So, NUFC remain "untested" and unbeaTOON!!

So, after today's win vs Wigan Sky Sports' Charlie Nicholas claimed NUFC still remain untested. So if I may I'd like to compare our first 25% of the season with Liverpool's and Spurs'.

NUFC LFC Spurs
Arsenal (h) D Sunderland (h) D Man Utd (a) L
Sunderland (a) W Arsenal (a) W Man City (h) L
Fulham (h) W Bolton (h) W Wolves (a) W
QPR (a) D Stoke (a) L Liverpool (h) W
A Villa (a) D Spurs (a) L
Blackburn (h) W Wolves (h) W Wigan (a) W
Wolves (a) W Everton (a) W Arsenal (h) W
Spurs (h) D Man Utd (h) D Newcastle (a) D
Wigan (h) W Norwich (h) D

Spurs have quite easily had the hardest run on paper playing all of the other 5 "top 6 rivals" including their own local rivals. They are clearly way ahead of us in terms of challenging for the top spots and I fully expect them to be fighting for the 3rd/4th spot we currently occupy. Although they do need to beat Everton (h) and Blackburn (a) to match our points tally! I take my hat off to Spurs, not only for the great spectacle we put on last Sunday but for the way they've come out after the unsettling season start, the Modric "thing" and two heavy defeats.

Moving on, Liverpool have played 2 of the other 5 in the "top 6" and their local rivals. They've been beaten by Stoke and Spurs and had draws against Sunderland and Norwich. Again, Liverpool are quite clearly way ahead of NUFC and I fully expect them to be challenging for 3rd/4th place but I don't hear anyone saying LFC haven't been tested yet. Yet they are 4 points below us having played very similar opposition!

Newcastle have also played 2 of the "top 6" and their local rivals. Drawing against Arsenal, Spurs, Aston Villa who at the time were unbeaten.

My question is out of the games Liverpool and Spurs expected to win, have they been tested more than Newcastle have?

Answer is no, Liverpool and Spurs have been tested just the same as Newcastle have thus far. Just because Spurs have been hammered by both Manchester clubs it doesn't mean they've been tested, it means they've beaten by, evidently, two teams that are light years ahead of the rest! I'm positive when NUFC play Man Utd/City we'll be beaten convincingly too.

We seem to be taking harsh critisism for winning against teams where we are expected to challenge for the victory. We are happy plodding along picking up our points but for god sake, this is the best league in the world. The other leagues do not have 6 teams challenging for UCL and 8 others challenging for the remaining spots in Europe. EVERY GAME IS A TEST ... !!!

 

Storm in a toon cup.

 

The 'test' itself isn't about how well a team does when playing the 'top' teams, the test lies over the course of 38 games.

So far so good.

 

Most pundits are biased t*ssers and I rarely listen to what they have to say!

 

The way I see it is, out of nine games, five of the teams we have played finished above us last season. And since the pundits think we aren't as good as we were last season, how do they think we haven't played any decent teams?

 

we played 9 teams, and we havent been tested? does that mean that pretty much half the premier leagues teams are ****? so much for best league in the world. stupid ****ing media, kanjar, maan ni pudhi bastards.

 

Well said

Our problem is usually dropping points to 'lesser' teams!

 

This!

 

The thing you've got to remember is that Charlie Nicholas is a grade A ****.

 

We've only dropped points against the 3 unbeaten teams this season which is a good start.

I'm pleased with our start as I'm sure you are with yours, whereas Liverpool's season is starting to lose it's shine. It happens to every team and I wouldn't rule them out after one or two bad results.

 

Absolutely. I have looked everywhere and haven't found any "how teams were doing after 9 games" tables. You are doing much better than you expected, but history tells us that your form will probably not last. Let's see where we all are in May. Enjoy it while its here, but triumphalism, as said, is a little premature fella.

As for the top teams being the challenge, on the contrary, it is the Stokes and Wigans of this world that undo teams. To motivate a side to play ManUSA or Arsenal is easy, a cold Wednesday night in Bolton...?

 

This, this, this. We have pundits who had us as relegation candidates at the start of the season now saying we're untested. If we're relegation candidates that means there is a maximum of 2 teams worse than us, making every single other game a test. Quite ridiculous really. I'm pleased with our results this season and don't consider us untested at all, if you take our results from these fixtures last season we'd have about 8 points I think somebody worked out earlier.
Good start, very tough month or so ahead of us and I expect us to lose a few - needless to say this will be pundits' perfect opportunity to flex their 'Yep, I was right all along' muscles.

 

I'm happy to go all season untested if I'm honest...

 

This exactly.

 

The real test for the Toon will be the match after they lose their first match - and they will eventually lose. All it takes is a little dent in confidence, and you could find yourself going three or four games without a win. Even then, I can't see you finishing outside the top half of the table, not unless you fall apart completely.

As for 'Pool, their fans are worshipping a manager who appears to have forgotten how to put a decent side together. I really wouldn't worry about them

 

Spot on, I think thats why we're all so nervous about these 'winnable' games leading into the 3 biggies in Nov-Dec, its so important for us to go into them with momentum. Lose against Everton and heads are down for the two Manchester away trips, and even though we're not expecting a lot from them two decent performances would be nice to bring back to SJP for Chelsea and more importantly Norwich. 30 points by Christmas would be lovely.

 

Sorry, but when I think of that moron Charlie Nicholas, all I can think of is this

[video=youtube;Uo8mP7XHq1E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo8mP7XHq1E&feature=related[/video]

Don't listen to the fool! I like having the "underdog" tag. I mean, I thought we'd lost it after the Spurs game, but if the muppets want to keep hating, let's keep proving them wrong! We know better than them

 

We will more than likely lose 1 or 2 in our next 5 games. Stoke (a) Everton (h) Man City (a) Man Utd (a) Chelsea (h). Will be a good test for us

 

Who's Charlie Nicholas?

 

Some grade A ****