always upsets in the Premier League, such as Crystal Palace beating Manchester City, it is hard to see how Newcastle United could pick up a reasonable amount of points in those games.
That’s why it is imperative that they need to pick up as many points as they can in that first batch to at least give themselves the best opportunity to still be in a reasonable position come the January window. Because if they look certainties to go down, then it’s hard to see how, even with the vast amount of money that they could throw at people, how they could attract players in January.
And if they can’t make big improvements in the squad, then it would be very hard to see how they could stay in the division for next year, which would put a major dent in the ambitious plans that the new owners have.
In other news: ‘A masterstroke’, ‘This is amazing’ – Many NUFC fans buzz over Sky Sports reporter’s update