I don’t see many Newcastle United games in real life these days, but one of the few times I get to join in is for the Sela Cup.
I’m taking the whole family. I would take Tessa the dog too if I could.
This is the penultimate weekend before it all really starts. At this point, Eddie Howe has normally brought in the players he wants and worked with them.
There are two games this weekend and we are fielding two strong but completely different teams. If you can only go to one match, you’ll be lucky if you see the new signing(s) or your favorite player. The games are quite competitive and some foreign teams are really sticking around.
It seems like a step up from the usual pre-season stuff. Correct me if I’m wrong, but is Newcastle United the only club to have done this split to get two balanced, strong teams?
So why post this?
Well, Newcastle United have played 24 Premier League games so far this season, plus eight Champions League games, with at least two more to come. We are in the middle of the table, but again at the top of the injury table.
Newcastle United also played four games in the League Cup and are still playing in the FA Cup after an exhausting extra-time and penalty shootout victory.
Our players look exhausted and this is disrupting the bread and butter of our season: the Premier League.
We may or may not have a centre-forward and we may or may not have a creative midfielder. And yet in the Sela Cup we seem to have all these options.
So why not a cup team and a league team for Newcastle United?
Yes, in the Venn diagram there will be players who play more games than others, but there must definitely be something in this approach. The Premier League will determine our finances and our appeal for future signings.
And to those who say we did this, why are we at the top of the injury list again?
And why can the Newcastle United players who do play no longer play for the high press?
And if you think players would be unhappy on the ‘cup team’, well, that team is going to play about 20 games (or more) this season. I think that is quite a commitment.
Oh, Newcastle United also need a bigger ground if we really want to compete, but that’s another article.
#club #halves