Newcastle United need to stay above relegation battle

The objective before a ball was kicked for Newcastle United should have been avoiding relegation after their promotion from the Championship, but the season has gone much better than expected and what can the Geordie fans expect between now and the end of the campaign?

Despite some high-profile turbulence experienced off the pitch there has been reasons to celebrate around St James Park. When Chris Hughton was surprisingly sacked back in December, after leading Newcastle to mid-table after getting them promoted, there was anger throughout football.

The decision to sack Hughton was considered unjust by many people in and out of the game and then many eyebrows were raised when Alan Pardew was given a long-term contract, much to the disdain of Newcastle fans. But while both Hughton and Pardew have managed to achieve some notable results for the club, consistency has been a real problem all season.

Results such as the win at the Emirates, thrashing of Sunderland and the majestic comeback against Arsenal at St James Park all stand out, but so does losing to League Two Stevenage in the FA Cup and being defeated by the likes of Blackpool (11/8 to be relegated bet on it using our William Hill Promo code) and Blackburn at home. Newcastle sit ninth in the Premier League but worryingly for some fans are only eight points ahead of the relegation places – meaning a few bad results and they could get sucked into trouble.

Pardew's side are 16/1 to be relegated at the end of the campaign but they are only five points shy of the magical 40-point barrier, usually the level by which a side avoids relegation. The £35 million sale of Andy Carroll, arguably one of the most promising strikers in the Premier League, also angered many Newcastle fans but not as much as the club failing to bring in a capable replacement.

Peter Lovenkrands and Leon Best got the goals to give Newcastle their first win in six matches against Birmingham during the week and a lot of focus will be on them to fire the Magpies to safety. With the likes of Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton and Argentina international Jonas Gutierrez in midfield Newcastle have a strong side that can battle with the rest of the teams in the Premier League relegation dogfight. A couple more wins could be enough to see Newcastle safe from the drop, with them facing Bolton, Everton and Stoke in their next three games, and then the club can set their sights on a top ten finish – which would be some effort for a newly-promoted side.

As usual for Newcastle United, the season has had highs and lows and they have had as many newspaper column inches for off-the-field issues rather than their results. Pardew may still be trying to win over the St James Park fans but it looks like they will be stuck with him for a while even though he is 12/1 to be the next manager sacked – but this is the Premier League and a lot can happen over the course of the 11 games remaining.