Will we stay up or go down?

Taking from another Forum…

I can’t see that happening though. Wigan do have a good chance of going down, Martinez has failed to build a team worthy of competing in the Premiership next season so far. Wigan were very very lucky that last season the league was so poor at the bottom, because the season previous if they had performed like that they’d have took our place and went down. It is harsh to judge Wigan before the transfers are in full swing, but they are a selling club and always will be. They have flogged anyone that the bigger clubs have came in for, such as Cattermole to the Mackems and Palasios to Spurs. I can’t see Martinez attracting the type of player that they need to build on last seasons survival. On top of that I am pretty sure that Dave Whelan said that there would not be any incoming transfers without transfer fees going into the club first. And with Charles N’Zogbia, Wigan’s best player by a country mile if you ask me, being linked with other clubs, it wouldn’t surprise me if they flogged him.

As for us, well we’re fucked really. People will say we have Premiership quality players as it is, and I agree, we do. Nolan, Barton and co may have had good seasons in the Premiership, but that was years ago and it wasn’t at Newcastle. Barton has been terrible, he has been in all sorts of shit off the pitch and on it he has had a handful of good performances. Kevin Nolan was woeful in his last full season at Bolton and in the 5 month he had for us in the Premiership he was absolutely fucking terrible. Hopefully it was a confidence thing and he can make the step up very well, but I don’t think that will happen. Our strikeforce is absolutely dire as well. Shola, Carroll, Lovenkrands and Best as our first choice strikers? We’re fucked. Carroll and Lovenkrands might get 10 between them, but Ameobi is a lazy bastard, and he is absolutely garbage. Leon Best, I like his attitude but he isn’t good enough, that isn’t open for discussion. We need to sign 2 strikers if we want to stay up next season. However with Ashley’s cost cutting and general cuntness we won’t be doing that, so we’re fucked, basically.

Our central midfield, as I mentioned with Barton and Nolan, is far too slow and nowhere near creative enough. Guthrie done a decent job for us to be fair to him, in his first season here, but I don’t trust Guthrie to do a good enough job next season. We need to sign someone with a bit flair and we need an injection of pace in the centre of midfield or we’ll get ripped apart and look even more toothless than our last stint in the Premiership. I do have faith in our wingers though. Gutierrez and Routledge both impressed me in the season just gone, and whilst people will say Routledge has been proven to be shit in the Premiership, that isn’t the case for me. He simply hasn’t had a chance, I would give players more than the amount of games he has had to try and prove they’re worthy of playing at the top level. If we can sign some back-up for the wing then I will be a happy man. Onto the defence, the defence is our strongest area. Steven Taylor and Jose Enrique have both proven that they are good enough for the Premiership and I actually think Mike Williamson and Coloccini will do well next season if they are played together. Tamas Kadar, Danny Simpson and Ryan Taylor would be quality back-up for what we’re trying to achieve if we can sign a right back, or if Hughton sees sense and plays Stevie Taylor at right back where he is at his best IMO.

A bit long whinded, but to summarise, we need a right back, a back up winger, a central midfielder and 2 strikers and we will be fine next season. If we could spend some money on those areas, even just 12 million or so then we will be on a better financial footing than if we go down, which is what will happen if we don’t sign players for those positions. Hughton has even said he doesn’t want to sign Kris Boyd, which is scary because he is available for fuck all and we aren’t going to sign anyone better!

The third team I think will go down is Blackpool. It’s a shame and it is a bit harsh writing them off after the amazing achievements of the season gone, but they aren’t strong enough in any position on the field IMO. Holloway is a good manager, and he will no doubt have the players motivated and raring to go, but it won’t be enough for them to stay up. I can’t see them going down with the record points total or any of that carry on, they will get a respectable 30 points or so I reckon.

18: Wigan
19: Newcastle United
20: Blackpool

As it stands. If we can sign those I suggested we need, then I would replace us with one of Bolton, West Brom or even Wolves. Got little to no faith that will happen though. At least when Sunderland used to come up from the Championship, with a much smaller income, they used to spend a good 8 Million or so strengthening their squad. We are in desperate need of recruitments, maybe not as much as Sunderland were when they came up, but we still need players. Ashley said he wanted us to be the new Arsenal and the new Aston Villa, well Mike, we’re still waiting you horrible cunt.