Many had written off the side from Tyneside, who have, historically, the tendency to underwhelm and underperform. Even during the days of Alan Shearer, the closest they ever got to silverware was a Premier League runner's-up spot in the 1996-97 season, and even then they beat eventual champions Manchester United 5-0, and Shearer himself bagged 25 league goals. But even then, few would have thought that they would be relegated to the Championship about a decade later, in a stunning collapse that perhaps only Leeds United can better (worse?) in terms of recent English club disasters.
One of the shining lights in that dismal and disastrous campaigns was the acquisition of a certain Jonas Gutierrez from Mallorca. The Argentine winger was somewhat of an anomaly, but after a virtuoso display during his Premier League debut against Man Utd (who Newcastle seem to have good results against...), he proved his quality. Still at the club, he, along with the likes of Fabricio Colocinni and Steven Taylor, alongside Ryan Taylor, Alan Smith and a few others have remained at St James' throughout the tumultuous few years since their relegation and immediate promotion the following season.
Indeed, those first few names - Jonas, Colocinni and Taylor (both of them) - have been integral to Newcastle's excellent run thus far. The ponytailed Argentine is a key component to Newcastle's midfield, serving both as an attacking outlet and as defensive foil to either fullback on a consistent basis. The centre-back pairing of former Milan player Colocinni and Steven Taylor has been the rock upon which countless attacks have broken this season, and the only time they have conceded more than once in the league this season was against Spurs in a 2-2 draw, which included a Rafael Van Der Vaart penalty.
Many fans, neutrals, skeptics and critics looked at the transfer dealings in the calendar year of 2011 and predicted that the Toon Army would be halted, and possibly even sink back down to the Championship. A side that many feel was (or is) mediocre, at best, losing the likes of Andy Carroll, Jose Enrique, Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton would be crippled, surely. Their home-grown star forward, who inherited the famous No. 9, the outstanding left-back in the league (alongside Leighton Baines), the inspirational club captain (who was last season's top scorer), and the man who arguably dragged Newcastle back from 4-0 down to draw against Arsenal in one of the greatest comebacks in recent memory.
And yet, Newcastle have confounded their doubters. Indeed, they have shocked many of their loyal fans as well with this current unbeaten streak. While it's true that one might argue that they have not been truly tested yet (we'll come to that later), the results, statistics and performances speak for themselves. Here are some numbers looking at this season compared to last.
2011/12
Played 11
Won 7
Drawn 4
Lost 0
Scored 17
Conceded 8
2010/11
Played 11
Won 5
Drawn 2
Lost 4
Scored 18
Conceded 14
That's significant, if you ask me. Even looking past the fact that they had already lost four at the same time last season, they have scored almost the same number of goals (and last season's period included a 6-0 win against Villa) and conceded far fewer, turning losing results into draws and draws into three points. We'll take a look at the numbers again though, this time analysing the exact same fixtures that they have played this year as the corresponding ones last year.
2011/12 (2010/11)
Newcastle 0-0 Arsenal (D 4-4)
Sunderland 0-1 Newcastle (D 1-1)
Newcastle 2-1 Fulham (D 0-0)
QPR 0-0 Newcastle (NA)
Aston Villa 1-1 Newcastle (D 1-0)
Newcastle 3-1 Blackburn (L 1-2)
Wolves 1-2 Newcastle (D 1-1)
Newcastle 2-2 Tottenham (D 1-1)
Newcastle 1-0 Wigan (D 2-2)
Stoke 1-3 Newcastle (L 4-0)
Newcastle 2-1 Everton (L 1-2)
Discounting the QPR fixture, which had no corresponding one last season (unless you count a 2-0 defeat to Blackpool during the same weekend last time round), that translates to...
2011/12
Played 10 (-QPR)
Won 7
Drawn 3
Lost 0
Points gained: 24
2010/11
Played 10 (-Blackpool)
Won 0
Drawn 6
Lost 4
Points gained: 6
That, for lack of a better word, is progress. People talk about Man City improving, but there are few other sides in Europe with such a drastic leap forward in the space of less than a season, if you ask me. 18 more points from the same fixtures, seven more wins, no losses. That, my friends, is pretty special.
Of course, the next few games for Newcastle are tricky, to say the least. Away trips to Manchester City and Manchester United followed by hosting Chelsea at St James' means that if they actually do go into the next game against Norwich with another more than the number of points they've already amassed, it would probably be a good Christmas for the black and whtie part of Tyneside. It's also worth noting, of course, that whatever those results may be, historically no team that has collected 25 points after 11 games has finished outside the top 6. Something to think about for fans and rivals alike.
A few weeks ago, I planned to write a piece on the Yohan Cabaye and Cheick Tiote partnership in the heart of the Newcastle midfield, though I then got sidetracked and the article turned into an analysis of Tom Cleverley (I get distracted easily...). This time though, I'll spend a few moments talking about those two players, who, like the defenders behind them, have played a large role in the recent success of the Magpies.
Many great teams are grounded on solid midfield pairings, in almost any formation they play. Perhaps the best Liverpool side in recent years had Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, Arsenal had Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit, Manchester United looked to Roy Keane and Paul Scholes for so long, Milan enjoyed great success with Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso, and even now Barcelona are marshalled by Xavi and Andres Iniesta (Sergio Busquets and Cesc Fabregas don't exactly play in the middle in the strictest sense of the word). Of course, to liken Cabaye and Tiote to any of those pairings would be optimistic, to say the least, but such a midfield axis provides a solid and important anchor to which a team can move about on.
Not quite (but almost) the same as the "double pivot" that many classic and current Dutch and Spanish teams make use of, having the whole team move around two deep, central midfielders allows a side to retain its shape in both defence and attack, but requires a few things. Tactical awareness on the part of the players and staff, a good work ethic, and tremendous talent from those midfielders. In the above examples, those things are all accounted for, and while I did say that to compare this Newcastle side to any of those winning teams would be premature, recent performances suggest that Alan Pardew, his Magpies, and most importantly the core of the team do understand and are able and willing to pull it off. Like I alluded to in my Tom Cleverley piece, a good central midfield pairing can make or break a team.
It remains to be seen how long Colocinni and Taylor can keep the goals out, or if Cabaye and Tiote can boss the midfield when facing the bigger sides. It's also almost unfair that I haven't even spoken about Demba Ba or converted left-back Ryan Taylor (and how some believe Enrique's departure contributed to Newcastle's solidity). But I think I've rambled long enough already, and it will be a fascinating few weeks to follow after the international break.
Will the Toon Army march on?
PS: I'd like to extend my warmest congratulations to the newlyweds Jeryd and Janet, huge Newcastle fans in their own right. Good luck in all you do!
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