It might be hard to remember now, but it was only six months ago that Newcastle United was vying for a Champions League spot when everything seemed to be going right for them in the Premier League. Fast forward to this past week, and it was a strange sight seeing the team booed off the pitch following another terrible performance in a 3-3 draw with Burley at St. James Park. Newcastle had taken the lead on three different occasions only to allow Burnley to equalize on each occasion. Worse yet, they followed that up with a loss Leicester City, who occupies the last spot in the EPL table, and then lost to Chelsea as well. Talk about a rough week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7TglhuXIMs
Newcastle’s recent form has dropped them to 10th in the Premier League standings and there are indications that things could get worse before they get better. So what has gone wrong for The Magpies? Let’s have a look at why they’ve fallen so far:
Alan Pardew’s Departure
Any talk about the current situation at St. James Park must begin with Alan Pardew’s decision to suddenly quit as manager at Newcastle United. This comes after he was in charge for four years. Most fans were confused with why Pardew preferred the chance to coach at Crystal Palace when you consider where both teams are in the standing. Newcastle is at least in the middle of the pack in a bad year; Crystal Palace is in the relegation zone with just 17 points so far.
Pardew offered some insight when he opened up about the situation and revealed the biggest reason for his decision to leave was the difficult financial constraints that were placed on the team. Pardew talked about how difficult it was to secure money for transfers and the misunderstandings about how such a big club was forced to build so slowly from within. The fact that Pardew chose to leave after having a level of success with Newcastle just last year is a testament to how bad the internal situation is right now. He didn’t see things getting any better, so he jumped ship. Now fans and bettors are forced to share his outlook – even if the team was so competitive last season.
Ownership Failed To Invest
The lack of funds and loss of the reigning Premier League Manager of the Season are two key reasons for The Magpies faltering this season, but the impact of those decisions extended further to the players. After building so much momentum towards the end of last season both the players and fans expected for ownership to invest in the club and when it didn’t happen, it really hurt the morale of the club. There were reports about many senior players being unhappy that the only major signing for the summer was Vurnon Anita from Ajax.
The feeling was that Newcastle overachieved last year but if they could bolster the lineup in the offseason, they would be far better equipped for a long season in both the Europa League and Premier League. That didn’t happen. Factor in Demba Ba’s move and the outlook for the players becomes that much bleaker. The tough decisions and the frustration they caused undoubtedly affected the team’s situation and considering they had already overachieved the year before, it is clear that a level of regression was inevitable.
One year after qualifying for European competition for the first time in five years, it’s amazing to see how far Newcastle United has fallen. The Magpeies aren’t as good as they were on paper and the added rigors of their schedule has made an uphill climb even steeper. The fans have voiced their displeasure with the team’s performance but, ultimately, there isn’t any reason to expect ownership to suddenly reverse its course. There is a very real chance things could get worse before they get better.
It’s been a tumultuous season so far at St. James Park but ultimately Newcastle’s fall from grace in recent months should have been expected given all of the warning signs there were there.
