'Surprise Package'

This season the performances of Newcastle United have led to them been called the Premier League's 'surprise package'.

This has been based mostly on the preconceptions that cheap players are no good, foreign players will struggle in this league and that NUFC sold all their best players last year (they didn't). This nonsense is summed up very succinctly in Carroll and Ba's transfers. Because no fee was paid for Ba many people said we hadn't signed a decent striker, when in fact we signed a 1 in 2 striker !

Having read about each player as they were signed I was quietly confident they would play very well for Newcastle. A small amount of research into each player as they arrived was enough to show they had been astutely signed and were very capable individuals.

I think the whole 'surprise package' thing is ignorant pundits (all), journalists and fans (some) trying to cover up their lack of knowledge and reliance on tired clichés at the start of the season.

Is it really any surprise that we have done well when we got rid of aged and liability players (while keeping most of our 'best' players), signed league winners from France and strikers with a better than 1 in 2 record ?

 

I think it's the whole "built on teamwork, no superstars" that grates on me, Krul, Colo, Cabaye, Tiote, HBA, Ba and Cisse are all in the top 5 players in the league in their respective roles and positions no doubt about it.

 

You hit the nail right on the head there, as well as our squad players playing out of their skins. There's a lot of contributing factors to our success.

 

shhhhhhhh there all sh1t