Things started to look up when in the 54th minute Jonas Gutierrez provided a perfect cross that Sissoko properly buried with a leaping header. This was a wholly unexpected route to staying up - win our match and to hell with whatever result Hull could manage. Except there was still a long way to go. And sure enough, MUN, already struggling against Hull will play the final 15 minutes or so down a man thanks to Fellaini's straight red card (wait, did he put a boot to defender's balls and knee him in the head in one continuous motion?); surely the Tigers will score now. Two minutes later, Newcastle make hash of a three-on-one that would put the whole thing to bed. And the sinking feeling is back.
Then Gutierrez launches a low shot from outside of the box that is slightly deflected and beats Adrian far side. Events at Hull matter no more (though it did end 0-0). Newcastle are staying up. Fitting that both goals involved Gutierrez, one of the few Magpies whose character and desire was not questioned in the trying last few months. Hell, he didn't even finish chemotherapy for cancer until October. As one commentator put it- the man knows more about survival than most.
Jonas Gutierrez thumps home Newcastle’s second. Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters
We are not fooled by the good feeling that came with avoiding relegation. This team still heads into next season as a leading candidate for the Championship Division unless there is a major overhaul. Mike Ashley has promised the club will spend in this summer's transfer window. We'll see.
Pardew Review
While I completely agree that Newcastle's problems did not begin with Pardew's exit, they accelerated out of control upon his departure. Can there be a starker contrast in the before and after performance of both sides he managed? In 19 Newcastle matches with Pardew in charge, the Magpies got 26 points; in the 19 matches after he left, they got just 13. The trend at Crystal Palace is the same; before Pardew got there, the Eagles got 17 points from 20 games but earned 31 points in the 18 games after his arrival. Small sample? Injuries? Bad luck? Mitigating circumstances? Blah, blah, blah. Fact is, in the 37 matches he managed, Pardew's teams generated 57 points, good enough for 8th in the tables. And the flip side, the teams without him managed just 30 points (in 39 matches), which would be bottom of the table.
Heard Before Sunday's Matches
Steve: Damn, I really hate the Newcastle fans
Dennis: But you're a Newcastle fan
Steve: Damn, I hate myself
Is the Glass Ceiling Still in Place?
Yep. Recall that in September we wrote that the history of the EPL shows that unless your name starts with Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, or Manchester City, you start the season pretty much competing for 5th place and lower. Despite early forays into the top four by Aston Villa, West Ham and Southampton, the top four once again came from the five Axis of Evil sides (CHE, MCI, ARS, and MUN). By the numbers, this was the 20th season of the EPL in its current 20-team format. Of the 80 top four spots available in those years, 69 (86.25%) have gone to just those five teams.
Liverpool and Southampton came up just a touch short in their final matches and will settle for 6th and 7th behind Tottenham, who handled Everton 1-0. Southampton will now wait for the FA Cup results to see if they will play in the Europa League this summer.
Aston Villa Looking Ahead
No need to discuss Sunday's finale, a 0-1 loss to Burnley. (While explaining this blog to someone, I accidentally said that my team did not play last weekend. I even watched the match and still kind of forgot that it happened.) Rather, let's focus on this Saturday's FA Cup Final. Thoughts on the contest with Arsenal?
I can see the score ranging from 2-0 Villa to 4-0 Arsenal and anywhere in between. Does the Villa team that beat Tottenham and Liverpool in back to back games play the Arsenal team that couldn't beat Sunderland? Or does the Villa team that lost 6-1 to Southampton play the Arsenal team that crushed Hull and West Brom? I have to assume the sleepwalk against Burnley was the consequence of a meaningless match and at the very least this cup final will be entertaining and competitive for a little while. Which is really all I am asking for - a decent game in which Villa aren't embarrassed.
That bar seems low, but it really stems from not knowing what to hope for from the match. Whatever outcome leaves the team most intact as it stands now and keeps us in the EPL is what I want. Can anyone tell me which result gets me that? Because I have no idea. Losing might shake some confidence and cause players to leave. Winning forces us to play in Europe, which a 17th place team surely can't handle. Given that I don't like the implications for Aston Villa with either outcome, I have decided just to watch and then try and sort out the consequences.
So Aston Villa and Newcastle are essentially in the same place right now, though I'd give the Villans a slight advantage heading into next season. Both will need to make significant moves in the summer transfer window. We'll watch with interest to see how each club handles the challenge.
Somebody's Messing With Me
Went into the Union match away at Red Bulls with about the same level of expectations for a result - i.e. none. Missing Edu (suspension) and Aristeguieta (international duty) did nothing to enhance the prospects. But there they were, playing well to a 0-0 draw in the first half, getting a break or two on Red Bull shots that hit the post. Surely quality will out and the second half won't be as good. Then some nice work by Wenger got the ball into Noguiera that he cooly redirected past Robles. Later, Fabinho made a long run down the left side and put the ball right where C.J. Sapong could easily tap it in. Things got a little sloppy towards the end but the scored stayed 2-0. Two big wins in a row against two of the better sides in the Eastern Conference.
What to think about this team right now? No one gives himself up more to score goals than Conor Casey but the Union look like a much more dangerous team with C.J. Sapong; that was clearly evident on Sunday after he subbed in for Casey. We haven't seen much of Sapong between the head injury on opening day and the DUI; hopefully he's ready for some significant minutes. Richie Marquez also has done well at center back. Color me skeptical that this team is really ready to compete but I have enjoyed watching them play recently.
Shout Out to Sevilla
The Europa League final between Sevilla and Dnipro was a spirited, back and forth contest. Sevilla got the last forth and took the championship for the second consecutive year and the fourth time in 10 years. Somewhere in France, Bob K toasted to the 3-2 victory and then ate some duck. Or goose. Or duck and goose.
Lighter Schedule, Lighter Blogging
We have the FA Cup Final this Saturday. Women's World Cup starts June 6th. Champions League Final (Barcelona and Juventus) is also on June 6th. Of course MLS action continues.
But we will probably give ourselves a break with fewer posts over the next couple of months. I proudly note that since we started posting in January 2014, I think we only had one week without an entry and during the World Cup we often had multiple posts in a week.
Sigh, weekend breakfasts just won't be the same for a few months.
No comments:
Post a Comment