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Opinion

‘Anyone who says they saw this one coming late December is a liar…’

2 years ago
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Okay, the blood pressure is finally back to something-like-normal after that brutal last half hour on Sunday as we watched Newcastle United play out that narrow win.

Let’s take stock of the result that opened up a crucial gap between us and the trapdoor, but came at a serious cost.

And, unfortunately, not just the years it’s taken off my life…

First off, I think the performance itself was, in many ways, our most impressive yet. Oh, it was a hell of a lot more fun watching Maxi tear the Everton backline a new one last week. And watching Big Joe run the show against Man U. But Sunday was a different Newcastle United. The resolve in the face of Villa’s second half onslaught and the loss of our new Captain Fantastic. The streetsmarts shown as we slowly sucked the hope out of a team who, for thirty long minutes, looked primed to take the game away from us.

It was not pretty. In fact, it was horrific at times. Wave upon wave of attack, against that much-maligned backline. Shorn of not only the club captain, but his replacement, and then later his replacement too. Not to mention no real outlet; with Maxi looking like he was carrying a hefty knock, Trippier’s deliveries no longer an option, and Chris Wood… well, he was an eleventh man, at least.

It wasn’t pretty but hold out we did.

That’s not to say there haven’t been other sterling rearguard performances in recent years. Bruce’s whole ‘tactics’ were based around just this. The hopeful low-block. “Lets hold out til the 70th minute and hope Callum Wilson can pinch a late one when their heads have dropped.”

Rafa wasn’t much more adventurous or progressive, but at least we (the team, included), could buy into a plan, of sorts, when we did get a transition or our turn on the ball (roughly 30% of the time).

It was the marriage of this resolve, this togetherness, with the attacking intent (shown in a dominant first-half here, and against Everton last week) that distinguishes it from what we’ve seen before. As painful as it was to watch, it felt like there was a belief within the ranks to go along with the undeniable endeavour. It looked like they believed they could do it. More than I did, to be honest. Especially after the disallowed goal (a rare VAR reprieve for us, what next: a penalty?!) when Villa’s heads went down as our chests puffed up.

I think the stoppage for the medical emergency helped us too. I don’t mean to sound tactless and I pray it was all okay there in the end (I’m sure we’d have heard if otherwise),  but this stoppage, along with the succession of others we bought with tactical fouls, really broke up the rhythm in Villa’s play. After the disallowed goal and the thirtieth hopeful cross was smashed away, you could see the belief and hope being choked from them. And we need to give Eddie Howe and the players a huge amount of credit.

Whatever happened over on that warm weather retreat, what came back was a group who may still be short on quality but are unquestionably fighting for each other, first minute to the 90th (or 97th).

Trippier’s influence has been trumpeted and his energy and tenacity look to have spread throughout the team. Joelinton continues his transformation into an all-action number 6. Willock looks short on confidence, maybe even quality, but not endeavour. Even Jonjo looks like he is buying into it. Albeit he still always looks to me like a red card waiting to happen…

So now we have a four point gap over Norwich (as well as a game in hand), we have six points on Watford, and seven on Burnley (though they have two games in hand). Anyone who says they saw this one coming late December is a liar, or has some serious issues.

This bottom trio are three terrible teams and I think 32 or 33 points could well be enough to stay up this year. Norwich are out of their depth. Again. Burnley look like they used up their ninth live last year. And Watford haven’t really picked up since Hodgson’s arrival any more than they did after Ranieri’s (about 12 games before it). Plus, there’s every chance Leeds and Brentford gets sucked right down into it too.

Three wins and three draws in our last fifteen games could well do it, with what we’ve got on the board now. With Trippier fit and the wind behind us, I would have made us strong favourites to do it. We have the momentum. The newfound resolve and belief. And Bruno still to be added into the mix.

Plus Brentford away and Brighton at St James in the next few weeks look eminently winnable.

With Trippier’s injury (and the worryingly vague “for our forthcoming games” timeline), I still think we will. But it will be about as comfortable as second half on Sunday was. And I can probably kiss goodbye to any lingering hopes I had of making it to seventy.

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