How close are Newcastle to a title challenge?

Castia

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Lets see what they do this summer

Champions League football and a decent budget it could be a massive summer at Newcastle

They seem pretty sensible as well. I can't see them going for Neymar etc (big payday deals for players just in it for the money) they'll get the highly rated younger player (Isak, Bruno)
 

Siorac

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https://markstats.club/epl-teams-22-23/

NUFC have fifth highest defensive line (46.69) while MUFC are 16th (42.29) only above Forest, Everton, Bournemouth and Wolves. Newcastle fifth in field tilt % (59.77) while Man United are seventh (53.35).

I maintain that anyone saying NUFC play like Mourinho or Simeone side has only watched us couple of times and those were away to big teams. Ten Hag's Man United is way closer to a team like that, sitting deep and hoping to nick it with some Rashford or Bruno magic.
I don't really think you play like a Simeone team - I specifically reacted to the assertion that in the majority of your games you are in the 60+% possession range which is very very unlikely with your average possession numbers. It's certainly not true about United and we generally have more of the ball than Newcastle.
 

Powderfinger

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https://markstats.club/epl-teams-22-23/

NUFC have fifth highest defensive line (46.69) while MUFC are 16th (42.29) only above Forest, Everton, Bournemouth and Wolves. Newcastle fifth in field tilt % (59.77) while Man United are seventh (53.35).

I maintain that anyone saying NUFC play like Mourinho or Simeone side has only watched us couple of times and those were away to big teams. Ten Hag's Man United is way closer to a team like that, sitting deep and hoping to nick it with some Rashford or Bruno magic.
I still maintain that Poch's Spurs are the best analogue. Relentless high press, wearing down opponents with great athletes and energy, aggressively positioned back line, but not much of a plan in possession and struggles breaking down low blocks.
 

Dansk

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Keep in mind that Newcastle benefitted tremendously from the fact that Liverpool and Chelsea both had an awful season, and United's collapse in the second half of it, due to playing nearly the maximum possible number of games in a season. Newcastle, by comparison, had a very comfortable route throughout. It's more likely than not that they will have a much harder time next year, especially if Liverpool and Chelsea bounce back.

In terms of their team, it's pretty good but nowhere near the point where it would be natural for them to challenge. I'd expect it to take at least another £500m of signings before it would be anything short of a serious surprise if they spent any real amount of time in 1st place.
 
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united_99

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Their support is good, they will be „creative“ with Saudi sponsors and they will have CL money.
It took Chelsea 1 year from takeover to reach CL semis regularly and 2 years to win the league. Of course they spent totally crazy amounts which Newcastle will not be allowed to spend.
But I don’t think they are less close to a title challenge than any other club apart from the one with 115 charges.
 

caid

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https://markstats.club/epl-teams-22-23/

NUFC have fifth highest defensive line (46.69) while MUFC are 16th (42.29) only above Forest, Everton, Bournemouth and Wolves. Newcastle fifth in field tilt % (59.77) while Man United are seventh (53.35).

I maintain that anyone saying NUFC play like Mourinho or Simeone side has only watched us couple of times and those were away to big teams. Ten Hag's Man United is way closer to a team like that, sitting deep and hoping to nick it with some Rashford or Bruno magic.
Mourinho and Simeone dont park the bus against Bournemouth either. They can reel of a series of stats about how great and attacking their football is too.
Most people will judge you on matches against big teams, because they're much more likely to watch them than your matches against Southampton.
Were not the standard your being compared against.
 

Skills

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Mourinho and Simeone dont park the bus against Bournemouth either. They can reel of a series of stats about how great and attacking their football is too.
Most people will judge you on matches against big teams, because they're much more likely to watch them than your matches against Southampton.
Were not the standard your being compared against.
So what does that tell you about us?

Hammered 6-3 by Man City, and even in the home game we won we had 29% possession.

Hammered 7-0 by Liverpool, and even in that home game we had 29% possession.

29% possession at home against our 2 biggest rivals.

Arsenal dominated us away, and had the bulk of the ball at Old Trafford too.
 

L. Robert

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Mourinho and Simeone dont park the bus against Bournemouth either. They can reel of a series of stats about how great and attacking their football is too.
Most people will judge you on matches against big teams, because they're much more likely to watch them than your matches against Southampton.
Were not the standard your being compared against.
That's just lazy tbh. Only games we were mainly deep were against Brighton, Arsenal and Man City away iirc.
 

