NEWCASTLE UNITED fans may still be revelling in the £305million takeover of their club by a Saudi Arabian-backed investment group, but on the pitch the team are struggling to avoid being cut adrift at the bottom of the table.
Despite having the financial muscle to match any other club’s bid for the biggest names in the game, they are unable to bring new faces into the club, and their recently-installed manager Eddie Howe has a wait on his hands before he can strengthen his squad.
On current form, the playing staff are nowhere near good enough to stay in the Premier League, and there is still a month to go before the transfer window opens.
The big fear is they may be left with too much ground to make up by the time January comes around, with a run of fixtures coming up which includes games against Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Howe needs to strengthen throughout his squad but his priority is in defence, his current back-line is devoid of confidence and quality. They boast the worst record in the division with 30 goals already conceded, and they have yet to keep a clean sheet in the league this season.
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The bookies have the Magpies as odds on to be relegated, 8/13, and they’ll need a tremendous second half to the season to have any chance of staying up. Norwich remain favourites for the drop at 2/9 Nigerian bookies, with Watford available at 5/6 for an immediate return to the Championship following their promotion in May.
Those hovering in mid-table are not safe from the threat of relegation with promoted Brentford available at betting odds 5/1 with a current offer at bet365 UK to finish in the bottom three despite an encouraging start to the season. Check out other available betting apps as some of them may offer new users better markets and prices. For example, with just a few points separating around half a dozen clubs, the likes of Southampton, 8/1, and Crystal Palace, 12/1, will be constantly fearing the clubs below them are able to put a run together.
Newcastle go into a must-win game against fellow strugglers Burnley on the back of a draw in their must-win game against Norwich City – an early red card for defender Ciaran Clark was a disaster for Newcastle against the Canaries, and despite taking the lead through a Callum Wilson penalty they succumbed to a Teemu Pukki late goal.
They are yet to win this season, and Howe admitted: “The challenge ahead is huge, we are under no illusions. But I’m a positive guy and I believe we can achieve what we need to do. Of course, that needs to show in the games and we need to get the wins that we need – draws are not going to be enough; we need to win matches.
“First and foremost, you need to have the spirit within the group to deliver what you need and I feel, since we’ve been here, the spirit and togetherness has grown.”
Defeat against Burnley would leave the Magpies at least three points below second-bottom, and potentially nine points from safety ahead of a run of games they seem ill-equipped to gain any points from.
If they pulled off the great escape, the Magpies would have to buck a whole host of trends, with no team in their position at this point of the season being able to save themselves from the drop.
