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Opinion

Newcastle United prove the biggest draw in the Premier League

1 year ago
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Newcastle United are riding high in the Premier League.

Eddie Howe steering his team to fourth in the table after 21 games.

Only 110 days until this Premier League season ends on Sunday 28 May and everything to play for.

Leaving aside the minor matter of…a Newcastle United cup final.

I wanted to concentrate purely on the Premier League though, just for now you understand.

This is the Premier League table as it stands on Tuesday 7 February:

One stat has increasingly been talked about recently…Newcastle United becoming the biggest draw.

Yes, 10 draws in 21 Premier League matches, more than any of the other 19 clubs have amassed.

Quite ironic when the final four months and 18 Premier League matches last season, only featured one draw, a 1-1 at West Ham.

Yes, obviously, we would all rather win a game than draw it, but football doesn’t always work the way you want it to, nor indeed how it should. More than any other sport, in football you can absolutely dominate the game but end up only drawing it, or…even getting beat.

I know this recent cluster of draws has been frustrating, four in the last five PL matches and only the Arsenal game where NUFC were the happier side with a point.

However, these things happen.

I remember the start of the season and after beating Forest 2-0 on the opening day, Newcastle then had five draws in the next six (defeat at Anfield stopping it becoming six in six) and how frustrating fans were getting then.

However, then the eighth game, after the September international break, was Fulham away and after winning 4-1, I remember looking at the Premier League table (just double checked this was the truth) and was very surprised back then to see Newcastle were suddenly seventh in the table, despite winning only one of the first seven matches of the season before that victory at Fulham.

Those five draws making the difference between having been seventh on 11 points, rather than in the relegation zone with six points.

The thing is as well, not losing matches gives confidence, nothing worse than getting beat and the impact it can have on morale.

If you are losing games then it is so often difficult to get out of that rut.

That win at Fulham on 1 October 2022 was the start of a run that saw Newcastle win eight of their next nine PL matches, drawing the other.

Including the end of last season, Newcastle United are now on a run of 23 Premier League matches with only that one travesty of a defeat at Liverpool, NUFC under Eddie Howe are becoming a team that has forgotten how to lose.

It is always the tempting route to go down of if only this player had taken that chance, it would have been a win instead of a draw. It works both ways though, at Palace the opposition had only one effort on target but Pope produced a world class save to earn a point, similarly, whilst NUFC were the better team at Molineux, it was only a very late wonder goal from ASM that rescued a draw / point.

Likewise, hard won draws against Man U, Brighton and Man City have prevented them winning an extra two points, as well as Newcastle gaining three points across the three draws.

If you still need convincing, why not look instead at how many matches those towards the top end have lost compared to the single Newcastle United defeat in 21 games, Man U (5), Brighton (6), Tottenham (7), Chelsea (7), Liverpool (7), Fulham (8), even Man City have lost 4.

Knock the 10 draws / points off the Newcastle United total and instead of up in fourth, we would be down there with the likes of the Chelseas and Liverpools in mid-table…nobody wants that!

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