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Tim Krul remarkable resurgence 42 months after final league victory for Newcastle United

5 years ago
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Tim Krul was with Newcastle United as man and boy for 11 years.

The Dutch goalkeeper signing in 2006 and finally leaving in 2017, not under the best of circumstances.

One of the stranger episodes of Rafa Benitez’ reign, as he ended up totally sidelining the goalkeeper and making clear he wanted him out of the club. A decision that was puzzling for many Newcastle fans who would have preferred to see him getting ahead of Karl Darlow and Rob Elliot.

However, Rafa Benitez made clear that Tim Krul had no future at Newcastle United and the Dutch keeper left St James Park without playing a single first team game under the Spaniard.

After 156 Premier League appearances for Newcastle and three in the Championship, Tim Krul ended up at Brighton. Old boss Chris Hughton signing him on a loan deal which ended up permanent, though with it being Krul’s final year of his contract at Newcastle there was no transfer fee paid. However, he didn’t make a single Premier League appearance last season as Ryan was the clear number one choice.

This extended a long period without a league game in England, the last one at Newcastle being on 3 October 2015, just before he picked up the serious injury when on international duty with Holland. Krul’s final game for Newcastle proving to be a 6-1 hammering at Manchester City, conceding the six goals in a 20 minute spell, including five for Aguero.

That proved to be a relegation season for Newcastle and indeed NUFC failed to win any match when Tim Krul played that season before injury.

The last Newcastle Premier League game where Tim Krul was on the winning side was back on 24 May 2015, the game when Jonas Gutierrez also last played in a winning NUFC PL side, scoring the first goal as Newcastle stayed up on the final day of the season, thanks also to a clean sheet for Krul.

Amazing to think that game is fully 42 months ago, when Tim Krul was last a winner in a Premier League match for Newcastle.

For a good few years he looked as though he was going to be another Shay Given and be a mainstay for Newcastle throughout the best years of his career but injury and then falling foul of Rafa Benitez put paid to that.

After a year of no league football with Brighton, Tim Krul was desperate for regular playing time.

Angus Gunn had spent 2017/18 as Norwich’s first choice keeper but Man City sold him to Southampton for £13.5m this summer, the Canaries bringing in free agent Tim Krul to replace him.

Now falling back on hard times, things didn’t look great for a Norwich side who had finished 14th last season, a club forced to generate a £30m transfer profit in the summer to balance the books.

However, Norwich have remarkably turned things around, mirroring Tim Krul’s only personal rebound.

Currently they are join top on points with Leeds in the Championship and Krul has been key to that.

Last season they conceded 60 goals, only one of the top 15 placed clubs conceded more.

However, this season, Tim Krul has played every Championship minute and let in only 17 goals in 16 games, with only 11 conceded in the last 14 matches, Krul keeping six clean sheets.

It has been some time coming but good luck to Tim Krul on his ever improving form, I just hope he doesn’t pass Newcastle heading in the other direction next May.

The keeper turns 31 in April so has plenty years left in him, now potentially just reaching his peak.

Like so many other Newcastle players, Krul’s stand out season was when finishing fifth in 2011/12, aged just 24 he looked to have a great career ahead of him but never quite got that consistency back. Although having said that, he was also a victim of the fact that Mike Ashley consistently refused to spend money on the defence, with Coloccini, Taylor and Williamson outstaying their welcomes.

Tim Krul – When signing permanently for Brighton in September 2017:

“I had 11 beautiful years at Newcastle, but I’m a Brighton player now, and I know I need to show everyone I’m back to where I was.

“That’s what I’m here for now, just to show that I’m ready if the gaffer needs me. I’d love to be back playing in the Premier League, but Maty’s [Ryan] a great goalkeeper.

“I love playing in England, I’ve always said that, and I want to stay playing in the Premier League for as long as possible.

“I’ve played almost 160 games in the Premier League and hopefully I can continue that with Brighton. I’m 29, so I’ve still got a good few years left in me.

I was at Newcastle for 11 years and I loved my time there, but I’m looking forward to a new challenge and chapter in my career.”

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