Will Newcastle Get Relegated Next Season?

With the Toon Army happily recovering from their end of season hangover after numerous bottles of Newcastle Brown Ale the harsh realities of the Premiership are about to hit them again. After one year of life on easy street amassing 102 points on the way to a safe passage back to the Premiership the question is whether the club can remain there without being relegated. As I managed to correctly tip Portsmouth for relegation at the beginning of the current season I urge everyone to stay tuned to https://www.bwin.com for the release of their relegation odds for next season and get your bets on early to grab that early value.

The Premiership title race will be contested by the same four or five teams and probably won by one of the usual two teams in Chelsea or Manchester United. At the lower reaches of the league teams like West Ham, West Brom, Newcastle, Stoke, Bolton and Wolves will be among the most likely teams to be forced to fight for survival and there is much more opportunities for good odds on the relegation market.

Newcastle are an enigmatic club and since Sir Bobby Robson was sacked they have endured a steady decline in terms of both fortune and status. They have already released a number of unwanted reserve players as well as winger Fabrice Pancrate. Nicky Butt has confirmed he will leave the club, possibly moving to Ipswich with former team mate Roy Keane or into retirement after a long and glittering career. The club has been linked with moves for Stephan Hunt and Jimmy Bullard to strengthen their side for the Premiership campaign.

The clubs otherwise excellent Championship promotion season was marred by the Steven Taylor, Andy Carroll fight which left Taylor nursing a broken jaw. Although the victim of the assault the news unofficially filtering from the club suggests Taylor was responsible for the fracas and may leave the club in the off-season. Considering £90,000 per week defender Fabricio Coloccini may be sold along with fellow high earners Joey Barton on £60,000 per week and Alan Smith on £50,000 per week to ease a high wage bill, there is some major squad rebuilding still needed before the turmoil of a period of overspending and financial mismanagement can be left behind. Lots of young players have broken through this season but are they Premiership quality? If they are not up to standard then Newcastle will be in trouble.

As a supporter of Newcastle Utd it would pain me to tip them for relegation but at the moment I think I am forced to say they are likely to put financial stability ahead of squad requirements. Mike Ashley has lost millions investing in the club and wants a return on his investments. When he eventually gets a stable footing only then will he consider a strategy to get the club moving. More probably he will try to sell it again at that point. In the centre of defence and in the midfield there are overpaid stars in need of replacement. Unfortunately Newcastle are neither able nor willing to pay the going rate for adequate replacements.

This suggests their Premiership survival could be at stake. Savvy dealings in the transfer market will be required and the jury is still out on manager Chris Hughton as to whether he can deliver in this respect. For football betting fans this is an opportunity for some profits, for Toon Army members this is another season where it will be touch and go whether survival and further stabilisation can be maintained.

By Malcolm Clarke