Will Newcastle win the Championship?
For the first time this season, Newcastle have gone three Championship matches without a win which has led to some suggesting that perhaps Rafa Benitez’s side haven’t got what it takes to see the job through.
Rubbish.
Following statement away wins at promotion rivals Reading and Huddersfield, Newcastle’s ascent to the Premier League was almost a foregone conclusion, and the players might have started to believe it as well.
Complacency may have crept into the dressing room of late which has led to some lacklustre performances against Reading and Fulham, but I expect Rafa to steady the ship somewhat and to screw loose heads back on.
The reason why Newcastle are still massive favourites to win the Championship this season as foreseen on CrownBet’s EFL odds is simple: they have the points on the board.
While during the 2009/10 season, the Toon were the pace-setters in the division as they are now, they weren’t being chased all the way by a group of equally competitive clubs like we see today.
It was almost like Newcastle were in a league of their own and the chasing pack were vying for second, which virtually alleviated the pressure off Chris Hughton’s men.
This time around, the likes of Brighton, Huddersfield, Leeds and Reading are all close enough to just add that element of doubt in the minds of a few of the players.
What do Newcastle have in their favour? They’ve already run half the race.
Ignoring Brighton who have been toe-to-toe with Newcastle pretty much the entire season, the play-off hopefuls are all 6+ points back of Rafa’s side meaning they have all the work to do.
It’s one thing to hope for Newcastle to drop points as they have done of late, but it’s another thing to capitalise on those errors.
Take the last round of fixtures. Newcastle came away from Birmingham with only a point, seen by some as two dropped. Meanwhile, Huddersfield were carted about 4-0 by a struggling Bristol City side while Brighton fell to Leeds.
What was really two points dropped by the Magpies really ended up being a point gained on the chasing pack and extended their lead at the top and the gap between them and the play-off places.
The added pressure of having to make up the ground is tough to deal with, and it’s a weight off Newcastle’s shoulders.
So, you want to know why Newcastle **will **win the Championship? They’ve already got one hand on the trophy, that’s why.