There never seemed to be a dull moment at St. James Park this past season as Newcastle gave their fans many restless days and nights with another subpar year. In the end, they barely stave off relegation, finishing four points clear of 18th place.
The diehard fan base managed to push Alan Pardew out the door but his replacement, John Carver, actually managed to fare even worse. That’s created plenty of question marks surrounding the club’s future. Before we look ahead to what’s likely to be a busy offseason, let’s look back to four important things we learned about Newcastle this past season.
Carver Not The Man For The Job
The cliché “be careful what you wish for” was rubbed in the faces of Newcastle fans after they chased manager Alan Pardew even after he helped manufacture six straight wins in the fall. Pardew might not have been the best manager the Magpies have ever had but the club certainly fared worse after his dismissal. They were mediocre under Pardew but horrendous under Carver. Their absolute collapse nearly cost them a spot in England’s top flight. Carver was blunt when he said, “I still think I’m the best coach in the Premier League” but considering the fact that quote came on the heels of eight straight losses and that Newcastle barely avoided relegation, it might have been a bit of a reach. Cue the internet memes.
It got to the point where the Magpies had to avoid relegation on the final day of the season and while there was originally some debate, Newcastle ended up sacking Carver at the beginning of June.
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Papiss Cisse Cannot Do It Alone
Pappiss Cisse registered one of the best goals-to-minutes played ratios in the Premier League last season but he struggled to stay on the pitch and finished with 11 goals. Cisse has all of the potential in the world but the bottom line is that he has really struggled to stay healthy and when he was out, the Magpies attack was severely limited. Ayoze Perez, Sammy Ameobi and Emmanuel Riviere combined for just 10 goals on the season and as a team, Newcastle totaled just 40. Only five EPL teams had less. It is abundantly clear that Newcastle will need to upgrade the talent they have up front if they are going to have any shot at making any progress in the Premier League next season.
The Midfield Experiment Did Not Work
The Magpies invested in their midfield position this past summer and brought in the likes of Remy Cabella and Jack Colback but both players undoubtedly failed to live up to expectations. Cabella was immediately given a spot in the starting 11 but never really looked comfortable while Colback was a little more consistent but only finished with four goals in 35 games. The lack of ball movement and creativity in the middle put even more pressure on the Newcastle strikers and it really limited what they were able to do up front. The Magpies will have to reconsider what they have in the midfield and make some important decisions on whether or not Cabella and Colback are the right fits for this team moving forward.
Sweeping Changes Are Needed
Last year’s lack of success wasn’t for a lack of trying and that begs the question of what it will take for Newcastle to become a successful Premier League club. It’s hard to say for sure about where the changes should start but it’s clear that lots of them are needed for a team that lacked a true identity last season. The Magpies gave up far too many goals – the 63 they allowed were the second-most in the league – and scored far too few. In the end, they were very lucky to avoid relegation. They need to rethink the roster, coaching and identity of this team in the summer or they might end up as one of the three teams that falls in the red next season.
