What a strange season it has been for Newcastle United in the English top flight. Seven games into the new Premier League season and the Magpies had failed to win and the pressure was mounting on boss Alan Pardew. For most of the season, Pardew had been red hot favourite to be the next Premier League boss out for a job, but the club stuck to their guns, so did Pardew and are finally getting the justification for doing so.
Stringing together a five match winning streak in all competitions (four Premier League wins and victory over Man City in the League Cup), the Newcastle that head into the international break is almost unrecognisable from that of the early season. All credit has to go to Pardew, who does apparently know what he is doing.
With winnable league fixtures coming up against Burnley, West Ham and QPR after the international break, then the Newcastle revival could have some more legs yet.
Having been slashed for relegation this season after failing to score in four of their first seven matches in the Premier League this term, punters are now swinging the other way as a result of their hot streak. The odds of the Magpies landing a top six finish have been slashed by the bookmakers, while they have drifted out to a long 22/1 to take the drop down to the Championship.
Newcastle can now be snapped up at a price of 25/1 with online bookmaker BoyleSports to land a top six spot, while the Irish bookmaker has gone a step further and quoted 66/1 odds that the Magpies will steal a Champions League berth. A price of 11/8 on a Newcastle top ten finish does look the most pragmatic option amid all the new Newcastle hype though.
Even boss Alan Pardew has seen the odds on him being nominated as manager of the season have drifted back in thanks to the Tyneside turnaround. Pardew is a 25/1 shot at Boylesports to be manager of the year.
But while big Premier League success looks a long way out of the picture, will their revival see them land some silverware? The Magpies haven’t won a single piece of domestic silverware since back in 1969.
They are currently a 12/1 shot to win the Capital One Cup, as they are set to take the trip to White Hart Lane in the quarter finals to face Spurs. That big away win at Man City in the previous round would have made them more alluring to punters. Newcastle are at 40/1 to win the FA Cup.
