Lot more nuance to Newcastle United form than not having won a Premier League away game | OneFootball

Looking at the Newcastle United form this season.

With now 16 matches played so far, a number of things strike you.

The basic stats say the following…

Played 16 Won 8 Drawn 3 Lost 5 Goals Scored 26 Goals Against 14

However, like pretty much everything when stats are used, this Newcastle United form is a lot more nuanced than those bare numbers.

Newcastle United have won five of six matches in the Champions League and Carabao Cup, whilst winning three of eight in the Premier League.

Whilst there is also a stark difference in terms of home and away form.

Seven wins at St James’ Park from ten games played there, only one victory away from home in six games on the road.

The large and not so quiet elephant in the room is of course though, Newcastle United yet to win a Premier League match away from home this season. Three draws and two defeats in the five PL away matches, then the only other away match was that 4-0 Champions League one at Union S-G.

I can’t help but look back and wonder how different things might have been for both Anthony Elanga and the Newcastle team in general with the PL away results, if when only three minutes into his debut, the winger had scored when set free one on one with the keeper against Aston Villa.

There are though other ways to look at the Newcastle United form this season so far.

The Newcastle United form in August and September…

Played 8 Won 2 Drawn 3 Lost 3 Goals Scored 9 Goals Against 8

The Newcastle United form in October and November…

Played 8 Won 6 Drawn 0 Lost 2 Goals Scored 17 Goals Against 6

Look, I am as clueless as you are, to understand what happened at West Ham last Sunday. I think we just have to put it down to one of those days which isn’t repeated for some considerable time, where the whole team had such an off day.

If you take these other seven matches though of the last eight played, you have six wins and the game at Brighton. Newcastle were poor in the first half but much better in the second half and looking set to get the winner, until the home side managed to break and everything fell right for them and Welbeck too the chance that presented.

I think Newcastle have been pretty consistent once we got to October and it is ridiculous for anyone to claim NUFC were playing rubbish teams. Any Premier League club would be happy to have a run where they win against Benfica, Spurs, Forest, Union S-G, Fulham and Athletic Bilbao in the space of five weeks.

Naturally we need to exorcise that West Ham horror show and learn the lessons from what went wrong at Brighton in the first half. The fact remains though that the other six games from October onwards have brought six victories, 15 goals scored and only one conceded, with five clean sheets.

Often the margins are so small between success and failure and we just need to get a starting point with this Premier League away form, get a victory at Brentford and quieten down this line of negativity that seemingly so many want to solely focus on, including many Newcastle fans.