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Newcastle Replacing Best Players With Encouraging Signings Isn’t Progress

10 years ago
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All clubs buy players each season, well apart from Newcastle of course.

So when Newcastle do bring some players in, it does then get a disproportionate reaction.

On the face of it, Newcastle United do appear to have brought in some credible signings, though of course it will be nearer Christmas when we will have a decent idea of what to make of the new additions.

This is the same for all new signings and especially when it comes to players brought in from abroad, who often need extra time to settle in to an alien way of life and style of football.

Improving a team/squad, is surely a relatively simple concept, you try and keep your best players and then attempt to add to that pool of talent already at the club. Successful and ambitious clubs will move on fringe players and bring in players who are better than certainly them and hopefully those in the first team, thus keep raising the bar in terms of quality and depth.

Tuning up for the new season, Newcastle are now missing their three best players from last season in Debuchy, Remy and Cabaye.

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So instead of new additions gradually being integrated into the first team alongside the best players already at the club, United have new players such as De Jong, Cabella and Janmaat needing to hit the ground running to drag the team out of the shocking form of the second half of last season. In the case of players such as Cabella and Janmaat, this will be on the back of at the most two weeks pre season training with their new teammates.

Yet speaking in New Zealand, Alan Pardew has claimed that the squad has never been stronger and that what is happening at the club is a [intlink id=”45095″ type=”post”]cunning plan by Mike Ashley[/intlink], that could deliver Champions League football without spending fortunes.

“It’s important for us to grow our brand, we’re a club that wants to compete in the Champions League.

“We’re trying to do it in a way that’s very difficult because we’re not throwing vast fortunes at transfers. We can’t afford to do that, so we are trying to do it in a more educated way.

“Trying to bring in players that we think can make that step. This year we are as well set as at any time that I’ve been at the club, to make a go of it.”

I’m not being negative, just realistic, when I say that not for the first time, the manager is talking garbage.

If Newcastle had brought in EXTRA players of (what we anticipate is) the quality of Cabella after we’d finished fifth, then who knows what the possibilities could have been?

Likewise, if Cabaye had been retained along with Debuchy and Remy secured long-term, then players like Remy Cabella added to them, once more the possibilities open up.

It is pure fantasy to think that losing your three best players can be then turned around with a handful of signings into a top four team, especially when the incoming players are at best of an equal standard to those who have left, or more likely a step or two below them.

You can argue the likes of Cabaye and Debuchy didn’t want to be here but that’s because they don’t share Pardew’s vision of some magical long jump into a team that can compete. As we speak, the current rash of signings still leaves Mike Ashley in front if you start with the sale of Yohan Cabaye.

Real progress could still be achieved but at some time the likes of a top centre-back and minimum of one (preferably two) coveted striker(s) have to be brought in.

With those additions then you could maybe start looking up the table but at the minute I see the mixed fortunes of last season at best, while at worst…

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