No disrespect to those seven who are currently missing but I don’t think many fans would currently put any of them ahead of last week’s, and likely to be this weekend’s, starting eleven. Whereas Hull only have 4 players missing but at least three of them are usually first eleven starters.
Surely to nobody’s great surprise, it has emerged that Loic Remy has arrived at Newcastle not just with a minor knock but an injury that will see him lucky to be playing for Newcastle even in a month’s time
Alan Pardew might have mentioned injuries a ‘few’ times last season but he could have a point in referring to them as ONE of the reasons why Newcastle performed so poorly last season.
Figures compiled by industry specialist physioroom.com, show that Newcastle United were bottom, or is that top(?), of last season’s injury league.
I think they have a lot of very average players and could probably put out two teams that wouldn’t be any stronger or weaker than the other. As always it is more about how Newcastle play on the day, we’ve got the better players and if they turn up then we win, end of story.
I’m guessing that Pardew is speaking out, at least in part, after many fans questioned whether Ben Arfa was brought back too quick at both Fulham and the match in Moscow.
If this proves the case then Colo would miss the double header with Anzhi in the Europa League as well as crucial Premier League matches against Swansea, Stoke and Wigan, with Manchester City at the end of March as maybe a realistic return.
Speaking ahead of the trip to Swansea, the manager has confirmed that Hatem Ben Arfa is very unlikely to be considered for the trip as he is not fully fit and needs ‘conditioning’, it could take a couple of weeks to get him up to speed.
As well as talking in general about today’s victory that puts clear daylight between Newcastle United & relegation and the all round performance, Alan Pardew updated us on the injury position with both Yohan Cabaye and Fabricio Coloccini.