MexicanCowboy

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Any oil club that spend smart should challenge in about 3 years. As long as they don't do a chelsea and tons of money in mostly random players they will do it.
 

Peelhead

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I honestly think they're similar to us. If the question is how much it's going to cost, right now, to go out and obtain the missing pieces or add the necessary depth to push for the title and be prepared for it to go to the last game, then....£500mm or thereabouts. The way player pricing has moved is a massive factor.

Once it's evident you're serious about a title challenge you're up against all kinds of resistance.

Unless you're also going to maybe consciously deprioritise other competitions and make the PL your number one.
 

caid

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That's just lazy tbh. Only games we were mainly deep were against Brighton, Arsenal and Man City away iirc.
Theres lots of way's to be a chore to watch. I think its the cynicism in your case. Timewasting, synchronised injuries, that kind of stuff. Your not a beautiful team at the best of times and its pretty fecking painful to watch you at the worst of times.
 

caid

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So what does that tell you about us?

Hammered 6-3 by Man City, and even in the home game we won we had 29% possession.

Hammered 7-0 by Liverpool, and even in that home game we had 29% possession.

29% possession at home against our 2 biggest rivals.

Arsenal dominated us away, and had the bulk of the ball at Old Trafford too.
That were still a counter attacking team primarily? That were usually dead on our feet by an hour and play the last 30 mins in our own half most weeks? I'm pretty sure the 2 results you listed were spectacularly entertaining for most people to be honest.
 

FrankFoot

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They are a couple suspicious sponsorships from Saudi Arabia and a fake consultant job in Riyadh given to a top manager away from challenging City for the title.
 
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Raoul

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Very far. There's often a presumption that success will continue next year, when they very well finish 7th. See United 21 v United 22 . Same concept applies to giddy Arsenal fans who think going from 7th to 2nd in one year, means they are nailed on to challenge for the league next year. They're not. Things could easily go in the opposite direction.
 

Oscar Bonavena

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Keep in mind that Newcastle benefitted tremendously from the fact that Liverpool and Chelsea both had an awful season
We benefited tremendously too, mate! There's unlikely ever to be a season again where we qualify for the Champions League (touch wood!) with no decent centre forward, and losing nearly half our away games!
 

RedRocket9908

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Keep in mind that Newcastle benefitted tremendously from the fact that Liverpool and Chelsea both had an awful season
Someone said the same about us but their is absolutley no evidence to back this claim up since no one knows how differently us and Newcastle would have performed if we had been battling with Liverpool and Chelsea all season.

Also Liverpool havent had an awful season they have just gone back to having the same kind of Premier League season they had every year before Klopp got them punching above their weight for a few years.
 

dove

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We benefited tremendously too, mate! There's unlikely ever to be a season again where we qualify for the Champions League (touch wood!) with no decent centre forward, and losing nearly half our away games!
Points needed to finish in the CL places have not been that high historically. 70+ points would pretty much always be enough, which we will most likely achieve. There is just this illusion that reaching TOP 4 is some kind of achievement, which I suppose mostly stems from the fact that we have been absolutely diabolical more often than not in the past decade.
 

Woziak

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Closer than us? Probably. Maybe. I don't know.
Not a chance they played functional football without the burden of European Football, only N Pope, Botman, Bruno Gameiras, C Wilson A isaak and Trippier probably get into Arsenal, Liverpool or United’s squad, they will take a slight fall next year then bounce back, E Howe has gone from prime Barcelona attacking football when he was at Bouremouth to Drab Athletico Madrid type football, all be it with a cutting edge. United add, a class midfielder, A sweeper keeper and a couple of strikers and we should be 10 points better than them comfortably.
 

Mooza

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They signed their Yaya Toure last season (Willock). Watch next season.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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They’ll do the same as City. Consolidate their position as a CL club for three years. Improve the squad, do as well as they can every year, but never try to spend the cash to win a title. That comes at the next turn.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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They’ll finish below United and Chelsea next year.

More chance of them finishing 6th than second.
 

