Cloud Eight

The overachievement of Newcastle United this season has heaped further expectation and pressure onto the team.

It is time that someone, preferably Alan Pardew, takes a step back to highlight the following:

1. Man City (54pts)
2. Man Utd (51pts)
3. Tottenham (46pts)
4. Chelsea (41pts)
5. Arsenal (36pts)
6. Newcastle (36pts)

NUFC prop up only five teams and any level-headed Geordie would not be surprised to see those clubs above us especially at this stage in the season.

The attractive sixth spot comes as a result of a few factors:

• The Premier League adopting a pattern, the same which has run its rule over the Championship in recent years with it becoming so difficult to predict the outcome of any fixture.

• Two or three players at NUFC hitting 'Player of the Year' form to claim points which would ordinarily have been lost.

• Alan Pardew instilling a die-hard ethos into the playing squad as well as doing what he can to eliminate any high maintenance personnel who bring negativity towards the club (the exception is Hatem Ben Arfa who has outspoken about his prolonged bench-warming duty... understandable).

• A pinch of luck.

AP has turned NUFC from a club that is less stable than the coalition government into one that is now the surprise package of the season.

Newcastle United Manager Alan Pardew

AP hasn’t yet seen a campaign through from start to finish with Newcastle and he now speaks of the Europa League but in doing so he is lumping unwanted expectation onto not only the club but himself.

There are many potential hazards that could harm the club's domestic form e.g. the unavailability of Cheik Tiote and Demba Ba as well as The FA Cup padding out the current fixture list.

Last year, Premier League survival was all that any Geordie wanted to achieve and to escalate those targets within one year to qualifying for the Europa League is unrealistic despite current form.

The dangers of sitting on cloud nine are that everything is seen through rose-tinted spectacles and if somebody doesn’t turn down the pressure levels sooner rather than later, I predict that AP’s head will be on the block and once again the club will be back to square one.

It’s no secret that the Geordies have high expectations but there is absolutely no requirement for these expectations to be rocketed.

Can everyone please take one step back on to cloud eight and accept;

‘We are overachieving, enjoy it and build on this form game by game without that reluctance to prematurely rework our targets.’

Tevez, Torres, Iniesta and 'Campbell?'

Carlos Tevez, Fernando Torres, Andres Iniesta and Adam Campbell - a roll call of winners for the Most Valuable Player award at the Nike Premier Cup Tournament.

The U16 competition sees clubs and starlets from all over the world battle it out to lift the prestigious trophy with last summer seeing Newcastle United join Manchester United as the English representatives.

Although the young Magpies were seen off in a penalty shoot-out by Chilean outfit Colo Colo, there were some definite positives for the Geordies to take back to the North East with them.

Adam Campbell

Some may be wondering whether ‘Adam Campbell’ was a typo in the top line but I can confirm that the flame-haired forward did pick up the honour in 2011 along with the campaign’s golden boot sitting in his kitbag too.

There was little positivity to be seen in my previous blog around the club’s striking ranks but I think the just-turned 16 year-old provides everybody with food thought.

He becomes yet another name that the famous Wallsend Boys’ Club can boast amongst their case studies, a list which already includes Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley, Steve Bruce, Michael Carrick, Lee Clark, Michael Bridges and Steve Watson.

Although the youngster is yet to feature for the first team, he turned out for the reserves last term and has continued to perform well for the stiffs this season.

I was witness to him play thirty minutes against Bolton Wanderers reserves last February and my first thoughts were ‘Who’s that 12 year-old with the baggy shorts hanging over his kneecaps?’

I was left eating my words in admiration after seeing the below:

• Good ball retention.
• Displayed a low centre of gravity.
• Operated in a ‘behind the striker’ position.
• Stealth-like movement in some dangerous areas.
• Made some tidy touches without prolonging his possession.
• Scored with an assertive side footed finish into the bottom corner from 12 yards.

I believe the North Shields-born hopeful could have a great future ahead of him, providing he doesn’t forget what’s got him to where he is now and he receives the right advice from the right personnel with the right motives.

An exciting prospect who will hopefully follow suit of the other engraved names on the MVP trophy.

Strike A Match

Newcastle United, a Premier League club with a history and a reputation for prolific strikers. How can it be that a player of Shola Ameobi’s calibre has remained on Tyneside for 12 years?

