Off the back of a thoroughly uplifting weekend, Palace welcome Newcastle to Selhurst Park on Wednesday evening.
I caught up with writer and podcaster Jake Jackman to get an inside line on how Magpies are doing.
TEB – So Jake, how are things feeling as a Newcastle fan? You’re comfortably in the European places, after an eventful Champion’s League campaign but I get the sense there are mixed feelings about Eddie Howe?
JJ – I’m relatively happy with the season. We are sixth in the league, got to two cup quarter finals and didn’t embarrass ourselves in the Champions League. Considering how we jumped the timeline by finishing in the top four, some regression was expected. We still have some playing regularly who are not at the level required to compete with the best in the league.
We have been dealt an awful hand with suspensions, injuries and cup draws. We played PSG, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund (two CL semi-finalists!), Manchester City (twice), Manchester United, Chelsea and Sunderland in the cups.
Taking all this into account, Eddie Howe has done superbly. He is experiencing this for the first time and he has made mistakes, but the complaints about him have been social media based and from a very small section of the fan base. He is under no danger of losing his job and he shouldn’t be. There isn’t a better English manager in the sport.
TEB – Good to hear a manager so strongly backed. So, what’s the ambition for the remainder of the season?
JJ – Taking our fixture list into account, we really should be aiming for sixth. We play three teams who have very little to play for, the two teams at the bottom of the league and Manchester United. I think it is important to get into Europe again, especially from the position we are in now. Palace, Brighton and Brentford are all tricky games, but we are in good form now. Players will continue to return to action, and we have something to push for.
TEB – Do you foresee major changes in the summer?
JJ – There will be a new sporting director to replace Manchester United bound Dan Ashworth and the club will push to make as many new signings as they can under the financial restrictions.
I think a big sale is unlikely based on recent musings in the media, but players will be moved on. The likes of Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson and Sean Longstaff could be ones to go. The increased sponsorships we are bringing in should help us spend on new signings and I would expect at least 3-4 to come in. Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak are likely to stay unless a huge offer comes in, which doesn’t sound likely at this point.
TEB – To the match, how do you think you’ll line up and approach the game?
JJ – We will probably line up with the same eleven players that started the last game. Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson could both be on the bench. The only change I could see is Tino Livramento or Lewis Hall coming in for Jacob Murphy.
I think we are a dangerous opponent for Palace in the new style. You will likely dominate the ball, but we are one of the best counter attacking teams in the league. A quick view of the Tottenham highlights will show that. They had 77% of the ball, but we created five big chances to their one.
West Ham were tired at the weekend, but we come into this game with over a week’s rest which is rare for us this season. I can see Palace dominating the ball, but on the counterattack, we are devastating and if you guys start to tire (an issue in early Glasner games coupled with two games in quick succession), we could punish you.
TEB – Where do you think the game will be won or lost?
JJ – I think fitness will be huge. Will Palace’s hold up for another 90 minutes? How fresh will we be after over a week off?
We still have our vulnerabilities at the back. Palace need to score the first goal. We struggle to come back, especially away from home. Fulham dominated us for 40 minutes in our last away match. They didn’t score and then it was us that had the better of the second half before getting a winner.
West Ham didn’t create a lot on Sunday, but Palace still conceded twice. That would concern me ahead of a meeting with Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak, two of the in-form attackers in the league.
TEB – What’s your view on Palace this season?
JJ – Much of a muchness for most of the season. Like most of Palace’s Premier League seasons. Glasner is an exciting appointment and I really liked the signing of Adam Wharton. He is a player I wanted Newcastle to sign in January. Now we’d have to pay significantly more to get him. Palace have emerged as the best club at picking off EFL talent. They need to continue doing that but may also need to accept the need to trade their own players if they want to push any higher in the division.
TEB – If you had a magic wand, which player are you bringing into Newcastle over the summer?
JJ – Bryan Mbuemo. Not the most high-profile name, but he is very effective in a mid-table Brentford team. He works his nuts off and he has added end product to his game. Incredibly, he is only 24 too. He reminds me of Sadio Mane at Southampton. There is everything there for him to develop into a very good player and we are crying out for a right sided forward.
TEB – Very interesting call. A word then about off the field concerns – is the fan base generally behind the ownership? How have the PSR / FFP rulings gone down in the North East?
JJ – Generally, yes. I think the majority have their own private concerns about the morality of the ownership. I wasn’t delighted when the takeover went through, as I knew all future achievements would be somewhat tarnished. Those dressing up or waving Saudi Arabian flags are the minority. However, the football comes first and if that makes me a hypocrite then so be it.
I’m not a massive fan of PSR. Although I see the importance of protecting community assets, a system that incentivises selling your best players is anti-competitive. Newcastle United should be able to progress to the top of the division without selling Bruno Guimaraes or Alexander Isak. I am not sure of what system would be better, as no limits on spending would be unfair too.
All that being said, we are easily now the seventh biggest club when it comes to revenues and are much closer to the top six than the rest of the league. We will only get closer to them too.
It may take slightly longer than Chelsea or Manchester City, but eventually, the same rules we criticise now, will be protecting Newcastle from the next club to go on this journey.
TEB – Anything else?
JJ – Good luck for the rest of the season. I hope the good football continues under Glasner and Palace can enter next season with real excitement. However, I’ll be hoping my team takes the three points on Wednesday!
TEB – Cheers Jake! If you want to hear more from him, you can find him on X here.