Peelhead

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They won’t win it in the next two decades.
This is probably fair in truth. No club is going to stand by and let them strengthen and have a run at it so you have to assume that -
- The incumbent weakens a lot
- They get a big budget
- It's spent well
- Other competition doesn't get in the way of their aims

It's going to be tough, I'm thinking I was conservative saying £500mm. I think we'd need to spend that ourselves to be title contenders.
 

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Sometimes the arrogance in this thread is just staggering!!
I don't think it's arrogance mate, it's fairly justified. They've done really well no doubt and they look like they're really heading in the right way but there's a million miles to go yet.

We've not even ended this season yet and the odds are Magpies early 2nd favourites at 15/2 with us and Chelsea outsiders.

Seeing how Arsenal went so well this year and still fell 3 whole games worth of points short, I think it's maybe just some of the caf being older maybe and remembering just how long and tough a season is?

It might only be a spell of a couple of bad weeks where points get lost to decide a title challenge.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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Sometimes the arrogance in this thread is just staggering!!
It’s not arrogance. You’ve got a great team and have had a great season. I don’t think that Arsenal will challenge or finish second next year either if that helps calm you down.

Next season will be the most competitive top 6 in league history. City will romp the league again and the next 5 are a toss up.

In all fairness, Villa have a shout of being there too, and have the most opportunity to improve (ignoring Liverpool and Chelsea as outliers this year).

Spurs are done though.
 

Skills

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It’s not arrogance. You’ve got a great team and have had a great season. I don’t think that Arsenal will challenge or finish second next year either if that helps calm you down.

Next season will be the most competitive top 6 in league history. City will romp the league again and the next 5 are a toss up.

In all fairness, Villa have a shout of being there too, and have the most opportunity to improve (ignoring Liverpool and Chelsea as outliers this year).

Spurs are done though.
It's not a great team though. That's the scary part.

Once you add Maddison and a LB (Tierney) to their starting then it's starting to look like a great team - and that's not even going to cost them £60m. Giving them even more room to then add another great attacker to their line up.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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It's not a great team though. That's the scary part.

Once you add Maddison and a LB (Tierney) to their starting then it's starting to look like a great team - and that's not even going to cost them £60m. Giving them even more room to then add another great attacker to their line up.
They’re a great team in the way that Athleti often was.

Anyone selling players to Newcastle for peanuts is idiotic. They are the richest club on earth.

They will be a top four club for 5 years. No league title or Champions League. First step is a domestic cup or minor European trophy.
 

Lecland07

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I think they have the makings of a team that could secure second next season. Howe is really raising the game of players like Almiron, Wilson and Joelinton. These can turn into great squad options now, which you would have never thought in the past for a top-four team.

I think a right winger, better striker (if available) and a another central midfielder would do a lot for them. Almiron, Wilson and Joelinton can become valuable squad players that will likely play a lot, anyway.

They won't win the Premier League next season, but ,if they are able to pull off those three, it will push them a lot further down the road. With their transfer record so far, it is actually very possible that they pull this off.
 

RedRover

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Eddie Howe has worked miracles with that squad. There's a good 5 or 6 playing miles above their actual level and he won't consistently get that out of them.

With Champions League to worry about, and pressure to kick on and challenge for another trophy he's under massive pressure. They need at least 5 or 6 high quality players. For me, the key is whether they buy well. They can't buy 6 £100 million players so they need to be more creative. Players like Anthony Gordon aren't going to cut it. It's questionable whether they'll attract the players they want to come and live in the North-east if they get offers from elsewhere.

City, United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea will all spend and are likely to improve. Villa will improve I think. Possibly Spurs. The league gets harder every year.

This has been a fairy-tale season but it's much easier when nobody expects it. Levels of expectation from the fans will be huge.
 

NotoriousISSY

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You can't help but feel they overachieved this season, but one things for sure...they won't win anything with Dan Burn as a left back or Sean Longstaff in midfield.

Still can't believe they signed Anthony Gordon as well.

But the likes of Pope, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Bruno, Isak and Wilson in particular look the part, with the added bonus of Willock, Joelinton and Almiron who give a real feel-good factor with their approach to the game. If they can supplement that with some real quality, who knows.

Between us, Arsenal and Newcastle - if Liverpool make some good moves in the summer you can't write them off next season in terms of dropping someone out of the Top 4.