3 Things Newcastle Still Have to Play For This Season

Although Newcastle United have been immensely unimpressive this season, there is no such thing as a wasted season. A missed opportunity, perhaps, but not a waste.

It remains to be seen whether Mike Ashley will learn from his mistakes during the summer, when he failed to bring in new players and the team suffered catastrophic injuries. The lack of depth within the squad was exposed, and relegation suddenly looked very likely.

Of course, the new year brought with it new signings, all of whom have had a positive impact on the team. The Magpies are starting the arduous climb back up the table, and the rest of the season remains crucial, for a few reasons.

Holding On To Players

If Newcastle were to remain in a relegation battle, the vultures would start to circle around their marquee players. Hatem Ben Arfa, Yohan Cabaye, Tim Krul, Papiss Cisse—they would all figure on the shopping lists of teams in better positions, and Newcastle have never been shy about offloading their assets.

The rest of the season is a chance to prove that Newcastle is a club committed to success, and that remaining on Tyneside is the best option for all concerned.

Ben Arfa has already been linked with a move to Arsenal this year—via Goal.com—and answers given to the French press about Liverpool and Chelsea were taken out of context and magnified beyond recognition.

However, what was clear in that interview—via TheMag.co.uk—was that Ben Arfa needed proof that Newcastle were dedicated to regaining the heights they enjoyed last year. The influx of new players should go some way toward achieving that, but it’s the results that count.

There is currently just 16 points separating ninth place from 18th, so it’s vital that the current improvement continues. Not just for Ben Arfa, but for the new signings, too. A losing mentality is very difficult to extricate yourself from, as was proven by the early-season performances.

Attracting New Players

Although this goes hand in hand with the previous point, it’s important enough to warrant its own discussion. Just because the board of directors brought players in during the January window, it doesn’t mean Newcastle are a complete team.

It’s absolutely vital that Ashley and Derek Llambias learn from the afflictions of the season's first half. Fabricio Coloccini is likely to leave after the season is out. He also has a broken back. A replacement needs to be found, for depth as much as anything.

Cisse is still inconsistent and suffers with control and confidence. As such, Newcastle sometimes struggle for goals. The attacking midfielders have been productive in finding the target, but another striker is necessary to put games away.

In order to attract players to the club, the team has to perform. Newcastle’s failure to land Loic Remy ahead of QPR may have been motivated by money, but you can bet that the decision would have been much harder if Newcastle were in the top 10 at the time.

The influx of French players means that the Toon is an attractive destination already, and any players being scouted in Ligue 1 would likely choose Newcastle over most other sides. If they can finish in a good position, it won’t just be the Gallic influence that seals the deals.

Silencing the Doubters

Many Newcastle fans have wondered whether Alan Pardew is the man to lead the team to success. The 2011-12 Manager of the Year has been exposed for a lot of his follow-up season, and his tactics have lacked creativity.

Working under the burden of injury is something that all managers must do at some point in their career. It’s arguable that those conditions are when you see what sort of manager your team has.

At Newcastle, the players looked listless and uncommunicative in the games leading up to Christmas, and Pardew seemed to have no answers. The standard of football had degenerated and the defence bypassed the midfield entirely in favour of kicking the ball as far forward as possible.

This may have been to relieve the almost constant pressure they faced, but it could also be attributed to a lack of confidence in the players ahead of them. Without Cabaye and Ben Arfa, the attacking threat diminished, and the goals dried up. If not for Demba Ba, Newcastle’s season could have been so much worse.

With the arrival of players like Moussa Sissoko and Yoan Gouffran, there was suddenly a spark to the team again. Cisse received better service and started to show glimpses of his goalscoring ability, while Pardew suddenly looked tactically aware and made astute substitutions. From being a side that couldn’t win a game after going behind, Newcastle have suddenly won three home games in that very fashion.

Bringing on Sylvain Marveaux for Cheick Tiote against Stoke was exactly the right move, and it was Marveaux’s cross that supplied Cisse’s injury-time winner. It could be argued that Marveaux should be replacing Jonas Gutierrez in the team anyway—and this writer has done so many times—but Marveaux’s play has dropped in recent weeks, so it was the right call.

Pardew’s career Premier League win percentage is 36, which doesn't indicate future success. However, he has shown he can succeed within the tight framework of Newcastle United, which is important.

Mike Ashley isn’t known as a lover of football, and runs the club strictly as a business. This has been to the chagrin of many previous managers, but Pardew has made it work. If he can lead Newcastle to a top-10 finish this year, he will quell the naysayers and have the support of the fans going into the 2013-14 season.