A Quarter-Term Report on Newcastle United

With 11 games gone in the 2013-14 Premier League season, Newcastle United find themselves at something of a mid-table crossroads.

Five wins—three of them on the road—have been offset against four defeats, and so far at least, the buzzword on Tyneside during the opening months of the campaign has been "inconsistent."

But is that a fair description of Alan Pardew’s side?

Since proceedings got underway in August, the Magpies have faced testing ties against Manchester City, Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur and bagged seven points from a possible 15.

In their other six fixtures, the Toon have registered three victories, but it is defeats at home to Hull City and away at local rivals Sunderland that have seen them labelled by some as erratic.

The star of the show so far has undoubtedly been Loic Remy, with the on-loan forward rubbing shoulders with the likes of Luis Suarez and Robin van Persie near the top of the scorer’s charts.

His seven top-flight strikes make up almost half of United’s league goals, and all eyes are on the January transfer window to see if his temporary move from Queens Park Rangers can be made permanent.

Elsewhere, there have been encouraging signs from some unlikely figures, whilst other, more-established names have flitted in and out of form.

With captain Fabricio Coloccini injured last month along with fellow defender Steven Taylor, the Geordies were deemed to be short of options at centre-half, but Mike Williamson had other ideas.

The 30-year-old almost left the North-East in the summer, but has grabbed his opportunity with both hands and is currently holding his own at the heart of Newcastle’s back four.

Likewise, Dutch midfielder Vurnon Anita has shined when given the opportunity, as has Yoan Gouffran, while right-back Mathieu Debuchy finally looks like he is getting to grips with life in England’s top division.

After a difficult season last time out, Cheick Tiote has enjoyed something of a rebirth in the Magpies’ midfield, while goalkeeper Tim Krul has more than proved his worth—not least in the victory at Spurs on Sunday.

At the other end of the scale, Hatem Ben Arfa, who began the campaign in blistering form, has dropped off the radar and watched successive wins over Chelsea and Tottenham from the bench as an unused substitute.

French international Moussa Sissoko has been unpredictable, as have fellow countryman Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and full-back Davide Santon, while Yohan Cabaye has recovered from his early season fallout with the club’s hierarchy.

Where Newcastle go from here is anyone’s guess, but their form suggests a top-10 finish is well within their capabilities.

Their next two games are at home to Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion, while they begin December with a trip to Swansea.

Perhaps more than any before them, this trio of fixtures will tell us in which direction the Magpies are headed.

Two or three wins and Pardew’s men could find themselves amongst the big boys in the top six, but a couple of negative results would put a lid on such lofty ambitions.

For now, as they have demonstrated in their last two games, United are more than comfortable, and that represents relief all round after last season’s struggles.