Hatem Ben Arfa and Cheick Tioté
Rich Pedley gives us the lowdown on the season that awaits Newcastle fans…
Although I may well find myself in the minority, I must say that I am actually quite pleased with our summer activity. Given the wider economic realities and the ever growing distance the top clubs backed by billionnaires have put between themselves and the rest of the field, we have to accept that challenging for the champions league spots is now more a hopeful dream than a realistic possibility. I am no Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias fan – I think they have made a lot of unnecessary PR gaffes – but the reality is that Ashley has put in nearly £300million of his own money; first buying the club, and then keeping us afloat, and that this is not sustainable in the long term. We need to be self sustaining. The long term future of the club, its very existence, is more important than one season’s potential glories, and it is with this perspective in mind that I judge our activity.
Allowing Kevin Nolan to leave could be seen as foolish. A player who has scored nearly thirty goals for us in the last two league campaigns, and a fan favourite, and club captain would usually be considered a must-keep, but Nolan’s demand for a five-year-contract was rightly rejected by the powers that be. Too often we have been left with ageing, rapidly declining players on the books that have no resale value, and no real contribution to make to the team. Nolan was at risk of being in this situation towards the end of the five-year-contract, and I admire the responsibility demonstrated by the club in refusing this demand. There is also a perceived desire to break up the player power committee that were said to be, if not calling the shots under Hughton, then exerting an inappropriate amount of influence in the dressing room. The Joey Barton situation is yet to be resolved, and all I will say on the matter is that despite his excellent on-field performances, and his improvement in behaviour since becoming tee-total, he seems unable to resist bringing problems upon himself where none need exist. His outspoken views on club policies should remain in house, and are not appropriate for an employee of any organisation to air in public.
Our midfield in recent years has lacked any real pace and penetration, and I admire Pardew’s desire to bring in players with attributes that will cause other teams problems. Yohan Cabaye was an integral part of the critically acclaimed league winning Lille side of last season, and will provide us with a level of vision and passing ability not seen in the centre of our midfield for some time. Partnering the excellent Cheick Tioté, our midfield will offer a combination of technical ability, flair and steel that will be the envy of many. Gabriel Obertan, highly rated as a teenager, has stagnated somewhat under limited opportunities at Manchester United but has not become a poor player. The ability to play wide or as an auxiliary striker, and his rapid turn of pace, will add versatility and new options to our goalscoring threat. Sylvain Marveaux remains an unknown quantity due to his abysmal injury record, but has received rave reviews when he has been able to get on the field. Demba Ba, while not the striker many will have wanted after the £35 million sale of Carroll, did very well in a poor West Ham team at the end of last season, and has demonstrated a knack for scoring poachers goals as well as more spectacular efforts that I think will see him comfortably into double figures this season.
With some time still remaining and a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the futures of Barton, José Enrique and the tacit acknowledgement that any of our players are vulnerable to an offer that is deemed good business, as well as Pardew’s stated desire to bring in at least one more player – probably a striker – this is by no means the squad that will be in place come the end of transfer deadline day, but I think it is a good start.
Shane Ferguson: Enrique replacement?
Last season was a mixed bag of excellent results against some big clubs and some poor results against some of the smaller clubs, and I dont expect that will change. A worry has got to be that with a tricky start to the season, including a second match trip to the great unwashed, that the simmering discontent amongst many fasn will spill over if results are poor. I think we have to remember that undoubtedly our lack of stability in the past has contributed to our decline, culminating in our relegation three seasons ago. Any early season knee jerk sacking of Pardew would not do us any good. I like what he is trying to build and I like his vision for the future. By the end of the season I think a top-half finish is achievable. We were on course to finish 8th until the calamitous late collapse on the final day, and we need to see more of the resilience and fantastic support that saw us peg Arsenal back to 4-4 from 4-0 down at half-time. Home results are going to be very important for us if we are to mount a challenge for Europa League spots instead of looking over our shoulders at the relegation spots all season.
In terms of a possible star of the season, I think there are a number of candidates. I think Hatem Ben Arfa will demonstrate why we were willing to sign him permanently despite his broken leg last season. In a restyled attacking department, I think he will be the one most feared by opponents, and most capable of unlocking stubborn defences. I expect Tioté to have another excellent season, and I think we will fending off suitors as early as January. I am looking forward to the combination of him and Cabaye in the centre. It also looks as though Tim Krul is going to be given the number one jersey ahead of Steve Harper. We have a real gem on our hands here, and it would be foolish to risk losing him to placate Harper’s desire to play. I expect him to prove himself a very capable goalkeeper this season and he will be worth a number of points over the year.
The young player I expect to make in impact is Shane Ferguson. It looks likely that we will lose Enrique, and in Ferguson we have an as yet unpolished, but very accomplished player. If Enrique departs I expect Ferguson to make the step up to the first team with ease.
Season predicted finish – 8th
Star Man – Hatem Ben Arfa
