Write for your team - Newcastle United

'Sup Footie nuts? So, the premier league is five days away from kick-off and here at the FootieCall palace we CANNOT wait. Last week, we asked for you the fans to send us your predictions about your teams chances for upcoming 2012/13 season. We have had an immense response! We thank each and everyone of you for your entries. Sadly, we can't post everyone's masterpieces. So we have chosen the best of the best. What we didn't mention is that we will be commenting on everyone's piece and we will be giving our expert opinions on the their predictions. See below for FootieCall responses. 

Up first, we have a gentleman whose love for Newcastle United is something to be admired. Footie nuts, I give you Wayne Du Plessis....

Write for your team - Newcastle United

Not too many people – including myself – would have expected Newcastle United to secure a Top

5 finish in only their second season back in the Premier League. If that wasn’t memorable enough,

some of the results recorded, and goals scored will go down in Premier League history, not just in the

Geordie archives.

Beating reigning champions Manchester United 3-0 at home is a result that not many NUFC fans will

forget any time soon. Ba with a spectacular volley, and Yohan Cabaye with one of the best freekicks

I’ve ever seen at St.James’ Park capped a marvellous night. You won’t find two better goals in a game

all season, or so they said.

Step forward Papiss Demba Cissé. Mention his name to any neutral football fan across the globe and

they’ll more than likely assign him to that goal against Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge. Seemingly defying

the law of physics; Cissé hit an absolute beauty with the outside of his right boot – over on the sideline

– which curled into Petr Cech’s net. It was a worthy winner of the Goal of the Season, and quite

frankly – it’ll be very near the top of contenders in the Goal of the Decade.

All of those goals; fantastic results; memorable moments watching Newcastle United were made

possible by the hard work put in by Alan Pardew, John Carver, the players, and everyone associated

with NUFC from 2011 pre-season right until the very end. Most people say we got ‘lucky’, most of

those saw their team finish below Newcastle United this season. You make your own luck in this game,

whatever about life in general.

As every football will know: the transfer window officially opened on July 1st. Endless rumours,

various bids, countless ‘discussions’, will happen between now and the first of September. What

players will be holding your team’s jersey when the window slams shut is certainly the most important

thing.

Luckily at St.James’ Park, we expect the worst and welcome anything besides. The entire season that

just passed, staggeringly, passed without any turmoil at Newcastle United. No big departures, no

sackings – just victories, and special football.

As we approach the new 2012/13 Barclays Premier League season, we want to improve on our

showing last season. The imminent arrival of a couple of new defenders and a probable striker signal

that the hard-work is well and truly under way at the club.

Maybe we’ll lose some key men, but I cautiously doubt it. As a football team, and a football club – we

are progressing in a very encouraging fashion. Any NUFC fan would snap your fingers off for a similar

season again, but we have to be realistic and acknowledge that it will be even harder to reach the

summits we did last campaign. You just never know though, especially if Papiss has any major say in

matters.

The main thing is that Newcastle United is moving upwards, and long may that continue. For the first

time in quite a few seasons, there’s big excitement on Tyneside. Mind you, we’re still trying to work

out how good we actually were last season.

Newcastle will probably end seventh. Hopefully higher, but other teams out there have made some key signings as we are falling behind. The target last season was top ten, so the obvious improvement of that would be eighth.however, anything above tenth would be a season I'm happy with. Perhaps a cup run in that would be great too! But realistically eighth.

While we brainstorm, let’s hope the work behind the scenes at NUFC is preparing the lads for another

storming Premier League season. More of the same please fellas.

Follow me on twitter - @waynedoop

FootieCall's response - Potz

Yeah, so last season's result was a fluke. Pards did some really good work in the two transfer seasons last season. He hasn't really been doing anything this window. I feel they need at least six or seven new faces in order to replicate last season's position. We saw with Cisse firing Demba Ba took a back seat in the second half of the season.

I fear injuries to key players in key positions, could see Newcastle United slip to the lower half of the league. If they have that amazing injury free run as last season. It still won't be good enough to get them anywhere near where they were last season.


FootieCall's Prediction:

League position: 10th
Controversy: A potential sacking for Alan Pardew.

@Potz56