It became quite clear by the time Ameobi hit his 24^th birthday that his potential had been overrated and lost in the wash, his legs still remain as gangly as ever. However I must admit he does offer the side an ‘X’ factor in that he may run riot with his physical presence but more often than not, he is a gamble and nothing more than a contingency plan to Demba Ba.

Peter Lovenkrands, Leon Best, Nile Ranger and Xisco were the only remaining forwards on the club’s payroll before yesterday’s signing of Papiss Demba Cisse from Bundesliga outfit Freiburg.

The point being that even a rocket scientist could tell you that excluding our Senegalese front two, the rest are not talented enough to wear the Premier League lion on their sleeve.

Lovenkrands – The Danish hitman was signed on a 6-month deal after a successful trial period back in January 2009, only to find himself surplus to requirements at the end of that contract. However due to a lack of both striking options and time in the following transfer window (no surprise there) the red-faced Toon hierarchy reverted their initial decision and strangely offered him nothing less than a three-year contract.

Best – A surprise signing given that the 25 year-old had never scored more than ten goals per season in the divisions below the Premier League. I assume that he can only have been acquired as nothing more than a stock player but the offering of his long contract may dint my theory.

Ranger – This young man has more notches on his rap sheet than his goal scoring chart. Late cameo roles have shown raw talent and promising physical attributes but likewise to the ongoing revelations that surround Toon target Ravel Morrison, the baggage he carries probably outweighs his talent - probably why is he out on loan and publicly excluded from Pardew’s plans.

Xisco – The Spaniard has spent more time on loan in his home nation than on Tyneside since his arrival and it’s a big surprise to me that more hasn’t been made of his outrageously big transfer fee (£5.7million) which has seen a return of nothing more than nine appearances and one goal since 2008! I do wonder about the scouting mechanisms that club’s employ.

I long to see a clear-out of deadwood in the summer, namely the above and of course Alan ‘Smudger’ Smith who continues to pick up £50,000 per week until at least this summer.

On the up, we have a potential deadly duo in Demba Ba and Papiss Demba Cisse but no doubt the football world will be at the ready to shoot them down but I have faith!

Blue Monday

It’s ‘Blue Monday’ today, the most depressing day of the year according to experts.

The start of a new working week is upon us with all winter festivities long gone and the realms of summertime far from reach.

However the Toon Army are an exception to the rule this year.

The Sports Direct Arena @ St. James’ Park was witness to the Magpies' collection of three points and in opposition to the traits of the black and white bird - the win was certainly not stolen.

Yesterday’s encounter between NUFC and QPR provided the perfect platform for Alan Pardew to select at team that would expectedly win and win they did, 1-0.

A home tie against a newly-promoted outfit was a no brainer for the bookies, fans or neutrals in backing Newcastle for the victory, ultimately mounting all the pressure onto the Tyneside outfit.

With top-scorer Demba Ba and engine room Cheik Tiote both unavailable, as they flew out in search of lifting the African Nations Cup for Senegal and Ivory Coast respectively, any sceptical Newcastle supporter would have been wary of an unpredictable QPR side.

This was a team in the perfect position to exercise the ‘new-manager-syndrome’ and come up trumps for Mark Hughes, likewise to the Mackem Muffins since Martin O’Neill's arrival.

Leon Best stole the headlines yesterday after his nifty footwork sent Rangers’ defender Luke Young for a custard pie before he slotted home into the bottom bin in collected fashion.

The Gaffer now has a team selection headache in ranking his forwards come the return of big DB. It was quite clear that before yesterday Shola Ameobi was the favoured option over the former Coventry City man but yet another sluggish performance from Ameobi and with the club quite openly seeking a new centre forward, it could be one of his last turn outs.

On the upside though, Danny Guthrie showed once again that he has technique, range of passing and a dynamic style of play that keeps the ball moving in the right areas.

With players like Tiote and Yohan Cabaye fighting for the same position, it is always going to be a losing battle for him to keep his place in the central midfield berth. His efforts are appreciated but his general reward is being stuck out on the flank in the return of the formers, only for one bad game to see him dropped again.

Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, to date the Scouser hasn’t sounded out his displeasure at being overseen, something that is quite an anomaly in football today.

That’s it, my first thoughts splashed straight down onto the page after yesterday’s game.