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Don’t expect cup pick-me-up for Newcastle United
It is fair to say that the 2015/16 campaign has been something of a struggle for Newcastle United, and that is putting things mildly. After scrapping their way to safety on the final day last season, with Mike Ashley breaking his silence to assure supporters that funds would be made available and the rather out-of-sorts John Carver being removed from his managerial post, more would have been expected this term. Steve McClaren may not have been the first choice for many, but he remains a coach with a spell in charge of England on his CV and enjoyed considerable success while in the North East with Middlesbrough between 2001 and 2006. He is, however, along with everyone else at St James’ Park, finding out the hard way that it is difficult to shake a club out of a rut once they become firmly entrenched in one.
There have been false dawns – a 6-2 mauling of Norwich City was expected to free the Magpies of their shackles, while a battling 1-0 victory over Bournemouth suggested that there was some fight left in the stomach yet. Newcastle have plumbed new depths since then, though, with there an alarming lack of spirit and character shown during a 3-0 defeat to Leicester City on home soil and a humbling 5-1 reversal at the hands of former boss Alan Pardew and his Crystal Palace charges. Those looking for a crumb of comfort, something to cling to as the hectic, and potentially season-defining, festive period approaches should be growing a little concerned. A meeting with Aston Villa on December 19th looks to be a must win, even at this stage, but outside of that, the Magpies’ next eight fixtures will see them take on Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, West Bromwich Albion away, Arsenal, Manchester United and West Ham United. It may well be that things get worse before they get better, and cup competition is unlikely to provide any solace either. Newcastle, given their current woes, would not be expected to garner much support within FA Cup betting markets, and their recent track record suggests they could be poised for another early exit.
A club starved of major honours for some 60 years now have crashed out at the third round stage in each of the last three seasons – to Leicester, Cardiff and Brighton, so they cannot say the draw has been unkind to them – and six times in the last nine years, with only the fourth round reached in the other three campaigns. Clearly, there are issues to address there, but this probably is not the season in which to be placing too much emphasis on then. While a cup run would be nice and may help to deflect some of the attention away from struggles in the league, Premier League survival has to be the main priority and any possible distractions should be avoided at all costs. Ashley spoke of a desire to bring silverware to Tyneside back in May, in an effort to rally the troops and indulge in a bit of positive PR, but do not be surprised if McClaren, if he remains in a job by then, does not put too many eggs in the FA Cup basket come third round weekend in January.
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