Irons stand on edge of history at Newcastle
For should the team avoid defeat the team will will break their own unbeaten run in the Premier League of nine games.
The Mirror’s Darren Lewis draws attention to this in an excellent blog he has written for club sponsors Betway where he pays fulsome praise to the team, manager and owners.
He says: “The most striking aspect of this season’s changing of the Premier League guard is the unwillingness of so many to accept it. As a result, the competition this season has been routinely described as “bonkers”, “uncompetitive” and the worst for years.”
But he quite rightly points out that the new order is not in the least bit “bonkers” but has been inspired by good leadership complacency and intelligent spending.
Of the Irons he declares: “Their shrewd transfer dealings over the last two years have put them in a strong position to defy their doubters and challenge for the top four. For that they deserve credit, not the claim that the top flight isn’t what it once was.”
Very hard to disagree with that or his decision to start with Dimitri Payet whom he points out at £10.75m is “a well-documented steal.”
He pays tribute to recruitment director Tony Henry and the board which is as it should be and has joined those of us who have believed fro some time that we are now a top four side.
There has been barely a murmur from anywhere this January that we should be buying big and that goes back to the extraordinary summer when we produced a squad of players who could set us up for two or three years to come.
A right back and a central striker are serious targets for the summer but beyond that we look fine although perhaps another decent left sided defender may be on the cards.
Frankly we are still pinching ourselves at all this praise that is being poured out on our club – dunno abut you but I could get used to it!